Hamas considers the first reading of approval by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on the death penalty law for terrorists to be “an extension of the Zionist government’s racist and criminal approach and an attempt to legitimize the organized mass murder of Palestinians”. This was revealed by the Islamic faction in a statement broadcast by the Qatari TV channel Al Araby. The movement calls on the international community, the UN and human rights organizations to “condemn this dangerous law, implement preventive sanctions against the evil Zionist entity and pressure them to withdraw the law.”
Yemen’s Houthi movement announced in a letter addressed to Hamas that it has stopped its operations against Israel and ships in the Red Sea, following a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The AP reported it on its website. In a message sent to the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, the Houthis wrote that they were following “developments closely” and warned that, if “the enemy continues its aggression against Gaza”, they will resume military action “deep inside the Zionist entity” and will reimpose a ban on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
The United States plans to establish a large military base in Israel, near the border with Gaza, for international forces that will operate in the Gaza Strip to maintain the ceasefire. This was revealed by the Shomrim website citing Israeli sources, reported by Ynet and other local media. The base can accommodate several thousand troops and will cost about $500 million, the sources said. In recent weeks, America has attempted to raise this issue with the Israeli government and the IDF, and has begun evaluating potential areas. A security official told Israeli media that the move was a significant change for Israel, which has traditionally sought to minimize international involvement in areas under its control, and underscored Washington’s determination to take an active role in Gaza and the conflict. The United States has established a Civil and Military Monitoring Center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, to monitor the ceasefire in force in Gaza and monitor the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
A de facto split of the Gaza Strip between territories controlled by Israel and other areas controlled by Hamas is increasingly likely. Reuters reported this on its website, citing several sources who underlined that efforts to advance Donald Trump’s peace plan have stalled. European officials with direct knowledge of efforts to implement the next phase of the plan also said that reconstruction of the Gaza Strip would likely be limited to Israeli-controlled territory beyond the Yellow Line. This could lead to years of separation, they warn. According to 18 sources, including six European officials and a former US official familiar with the talks, without a firm US commitment to breaking the deadlock, the Yellow Line could become a border dividing Gaza indefinitely.
The Lebanese army has strengthened its presence in the eastern town of Arsal, on the border with neighboring Syria, following clashes that took place in the Syrian town of Fleita between Syrian security forces and ISIS militia. Lebanese media reported it. Arsal, which in recent years has seen heavy fighting against jihadists, remains a sensitive area: the Lebanese army has repeatedly announced operations against ISIS cells and arrests of people linked to the group, including this year. According to regional sources, the recent clashes in Syria are part of the so-called “war on terrorism” led by the Damascus government, which thwarted two attempted attacks on interim president Ahmad Sharaa. But analysts underline that this operation is part of the new rhetoric of Syrian forces, aimed at gaining credibility in the eyes of the United States as a partner in regional security. Sharaa, a former Qaedist member purged by American sanctions after leading the dismantling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, was welcomed in recent hours to the White House by President Donald Trump. Last night, it was announced that Sharaa had officially joined the US-led international coalition against ISIS. Washington has also suspended some of the economic sanctions hitting Syria, in a sign of openness to new collaboration with Damascus in the so-called “war on terrorism”.
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