Archiv: Hamas


19.02.2025 - 08:49 [ Middle East Eye ]

Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan‘s king

The official confirmed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, likely on Thursday, to discuss Egypt’s plan for post-war Gaza governance. (…)

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the Egyptian plan would not include Hamas or the PA. The report said it would involve a police force made up of PA policemen who remained in Gaza after 2007, when Hamas won legislative elections and took control of the enclave.

MEE reported in May that Hamas was prepared to show „flexibility“ about the future governance of Gaza, stating its condition was that Gaza’s fate was agreed upon by other Palestinian factions and not imposed by either the United States or Israel.

13.02.2025 - 12:38 [ theGuardian.com ]

Hamas confirms it is committed to Gaza ceasefire and will release hostages as planned – Middle East crisis live

Hamas said on Thursday it will continue implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal, including a hostage exchange within the agreed timeframe, reports Reuters.

11.02.2025 - 22:32 [ United Nations ]

Gaza: Return to war must be avoided at all costs, insists UN chief

“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” said the UN chief, in a statement relayed to journalists by UN Geneva spokesperson Rolando Gomez.

“I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages next Saturday. Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume serious negotiations in Doha for the second phase.”

The development comes amid reports that Hamas suspended the scheduled release of hostages from Gaza on Saturday, on the grounds that Palestinians continue to be killed in the war-torn enclave and that too little aid is entering the Strip.

11.02.2025 - 11:10 [ Fox News ]

Trump says ceasefire should be canceled if hostages aren‘t released by Saturday: ‚Let all hell break out‘

When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is „Israel’s decision.“

„If all the Gaza hostages aren‘t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,“ Trump said in the Oval Office. „Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.“

11.02.2025 - 11:03 [ Middle East Eye ]

Hamas delays captive release ‚until further notice‘ accusing Israel of violating deal

(February 10, 2025)

However, Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas‘s armed wing the Qassam Brigades, said it will be „postponed until further notice, pending the occupation‘s compliance and retroactive fulfullment of the past weeks‘ obligations“.

„We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them,“ he added.

Abu Obaida said the delay would continue until Israel halted its attacks on Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza and allowed aid into the enclave at previously-agreed-to levels.

30.01.2025 - 18:18 [ Al Jazeera ]

Hamas announces killing of top military commander Mohammed Deif

Hamas confirmed Deif’s killing in a statement.

Israel had claimed that it had killed Deif in an air attack in July, but the Palestinian group had not confirmed his death.

30.01.2025 - 17:51 [ the Sun / Youtube ]

Hamas‘ twisted stage show for hostage release with young Israeli surrounded by gun toting fanatics

HAMAS has released the next batch of hostages after keeping them in captivity for a harrowing 482 days.

19.01.2025 - 09:41 [ Guardan ]

‘Finally it’s happening. I know he’s still alive’: Families of Israeli hostages await nervously the return of their loved ones

The fate of captives held by Hamas is in the balance until they are finally swapped for Palestinian prisoners

19.01.2025 - 09:41 [ NewArab,com ]

Thousands of families of Gaza’s missing wait for ceasefire to learn of their fate

Ever since the war on Gaza started following Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, around 11,200 people have gone missing according to the Gaza government media office.

They did not arrive at Gaza’s hospitals and they were not buried and are therefore not counted in the Gaza government’s official death toll, which now stands at 46,899.

19.01.2025 - 08:48 [ CBS News ]

Israel, Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal delayed, fighting continues as IDF says Hamas not meeting demands

His statement came almost three hours after Israel had expected to receive the names, which Hamas was to give to mediator Qatar. There was no immediate response from Hamas or Qatar.

The prime minister, speaking to the nation about 12 hours before the ceasefire is set to start, also said Israel is treating the ceasefire with Gaza as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary. He claimed that he had the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who he said he spoke with Wednesday.

25.12.2024 - 15:02 [ Forward.com ]

Netanyahu throws cold water on hostage deal prospects, and reminds us what a curse he is for Israel

(December 23, 2024)

From the beginning it was clear that the only feasible post-Hamas arrangement would be a return of the Palestinian Authority, which now runs the West Bank autonomy zones, back to Gaza, from which Hamas expelled it in 2007 by force. Israel itself once yearned for this, back when rational people governed the country. The proposals pushed by President Joe Biden for more than a year now envision versions of this, with the PA rejuvenated and assisted by Arab and perhaps other forces.

An Israel that wanted this would have ensured that Hamas is out of the way, publicly and persistently offering its remaining troops exile. Arab pressure on the group would have been overpowering. Israel would possibly get peace with Saudi Arabia as part of the bargain.

Instead, Netanyahu’s goons flooded the airwaves arguing that Israel cannot pull out of Gaza and end the war because Hamas would regain power.

21.12.2024 - 01:56 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(December 16, 2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

10.12.2024 - 02:57 [ Middle East Eye ]

Hamas hails ‚freedom and justice‘ gained by Syrians after Assad‘s fall

With the eruption of the Syrian revolution in 2011, Hamas chose to remain neutral in the civil strife that followed, putting it at odds with Damascus.

By 2012, the group’s leadership were forced to leave Syria after being pressured to publicly support Assad, a position they refused to take.

The group eventually voiced its support for the Syrian revolution, effectively severing its ties with Assad.

Nearly 10 years later, Hamas restored relations with Assad’s government, sending a delegation to meet the toppled president in the Syrian capital in 2022.

03.12.2024 - 03:02 [ theNewRepublic.com ]

Trump’s Genius Plan to Release Gaza Hostages: More War

Trump’s comments came after Hamas issued a video statement saying 33 of its captives have been killed during Israel’s brutal war on Gaza dating back to October last year, when Hamas attacked Israel and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

03.12.2024 - 02:50 [ Associated Press ]

Trump demands immediate release of Oct. 7 hostages, says otherwise there will be ‘HELL TO PAY’

“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social site.

He added that, “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”

03.12.2024 - 02:42 [ Middle East Eye ]

Hamas says 33 Israeli captives have been killed by Israeli air strikes

A new video released by al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas‘s military wing, warns Israel against furthering the war on Gaza and says 33 Israeli captives held in the strip have already been killed by Israeli airstrikes

21.11.2024 - 19:44 [ International Criminal Court ]

Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issues warrant of arrest for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif)

Today, on 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (‘Court’), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued a warrant of arrest for Mr Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as ‘Deif’, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least 7 October 2023.

The Prosecution had initially filed applications for warrants of arrest for two other senior leaders of Hamas, namely Mr Ismail Haniyeh and Mr Yahya Sinwar. Following confirmation of their deaths, the Chamber granted the withdrawal of the applications on 9 August 2024 and 25 October 2024, respectively. With respect to Mr Deif, the Prosecution indicated that it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

18.10.2024 - 19:51 [ New York Times ]

How Israel Found and Killed Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza

Photographs obtained by The New York Times, some of which later circulated online, show the body of a man with facial features strongly resembling Mr. Sinwar. The man’s body has several severe wounds, including to the head and leg. The photographs show that the body has several features matching those seen in archival footage of Mr. Sinwar, including distinctive moles near his eyes and crooked teeth.

(…)

On Friday, Hamas confirmed Mr. Sinwar’s death.

07.10.2024 - 22:31 [ SABA.ye ]

Netanyahu changes name of Gaza genocide war from „Iron Swords“ to „Resurrection War“

According to the Zionist news website „Ynet“: „Netanyahu said in a special session of the government on the first anniversary of the October 7 attack that he wants to rename the „Iron Swords“ war to the „Resurrection War“.

07.10.2024 - 22:30 [ Ahram.org.eg ]

Hamas armed wing vows ‚long war of attrition‘ against Israel

„We choose to keep up the fight in a long war of attrition, one that is painful and costly for the enemy,“ said Abu Obeida, spokesman of the militant group‘s armed wing.

He also warned that scores of people taken captive into Gaza on October 7 last year were enduring a „very difficult“ situation.

His statement, broadcast on Al Jazeera, came on the one-year anniversary of the Aqsa Flood operation.

14.09.2024 - 20:54 [ Jerusalem Post ]

WATCH: Fmr. Saudi official: There are no heroes in Israel-Hamas war, only victims

(October 20, 2023)

Former head of Saudi Arabia‘s General Intelligence Presidency and former Saudi ambassador to the US Turki al-Faisal condemned both Hamas and Israel in a speech on Tuesday, saying Hamas committed acts forbidden by Islam and Israel was ‚indiscriminately‘ bombing civilians in Gaza.

„There are no heroes in this conflict, only victims,“ said Faisal in a speech at a conference hosted by Rice University‘s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

04.09.2024 - 11:45 [ New York Times ]

‘Buying Quiet’: Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up Hamas

(December 10, 2023)

Just weeks before Hamas launched the deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the head of Mossad arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a meeting with Qatari officials.

(…)

Allowing the payments — billions of dollars over roughly a decade — was a gamble by Mr. Netanyahu that a steady flow of money would maintain peace in Gaza, the eventual launching point of the Oct. 7 attacks, and keep Hamas focused on governing, not fighting.

The Qatari payments, while ostensibly a secret, have been widely known and discussed in the Israeli news media for years.

04.09.2024 - 11:16 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

04.09.2024 - 10:45 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(December 16, 2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

04.09.2024 - 10:41 [ APNews,com ]

US charges Hamas leader, other militants in connection with Oct. 7 massacre in Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Tuesday against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the Oct. 7, 2023, rampage in Israel, marking the first effort by American law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the attack.

The seven-count criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges such as conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and conspiracy to finance terrorism.

03.09.2024 - 16:15 [ Time ]

Hamas Says Hostage Guards Have Been Operating Under New Orders

“Netanyahu‘s insistence to free prisoners through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal, means they will be returned to their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive,” he said

03.09.2024 - 16:09 [ Middle East Monitor ]

Hamas armed wing says new instructions given to guards of Israel hostages in Gaza

On Sunday, the Israeli military reported the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, claiming that Hamas was responsible for their deaths. Obaida said his group holds Israel responsible for the deaths.

He said the new instructions, which he did not detail, were given to guards of hostages after a rescue operation by Israel in June.

03.09.2024 - 02:58 [ Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt / X.com ]

The widespread devastation and massacres of the Israeli army in #Jenin and other parts of occupied northern West Bank, where Hamas is not ruling, are a powerful reminder that Hamas is just the last excuse for the State of #Israel to wreak the Palestinian territory havoc.

Everywhere for 57 years Israel has made life impossible for Palestinians under a brutal military occupation, seeking to realize a “#GreaterIsrael”.
In agreement with the Palestinians in the oPt, an int‘l #ProtectionPresence must be immediately deployed to stop the massacres, wanton destruction and forced displacement.

02.09.2024 - 23:55 [ CNN ]

Tumultuous weekend for Israelis leaves Netanyahu with fewer options than ever

Unlike Palestinians in Gaza, Israelis can rise up to challenge their leadership. Late-night skirmishes between protesters and the authorities Sunday on Tel Aviv’s usually hyper-busy eight-lane Ayalon Highway were a manifestation of that.

As flames and dense smoke engulfed wooden pallets and tires on the roads, I watched a young man, blue paint spray in hand, scrawl his message to the prime minister in foot-high letters on the roadside wall: “Hostages or revolt.”

01.09.2024 - 17:07 [ Middle East Eye ]

Hamas says captives killed by Israeli fire

The group also blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of Israeli captives, saying they „were killed by his army‘s bullets„.

(…)

Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas‘ political bureau, said the six captives found dead by the Israeli army „were only killed by Zionist bombing„.

01.09.2024 - 17:02 [ Times of Israel ]

Bodies of 6 hostages, murdered by Hamas just days ago, found in Rafah – IDF

Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of their bodies, the Ynet news site reported. An autopsy found they were murdered in the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their bodies, the report said.

30.08.2024 - 14:50 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Shin Bet chief warns prime minister in July 2023 that war is incoming

The Prime Minister‘s Office denied these allegations, saying: „Prime Minister Netanyahu did not receive a warning about the war in Gaza not on the date in question not before October 7. On the contrary, all security officials made it clear that Hamas is deterred and strives to reach an agreement. Also, a few days before October 7, the Shin Bet assessed that Gaza‘s stability is expected to be maintained for a long time.“
The Shin Bet did not comment on the Prime Minister Office‘s response.

30.08.2024 - 08:38 [ Agenzia Nova ]

Israel, opposition leader accuses Netanyahu: He knew about the threat of October 7 and did nothing

In the weeks that followed, Lapid continued, he viewed classified intelligence provided to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that indicated that deterrence had indeed eroded. He also viewed highly classified material made available to him as a former prime minister. On September 18, 2023, there was “a further warning. For me, what was written there was unmistakable: Israel’s deterrence has eroded dramatically; our enemies think they have a rare opportunity to harm us,” Lapid said.

29.08.2024 - 19:07 [ Times of Israel ]

Netanyahu was warned a year before Oct. 7 that Hamas saw its ‘moment had arrived,’ Lapid tells civilian inquiry

“During the months leading up to the disaster, the prime minister and cabinet ministers received a series of serious, unprecedented warnings. From the middle of 2023 there were more and more voices within the terrorist organizations that said that the moment they had been waiting for had arrived,” he says.

Lapid recalls asking Bar “if these warnings were also brought before the prime minister and cabinet ministers, and the answer was: ‘Of course they were.‘”

29.08.2024 - 18:53 [ Yahoo.com ]

Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Netanyahu was warned about Hamas

„I want to refute the statement that is made time and time again by the current government that, somehow, the political echelon was not aware that Hamas was not deterred,“ Lapid told the paper.

„It was indeed informed. I was informed,“ he said, adding that the intelligence material he saw „was of course, also seen by the prime minister and ministers of the Cabinet.“

„It was clear what they [Hamas] wanted,“ he said.

29.08.2024 - 18:49 [ Hindustan Times ]

Netanyahu Let Hamas’ Oct 7 Attack Happen? Bombshell Claim By Arch Rival Amid 10 Months Of Gaza War

In a heated exchange, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid clashed over the handling of Hamas’ October 7 attack. Lapid accused Netanyahu of ignoring critical warnings that eroded national security, claiming the PM failed to act despite knowing a violent eruption was looming. In response, Netanyahu fired back, accusing Lapid of ‚spreading lies.‘ Watch for more.

26.08.2024 - 20:44 [ Times of Israel ]

Report: Gaza mediators setting aside Philadelphi Corridor for now, focusing on other issues

Unnamed senior officials tell Channel 12 news that mediators in ceasefire-hostage deal talks have decided to set aside the thorny issue of Israel’s presence in two Gaza corridors under a potential agreement, and are focusing on other matters.

26.08.2024 - 19:33 [ Egypt Today ]

Egypt stresses rejection to Israeli presence in Rafah Border Crossing, Philadelphi Corridor

Egypt stressed to all concerned parties its rejection to any Israeli presence in Rafah Border Crossing or Philadelphi Corridor, a high-profile source told Egyptian media Monday.

30.04.2024 - 12:00 [ Le Monde ]

Netanyahu fears international arrest warrant from ICC

A well-informed source in The Hague confirmed to Le Monde on Sunday that an „event is imminent,“ but did not specify the nature of the charges or the names of those involved.

29.04.2024 - 23:30 [ Fox News ]

Johnson urges Biden to intervene in ICC‘s reported plan for Netanyahu arrest warrant

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is calling on President Biden to utilize the U.S.‘s influence on the world stage to block the International Criminal Court‘s (ICC) reported plan to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

29.04.2024 - 07:15 [ New York Times ]

Israeli Officials Believe I.C.C. Is Preparing Arrest Warrants Over War

The Israeli officials did not disclose the nature of the information that led them to be concerned about potential I.C.C. action, and the court did not comment on the matter.

Arrest warrants from the court would probably be seen in much of the world as a humbling moral rebuke, particularly to Israel, which for months has faced international backlash over its conduct in Gaza, including from President Biden, who called it “over the top.”

19.03.2024 - 23:40 [ Middle East Eye ]

Marwan Issa: Hamas and Israel silent on fate of commander announced dead by US

Hamas and Israel have remained silent on the fate of a senior military figure of the Palestinian group after his alleged death was unusually announced by the United States.

During a press conference on Monday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: “Israel has made significant progress against Hamas… Hamas’ number three, Marwan Issa, was killed in an operation last week.”

(…)

Issa, 59, is the deputy to Mohammed al-Dief, the general commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, and his right-hand man.

19.03.2024 - 23:25 [ NDTV.com ]

Hamas, Houthis Hold Rare Meet To Discuss Their Actions Against Israel: Report

(March 16, 2024)

Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen‘s Huthi rebels held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel, Palestinian factional sources told AFP on Friday. (…)

The Houthis confirmed they would continue their attacks on Red Sea shipping to „support the Palestinian resistance“, according to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources.

The rebels‘ leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said on Thursday their attacks would expand to target ships avoiding the Red Sea by navigating past South Africa‘s Cape of Good Hope.

19.03.2024 - 23:00 [ theNationalNews.com ]

Hamas political leaders were unaware of Israel incursion plan, Egypt officials say

(Oct 09, 2023)

Most of the movement‘s political leaders have lived in exile outside the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for years, deepening the divide between them and the group‘s military wing known as the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, who are spearheading the continuing fighting with Israel.

The political leaders have mostly been living in Qatar, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and Egypt.

Speaking to The National, the officials said a handful of Gaza-based Hamas leaders, reportedly as few as three who once served in the Al Qassam Brigades, knew of the attack in advance. As a precaution, they were made to believe that the operation would begin 48 hours after it got under way on Saturday.

19.03.2024 - 22:55 [ Times of Israel ]

Deif’s alleged death certificate sparks online debate

(21 August 2014)

However, Israeli intelligence sources told Fox News Wednesday that the Hamas leader was believed to have been killed.

Addressing the public on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged the question of Deif’s fate, saying only that “the commanders of terror organizations are a legitimate target, of the highest priority… No one is immune,” he said. Asked again, he refused to elaborate.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, in a Hamas TV interview earlier Wednesday, described Deif as “the dead man” in an apparent slip of the tongue.

19.03.2024 - 22:36 [ Economist.com ]

Hamas’s deadly “phantom”: the man behind the attacks

(Oct 20th 2023)

Yet hardly anything is known about Deif. For years, Western spies would respond to questions about him with a shrug. Only a handful of photographs have ever appeared in the media – grainy images from his youth. Some speculate that he died long ago and is nothing more than a mythical figurehead cultivated for propaganda purposes.

10.03.2024 - 18:45 [ International Committee of Red Cross ]

A statement on Gaza and Israel from the president of the ICRC

Five months into the escalation of hostilities, which began with the horrific events in Israel on 7 October, the situation in the Gaza Strip degenerates by the hour. There is nowhere safe for people to go. The civilian death toll and the ongoing captivity of hostages are shocking and unacceptable.

This brutal war has ruptured any sense of a shared humanity.

10.03.2024 - 18:40 [ NewArab.com ]

Gaza war has ‚ruptured any sense of a shared humanity‘ amid Israeli atrocities: ICRC

„As an occupying power, Israel must provide for the basic needs of the population or facilitate the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian relief,“ Spoljaric said.

The war had „ruptured any sense of a shared humanity“, she said.

„The situation in the Gaza Strip degenerates by the hour. There is nowhere safe for people to go. The civilian death toll and the ongoing captivity of hostages are shocking and unacceptable,“ Spoljaric said.

25.02.2024 - 00:20 [ Tablet Magazine ]

Gaza in the Minds of Israelis

(20.02.2024)

Since 2005, as Dotan Halevy, one of the anthology’s editors puts it in the introduction, a generation has grown up in Gaza “that knows nothing of Israel” (and in Israel, a generation that “knows nothing of Gaza”). Unfortunately, that generation of Israelis is now getting to know Gaza too well. During the Oct. 7 assault, hundreds or even thousands of the Strip’s civilians streamed into southern Israel. They plundered and, alongside the Hamas fighters, murdered and raped—while their faces shone with profound joy.

16.02.2024 - 18:10 [ Washington Post ]

U.S., Arab nations plan for postwar Gaza, timeline for Palestinian state

(14.02.2024)

“The key is the hostage deal,” said one U.S. official among several American and Arab diplomats who discussed the subject on the condition of anonymity to avoid derailing the plan before it is completed.

14.02.2024 - 12:49 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(16.12.2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

14.02.2024 - 12:40 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(30.11.2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

14.02.2024 - 12:25 [ NDTV.com ]

Families Of Hostages Still Captive In Gaza Approach World Court Against Hamas

Haim Rubinstein from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the campaign group will file a case against Hamas leaders at the ICC.

„We are the families of the hostages who have gone through and are still going through this terrible hell,“ Rubinstein said in a televised briefing from Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

„We will file charges against Hamas members and their collaborators and ensure that they pay the heaviest price for the crimes against humanity that they continue to commit.“

12.02.2024 - 16:56 [ Pax Nederland ]

International Organisations: stop arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian Armed Groups

(25.01.2024)

Together with international aid and human rights organizations, such as Oxfam and Amnesty International, we appeal to all UN member states to halt the crisis in Gaza and prevent further humanitarian catastrophe and loss of civilian lives. We call on all states to immediately cease the transfer of weapons, components, and ammunition to Israel and Palestinian armed groups as long as there is a risk that they may be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law or human rights.

07.02.2024 - 17:27 [ Washington Post ]

How Israel helped create Hamas

(July 30, 2014)

Higgins‘s article is worth reading in full. He goes on to outline the type of assistance the Israelis initially gave Yassin, whom the PLO at one time deemed a „collaborator,“ and Gaza‘s other Islamists:

Israel‘s military-led administration in Gaza looked favorably on the paraplegic cleric, who set up a wide network of schools, clinics, a library and kindergartens. Sheikh Yassin formed the Islamist group Mujama al-Islamiya, which was officially recognized by Israel as a charity and then, in 1979, as an association. Israel also endorsed the establishment of the Islamic University of Gaza, which it now regards as a hotbed of militancy. The university was one of the first targets hit by Israeli warplanes in the [2008-9 Operation Cast Lead].

Yassin‘s Mujama would become Hamas, which, it can be argued, was Israel‘s Taliban: an Islamist group whose antecedents had been laid down by the West in a battle against a leftist enemy. Israel jailed Yassin in 1984 on a 12-year sentence after the discovery of hidden arms caches, but he was released a year later. The Israelis must have been more worried about other enemies.

29.01.2024 - 06:40 [ New York Times ]

Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel.

But recent intelligence has shown the extent to which Hamas has been able to build many of its rockets and anti-tank weaponry out of the thousands of munitions that failed to detonate when Israel lobbed them into Gaza, according to weapons experts and Israeli and Western intelligence officials. Hamas is also arming its fighters with weapons stolen from Israeli military bases.

Intelligence gathered during months of fighting revealed that, just as the Israeli authorities misjudged Hamas’s intentions before Oct. 7, they also underestimated its ability to obtain arms.

27.01.2024 - 06:40 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

Hamas posts another hostage video showing Israeli women kidnapped on October 7 and taken hostage to Gaza. The three – Doron Steinbrecher, 30,Daniella Gilboa, 19 & Karina Ariev, 19– the latter two IDF soldiers–, apparently filmed 4 days ago.

(26.01.2024)

26.01.2024 - 13:57 [ Dr Asim Qureshi / Twitter ]

Israel must – in relation to Palestinians, must stop all acts that contravene Art 2 of the genocide convention.

Israel must take any measures to prevent and punish any incitement of genocidal statements against the Palestinian population.

Israel must take effective measures to provide relief to Palestinians.

It must stop the destruction of infrastructure.

The court states that Israel must submit a report one month from the judgement to show it has complied with the provisional measures. The provisional measures have binding effect.

Israel must share the report with RSA.

The court deems it necessary to emphasise that all parties are bound to international humanitarian law. The court mentions those abducted by Hamas – although mentions nothing about Palestinians political prisoners.

15-2 the judges ruled, that Israel must take all measures to stop acts that contravene Art 2 of the genocide convention.

21.01.2024 - 14:00 [ Christiane Amanpour, @CNN Chief International Anchor / Twitter ]

“The present leadership of Hamas, of the PLO, and of Israel should be excluded from any participation in any future political role,” says former Saudi Ambassador Prince Turki Al Faisal. “They have to pay for what they have done… All of them are failures.”

18.01.2024 - 00:13 [ 972mag.com ]

‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza

(November 30, 2023)

“Nothing happens by accident,” said another source. “When a 3-year-old girl is killed in a home in Gaza, it’s because someone in the army decided it wasn’t a big deal for her to be killed — that it was a price worth paying in order to hit [another] target. We are not Hamas. These are not random rockets. Everything is intentional. We know exactly how much collateral damage there is in every home.”

According to the investigation, another reason for the large number of targets, and the extensive harm to civilian life in Gaza, is the widespread use of a system called “Habsora” (“The Gospel”), which is largely built on artificial intelligence and can “generate” targets almost automatically at a rate that far exceeds what was previously possible. This AI system, as described by a former intelligence officer, essentially facilitates a “mass assassination factory.”

18.01.2024 - 00:00 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Hostages Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky were murdered in Hamas captivity, family told

(16.01.2024)

„Hamas once again made cruel use of innocent people,“ the IDF spokesman said in his statement Monday night. He denied Hamas‘ claim that they were hit by IDF airstrikes.

„The building where they were held was not a target, and it was not attacked by our forces. We did not know their location in real time, but we don‘t attack a place where we know that there might be hostages. In retrospect, we know that we attacked targets near the place where they were held.“

17.01.2024 - 23:47 [ Aviva Klompas / Twitter ]

Hamas has released a new propaganda video showing three hostages: Noa Argamani, Yossi Sharabi, and Itay Svirsky. The caption at the end reads: “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate”

(14.01.2024)

17.01.2024 - 23:41 [ European Jewish Congress / Twitter ]

26-year-old Noa Argamani was abducted on October 7th from the Supernova music festival. Liora, her mother, is battling brain cancer and implores Hamas to show mercy, granting her the chance to reunite with her daughter before her inevitable passing. Every day can be her last.

(12.01.2024)

14.01.2024 - 00:15 [ Democratic Socialists of America ]

DSA Condemns U.S. and Israeli hostilities in Palestine and West Asia

The Democratic Socialists of America demand an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities by the United States against Yemen and an end to diplomatic and military support of Israel. President Biden widened the existing regional war even further by ordering airstrikes against civilian infrastructure in Yemen in an effort to stop that country’s humanitarian blockade of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Since October 7th, Israel has continuously engaged in provocative military aggression, aimed at expanding its brutal war into Lebanon. Israeli spokespeople continue their propaganda efforts to tie Iran to the events of October 7th and have issued calls for retaliation. A cyberattack believed to be the work of Israeli military intelligence has struck Iranian civilian infrastructure and extrajudicial assassinations have targeted senior leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hamas in Syria and Lebanon. The U.S.’s attack on Yemen comes in the context of Yemeni forces having blocked container ships owned by Israelis or headed towards Israeli ports. U.S. airstrikes are taking place while South Africa presents its arguments to the International Court of Justice for provisional measures against Israel for the crime of genocide.

05.01.2024 - 16:22 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(16.12.2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

05.01.2024 - 16:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

US State Dept offering $10 million for information on Hamas financial networks

According to the statement, „rewards may be provided for information leading to the identification and disruption of any source of revenue for Hamas or its key financial facilitation mechanisms; major Hamas donors or financial facilitators; financial institutions or exchange houses facilitating Hamas transactions.”

02.01.2024 - 19:15 [ Gov.lb ]

Mikati condemns southern suburb explosion: Israeli attempt to drag Lebanon into new phase of confrontation

He then emphasized, „Lebanon remains committed, as always, to relevant international legitimacy, especially Resolution 1701. However, it is Israel that has breached and surpassed it, as it remains unsatisfied with the level of death and destruction. It is evident to all that the decision of war rests in Israel‘s hands, and it is imperative to restrain and halt its aggression.“

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister held discussions with the army leadership and concerned security agencies to ascertain the details and circumstances surrounding the explosion.

02.01.2024 - 19:04 [ ArabNews.com ]

Senior Hamas official reportedly killed in targeted Israeli strike in Beirut

Al-Manar also said an explosion was heard near the Hadi Nasrallah highway close to a road junction.
It gave no details of the explosion, which comes a day before a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

02.01.2024 - 18:59 [ WorldNewsRC / Twitter ]

At least 6 Individuals are now Confirmed to have been Killed by the Israeli Airstrike on Beirut.