[IMPORTANT] Hamas launches foot assault against settlements.

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Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Poland, he will be arrested in accordance with the country’s commitment to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Bartoszewski’s comments came in a Friday conversation with the Polish economic and legal newspaper Rzeczpospolita regarding the preparations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which is set to take place this January 27.

The anniversary is typically a major state event. However, Israeli officials declined to confirm whether Netanyahu would be permitted at the event, and President Isaac Herzog’s participation also seems unlikely.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch will be the only Israeli government representative at the anniversary.

Polish sources told Rzeczpospolita that Warsaw was enforcing the warrants due to its wish to see Russian President Vladimir Putin stand before the court. The court issued a warrant for Putin in 2022 over the kidnapping of Ukrainian children from occupied Ukraine.

A substantial 74% of Israelis believe that Israel should pursue a comprehensive deal to secure the return of all hostages, even if it requires halting the fighting in Gaza, according to a new Ma’ariv poll published on Friday. The poll was conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in partnership with Panel4All.

Among opposition voters, support reaches 84%, while 57% of coalition voters agree. In contrast, only 16% favor a partial deal, and 10% remain undecided.

The poll also found that 61% of Israelis think the IDF should remain stationed in areas near the Syrian border as long as necessary until the situation in Syria stabilizes. Support for this position is highest among coalition voters at 75%, compared to 57% among opposition voters. Meanwhile, 25% back staying for a limited duration, while 14% are unsure.

The survey was conducted on December 18–19 and included 500 respondents representing Israel’s adult population, both Jewish and Arab, aged 18 and older. The maximum sampling error is ±4.4%.

substantial 74% of Israelis believe that Israel should pursue a comprehensive deal to secure the return of all hostages, even if it requires halting the fighting in Gaza, according to a new Ma’ariv poll published on Friday. The poll was conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in partnership with Panel4All.
Quote from the above ..
The Source of this article is the Jeruselum post A
israeli media Outlet . Given the current state of Genocide and the Wartime antics they forced upon the MiddleEast.
And the multiple political excuses they used to maintain their War of Genocide and oppression ..
Whom would take much value anything Israeli media reported on. Maybe they should be reporting on the families they have killed and destroyed . And methods of charity to support those whom they have displaced and destroyed.
And how they might make Wartime reparations to countries and the people whom suffered loses.?

When you publish Propaganda...The winners get to decide the history of the conflict..Through Propaganda.
When it comes to Genocide and the results, It is important to not let the Country committing the Genocide off the hook ever,,! As demostrated by the Israeli / Jewish Phenomina. Not ever letting WW2 genocide to rest . And so the world needs to never forget, What Israel has done .
If it smells like propaganda and it looks like it too. ..Am not likely to like any propaganda in which many thousands of people have been made to die . Especially if part of their MO (method of Operation)is to confuse their own populations to justify such activities .

When you publish Propaganda...The winners get to decide the history of the conflict..Through Propaganda.
When it comes to Genocide and the results, It is important to not let the Country committing the Genocide off the hook ever,,! As demostrated by the Israeli / Jewish Phenomina. Not ever letting WW2 genocide to rest . And so the world needs to never forget, What Israel has done .
If it smells like propaganda and it looks like it too. ..Am not likely to like any propaganda in which many thousands of people have been made to die . Especially if part of their MO (method of Operation)is to confuse their own populations to justify such activities .

If Israel is committing genocide, then they are doing a particularly bad job of it.

The United States on Saturday said it struck targets in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, hours after a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck and wounded people in the central Israel city of Tel Aviv.

The missile, which wounded 16 people, was the second such attack in two days.

Among the targets of US forces was a Houthi missile storage center and a “command-and-control facility,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

It said that it had conducted the strikes “to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations,” such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.

American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said, shortly after the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV channel reported that an “aggression” had targeted the Attan district of Sanaa, blaming Western forces.

Following the strikes on Houthi targets, the US military said that two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting the Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. CENTCOM did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn’t specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

From the military’s description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s national security adviser pick warns that those who take American hostages will think twice come January 20 because the costs will outweigh the benefits.

In a podcast interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, Rep. Mike Waltz notes that the four remaining American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have been held longer than the captives during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979.

“That’s totally unacceptable, and I think writ large, there has never been enough consequences,” says Waltz. “That’s what we need to be talking about with these people. [If] You take an American,… There is going to be all hell to pay. There are going to be nothing but consequences for you financially, and maybe even a bullet in your damn forehead.”

“The next time you think about it… a lot of these groups are going to say, ‘Woah, it’s just not worth it under Donald Trump,'” he predicts.

“If the bad guys are incentivized to take more because they keep getting more, then they’re going to keep doing it. If the bad guys feel nothing but cost and pain for taking our people, they’re going to stop doing it,” Waltz summarizes.

Later in the interview, the top Trump aide hails Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular for the operation that simultaneously detonated Hezbollah’s communication devices en masse in what resulted in the maiming of thousands of its operatives.

A 60 Minutes broadcast on Sunday evening confirmed many of the details behind the beeper and walkie-talkie sabotage attack against Hezbollah: the operation began over a decade ago, with the Mossad initially weaponizing walkie-talkies sold to the Iranian-backed proxy terrorist group.
The beeper and walkie-talkie attack sent Hezbollah reeling and was credited for giving Israel an extra opening for a bombing campaign that brought the Lebanese terrorist group to its knees.

The Jerusalem Post exclusively reported on many of the details revealed in 60 Minutes on December 2. The original plan for the walkie-talkies could have led to not merely wounding over 3,000 Hezbollah operatives, but killing over 15,000, as reported by the Post, or 16,000, per 60 Minutes.

Several top Israeli sources believe that if the walkie-talkie program had been used in October 2023, it could actually have killed around 15,000 Hezbollah terrorists, dwarfing even the impressive results that came after a year of fighting.

In this reading of history, Hezbollah could have been defeated in October 2023, avoiding the need for 14 months of war with the terrorist group, along with the need to evacuate 80,000 northern Israeli residents for months on end.

Other top sources, including from the Mossad, told the Post that the cards were not lined up in October 2023 for this operation and that the walkie-talkie sabotage would not have had maximal results at the time – making the beepers a better bet in September 2024.

60 Minutes interviewed two Mossad agents said to be involved in the two sabotage projects. One of them, dubbed “Michael,” told 60 Minutes, “A walkie-talkie was a weapon just like a bullet or a missile… Inside the battery, there is an explosive device… made in Israel.” “Michael” is a former Mossad case officer whose identity was concealed during the interview.

The agents confirmed to 60 Minutes prior reports published by The New York Times and the Post about how Mossad developed shell companies to sell these devices covertly. “We create a pretend world,” said Michael.

“We are the directors, producers, and main actors; the world is our stage.” He explained this fake world as similar to The Truman Show, the hit 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey, which tells the story of a man living from birth in a huge television studio, filled with live cameras broadcasting to the world.

From walkie-talkies to pagers
By 2022, Mossad shifted its focus to pagers from walkie-talkies, which Hezbollah used for communication. “Hezbollah still uses pagers because they’re simple and difficult to hack,” explained “Gabriel” to 60 Minutes, another former Mossad agent.

Gabriel’s team modified commercially available pagers, embedding explosives while retaining their functionality. The 60 Minutes interview provided a detailed account of Mossad’s extensive tests to ensure the device only harmed its user and not bystanders.

It further revealed that to make the bulky pagers appealing, Mossad created a marketing campaign with fake YouTube ads promoting them as “robust, dustproof, and waterproof.”
Although the Post understands that top Mossad echelons were entirely in favor of the program, Gabriel told 60 Minutes that he initially received skepticism from his superiors: “Our director [David Barnea] told us, ‘There is no chance anyone will buy such a big device.’ It took two weeks to convince him.” Ultimately, the pagers were sold to Hezbollah through intermediaries, as the terrorist group remained unaware of their origins.

The moment of activation
At 3:30 p.m. on September 17, 2024, Mossad remotely activated the explosive pagers across Lebanon. According to 60 Minutes, those carrying the devices received an encrypted message instructing them to press two buttons, triggering the explosion. “If they didn’t push the buttons, it would still explode,” Gabriel explained.
The coordinated blasts caused mayhem, with hospitals overwhelmed by thousands of injured fighters. “People were afraid to turn on their air conditioners the next day because they thought they might explode,” said Michael, emphasizing the psychological toll.
One day later, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies that had been dormant for over a decade; some went off during funerals for those killed by the pagers. The two operations injured approximately 3,000 Hezbollah operatives, killed 30, and left the organization demoralized and in disarray.

The Mossad agents revealed to 60 Minutes that a few children were mistakenly killed, out of the thousands of explosives. “The aim wasn’t to kill,” Gabriel said. “It was to leave Hezbollah with thousands of wounded, proof of our superiority.” The Post understands that this latest statement is debated, given that the walkie-talkies had the ability to kill, but some sources did agree with Gabriel’s characterization.

Israel pounded Gaza overnight with deadly attacks targeting displaced people in two camps and a school, as it ordered the forced evacuation of one of the last hospitals barely operating in the enclave’s besieged north.

The military launched a wave of attacks on the so-called “safe zone” of al-Mawasi in the south, setting refugee tents ablaze in a drone attack that killed seven people, with further strikes on a civilian car and a vehicle carrying security personnel killing four others.

In separate attacks, the military targeted a school housing displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, quadcopters and armoured vehicles firing at the building early on Monday, killing one person.

The military also killed four people in an area north of the camp, according to Al Jazeera Arabic and Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The raids capped a bloody 24 hours in the Strip, with medical sources telling Al Jazeera Arabic that a total of 50 people had been killed since early Sunday.

As the attacks continued, the military ordered the closure and forced evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, endangering about 400 civilians, including babies in incubators.

The hospital is one of the few still functioning in the north, where thousands of people have been trapped under a punishing siege for nearly three months.

Wafa reported on Sunday that Israeli forces had been targeting the hospital with bombs, artillery shells and sniper fire, specifically striking the women’s, maternity, and neonatal wards, killing three civilians.

The head of the hospital, Hussam Abu Safia, told news agency Reuters that the military was directly targeting fuel tanks, which could potentially “cause a large explosion and mass casualties of the civilians inside”.

Obeying the order to shut down was “next to impossible” because there were not enough ambulances to get patients out, he said.

Palestinian armed group Hamas said the military’s attacks on Kamal Adwan and threats to forcefully remove patients, the injured and displaced people, were “a crime of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement”.

Attacks on ‘safe’ places
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said: “We are in a situation right now where a marked evacuation zone is not safe for displaced people, not the evacuation zone in al-Mawasi, not schools, not shelters, not even hospitals.”

“We are seeing repeated attacks on these particular designated areas for the past month,” he said. “What we’re seeing right now is highlighting the vulnerability of really … traumatised, displaced civilians in these areas.”

Charity Oxfam said on Sunday that Israeli authorities have allowed only 12 aid trucks into northern Gaza in the past two and a half months.

“Deliberate delays and systematic obstructions” by the military meant that only 12 of the “meagre” 34 trucks allowed to enter the zone had been able to distribute aid to starving Palestinians.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Sunday that there had been an “escalation” in Israel’s war on Gaza over the past 24 hours.

In a post on X, he reiterated his calls for a ceasefire, saying “the world must not become numb”.

The line appears on no map and exists in no official military order. While senior Israel Defense Forces officials might deny its existence, in the heart of the Gaza Strip, north of the Netzarim corridor, nothing is more real.

"The forces in the field call it 'the line of dead bodies'" a commander in Division 252 tells Haaretz. "After shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them. In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that's where you must not go."

The Netzarim corridor, a seven-kilometer-wide strip of land, stretches from near Kibbutz Be'eri to the Mediterranean coast. The IDF has emptied this area of Palestinian residents and demolished their homes to construct military roads and military positions.

While Palestinians are officially prohibited from entering, the reality is more severe than a simple exclusion zone. "It's military whitewashing," explains a senior officer in Division 252, who has served three reserve rotations in Gaza. "The division commander designated this area as a 'kill zone.' Anyone who enters is shot."

A recently discharged Division 252 officer describes the arbitrary nature of this boundary: "For the division, the kill zone extends as far as a sniper can see." But the issue goes beyond geography. "We're killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists," he says. "The IDF spokesperson's announcements about casualty numbers have turned this into a competition between units. If Division 99 kills 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200."

These accounts of indiscriminate killing and the routine classification of civilian casualties as terrorists emerged repeatedly in Haaretz's conversations with recent Gaza veterans.

"Calling ourselves the world's most moral army absolves soldiers who know exactly what we're doing," says a senior reserve commander who has recently returned from the Netzarim corridor. "It means ignoring that for over a year, we've operated in a lawless space where human life holds no value. Yes, we commanders and combatants are participating in the atrocity unfolding in Gaza. Now everyone must face this reality."

While this officer doesn't regret mobilizing after October 7 ("we went into a just war"), he insists the Israeli public deserves the full picture. "People need to know what this war really looks like, what serious acts some commanders and fighters are committing inside Gaza. They need to know the inhuman scenes we're witnessing."

Haaretz has gathered testimonies from active-duty soldiers, career officers, and reservists that reveal the unprecedented authority given to commanders. As the IDF operates across multiple fronts, division commanders have received expanded powers. Previously, bombing buildings or launching airstrikes required approval from the IDF chief of staff. Now, such decisions can be made by lower-ranking officers.

"Division commanders now have almost unlimited firepower authority in combat zones," explains a veteran officer in Division 252. "A battalion commander can order drone strikes, and a division commander can launch conquest operations." Some sources describe IDF units operating like independent militias, unrestricted by standard military protocols.

'We took him to the cage'
The chaotic reality has repeatedly forced commanders and fighters to face severe moral dilemmas. "The order was clear: 'Anyone crossing the bridge into the [Netzarim] corridor gets a bullet in the head,'" recalls a veteran fighter from Division 252.

"One time, guards spotted someone approaching from the south. We responded as if it was a large militant raid. We took positions and just opened fire. I'm talking about dozens of bullets, maybe more. For about a minute or two, we just kept shooting at the body. People around me were shooting and laughing."

But the incident didn't end there. "We approached the blood-covered body, photographed it, and took the phone. He was just a boy, maybe 16." An intelligence officer collected the items, and hours later, the fighters learned the boy wasn't a Hamas operative – but just a civilian.

"That evening, our battalion commander congratulated us for killing a terrorist, saying he hoped we'd kill ten more tomorrow," the fighter adds. "When someone pointed out he was unarmed and looked like a civilian, everyone shouted him down. The commander said: 'Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone's a terrorist.' This deeply troubled me – did I leave my home to sleep in a mouse-infested building for this? To shoot unarmed people?"

Similar incidents continue to surface. An officer in Division 252's command recalls when the IDF spokesperson announced their forces had killed over 200 militants. "Standard procedure requires photographing bodies and collecting details when possible, then sending evidence to intelligence to verify militant status or at least confirm they were killed by the IDF," he explains. "Of those 200 casualties, only ten were confirmed as known Hamas operatives. Yet no one questioned the public announcement about killing hundreds of militants."

Another fighter describes witnessing four unarmed people walking normally, spotted by a surveillance drone. Despite clearly not appearing as militants, a tank advanced and opened fire with its machine gun. "Hundreds of bullets," he recalls. Three died immediately ("the sight haunts me," he says), while the fourth survived and raised his hands in surrender.

"We put him in a cage set up near our position, stripped off his clothes, and left him there," the soldier recounts. "Soldiers passing by spat on him. It was disgusting. Finally, a military interrogator came, questioned him briefly while holding a gun to his head, then ordered his release." The man had simply been trying to reach his uncles in northern Gaza. "Later, officers praised us for killing 'terrorists.' I couldn't understand what they meant," the fighter says.

After a day or two, the bodies were buried by a bulldozer in the sand. "I don't know if anyone remembers they're there. People don't understand – this doesn't just kill Arabs, it kills us too. If called back to Gaza, I don't think I'll go."

In another incident, observation posts spotted two people walking toward Wadi Gaza, an area designated as restricted. A drone revealed they were carrying a white flag and walking with raised hands. The deputy battalion commander ordered troops to shoot to kill. When one commander protested, pointing out the white flag and suggesting they might be hostages, he was overruled. "I don't know what a white flag is, shoot to kill," the deputy commander, a reservist from Brigade 5, insisted. The two people eventually turned back south, but the protesting commander was berated as a coward.

These invisible boundaries north and south of the corridor appear frequently in testimonies. Even soldiers manning ambush positions say they weren't always clear where these lines were drawn. "Anyone approaching whatever line was decided at that moment is considered a threat – no permission needed to shoot."

This approach isn't limited to Division 252. A Division 99 reservist describes watching a drone feed showing "an adult with two children crossing the forbidden line." They were walking unarmed, seemingly searching for something. "We had them under complete surveillance with the drone and weapons aimed at them – they couldn't do anything," he says. "Suddenly we heard a massive explosion. A combat helicopter had fired a missile at them. Who thinks it's legitimate to fire a missile at children? And with a helicopter? This is pure evil."

Most commanders interviewed say the air force initially acted as a restraining force, especially regarding drone strikes. They would refuse attacks on unconfirmed targets, populated areas, and humanitarian shelters. However, this caution eroded over time. "The air force barely questions anything anymore; their safety mechanisms have collapsed too," one commander states.

Division 252 found ways around air force oversight using a "magic word" – the "flash procedure," an officer familiar with operations explains. Designed for forces under fire or evacuating casualties, it guarantees an airstrike within 30 minutes with no approvals needed. Any officer from battalion commander up could invoke it. "When targeting requests were denied for various reasons, Brigadier General Yehuda Vach would tell us to use the 'flash procedure,'" the officer says.

Wild West on Steroids
Vach, 45, born in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, rose through elite military units before commanding the IDF's Officers Training School. Promoted to brigadier general last summer, he took charge of Division 252. His first address to commanders at a corridor outpost revealed much.

"His worldview and political positions were clearly driving his operational decisions," a veteran officer present recalls. Another officer described him as a "small Napoleon" unsuited for division command: "The role requires judgment ... we knew immediately he lacked it, but didn't realize how badly."

Days later, Vach declared "there are no innocents in Gaza," according to one officer. While such sentiment isn't uncommon among soldiers, with Vach "it wasn't just opinion – it became operational doctrine: everyone's a terrorist." He told his commanders that "in the Middle East, victory comes through conquering territory. We must keep conquering until we win."

Under Vach, the Wild West atmosphere intensified. The "kill zone" boundary shifted constantly – "500 meters here today, 500 meters there tomorrow," says one fighter. While other units also broke rules, officers say Vach went further.

One of the concepts he introduced was declaring anyone entering the kill zone a terrorist conducting reconnaissance. "Every woman is a scout, or a man in disguise," an officer explains. "Vach even decided anyone on a bicycle could be killed, claiming cyclists were terrorists' collaborators."

His private initiative to forcibly move northern Gaza's population south lacked official authorization. "We searched for operational orders but found nothing," a command officer says. "They eventually stopped him."

After reports of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death, Vach shared disturbing fantasies during a command briefing about mutilating and desecrating the body. "How they should have stripped him, placed him in the city square, cut up the corpse and wash it in sewage water. He tried to explain how to cut and dismember the body," an officer recalls. "This wasn't a joke – this was a formal assessment meeting. His commanders stood shocked silent,"

Division staff repeatedly sought intervention from Southern Command chief Major General Yaron Finkelman over Vach's conduct, but Vach seemed to disregard even Finkelman's authority.

In early November, Vach's division left the corridor, replaced by Division 99. Before their final rotation ended, officers demanded explanations for his unauthorized "kill line" and other actions. "This is unprecedented – conducting war with everyone doing whatever they want in their sector. Operations launched without proper orders or procedures, just because Vach decided," an officer present says.

Vach obsessed over a "an image of victory" – not Israel's, but his own. He believed emptying northern Gaza of Palestinians would be his triumph. "We didn't meet the goal," he admitted in December. His attempt to drive out 250,000 residents clinging to their homes largely failed, with only hundreds crossing south.

He told officers that Palestinians must lose their land to learn from Hamas' October 7 massacre. "First he talked about expelling everyone south, thinking he'd implement the Generals' Plan alone," a commander recalls. When that proved impossible, he sought alternatives. None materialized.

In March, Vach is set to return with Division 252 to the Netzarim corridor.

The IDF on Thursday denied the statements attributed to Vach, saying that the army "has been operating for several months in the [Netzarim] corridor area in central Gaza against the Hamas terrorist organization, carrying out intensive operational activity. All activities and operations of IDF forces in Gaza, including in the Netzarim corridor, are carried out in accordance with established command procedures, with plans approved, and operational orders given by the highest level of command.

Israel will submit to the United Nations within the next several days a report detailing the abuses suffered by Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. The report is based on testimonies from the hostages who were released in the first deal with Hamas, in November of last year, as well as testimonies from several of the eight hostages who were freed in Israeli rescue operations. Among other things, it includes evidence that Palestinian guards branded the skin of hostages to mark them.

The report was prepared by the Health Ministry on the basis of dozens of testimonies collected from hostages after their release or rescue, by medical teams, psychologists and social workers. In some cases, the report includes statements that were gathered after a relatively lengthy period, as it took some time for some of the hostages to agree to describe in detail what they endured in captivity.

Most of the hostages who were interviewed were held captive for about eight weeks; the exceptions are those who were rescued later.

The report provides detailed evidence of the harsh treatment the hostages suffered: physical and mental abuse, starvation, torture and humiliation, as well as testimony and evidence of sexual assaults against women, men and children.

Many of the hostages said that they suffered from a lack of food throughout their captivity, to the point of starvation. However, in their last days in Gaza, before their release in a deal, their captors provided them with large amounts of food to look better after their release, in a way that damaged their health.

The hostages also testified about the denial of medical treatment for chronic problems, the receipt of poor care, treatment without anesthesia and the denial of medicines. Throughout their period of captivity, Israel made attempts to transfer medicines through the Red Cross, but Hamas did not cooperate with the initiative.

Many of the hostages returned from Gaza suffering from unusual infectious diseases and from digestive issues, due to the poor hygienic conditions in which they were held and the lack of adequate treatment. Others reported that they were kept tied up for a long period, without any kind of light.

A few returned with burns on their bodies made by their captors with a heated piece of iron. Many of the hostages are contending with long-term psychological problems as a result of their time in captivity, and will need supportive treatment for a long time.

A person who was involved in collecting the testimonies told Haaretz that after reviewing the report, it is impossible not to think about the hostages remaining in Gaza, many of whom are suffering from similar treatment for a period of time that is approximately nine times longer than that of the hostages who were released in November 2023.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement despite progress reported by both sides in past days.

Hamas said that Israel had laid down further conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of going back on understandings already reached.

“The occupation has set new conditions related to withdrawal, ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of the displaced, which has delayed reaching the agreement that was available,” Hamas said.

It added that it was showing flexibility and that the talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, were serious.

Netanyahu countered in a statement: “The Hamas terrorist organization continues to lie, is reneging on understandings that have already been reached, and is continuing to create difficulties in the negotiations.”

Israel will, however, continue relentless efforts to return hostages, he added.

Israeli negotiators returned to Israel from Qatar on Tuesday evening for consultations about a hostage deal after a significant week of talks, Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.

The U.S. and Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up efforts to conclude a phased deal in the past two weeks. One of the challenges has been agreements on Israeli troop deployments.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking with commanders in southern Gaza, said on Wednesday that Israel will retain security control of the enclave, including by means of buffer zones and controlling posts.

Hamas is demanding an end to the war, while Israel says it wants to end Hamas’ rule of the enclave first, to ensure it will no longer pose a threat to Israelis.

Israel keeps up military pressure
Meanwhile Israeli forces kept up pressure on the northern Gaza Strip, in one of the most punishing campaigns of the 14-month war, including around three hospitals on the northern edge of the enclave, in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia.

Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone. Israel denies this and says it has instructed civilians to leave those areas for their own safety while its troops battle Hamas militants.

Israeli strikes killed at least 24 people across Gaza on Wednesday, health officials said. One strike hit a former school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City’s suburb of Sheikh Radwan, they added.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas militant operating in the area of Al-Furqan in Gaza City.

Several Palestinians were killed and wounded in the Al-Mawasi area, an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, where the military said it was targeting another Hamas operative.