The US has asked Israel to take responsibility for clearing the massive debris left across the Gaza Strip after over two years of its assault on the enclave, including destruction caused by airstrikes and armored bulldozers, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.
The newspaper, citing a senior political source, said Israel has agreed to the US request “for now,” but will begin by clearing debris in a single pilot neighborhood in Rafah. The initial project is expected to cost tens to hundreds of millions of shekels.
According to the report, Washington expects Israel to ultimately remove rubble across the entire enclave, a task that could take years and cost more than $1 billion. Arab and international actors have so far refused to finance the debris-removal effort, the paper said according to Anadolu.
Gaza is buried under about 68 million tons of debris, The Wall Street Journal reported this week, citing widespread destruction across the enclave.
The UN Development Program estimates the rubble weighs as much as 186 Empire State Buildings.
Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 70,300 people and injured over 171,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel’s top army general has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of withholding decisions on the war in Gaza, as new reports indicate thousands of Israeli soldiers have abandoned combat service since the genocidal assault on the enclave began, according to Israeli media.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told the Knesset’s intelligence subcommittee last week that Netanyahu had not provided clear instructions on the army’s next steps in Gaza, the report said.
“The prime minister doesn’t tell us what comes next, so we don’t know what to prepare for,” the newspaper quoted Zamir as saying.
He added that if the government intends to impose a military administration in Gaza, “they should state it openly.”
GHF Criticized
Zamir also criticized the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, calling it a “failure.”
Despite the expansion of distribution centers from four to 12, Zamir questioned why Israel was enlarging a program that “did not work in the first place.”
“I don’t understand why they are spending money on it and increasing the number of aid centers to 12, if it failed when there were four,” he is quoted by Haaretz as saying.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks on aid seekers at distribution sites have killed more than 2,400 Palestinians and wounded over 18,000.
Morale Crisis
Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that the army is facing an unprecedented morale crisis, with thousands of conscripts leaving frontline units since October 2023. Many were reassigned to non-combat duties or discharged altogether, with officers admitting the scale of withdrawals is without precedent, Anadolu cited the paper as reporting.
Testimonies collected by Haaretz described deep psychological scars among troops, including post-traumatic stress and what military counselors call “moral injuries”- trauma from actions that conflict with personal values. Soldiers spoke of accidental killings of children, snipers ordered to fire on civilians near aid convoys, and repeated suicide attempts in combat brigades.
While the army’s spokesperson has withheld official figures, senior officers told Haaretz the problem is “out of control.”
The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have demanded a meeting with Zamir over “the threat” that the operation in Gaza City poses to the captives held in the enclave.
20,000 Wounded Soldiers
On Monday, Haaretz reported that around 20,000 soldiers injured in the Gaza onslaught “are being treated by the Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Division, with 55 percent – roughly 10,700 – struggling with mental health issues.”
Citing the Defense Ministry, the paper said” 20 percent of those with mental health issues were also physically wounded, while 45 percent of the veterans registered with the division are dealing with physical injuries only.”
By 2028, the division estimates it will treat “100,000 injured veterans, including 50,000 with mental health injuries.”
Ongoing Genocide
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 64,900 Palestinians, with more than 164,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court as reported in the Palestine Chronicle.
At least 18,500 Israeli soldiers and police have been injured since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to Jewish reports, Sunday.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily stated that the the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division received 18,500 soldiers and other security forces wounded with varying degrees of severity.
However, official Israeli military figures widely differed, saying only 6,145 soldiers have been injured and 895 others killed.
According to the daily, more than 10,000 Israeli soldiers have suffered from mental health ailments, including 3,679 diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The newspaper said that 9,000 soldiers submitted requests to have psychological injuries recognized, including anxiety, adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression in 2024 alone.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 59,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
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 according to Anadolu.
Eight Israelis were killed and more than 100 injured as Iranian missiles struck central Israel in new attacks launched by Iran, Monday morning. Many of these missiles penetrated the Israeli defense systems and struck Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli death toll had risen to eight after three bodies were found in Haifa.
Earlier Monday morning, the Israeli Maariv daily quoted Israeli ambulance services as saying that four people were killed in the Iranian missile attack on Israel. The ambulance service said its crews were working at four sites where the missiles fell.
Israeli media reported that the number of people injured by Iranian missiles in the greater Tel Aviv area had risen to 103.
Israel Hayom, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the extent of the destruction in greater Tel Aviv was extensive. Haaretz also reported that some of the Iranian attacks targeted Israeli military sites as well as urban infrastructure.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported the collapse of a building directly hit by an Iranian missile in the Tel Aviv area. It said that three people are still missing at a site in Haifa, and their lives are in danger. Channel 13 also confirmed that contact with the three people missing under the rubble in Haifa remains cut off as reported in Al Jazeera.
The crisis arising from a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas seems to be heading toward a resolution, Israeli media reported late Wednesday.
“After Hamas announced that it would suspend the release of prisoners, the crisis that erupted in the prisoner swap agreement appears to be on the path to being resolved,” said Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
The report also said that three Israeli prisoners are expected to be released on Saturday.
An unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying that both Israel and Hamas want the first phase of the agreement to succeed and Hamas has sent messages indicating its willingness to continue the deal.
The official also said US President Donald Trump’s threat that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages by noon Saturday “put Israel in a dilemma.”
Israel’s Channel 12 also reported that international organizations are expected to deliver urgently needed fuel and medical supplies to Gaza on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Tuesday to end the Gaza ceasefire deal if Hamas failed to release hostages by Saturday at noon.
The threat came a day after Hamas said that it would delay the next hostage release in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Palestinian authorities have listed a series of Israeli violations of the deal, including the shooting of civilians and denying access to relief materials, including tents for displaced civilians in Gaza.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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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