News Archives - Page 95 of 370

Haaretz: Hamas Still Has 40,000 Fighters

CrossFireArabia
May 26, 2025

Top Israeli military commanders say that power of Hamas has not diminished confirming that the military of their movement’s armed wing, the Izz Aldin Al Qassam Brigades, still has around 40,000 fighters.

This is a new assessment published by the Hebrew daily, Haaretz. It says that the Israeli commanders conclude in a detailed military assessment that the military manpower of Hamas, at 40,000 fighters, remain as they were before 7 October, 2023 when the war on Gaza was launched.

Despite the bloody war and mass destruction of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military leaders still believe Hamas still possesses a number of long-range rockets and hundreds and perhaps thousands, of short-range shells and mortar shells.

Relaying on the same Israeli military sources, the newspaper states that it has been told that future Israeli operations will be carried out in areas where the captives – 59 and 22 still still alive – are likely to be held. However, it added these operations will be conducted in direct coordination with the Israeli Prisoners and Missing Persons Authority to ensure risk reduction. This is while the Israeli sources say that plans are underway to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to pre-determined gathering areas, most notably to Al-Mawasi, which currently houses approximately 700,000 displaced persons.

Until the new Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir assumed his post last March, the military believed Hamas no longer possessed an organized military structure. However, the new assessment indicates that the movement retains effective operational capabilities, despite having suffered heavy blows.

Israeli military officials said that the fighting has changed since then, with the adoption of “massive fire” tactics and the systematic destruction of Hamas’s military infrastructure, including tunnels.

Further, Israeli military intelligence are of the view that the local protests against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is too small and doesn’t constitute a “civilian uprising” and where the Islamist movement continues to enjoy mass support.

According to the Israeli newspaper however, an estimated one-third of Gaza’s population remains loyal to Hamas, another third belongs to Fatah, and the remainder is unaffiliated with any faction.

News

The Doctor Who Lost Her Nine Children

CrossFireArabia
May 25, 2025

Dr Alaa Al Najar’s world was simply turned upside down on that Friday morning when she heard the horrors.

One minute she had a family, in another they were all gone. She went hysterical, and understandably so, when she realized the batch of dead brought into the Al Nasser Hospital Complex where all her children.

That morning her husband Dr Hamdi Al Najjar brought her to hospital to start her morning shift and he went back to the house on the southern edge of Khan Younis.

Their world came to an end in an instant after he entered his house and when suddenly an Israeli missile appeared and struck the building, destroying the house and set it ablaze with its occupants.

There wasn’t anytime for anybody to evacuate. Nine of their 10 children were burned to death. As they were brought to hospital they were in a charred state, barely unrecognizable. The mother had only left an hour or so earlier.

Her oldest, Adam, was 12-years-old and the youngest was a baby of 7-months, next was a two-year-old toddler and a three-year-old. The baby and one of the toddlers remain under under the rubble of the house that suddenly crackled under the fire and thumped into the ground.

Shock. Dr Alaa, a pediatrician, knew of their death once they were taken out of the ambulance into the gurneys. Unbelievable, horror, a world that suddenly caved in. Adam, the eldest, and his father, Dr Al Najjar, were immediately taken to the ICU fighting for their lives.

Later, the Israeli army admitted that Friday morning they struck 100 different locations in Gaza with intense strikes. The killing of the family made much social media news of more strikes at different civilians and residential homes in Gaza.

News

Israel Kills Journalist No 220 in Gaza

CrossFireArabia
May 25, 2025

Hassan Majdi Abu Wardi is the latest to be killed by the Israeli army in Gaza, Sunday morning.

Abu Wardi was killed with members of his family after an Israeli strike that targeted his home in Jabalia’s Nazla neighbourhood, north of the Gaza Strip.

His murder brings the total number of journalists killed by Israeli gunfire against Gaza to 220 according to the Government Media.

This latest murder is being condemned journalists worldwide including the International Journalists Federation, Arab Journalists Union.

Abu Wardi was the chief editor of Barq Gaza news. Israeli is trying to kill the word in Gaza. Since Israeli re-launched its war on the Strip on 19 March, around 20 journalists were killed for covering the atrocities committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

News

Netanyahu Lies to Trump

CrossFireArabia
May 20, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly promised US envoy Steven Witkoff to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza after the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander. But only five aid trucks entered the Strip, in what officials called a “mockery.”

Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that Netanyahu made the promise directly to Witkoff. Channel 12 said Witkoff and US official Adam Boehler gave their word to Hamas, leaving Netanyahu little room to back out. The deal was clear: release Alexander, and aid would follow. But that aid never came.

On Sunday, Israel announced it would allow nine humanitarian trucks into Gaza. But only five had crossed. Gaza’s Government Media Office slammed the move as “a mockery,” saying the territory needs at least 500 trucks daily to deal with the ongoing mass starvation.

A senior Hamas official was the first to reveal the deal. “It was a promise,” said Dr. Basem Naim, a political leader in Hamas to Drop Site News. “Witkoff himself said aid would resume immediately. But they threw the agreement in the trash.”

Alexander was captured from an Israeli tank on October 7, 2023, during Al-Aqsa Flood military operation. He had served in the Israeli army and holds dual US-Israeli citizenship. His release last week was the first time Hamas freed a male Israeli soldier since the genocide began.

Hamas said the release was a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration. In return, they expected immediate humanitarian relief and progress toward a ceasefire.

Instead, Israel escalated its assault on Gaza.

The day after Alexander’s release, Israeli warplanes struck the European Hospital in Khan Younis. At least 28 people were killed. Israel claimed it was targeting Hamas military commander Mohammed Sinwar, though it presented no evidence.

Trump, speaking during a visit to the UAE, acknowledged the crisis. “A lot of people are starving,” he said. But Hamas dismissed his remarks. “We want action, not sympathy,” Naim said.

Gaza continues to suffer under a total blockade. The few trucks that Israel allowed in contained limited supplies, far below what’s needed. Medical centers report no fuel. Families are eating grass and drinking dirty water.

Trump’s team has pushed an alternative aid plan that bypasses Hamas and distributes food only in areas Israel controls. Aid groups warn the plan militarizes food and fails to meet emergency needs according to the Quds News Network.

News

US Vice-President Cancels Visit to Israel

CrossFireArabia
May 20, 2025

US Vice President JD Vance was expected to travel to Israel on Tuesday, but decided against it due to Israel’s expansion of its military operation in the Gaza Strip, according to an Axios report.

The report cited a senior US official as saying that Vance made the decision “because he didn’t want his trip to suggest the Trump administration endorsed the Israeli decision to launch a massive operation at a time when the U.S. is pushing for a ceasefire and hostage deal.”

Vance officially cited “logical” reasons for his decision, the report added.

According to Israeli officials, Axios said, the Trump administration had informed the Israeli government on Saturday that Vance was “considering stopping in Israel” after attending the pope’s inauguration.

Discussions had also taken place on Sunday between US and Israeli officials regarding preparations for his visit. Soon thereafter, Axios said, Israeli media reported on Vance’s expected arrival on Tuesday.

Reports Denied

Several hours later, the report added, a White House official denied the reports.

In a statement to reporters traveling with the VP, the official reportedly said. “While the Secret Service has engaged in contingency planning for the addition of several potential countries, no additional visits were at any point decided upon, and logistical constraints have precluded an extension of his travel beyond Rome.”

“He will return to Washington on Monday,” the statement added.

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/israel-greenlights-gaza-aid-amid-american-pressure-cabinet-dissent/embed/#?secret=4bl8Jhe4Zw#?secret=UxS9CRr0Ds

A US official, however, told Axios that logistics were not the issue and that “concerns were raised that a trip to Israel at this time would be perceived by Israel and countries in the region as validation for Israel’s expanded operation.”

“At that point, Vance decided not to go,” Axios said.

Vance’s decision, the report noted, sheds light on how the US administration’s views on the current Israeli policy in Gaza amid the administration’s attempts to cut a deal to halt Tel Aviv’s ongoing operation in the enclave.

Mass Displacement

Since March 2, Israel has shut Gaza’s border crossings, preventing all humanitarian aid, including water, food, and medical supplies, into the enclave, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

On Sunday, the Israeli army began a broad ground offensive dubbed ‘Gideon’s Chariot’ in the besieged territory aimed at displacing two million Palestinians in Gaza to the south and destroying most of the territory.

Under pressure from the US administration and European allies, the Israeli security cabinet decided late on Sunday to allow some aid into the enclave.

Axios said that US envoy Steve Witkoff had given both Hamas and Israel “an updated proposal” for a ceasefire last week “and is pressing the parties to accept it.”

Over 53,000 Killed

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 53,000, wounding more than 118,000, with over 14,000 still missing.

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers according to The Palestine Chronicle.