Israel expands Netzarim corridor to include ‘permanent outposts’
The Cradle | August 26, 2024
Israeli forces have expanded the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip to include four large “outposts” designed to permanently house troops, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Hebrew news site Ynet.
“The IDF has been working to expand the corridor … Four large outposts were established in the corridor, for the permanent stay of hundreds of fighters,” the Israeli outlet reported on 26 August.
Ynet explains that Israel recently launched an operation in Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighborhood, where Israeli troops have operated several times since the start of the war, failing to root out Hamas’ Qassam Brigades.
Four reservist soldiers have been killed in the operation, including one on Sunday by an explosive device planted by the Palestinian resistance. The ongoing operation in Zaytoun was launched specifically “to expand” the Netzarim corridor, which lies in close proximity to the Gaza City neighborhood, the report said.
“In the raid, the forces were required to locate tunnels, terrorist infrastructures and weapons of Hamas. The brigade raid continues, and includes hitting the terrorists and destroying munitions stocks that threaten the forces in Netzarim.”
The Netzarim corridor was established by Israeli forces during the early months of the war on Gaza. The corridor, which runs through the former grounds of the old Netzarim settlement, splits the strip in two and prevents the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
“The corridor was established … to prevent the return of armed terrorists to the north of the Gaza Strip, and to generally prevent the return of Palestinians to the north of the Gaza Strip. Palestinians can move south – but not in the opposite direction,” Ynet explains, reinforcing the Israeli narrative that displaced Gazans returning to the north as part of any agreement are actually militants.
Israeli forces have set up a “newly constructed operational route … and a drainage point” along the corridor to prevent displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza from returning to their homes in the north, Ynet goes on to say.
The report further confirms Israel’s plan for a permanent presence in the Gaza Strip. Israeli defense officials who spoke with the Wall Street Journal in February said the corridor is part of Tel Aviv’s “plans to maintain security control over the enclave for some time.”
Israeli forces stationed at Netzarim have come under numerous attacks by Palestinian resistance factions since the corridor was established.
Satellite imagery analyzed by the Forensic Architecture research group last week revealed that Israeli forces are also working on a new east-to-west land corridor near Gaza City’s Beit Hanoun. Over the past several months, Israeli troops have destroyed Palestinian homes and farmlands to establish this new corridor, according to Forensic Architecture.
A photo that circulated on social media on 25 August shows that Israeli forces have built an asphalt road on the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza–Egypt border in the southern strip.
The Netzarim corridor, as well as the Philadelphi corridor and Rafah crossing on the Gaza–Egypt border, are two of the main topics that have complicated ceasefire talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting on keeping troops in these areas despite Hamas’ demands for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu insists on a screening and inspection mechanism at the Netzarim corridor to inspect Gazans returning to the north as part of any agreement.
The premier also insists that any captive exchange be followed by a continuation of the war. As a result, ceasefire talks have yielded no results.
The IDF Uses Palestinian Civilians As Human Shields to Inspect Gaza’s Tunnels
Richard Medhurst | August 24, 2024
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Richard Thomas Medhurst (1992) is an independent journalist, political commentator, and analyst from the United Kingdom with a focus on international affairs, US politics, and the Middle East.
Medhurst is known for his coverage of the Julian Assange extradition case in London, as one of the only journalists to report on the trial of the WikiLeaks founder from inside the court.
He has also covered the Iran nuclear deal talks on the ground in Vienna. Medhurst was born in Damascus, Syria.
His father is English and mother is Syrian. Both his parents served in United Nations Peacekeeping and Observer missions and were among the UN Peacekeepers awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988. Owing to his parents’ professional mobility, he has lived in Syria, Pakistan, Switzerland, and Austria.
He speaks four languages fluently: English, Arabic, French, and German. As an independent journalist, Medhurst regularly hosts live broadcasts and video reports on his YouTube channel.
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Israeli Forces Kill Three Palestinians in Tulkarem Camp

IMEMC | August 22, 2024
Israeli forces killed three Palestinian citizens, before dawn on Thursday, after soldiers bombed a home in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the northwestern part of the West Bank.
Media sources identified the three slain young men as Muawiyah Khaled Hajj Ahmad, 19, Wassim Saber Sobhi Anbar, 20, and Emad Taiser Yousef Shreim, 38.
Sources added that the army invaded the city of Tulkarem and besieged the Tulkarem refugee camp, before dawn on Thursday, accompanied by military bulldozers, sparking protests.
The army positioned sharpshooters on rooftops of citizen’s homes, while armed resistance fighters exchanged fire with the attacking army, before reinforcements arrived.
Soldiers fired light bombs into the sky, while reconnaissance drones circled the sky above and the sound of explosions were heard.
Military bulldozers caused destruction to streets, infrastructure and private property in the camp.

Later media sources said that occupation forces stormed the Iktaba suburb, east of the city, besieged a home, and fired an “Energa” anti-tank grenade at the home, causing severe destruction to the home and a vehicle; no injuries were reported.
Israeli forces have now killed 640 Palestinians, including 147 children, and injured 5,400 in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the military onslaught against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military has killed 40,223 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, and injured 92,981 since the beginning of its military onslaught on October 7, 2023, while thousands remain under the rubble.
Over 40 Palestinians released from Israel prisons with signs of torture, skin diseases

23 Palestinians detained by Israel are taken to the Nasser Hospital for medical treatment after release at Karm Abu Salem border crossing in Gaza on August 20, 2024. [Doaa Albaz – Anadolu Agency]
MEMO | August 23, 2024
Noa Argamani blasts Israeli media: ‘Hamas did not injure me, an airstrike did’

(Photo credit: Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)
The Cradle | August 23, 2024
Noa Argamani, the Israeli captive freed by an army operation that killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians, has lashed out at the media for misreporting comments she made about her time in captivity.
“I can’t ignore what happened in the media in the last 24 hours. Things were taken out of context,” Argamani stated in an Instagram story posted to her account on 23 August.
“I was not beaten and my hair was not cut. I was in a building that was bombed by the Air Force. The exact quote is: ‘This past weekend, after the shooting, as I said, I had cuts all over my head and was injured all over my body.’ I emphasize that I was not beaten, but injured all over my body by the collapse of a building on me,” Argamani added.
She went on to say that as a “victim of 7 October I will not allow myself to be victimized once again.”
Israeli media had falsely quoted the former Israeli captive as saying that Hamas beat her all over her body and cut her hair while she was in captivity during a meeting with G7 embassy representatives in Tokyo.
Before being updated, an article in the Jerusalem Post describing Argamani’s experience in captivity was published with the title: “Hamas beat me all over my body.”
In early June, Israel launched a rescue operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza to retrieve Argamani and three other captives. Nearly 300 Palestinians were massacred in the process.
Argamani was notably paraded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to the US Congress in July.
Her testimony on Friday echoes that of other Israeli captives who have, since being released, described their experience with Hamas as much less frightening than the Israeli airstrikes that constantly rained overhead.
“We were in tunnels, terrified that it would not be Hamas, but Israel, that would kill us, and then they would say Hamas killed you,” a freed captive said during a tense meeting with Netanyahu in December.
Israeli forces have killed many of their captives being held by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, both through airstrikes and ground operations.
The bodies of six Israeli captives were returned to Israel this week following an overnight army operation.
According to Hebrew news site Ynet, the captives had died months ago, suffocating to death after a nearby Israeli airstrike flooded the tunnel they were in with toxic gases.
Argamani’s social media post comes less than two weeks after Hamas’ Qassam Brigades announced the accidental killing of an Israeli captive.
“After investigating the killing of an enemy captive by his guard, it became clear that the soldier in charge of the guard acted in a vengeful manner, contrary to instructions, after receiving news of the martyrdom of his two children in one of the enemy’s massacres,” Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement on 15 August.
“We stress that the incident does not represent our ethics and religious teachings in dealing with captives, and we will tighten the instructions after the incident was repeated in two cases so far,” he added.
“We hold the enemy fully responsible for all the suffering and dangers that its captives are exposed to as a result of its violation of all the rules of humane and humanitarian treatment and its practice of brutal genocide against our people.”
Russia calls on UN Security Council to adopt a new decision on Gaza ceasefire
Palestinian Information Center – August 23, 2024
NEW YORK – Russia has called on the UN Security Council to adopt a new decision on ceasefire in Gaza, after failure to implement the decision proposed by the United States and approved by the Council last June.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy permanent representative of Russia at the United Nations, criticized the US efforts to impose a different agreement from Resolution No. 2735 that was approved by the Security Council on June 10.
“Israel is now insisting on keeping the idea of a military presence in Gaza, including its control of the crossing with Egypt and the Philadelphia axis, and as we note that such a change in the features of the agreement is something that is opposed by countries in the region,” he said.
Polyanskiy also accused Israel of obstructing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, stressing that the current military operations of the Israeli army have caused an unprecedented level of killing and destruction among Palestinian civilians in a complete violation of the law.
Hamas: US Secretary of State is marketing illusions
Palestinian Information Center – August 23, 2024
“The US Secretary of State’s statements aim to market illusions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately obstructs efforts to reach an agreement to end the war, by setting conditions that contradict what was previously agreed upon,” Hamas Political Bureau member Hossam Badran said in press statements on Thursday.
Badran considered the US Secretary of State’s statements about the Israeli approval of the amended proposal as “a kind of deception and marketing of illusions.”
The member of the Hamas Political Bureau confirmed during a TV interview that these statements clearly reflect the stubborn Israeli positions, as the proposals put forward by the US Secretary of State were not accepted by the Israeli authorities. On the contrary, Netanyahu has repeatedly announced his conditions and requirements that are in stark contrast to everything that was previously agreed upon, especially with regard to the July 2, 2024 paper.
Badran explained that the US Secretary of State appears to be speaking on behalf of Netanyahu, while all indications say that Netanyahu is the main obstacle to reaching any agreement, and this is confirmed by the statements of the Israeli army minister himself.
Asked about possible options to bridge the gaps in the negotiations, Badran said that the Palestinian demands have always been clear and specific, adding that “we agreed to the proposal presented on July 2, and that the mediators had pledged at the time that the Palestinian resistance’s approval of that paper would bring approval from the occupation,” explaining that if the US is serious about achieving a ceasefire or reaching an agreement, it must abide by what it had previously offered and agreed upon.
He further stressed that pressure must be directed towards Netanyahu, who refuses to abide by international demands calling for an end to the war.
Badran reiterated that “the US is not just a mediator in this conflict, but a real partner in the war against the Palestinian people,” saying that the US support for Israel goes beyond armament and funding, to include political, diplomatic and media support.
Badran stressed that the Palestinian resistance will not give Netanyahu the opportunity to manipulate through empty negotiation rounds, stressing that the resistance will continue to defend the Palestinian people with all its capabilities and abilities.
Israel systematically detaining and torturing Palestinian children in the Gaza, rights group finds

Brothers Abdulmumin, 16, and Ali D. were detained and tortured by Israeli forces in Gaza City in December 2023. [Photo: Courtesy of the family/DCI Palestine]
MEMO | August 22, 2024
Israel faces collapse ‘in less than a year’ if war of attrition continues: Retired general
The Cradle | August 22, 2024
The former ombudsman of the Israeli army, reserve General Yitzhak Brik, says his country “faces collapse in less than a year” if the war against the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and the Lebanese resistance in the north continues at its current pace.
In an opinion column published by Haaretz on 21 August, Brik claims Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has begun to “sober up,” pointing to Gallant’s recent comments in which he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promises of “total victory” in Gaza “gibberish.”
“[Gallant] has started to understand that if a regional war breaks out due to failure to reach a [ceasefire deal], Israel will be in danger,” Brik says, adding that “Gallant already understands that the war has lost its purpose. We are sinking into the mud, losing fighters who are killed and wounded, with no chance of achieving the main goal.”
“Indeed, the country is galloping to depreciation. If the war of attrition against Hamas and Hezbollah continues, Israel will collapse in no more than a year,” the former army commander highlights.
Brik goes on to list the many threats facing Israel 10 months into its campaign of genocide in Gaza, including intensifying attacks inside its territory, a manpower crisis in the army due to heavy losses, a crumbling economy made worse by global calls to boycott the country, possible embargoes on arms shipments, and the “loss of social resilience and hatred between the parts of the population, which can ignite and cause it to crash from within.”
“All roads of political and military rank lead Israel to the slope … Israel has entered an existential spin, and it may soon reach a point of return,” Brik concludes.
His stark warning comes as political sources revealed to Israeli media on Thursday that Netanyahu “did not change his positions” on the terms for a Gaza ceasefire deal after speaking with US President Joe Biden the night before.
Ceasefire negotiations are set to resume in the Egyptian capital in the coming days without the presence of Hamas, as the Palestinian group has rejected a new US-backed proposal and has remained steadfast in demanding Israel adhere to the terms of an earlier proposal it agreed to on 2 July, saying the one-sided talks give Israel “more time to perpetuate the war of genocide against our people.”
Iran will hit Israel, ball is in US-Israeli court
By M. K. BHADRAKUMAR | Indian Punchline | August 22, 2024
There is a Zen proverb — ‘If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.’ All the show of contrived enthusiasm by US President Joe Biden and CIA Director William Burns over an Israel-Hamas deal on the Gaza war cannot obfuscate the grim reality that unless and until Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu greenlights it, this is a road to nowhere.
But what did Netanyahu do? On the eve of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s arrival in Tel Aviv on Sunday to press the flesh and cajole Netanyahu to cooperate, the latter disdainfully ordered yet another air strike in the central town of Deir Al-Balah in Gaza, killing “at least” 21 people, including six children. Biden had emphasised only the previous day that all parties involved in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations should desist from jeopardising the US-led diplomatic efforts to halt the war and secure a deal to return hostages and achieve a ceasefire to end the bloodshed.
And this was even after a ‘senior administration official’ who has been actively involved as negotiator — presumably, Burns himself — laboured to convey in a special briefing from Doha that the negotiations had reached an inflection point. The crux of the matter is that the western leaders have a maximum pressure strategy toward Iran to exercise restraint while they don’t have the moral or political courage to tackle Netanyahu, who is invidiously undermining the Doha process because he is simply not interested in a ceasefire deal that may lead to his removal from power, investigation to pin responsibility for October 7 attacks, revival of court cases against him and possible jail sentence if convicted.
Indeed, Tehran is sceptical that peace cannot come to Gaza under American mediation but taking care not to create any new facts on the ground while the Doha negotiations are under way. Tehran has adopted a mature, responsible attitude not to derail the Doha process. The point is, Iran is keen that the horrific war that the Israeli state unleashed in Gaza must be somehow brought to an end. Over 40,000 people have died so far.
That said, Hamas’ response to the US’ “bridging proposal” at Doha meeting will be a major determinant for Tehran. From available indications, there are serious disagreements over Israel’s continued military presence inside Gaza, particularly along the border with Egypt, over the free movement of Palestinians inside the territory, and over the identity and number of prisoners to be released in a swap. Both Israel and Hamas have signalled that a deal will be difficult.
On the other hand, the new Iranian government under Masoud Pezeshkian has highlighted his desire for a constructive engagement with the West and prioritises the removal of western sanctions. Pezeshkian’s nominee for the foreign ministry Abbass Araghchi reiterated these policy parameters in his testimony at the Majlis on Sunday while seeking parliament’s approval for his appointment.
Dispelling speculations that Araghchi, a career diplomat who is reputed to be a moderate, may face difficulty to garner support in the conservative-majority parliament, the Majlis recognised his high professionalism by unanimously approving his name as Iran’s next foreign minister in a vote instantaneously.
There is much food for thought here for the strategists in the White House. Suffice to say that what Pezeshkian’s predecessor late Ebrahim Raisi left behind as his foreign policy legacy will continue to guide the new government. That signals a high level of national consensus. Succinctly put, in all these years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, there has not been a more conducive setting in the power calculus in Tehran for a pragmatic engagement with the West. It will be extremely unwise for Washington to overlook the window of opportunity to engage with Iran.
On the other hand, Tehran’s grit to push back western bullying is also at an all-time high level. The bottom line is that Iran will not submit to western diktat. In today’s circumstances, therefore, it is unrealistic to expect Tehran not to react to the Israeli aggression of July 31. Iran’s sovereignty was violated and its response will be strong and decisive, — and as a deterrent for the future as well.
No amount of muscle-flexing by Washington will frighten Tehran. The national unity, unlike in the US, is a crucial factor. The stunning endorsement by the Majlis of the entire list of cabinet ministers proposed by President Masoud Pezeshkian shows that there is no daylight between the different branches of state power. All indications are that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Pezeshkian are on the same page — and this message has gone down the echelons of policymaking and state power in Tehran.
The contrast with the disarray in Israel’s confrontational domestic politics couldn’t be sharper.
Therefore, Iran will do what it considers necessary and an obligation — and a matter of national honour. The Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, General Ali Fadavi said on Monday, “We will determine the time and manner of punishment (of Israel). The usurping Zionist regime committed a great crime by assassinating Martyr Haniyeh, and this time it will be punished more severely than before.”
In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Iran’s UN mission said any response must both punish the Israeli regime and deter future strikes in the country, but also “must be carefully calibrated to avoid any possible adverse impact that could potentially influence a prospective ceasefire.
“The timing, conditions, and manner of Iran’s response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise; perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the ground — or, perhaps, even by a combination of both.”
The Iranian statement from the UN podium in New York is a message addressed to the White House that the ball is in the US-Israeli court. Interestingly, it coincided with the toned down White House readout on Biden’s call with Netanyahu on Wednesday, where Biden flagged the “defensive U.S. military deployments” and stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.” It stands to reason that Tehran and Washington are communicating with each other.
Clearly, against such a heavily nuanced backdrop, the paranoia about a regional war is unwarranted, since neither Iran nor the US wants war. As for Israel, a small country, it simply lacks the capability to go to war with Iran armed with three submarines stacked with nuclear missiles as its strategic assets.
The stunning disclosure of Hezbollah’s vast network of underground missile network in southern and central Lebanon is a reality check for the Israeli political elite and settler communities on what they are up against.
As the former Israeli war minister Avigdor Lieberman puts it, Israel is engaged in a war of attrition, exactly as the Iranians wanted, having succeeded in uniting the resistance fronts. Lieberman pointed out that the agony of the indeterminate waiting for Tehran’s retaliatory operation is in itself an achievement for Tehran and the Axis of Resistance.
READ MORE: Iran finesses its deterrence strategy, Indian Punchline, August 12, 2024
The untold terms of the new American ceasefire proposal
By Motasem A Dalloul | MEMO | August 21, 2024
Iran dismisses ‘unreasonable’ joint statement by Australia, New Zealand
Press TV – August 21, 2024
Iran has dismissed a joint statement by Australia and New Zealand calling on the Islamic Republic not to retaliate the recent crimes of Israel.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana’ani said on Wednesday that such a move once again demonstrates the double standards these countries employ when it comes to fundamental human rights, international law, and regional developments.
Kana’ani said the “unreasonable request” in the joint statement undermines Iran’s inherent right to punish the attacker and deter future attacks.
The Iranian official was referring to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, in Tehran on July 31.
“In a situation where the United Nations Security Council, due to the unconditional support of the United States for the Zionist regime, could not even issue a statement condemning the terrorist act of the regime in assassinating Haniyeh … the unreasonable request of Australia and New Zealand means ignoring Iran’s inherent right to punish the aggressor and create deterrence against Israel’s adventures.”
In the joint statement, Australia and New Zealand expressed “grave concern about the prospect of further escalation across the region” and called on Iran to “refrain from further destabilizing actions in the Middle East, and cease its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel.”
Kana’ani said the statement is a real example of turning a blind eye to the facts and misleading global public opinion. He said the main source of threat to regional and international peace and security is the “racist Zionist regime,” which enjoys broad Western support.
He said the crimes of the Israeli regime in Palestine and the region are taking on new dimensions every day, and now the regional stability is under grave threat due to the criminal behavior of the Zionist regime, which violates the United Nations Charter and international law.
“The approach of Australia and New Zealand in selectively choosing international norms not only does not help reduce tensions in the region but also encourages the rogue Israeli regime and its destabilizing actions in the region.”
