No Stopping the Trampling Outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Israel-Hamas Talks Over Hostage Releases and a Cease-Fire Stall

Officials say Hamas has continued to press Israel for a commitment to a permanent cease-fire after a multistage release of all hostages, but Israel has refused.

March 6, 2024

A sign reading “Now!” in Hebrew stood near an art installation featuring empty chairs in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv last month.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

Talks between Israel and Hamas over the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have stalled, dimming hopes that a deal could be reached before Ramadan begins in a few days, according to several people briefed on the conversations.

Negotiators had been discussing a proposal for an initial six-week cease-fire during which Hamas would release about 40 people — including women, elderly and ill hostages, and five female Israeli soldiers — for a substantial number of Palestinian prisoners.

The discussions included terms for releasing at least 15 prisoners convicted of serious acts of terrorism who would be exchanged for the female soldiers. The terms also said Israel would release hundreds of other detainees or prisoners, at an average of 10 Palestinians for every Israeli civilian freed, officials said.

American officials had said that they hoped to reach an agreement to release some hostages and put in place a temporary pause in fighting before Ramadan, which is expected to start this Sunday. President Biden expressed confidence last week that a deal was within reach.

But in recent days, Hamas has backed away from the proposed agreement and made demands that Israel refuses to meet, according to officials briefed on the talks. The negotiations had been taking place in Doha, Qatar, before they moved to Cairo in recent days.

John F. Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, said on Wednesday that while the United States was disappointed that an agreement had not been reached, negotiators were still confident in the parameters of the deal they had helped negotiate.

“It is just a matter of getting Hamas to sign on,” he said.

Hamas, Mr. Kirby said, had been engaging in proposals and counterproposals, working with the other parties to develop the framework of the agreement.

“There had been a robust back and forth on the details, but the fact that we are not there yet is an indication that the details still are not all worked out,” he said.

One official in the region said the main point of difference is the same one that has hovered over the talks for weeks: Hamas wants Israel to commit now to a permanent cease-fire during or after three phases of hostage releases, while Israel refuses to do so. Israel wants to focus on an agreement for the terms of the first phase only, a position the United States supports. Until now, the discussions around the first phase have centered on the potential release of those 40 people, out of about 100 remaining hostages.

The Israeli delegation has not attended the sessions in Cairo because of Hamas’s new demands. Israeli officials said they believed a broad consensus for the first phase of the agreement had been reached, only to have Hamas renew its push for broader demands.

Besides the permanent cease-fire, Hamas is also insisting on a withdrawal of Israeli troops from northern Gaza after the third phase of the hostage releases and greater aid into Gaza, with a guarantee that half go to northern Gaza, the official in the region said. These demands are ones that can be worked out between the Israeli government and Hamas, officials said.

The people briefed on the talks in Egypt declined to be identified by name or nationality, citing the fragile nature of the negotiations. A Hamas official did not respond to a request for comment.

The United States had been pushing for an agreement to be reached before Ramadan, worried that the situation could become more intractable during the holy month of fasting. Frustration and tempers could flare then, making an agreement far more difficult to achieve, U.S. officials said.

American officials continue to push for a deal. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met in Washington with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet who might eventually challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his office.

After the meeting, the main State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a statement that Mr. Blinken “underscored the importance of reaching an agreement to achieve the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, which would lead to a temporary cease-fire and allow additional humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza.”

The same day, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar, the most senior Qatari negotiator in the hostage talks, spoke with Mr. Blinken separately in Washington during a previously scheduled meeting on common strategic concerns. Both men told reporters it was important to try to get hostages released and some form of cease-fire.

Qatar and Egypt have been bringing proposals to Hamas political and military leaders. The United States has tried to draft broad proposals to restart the talks after they hit various roadblocks following an initial seven-day pause in November during which Hamas released about 100 hostages, mainly civilians.

People familiar with the negotiations believe Hamas has issued new demands for a variety of reasons.

On Feb. 28, Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas political leader based in Qatar, called publicly for a march during Ramadan in Jerusalem at the Al Aqsa Mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. Some Israeli officials believe Hamas’s military wing wants those protests to turn violent. Hamas may want to avoid a cease-fire deal for fear of being accused of breaking it if the protests become violent.

Hamas, according to people briefed on the talks, believes an action at the mosque will show its strength despite the monthslong Israeli military campaign in Gaza and could increase pressure on Mr. Netanyahu to end the fighting.

But Hamas may have made new demands during the negotiations for another reason.

Last Thursday, Israeli forces opened fire in Gaza while a crowd had gathered near a long convoy of aid trucks. The chaotic scene led to more than 100 deaths.

U.S. officials harshly criticized Israel’s handling of the convoy and its failure to provide security for desperate Palestinian people.

Some officials briefed on the talks say Hamas leaders may believe the deaths around the humanitarian convoy have strengthened their position in the negotiations and weakened Israel’s international standing.

Adam Rasgon contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

IOF injure several Palestinians, detain others outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

IOF injure several Palestinians, detain others in West Bank, Gaza

• A Palestinian protester waving a Palestinian flag near the illegal separation wall, Dec. 2019 (AFP)

Al Mayadeen correspondent on Friday reported that a Palestinian youth was injured by a rubber bullet fired by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) during a demonstration near the illegal separation wall, east of Al-Bureij refugee camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the occupation soldiers, stationed inside their military vehicles, fired metal bullets and tear gas canisters near the separation wall, wounding a young man with a metal bullet in the foot.

It added that the occupation forces fired bullets and tear gas canisters at the Palestinians, east of Gaza, in the Malka area, as a result of which a young man suffocated as well.

The Palestinians had organized a vigil in different areas of the Gaza Strip near the illegal separation wall to condemn the Israeli occupation and its aggression against the Palestinian people.

Israeli occupation naval boats also opened heavy machine gunfire on Palestinian fishermen sailing offshore northern Gaza, WAFA reported.

IOF arrest 10 Palestinians in Al-Khalil

Earlier, Israeli occupation forces arrested 10 Palestinians during confrontations in downtown Al-Khalil, south of the West Bank, according to local sources

WAFA also reported that a Palestinian youth was injured in his right thigh bone by Israeli gunfire during confrontations in the nearby town of Beit Ummar.

A local Palestinian activist told the news agency that occupation soldiers assaulted dozens of protesters demonstrating against the Israeli repression campaign on prisoners.

Media activists said two Palestinians and an international solidarity activist sustained rubber bullets injuries and dozens suffocated from tear gas when Israeli forces cracked down on an anti-settlement rally in the town of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqiliya, in the northern occupied West Bank.

A medical source also said that a Palestinian man sustained bruises after illegal Israeli settlers attacked him close to Burin village, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

On Friday afternoon, Israeli occupation forces also cracked down with tear gas canisters on an anti-settlement rally in the town of Tuqu’, south of Beit Lahm, detaining a participant and causing others to suffocate, according to a local official.

The mayor of Tuqu’, Tayseer Abu-Mefreh, said the rally was organized as illegal Israeli settlers proceeded with the construction of a settler-only road for the construction of a new illegal settler outpost.

A group of illegal Israeli settlers also assaulted Nasser Mahmoud Sabatin, a Palestinian man, while present in his own land near the village of Husan, to the west of Beit Lahm in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Mohammad Sabatin, the mayor of the village, told WAFA that the settlers targeted the man’s vehicle.

IOF detain eight Palestinians in West Bank

Between Thursday evening and predawn Friday, Israeli occupation forces detained eight Palestinians from several parts of the occupied West Bank, local and security sources reported.

The sources said occupation police stormed a house in the Silwan neighborhood in the eastern part of occupied Al-Quds and assaulted one of its residents and arrested him.

Occupation forces stormed another house in the town of Anata, northeast of Al-Quds, tampered with its belongings, and arrested one of its residents.

Israeli occupation soldiers also detained three Palestinians from the Jenin refugee camp at Huwara checkpoint, south of Nablus.

Israeli occupation soldiers also set up a roadblock near the illegal settlement of “Homesh”, detained a Palestinian, and seized his vehicle.

Hamas organizes solidarity vigil in support of West Bank, Al-Quds

After Friday prayers, the Hamas movement in the Zawayda area in the central Gaza Strip organized a solidarity vigil in support of occupied Al-Quds and the West Bank and in protest of the occupation’s violations against them.

Maher Al-Houli, a Hamas official, said the movement and the Resistance renew the affirmation of their solidarity and stand with Palestinians in Al-Quds and the West Bank, adding that the Palestinian people are united behind the prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.

Al-Houli warned that harming Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons opens a gate of fire at the occupation.

The Hamas official said the message of Hamas and the Resistance to the extremist Israeli occupation government is that it will break the chains placed on the hands of the prisoners and will break the hands that violate their freedom.

He stressed that the Palestinian Resistance has several options it could resort to in order to liberate the prisoners and deter the occupation from its violations against the Palestinian people.

Al-Houli warned against any attempt to inflict harm on the prisoners, underlining that the Palestinian Resistance will not abandon its responsibilities toward its people.

Elsewhere, he called on all the Palestinian people to continue confronting the Israeli occupation on all fronts and at all military checkpoints.

Rioters gathered outside the Temple Walls after West Bank calls for Day of Rage

Rioters gathered on Gaza Border after West Bank calls for Day of Rage

Hundreds of people congregated and burned tires near the edge of the Gaza fence. Security sources say the riots are incitement for a “day of rage” in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians in West Bank

Riots broke out along the border fence in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Friday after hundreds of people gathered at the perimeter fence. Participants burned tires and attempted to approach parts of the fence before dissipating when the IDF responded.

People approached the fence near Al Burajj, Karni, and Jabila. The IDF responded by opening fire to drive rioters away, pushing participants back into the strip.

Increased rebel activity

According to security sources, the events were spontaneous and happening sporadically. Hamas was reportedly quick to remove demonstrators from the border area. The events were a response to calls from the West Bank for a “Day of Rage” to be held in Gaza as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians in the West Bank.

Three incidents of rocket fire at the southern region from the Gaza Strip have occurred in recent weeks. At the end of January, six rockets were fired toward Ashkelon and surrounding Gaza settlements in the middle of the night. The rocket fire was a direct response to an IDF raid in Jenin, which killed nine militants.

Four rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, while one fell in an open area and another fell within the Gaza Strip.

In response, Israeli Air Force planes attacked Hamas rocket production sites.

At the start of February, the Iron Dome system intercepted a rocket claimed by the Islamic Jihad in response to a video published of a female prisoner. The terrorist organization responded with comments as well, stating”Who will teach the enemy a lesson not to hurt our girls?”

Hamas calls for an escalation against Israel outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Hamas calls for an escalation against Israel as tensions spike over Temple Mount

Gaza terror group orders a ‘general mobilization,’ tells Palestinians to ‘go out in the hundreds of thousands’ to pray at Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem on Friday

By TOI STAFFToday, 6:42 amUpdated at 7:29 am  

Supporters of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups take part in a rally to celebrate a shooting attack in Tel Aviv, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 8, 2022. (Attia Muhammed/Flash90)

The leaders of Gaza terror groups convened in the Strip on Wednesday to issue a unified call for an escalation against Israel, as tensions spike surrounding the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza, had called for the meeting earlier Wednesday after it vowed to stop Jewish activist activity at the flashpoint holy site “at any cost.” The head of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, led the meeting.

“We are declaring a general mobilization in all places where our people are located. We are calling on the masses to come out in the hundreds of thousands to protect our nation and our mosque,” the Gaza groups said in a statement.

IDF to shutter West Bank, Gaza crossings for Palestinians on first day of Passover

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a period of high tension, is underway, and thousands often attend prayers in Jerusalem.

“We call on our people to march and go out in the hundreds of thousands to hold Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa,” the groups said, according to Channel 12. The network said all “factions” in Gaza were represented at the meeting. The coastal strip is home to other terror groups, including Islamic Jihad, a rival to Hamas.

The meeting had been called to discuss “Zionist threats to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday and conduct sacrifices,” among other issues, a senior Palestinian source told Safa News. An extremist Jewish group earlier this week called for ritual sacrifices at the site, inflaming the Palestinian public and Arab leaders.

Yahya Sinwar, leader of the Hamas terror group, hosts a meeting with members of Palestinian factions, at the Hamas president’s office in Gaza City, on April 13, 2022. (Attia Muhammed/Flash90)

The Hamas deputy political chief, Saleh al-Arouri, also called for an escalation on Wednesday after Israeli counter-terror troops arrested Palestinian suspects in the West Bank town of Silwad.

Thursday morning reports said that three Palestinians had been killed by Israeli troops in clashes Wednesday in Silwad and outside Bethlehem. Israeli security forces carried out raids and arrests across the West Bank overnight, sparking protests and exchanges of live fire in several areas, the Walla news site reported.

“We call on all our nation to mobilize and support Silwad and all areas of conflict,” al-Arouri said.

Fatah in the West Bank also called for the Palestinian public to go to sensitive areas on Thursday and “confront IDF forces and settlers throughout the West Bank,” according to Army Radio.

Tens of thousands were already expected to attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa. Most of the Ramadan worshipers will cross into Israel without permits, part of a policy to loosen normally tight Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement for the holiday.

Allowing in thousands of Palestinians carries a clear security risk for Israel, but clamping down on worshipers during Ramadan could spark an outbreak of violence.

The Temple Mount is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions there can easily snowball into wider conflagrations. Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups have repeatedly invoked the flashpoint holy site as a red line. Police actions to quell riots there last year helped trigger the 11-day war in Gaza in May.

Palestinians attend afternoon prayers on the Temple Mount, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on April 8, 2022, during the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The site is Judaism’s holiest place, and the mosque is Islam’s third-holiest. Jews are allowed to visit the compound, but not pray or perform religious rituals, as part of a delicate status quo.

In addition to the holiday friction, tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have heated in recent weeks following a series of attacks on Israelis. Terrorists, including both Arab Israelis and West Bank Palestinians, killed 14 people in Israel in the deadliest outbreak of violence in Israel in years. The attacks have prompted countermeasures from Israeli security forces, including arrests that have spilled into violence.

At the same time, Ramadan, Passover and Easter will all overlap this month, further driving up the risk of conflict. Israeli officials have warned for months that the convergence could spark an escalation of violence.

Earlier Wednesday, Hamas threatened Israel over plans by Jewish activists to conduct ritual sacrifices on the Temple Mount for Passover.

The Returning to the Mount extremist group, which advocates the construction of a third Jewish temple on the site that once housed the two biblical Temples, announced on Facebook on Monday that it would be offering a cash prize to those who manage to sacrifice a lamb on the Temple Mount, and to anyone arrested trying to do so.

A sheep is carried for the Passover Sacrifice ‘practice’ ceremony at Beit Orot in East Jerusalem, on April 18, 2016. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

A small group of Jewish extremists has occasionally sought to perform the Biblically mandated Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount. Police have regularly detained the perpetrators, who do not appear to have successfully pulled off a sacrifice in recent years at the site.

This year’s would-be sacrificers’ campaign has gained enormous traction in Palestinian and Arab media following the social media post offering cash prizes for those arrested in the act.

The post drew threats from Hamas and condemnation from Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

“We stress that this represents a dangerous escalation that crosses all red lines, as it is a direct assault on the belief and feelings of our people and our nation during this holy month,” Hamas said. “We hold [Israel] responsible for all its repercussions.”

The growing risk of Nuclear terrorism: Revelation 8

Pakistan’s nuclear security amidst the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

8 February 2022

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has raised not only regional security concerns but also distrust and doubts about Pakistan’s nuclear security and safety. This skepticism has not recently erupted. In fact, it has been chastised by the world community since Pakistan became a nuclear state. So what is the reason behind this concern especially after the Taliban’s takeover? 

The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban has not just brought up regional security challenges, but also brought up skepticism and suspicions regarding Pakistan’s nuclear security and safety. This skepticism did not erupt lately. In fact, the international community has been criticizing it since Pakistan became a nuclear power. The international community must understand and realize the motives behind Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear power status.

The recent appointment of engineer Najeebullahas head of Afghanistan’s atomic energy by the Taliban has raised concerns among the international community. But experts remain deeply skeptical of such an endeavor at this point. Besides, the porous boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also brought up various “naïve” concerns which include; the possibility of the Taliban overrunning Pakistan and stealing its nuclear nukes, possible transfer of fissile materials and the possible involvement of the establishment in leaking the secrets to the outsiders.

What happened when the US announced its withdrawal?

Soon after the peace deal treaty with the Taliban, the U.S. declared its focus primarily on the containment of China from potentially becoming a global power (particularly, by pressurizing Pakistan over the security of its nukes). This shift not just created a power vacuum in the region (ironically, the blame has been put on Pakistan again), but also created greater security concerns for Pakistan by both the internal and external threats. It is not the first time, since the U.S. has been pointing distrust over the safety and security of Pakistan’s nukes.

In 2009, American Secretary Hillary Clintonclaimed a possibility of Islamic militants taking over Pakistan and its nuclear weapons. The international community must accept and realize the risks that the American withdrawal has brought with it for Pakistan. Although, those risks and challenges are nowhere going to affect Pakistan’s nuclear safety and security because the matter is a national concern and is in safe hands. Therefore, it should not be interfered with or debated internationally.

Instead of showing distrust over the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, the international community should collectively focus on resolving and removing those irritants out of its way which might potentially destabilize the region. People like Ronald Jacquard will, however, raise their concern over an unstable Afghanistan and its consequences on the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals, but will never raise their voice for the humanitarian assistance that is the ardent need of time in Afghanistan.

The international community must acknowledge that Pakistan has been living in a security-sensitive environment. A country, that lives next to its archrival, is bound to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and secure the lives and properties of its citizens. Pakistan became a nuclear power not to achieve the status of becoming a global power, but to deter the growing threat from India for its own survival. Despite the threats, that Pakistan has been facing from both internal and external elements, it is obligatory for the international community to realize, accept and appreciate the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and program. Unlike India, where several incidents of Uranium theft have taken place.

It is tempting for people like Bruce Riedel (CIA analyst) and Ronald Jacquard to say that Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the contemporary world and that the international community should watch Pakistan’s nukes. But it makes it very difficult for them to show concerns over the Uranium thefts in India.

Similarly, besides the incidents of Uranium theft, the Kenyan authorities apprehended a container ship on 17^th December 2021 upon detection of heavy radioactive levels, where one of the containers was filled with nuclear waste which was loaded by an Indian firm called ‘Perma Export Limited.’ This shows how reckless and immature India is regarding the safe disposal of its nuclear waste. In fact, the international community should be worrying and showing their concern over the recklessness of the Indian authorities. They should question and find out the true motives behind India’s such actions.

Pakistan, on the other hand, not only guards its locations and practices against any external influence but is also keen in enforcing international standards, unlike India. Pakistan has also established ‘Pakistan’s Centre of Excellence and Nuclear Security’(PCENS) for strengthening its nuclear regime and the security of nuclear and radiological materials. If the international community wishes to adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for the loss of nukes, it must be then for every nuclear state and not be biased and focused on Pakistan only.

The National Command Authority (NCA), which is the highest authority to decide when and when not to go for nuclear readiness, oversee the policy formation, exercises, employment, research, development, deployment and operational command and control of Pakistan’s nukes through its secretariat Strategic Plans Division (SPD). Therefore, suspecting that the establishment is involved in leaking the secrets is naïve as it sounds and it is illogical to suspect NCA’s credibility.

How India is excelling in its modes of warfare?

The modes of warfare are evolving and India can be seen taking advantage of the 5^thgeneration warfare, thereby, spreading its web of disinformation on the digital media and inducing panic and fear among the people. Whether it is the progress of CPEC or the question of Pakistan’s nuclear safety and security program, India has left no opportunity in spreading disinformation and panic among the people.

It is a great strategic accomplishment and advantage for Pakistan, that both its military and civilian leadership is on the same page like never before. Perhaps, this is why Pakistan’s adversaries, particularly India have lost all their hopes in manipulating the leadership and are now focusing more on manipulating the citizens of Pakistan.

The U.S. must accept that Pakistan is a responsible state when it comes to handling its nuclear weapons. Pakistan has the ability to secure and safeguard its nukes from any mishap and threat from terrorists. Hence, saying that the U.S. might take measures of taking control over Pakistan’s nukes does not only create distrust but also portray a negative image all over the world, which is unpalatable to Pakistan. Taking any type of measures against Pakistan’s nukes will be even more dangerous.

The international community must understand Pakistan’s concerns over the policies of the fanatic Modi government and the RSS ideology that is prevailing in India. Instead of accusing and showing distrust over the safety and security of Pakistan’s nukes, the international community should work on removing those irritants that might actually provoke Pakistan and India. Hence, prevent letting a possible catastrophe in the region. Moreover, the international community must shift its attention to providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, rather than questioning the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear program. Hunger will kill more people in Afghanistan than in any other catastrophe.

Muhammad Adil Khan is working as a Research Assistant at the Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN), Pakistan. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space (GVS News).

Hamas praises stabbing attack outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Hamas praises Jerusalem stabbing attack

Elior Levy| Published: 12.08.21, 08:52

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas praised the stabbing attack in Jerusalem that left one Israeli wounded on Wednesday.

“The heroic actions in the West Bank and Jerusalem prove the greatness of our people and their unbreakable resistance. The Palestinians at the West Bank and at Jerusalem are in an open battle campaign against Israel,” said Hamas.

Israel Holds War Drill Outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

IDF Southern Command’s fire unit holds first war drill since Gaza conflict in May

The Fire Control Center of the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command held its first war drill since “Operation Guardian of the Walls” in May, the IDF announced on Tuesday.

The large-scale exercise “included all of the lessons generated” from the 11-day conflict against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, during which 4,000-plus rockets were fired towards Israeli population centers, said the military.

The Fire Control Center brings together intelligence, air force, computing and other personnel to prepare targets for attacks.

“In the previous week, it filled up again, when the Southern Command’s reservists left their families and careers to arrive at the ‘Shield of the Land’ exercise and drilled an emergency situation in the explosive sector,” said the military on its official website.

The drill entered planning stages from “the moment we completed drawing conclusions from ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls,’ ” according to a senior military planner. “Before that, we took time to learn and enter the minds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. To think what they would do. We tried to think about how to challenge the commanders, and during the drill, we responded in accordance to what we learned.”

An additional officer noted that “now it’s only an exercise, but in the next operation, this readiness is what will save the lives of civilians.”

The post IDF Southern Command’s fire unit holds first war drill since Gaza conflict in Mayappeared first on JNS.org.

Palestinians clash with police outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Palestinians clash with police in East J’lem after march supporting their Hamas terrorist

Hundreds chant pro-Hamas slogans in Shuafat refugee camp; right-wing Israelis march through Old City to mourn Eli Kay, killed by terrorist gunman, some chanting anti-Arab slogans

By Aaron Boxerman21 Nov 2021, 11:28 pm

Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem on Sunday night after hundreds marched in Shuafat Refugee Camp to honor Hamas terrorist Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, who killed an Israeli and wounded four others in Jerusalem’s Old City earlier in the day.

In videos circulating on social media, dozens of Palestinians can be seen hurling rocks as tear gas — apparently fired by police — fills the air around them. Israeli police had raidedthe neighborhood following the Sunday terror attack, reportedly arresting three relatives of Abu Shkhaydam’s family.

Paramedics also reported two Molotov cocktail attacks in the Jerusalem area, although it was not immediately clear who the perpetrators were.

One explosive bottle was hurled at a 30-year-old man near the Old City, who suffered light burns, according to Magen David Adom emergency responders.

The second Molotov cocktail was hurled at a bus near the Hizma checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank. The bus driver, 25, was treated for shock; no passengers were hurt, MDA medics said.

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The widening unrest was sparked by the bloody terror attack in the Old City. On Sunday morning, Abu Shkhaydam drew a submachine near the Chain Gate, which leads to the holy Temple Mount site, and opened fire on passersby.

Israeli police officers returned fire and killed Abu Shkhaydam on the scene, but not before he fatally wounded South African immigrant Eliyahu David Kay and seriously wounded another Israeli yeshiva student. Three other Israelis were treated for moderate to light wounds.

On Sunday night, hundreds of Palestinians marched towards Abu Shkhaydam’s house. Many could be seen waving the green flags emblazoned with the Islamic credo of faith, that are often associated with Hamas.Advertisement

“Millions of martyrs will march to Jerusalem,” the protesters chanted, according to videos circulating on social media.

In other videos, the Palestinian marchers pledged allegiance to shadowy Hamas terror chief Mohammad Deif.

“Put sword next to sword,” Shuafat camp residents chanted, a reference to Hamas’ logo, which features crossed blades. “We’re Mohammad Deif’s men.”

An umbrella coalition of Palestinian “Islamic and Nationalist Factions” in Shuafat declared a general strike in shops and schools in memory of Abu Shkhaydam.

Separately, dozens of right-wing Israeli nationalists marched through the Old City to the scene of the attack. They were joined by Simcha Rothman and Orit Struck, parliamentarians from the hard-right Religious Zionism party, who lit candles in memory of the late Kay.

In some videos, Jewish demonstrators chanted anti-Arab slogans, such as, “May their village burn!”Advertisement

Kay had served in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier (one of the soldiers from foreign countries who move to Israel without family) in the Paratroopers Brigade, until August 2019.

“He gave everything for this country,” his brother Kasriel told reporters on Sunday evening.

Israeli officials said they believed Abu Shkhaydam had planned his attack well in advance, citing the sophisticated submachine gun he had acquired. His wife and children also left the country three days ago, according to Public Security Minister Omer Barlev.

In Shuafat, Abu Shkhaydam raised five children — three boys and two daughters — and taught Islamic law at a boys high school, for which he received a salary from the Jerusalem municipality. According to Israeli authorities, he was a member of Hamas’ civilian branch, rather than its armed wing.

“He was the best teacher. He never cursed anyone, or called anyone a bad name, except the Jews, may God burn them,” Shuafat resident Mustafa Zaattra, a student of Abu Skhaydam, told al-Qastal.

Abu Shkhaydam also preached in local mosques. In a 2020 sermon circulated on social media, he assailed “the Jewish and Christian masters of heresy” as being “led by the devil.” Seething at the United Arab Emirates’ decision to normalize ties with Israel, he called the Emiratis, “filthy Bedouins.”

“They are joined by those with ulterior motives…all these unite for one thing only — to fight against God,” Abu Shkhaydam said at the time.

In a statement, Hamas praised Abu Shkhaydam for having spent his life “in proselytizing and in struggle.”

“This heroic operation carries a warning to the criminal enemy and its government to stop its aggression against our land and our holy sites,” the terror group said.

The attack was the second in recent days in Jerusalem’s Old City. East Jerusalem teenager Amr Abu Asab, 16, sought to stab police officers before being shot by a local civilian on Thursday night. Hamas also later claimed Asab as a member.

Asab’s death has sparked repeated nightly clashes between police and Palestinians in Issawiya, where he lived. On Saturday night, Palestinian residents managed to set a police water cannon on fire as it was deployed in the neighborhood.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday morning that authorities were concerned about attacks inspired by the two successive acts of terrorism.

“This is the second terrorist attack in Jerusalem in recent days. I have instructed the security forces to mobilize accordingly and demonstrate vigilance, also due to concern over copycat attacks,” the premier said in a statement.

The Israeli army has killed at least 77 Palestinian children outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

The Israeli army has killed at least 77 Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2021, a non-government organization reported on Sunday.

The Israeli army has killed at least 77 Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2021, a non-government organization reported on Sunday. (Getty)

The Israeli army has killed at least 77 Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2021, a non-government organisation reported on Sunday. 

In a press statement sent to The New Arab,Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI) said that 61 children were killed in the coastal enclave and 16 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

On the occasion of International Children’s Day, the organisation said that “since 2000 until today, the Israeli forces have killed about 2,200 Palestinian children.”

“The Israeli army resort to deliberate lethal force in the circumstances not justified by international law, and that the excessive use of force is the rule then, taking advantage of the state of systematic impunity and lack of accountability,” the statement said. 

Under international law, lethal force can only be justified in the circumstances with an immediate threat to life or severe injury.

Investigations and evidence collected by DCI regularly indicate that Israel uses lethal force against Palestinian children in conditions that may amount to extrajudicial or premeditated murder, according to the organisation.

From October 2015 until October 2021, the organisation documented the detention of 41 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons under administrative detention orders, four of whom remain in administrative detention.

“Israel is the only country in the world that systematically arrests and tries children in military courts, which lack a basic fair trial. It arrests and tries between 500 and 700 Palestinian children before military courts every year,” the DCI said.

Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members

West Bank cell aimed to carry out some bombings imminently; suicide attacks planned; ringleader was offered $1m. for kidnapping; arrests come day after Old City killing of Eli Kay

By Judah Ari Gross

Israeli security forces arrested dozens of members of a Hamas cell that was in the advanced stages of planning major terror attacks in the West Bank and Israel, the Shin Bet security service said Monday.

The effort to uncover the cell has been ongoing for several months, first coming to light with a round of arrest raids in September, including one in which two Israeli soldiers were seriously injured and several Palestinian suspects were killed in gunfights.Advertisement

According to the Shin Bet, over 50 Hamas operatives were arrested across the West Bank for suspected involvement in the cell and large quantities of weaponry was seized, including the materials needed to make at least four explosive belts for suicide attacks. An undisclosed amount of money that was allegedly used by the cell was also seized in the raids, according to the Shin Bet.

“You thwarted a large infrastructure, some of which you know was ready to go with explosive belts… grenades and other explosives,” IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi told the military commanders whose units took part in the raids.

The Shin Bet’s announcement about the discovery of the Hamas cell came a day after a member of the terror group in Jerusalem carried out a shooting attack in the Old City, killing one man, Eli Kay, and injuring four people.

Israeli officials generally believe that Hamas is looking to carry out attacks in the West Bank and in Israel while maintaining relative calm in the Gaza Strip, where the group serves as the de facto ruler.Advertisement

Ammunition and other materiel that was confiscated during arrest raids against major Hamas cell planning terror attacks on Israeli targets in the West Bank and Jerusalem. (Shin Bet)

According to the Shin Bet, the Hamas cell was led from afar by Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the terror group’s politburo, and Zacharia Najib, a member of the organization who was released from Israeli prison in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange and exiled to Turkey, where he allegedly continues to operate on behalf of Hamas. In the 2011 deal, over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists were released from Israeli incarceration in exchange for the release of Shalit, an IDF soldier who had been kidnapped by Hamas along the Gaza border in 2006.

Najib, who took part in the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldier Nachshon Wachsman in 1994, was allegedly involved in a failed Hamas plot to assassinate Israelis abroad in 2019.

The Shin Bet said al-Arouri invested hundreds of thousands of shekels in the cell’s activities and offered a prize of $1 million if the cell successfully carried out a kidnapping.

Ismail Haniyeh, right, the head of the Hamas political bureau, shakes hands with his deputy Saleh al-Arouri, upon his arrival in Gaza from Cairo, Egypt, in Gaza City, August 2, 2018. (Mohammad Austaz/Hamas Media Office via AP)

“This was a major preventative effort that thwarted dangerous terrorist infrastructure, which was planning serious attacks. The goal of the terrorist activities, which were undertaken by Hamas operatives abroad and in Gaza with operatives in the West Bank, was to destabilize the region, while exacting a heavy price from local residents,” a senior Shin Bet officer said, referring to the toll on Palestinians in the West Bank.

According to the Shin Bet, the cell was planning “to carry out terror attacks in a number of formats in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the possibility of carrying out bombings in Israel.”

Al-Arouri and Najib, who both live abroad, recruited a number of top operatives from Palestinian cities and towns across the West Bank, notably Jenin, Ramallah, and Hebron, who in turn found additional members, according to the Shin Bet.Advertisement

The Israeli security service identified one of those lieutenants as Hijazi Qawasmeh, a 37-year-old Hebron native, who has been arrested several times by Israel for allegedly planning terror attacks for Hamas, most recently in September.

An undated photograph showing Israeli forces raiding a home as part of an effort to break up a major Hamas cell planning terror attacks on Israeli targets in the West Bank and Jerusalem. (Israel Defense Forces)

“Hijazi recruited operatives in the West Bank, including Hamzah Zahran, a 40-year-old Hamas operative from the village of Bidu, near Ramallah,” the Shin Bet said.

According to the Shin Bet, Zahran, who has also been arrested multiple times for Hamas activities, went on to recruit several other operatives, including his family members. One of his brothers, Ahmad Zahran, was killed in a firefight with Israeli troops during one of the raids in Bidu in September. Two other Hamas members — Mahmoud Hameedan and Zakria Badwan — were killed in the same exchange.

“They worked using the money they received from abroad to obtain weapons and to create explosives, which were seized as part of the efforts to thwart this infrastructure,” the Shin Bet said.

According to the IDF, large amounts of explosives were found and later destroyed in a series of controlled blasts.

The Shin Bet identified two of the main bomb makers that were used by the cell: Muhammad Abu al-Hassan, from the village of Burqin near Jenin, and Ghani Hadour, from Bayt Sira near Ramallah.

The Israeli security services warned that Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip and abroad were “constantly funneling funding toward various terrorist activities” in the West Bank.

In a tacit threat, the Shin Bet identified “one of the noteworthy people involved” as Musa Dudin, a senior Hamas member whom the security service alleged led an operation to send large sums of money to Hamas in the West Bank through couriers.Advertisement