israel

Palestinians Have Some Soul-Searching To Do

United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has sparked widespread debate. Whether his plan is feasible remains to be seen. Regardless, Palestinians need a new modus operandi if they are to survive. They must recognize that leaders in the Middle East now ...

Israel Ready to Resume Gaza War, PM Warns after Truce Delay

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was prepared to resume fighting against Hamas after the Palestinian group accused it of endangering a five-week-old Gaza truce by suspending prisoner releases. The first phase of the truce, which has largely halted more than 15 months of devastating war in the Gaza Strip, is due to ...

Misleading Appearances

A relentless mobilization and exploitation of the popular masses on Lebanese soil. The objective: to offset the massive strategic losses suffered in recent months. This appears to be the defining feature of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ approach—and, by extension, that of Hezbollah, its frontline proxy—in the coming phase. Neither ...

Netanyahu Vows Continued Israeli Military Presence in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed that Israeli forces will maintain their positions in Lebanon, citing strategic oversight of several Israeli areas. “We expect the Lebanese army and government to uphold their commitments under the ceasefire agreement,” Netanyahu stated during a military ceremony in Holon, ...

Israeli Reactions to Nasrallah and Safieddine’s Funerals

Israeli reactions surfaced on Sunday, coinciding with the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, held in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “the fighter jets flying over Beirut send a clear message: whoever threatens and attacks Israel will meet ...

Israel Says Army to Stay in Evacuated West Bank Camps for 'Coming Year'

Israel on Sunday said troops would stay in West Bank refugee camps for the coming year, announcing expanded military operations including tank deployments, after the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The military one month ago began a major raid against Palestinian militants in the West Bank just after a truce began in the Gaza ...

Israeli Strikes on Lebanon-Syria Border on the Eve of Nasrallah's Funeral

On the eve of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, Israel struck a border area near Janta, in the Bekaa, accusing Hezbollah of smuggling weapons into Lebanon. On his part, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced Saturday night that Israeli airstrikes targeted "transport routes on the Lebanon-Syria border ...

Israel Delays Palestinian Prisoners' Release Under Gaza Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that freeing Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire deal will be delayed until Hamas ends its "humiliating ceremonies" while releasing Israeli hostages. Since the ceasefire came into effect on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in well-rehearsed handovers, ...

Hamas Frees 6 Israeli Hostages in Latest Transfer Under Truce

Palestinian militants on Saturday freed six Israeli hostages, the last living captives to be released under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released. Freedom for the captives caps an emotional two days in Israel, where the family of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, earlier on Saturday confirmed ...

Gaza: Riyadh Arab Summit Concluded, No Final Statement Expected

Arab leaders met in Riyadh on Friday to craft a plan for Gaza's post-war reconstruction to counter Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the territory without its Palestinian inhabitants. Trump's plan has united Arab states in opposition to it, but disagreements remain over who should govern Gaza and how its reconstruction ...

14 Billion Dollars: The Devastating Losses of the Hezbollah-Israel Conflict

$14 billion! That is the historic and no less colossal amount of damage caused by the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. This sum includes both material damage and economic losses. The reconstruction costs are estimated at around $12 billion.   For Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, economic losses amount to at least $3 ...

Israel to Release 602 Prisoners in Exchange for 6 Israeli Hostages Under Gaza Truce Deal

Israel will free 602 inmates from jails on Saturday as part of a hostage-prisoner swap with Hamas under an ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group. Among those released, 445 are people from Gaza who were arrested after Hamas' October 7 attack that sparked the war, 60 are serving long ...