Netanyahu Acknowledges Hamas Still Rules Gaza

The Yedioth Ahronoth has reported the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the Israeli Supreme Court that Hamas are still the rulers of Gaza and that the occupation army continues to face stiff resistance underground and above it.

The newspaper stated that the Netanyahu’s government was responding in Supreme Court sessions to examine a petition submitted by organizations concerned with the humanitarian situation and the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip.

In its response the government stated Israel does not maintain effective control over Gaza and the army’s presence in the Strip is limited in a way that does not allow for actual control and activation of the powers of government as reported in Al Jazeera.

The Israeli government stressed Hamas is still able to exercise its powers of government in the Strip, and the occupation army is still facing armed resistance in Gaza from what it described as enemies in the enclave, both in underground tunnels and open lands.

“In the framework of operational activity, IDF forces are still facing armed resistance…underground and above ground, by planting explosive devices, anti-tank fire and snipers, launching rockets and trying to lure our forces into booby-trapped houses, etc,” the government stated.

It pointed out Hamas “is returning and operating in areas from which the IDF withdrew and is trying to rebuild its strength there.”

Supreme Court justices have several sessions over the past months to study the petition submitted by Israeli organizations, and Yedioth Ahronoth explained the judges receive periodic updates on the situation in Gaza but have not yet decided on the fate of the petition.

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Top Israeli Officers Say Cabinet Incites Escalation on West Bank

Senior Israeli military officers have accused the country’s political leadership of inciting escalation in the occupied West Bank.

The officers said far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are “directly responsible” for the rise in violence in the occupied territory, warning that the situation could spiral into a full-blown uprising, with many young Palestinians already facing unemployment and lack of opportunities.

“We are trying to prevent the population from fully joining the violence,” a military officer told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, adding that the ongoing Israeli restrictions have exacerbated tensions in the area.

Attacks on Palestinians by illegal Israeli settlers also push young Palestinians to join armed groups in the West Bank, the daily warned.

“This situation can’t continue. We are on the verge of a major explosion in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” another senior military officer said.

The Israeli officers warned that provocations by government officials as Ben-Gvir’s intrusions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and his attempts to allow Jewish prayers at the flashpoint site risk inflaming tensions in the West Bank and the whole Arab world.

Last week, the Israeli army launched its largest military operation in the northern West Bank in two decades, killing at least 40 people and causing massive destruction in the area.

Tensions have intensified throughout the occupied West Bank as Israel persists in its offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since last Oct. 7.

At least 692 individuals have since been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank since that time, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a significant ruling by the International Court of Justice on July 19, which declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem according to Anadolu.

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Rats Bite off Israeli Soldier’s Ear, Noes  

In a shocking incident, two Israeli soldiers stationed at the “Ami’ad” military base in the occupied Galilee were bitten by rats on their noses and ears, leading to severe bleeding.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, two soldiers in the “Ami’ad” military base in the occupied Galilee were shocked awake after being bitten by rats on their noses and ears as reported in the Quds News Network.

The newspaper noted the rats bit the soldiers until they bled in the camp located in northern occupied Palestine. The soldiers were then taken to a medical facility for treatment.

The father of one of the soldiers in the military unit told the Israeli daily: “The rats literally ate the soldiers, and it is shocking and disgraceful.”

“The images I saw this morning of soldiers with bleeding faces make me ashamed of the army’s failure to protect our most precious assets and I never imagined for a moment that my son could be harmed or be in danger because the army does not provide him with assistance or basic hygiene conditions,” he added.

This is not the first time the Israeli soldiers have been attacked by animals during the war. A few weeks ago, the Walla website reported that a soldier in the Israeli army, part of the 252nd Division occupying the Netzarim area in the Gaza Strip, said: “I was attacked by a group of dogs one of the times I went outside the shelter.”

The soldier pointed out that “generally, except for the change that happened in the last few weeks when they brought in large garbage containers, there were many cases of massive garbage accumulation, including food brought in large quantities by dogs, cats, and rats, among others.”

He continued, “Every time we asked for a solution to the health disaster, they – referring to the Israeli army leadership – would reply: We are taking care of it.” But in reality, the soldier said, someone would come to remove a pile of garbage and dig a hole to make room for more garbage.”

Additionally, other soldiers claim that there is a phenomenon of groups of stray dogs, which have not been vaccinated, with some of them attempting to attack soldiers “who were forced to use live ammunition to defend themselves.” In one case, soldiers saw a dog carrying a human skull.

Israeli reserve soldiers stated that there are no toilets in many places in the “corridor,” so soldiers in large settlements relieve themselves in bags or bottles.

Another soldier said, “This is one of the large settlement sites, think about the situation when you enter a site.”

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Yedioth Ahronoth: 10,000 Soldiers Killed, Injured, Conscripts Angry

At least 10,000 Israeli soldiers have either been killed and/or injured the Yedioth Ahronoth pointed out Sunday.

The figure is trending on the social media with many news websites quoting the number stating that the total deaths and injured took an upward swing since 7 October, 2023 when Israel waged a war on Gaza.

The Israeli daily newspaper said some 1,000 soldiers are transferred every month to the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation department due to injuries sustained in the Gaza war as reported by Anadolu.

“The army is suffering from a shortage of at least 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded during the long months of fighting in the Gaza Strip,” the daily said.

 The newspaper explained that the Israeli Knesset began its summer vacation without legislating a law to extend compulsory military service, leaving Israeli soldiers who have been fighting in Gaza for 10 months in a state of shock and confusion.

Yedioth Ahronoth stated that this has caused “significant frustration among regular soldiers” who “are increasingly angry, especially those due for discharge next month after nearly 10 months of continuous combat.”

The daily quoted the father of a Nahal Brigade fighter in Rafah, Gaza Strip, saying: “Never before in Israeli history have soldiers fought in enemy territory under such harsh conditions for 10 months straight. Our children are deeply committed but feel ashamed to report the situation.”

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Israeli Soldiers Confess Khan Younis is ‘Toughest’

Israeli soldiers and officers who took part in the battle of Khan Yunis say the fighting in Gaza is complicated and that Hamas Al Qassam fighters are changing their tactics in this ongoing war on the Strip for the 288th day according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

They explained Hamas fighters are emerging alive from under the rubble after being bombed because they took shelter in basements protected by reinforced concrete.

Earlier this month, Israeli combat unit commander in the Nahal Brigade said the brigade lost 50 fighters, and “we must listen to mothers and take care of the reserve soldiers and detainees.”

Also last month, The Jerusalem Post newspaper also quoted Nahal Brigade Commander Yair Zuckerman as saying there are tunnels in almost all of the homes in Rafah, and progress of his forces is slow and the battles are exhausting.

The Israeli commander explained the Palestinian resistance factions are planting many cameras in Rafah to manage the battle from above and below the ground.

He said among the challenges facing his forces is booby-trapping houses and rooms in the city before the Israeli forces enter them, and detonate them remotely.

Despite the time-period of about nine months since the start of its war on Gaza, reports continue to highlight the inability of the Israeli occupation army to achieve any of what it calls, its declared goals, to  recover the Israeli prisoners in Gaza and to eliminate the capabilities of Hamas.

Daily, Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza announce the killing and wounding of Israeli soldiers and the destruction of their military vehicles throughout Strip. Resistance factions also fire missiles at Israel, and broadcast video clips documenting some of their attacks on Israeli soldiers, their tanks and troop carriers.

The occupation army continues its ongoing war on Gaza, leaving about 125,000 martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and worsening famine in the besieged Strip.

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