12/13/2023 9:47 p.m
US curbs gun sales to Israel due to settler violence
The Biden administration is delaying the sale of U.S.-made rifles to Israel because of fears of settler attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Axios reports this, citing some sources who say the government is concerned that the Israeli government is not doing enough to reduce violence among settlers.
12/13/2023 9:46 p.m
IDF and Israel Post websites hacked
The IDF, Israel Defense Forces and Israel Postal Corporation websites were hacked this evening by pro-Palestinian activists. The Times of Israel made the announcement, saying anti-Israel messages appeared on the two websites. The two websites were offline to combat the attacks and are now back up.
12/13/2023 9:44 p.m
White House: “Our support for Israel has not wavered”
On the part of the USA, “support for Israel has not diminished”. John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said this at a press conference. Referring to the fact that Joe Biden said yesterday that Israel was losing the world's support because of the war in Gaza, Kirby pointed out that “yesterday the president reflected the reality of global opinion, which is also important.” for Israel has not abated.” Kirby then added to reporters that “we have had concerns about the continuation of this military campaign and have expressed them.”
12/13/2023 9:42 p.m
Hamas chief: “An agreement on Gaza without us is an illusion”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stressed in a televised address today that any agreement in Gaza without Hamas would be an “illusion.” This was reported by Haaretz, citing Portal. “We are open to discussing any ideas or initiatives that can end the aggression and open the door to putting the Palestinian house in order in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” Haniyeh added.
12/13/2023 9:41 p.m
Hamas: “Open to discuss initiatives to end aggression”
“We are open to discussing any idea or initiative that could lead to an end to the aggression” against the Gaza Strip. This was stated by the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, as reported by Al Jazeera. However, Haniyeh believes that “any bet on agreements in Gaza” after the war “without Hamas and other resistance groups is a mere illusion.”
12/13/2023 9:39 p.m
The fighting takes place in Khan Younis
There is heavy fighting in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where “Israeli soldiers killed scores of Hamas activists in a school.” The military spokesman said that Hamas militants with rifles and grenade launchers “opened fire from the school” and the soldiers entered the complex. The army also released a video after the battle in which the bodies of some militiamen could be seen “strewn around the schoolyard.” In the school area – the spokesman added – “an underground infrastructure with Hamas observation posts” was also found.
December 13, 2023, 9:30 p.m
Netanyahu: “We are making progress despite international pressure”
Israel will continue its war against Hamas “despite international pressure.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this, citing media, during a visit to a military base in the south of the country. “We will go all the way, there is no doubt about it. I confirm this – he explained – despite the enormous pain, but also despite the international pressure. Nothing will stop us, we will go all the way until we are victorious and nothing less.”
December 13, 2023 9:29 p.m
Israel: “Hamas takes over humanitarian aid”
“Hamas has forcibly seized a humanitarian aid convoy and is shooting at civilians along the way”: This text has been republished from a video circulating on social media today. It appears to show a humanitarian convoy entering the southern Gaza Strip. As on other occasions before, armed men are stationed on the tarpaulins to prevent attacks from passers-by. In the final scene of the video, we see the body of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood. “Gaza deserves better,” concludes Cogat. – Liberate Gaza from Hamas.”
December 13, 2023 5:50 p.m
Poll: Support for Hamas in the West Bank has quadrupled since the start of the war
Since the war in Gaza began, support for Hamas in the West Bank has almost quadrupled, while discontent with the Palestinian Authority and its President Mahmoud Abbas is growing. This is according to a survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research between November 22 and December 2 among a sample of 1,231 people surveyed in the Palestinian territories. According to the poll cited by the Times of Israel, which has a margin of error of 4%, 57% of respondents in Gaza and 82% in the West Bank support the massacre carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7. According to a large majority, the Palestinian group was acting to “defend” the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Only 10% believe Hamas has committed war crimes. Hamas' jump is evident in the West Bank, where support for the Islamist organization has risen to 44% from 12% in September. In Gaza, however, it rose by only four points, from 38% to 42%. However, the PNA is collapsing, with almost 60% of respondents hoping for its dissolution, while as many as 88% believe Abbas should resign.
December 13, 2023 5:45 p.m
Lapid: “Abu Mazen is not allowed to rule Gaza after Hamas”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid is against the return of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the government in the Gaza Strip. This is a position that appears to be at odds with US President Joe Biden. “There is no one in the world who thinks Gaza should be handed over to Abu Mazen the day after the war,” Lapid tweeted. The United States has spoken of a possible return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip with a view to a possible reunification of the Strip and the West Bank under a single Palestinian governing body, which would lay the foundation for a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken out strongly against possible PA involvement in Gaza, saying it will not happen under his government. In a series of posts on the topic, “He invented this unworkable idea so that he could say he would fight it with all his might,” Lapid writes, but does not rule out the idea of the Palestinian Authority returning to Gaza without Abbas. “I've talked about it with the American leadership, with the Europeans, with the people of the National Unity Party, with whoever you want. Nobody understands what he's talking about. Nobody believes this will happen in the near future. No one! You don't understand what he wants. Who exactly are you arguing with?” For Lapid, “Netanyahu is doing what he has done all his life: inciting, lying and creating hatred.” Now he is only doing it in the middle of a bitter war in which soldiers are being killed every day become. He hasn't learned anything since October 7th. The catastrophe has not changed him. He is unable to admit his guilt. This man cannot continue to be the leader of the country. It’s too dangerous,” Lapid concludes.