Haaretz Archives - Page 4 of 7

Israel Hides True Soldier Deaths, Injuries

CrossFireArabia
February 6, 2025

The discrepancy between the number of Israeli soldiers killed and wounded during the genocidal war on Gaza and the official casualty figures reported by the army shows that the Tel Aviv regime is concealing the true extent of its losses in the Strip.

Speaking at Work Programs Conference of the ministry of military affairs on Sunday, Israel’s newly appointed chief of staff Major General Eyal Zamir admitted that the number of Israeli soldiers killed and wounded in Gaza is significantly higher than what the army has officially reported.

The Israeli military asserts that 844 soldiers have lost their lives and 5,696 have sustained injuries since the onset of the bloody Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023.

In contrast, Zamir stated that there are a minimum of 5,942 officially recognized “bereaved families” – a designation used exclusively for the families of soldiers killed in action.

He also revealed that over 15,000 soldiers have been admitted to the rehabilitation system due to physical injuries and mental health problems, reinforcing assumptions that Israel has been deliberately underreporting its military losses as reported in PressTV.

This is not the first time that the actual casualties and damages sustained by the Israeli army far exceed the official figures.

Back in December last year, Haaretz reported that while the Israeli army claimed only 1,593 soldiers were wounded between October and December, hospital records showed the actual number was 10,548.

The newspaper had earlier exposed that about 1,000 wounded soldiers were being admitted to rehabilitation centers every month.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has led to the death of at least 47,583 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injury of 111,633 others since early October 2023.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement went into effect in Gaza on January 19, halting Israel’s aggressive campaign against the coastal region.

Since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught against Gaza in October 2023, at least 905 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.

Analyses

Amos Harel: Israel Didn’t Defeat Hamas

CrossFireArabia
January 31, 2025

Israeli military analyst Amos Harel has dismissed a “total victory” for Tel Aviv in the Gaza war, arguing that such assertions, promoted by supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are contrary to the ground reality.

Harel, a military affairs analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in his write-up published on Friday, stated, “One has to be a blind follower who has shed all vestiges of doubt and criticism to believe that Israel actually defeated Hamas.”

“The organization sustained a tremendous military blow, but it certainly did not surrender,” he noted, adding that “that’s not consistent with Netanyahu’s declarations about the war’s goals, or with his promises in its course.”

US mediation efforts

Harel also touched on the role of the US in the region, highlighting that the administration of President Donald Trump is pushing for the full implementation of a multi-phase ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. This contrasts with Netanyahu’s preference to focus solely on the initial phase.

The ceasefire, which began on Jan. 19, is set to last for 42 days in its first stage, with negotiations ongoing for subsequent phases under the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

According to Harel, “The visit to the region by Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special Mideast Envoy, attested to the mood of the administration.

“Washington views the first phase of the deal as a necessary point of transition to the second phase, which in itself is preparation for the bigger deal.

“Washington views the first phase of the deal as a necessary point of transition to the second phase, which in itself is preparation for the bigger deal: huge US-Saudi contracts accompanied by normalization between Riyadh and Jerusalem.”

He added that “Witkoff was here to ensure that Israel continues on the track laid out by Trump,” with key details expected to be discussed next week in a meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington. This meeting, Harel suggested, holds significant weight as reported in Anadolu.

Challenges to Gaza deportation plans

Harel also addressed Trump’s controversial suggestion of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, highlighting the practical difficulties in implementing such a proposal.

The idea is partly aimed at maintaining Netanyahu’s coalition with the far right. However, he noted that the chances of executing such a plan are slim.

“Washington’s bargaining power in the Middle East on emigration doesn’t resemble what it’s capable of achieving with its neighbors in Latin America,” said the analyst.

“Trump appears to be looking at Gaza like the real estate entrepreneur he used to be. To resettle the destroyed area, an evacuation-construction project is needed,” he explained.

Harel pointed out that while these proposals align with the long-standing aspirations of Israel’s right-wing to remove Palestinians from the equation, they are likely to face strong resistance.

“Such schemes will inevitably encounter Palestinian opposition, backed by Arab states. At this moment, it is difficult to imagine any Arab leader endorsing Trump’s relocation plan for Gaza,” he concluded.

On Jan. 25, Trump publicly proposed relocating Gaza’s Palestinian population to nearby countries like Egypt and Jordan. His suggestion has been widely rejected by several countries, including Jordan, Iraq, France, Germany, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the UN.

News

No Victory For Israel in Gaza

CrossFireArabia
January 31, 2025

Ruvik Rosenthal in Haaretz: The Israeli occupation has failed to achieve its war goals, losing both the war and global public support. Despite destroying land and killing tens of thousands, the occupation is still losing. #Israel #Gazaceasefire #Trump

He write in a column the Israeli daily newspaper that none of the war’s goals were achieved. Hamas was not “destroyed”, but its ranks were replenished, the residents of Gaza went nowhere. There is no security for the Israeli residents of the envelope (areas sorrounding Gaza) who have not yet returned to their destroyed homes, and dozens of kidnapped soldiers have not yet returned from captivity.

He added we lost years of the world’s sympathy for us, the country’s economy entered at least a decade of stagnation, the army was eroded, and the circles of physical and psychological rehabilitation expanded and reached every home in Israel.

Rosenthal continued there is no image of victory. There are no “fruits” of victory. But if we cannot enjoy the fruits of victory, perhaps this is the time to enjoy the fruits of loss. The fruits of loss are the fruits of awareness, the fruits of the difficult realization that war is not a possible way of life for a people who want to live. The fruits of loss are the transition from the bloody battlefield and back to the family of peoples, to international agreements, to the Abraham Accords.

News

Katz Wants to Occupy Jenin For Good

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the Israeli occupation army would remain in Jenin refugee camp even after its military operation ends.

Katz claimed, during a visit to the camp, that this step to “ensure terrorism (Palestinian resistance) doesn’t return”, according to Israeli newspaper of Haaretz.

“Jenin refugee camp will not return to what it was after the operation is completed, the Israeli defense forces will remain in the camp to ensure that terrorism does not return,” Katz stated

Analyses

Israeli Media: Hamas is The Only Power That Can Rule Gaza

CrossFireArabia
January 21, 2025

Israeli Channel 12 acknowledged that the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, is still the only force in the Gaza Strip capable of ruling, 15 months after the war.

Speaking about “the next day,” the channel acknowledged Israel’s failure to achieve its goals in the war, as the objective was “not to allow Hamas to rule or return,” but “we saw yesterday it still has this ability.”

This views was expressed in referrence to scenes of the Qassam Brigades coming out among the people and handing over the Israeli female prisoners.

The TV channel concluded that there is no other force in Gaza with the same ability, which allows Hamas to return, and restricts the ability of the Israeli army to operate, according to its expression, so “Israel cannot even evade this goal now.”

In a related context, Channel 12 estimated that Israel will not resume fighting in Gaza, stressing that the Palestinian resistance can continue fighting forever, and is capable of “recruiting” individuals.

Likewise, the military affairs analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Amos Harel, commented on the appearance of hundreds of Qassam Brigades members a few kilometers away from the place where the Israeli army forces were located, saying, “Hamas demonstrated its military strength and signs of civil rule by displaying it.”

The Israeli military correspondent for Channel 12, Lila Shoval, said that the agreement on the ceasefire in Gaza does not guarantee the achievement of the two goals that Israel has set for itself, that of eliminating Hamas and recovering the prisoners according to JO24.