Latest news with #PalestinianResistance
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
US touts 60-day ceasefire in plan for Gaza
The plan stipulates that Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place. (EPA Images pic) GAZA CITY : A US plan for Gaza seen by Reuters today proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead in the first week and the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. The plan, which says it is guaranteed by US President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, includes sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement. The plan stipulates that Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place. The White House said today that Israel has agreed to the US ceasefire proposal. The Palestinian resistance group Hamas told Reuters it was reviewing the plan and will respond tomorrow or Sunday. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins.
Reuters
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Hamas-led groups execute four for looting aid trucks amid some Gaza dissent
CAIRO, May 26 (Reuters) - Hamas has executed four men for looting some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, sources familiar with the incident said on Monday, as a clan leader in southern Gaza issued a challenge to the militant group over guarding the convoys. One source said the four were involved in an incident last week when six security officials were killed by an Israeli airstrike as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks. "The four criminals, who were executed, were involved in the crimes of looting and causing the death of members of a force tasked with securing aid trucks," one of the sources told Reuters. Seven other suspects were being pursued, according to a statement issued by an umbrella group identifying itself as the "Palestinian Resistance". Humanitarian assistance began trickling into Gaza last week after Israel yielded to international pressure and lifted a blockade it imposed in early March that has left half a million people facing starvation, according to a global hunger monitor. Aid groups have said that deliveries have been hampered by looting, but they have blamed Israel for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to desperation by the blockade. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies, and the issue of control over the aid trucks has been hotly disputed. Israeli military officials say the security teams put in place by Hamas are there to take delivery of the supplies not to protect them, but it has provided no evidence of Hamas looting since it eased its blockade last week. Hamas, which took power in Gaza in 2007, has long cracked down hard on signs of dissent among Palestinians in Gaza but it has faced sizeable protests in recent months over the war and faced challenges to its control by armed groups of looters, some of whom it has punished by shooting them in the legs in public. Yasser Abu Shabab, a leader of a large clan in the Rafah area, now under full Israeli army control, said he was building up a force to secure aid deliveries into some parts of the enclave. He published images of his armed men receiving and organising the traffic of aid trucks. Hamas, which is unable to operate in the Rafah area where Abu Shabab has some controls, has accused him of looting international aid trucks in previous months and maintaining connections with Israel. On a Facebook page in his name Abu Shabab denies that he has acted as an alternative to the government or other institutions and rejects accusations of looting. On the page Abu Shabab is described as a "grassroots leader who stood up against corruption and looting" and who protected aid convoys. But a Hamas security official called Abu Shabab a "tool used by the Israeli occupation to fragment the Palestinian internal front". Asked if the U.N. was working with Abu Shabab, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA said it did not pay anyone to guard aid trucks. "What we do is talk to communities regularly, build trust and engage with the authorities on the urgent need for more aid to come in through more routes and more crossings," the spokesperson said.
Free Malaysia Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Hamas says it is engaged in ‘fierce fighting' in Gaza's Rafah
Hamas has rarely reported fighting around Rafah in recent months. (AP pic) CAIRO : Hamas rebels engaged in 'fierce fighting' with Israeli soldiers yesterday in the south of the Gaza Strip near Rafah, the Palestinian resistance group said. The statement, issued on Telegram, suggests that Hamas is still active in areas where the Israeli military has expanded its control, more than 19 months after the start of Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza. In a later statement, it said fighters ambushed an Israeli 12-man force inside a house in the Tanur neighbourhood in the eastern Rafah area with two anti-personnel and anti-armour rockets, killing and wounding several soldiers. The Israeli army confirmed in a statement today that two of its soldiers had been killed in combat in the southern Gaza Strip. The statement added two officers and two other soldiers had been severely injured. Hamas has rarely reported fighting around Rafah in recent months, with most clashes reported in the eastern area of the nearby city of Khan Younis and northern parts of the coastal territory. Israel said earlier this month it would further extend its offensive in Gaza. Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a fragile, US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for six weeks.
Scoop
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Myth Of Conquest: Why Gaza Will Never Be Subdued By Israel
To conquer a place is to fundamentally subdue its population. This must be clearly differentiated from 'occupation', a specific legal term that governs the relationship between a foreign "occupying power" and the occupied nation under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. When Israeli forces were ultimately compelled to redeploy from the Gaza Strip in 2005, a direct consequence of the persistent resistance of the Palestinian population there, the United Nations resolutely insisted that the Gaza Strip remained an occupied territory under international law. This position stood in stark contradiction to that of Israel, which conveniently produced its own legal texts that designated Gaza a ' hostile entity ' - thus, not an occupied territory. Let us try to understand what appears to be a confusing logic: Israel proved incapable of sustaining its military occupation of Gaza, which began in June 1967. The paramount reason for Israel's eventual redeployment was the enduring Palestinian Resistance, which rendered it impossible for Israel to normalize its military occupation and, crucially, to make it profitable – unlike the illegal settlements of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Between 1967 and the early 1970s, when Israel began investing in building illegal settlement blocks in the Strip, the Israeli military under the command of Ariel Sharon relentlessly strove to suppress Palestinians. He employed extreme violence, mass destruction, and ethnic cleansing tactics to subdue the Strip. Yet, at no juncture did he achieve his ultimate and comprehensive objectives of complete subjugation. Subsequently, he invested in his infamous, but failed ' Five Fingers ' plan. At the time the head of the Israeli army Southern Command – which included Gaza – Sharon stubbornly believed that the only way to defeat the Gazans was by severing the contiguity of the Strip, thus hindering organized resistance. In pursuing this aim, he sought to divide Gaza into so-called security zones where the main Israeli Jewish settlements would be built, fortified by massive military build up. This would be joined by Israeli military control of key routes and the blocking of most coastal access. However, this plan never fully actualized, as creating these 'fingers' required that Palestinians on both sides of the 'security zones' would have to be pacified to some extent – a condition that reality on the ground never delivered. What did actualize was the building of isolated settlement blocks: the largest was in the southwest of the Gaza Strip, near the border with Egypt, known as the Gush Katif, followed by the northern settlements, and finally the central settlement of Netzarim. Housing a few thousand settlers, and often requiring the presence of a far greater number of soldiers assigned to protect them, these so-called settlements were essentially fortified military towns. Due to the limited geography of Gaza (181 square miles or 365 square kilometers) and the stiff resistance, the settlements had limited space for expansion, thus remaining a costly colonial endeavor. When the Israeli army emptied the last illegal settlement in Gaza in 2005, the soldiers snuck out of the Strip in the middle of the night. At their heels were thousands of Gazans who chased the soldiers until the last of them fled the dramatic scene. That singular and powerful episode alone is more than sufficient to allow one to assert with unwavering certainty that Gaza was at no point truly conquered by Israel. Though Israel withdrew its permanent military presence from the main population centers of the Strip, it continued to operate within so-called buffer zones, which were often significant incursions into Palestinian territory, far beyond the armistice line. It also imposed a hermetic siege against Gaza, which starkly explains why the majority of Gazans have never stepped a foot outside the Strip. Israel's control over airspace, territorial water, natural resources (mostly Mediterranean gas fields), and much more readily led the UN to its immediate conclusion: Gaza remains an occupied territory. Unsurprisingly, Israel vehemently opposed this reality. Tel Aviv's true desire is absolute control over Gaza, coupled with the convenient and self-serving designation of the territory as perpetually hostile. This twisted logic would grant the Israeli military an endlessly exploitable pretext to initiate devastating wars against the already besieged and impoverished Strip whenever it deemed convenient. This brutal and cynical practice is chillingly known within Israel's military lexicon as ' mowing the grass ' – a dehumanizing euphemism for the periodic and deliberate degradation of the military capabilities of the Palestinian Resistance in an attempt to ensure that Gaza can never effectively challenge its Israeli jailors or break free from its open-air prison. October 7, 2023, ended that myth, where Al-Aqsa Flood Operation challenged Israel's long-standing military doctrine. The so-called Gaza Envelope region, where the late Sharon's Southern Command is based, was entirely seized by the youth of Gaza, who organized under the harshest of economic and military circumstances, to, in a shocking turn of events, defeat Israel. While acknowledging the UN designation of Gaza as occupied territory, Palestinians understandably speak of and commemorate its 'liberation' in 2005. Their logic is clear: the Israeli military's redeployment to the border region was a direct consequence of their resistance. Israel's current attempts to defeat the Palestinians in Gaza are failing for a fundamental reason rooted in history. When Israeli forces stealthily withdrew from the Strip two decades ago under the cover of night, Palestinian resistance fighters possessed rudimentary weaponry, closer to fireworks than effective military instruments. The landscape of resistance has fundamentally shifted since then. This long-standing reality has been upended in recent months. All Israeli estimates suggest that tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, wounded, or psychologically impaired since the start of the Gaza war. Since Israel failed to subdue the Gazans over the course of two relentless decades, it is not merely improbable, but an outright absurdity to expect that Israel will now succeed in subduing and conquering Gaza. Israel itself is acutely aware of this inherent paradox, hence its immediate and brutal choice: the perpetration of a genocide, a horrific act intended to pave the way for the ethnic cleansing of the remaining survivors. The former has been executed with devastating efficiency, a stain on the conscience of a world that largely stood by in silence. The latter, however, remains an unachievable fantasy, predicated on the delusional notion that Gazans would willingly choose to abandon their ancestral homeland. Gaza has never been conquered and never will be. Under the unyielding tenets of international law, it remains an occupied territory, regardless of any eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces to the border – a withdrawal that Netanyahu's destructive and futile war cannot indefinitely postpone. When this inevitable redeployment occurs, the relationship between Gaza and Israel will be irrevocably transformed, a powerful testament to the enduring resilience and indomitable spirit of the Palestinian people. - Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is ' Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out'. His other books include 'My Father was a Freedom Fighter' and 'The Last Earth'. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is
Al Manar
26-03-2025
- Health
- Al Manar
Gaza Resistance Fires Rockets as Israeli Occupation Tightens Blockade
Despite the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the Israeli tightened blockade, Palestinian Resistance is still firing rockets at the occupied territories, sending a clear message of defiance against the Israeli oppression. Israeli media reported two rockets were fired from Gaza on Wednesday, with occupation army claiming it had shot down a projectile. 'Israel's air force shot down one of the projectiles, while the other landed in the Zimrat community, near the Gaza border,' a statement published by the occupation army on Telegram said. Renewed Aggression Killed 38 in Last 24 Hours Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in Gaza said the bodies of at least 39 people, including one recently recovered, arrived in hospitals across the besieged territory over the past 24 hours. 🚨Breaking: A six-month-old infant, his mother, and his siblings were brought to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza in severed remains after an Israeli airstrike targeted their family home. — Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) March 26, 2025 In its latest daily update, the ministry said another 124 people were wounded in Israeli attacks. The figures bring the confirmed number of people killed since the start of Israel's war to 50,183 with another 113,828 wounded, it added. They include at least 830 people martyred and 1,787 wounded since the Israeli occupation ended a two-month ceasefire on March 18 and resumed the war on the besieged enclave. Thousands more people are missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings and presumed dead, according to authorities in Gaza. New Offensive Displaced 142,000 Palestinians For its part, the UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) said more than 142,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since March 18. 'Fleeing with only a few personal belongings, many people are now staying on the streets, in desperate need for food, drinking water, and shelter essentials,' the agency said. The UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) says more than 142,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18. 'Fleeing with only a few personal belongings, many people are now staying on the streets, in desperate need for food, drinking… — Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) March 26, 2025 The displacement is being driven mainly by Israeli displacement orders and its destruction of homes and public infrastructure, OCHA said. Since Israel resumed the war, its military has issued six notices, placing about 15 percent of the Gaza Strip under evacuation. Water Crisis in Gaza On the other hand, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said the remaining water system in Gaza will completely collapse if fuel supplies run out, all but cutting off people's access to clean water in the Strip. The statement came as the Israeli punishing blockade entered its 25th day. The aid group said the lack of access to safe water is already having dire consequences for people's health. With a blockade on electricity and fuel in Gaza, Palestine, the remaining water system is collapsing, forcing people to drink unsafe water. We call for the ceasefire to be immediately restored and for Israeli authorities to allow electricity and aid into Gaza. 👇Read more… — MSF International (@MSF) March 25, 2025 In al-Mawasi and Khan Younis healthcare centers, the three most common conditions treated by MSF, jaundice, diarrhea and scabies, are directly caused by inadequate provision of safe water, it said. 'The sheer number of children with skin conditions is a direct result of Gaza's destruction and blockade,' said Chiara Lodi, MSF medical team coordinator in Gaza. 'In addition to treating adults and children who have severe war injuries, our staff are treating an increasing number of children with entirely preventable skin diseases like scabies, which is not only uncomfortable, but in severe cases, sees them scratch their skin until it bleeds which can lead to infection.' 'This is a result of children being unable to bathe, spreading scabies and other infections, leaving lasting scars,' she added.
