Al Mayadeen – May 21, 2025
Israeli Army prepares for ground assault to take over Gaza within two months
"Israel," with US coordination, is preparing a major ground assault on Gaza under Operation Gideon’s Chariots, aiming for full occupation and the displacement of Palestinians.
Israeli sources have confirmed that the Israeli occupation army is preparing for a large-scale ground assault on the Gaza Strip, aiming to seize control of the entire territory and forcibly displace its residents.
The planned invasion, part of the ongoing Operation Gideon’s Chariots, marks a significant escalation in the occupation's military assaults. Gideon’s Chariots is a military campaign aimed at seizing full control of the Gaza Strip.
According to sources cited by Israel Hayom, the intensive ground assault is expected to last approximately two months.
Following that, over a month, the Israeli occupation army intends to occupy the territory, aiming to reduce the area where civilians can remain and concentrate.
This phase of the Gaza Strip invasion is designed to minimize the presence of the Palestinian population while maximizing military occupation, reflecting a broader objective to alter the demographic and strategic landscape of the enclave.
The same sources indicated that "Israel" is working to accelerate the displacement of Gaza residents beyond the Strip’s borders. According to the report, this plan is being developed in coordination with the United States, suggesting an international dimension to the ongoing forced displacement in Gaza.
In parallel, preparations are underway for the possible return of the Israeli delegation from Doha, despite recent negotiations that had taken place there.
Earlier, the Israeli occupation army announced the commencement of the first phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, a military campaign aimed at seizing full control of the Gaza Strip.
PIJ conducts top-tier op. in Gaza
In turn, Palestinian Resistance groups announced on Tuesday several operations against Israeli troops, as the latter launched their wide-scale ground invasion of Gaza, further escalating the genocide against Palestinians.
Palestinian Resistance fighters detonated a pre-planted GBU-39/B bomb abandoned by Israeli forces, destroying an Israeli military vehicle during its advance on al-Muntar Street in Gaza City's al-Shuja'iyya neighborhood on May 12, al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, reported.
In the same context, Abu Khaled, the spokesperson for the Martyr Omar al-Qassim Forces, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), confirmed that one of their combat units, operating in northwestern Gaza, set up a well-planned ambush for an Israeli infantry patrol in the al-Atatra area.
Abu Khaled explained that the area had been rigged with explosive devices. The fighters lured the advancing troops
into the ambush, where they opened fire and detonated the explosives beneath the soldiers, causing direct casualties. The Israeli force was forced to call for drone-supported reinforcements.
Gaza Health Ministry reports 82 martyrs in past 24 hours
Since the beginning of the Israeli genocide on October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has reached 53,655, with 121,950 people injured.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 82 Palestinians were martyred and 262 others injured in the past 24 hours amid "Israel's" relentless bombardment across the Strip.
Since the beginning of the Israeli assault on October 7, 2023, the death toll has reached 53,655, with 121,950 people injured.
Since March 18, the date "Israel" broke the ceasefire and resumed the genocide, 3,509 Palestinians were killed and 9,909 wounded, reflecting a sharp escalation in the intensity of attacks.
It's worth noting that more than 30 Palestinians have been killed since midnight as the Israeli occupation intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip amid the latest wave of attacks focused heavily on the southern regions, particularly Khan Younis and Rafah, resulting in widespread civilian casualties and destruction of residential areas.
In the past few hours, 11 Palestinians were killed and 13 injured when a house on al-Nuzha Street in Jabalia al-Balad, northern Gaza, was targeted. In a separate strike on a building opposite Sultan Tower in the same area, a child was killed and 22 others were wounded.
The Israeli occupation also targeted a house near the Othman Mosque in the Bir al-Na'ja area, west of Jabalia camp, carrying out an airstrike on another home at the entrance to Bir al-Na'ja in the al-Faluja area, west of the camp.
The occupation also carried out an airstrike targeting areas surrounding the al-Faluja cemetery west of Jabalia camp, amid continued artillery shelling and gunfire towards areas northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Moreover, since midnight, occupation forces launched a series of strikes across the Gaza Strip, with a heavy focus on Khan Younis in the south, particularly its eastern areas, which had previously been threatened with evacuation orders.
Artillery shelling struck northern Rafah and Khan Younis, while Israeli warplanes targeted the region's southern and eastern districts.
Resistance factions affirm Gaza steadfastness amid Israeli army campaigns
Palestinian Resistance factions warn of "Israel's" attempts to forcibly displace Gaza residents under the guise of 'military operations', calling for urgent Arab and Islamic action.
Palestinian Resistance factions have issued a warning against "Israel’s" ongoing attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, accusing the occupation of using its military operations as a cover for mass expulsion.
In a statement released Wednesday, the factions cautioned the Palestinian people against falling for the occupation's attempts to push them into the southern part of the Strip, describing it as a prelude to a broader forced displacement plan.
The Resistance factions denounced "Israel’s" expanding war on the Gaza Strip under the so-called 'Gideonﾒs Chariots' operation, launched on May 18. They asserted that this military campaign, like previous efforts, will fail in its objective to uproot the Palestinian people.
They affirmed the steadfastness of Palestinians in Gaza, declaring that the people remain firmly attached to their land and will not abandon it despite the ongoing aggression.
The factions called on Arab and Islamic leaders and their nations to "break the suspicious silence" and take immediate, practical action, including lifting the siege on Gaza by allowing the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and field hospitals to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Solidarity across the region praised
In their statement, the Resistance factions extended their gratitude to the Yemeni army and the Ansar Allah movement, praising their “sincere stance” and active participation in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
They also hailed the resilience of the Palestinian population and the courage of the Resistance fighters who continue to defend Gaza and confront the Israeli occupation on the ground.
Concluding their message, the factions reiterated their call to the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nations, and all free people around the world, to join the "sacred battle" and stand firmly with Palestine against ongoing aggression and displacement.
As Gideon’s Chariots unfolds, the Resistance warns that the true objective is not mere military control, but the systematic erasure of Palestinian presence in Gaza, a plan the people are determined to resist.
Iran Parliament approves strategic partnership agreement with Russia
Iran's Parliament has approved a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia by consensus, signaling a significant step towards deepening bilateral ties between the two countries.
The 20-year strategic partnership treaty was approved on Wednesday, by a vote of 191 in favor to eight against, with two abstentions.
The agreement was signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow last January.
In April, Russia’s lower house of parliament ratified the pact.
When the treaty was signed in January, the Russian leader said it was a “breakthrough document,” and the Iranian president said it would “open a new chapter in relations between Iran and Russia in all fields.”
It provides the legal framework for the long-term development of cooperation in areas ranging from defense, energy, finance, and transportation to industries, agriculture, culture, science, and technology.
Based on the treaty, Russia and Iran are committed to helping each other counter common “security threats” and exchange intelligence in that direction.
The agreement also stipulates that if either side is subjected to aggression, the other will not provide “assistance to the aggressor.”
Iran and Russia, as two close and strategic allies, have deepened relations in various fields, despite heavy Western sanctions.
