Five Infants Die in Gaza Because of The Freeze

“Nine infants were hospitalized in the past two weeks due to health complications caused by severe cold,” Saeed Salah, Director of the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza, told Anadolu.

“Of the nine cases, five infants aged between one day and two weeks died,” he added.

Salah said one baby is still on a ventilator due to his serious health condition, however, three others were discharged from hospital.

He said the nine new born were transferred to the hospital from northern Gaza because the region there has been completely destroyed and where most of the population has been displaced and are living in tents following Israel’s destructive war on the enclave.

Salah appealed to the international community to intervene to allow the entry of mobile homes, tents, and fuel into Gaza to provide shelter to thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas blamed Israel’s “criminal policies” for the death of the babies in Gaza news of which are trending on the social media.

https://twitter.com/MustafaBarghou1/status/1894328481514750222

In a statement, the group called for immediate intervention “to stop Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement and allow the entry of urgent shelter, heating, and medical aid supplies into Gaza to the children there.”

According to Gaza’s government media office, nearly 1.5 million Palestinians have been left without home or shelter after Israel waged its deadly war on the enclave.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since last month, pausing the Israeli war that has killed at least 48,350 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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Expert: Israel Seeks to Displace Palestinians by Making Rebuilding Costs Too High

International law expert Dr. Anis Al-Qassem warned against the demolition and displacement acts carried out by the Israeli occupation army in the West Bank, adding the demolition and bulldozing operations aim at forcing the Palestinian people off their land.

Al-Qassem told Jordan24 that the occupation army is carrying out what he called “systematic impoverishment operations” against the Palestinian people, such they would be unable to rebuild what has been destroyed due to the huge sums of money that would be needed by the Palestinian National Authority and the residents together. He pointed out that this is what the Israeli occupation government seeks and is doing.

Al-Qassem added that the extent of the destruction of camps, homes and infrastructure in the West Bank is comparable to what the Israelis did in the Gaza Strip, and no party will be able to finance the exorbitant costs which will automatically push the people to voluntarily leave in search of a livelihood in light of the difficult circumstances they live in within the West Bank.

“Unfortunately, we cannot ask the Arab countries to intervene, given the fact that they completely ended their connection with the Palestinian cause, and this was clear in the Gaza war, despite the cohesion and solidarity of western countries with Israel, which today enjoys their unlimited support, economically, militarily and technologically,” he concluded.

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Who is Going to Rebuild Gaza?

No official announcement was made following the Riyadh Summit, which was considered fraternal, friendly, and consultative rather than formal. The summit, held a few days ago, was attended by the Gulf states, along with Jordan and Egypt, in anticipation of the Cairo Summit scheduled for March 4. The Cairo Summit is expected to approve and announce a new Arab plan for rebuilding Gaza as an alternative to Trump’s plan. However, more importantly, the Arab plan presents a comprehensive political approach linking the Gaza issue to the establishment of a Palestinian state and a peaceful resolution in the region. This approach counters Israel’s new policies, which are based on political hegemony—not only in Palestine by eliminating the two-state solution but also by expanding Israel’s security boundaries to include parts of Syria and Lebanon and inciting the U.S. into a confrontation with Iran.

The Egyptian-Arab approach is still in its final stages of preparation. It takes into account a combination of financial, technical, political, and security aspects concerning Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has proposed modifications to the plan originally put forward by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union, which estimated the cost of rebuilding Gaza at over $50 billion in a rapid and preliminary needs and damage assessment report (IRDNA). Instead, Mustafa proposed a more realistic and feasible plan costing no more than $20 billion, to be implemented in three phases. The Egyptians have incorporated this into their reconstruction plan, which includes dividing Gaza into three safe zones, using temporary housing (caravans) and tents, and developing a technical vision for redesigning the sector’s infrastructure through specialized Egyptian companies.

The Arab approach links the reconstruction plan to several key elements. The first is the technical, logistical, and financial aspect of rebuilding. The second is reforming the Palestinian Authority (PA) to counter Israeli claims of its incompetence, with reform measures covering political and security aspects. The third element concerns the administration of Gaza in the post-occupation phase. A significant development has occurred with the Palestinians agreeing on a temporary administrative committee responsible for technocratic affairs. Hamas has accepted this arrangement, and President Mahmoud Abbas has reluctantly agreed to it, as it implicitly means that the PA will not return to Gaza.

The most challenging aspect of the Arab plan lies in the security arrangements during the reconstruction phase. Arab states refuse to deploy security forces or enter Gaza without a clear vision for ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a Palestinian state. As Arab diplomats emphasize, what is needed is not just a roadmap for resolving the Palestinian issue, but rather an agreement on final-status issues and recognition of a Palestinian state—followed by a roadmap for implementation, not the other way around.

The most contentious issue in the Arab approach is Hamas’s weapons. Israel, along with the United States, will not accept Hamas retaining its weapons in Gaza. Israel has made it clear that it links the second phase of the process to this condition, and the U.S. has accepted this demand. On the other hand, the Arab side ties the issue of disarming non-state actors to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have the exclusive right to possess weapons. The key question remains: Who would disarm Hamas? The only legitimate entity that could do so is a recognized Palestinian state, which remains the missing piece in U.S. policies that align with Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision.

The Arabs hope that this approach will establish a new framework for relations with the United States and offer alternative strategic options. They even believe it could persuade President Donald Trump to secure several achievements—perhaps even earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in the end.

This is undoubtedly a highly optimistic approach, but it represents a new Arab attempt to present a united position and alternative strategic options. However, the biggest challenge this vision overlooks lies in the details. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.” What kind of Palestinian state is actually possible under the current circumstances? What was previously proposed by Trump himself? Is there a single Palestinian—any Palestinian—who could accept a state comprising only 30% of the West Bank, without East Jerusalem, and without control over borders? How could Hamas and its supporters—or even the majority of Palestinian refugees—be convinced of such a proposal, even if there were Israeli and American acceptance of the new Arab approach?

Mohammad Abu Rumman is a columnist in The Jordan Times.

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Yair Netanyahu Files Lawsuit Over ‘Beating His Father’

Yair Netanyahu is seeking legal action in response to accusations made by Knesset member Naama Lazmi that he beat his father, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Knesset member Naama Lazimi, following her statement that he was deported to the United States after allegedly beating his father.

According to Channel 14, Yair is seeking 300,000 shekels (approximately $84,000) in damages. 

He filed the lawsuit in response to Lazimi’s comment during a session of the Knesset Finance Committee on Sunday. Lazimi said that Yair was sent abroad after an incident in which he allegedly beat Netanyahu.

The lawsuit describes Lazimi’s statements as “an absolute lie,” accusing her of attempting to damage Yair’s reputation with politically motivated remarks. 

Yair’s lawyer, who remains unnamed, pointed out that parliamentary immunity does not protect Knesset members from defamation, particularly when the statements made are unrelated to their official duties.

During the session, Lazimi also questioned the costs of Sara Netanyahu’s presence abroad, asking who was funding her trips and the associated expenses. 

Additionally, Lazimi raised concerns about the state’s spending on Yair Netanyahu’s security, which was reported last year to amount to 2.5 million shekels (about $700,000) annually. 

She questioned whether this funding was still being drawn from the state budget and linked it to claims that Yair had to leave Tel Aviv after an alleged confrontation with his father according to The Palestine Chronicle.

This lawsuit comes amid rising political tensions within Israel, as Netanyahu and his government face growing opposition criticism over both domestic and foreign issues. 

Netanyahu has led the current government since December 2022, and on November 21, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

From October 7, 2023, to January 19, 2025, Israel committed genocide in Gaza, leaving over 160,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—dead or injured, and more than 14,000 still missing.

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