CrossFireArabia
The Government Media Office in Gaza reports that significant efforts are required to improve access to safe drinking water for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, as 70% of areas in the Strip currently lack this vital resource as a result of the massive destruction brought about by the Israeli troops during the genocide.
CrossFireArabia
The Israeli government issued a tender to build nearly 1,000 settlement units in the occupied West Bank, an anti-settlement group said on Monday.
The Peace Now group, an Israeli watchdog that monitors settlement building in the West Bank, said 974 additional settler homes will be built in Efrat settlement south of Bethlehem city.
It warned that the construction of an entire neighborhood in the Efrat settlement “blocks the development of the Bethlehem metropolis to the south, and if Israel seeks to annex it to Israel, it will cut off the entire southern West Bank,” according to Anadolu.
The Israeli organization accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of harming Israel’s interests and undermining the two-state solution through imposing realities on the ground.
“While the people of Israel sets their sights on the release of the hostages and an end to the war, the Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the ground that will destroy the chance for peace and compromise,” it said.
Nineteen Israeli captives and five Thai workers have been released in exchange for 1,135 Palestinian prisoners under a Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.
The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
CrossFireArabia
Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered nine more bodies from the rubble in the Gaza Strip, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,284, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
A ministry statement said that the toll also included four Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.
According to the ministry, 16 injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of the injured to 111,709 in the Israeli onslaught according to Anadolu.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.
A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, pausing the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.
Despite the ceasefire, the Gaza local authorities reported almost daily ceasefire violations by the Israeli army.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year 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.
CrossFireArabia
Israel’s Security Cabinet will discuss the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, when the negotiating delegation travels to the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday.
Israel delayed negotiations for the second phase, which was scheduled to begin 16 days after the agreement went into effect, as Monday will be the 29th day—a 13-day delay.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday that he informed US Middle East envoy Steve Whitcoff during a phone call that the Security Cabinet will convene Monday to discuss the second phase of the deal.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu’s statement came shortly after Whitcoff said “productive and constructive” discussions had taken place regarding the second phase, despite Netanyahu’s denial of any ongoing negotiations as reported by Anadolu.
“In coordination with Witkoff, Netanyahu has, today, instructed the negotiations team to leave for Cairo tomorrow (Monday) in order to discuss the continued implementation of the first stage of the deal,” the statement added.
The delegation will receive guidance on the second phase after the Security Cabinet meeting, it added.
The announcement comes as Netanyahu faces mounting domestic and international pressure to move forward with the talks.
On Saturday, families of Israeli captives in Gaza held a press conference outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, vowing not to let Netanyahu obstruct the second phase for his political interests.
According to Palestinian human rights organizations, Israel is holding more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons.
A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed nearly 48,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Nineteen Israeli captives and five Thai workers have been released in exchange for 1,135 Palestinian prisoners under the first phase of the Gaza agreement, which took effect on Jan. 19.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 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.
CrossFireArabia
Former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, calling a Gaza ceasefire deal a “historic mistake.”
Speaking to the local radio 103FM, the far-right politician said that Netanyahu’s actions were undermining Israel’s military achievements in the war on Gaza.
The continuation of this deal is “a historic mistake that will set us back,” said Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party.
“The deal prevents Israel from achieving a total victory, and every passing day proves that my opposition to the agreement was justified,” he claimed.
Ben-Gvir, who resigned from Netanyahu’s government last month in opposition to the ceasefire deal, claimed that Hamas fighters had regained power and control in Gaza.
“The amount of aid we give them…it enables them to rule,” he said. “Hamas regained control (in the Gaza Strip) because of this reckless deal.”
The extremist minister also took aim at far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, dismissing his claim that Israel had dismantled Hamas.
“I heard him say that we have taken Hamas apart, but unfortunately, the reality on the ground says otherwise,” Ben-Gvir said.
A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 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 according to Anadolu.
