Al Mayadeen – October 20, 2024
Day 380 of aggression on Gaza: 42,603 martyrs, 99,795 injuries
In the past 24 hours alone, the Israeli occupation has carried out seven massacres against families in Gaza, resulting in 84 martyrs and 158 injuries.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has released its daily report, marking the 380th day of ongoing Israeli aggression in the strip.
In the past 24 hours alone, the Israeli occupation has carried out seven massacres against families in Gaza, resulting in 84 martyrs and 158 injuries.
Many victims remain trapped under rubble as Israeli forces continue to bombard affected areas, preventing ambulances and Civil Defense teams from reaching them.
Since the war began over a year ago, the total number of martyrs has now reached 42,603, with injuries totaling 99,795.
Gaza faces ongoing extermination, Indonesian Hospital overwhelmed
As the Israeli occupation's siege on the North enters its 16th consecutive day, Israeli forces continue their campaign of extermination and genocide in Beit Lahia and Jabalia Camp. They are intensifying airstrikes on homes and shelters while besieging hospitals, aiming to displace the remaining population.
Dr. Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, announced on October 20, 2024, that 73 martyrs have been brought to the facility, the majority of whom are women and children. He noted that many others have sustained severe injuries due to relentless bombardment in the Beit Lahiya project area overnight.
“Victims continue to arrive at the hospital as a result of the shelling,” he stated.
Dr. Sultan also reported the deaths of two patients who could not receive adequate medical care due to the occupation's siege of the hospital; their bodies were buried within the hospital premises.
He expressed the medical team's inability to cope with the overwhelming number of casualties, describing the situation as unprecedentedly dire, compounded by ongoing airstrikes, a blockade, shortages of medical supplies, and power outages.
Dr. Sultan urged for the protection of medical personnel, patients, and hospitals, calling on the Red Cross and international organizations to provide assistance and presence in the facilities.
"Israel" commits harrowing massacre in Beit Lahia
On Saturday evening, the Israeli occupation committed a horrific massacre by bombing several houses near al-Qassam Mosque in the Beit Lahia area in the northern Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of 87 Palestinians, according to an updated toll announced by the Government Media Office in Gaza.
In addition to the high death toll of the massacre, 40 people have been injured and many remain missing, most of them women and children, as stated by the media office. This new massacre coincides with the Israeli occupation’s deliberate destruction of the healthcare system in the northern region of the sector, an area that remains home to around 400,000 residents.
Al Mayadeen – October 20, 2024
Gaza Resistance eliminates Israeli 401st Brigade commander in Jabalia
Palestinian Resistance fighters eliminated the commander of the 401st Brigade, while a second commander was seriously injured in Jabalia.
The commander of the Israeli 162nd Division's 401st Armored Brigade, Colonel Ehsan Daqsa, was eliminated by Palestinian Resistance fighters in Jabalia, the northern Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
An Israeli military investigation into the incident found that Colonel Daqsa was positioned outside his tank with a number of other officers when an explosive device was detonated near them.
Daqsa, the commander of the 52nd Battalion, and two other officers were positioned outside the tank in Jabalia and walked several meters to an observation point. Palestinian Resistance fighters had booby-trapped, the presumably cleared site, with explosives, killing Daqsa and seriously wounding the commander of the 52nd Battalion. Two other officers were listed with light and moderate injuries.
The commander of the 401st Brigade is among two of the highest-ranking Israeli officers killed during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. His killing marks a major achievement for the Resistance in Jabalia, a city that has defended against three Israeli military campaigns, seen extensive bombing, and the forced displacement of thousands.
First commander of Generals' Plan eliminated
In the latest military campaign against Jabalia, Daqsa was among those leading the so-called "Generals' Plan", which aims to transform the area into a closed military zone. This means that civilians would either be forced to leave their homes by soldiers on the ground or face starvation and death.
Daqsa was also pictured with Palestinian civilians, as he oversaw the implementation of ethnic cleansing in Jabalia.
Israeli command chain rattled
The only other colonel to be killed in the Gaza Strip, was Colonel Itzhak Ben Bassat, the head of the Golani Brigade chief's forward command team, who was killed along with eight other troops in an ambush in Gaza City's Shujaiya neighborhood, on December 12, 2023.
Facing a crisis in its command chain, after Palestinian Resistance fighters eliminated multiple top-ranking Israeli officers, the Israeli military command appointed the deputy head of the 162nd Division to command the 401st Brigade in the meantime.
Further shedding light on the systematic crisis that Israeli occupation forces suffer from, today's ambush will force Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Ella, the former commander of the 52nd Battalion, who was moderately injured in July, to return to command the battalion after his replacement was seriously wounded on Sunday.
Moreover, Colonel Benny Aharon, who had handed over his position as commander of the 401st Brigade to Daqsa in June 25, 2024, will be brought back to serve as deputy head of the 162nd Division.
Al Mayadeen – October 20, 2024
Gaza broke down Israeli-Gulf ties; region approaches major shift: NYT
Saudi officials are distancing them from the Israeli government due to the war on Gaza, as their ties grow stronger with Iran.
Israeli policies and actions over the past year have prompted a significant shift in regional diplomacy, drawing Saudi Arabia closer to Iran, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in normalization efforts with the Israeli regime, particularly due to its decisions that effectively block the establishment of a Palestinian state, Riyadh now views the prospect of finalizing a US-sponsored deal as increasingly bleak.
Washington has made serious efforts to promote a normalization deal between Tel Aviv and Riyadh, which it believed would reshape the Middle East. However, its performance during the Israeli war on Gaza has shown Saudi officials that the US holds no sway over "Israel".
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi businessman who is close to the monarchy and sits on the advisory board of Neom project, spoke to NYT, shedding light on Riyadh's positions.
He explained that previous normalization efforts, specifically the so-called "Abrahams Accords," were "cosmetic," however they did not present any substantive enduring peace agreement.
Shihabi underlined that some Arab governments agreed to the deals, as they saw through normalizing relations with "Israel as a path to influence in Washington."
"But now we see that the US has no power or influence over Israel — to a humiliating degree,” he underlined, adding that "the Israelis have no intention to create a Palestinian state."
Gaza set back any Israeli integration into the region
According to Shihabi's statements, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the ensuing events in Gaza, "set back any Israeli integration into the region."
As a result of continuous Israeli brutality and crimes against Palestinians, "Saudi Arabia sees that any association with Israel has become more toxic."
Nonetheless, Riyadh has kept the door open to normalization, if the deal secures the establishment of a Palestinian state that it sponsors, which Israelis "have refused," among other interests.
The United Arab Emirates, a leading normalizing state, has sustained relations with "Israel" over the past year, but these ties have recently experienced growing strain.
Last month, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stated that "the United Arab Emirates is not ready to support the day after the war in Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state," in response to "Israel’s" expectation that the UAE would contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction following the war.
Iran reshapes regional ties
Meanwhile, as the prospects of Netanyahu's new Middle East diminish, Iran has mobilized its diplomats in recent weeks, holding high-level talks with officials in the Gulf, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey.
Following Iran's retaliatory strike against the Israeli regime, Tehran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, visited Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey. The visit to Egypt marked the first in 12 years.
"In the region, we now have a common grievance about the threat of the war spreading, and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and the displaced people," Araghchi underlined when he landed in Istanbul.
NYT says that images of Israeli war crimes coming out of Gaza, including "children buried alive under rubble, mothers grieving over their dead babies, and Palestinians starving because Israel had blocked aid," have all contributed to making it impossible for the Saudi leadership to ignore Palestinian statehood.
Although Iran's reproachment is fresh and in its early stages, Shihabi expressed that "as long as the Iranians are reaching a hand out to Riyadh, the Saudi leadership will take it."
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gaza-broke-down-israeli-gulf-ties--region-approaches-major-s
Al Mayadeen – October 20, 2024
Palestinian Resistance decries Arab outlets' role in backing 'Israel'
The Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian Resistance factions condemns the support for "Israel" voiced in certain Arab media outlets.
The Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian Resistance factions issued Sunday a statement condemning the participation of specific Arab channels in broadcasting narratives that serve the Israeli occupation’s agenda and demonize the resistance and its popular base.
In brief remarks, the Joint Operations Room stated, "Granting popular platforms to Israeli war criminals and Arab figures hostile to the resistance to promote their lies, while silencing voices that reflect the true conscience of the Arab nation, is a betrayal to both the Palestinian and Lebanese people."
"It is shameful and painful that certain Arab channels pretend neutrality in the face of unprecedented massacres in modern history being committed on Arab lands against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples," the statement added.
On the other hand, the Joint Operations Room praised the professional conduct of media outlets that align with the truth, support the victims, and distinguish between friend and foe.
These comments come as certain Arab channels and media networks have provided platforms to broadcast narratives that distort the image and journey of resistance leaders. Recently, an Arab channel aired a report that insulted Palestinian resistance leaders and martyrs, sparking widespread popular outrage and protests, leading to actions being taken against the channel.
Hamas also issued a statement describing the report aired by said Arab channel as "dark and inciting against the movement and its leaders." It added that the channel's report represented a "professional and ethical downfall that aligns with Zionist propaganda, which seeks to demonize the resistance and its symbols."
The movement demanded a revision of what it called a "malicious editorial approach" and urged media outlets to focus on the crimes and atrocities being committed by the criminal Zionist entity against the Palestinian people.
Malicious media outlets in Lebanon
Earlier in the month, Ziad Makary, the minister of information in the caretaker government, underscored in a statement the imperative for media outlets and websites to exercise caution and refrain from inciting tensions that could threaten civil peace during times of war.
He said that any inaccurate or misleading information in this catastrophic situation that the country is facing can lead to confusion, fear, and widespread unrest, which could escalate into sectarian conflict.
Makary warned that the Ministry of Information will take appropriate measures if media outlets do not uphold accuracy and sensitivity in their reporting, referencing legal provisions that penalize actions undermining national sentiment or disseminating false information during wartime.
His statement came in response to significant backlash from Lebanese citizens against a news broadcast channel that many believed was inciting violence against those seeking refuge in public facilities, including schools. The channel suggested that members of the Islamic Resistance might be among these refugees, a claim that many viewed as both dangerous and misleading.
On the Path of Martyrdom:
The Heroic Epic of Palestine and the Power of Resistance
By İhsan Aktaş
The meaning of martyrdom for the sake of God had been forgotten by many societies. Wars of independence bring forth countless unsung heroes. During World War I and the Turkish War of Independence, every province and region had hundreds of anonymous heroes with countless stories. Just the other day, Prof. Mazhar Bağlı spoke about the organized role of a mayor and tribes during the liberation of Urfa from French occupation. These historical truths can be seen in every region of our country and in the lost territories of the Ottoman Empire.
Gaza was the last Ottoman stronghold on the Palestinian front. Today, the number of Gazans resting in the Gallipoli Martyrs’ Cemetery is not far from that of our martyrs from Anatolian provinces. While the British fought the Gallipoli campaign with soldiers they forcefully brought from their colonies in India and New Zealand, the Ottoman Empire was fighting with people from across a vast territory—from Palestine to Bosnia and Aleppo.
The 100-year retreat of the Ottoman Empire is a story filled with great suffering for the nations that lost their lands. The colonial era left no country untouched by occupation. Yet, the British continue their lives as if they never had colonies or inflicted such pain on humanity. For instance, the British occupation of and withdrawal from Istanbul is rarely discussed, as if it was occupied and then abandoned by phantoms.
Nations are not just defined by strong leaders but also by their heroes. This nation’s history is filled with unparalleled sacrifices and heroism, unmatched by any other. Yet, due to the cultural hegemony efforts of the imperialists, the names of all heroes, except for Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Abdulhamid, are being erased from our collective memory. Ironically, the children of this nation know Greek gods and Western false heroes by heart.
When the Gaza war started, humanity realized it was facing a new reality. Before the war, the global agenda was filled with materialistic concerns like the stock market, money, Bitcoin, and social media influencers. People questioned, “Why can’t I spend as much as the next person?” or marveled at “America’s dazzling wealth.” Even religious figures were swept away by this relentless tide.
When Israel began committing genocide in Gaza, we encountered something extraordinary: a people who, despite dire conditions, resisted the Israeli vampires. This was a society of faith—people who believed in God, spoke to Him, sought refuge in Him, and proclaimed, “God is enough for us.” The Muslims of Gaza led Muslims elsewhere to reexamine their own faith. Thousands of Christians, moved by the submission of parents who lost their children, converted to Islam.
The people of Gaza, along with leaders like Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and tens of thousands of immortal heroes, reminded humanity that virtues, morality, and deep human values still exist. At the same time, they showed the world how the Zionists, soldiers of Satan, have enslaved it. Today, people protesting the genocide in Palestine in the U.S., UK, and Germany realize that their own countries are as besieged as Gaza. The late Erbakan spent his life warning about how Zionism, like an octopus, has wrapped itself around the world. The Gaza war has made this clearer than ever.
Izz al-Din al-Qassam set out from Egypt, where he was studying, to join the Gallipoli campaign, but the war ended before he could arrive. He returned to his homeland, where he organized his noble people against the occupying British and Zionists, becoming part of the caravan of martyrs that began with Hamza, the Prophet’s uncle.
Every Palestinian leader knows that martyrdom is their destiny. When Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated, it left Muslims in a state of despair. The most painful feeling for a human being is a sense of helplessness in the face of events.
Yet, by the grace of God and the blessing of martyrdom, Yahya Sinwar's lion-hearted resistance to the genocidal forces gave new hope to Palestine’s war for independence.
Today, the global media speaks of the colossal mistake Israel made. People are talking about how martyr Yahya Sinwar became an immortal hero. What one person feels is the same as what all of humanity feels. Western activists, reflecting on Israel and America’s lies about Sinwar, are asking, “How many more lies have they told us?”
At a time when the Muslim world seemed to have lost its vitality, Gaza’s great heroes reminded us of what it means to be a Muslim, to possess virtue, and to live with a deep sense of morality as a servant of God. Yahya Sinwar, like the many great heroes this nation has produced throughout history, showed that even in this era, there are still people like Fahrettin (Fahreddin)Pasha—fighting without fear for the liberation of their people and inspiring a global awakening of hope.
May he rest in paradise. Some have compared him to Omar Mukhtar. Let the imperialists fear for their future. Palestinians will not be extinguished by genocide; their spirits will rise again. And in the world you worship and the afterlife you perversely believe in, peace will be forbidden to you.
Fahreddin Pasha:
Ottoman officer who defended the holy lands with all he had
by Erhan Afyoncu
Fahreddin Pasha, who defended Medina during World War I against the British even after the Ottomans surrendered, is one of many heroes who helped the nation stand against the occupying forces
Fahreddin Pasha, nicknamed "The Tiger of the Desert," is one of the most important figures in the history of Turkish people, and his defense of Medina is one of the most flattering events in this history. Süleyman Beyoğlu wrote an important doctoral dissertation about Fahreddin Pasha based on archival resources. Birol Ülker also elaborated on Fahreddin Pasha's defense of Medina and his locust-eating story in one of his articles.
Sacred relics
After Sharif of Mecca Hussein bin Ali started preparing for a rebellion, Fahreddin Pasha was deployed to Medina on May 28, 1916. Fahreddin Pasha reached Medina before the rebels and took defensive measures there. Bin Ali destroyed the railway and telegraph lines around Medina on June 3. Although he attacked Medina's outposts on June 5-6, he was repelled. When Fahreddin Pasha was defending Medina, the first thing he did was send the sacred relics in the city and some manuscripts to Istanbul so that the enemy would not seize them. Most of these manuscripts had already been sent by Ottoman administrators to the libraries in Medina. About 500 manuscripts are currently kept in the Medina Library of Topkapı Palace.
During his stay in Medina, Fahreddin Pasha had close relations with the Arabs in the region and took them into his service. However, Mecca was seized by the rebels as a result of the insurgency that escalated because of the incompetence of the governor, Galib Pasha. Moreover, the rebels occupied cities outside Medina in a short time. Fahreddin Pasha, on the other hand, continued to defend the city despite limited means.
Fried grasshopper
Medina Castle was besieged after the rebels' seizure of Mudawwara Station of the Hijaz Railway near Mecca. So, Fahreddin Pasha started to defend the fortress, which was cut off from its surroundings in the middle of the desert. Since they could not receive aid, they started suffering from hunger, thirst and diseases. Following these conditions, Fahreddin Pasha issued a communiqué on June 7, 1918, about eating grasshoppers:
"What is different from a sparrow in a grasshopper? There are no feathers of it, but it has wings like a sparrow and flies like it, feeds on plants, eats clean and fresh things, and it enjoys both tobacco and lemon. The main food of Bedouins is the grasshopper, and they owe their health and fitness to the grasshoppers they eat."
Fahreddin Pasha, who reportedly had doctors analyze grasshoppers, described grasshopper meals prepared in four different ways after he had praised the creature's characteristics.
Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire, which accepted defeat, signed the Armistice of Mudros on Oct. 30, 1918. According to its conditions, Fahreddin Pasha, who was asked to deliver Medina, did not accept it. He defended Medina for 72 more days after Mudros and did not surrender. Then, Istanbul displaced him and replaced him with Colonel Ali Najib who carried out negotiations on surrender. However, the British and Arabs laid Fahreddin Pasha's surrender as a condition.
Then, Ali Najib agreed with the British to hand over the pasha. Ali Najib and his entourage went to Fahreddin Pasha, who had not surrendered, somewhere near the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. Fahreddin Pasha thought that they had come to ask him how he was doing, but instead they threw ash on his face, jumped him, tied him up and handed him to the British on Jan. 10, 1919. Fahreddin Pasha said this incident was the most painful day of his life.
Tiger of the Desert in Afghanistan
The defender of Medina, Fahreddin Pasha, whose full name was Ömer Fahreddin, was born in 1868 in Ruse, in modern Bulgaria. After graduating from military school in 1891, he joined the Ottoman army as a staff captain. He served on various fronts during the Balkan Wars and World War I. Due to his brave defense of Medina, he earned the sobriquet "Tiger of the Desert." On Jan 27, 1919, he was taken to Egypt as a war prisoner. On Aug 5, 1919, he was exiled to Malta and held captive for two years and 33 days.
Despite the British, he refused to take his Ottoman army uniform off, saying: "I have not taken this uniform off since I graduated from military school." While in exile, he was sentenced to death by the Nemrud Mustafa court, which was set up by the occupying forces. He was freed by the efforts of the newly founded Ankara government on Apr. 8, 1921. After serving in Russia for a while, he then returned to Anatolia.
On Nov. 9, 1921, he was appointed to the Turkish Embassy in Afghanistan and improved Afghan-Turkish friendship during his service. He returned to Turkey on May 12, 1926, and worked at the Court of Military Appeals. On Feb. 5, 1936, he retired as a major general and died of a heart attack on Nov. 22, 1948. He currently rests in Aşiyan Graveyard.
'Oh Allah's prophet, I'll never leave you'
Before the siege of Medina Castle began, the Istanbul government asked Fahreddin Pasha to evacuate the castle, but Fahreddin Pasha said: "I would never bring the Turkish flag down from Medina Castle with my own hands. If you want this castle to be evacuated, better to bring another commander out here."
During the siege, Fahreddin Pasha is said to have prayed constantly over the tomb of the prophet. He was often heard saying: "Rise, rise Muhammad. Rise, the prophet of Allah! And be seen to those who believe you and fight in your name. Bring Allah's help to us."
On Apr. 2, 1918, Fahreddin Pasha gave a Friday sermon wrapped in a Turkish flag and said while pointing to the tomb of Muhammad: "Oh Allah's prophet, I will never leave you."
Published on December 22, 2017