‘You Can’t Settle Here’ – Gazans Tell Israelis

CROSSFIREARABIA – Israel can’t hide its atrocities in Gaza despite what its Zionist leaders say. One thing is laughable about the extreme rightwing led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that they say they are going to fill up the Gaza Strip with Israeli settlers.

But the first problem is they need to win the war first. The Israeli army may be destroying and creating mayhem in Gaza but the Palestinian resistance is still there fighting on a daily basis with lots of weapons which Israel has not bargained for.

The only thing the Israeli army did in the past 14 months is to prove they are a bunch of destructive hooligans, involved in an orgy of killing and creating mass wreckage. Up till now the Gaza genocide has been killing and maiming spree of civilians of children, women, old women, pregnant women, men and old people.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since 7 October, 2023, killing nearly 44,400 people whilst injuring over 105,000.

The war is still continuing, the Palestinian resistance groups lead by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and involving nationalist and leftist factions is still going strong in different parts of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is finding it difficult even to control and subdue the starving Palestinian population.

A case in point is north Gaza. Despite the killings and starvations, the Palestinians are still strong. Up till now the Israeli army in a decrepit and exhaustive state is unable to subdue the Palestinians of Gaza nor that of the resistance who continue to emerge from below grounds.

If the Israeli government and their extremists supporters keep talking about re-occupying Gaza then they are under a great misconception as the Israel establishment and its military apparatuses are in shambles fighting two wars (in Lebanon for instance, its only a ceasefire that might erupt again into war now or in two months time) that they can’t sustain.

All the extremists lead by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir can do is watch the Jewish exodus – up to one million people, including settlers, more like colonialists who are leaving the country through the Ben Gurion Airport to such places as Canada, United States, Germany and more, promising never to return.

These extremists, hijacking Benjamin Netanyahu, who all he wants is to stay in power regardless of the consequences, are in a state of troubled denial.

This war, from Gaza in the south and Hezbollah in the north has proved a deadly, sobering experience for Israelis. With missiles from southern Lebanon all down into the Israeli depth of major cities, towns, settlements, ports, military bases and even Ben Gurion Airport itself which had been stopping and operating erratically has been exhausting for many Israelis, millions of whom spent their time in underground shelters with no let up.

Everyday, the go up-and-down shelters at the sound of incessant sirens (over 500 times on 24 November alone) in Tel Aviv, Haifa including Naharya, Acca, Haifa, Beith Takfah, West Galilee, Krayot, HaSharon, Herzilya, Tel Aviv and the port of Ashdod, bordering Gaza, which is 150 kilometers away from Tel Aviv.

With all this going on, how can Israelis talk about re-occupation of Palestinian territories. Whether they like it or not, Israel is in a state of a very, real war that is deadly and doesn’t discriminate. Surely, the sensible thing for them and their politicians, officials, councillors and mayors is to talk about ending this state of conflict and how they are going get their hundreds of thousands of their people back to their residents and houses because of the missiles and rockets raining on them from the south and the north.

Rather then occupation and reoccupation, Israelis have been displaced in this on-going war. Of those that have not hastily left the country, they are waiting in temporary hotels and bread-and-breakfast accommodation and it is not clear when it will be safe for them to return despite the temporary ceasefire in the north.

Many Israeli towns and villages lie empty at present because of Hezbollah drones. This war has been dramatic and the sooner that Israeli politicians realize it the better. Instead they keep harking on their rightwing rhetoric about reoccupying Gaza, a point recently made when rightwing settlers held a conference last October near the border of the Gaza Strip demanding the rebuilding of settlements in the Gaza Strip.

But there is still a long way to go. Even if the Israeli army controls Gaza which is far from being reaching a final conclusion because of the continuing tough resistance would Israelis be allowed to settle there realizing how much the psychology of Gazans is and their relationship to the land.  —

  • CrossFireArabia

    CrossFireArabia

    Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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    Trump Reaches a Deal With Hamas

    Hamas, Sunday, said it will release Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander as part of ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

    As part of efforts made by mediators to achieve a ceasefire, Hamas are in direct talks with the US administration and has been so over the past few days and expressed a “high degree of positivity.”

    Alexander, a soldier who was serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border, is known to be the last remaining American hostage in Gaza who is still alive.

    It is understood that his release would be among several steps to facilitate a ceasefire, reopen border crossings and allow humanitarian aid and relief supplies into the Gaza Strip.

    Hamas said also it wants to enter immediate and intensive negotiations to reach a final ceasefire accord, a mutually agreed prisoner exchange, and the formation of an independent professional body to govern Gaza.

    The Islamist group stated such a framework would help ensure long-term calm and stability alongside reconstruction and the lifting of the Israeli blockade.

    Hamas also praised the ongoing mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt as well as Türkiye.

    Israel estimates that 59 captives remain in Gaza, including 21 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, over 9,900 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, where rights groups report widespread torture, starvation and medical neglect, resulting in several deaths.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the US informed Israel of Hamas’ intention to release Alexander as a gesture of goodwill to Washington and “without any conditions or exchange.”

    Netanyahu’s office said the move is expected to lead to negotiations over the release of additional captives based on an original proposal from US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, which Israel previously approved according to Anadolu.

    The statement added that Israel is preparing for the possibility that the release will take place.

    “In accordance with Israel’s policy, negotiations will take place under fire, with full commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war,” it said.

    There was no immediate comment from US or Palestinian officials regarding the statements.

    The Israeli news site Walla quoted Israeli officials as saying that Tel Aviv is obligated to implement a temporary ceasefire to ensure the release of Alexander.

    The Israel Hayom daily reported that the ceasefire is expected to last only a few hours.

    It also said that Israel will allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza as part of the arrangement for Alexander’s release, which is expected to take place within the next 48 hours.

    Citing an unnamed Israeli source, Israel Hayom said Tel Aviv will open border crossings to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza as part of the process, while also stating that no Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for Alexander.

    Channel 13 reported that Israel is not a party to the agreement and was only notified after the deal had been coordinated.

    Channel 12, citing an unnamed Israeli source, reported that recent days brought signs indicating that Hamas could release Alexander, though Israel was not involved in the negotiations.

    The anticipated release comes ahead of Trump’s scheduled tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday through Friday. The itinerary does not include a visit to Israel.

    The trip comes amid reports of rising tension between Trump and Netanyahu, including allegations that Trump has cut off direct communication over suspicions that Netanyahu is manipulating the US administration.

    Witkoff’s March proposal included the release of five Israeli captives in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the start of negotiations for a second phase, according to Israeli media outlets.

    Hamas previously said that it did not reject the Witkoff plan and accused Netanyahu of resuming the war to sabotage the agreement.

    More than 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

    The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last 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.

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