Al Mayadeen - February 7, 2025
Netanyahu: Saudi Arabia has lots of land, let it create Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia could take forcibly displaced Palestinians in and create a Palestinian state on Saudi land in an interview with Channel 14 conducted during his Washington visit.
During their meeting, which was preceded by a press conference, Netanyahu and Trump reportedly discussed normalization with Saudi Arabia, and the Israeli PM said that normalization with Riyadh is not only feasible, but he "thinks it's going to happen."
Netanyahu emphasized during his Channel 14 interview that he would not sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would endanger the occupation, "Especially not a Palestinian state. After October 7? Do you know what that is? There was a Palestinian state, it was called Gaza. Gaza, led by Hamas, was a Palestinian state, and look what we got – the biggest massacre since the Holocaust."
"The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," he said.
Israeli officials, on the other hand, are worried Netanyahu could be willing to concede the West Bank in favor of a peace deal with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia responded to Netanyahu's statements following his presser with Trump saying it would not consider normalization with "Israel" without a Palestinian state, adding in a Foreign Ministry statement that this position is unwavering released shortly after the Trump-Netanyahu conference.
Normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel
Before Al Aqsa Flood, "Israel" and Saudi Arabia were slowly inching toward a normalization deal under US incentives for Riyadh including economic investments and security guarantees, with the establishment of a Palestinian State being an important part of any deal that could be made.
However, Saudi Arabia stopped discussing normalization talks with "Israel" on October 14, 2023, but the Saudi Investment Minister said that talks remain on the table. By October 2024, a report by CNN said that the normalization deal that was close became far out of reach.
At the same time, the Saudi Foreign Minister said that normalization between Saudi Arabia and "Israel" is not an option until the "two-state solution" is realized and a Palestinian state is established. Similarly, the Saudi ambassador to Washington emphasized that Riyadh is open to future ties with "Israel" but insists on a ceasefire and the establishment of a Palestinian state first.
Anadolu Agency - February 7, 2025
Trump says 'no rush' to implement his controversial plan for Gaza
'We're not talking about boots on the ground or anything, but I think the fact that we're there, that we have an investment there, I think, would go a long way to creating peace,' says US president
US President Donald Trump sought to temper expectations for his controversial plan to take ownership of the besieged Gaza Strip Friday after it was widely rejected.
Trump said his plan, which he described as a "real estate transactions" has been "very well received," though it is unclear to whom he was referring after the plan was panned by regional leaders, close allies and some of the president's closest Republican allies on Capitol Hill.
"It would be supplied and given to us by Israel. They'll watch it in terms of security," he told reporters in the Oval Office where he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. "We're not talking about boots on the ground or anything, but I think the fact that we're there, that we have an investment there, I think, would go a long way to creating peace."
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-no-rush-to-implement-his-controversial-plan-for-gaza/3475359
Al Mayadeen - February 7, 2025
At least 66 bodies found buried under piles of sand in northern Gaza
37 bodies were found in the Jabalia refugee camp, while 26 were found in the Shati camp as Civil Defense operations continue to recover martyrs all across the Gaza Strip.
At least 66 martyrs were found beneath sand mounds constructed by the Israeli military in Northern Gaza during the large-scale aggression launched on the area. 37 bodies were found in the city of Jabalia, and 29 more bodies were recovered in the Shati refugee camp.
"Israeli bulldozing operations caused the burial of Palestinians under sand mounds used by the army for fortification in several areas of Gaza City and the north," the Palestinian Civil Defense's spokesperson said, adding, "Many graves have yet to be discovered, as Palestinians were forced to bury their dead in streets, squares, and public parks during the Israeli ground operation."
Despite the limited resources and harsh weather conditions, Civil Defense teams are still working to recover bodies beneath the rubble and piles of sand left behind by the Israeli Army's military operations, which left 88% of Gaza's infrastructure destroyed.
Israel's offensive on Jabalia
The Jabalia refugee camp was annihilated by the Israeli Occupation army, leaving nothing but rubble and destruction in the camp that once housed over 100,000 Palestinians, in another brutal campaign of systematic destruction of civilian lives.
"Israel" claimed that Jabalia served as the home for Hamas' Northern Command and housed an underground tunnel network, thus launching brutal airstrikes against it in the first few months of the war, before invading the camp on the ground on November 8.
Occupation forces launched a second offensive on Jablia on May 11, 2024, under the pretext that Hamas rebuilt its capabilities in the northern sector of the Strip, and three weeks later, the Israeli army retreated from Jabalia, claiming to have "dismantled Hamas,", though it continued to pound Jabalia with airstrikes throughout the war.
Most of the destruction "Israel" caused was in the third invasion of Jabalia which started on October 5, 2024, with the IOF wiping out neighborhoods as part of the "Generals' Plan", a scorched Earth policy that aims at driving the entire civilian population out of a designated area.
Palestinian Information Center - February 7, 2025
GMO calls for the convening of an international conference to rebuild the Gaza Strip
The Government Media Office (GMO) has called for the swift convening of an international conference to rebuild the Gaza Strip and to urgently provide all humanitarian needs for the people to strengthen their resilience and thwart plans for displacement and eviction.
In a statement on Friday, the GMO noted that despite 20 days passing since the ceasefire agreement took effect, the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate dangerously, with Israel persistently delaying the implementation of the humanitarian protocol outlined in the agreement, despite the clarity of its provisions and the specified needs and priorities.
It affirmed that monitoring and documenting the Israeli behavior has shown that the commitments stipulated in the agreement have not been fulfilled as defined, exacerbating the suffering of more than 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip.
The GMO emphasized that Israel does not miss any opportunity to evade its obligations to implement the agreement in general, and its humanitarian aspects in particular.
In terms of numbers, the amount of aid that has entered the Gaza Strip remains far below the minimum required, with only 8,500 trucks entering since the agreement began, out of the 12,000 that were supposed to enter. In northern Gaza, only 2,916 trucks have entered instead of the 6,000 planned.
Regarding the nature and quality of this aid, the Office indicated that the majority consists of food packages, vegetables, fruits, and secondary goods like instant noodles, chocolate, and chips, at the expense of other needs, indicating clear manipulation of priorities in relief and shelter.
On the shelter front, the GMO confirmed that the actual need is for 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes, but only 10% of the tents have been brought in, with no mobile homes entering at all, meaning hundreds of thousands of citizens are facing the harsh winter without adequate shelter.
Concerning fuel, despite the clear stipulation of entering 50 fuel trucks daily to operate hospitals and essential facilities, what has actually arrived does not exceed 15 trucks daily, resulting in a worsening electricity crisis and paralyzing the operation of hospitals and various service sectors.
It noted that Israel entirely prevents the entry of other shelter materials, electric generators, and their spare parts, solar panels, batteries, wires, and water tanks, and it obstructs coordination for the entry of materials needed for the partial restoration of water and sewage networks in northern Gaza, as reported by international organizations.
In terms of health, Israel is delaying the entry of medical equipment, supplies, and field hospitals, and has not allowed evacuation of the injured and sick except for few numbers. As a result, 100 sick children have died due to delays in their evacuation, and 40% of kidney patients have died due to hospitals’ inability to perform dialysis.
The GMO holds Israel responsible for this tragic humanitarian reality and warns of the repercussions of this obstruction, delay, and manipulation on the catastrophic humanitarian situation within the Gaza Strip. The world has witnessed the suffering of hundreds of thousands of the Palestinian people in tents amid the current cold spell and how they have been left exposed after strong winds uprooted their tattered tents and heavy rains flooded them.
It urged mediators to pressure Israel to adhere to the provisions outlined in the agreement, especially the humanitarian protocol, which represents the minimum of urgent needs acceptable and required for the people of Gaza at this stage.
GMO called on the international community to bear its responsibilities and not to remain merely as spectators to this humanitarian tragedy, through which Israel seeks to continue its war of extermination and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, albeit in less bloody forms, such as the blockade and the prevention of necessary supplies.
It noted that the prohibition of entering heavy equipment and machinery necessary to remove rubble—55 million tons—means an inability to recover the bodies of martyrs and to open streets. It will also undoubtedly affect the resistance’s ability to retrieve the bodies of the Israeli captives buried under this rubble.
The humanitarian aspect of the agreement represents the minimum requirements for urgent relief and shelter needed to alleviate the Palestinian people’s suffering after the war of extermination and ethnic cleansing they endured over the past 15 months. The agreement includes the entry of 600 aid trucks daily, including 50 fuel trucks, in addition to starting the entry of shelter materials by providing 60,000 mobile units and 200,000 tents for the displaced, in addition to electric generators, spare parts, solar panels, batteries, reconstruction materials, as well as removing debris and rehabilitating health facilities, bakeries, and infrastructure, alongside facilitating the movement of patients, the injured, and humanitarian cases through the Rafah border crossing.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/02/07/333599/
Palestinian Information Center - February 7, 2025
30,000 people perform Friday prayer at Aqsa Mosque
Thousands of Palestinian worshipers performed Friday prayer in the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem amidst tight Israeli restrictions
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The Islamic Endowment Authority affirmed that around 30,000 Muslims performed the Friday prayer at the holy shrine.
Police forces obstructed Muslim worshipers’ entry to the Aqsa Mosque through its gates, where they stopped, in particular, many young men and checked their IDs.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinian calls were launched for mass mobilization to intensify Palestinian presence during the Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque.
This came to confront the Israeli Judaization and division plans that the Israeli occupation authority and settlers are trying to impose at the Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) impose strict restrictions on the entry of worshipers to the Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays, preventing thousands of citizens from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem to perform prayers at the Mosque, as they require the issuance of special permits to cross IOF military checkpoints surrounding the holy city.
Since the Gaza ceasefire deal went into effect on January 19, Israeli occupation forces and police have been tightening security measures across the West Bank cities and towns, including Occupied Jerusalem.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/02/07/333593/
Palestinian Information Center - February 7, 2025
Israeli army launches large-scale raid, arrest campaign across West Bank
WEST BANK, (PIC): The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out multiple arrests in sweeping raids across the West Bank overnight and at dawn Friday.
An Israeli drone bombed several houses in Jenin camp as part of the ongoing large-scale Israeli aggression on the city and its refugee camp.
The IOF also stormed Yamoun town, west of Jenin, while Palestinian fighters detonated an explosive device near a military checkpoint at the entrance to Silat al-Harithiya town, west of the city.
The Israeli forces raided several local houses in the Mishmas area in Tamoun, south of Tubas, and Kafr Naama town, west of Ramallah.
Similar raids were reported in Beit Kahil north of al-Khalil; and several areas in Nablus.
Earlier, the IOF arrested several young men in Tulkarem as weeks-long Israeli operations in the area continued. One of the detainees was brutally attacked and beaten during his arrest.
At the same time, four young men were detained from their family homes in the Dhnaba suburb east of Tulkarem.
Meanwhile, the IOF continued to besiege the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and occupy the adjacent Al-Adawiya Commercial Complex, turning it into a military barracks.
The Israeli forces also seized the “Al-Burhan” building in the eastern neighborhood of the city, near the southwestern entrance to Tulkarem camp, and raided several local homes.
In Occupied Jerusalem, the Israeli forces stormed the family home of prisoner Khaled Shawqi Halabi, 47, and threatened his family not to celebrate his scheduled release.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/02/07/333575/
Palestinian Information Center - February 7, 2025
Hamas: Israel is racing against time to execute the
annexation and displacement plan in the West Bank
AMALLAH, (PIC)
Haroun Nasser Al-Din, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, has confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities are racing against time to expedite the implementation of the annexation and displacement plan in the West Bank
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In a statement on Thursday, he explained that the establishment of a new settlement outpost in the “Gush Etzion” settlement bloc between Al-Khalil and Bethlehem is the first of its kind in 20 years.
Nasser Al-Din emphasized the importance of steadfastness among the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and not succumbing to the threats of the Israeli occupation and attempts to displace the population. He pointed out that “the resilience of our people is the safety valve to thwart the occupation’s ambitions to empty the West Bank in favor of further settlement projects.”
He added, “Our cause is going through a critical and sensitive phase, especially with the increased ambitions of the occupation to seize more land in the West Bank, and the reliance on the United States and the illusions that Trump promotes to the Zionist public.”
The Hamas leader indicated that what the West Bank and Jerusalem are experiencing requires mobilizing all components of our nation and people, and confronting all attempts and plans of the occupation to liquidate the Palestinian cause and impose new facts on the ground in favor of the settlers.
Nasser Al-Din emphasized that the people of the West Bank will not give up an inch of their land and will not surrender to the occupation’s will to displace them, no matter the sacrifices and costs involved.
He stressed that the responsibility is growing for all parties, both internationally and locally, to confront the practices of the extremist occupation government and its colonial expansionist plans, which pose a grave threat to the region and the entire area.
