Al Mayadeen – February 16, 2025
Israel targeting police officers in Rafah violates ceasefire: Hamas
Hamas condemns an Israeli drone strike in Rafah, which killed three officers, calling it a serious ceasefire breach and accusing "Israel" of failing to uphold the truce commitments.
Hamas has denounced an Israeli drone strike that targeted police officers in Rafah this Sunday morning, killing three officers. The attack occurred while the officers were securing the entry of humanitarian aid, and Hamas has labeled it a "serious violation" of the ceasefire agreement currently in pla
ce.
In an official statement, the movement reiterated its belief that "Israel’s" actions show a deliberate disregard for the terms of the ceasefire. Hamas pointed out that "Israel" had promised to allow the entry of caravans and heavy machinery to Gaza but failed to follow through, as evidenced by their announcement today that these supplies would be denied entry. This breach adds to "Israel's" ongoing failure to maintain the truce, according to the Palestinian movement.
The statement also criticized "Israel's" delay in beginning the second phase of negotiations, casting doubt on its commitment to the agreement brokered by international mediators. Hamas further accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the peace process, using the time to continue military aggression and pursue policies that could lead to further war crimes.
Hamas condemned the attack and all other violations of the ceasefire and humanitarian protocols, holding "Israel" fully responsible for the repercussions. The movement called on international mediators to step in and pressure "Israel" to fulfill its commitments, including stopping its violations of the ceasefire, implementing the full humanitarian protocol, and immediately starting the second phase of peace talks.
Israeli violations tantamount to agreement failure: Gaza Media Office
In a similar vein, Salama Maarouf, the Director of the Government Media Office in Gaza said earlier today that "Israelﾒs" refusal to allow the entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment to Gaza constitutes a clear violation of its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and its accompanying humanitarian protocol.
In statements to Al Mayadeen, Maarouf emphasized that "Israel’s" refusal is tantamount to declaring the failure of the ceasefire agreement, despite the Palestinian Resistance’s commitment to its obligations as long as the occupation upholds its own.
He added that the Israeli occupation's actions are clear proof to the world which party is obstructing the agreement, underscoring the need for mediators to intervene and pressure "Israel" to fulfill its commitments
.
Maarouf also highlighted that "the catastrophic living conditions endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza due to the genocide and humanitarian crisis cannot withstand further delays, evasion, or obstruction of the entry of shelter materials and other essential supplies."
The Palestinian official urged mediators and the international community to assume their responsibilities, respond immediately to Gaza’s urgent needs, and put an end to the ongoing suffering by compelling "Israel" to cease its violations and its exploitation of the plight of 2.4 million people in Gaza.
The Government Media Office in Gaza has repeatedly pointed out that "Israel" continues to stall and delay the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, while the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates at an alarming rate.
Despite the entry of 801 aid trucks into the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday, humanitarian organizations warn that "Israel" continues to severely limit the flow of essential supplies, in violation of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the aid deliveries were made "through interactions with the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire deal." However, the agency cautioned that restrictions remain stringent, particularly on critical supplies like fuel and medical equipment.
It is noteworthy that Hamas intended to postpone the prisoner exchange set for February 15 due to the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement before mediators intervened to overcome obstacles hindering the completion of the implementation of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. The violations include Palestinians being shot at, tanks trespassing the permitted distance, and preventing the entry of heavy equipment, medical supplies, and caravans.
Netanyahu says Israel, Trump have ‘common strategy’ on Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and US President Donald Trump have a “common strategy” on Gaza’s future after he met Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the occupied al-Quds.
Rubio met with Netanyahu on Sunday in the occupied territories where he highlighted Trump’s controversial proposal to take control of the besieged Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu, who recently visited Washington, expressed his appreciation for the US president’s “full support” for Israel’s next moves in Gaza.
“We discussed Trump’s bold vision for Gaza’s future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality,” Netanyahu told reporters after the meeting, adding that the two sides had a “common strategy” for the future of the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The Trump administration has warned of repercussions for Egypt and Jordan if they do not allow in the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza.
Washington has expressed openness to alternative proposals from Arab governments but has stressed that currently, “the only plan is Trump’s.”
“Right now the only plan — they don’t like it — but the only plan is the Trump plan. So if they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it,” Rubio said on Thursday.
“Israel will now have to decide what they will do,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “The United States will back the decision they make!” he added.
Trump sparked a global outcry with his proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and to move more than two million Palestinians out of the territory, citing Egypt or Jordan as possible destinations.
Legal experts say the Trump's vicious scheme to takeover Gaza would violate international law, amounting to ethnic cleansing.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has suggested Saudi Arabia could also host Palestinians. That statement from the Israeli prime minister was the spark that set off anger from the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia. Condemnations poured in, with Saudi Arabia suggesting its own Gaza plans as an alternative to Trump’s plans.
Saudi Arabia has announced that it will host an Arab Summit on Trump's Gaza Plan. The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will attend the summit, which will take place ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on February 27 on the same issue.
An extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers will be held in the coming weeks at Iran’s request as well, all to offer another viable option for Palestinians than the Trump displacement plan.
Rubio arrived in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories hours after Israel’s war ministry in a statement confirmed that a shipment of “heavy” US-made bombs arrived overnight in Israel.
“A shipment of heavy aerial bombs recently released by the US government was received and unloaded overnight in Israel,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to MK-84 munitions recently authorized by Trump’s administration.
The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000-pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.
During the 15 months of the US-Israeli regime’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza that began in October 2023, over 48,000 Palestinians were killed, most of them children and women.
Amid severe shortages of essential resources such as food, water, and medical supplies due to deliberate restrictions, the Israeli war on Gaza has forcibly displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
On January 15, the Israeli regime, having failed to achieve any of its war objectives including the “elimination” of Hamas or the release of captives, was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with the Gaza-based resistance movement.
Israeli court sentences Palestinian child to 18 years in prison
An Israeli court has sentenced a 15-year-old Palestinian child to 18 years in prison for alleged involvement in an attack in the occupied West Bank, a prisoners' advocacy group says.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said the court also ordered Mohammed Basel Zalbani, from the Shu’fat refugee camp, east of occupied East al-Quds, to pay 300,000 shekels ($83,333) in compensation.
During the central court session, the soldier's brother attempted to assault and push Mohammed and threatened him several times.
Zalbani was accused of involvement in the killing of an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint in the Shu’fat camp in 2023
.
He was arrested on Feb. 13, 2023, from inside a bus in the camp and charged with attempting a stabbing attack, which allegedly led to the soldier's death.
His family’s home was also demolished.
At least 14,500 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, including 1,115 children,
The Israeli military and settlers have conducted new attacks across the occupied West Bank, killing and injuring more Palestinians.
The West Bank has experienced heightened tensions as a result of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza that began in October 2023 and led to the death of more than 48,200 individuals.
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement went into effect in Gaza on January 19, halting Israel's aggressive campaign against the coastal region.
Since last October, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.
Dozens of Palestinians have also been killed in the northern West Bank city of Jenin since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza. Dozens of injuries, detentions and forced evictions of families have also taken place during the period as well.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/02/16/742936/Palestine-Israel-West-Bank--Mohammed-Basel-Zalbani,
Al Mayadeen – February 16, 2025
Kabul decries Pakistan acts against Afghan refugees, urges protection
Afghanistan has issued a statement calling for the protection of its refugees in Pakistan, following a crackdown resulting in the deportation of tens.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan protested hostile actions taken against Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
The protest followed raids by Pakistani police on the homes of Afghan refugees in Quetta and other areas of Balochistan province on Saturday, subjecting them to mistreatment and forcing them out of their houses. Among those detained, the ministry reported, were 65 children and 30 women, in addition to the men.
In a statement, the ministry condemned the mistreatment of Afghan refugees, calling on international organizations to exert effort, protect them, and help them come back home "with dignity."
This comes after the refugees were deported to Afghanistan through the border crossing in Spin Buldak, located in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
The ministry further stressed that the Pakistani government had repeatedly violated international and Islamic law through its actions against refugees, as has been documented over the past two years.
International organizations and official data estimate that three million Afghan refugees are currently in Pakistan.
In 2023, Pakistani officials ordered 700,000 Afghan people to leave the country owing to their alleged involvement in terrorism or other illegal activities. According to the Pakistani authorities, the migrants were ordered to leave or face deportation.
Iran's foreign minister urges united stance by Muslim world in support of Palestine
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the Muslim world should take a united and firm stance in support of the rights of the Palestinian people.
Araghchi made the remarks in a Sunday meeting with Secretary General of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in the Omani capital of Muscat.
He commended the stance taken by Arab countries, particularly the Persian Gulf littoral states, in opposition to the joint US-Israeli plan to forcibly relocate the people of the Gaza Strip and annihilate Palestine.
He censured the recent stance of the Israeli regime’s prime minister, who had called for the displacement of Palestinians to Saudi Arabia.
During his recent visit to Washington, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than living in their homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.
Araghchi stressed the importance of continuing dialogue and understanding between Iran and the GCC states given the sensitivity and significance of developments in the region and the need to boost cooperation and convergence among regional countries.
In a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, the top Iranian diplomat urged the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, to adopt a “firm and clear” position against the US-Israeli scheme.
“The proposal to forcibly relocate Palestinians violates all principles and standards of international law and the United Nations Charter, and, in fact, complements the Israeli regime's plan for genocide and the eradication of Palestine,” Araghchi said.
The GCC secretary general, for his part, welcomed the continuation of interaction between Iran and the council states in line with joint interests and issues of common concern.
Albudaiwi expressed the council’s firm opposition to the Israeli regime’s efforts to displace Palestinians and stressed the need to support their rights.
He also welcomed Iran’s proposal to hold an emergency meeting of the Muslim countries’ foreign ministers to address the issue.
In an official letter to Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, Araghchi outlined the urgency of convening an emergency meeting of the OIC foreign ministers to discuss and counter colonial efforts to forcibly relocate the Gaza Strip’s population.
Iran's proposal has reportedly garnered widespread support from the OIC member states, and the meeting is expected to take place in a few days.
