Israel, Palestine, Gaza, West Bank October 2024-

The unrealized potential of Palestinian oil and gas reserves
Oil and natural gas resources in the occupied Palestinian territory could generate hundreds of billions of dollars for development.
Geologists and resources economists have confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) lies above sizeable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth, in Area C of the West Bank and the Mediterranean coast off the Gaza Strip, according to a recent UNCTAD study.
New discoveries of natural gas in the Levant Basin are in the range of 122 trillion cubic foot while recoverable oil is estimated at 1.7 billion barrels, according to the study, entitled “The Economic Cost of Occupation for the Palestinian People: The Unrealized Oil and Natural Gas Potential.”
This offers an opportunity to distribute and share about US$524 billion among the different parties in the region and promote peace and cooperation among old belligerents, the study notes.
These funds could finance socioeconomic development in the oPt as part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. -28 August 2019

1-2 April
Israel is ‘seizing territory’ and will ‘divide up’ Gaza, Netanyahu says
Prime minister says Israel will build a new security corridor to isolate parts of the strip in major escalation
(The Guardian) The Israeli prime minister’s announcement follows remarks on Wednesday from his defence minister, Israel Katz, who said the Israeli army would “seize large areas” of Gaza, necessitating large-scale civilian evacuations.
Neither Netanyahu nor Katz elaborated on how much Palestinian land Israel intended to capture in the renewed offensive, but the move is likely to complicate ceasefire talks and inflame fears that Israel intends to take permanent control of the strip when the war ends.
Israel expands ground assault on Gaza, vows to capture large areas
(Al Jazeera) Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the military is expanding its ground assault on Gaza and will “capture extensive territory” that will be added to the so-called buffer zones in the Strip.
This comes as the death toll from Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza rose to at least 17 since the early hours of the morning.
All bakeries in Gaza, including 25 run by the World Food Programme (WFP), have shut down as Israel’s blockade on the Strip continues for a 31st day, marking the longest siege since the war began.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 50,399 Palestinians are confirmed dead and 114,583 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. The Government Media Office updated its death toll about two months ago to more than 61,700, saying that thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
Evidence of ‘execution-style’ killings of Palestinian aid workers by Israeli forces, doctor says
Forensic consultant says multiple bullets were used from short range in attack that has caused global outrage
Israel has expanded its aerial and ground attacks in Gaza since ending the ceasefire last month. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday it intends to “divide up” the territory.
The killing of the paramedics and rescue workers has triggered outrage around the world and demands for accountability. On Wednesday, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Gaza was the deadliest place on Earth for humanitarian workers.
U.N. Accuses Israel of Killing 15 Rescue Workers in Gaza
(NYT) The United Nations said Israeli forces killed the people as they were trying to aid injured civilians, then buried them in a mass grave. Israel said nine of the 15 dead were Palestinian militants.
… It took five days for the United Nations and Red Crescent to negotiate with the Israeli military for safe passage to search for the missing people. After receiving clearance, U.N. officials said, the retrieval team found 15 dead, most of their bodies dumped in a mass grave.

30 March
NEVER AGAIN FOR WHOM? A RECKONING IN GAZA
Rafah is burning. Gaza is dying. And the world, once again, is failing the test of its own humanity.
(Closer to the Edge) Let’s start with the numbers. As of March 29, 2025:
• Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7.
• More than 15,000 of them were children.
• Over 113,000 people have been wounded, many with life-altering injuries.
• 1,060 healthcare workers, 399 aid workers, and 173 journalists have been killed.
• Entire families have been erased.
• Whole neighborhoods leveled.
• And just days ago, nine paramedics responding to an emergency in Rafah vanished. The latest reports accuse the Israeli military of executing them, destroying their vehicles, and burying the evidence.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirms that at least 49 of its own soldiers have died due to friendly fire—a quiet irony in a war waged with such presumed precision.
And the bombs keep falling.
And the U.S. keeps sending more.

25 March
UAE president, Trump discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts, state news agency says
(Reuters) – United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed in a phone call efforts for reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, as Israel resumed its military offensive in the enclave last week.
The Israeli military resumed fighting in Gaza on March 18, shattering a fragile two-month ceasefire. Since then, nearly 700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials.

18 March
Israeli strikes kill over 400 in Gaza, say Palestinians, ceasefire on brink
By James Mackenzie, Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell
Strikes widest in scale since January ceasefire
‘It was a night of hell’ says Gaza City resident
Israeli military says campaign will expand
Egyptian mediators say they are working to salvage truce
(Reuters) – Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas each accused the other of breaching the truce, which had broadly held since January, offering respite from war for the 2 million inhabitants of Gaza, where most buildings have been reduced to rubble.

10 March
Everyone Has a Plan for Gaza. None of Them Add Up.
Since President Trump’s suggestion to expel the territory’s population, Middle East leaders have rushed to propose options for a postwar Gaza. Each is unacceptable to either Israel or Hamas, or both.
(NYT) Under President Trump’s plan, the United States would govern Gaza and expel its residents. Under the Arab plan, Gaza would be run by Palestinian technocrats within a wider Palestinian state. By one Israeli proposal, Israel would cede some control to Palestinians but block Palestinian statehood. By another, Israel would occupy the entire territory.
The central challenge is that Israel wants a Hamas-free Gaza whereas the group still seeks to retain its military wing, which led the October 2023 attack on Israel that ignited the war.
Israel’s halt to food and aid deliveries worsens Gaza conditions
Aid halt endangers Gaza civilians, UN agency warns
Israeli measures affect Gaza’s water and power supply
‘No electricity, no water, no life,’ says resident
Red Cross says all aid supplies in Gaza are dwindling
Mediators push for ceasefire talks amid worsening conditions
(Reuters) – Israel’s suspension of goods entering Gaza is taking a toll on the Palestinian enclave, with some bakeries closing and food prices rising, while a cut in the electricity supply could deprive people of clean water, Palestinian officials said.
The suspension, which Israel said was aimed at pressuring militant group Hamas in ceasefire talks, applies to food, medicine and fuel imports.
What does Israel cutting off Gaza’s electricity mean?
After blocking all aid entering the battered enclave, Israel has now announced it will stop electricity to Gaza.
(Al Jazeera) Israel says it has cut off electricity to Gaza in what seems like another attempt to force Hamas to accept changes it wants to impose upon the ceasefire terms agreed in January.
Israel imposed a blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza early in March in an attempt to force Hamas into extending the ceasefire’s first phase and releasing more captives.
Palestinians react as Israel cuts off Gaza’s remaining electricity
What’s believed to be the last power line operating into Gaza has been cut off by Israel, threatening the operation of a key water facility. Palestinians in Gaza have been living without proper power supplies since the start of the war.

1-2 March
Israel Halts Aid to Gaza and Proposes New Framework for an End to the War
Israel stops the entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and reneges on the truce after the first phase of the ceasefire deal ended without agreement on continuing into a second phase.
Earlier, Israel announced it would adopt a US-backed proposal for the extension of the ceasefire in Gaza throughout Ramadan and Passover, in exchange for the release of half of the remaining captives in the enclave.
Last year, the United Nations and aid organizations repeatedly warned about a looming famine in Gaza amid widespread hunger during the war, which was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. While goods are more available now, many Gazans say they cannot afford them, and many depend on humanitarian assistance.
Palestinians in Gaza were already struggling to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, which began this weekend, and is normally a joyous time in the Muslim calendar.
Gaza ceasefire talks stall, as Egypt proposes long-term reconstruction plan
Israel had agreed partial troop withdrawal by 9 March, but start of second phase of truce hits impasse
Talks aimed at maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza hit an impasse in Cairo on Saturday , over whether the truce should advance to a second phase.
A Hamas official said the multilateral negotiations in the Egyptian capital had made no progress on Friday, and there was no evidence the talks had resumed on Saturday, the last day of the ceasefire’s first six-week phase.
Hamas has not been directly participating in the talks, but it has been coordinating with Qatari and Egyptian officials who are at the negotiating table with US and Israeli delegations. The negotiators left Cairo on Friday night, and there was no sign of them reconvening late on Saturday.

28 February
Israel threatens a second Nakba, yet denies the first ever happened
Israel denies carrying out the 1948 Nakba of Palestinians, even as it calls for carrying out a second Nakba today.
(Al Jazeera) The Nakba is the ethnic cleansing of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel in 1948.
Seventy-seven years after the Nakba, which Israel has never recognised, the country is again threatening to expel millions of Palestinians from what’s left of their homeland.
Most of the people in Gaza – 70 percent of about 2.3 million – are descendants of those forced to flee militia violence during the first Nakba, their villages and towns subsumed by Israel today.
The vast majority yearn to return to their homelands – just like Palestinians similarly rendered refugees but having fled to the occupied West Bank or neighbouring countries due to the Nakba.
… Israel’s war on Gaza killed at least 62,614 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Now, many Israeli politicians – and people – are rallying behind a “plan” suggested by United States President Donald Trump to forcefully relocate Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and Jordan in order to “clear” it for developers.
Israelis often deny the Nakba and claim Palestinians were “accidentally” or “inadvertently” uprooted as part of a war for Israel’s independence, according to Ori Goldberg, an Israeli commentator on political affairs.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians seek shelter after Israeli assaults across the West Bank
Israel’s assault has mostly emptied four refugee camps — sites that originated to house Palestinians driven from homes in the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and have since grown into densely built up towns or neighborhoods.
Across the four camps, troops have ripped up roads and destroyed buildings, infrastructure, and water and electricity lines. The Israeli defense minister said Monday that troops were preparing to stay for a year and would prevent Palestinians from returning.

23 February
Israel sends tanks into West Bank for first time in decades, says fleeing Palestinians can’t return
(AP) — Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank on Sunday for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a “dangerous escalation,” after the defense minister said troops will remain in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return.
Associated Press journalists saw several tanks move along unpaved tracks into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.
Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has said it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. It launched the offensive in the northern West Bank on Jan. 21 — two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold — and expanded it to nearby areas.

11 February
Israel will resume war in Gaza unless all hostages freed this week, says Netanyahu
Ultimatum expiring at noon on Saturday appears to endorse earlier threat by Donald Trump
Trump says Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if all Israeli hostages not freed
President proposes letting ‘all hell break loose’ if hostages held by Hamas are not returned to Israel at noon on Saturday

10 February
Statement by Non-Governmental Organizations on President Trump’s Recent Statements Endorsing the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza
(A New Policy) We, the undersigned organizations, decry and oppose any effort or initiative, and any calls for, the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and support the Joint Statement of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League that similarly rejected any such steps.

Trump says no right of return for Palestinians in Gaza under his plan for US ‘ownership’
(AP) — President Donald Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for U.S. “ownership” of the war-torn territory, contradicting other officials in his administration who have sought to argue Trump was only calling for the temporary relocation of its population.
Less than a week after he floated his plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” Trump, in an interview with FOX News’ Bret Baier that was set to air Monday, said “No, they wouldn’t” when asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory. It comes as he has ramped up pressure on Arab states, especially U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt, to take in Palestinians from Gaza, who claim the territory as part of a future homeland.

5 February
Trump says US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip in shock announcement during Netanyahu visit
President’s plan, which is low on detail, would involve the permanent resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries
US president Donald Trump unveiled his surprise plan for the US to take over Gaza, without providing specifics, at a joint press conference with visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Donald Trump has vowed that the US would “take over” war ravaged Gaza and “own it”, effectively endorsing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, in an announcement shocking even by the standards of his norm-shattering presidency.
28 January
Make no mistake: Israel’s far right is planning for a Gaza without Palestinians
Ben Reiff
Despite the ceasefire, Benjamin Netanyahu is capitulating to extremists who have no problem with ethnic cleansing. And they’ve found an ally in Donald Trump
(The Guardian) …there should be no illusions about where this deal is heading. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not intend to see it through to a permanent ceasefire; nor does he intend to fully withdraw Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. And Donald Trump, whom many were quick to credit with forcing Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in the first place, won’t stop him torpedoing it either.
First, some context. To those paying attention, it is fairly indisputable that Netanyahu has deliberately obstructed negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza over the past year. … Even before the Israeli government officially approved the ceasefire deal on 18 January, reports emerged that cast doubt on Netanyahu’s commitment to its full realisation. The prime minister had apparently agreed to the demand of Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, that fighting resume after the first of the ceasefire’s three phases elapsed.
As Trump envoy pushes Gaza ceasefire, Persian Gulf states eye postwar role
Wealthy Arab nations consider bankrolling Gaza’s reconstruction, but they want assurances Palestinians will lead in the postwar period.

27 January
Palestinians to return to northern Gaza after deal on Israeli civilian hostage reached, says Qatar
Benjamin Netanyahu confirms Qatar statement, with Palestinians set to return to north on Monday and Arbel Yehoud to be released on Thursday

26 January
Israeli Army Raids Home of Freed Hamas Member Amid Tensions Over Hostage Deal
(NYT) Soldiers disrupted a Jerusalem gathering to mark the early release of an imprisoned Palestinian, arresting his brother and roughing up his father. A Times reporter conducting interviews was also assaulted.
Ethnic cleansing feared as Trump asks Jordan, Egypt to take Gaza residents
Trump says relocation may be temporary or long-term as he also announces lifting of hold on 2,000-pound bombs for Israel.
(Al Jazeera) Later on Sunday, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Amman’s “position is that the two-state solution is the way to achieve peace”.
He stressed that Jordan’s “rejection of displacement is fixed and unchangeable” in an apparent veiled response to Trump.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group condemned the US president’s suggestion, calling it an encouragement of “war crimes”.
Describing Trump’s idea as “deplorable”, the group, which has fought a war with Israel alongside Hamas until last week’s ceasefire, said his “proposal falls within the framework of encouraging war crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their land”.

23-24 January
Nada Bashir witnesses Israel’s deepening military operations in the West Bank
CNN’s Nada Bashir reports from a refugee camp near Jenin in the occupied West Bank where Israel is stepping up their military operations that they say are targeting Iranian-backed militants.
What is Israel’s deadly ‘Iron Wall’ military raid in the West Bank’s Jenin?
The military attack on Jenin began on Tuesday. At least 12 Palestinians have been killed across the governorate.
(Al Jazeera) Israeli security forces and settler groups have engaged in attacks against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect on Sunday.
The settler attacks erupted almost immediately after the ceasefire began, with members of Israel’s far-right reportedly targeting some of the villages where released Palestinian women and child prisoners had homes. Other Palestinian homes appear to have been randomly targeted.

22 January
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is a deal that cannot last
(Euronews) In truth, the first phase of the deal is relatively easy to implement and gives all parties a respite from draining conflict. After the six-week ceasefire, any extension will depend on the success of future negotiations, Soli Özel writes.
With the release of three civilian women on Sunday, the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has begun, followed a few hours later by the release of 90 prisoners from Israeli jails.
This first phase will continue for six weeks, at the end of which Hamas will release 88 hostages (whether dead or alive), and Israel will have freed a total of 1,904 Palestinian prisoners. However, the most politically important prisoner perishing in an Israeli jail, Marwan Barghouti, will not be among them.
The deal was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The latter two seek to begin rebuilding the devastated enclave during the first phase rather than in later stages.
Most commentators doubt that the deal will actually go through its second and third phases. The expectation is that absent great pressure from involved outside parties, either the Israeli government or Hamas — which made a show of force during the release of the first three hostages — will break the process as such a development would serve their interests better.

21-24 January
UN concerned by Israeli use of ‘unlawful lethal force’ in West Bank
UN human rights office criticises use of ‘methods and means used for war fighting’ in assault on city of Jenin
The UN has expressed concern that the ceasefire in Gaza could be endangered by Israel’s assault on the West Bank city of Jenin, which has involved what the UN human rights spokesperson labelled “unnecessary or disproportionate use of force”.
Israeli forces continued a sweeping crackdown across the West Bank as the assault on the refugee camp continued, in an operation Israel has called “Iron Wall”.
Security forces raided towns around Nablus and Jenin, and the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli military bulldozers had moved deeper into the refugee camp and destroyed several homes. Hundreds have fled the camp and surrounding areas since Israeli forces began an operation there four days ago.
Death and displacement from Israeli operation across Jenin
While the first stage of a ceasefire unfolds in Gaza, the Israeli military carries out a destructive and deadly operation across the occupied West Bank’s Jenin.
Israeli army launches attack on Jenin refugee camp in West Bank
Israel has launched an attack on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, killing at least seven Palestinians and injuring dozens.
Doctors, nurses shot in Israel’s Jenin raid Gaza as ceasefire holds
Another major operation in the West Bank
(AP) … The ceasefire that started Sunday does not apply to the West Bank, where Israel announced new operation against Palestinian militants in Jenin. The city has seen repeated Israeli incursions and gunbattles with militants in recent years. … The West Bank has seen a surge of violence during the war in Gaza. Israeli troops have carried out near-daily raids that often ignite gun battles. There has also been a rise in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists — including a rampage in two Palestinian villages overnight Monday — and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. …

20 January
Gazans Return to Vast Destruction in Old Neighborhoods
Palestinians returning to parts of the enclave have been picking their way through vast piles of rubble and trying to salvage what they can.
Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Adam Rasgon and Isabel Kershner reported from Jerusalem.
(NYT) Gazans took in the scale of devastation to their old neighborhoods and Israelis awaited news about three newly released hostages as a day-old cease-fire between Hamas and Israel continued to hold on Monday.
With the 15-month war paused, Palestinians have been returning to parts of the Gaza Strip they had fled, picking their way through vast swaths of rubble and trying to salvage what they could — a sofa, a mattress, a chair or a crate — from the wreckage of their former homes.
As the truce came into effect on Sunday, celebrations replaced explosions, and hundreds of trucks with aid began rolling into Gaza, where residents have endured a harsh year of hunger and deprivation. In Israel, the returned hostages were met with jubilant embraces from relatives and friends. And fireworks and cheering crowds greeted the newly freed Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
But joy was shadowed by uncertainty. The next round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel are expected to be even more difficult than the ones that led to the 42-day cease-fire.
The fate of more than 60 other hostages and thousands of other Palestinian prisoners in Israel, to say nothing of the prospect of a long-term end to the fighting, depends on the extension of the deal.

After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza
(AP) As a ceasefire brought calm to Gaza’s ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from hiding.
The militant group has not only survived 15 months of war with Israel — among the deadliest and most destructive in recent memory — but it remains firmly in control of the coastal territory that now resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. With a surge of humanitarian aid promised as part of the ceasefire deal, the Hamas-run government said Monday that it will coordinate distribution to the desperate people of Gaza.
For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same.

Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect Sunday morning, officials say

Will the Gaza Cease-Fire Last?
A Conversation With Marc Lynch, political science professor, George Washington University, and the director of its Middle East Studies program
(Foreign Affairs) Given the war’s immense toll on Gaza, …people everywhere have expressed relief about the deal. But the devastation and the ensuing, regional conflict have changed the world, and the future is murky. To better understand what the cease-fire will mean for the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the Middle East, Foreign Affairs turned to Marc Lynch.
“Anything that stops the killing and allows Palestinians in Gaza to rebuild is welcome. But there are so many ways what happens on the ground could go wrong. I would keep an eye on the humanitarian assistance to get a sense of how things will play out. If you get a real surge of aid, not just food and medicine but also materials to rebuild shattered infrastructure, that could do an enormous amount of good to relieve the suffering of Palestinian civilians and put the cease-fire on a solid path. But throughout this conflict, Israel has agreed, under American pressure, to increase humanitarian assistance. And for the most part, it just doesn’t happen.” …
American negotiators have been pushing the Israelis to agree to this type of deal for months. Why do you think the government only signed on now?
Joe Biden’s administration has been pushing for this deal for a very long time, but they’ve never been willing to put any substantial or significant muscle behind it. They’ve never really placed any conditions on arms deliveries. What we’ve gotten instead has been an endless series of American officials complaining about Israel not doing this, or not allowing that, followed by an announcement of another shipment of weapons. And so if I’m Netanyahu, focused on my political survival and confident that Washington won’t really do anything, I really have no reason to take Biden’s team seriously. It’s absolute diplomatic malpractice.
But with the new administration coming in, there’s good reason for Netanyahu to try turning the page. There’s a sense inside Israel that the war in Gaza has pretty much run its course. There’s not much more to be done through the current approach. So temporary peace is something that can be offered to Donald Trump. The question is what they expect in exchange, such as a green light for expanding control over the West Bank.
What might an end to the war mean for U.S. aims in the Middle East, such as an Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement?
Across the Arab world, the general sense is that the United States aided, abetted, and armed a genocide against the Palestinian people. A cease-fire that takes place after so many are dead and so much has been destroyed isn’t going to make them feel better about America. It is way too little, way too late.
But our partnerships with the Gulf states seem to be perfectly robust. The alliances haven’t changed. Arab leaders can’t afford to completely discard their populations’ opinions—that’s why, after Gaza, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded that now would not be a good time to go ahead with normalization. But if his citizens are not seeing death and destruction on TV every day, this issue might fade in importance. So the cease-fire might create more leeway for Arab states to adopt unpopular policies and positions such as normalization, which will be a top priority for Trump, like it was for Biden.
Israel treating Gaza ceasefire as temporary and retains ‘right to return to combat,’ Netanyahu says
Israeli airstrikes continued Saturday as ceasefire to take effect Sunday morning
in a national address 12 hours before the ceasefire was to start, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was treating the ceasefire as temporary and retained the right to continue fighting if necessary. He claimed he had the support of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who told NBC that he told Netanyahu to “keep doing what you have to do.”
“If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways,” Netanyahu said.

13-16 January
Not so fast!
Netanyahu Faces a Political Crisis Over the Gaza Cease-Fire Deal
With his far-right coalition partners opposing an end to the war and threatening to quit, the Israeli prime minister may have to choose: them or the agreement.
The Gaza cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas had yet to be ratified by Israel’s government on Thursday, but the battle over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future has already begun.
Hours after the deal was announced, Mr. Netanyahu was facing an internal rebellion from far-right partners in his governing coalition on whose support he depends to remain in power.
… The move threatened to destabilize the government at a critical time even though it would not, in and of itself, prevent the Gaza deal from moving ahead.
Live Updates: Israeli Cabinet at Odds Over Cease-Fire Deal, Delaying Vote
A far-right minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to resign if the cabinet approved the deal, which includes the release of hostages, while the Israeli opposition leader pledged to block efforts to thwart it.
US says Gaza ceasefire to start as planned despite ‘loose end’
(Reuters) – The Gaza Strip ceasefire should begin on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a “loose end” at the last minute, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Israel delayed holding a cabinet meeting to ratify the ceasefire with Hamas, blaming the militant group for the hold-up, even as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza in some of the most intense strikes for months. Palestinian authorities said at least 77 people were killed in the day since the truce was unveiled.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken: “Toward the Promise of a More Integrated Middle East”
David Ignatius: After the Gaza ceasefire, getting serious about peace
Blinken’s comments show deep frustration with the long impasse over “day after”
Leaving a job allows you to say exactly what you think about intractable problems. And that’s what Blinken did Tuesday in unusually blunt remarks about the Middle East. He talked about obstacles rather than breakthroughs. If speeches could bleed, this one would be dripping red.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the yoke worn by every secretary of state I have covered, back to George Shultz in the 1980s. They all labored to create a “two-state solution,” a goal that seems screamingly obvious to everyone except the parties directly involved. Martin Indyk, a two-time U.S. ambassador to Israel and blessed among peacemakers, said a decade ago that the conflict had broken his heart. Maybe it broke Blinken’s, too.

Gaza ceasefire deal reached between Israel, Hamas; truce to begin Sunday
Palestinians in Gaza rejoice in streets
In Tel Aviv, hostage families express joy
Israeli PM says some items unresolved
(Reuters) – Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. and Qatar said, after 15 months of bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East.
The complex accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Hamas accepts draft agreement for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release
(AP) Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire and the release of dozens of hostages in the Gaza Strip, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday.
Final draft of Gaza truce deal presented to sides after ‘breakthrough’, official says
Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.
After midnight ‘breakthrough’ officials say deal closer than ever
Biden says sides on the “brink” of a deal
Trump envoy Witkoff attends talks, official says
Trump inauguration seen in region as de facto deadline
(Reuters) – Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he had championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition and Hamas said it was keen on reaching an agreement.
“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden said in a speech to highlight his foreign policy achievements.
The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be otherwise identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha, which included the chiefs of Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies and Qatar’s prime minister.
The “Shadow” atop Hamas: Who is Mohammed Sinwar?
(GZERO media)It’s been three months since Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a Gaza raid. Since then, his younger brother Mohammed has taken the reins
He is believed to be about 50 and to have been a member of Hamas since his youth. According to reports, he isn’t nearly as familiar to the Israelis as Yahya, who spent decades in Israeli prisons before his 2011 release as part of a hostage swap deal with Hamas. Israeli security officials refer to Mohammed as “the Shadow.”

Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza
(AP) …a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking out against the 15-month conflict and refusing to serve anymore, saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical lines. While the movement is small — some 200 soldiers signed a letter saying they’d stop fighting if the government didn’t secure a ceasefire — soldiers say it’s the tip of the iceberg and they want others to come forward.

9 January
US, Arab mediators make some progress in Gaza peace talks, no deal yet, sources say
Israeli strikes continue amid ongoing peace talks
Hamas demands end to war for hostage release
More than 46,000 killed in Gaza conflict
(Reuters) As talks continued in Qatar, the Israeli military carried out strikes across the enclave, killing at least 17 people on Thursday, Palestinian medics said.
The deaths brought to 70 the number of people killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry.

7 January
Fate of U.N. Palestinian refugee agency in limbo as Israel readies ban
Legislation barring UNRWA from working inside Israel could end its operations in the West Bank and Gaza, where refugees have relied on it for generations.
(WaPo) The U.N. agency that provides aid and services to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East may soon be forced to end its operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as Israel prepares to enact twin laws banning the organization’s work in Israeli territory and prohibiting contact between its staff and government officials.
The legislation, passed with near-unanimity by Israel’s Knesset in October, is set to go into effect later this month. It could compel the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to dismantle what is essentially a quasi-state in the Palestinian territories, built over generations to serve a growing population of refugees and their descendants.

1-2 January
Israeli airstrikes kill Gaza head of police, 67 others, Gaza authorities say
(Reuters) – Israeli airstrikes killed at least 68 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including at a tent camp where the head of the enclave’s Hamas-controlled police force, his deputy and nine displaced people died, Gaza authorities said.
Israel said the deputy was the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas’ security forces in southern Gaza.
The attack occurred in the Al-Mawasi district, which was designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians earlier in the 14-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on New Year’s Day
Officials say most of the victims were women and children as Israel’s war against Hamas continues into the new year

2024

31 December
Israel’s hospital attacks have put Gaza healthcare on brink of collapse, says UN
Assaults on medical facilities could amount to war crimes in certain circumstances, human rights office report says
Israel’s pattern of sustained attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and medical workers has brought the coastal strip’s healthcare system to the brink of “total collapse”, according to a report by the UN’s human rights office.
The report, which catalogues the besieging and targeting of hospitals and their immediate grounds with explosive weapons, the killing of hundreds of medical workers, and the destruction of critical life-saving equipment, said that in certain circumstances the attacks could “amount to war crimes”. Israel has consistently denied committing war crimes in Gaza.
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, said the report’s findings pointed to “blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law”.

22 December
Palestinian Authority, seeking Gaza role, takes on West Bank militants
The Palestinian Authority and the militants who control the Jenin camp are locked in a rare, open battle.
In Jenin, the authority, which is backed by the West, has launched its largest and most heavily armed operation in its three decades to thwart a growing West Bank insurgency against the Palestinian leadership and Israeli occupation. It’s trying to prove it can manage security in the limited areas of the West Bank it controls as it seeks to also govern a postwar Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has ruled out the authority’s return to Gaza. Key figures in his far-right coalition have pushed to annex part or all of the Palestinian territories. But in the latest round of ceasefire negotiations, Israel has agreed to let the authority take over administration of the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt for a short period, according to a former Egyptian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

21 November
World reacts to ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant
The ICC said it had found ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe that the Israeli officials were responsible for starvation in Gaza.
(Al Jazeera) The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif for alleged “crimes against humanity and war crimes”. Israel said in August that Deif was killed in an air strike in southern Gaza.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan first applied for the warrants six months ago. In August, Khan called on the court to make a decision, saying, “Any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims.”
Top war-crimes court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in Israel-Hamas fighting
(AP) — The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 13-month war in Gaza.
The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.
The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel’s campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

17 November
What have Trump administration nominees said about Israel and its wars?
While pro-Israel views are common in US politics, Trump’s picks signal support for far-right Israeli aspirations.
Israel bombs residential building in north Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, killing 50
Civil defence spokesman says rescue workers are unable to reach the site of the attack due to the Israeli siege.At least 50 Palestinians killed as Israel bombs Gaza residential building
Israeli forces kill 111 in Gaza as Pope calls for genocide inquiry

9 November
Qatar suspends role as mediator between Israel and Hamas
Qatar has suspended its work as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, officials say.
The country said it would resume its work when Hamas and Israel “show their willingness” to negotiate.
It comes after senior US officials reportedly said Washington would no longer accept the presence of Hamas representatives in Qatar, accusing the Palestinian group of rejecting fresh proposals for an end to the war in Gaza.
Qatar said initial reports it had withdrawn from mediation talks and said that Hamas’s political office in Doha “no longer serves its purpose” were “inaccurate”.

8 November
People in Gaza are enduring ‘almost unparalleled suffering’, says aid group
Jan Egeland, head of Norwegian Refugee Council, calls for ceasefire now, release of hostages and peace process to start
People in Gaza have been pushed “beyond breaking point” with families, widows and children enduring “almost unparalleled suffering”, according to the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Jan Egeland visited Gaza this week and found “scene after scene of absolute despair”, with families torn apart and unable to bury relatives who had died. He said that Israel, with western-supplied arms, had “rendered the densely populated area uninhabitable”.

7 November
Trump’s Win Is Likely to Prolong Gaza Talks Uncertainty
Any major progress on a cease-fire will probably have to wait until after January’s inauguration, analysts said. Gazans said they were divided about whether Mr. Trump would do much to stop the war
(NYT) Donald J. Trump’s election victory is plunging efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza into further uncertainty, after a year of failed attempts by the Biden administration floundered because of irreconcilable demands from Israel and Hamas.
For months, leaders across the region — in Israel, Lebanon, Gaza and Qatar — have taken a wait-and-see approach to the U.S. election. It is unclear what will come next, but any firm advancement on a cease-fire, if there is one at all, would most likely be delayed until after Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January, analysts said.

6 November
Palestinians will not be allowed to return to homes in northern Gaza, says IDF
Brig Gen Itzik Cohen said in a briefing that aid would only be allowed to enter south of Gaza Strip, not the north
IDF says comments taken out of context
(The Guardian) Israeli ground forces are getting closer to “the complete evacuation” of northern Gaza and residents will not be allowed to return home, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, in what appears to be the first official acknowledgment from Israel it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.
In a media briefing on Tuesday night, the IDF Brig Gen Itzik Cohen told Israeli reporters that since troops had been forced to enter some areas twice, such as Jabaliya camp, “there is no intention of allowing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes”.
He added that humanitarian aid would be allowed to “regularly” enter the south of the territory but not the north, since there are “no more civilians left”.
International humanitarian law experts have said that such actions would amount to the war crimes of forcible transfer and the use of food as a weapon.

5 November
Israel’s Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister, Citing ‘Gaps’ in Approach to War
The minister, Yoav Gallant, differed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conduct of the war in Gaza and domestic political issues.

30 October-4 November
Israel formally tells UN of intent to sever all ties with UNRWA relief agency
Country’s allies and aid workers say move could cripple services for Palestinians who increasingly depend on them
Israel’s relations with the UN hit a new low with UNRWA ban
(The Conversation) Israel’s relationship with the United Nations has historically been strained, but over the past year, tensions have reached new levels. On October 28, the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) passed a law to prohibit operations of the UN’s relief and works agency (UNRWA) – the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees – within the territory it controls. It’s a legal and political development which many fear will have grave humanitarian consequences for Palestinians in Gaza and beyond.
The decision also prompts questions about what lies ahead for the increasingly divisive relationship between the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and the UN. There is even speculation that the UNRWA ban could lead to Israel being expelled from the UN general assembly.
The UN warns famine is likely in Gaza. What do malnutrition and hunger do to the body?
(The Conversation) The risk of famine looms in Gaza. International monitors warn more than 90% of the population face acute food insecurity, meaning their inability to eat enough food puts them in immediate danger of starvation. The number experiencing “catastrophic” hunger is set to double in the coming months.
Israel has been accused of deliberately blocking humanitarian aid, including food. In September, deliveries of food and aid to Gaza fell to their lowest in seven months after Israel introduced new customs rules.