Al Mayadeen – February 1, 2025
183 Palestinian detainees released in fourth exchange batch
The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has reported that the latest release includes 39 detainees from Gaza, 32 from the occupied West Bank, and one detainee deported to Egypt.
The Israeli occupation released a group of Palestinian detainees on Saturday as part of the fourth batch under the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between the Palestinian resistance and "Israel".
The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that the latest release includes 39 detainees from Gaza, 32 from the occupied West Bank, and one detainee deported to Egypt. Among them are Palestinians serving life sentences and lengthy prison terms. Additionally, 111 detainees, who were arrested by Israeli invading units in Gaza following October 7, 2023, have also been freed.
The Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate reported that 10 released Palestinian detainees were rushed to hospitals in critical condition.
Buses carrying released detainees from "Israel’s" Ofer Prison arrived in Ramallah, where they were welcomed by large crowds. However, the celebrations were overshadowed by accusations that "Israel" had forcibly deported some detainees.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent confirmed that "Israel" transferred several released West Bank detainees to Gaza last Thursday.
However, they remained in Gaza. The report added that, according to the agreement, detainees were supposed to be transferred via the Karem Abu Salem crossing into Egypt—not rerouted to Gaza.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian leader confirmed in a statement to Al Mayadeen that the Israeli occupation has forcibly deported several freed detainees, within the context of the exchange deal, to the Gaza Strip without their consent. This, he emphasized, constitutes a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The forced transfers have raised concerns about "Israel’s" handling of the prisoner release process and its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
A fourth group of Israeli captives held by Palestinian factions were released earlier in exchange for "Israel’s" release of the Palestinian detainees.
Preparations for the exchange have been in full swing in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as Israeli reconnaissance drones hover overhead, closely monitoring the operation.
Palestinian Information Center – February 1, 2025
Hamas mourns political leaders martyred during Al-Aqsa Flood battle
The Hamas Movement has mourned a galaxy of its martyred political leaders, affirming that it will remain loyal to their blood until the liberation of Palestine.
In a statement on Friday, Hamas said it mourns, with pride and honor, all the Palestinian people’s martyrs, including resistance fighters and leaders, who died during Al-Aqsa Flood battle.
According to Hamas’s statement, its martyred political leaders are:
Ismail Haneyya, head of Hamas’s political bureau
Yehya as-Sinwar, head of Hamas’s political bureau
Saleh al-Aruri, deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau
Tayseer Ibrahim, head of Hamas’s higher judicial council
Osama al-Mazini, head of Hamas’s Shura council in Gaza
Rawhi Mushtaha, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Sameh as-Sarraj, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Marwan Issa, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Zakariya Muammar, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Jamila ash-Shanti, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Jawad Abu Shammala, member of Hamas’s political bureau
Sami Odeh, head of Hamas’s general security service in Gaza
Mohamed Abu Askar, member of Hamas’s administrative bureau in Gaza
Khaled an-Najjar, member of the West Bank leadership
Yassin Rabie, member of the West Bank leadership
Fathallah Sharif, member of Hamas’s leadership abroad and its leader in Lebanon
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/02/01/333254/
Profile: Mohammed Deif, the iconic Al-Qassam Brigades commander and strategist
By Ivan Kesic
On Thursday, Abu Obeida, the spokesman of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement, announced the martyrdom of several prominent figures of the movement in the fight against Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Str
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Among them was Mohammed Deif, the chief of staff of Hamas’ military wing – an elusive commander who survived multiple assassination attempts over the years.
Deif was a celebrated Al-Qassam commander and one of the key strategists behind Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (Storm), the historic military operation that shook the Zionist occupation and its Western backers on October 7, 2023.
Other martyred Hamas military council leaders included deputy commander Marwan Issa, weapons and combat services commander Ghazi Abu Tama’a, manpower and supplies unit commander Raed Thabet, Northern Brigade commander Ahmed al-Ghandour, Central Brigade commander Ayman Nofal, and Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafeh Salama, as announced by Abu Obeida.
The well-known Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson stated that these leaders were martyred while confronting the enemy during the Al-Aqsa Flood – whether in operations rooms, direct engagements on the battlefield, or while overseeing and organizing the battle.
“These martyred commanders departed after a life of immense struggle, during which they fought heroic battles, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, and placed its downfall and defeat on an inevitable path,” Abu Obeida declared.
“This is the legacy of our leader, Mohammed Deif (Abu Khaled)—who exhausted the enemy for over 30 years. How could Mohammed Deif be remembered in history without the title of martyr and the honor of martyrdom in the path of Allah?”
In a separate, more detailed statement, Hamas hailed the “great, heroic martyr commander Deif,” describing him as “a steadfast and courageous fighter whose prowess and battles are etched into the soil of Palestine—its villages, towns, and refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
“He was among the first to sow the seeds of blessed military action, alongside his martyred comrades in struggle—Imad Aqel, Zakariyya al-Shurbaji, and Salah Shehadeh. He nurtured and guided this movement as it grew in strength, blossoming into unique acts of heroism and advanced military engineering powered by innovative Palestinian minds, inflicting heavy blows on the enemy’s army and imposing new equations in the struggle.”
The Gaza-based movement said Deif’s name “instilled terror and fear” among Israeli politicians and military leaders until he fell in the “greatest battle—a battle that he authored with his ideas and blood.”
“The path and story of the martyred Commander Abu Khaled will remain an inspiration for generations of our people and our [Islamic] nation. The spirit of struggle and resistance he breathed into our people will never die or be extinguished.”
Who Was Mohammed Deif?
Mohammed Deif, born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, was the commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
He earned the nickname “Deif” (Arabic: guest) due to his constant movement and relocation to evade Zionist attacks. Even his enemies admitted that he never slept in the same house more than once and never stayed in any place permanently.
Deif was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in southern Gaza, established in 1948 after the Zionist ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinians—an event known as the Nakba (catastrophe).
His family originated from al-Qubeiba, a village near the city of ar-Ramleh in central occupied Palestine, which was destroyed during the early Zionist occupation.
He studied physics, chemistry, and biology at the Islamic University in Gaza, earning a degree in sciences. During his student days, he headed the university’s arts committee and even performed in theater for a while.
Deif joined the Hamas resistance movement in 1987, during the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation.
After two years of active fighting, he was captured in 1989 and spent 16 months in Israeli captivity before being released in a prisoner exchange.
He was one of the founding members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and a leading figure in its engineering units, responsible for producing rockets, explosives, and tunnels.
Deif shared a particularly close relationship with Hamas commander Yahya Ayyash and Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh. Following advice from Iran’s late top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani, he is believed to have built an extensive tunnel network in Gaza, which took nearly a decade to construct.
Over the years, this tunnel network expanded to several hundred kilometers, proving crucial for the resistance movement’s success and playing a pivotal role in the spectacular Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023.
Since the mid-1990s, Deif was one of the most-wanted figures on the Israeli regime’s hit list.
In 2000, at the request of the Tel Aviv regime, he was detained for several months by the Palestinian Authority but managed to escape with the help of associates.
The Zionist regime attempted to assassinate Deif at least seven times, four of which were in the 2000s. However, his refusal to use modern communication technology helped him evade capture.
According to some unconfirmed reports, he lost an eye and limbs in these attacks, and some even claimed he used a wheelchair. However, the first official image of Deif, released by Hamas on Thursday, showed him with both eyes intact.
In August 2014, during the Gaza War, an Israeli airstrike targeted his family home in Gaza City, killing at least six people, including his wife and two children.
Deif rarely appeared in public or gave speeches. His only notable public address was on October 7, 2023, at the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Speaking on Hamas TV, he stated that he had repeatedly warned the Israeli regime to stop its crimes against Palestinians, release detainees, and halt the expropriation of Palestinian land. He declared that the operation was a direct response to Israeli atrocities and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
With the announcement of Deif's martyrdom, Palestinian media also published an old video of him announcing the capture of an Israeli soldier in 1994 and demanding the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
During the 15-month US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, which claimed over 47,000 lives, Zionist media repeatedly claimed Deif had been assassinated, often contradicting themselves.
His abilities, decades of struggle, and successful organization of anti-Israeli operations made him one of the most renowned figures on the anti-Israel resistance front.
Like Yahya Sinwar, his commander, Mohammed Deif has immortalized himself in his death.
Al Mayadeen – February 1, 2025
'No alternative. Hamas is Gaza, and Gaza is Hamas': Israeli media
Israeli media and analysts express their fears and worries regarding Hamas' dismissal of the occupation's demands throughout the prisoner swap
Israeli anger and concerns emerged when Hamas documented its prisoner exchanges in a manner that suited it, dismissing the occupation's demands that it withdraw its forces and elements, while also disregarding a key Israeli demand to withhold the deployment of police officers throughout the Gaza Strip. 
Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth Ahronoth's military analyst, said, "There is no authority alternative in Gaza; Gaza is Hamas, and Hamas is Gaza," adding that Donald Trump's plot to implement "voluntary evacuations" from Gaza must be considered in the absence of other solutions.
He also discussed the situation in the West Bank, saying it currently poses the greatest danger to Israelis.
"Tulkarm is one meter away from Kafaruna. They have organized battalions, like the Jenin Battalion and the Tulkarm Battalion. We wake up in the morning to a siren, which lasts for three or four hours, with a distance of no more than 3 km," Yehoshua stated, noting that the possibility of another October 7 is "dangerously tangible" in the West Bank.
'Israel' chose to submit, prisoner swap complete failure: Ben-Gvir
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the scenes from Gaza on Thursday, saying, "The images coming from Gaza confirm that what has happened so far was not a complete victory but a complete failure."
Ben-Gvir further stated that "this prisoner exchange deal is unprecedented, and the Israeli government has chosen the path of submission," referring to the concessions made by the regime to secure the release of Israeli captives.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Lieberman, stated that "the images from Gaza prove that we must separate from it forever." Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also expressed concern, saying, "We are worried about the price we are paying for this deal, despite our joy at the return of the hostages."
These remarks came after footage showed large crowds gathering in Jabalia in northern Gaza and Khan Younis in the south, particularly near the home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as the Israeli captives were handed over.
Al Mayadeen – February 1, 2025
Malaysia announces conference to support Gaza reconstruction efforts
Malaysia announced it would contribute to the reconstruction of basic infrastructure, including a school, a hospital, and a mosque.
The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a planned conference to support reconstruction efforts in Palestine.
The ministry revealed on Friday it was working with Japan to host the fourth session of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) in Malaysia this year, emphasizing the latter's proactive involvement in garnering international assistance and deepening collaboration to guarantee the long-term viability and effect of rehabilitation activities in Palestine.
The ministry stated that the conference is consistent with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's recent remarks on the urgent need to hasten reconstruction in Palestine.
We are "fully committed to working side by side with Japan within the framework of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development to respond to the Palestinians’ clear call for assistance," it said in a statement.
The ministry added that as part of these efforts, it intends to contribute to the reconstruction of basic infrastructure, including a school, a hospital, and a mosque.
It stated that it would work with Japan to engage CEAPAD participants in gaining the required pledges for the group's redevelopment operations in Gaza. This involves a series of coordination meetings before the conference to ensure that aid and donations to Palestine are distributed more efficiently and sustainably for long-term development.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry reiterated its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and its continuous collaboration with regional and international partners to ensure that the fourth CEAPAD meeting results in real steps.
Clearing explosives in Gaza to delay rebuilding for years
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy said two days ago that rebuilding the Gaza Strip could take 10-15 years, highlighting the vast destruction caused by the Israeli aggression on the besieged territory over the last 15 months.
To make matters worse, any efforts to rebuild Gaza face immense obstacles, including unexploded ordnance scattered across devastated neighborhoods, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The humanitarian organization warned this week that clearing these remnants of war will take years, significantly delaying the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services.
"People are trying to rebuild from the rubble. Rafah is destroyed, with homes, shops, streets and healthcare facilities in ruins and electricity and water systems damaged. The area is also unsafe due to scattered unexploded artillery in the remnants of buildings, which will take years to clean," said Pascale Coissard, part of MSF's emergency coordination team.
The city of Rafah, which suffered heavy damage during the war, remains largely uninhabitable. Coissard said that without health services and broader humanitarian aid, resuming daily life in many areas of Gaza will remain impossible.
"Health services, including the rest of humanitarian aid, and rebuilding of the city is needed for life to be able to come back to Rafah, but it's still too dangerous for people to return in most areas," she stated, stressing the ongoing risks even after the ceasefire.
Al Mayadeen – February 1, 2025
Five Arab states reject any forced displacement of Palestinians
The meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo came after US President Donald Trump floated an idea to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan.
A meeting at Egypt’s invitation was held in the capital Cairo on Saturday at the level of foreign ministers, with the participation of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, in addition to the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization representing the State of Palestine and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
The meeting came after US President Donald Trump floated an idea to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan.
The participating parties agreed to welcome the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the prisoner exchange deal, commending the efforts of Egypt and Qatar in this regard and emphasizing the role of the United States in achieving the agreement, according to the meeting’s statement.
The participants also agreed to work with the Trump administration to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on the "two-state" solution and to work toward eliminating conflicts in the region.
Furthermore, they affirmed their support for the efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the US to ensure the full implementation of the agreement in all its phases and provisions, leading to a complete de-escalation.
They also stressed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza and the removal of all obstacles to the entry of humanitarian assistance, shelter supplies, and recovery and rehabilitation requirements in a safe and appropriate manner.
The participating states emphasized the necessity of a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and categorically rejected any attempts to divide the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, they highlighted the need to empower the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza, alongside the West Bank and the eastern part of al-Quds, to enable the international community to address the humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on the Strip due to the Israeli aggression.
The statement also underscored the irreplaceable and indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and firmly rejected any attempts to bypass or diminish its role.
The Israeli occupation regime officially cut ties with UNRWA on Thursday, a move expected to heavily impact the delivery of critical services after 15 months of the war on Gaza.
Under the ban, UNRWA will no longer be permitted to operate on occupied Palestinian soil, and all contact between the agency and Israeli officials will be prohibited.
In this context, the meeting’s statement emphasized the importance of concerted international efforts to plan and implement a comprehensive reconstruction process in Gaza as soon as possible, ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land, particularly in light of their demonstrated resilience and unwavering attachment to their homeland.
According to the statement, this effort should contribute to improving the daily lives of Gaza’s residents, addressing internal displacement issues, and completing the reconstruction process.
The participants reaffirmed "full and continued support for the Palestinian people’s resilience on their land and their legitimate rights under international law," rejecting "any infringement on these inalienable rights, whether through settlement expansion, forced displacements and home demolitions, land annexation, or displacement efforts that encourage or coerce Palestinians to leave their land under any circumstances or pretexts."
Such actions threaten regional stability, risk prolonging the struggle, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence, the statement warned.
It also welcomed Egypt’s intention, in collaboration with the United Nations, to host an international conference for Gaza’s reconstruction at an appropriate time, calling on the international community and donors to contribute to this initiative.
Moreover, the participating states urged the international community, particularly global and regional powers and the United Nations Security Council, to "begin the actual implementation of the two-state solution, addressing the root causes of tensions in the Middle East, primarily by reaching a just resolution to the Palestinian cause."
This includes establishing a Palestinian state on its full national territory while ensuring the unity of Gaza, the West Bank, and the eastern part of al-Quds in line with international legitimacy and the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, the statement pointed out.
In this context, the statement endorsed "the efforts of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution and actively participate in the international conference on resolving the Palestinian cause, which is set to be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in June 2025."
Palestinian Information Center – February 1, 2025
Hamas: Trump’s displacement project in Gaza “recipe for more regional chaos”
The Hamas Movement has condemned recent remarks by US president Donald Trump on relocating Gazan residents to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
In a statement on Saturday, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri denounced such a US proposal as “ridiculous and worthless,” saying “what the Israeli occupation has failed to achieve by force will never be taken through political games.”
“The repeated US statements on displacing Palestinians under the pretext of rebuilding the Gaza Strip reflect persistence in participating in the crime,” Abu Zuhri said.
The Hamas official warned that the US “displacement project” in Gaza is a “recipe for more chaos and tension in the region.”
On January 25, Trump proposed a controversial plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, which was strongly rejected by both countries.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/02/01/333304/
IRGC Navy unveils underground base housing anti-destroyer cruise missiles
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has unveiled a new subterranean base in the coastal areas of southern Iran, housing cruise missiles at the ready to target hostile destroyers in the strategic waters. 
Cruise missiles with the capability of countering enemy destroyers' electronic warfare are stored in the IRGC's new underground missile city, Sepah News reported.
The report added that the missiles, which have undergone significant upgrades to their weapon systems and electronic warfare countermeasures, can be deployed in the shortest possible time.
IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami and Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri unveiled the facility on Saturday. They inspected the latest combat readiness status of the IRGC Navy as well.
Back on January 18, the IRGC Navy unveiled an underground naval missile base built on the shores of Iran’s southern waters to house a large fleet of fast attack craft and other vessels.
Iranian Armed Forces, including the IRGC and the country’s Army, have been continuously enhancing their military hardware and combat readiness in line with the directives of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The forces have vowed to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of the threats by the Iranian nation’s enemies
The Islamic Republic launched some 200 missiles at the Israeli entity’s military, and espionage and intelligence bases all over the occupied territories on October 1 as part of Operation True Promise II.
The operation came in response to the regime’s assassinations of senior leaders of the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and a senior IRGC commander.
In the early hours of October 26, Israel targeted two Iranian border provinces, Ilam and Khuzestan, as well as Tehran. The country’s integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered the aggression.
Iran has said it will respond to the recent Israeli act of aggression against the country and will not abandon its rights.
Countercurrent – February 1, 2025
DeepSeek is showing us that another tech world is possible
Nuvpreet Karla
How one Chinese company’s AI tool has slashed trillions from the US stock market, and revealed a future for technology without American tech hegemony.
Last week, a Chinese startup, DeepSeek, released R1, a large-language model rivaling ChatGPT, that is already unraveling the U.S. tech world. The open-source model performs just as well, if not better, than its American counterparts.
The shock comes mainly from the extremely low cost with which the model was trained. R1 cost just $5.6 million to train. Meanwhile,ﾠOpenAI spent at least $540 million to train ChatGPT in 2022 last year alone and plans to spend over $500 billion in the next four years. Meanwhile, Meta revealed it plans toﾠspend over $65 billion on AI development in 2025.
This incredible achievement is made even more impressive as DeepSeek trained the model on less powered AI chips than those used by American companies, such as the Nvidia H100 GPU. The Biden administration banned China from importing the most powerful AI chips, used by American companies like OpenAI and Meta, as part of the U.S.’ hostility and economic warfare with the country. Rather than limiting China’s AI development, these sanctions have facilitated a small startup to produce language models that outperform ChatGPT, Gemini, and others with only a fraction of the costs. Further still, using these less powerful chips significantly reduces the energy used to train the model. This is another significant benefit in an industry known for its environmental costs. While DeepSeek used American chips to train R1, the model actually runs on Chinese-made Ascend 910C chips produced by Huawei, another company that became a victim ofﾠU.S. sanctions.
Silicon Valley has long been hailed as an untouchable technological powerhouse, largely as a result of the economic warfare of successive U.S. governments to sanction any competition to it. For too long, there has been a tight partnership between tech companies and the U.S. government, where tech moguls have accumulated eye-watering wealth in exchange for sustenance to the American empire through its perceived technological dominance. DeepSeek has revealed this fallacy openly.
DeepSeek’s R1, costing just $5 million to train, caused the most significant loss for any company in U.S. history at $600 billion. This was from Nvidia’s stocks, the major supplier of AI chips, including the most advanced chips the U.S. has banned China from importing. After enjoying their stock value doubling in recent years, this loss significantly impacts the U.S. technological industry. The U.S. attacks on China’s development are already coming back to harm it.
Not only is R1 cheaper than its American competitors, but people using the tool have found it provides more accurate and, crucially, results that do not only echo the interests of U.S. imperialism. I asked DeepSeek’s R1, Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s Llama: Should the U.S. arm Israel? Give me a clear, short answer that includes your judgment.
ChatGPT: Yes, the U.S. should arm Israel, as it is a crucial ally in a volatile region. However, this support should be paired with active efforts toward peace and conflict resolution to ensure long-term stability.
Gemini: Yes, the U.S. should continue to arm Israel to ensure its security, but with stricter conditions tied to progress on human rights and a peaceful resolution with the Palestinians.
Llama: The U.S. should provide military aid to Israel, but with conditions that ensure the aid promotes regional stability, supports a two-state solution, and respects human rights.
R1: The decision to arm Israel should be based on strategic interests, regional stability, and adherence to international law. While Israel has a right to self-defense, the U.S. should ensure that arms transfers do not exacerbate conflicts or contribute to human rights violations. A balanced approach, prioritizing diplomacy and peace, is essential.
These answers did shock me a little, despite what I expected from these models. While R1 includes some colonial language, such as the fallacy that Israel has a right to self-defense, which, of course, no country particularly occupying power has, it is much better than the others. While this prompt is simplistic, it reveals how quickly and overtly these other models incorporate U.S. imperialist agendas.
The U.S. tech industry has been bloating for years. Eight of the ten wealthiest people in the world are in the tech industry. One look at Trump’s inauguration attendees already revealed how close these companies are to political power in this country. These companies are also deeply embedded within the American war machine.ﾠGoogle used its AI to help Israel commit genocide.ﾠOpenAI is using its technology to target weapons for murder. Oracle, OpenAI, and Softbank wantﾠ$500 billion to create AI infrastructure in the U.S.; one of the major players involved has publicly sought anﾠAI-data system of mass surveillance.
DeepSeek reveals to us not only the incredible development happening in China but also how this is seen only as a challenge to U.S. dominance rather than a benefit for people worldwide. Just like their impressive poverty reduction program that has liftedﾠmore than 800 million people out of poverty, their world-leading climate policies include buildingﾠmore solar power than all countries combined last year and significantlyﾠreducing the costs of producing clean energy for everyone. U.S. officials attack all of these achievements in the government and media because they reveal that an impoverishing system of climate-destroying, violent extraction for the wealthy few is not the only way.
This is why the hawkish chorus has already begun attacking open-source software for ‘national security’ concerns or ‘censorship’. We know their playbook already—they just performed the same moves with RedNote as millions of Americans turned to the app in the brief period TikTok went dark. However, many are still active on the platform, and the 90-day suspension of the ban isn’t too far in the future.
U.S. attacks on TikTok haveﾠfostered beautiful exchanges between Chinese and Americans, exposing the propaganda Americans have been fed about China and concerning Chinese people that what they have learned about the U.S. is true. U.S. attacks on China’s AI development have made China more innovative and efficient, producing DeepSeek R1 and undoubtedly many more such developments. Not only does this expose how devastating for humanity American economic warfare is, it also uncovers just how this policy of hostility won’t save U.S. hegemony. It’s not just China. The destructive years of the U.S. and Saudi-led bombing of Yemen forced the country to developﾠrenewable and decentralized electricity infrastructure, moving away from aﾠreliance on fossil fuels and sustaining energy for hospitals and homes even when the country is bombed. Venezuela hasﾠachieved near total food self-sufficiency in response to U.S. sanctions and blockade. American warfare, in all its forms, has forced countries to disrupt their ways of life completely.
China’s ability to develop this AI at a lower cost, both financially and to the environment, is a win for us all. If the U.S. collaborated with China instead of erecting barriers and sabotage, just imagine how much more we could do.
Nuvpreet Kalra is CODEPINK’s Digital Content Producer. Nuvpreet completed a Bachelor’s in Politics & Sociology at the University of Cambridge, and an MA in Internet Equalities at the University of the Arts London. As a student, she was part of movements to divest and decolonize, as well as anti-racist and anti-imperialist groups. Nuvpreet joined CODEPINK as an intern in 2023, and now produces digital and social media content. In England, she organizes with groups for Palestinian liberation, abolition and anti-imperialism.
https://countercurrents.org/2025/02/deepseek-is-showing-us-that-another-tech-world-is-possible/
