Middle East Madness > Gaza war will not end until Hamas disarms - Bibi; Europe snaps sanctions back on Iran's nuclear program

 

Netanyahu says Gaza war will not end until Hamas disarms

Middle East

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel's war on Gaza would not end until Hamas disarms in a Saturday night TV interview. It came as the US State Department said it had "credible reports" that Hamas was planning an attack against Gaza civilians, warning that would be a "ceasefire violation". No details of the threat were provided.

Hamas will not disarm until they are all dead - the writing is on the wall! Or is it? Maybe they are holding out for a big, fat paycheck?

The war in Gaza would not be over until Hamas was disarmed and the Palestinian territory demilitarised, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday.

On Sunday, Israel announced the identity of one of two dead hostages returned by Hamas the previous day as 54-year-old Ronen Engel.

The military "informed the family of hostage Ronen Engel... that their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed", Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Israel would spare no effort "until all the fallen hostages are repatriated", it added.

The issue of the dead hostages still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel has linked the reopening of the key Rafah crossing to the territory to the recovery of the hostages' remains.

Netanyahu cautioned that completing the ceasefire's second phase was essential to ending the war and involved the disarming of Hamas and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.

"When that is successfully completed – hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way – then the war will end," he added in an appearance on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.

Hamas has so far resisted the idea and since the pause in fighting has moved to reassert its control over Gaza.

The US State Department on Saturday said it had "credible reports" that Hamas was planning an imminent attack against civilians in Gaza, warning that would be a "ceasefire violation".

"Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," it said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature or target of such an attack.

Rafah crossing closed

Under the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has so far released all 20 living hostages, along with the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 other bodies of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10.

Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies, which it says are buried under Gaza's rubble.

Netanyahu's office said he had "directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice".

"Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework," it said, referring to the week-old ceasefire deal.

Hamas warned late Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing would cause "significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains".

Digging latrines

Further delays to the reopening could also complicate the task facing Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian relief, who was in northern Gaza on Saturday.

"To see the devastation – this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland – and it's absolutely devastating to see," he told AFP.

Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a "massive, massive job".

He said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes who were trying to dig latrines in the ruins.

"We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school."

Gaza killings continue

Some violence has persisted despite the ceasefire. 

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said on Saturday that it had recovered the bodies of nine Palestinians – two men, three women and four children – from the Shaaban family after Israeli troops fired two tank shells at a bus.

Two more victims were blown apart in the blast and their remains have yet to be recovered, it said.

At Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital, the victims were laid out in white shrouds as their relatives mourned.

"My daughter, her children and her husband; my son, his children and his wife were killed. What did they do wrong?" demanded grandmother Umm Mohammed Shaaban.

The Israeli military said it had fired on a vehicle that approached the so-called "yellow line", to which its forces withdrew under the terms of the ceasefire, and gave no estimate of casualties.

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Europe imposes 'snapback' sanctions on Iran's nuclear program

By Mark Moran

   

Soldiers carrying the coffin of slain Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during funeral procession inside the Iranian defense ministry in Tehran, Iran, in 2020. European nations imposed "snapback" sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program. File photo by Iranian Defense Ministry/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A decade after they were lifted, economic and military sanctions were reimposed on Iran Sunday over its nuclear program.

Britain, France and Germany have accused Iran of "continued nuclear escalation," and reactivated what is known as a "snapback mechanism" over Iran's lack of cooperation to de-escalate the country's nuclear program.

Iran suspended inspections of its nuclear facilities under terms of a 2015 deal after Israel and the United States bombed several of the country's nuclear sites in June.

Iranian President Masound Pezeshkian has continued to maintain that his country has no intentions of developing nuclear weapons, and made the claim again last week.

Related

• Britain, Germany, France say they'll trigger 'snapback' sanctions on Iran
• Britain, Germany, France threat Iran sanctions over nuclear talks

Pezeshkian has called the reimposition of sanctions "unfair, unjust and illegal," and a setback to Iran's fledgling relations with the West.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limits Iran's nuclear facilities, stockpiles of enriched uranium and the amount of research it is allowed to undertake. It allows Iran to develop nuclear infrastructure, but not weapons.

Iran escalated its nuclear program after President Donald Trump pulled out of the JCPOA during his first term in 2018.

European negotiators told the U.N. Security Council in August that Iran had violated "the near entirety of its JCPOA commitments," and gave the country a month's warning to scale back its nuclear program before Russia assumed control of the Security Council in October.

Several meetings with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi have produced no progress in meeting key European demands, including evidence that Iran is working on a diplomatic solution, complying with inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and disclosing the whereabouts of more than 400 kg of highly enriched uranium.

The European nations have also called for resumed talks between Iran and the United States.

Middle East Madness > Gazans Blame Hamas for Food Shortages

 

What the world hasn't come to realize in its deliberate naivety is that Hamas is not fighting for Gazans. They are fighting for Hamas. The more Gazans suffer and die, the better it is for Hamas' propaganda machine, which is so effective in the far-left mainstream, antisemitic media.

Gazans Blame Hamas for Food Shortages

Aug 26, 2025 4:00 pm By Hugh Fitzgerald

The UN and a host of agencies specializing in famine relief claim that Israel is deliberately starving the civilians in Gaza, while the Israelis blame Hamas, for stealing, hoarding, and reselling so much of the food aid meant to be distributed for free to Gazans. They can’t both be telling the truth. Now the Gazans themselves, suffering from malnutrition — which is not the same thing as enduring a “famine” — have had their say here: 

Are Palestinians really facing a famine in Gaza? – explainer

The Media Line, August 24, 2025:

The UN is preparing a declaration of famine in Gaza City, holding Israel responsible for the humanitarian crisis under its revised criteria, in spite of footage and testimony that Hamas is looting aid and manipulating media coverage.

The Media Line’s reporter has been speaking to Gazans throughout the war. The following is a sampling of their responses. TML was also in Gaza City and witnessed a large amount of humanitarian aid available, including an abundance of food, but offered at exorbitant prices.

The situation for those living several miles away in the refugee camps has been complicated by the lack of access to food available in other areas.

Who is to blame in Gaza?

Gazans described Hamas looting aid and reselling it. “First of all, we have no food, no water, none of life’s basics. And second, we never see any of the aid that comes in,” Ibrahim Atta Hawila of Jabalya said. “Hamas takes the aid. They don’t want anyone else to be in control. They seize it, store it in warehouses, keep what they want, and hand us lentils.”

Ali Khamis al-Tanini, also from Jabalya, expressed grief over the loss of three grandchildren as the crisis continues: “We can’t find food. I have heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. I can manage a day or two without food, but the children can’t. This little girl can’t eat, can’t even stand; she hasn’t had anything. Why did Hamas leave us with nothing while they eat lamb and beef?”

He added, “Hamas did this to us. We can’t even find a bite to eat. Not even lentils – the merchants have hidden those and everything else.”

Others voiced the same anger. Ahmad Fayad told The Media Line that his young daughter had gone 10 days without milk. “I hold Hamas responsible. They’re the ones who brought us to this point. I blame Hamas, and I also blame the Arabs – and even the Jews.”

Ne’ma Abu Saleh said, “Others are eating and stealing, while we sit here with nothing. I blame Hamas.”

He continued, “Let them release the hostages and stop dragging us into their problems. What do they want from us? Our homes are already destroyed.”…

COGAT emphasized that more than 10,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since May and that the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed over 2.2 million relief packages.

Each relief package contains enough food for fifty meals. Since May, the GHF has delivered more than 100 million meals to Gazans. In addition, the Israelis have encouraged other countries to airdrop hundreds of tons of food into Gaza. The IDF makes great efforts to protect the food aid it has provided from being stolen and then resold by Hamas.

The IDF has deliberately halted its operations for several hours each day, so that Gazans can be assured they can safely take delivery of food without being caught in the middle of a firefight between the IDF and Hamas. It has also encouraged dozens of countries to make airdrops of food into Gaza. Many thousands of pallets carrying hundreds of tons of food, water, and other relief have been delivered by several countries. That much more of the food aid is now getting through to the Gazans for whom it was intended is shown by the steep drop in the price of food in Gaza. For example, A kilogram of flour fell from NIS 80–100 to NIS 18; a kilogram of sugar has dropped from NIS 300 to NIS 50; a kilogram of pasta has decreased from NIS 100 to NIS 10; a kilogram of rice was reduced from NIS 120 to NIS 30. Such steep drops confirm that much more food aid is now getting through, with much less being stolen, hoarded, and resold at exorbitant prices by Hamas.

Israel is not deliberately starving the Gazans. The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has made tremendous efforts to feed people in Gaza, with more than 100 million meals delivered to Gazans since May. Those Gazans have testified as to the maleficent role of Hamas in stealing so much of the food aid. Just look again at what those ordinary Gazans — Al-Tanini, Abdul Rahim Bakr, Ibrahim Atta Hawila, and many others — have been saying, denouncing Hamas for their misery. For these Gazans there is no doubt who is to blame. It is Hamas that is making their lives miserable, Hamas that has been stealing, hoarding, and reselling food aid at exorbitant prices. Shouldn’t the international media be reporting on what they have to say?

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Hamas War > Plans for Hamas attack on Judea and Samaria discovered; "Allah made Jews for Muslims to eliminate"; Are attitudes finally changing in Gaza

 

IDF discovers Hamas plans for mass jihad attack in Judea, Samaria and central Israel

Feb 28, 2025 11:00 am By Christine Douglass-Williams

In mid-February, an Israeli brigadier general warned that released jihadi prisoners would wage jihad and build militias in Judea and Samaria. Jihadists never stop.

Meanwhile, Hamas says that it’s “ready to negotiate the the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap” in which it handed over “the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.” That’s 600 zealous jihadists released and ready to attack. No wonder they’re eager to negotiate. They kill Israelis, release their bodies, and received in return hundreds more terrorists they can deploy to kill more Israelis.

Israel cannot possibly afford to allow any jihadist threats to proliferate in Judea and Samaria, in Gaza, or at its border with Syria, despite global antisemites calling Israel an “occupying” force.

IDF seizes Hamas plans for mass attack in Judea, Samaria and central Israel

by Akiva Van Koningsveld, JNS, February 27, 2025:

Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed on Thursday that security forces recently discovered Hamas files proving the terrorist group had plans to carry out a large-scale assault on communities in Judea and Samaria and along the Seam Line security barrier.

“Hamas files have been seized that had a purpose of attacking towns in Judea and Samaria and along the Seam Line,” Katz said in remarks to heads of regional councils, Israel Hayom reported.

“The communities in Judea and Samaria are the protective wall of most of the State of Israel,” the defense minister declared. “When Judea and Samaria are protected, the large cities are protected. We must be on the offensive in Judea and defeat the enemy.”

The Yesha Council umbrella group that represents the approximately 500,000 Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria said in a response: “The Oct. 7, [2023], terror attack must not be repeated—nor in the Seam Line towns, nor in the cities of the Sharon [coastal plain], nor in Judea and Samaria.

“The way to prevent this is a clear defeat of terrorism—not only through targeted operations, but in a comprehensive move that will neutralize the threat to the cities of the Center and Judea and Samaria,” it added.

Tulkarem, a Palestinian terrorist hub in Samaria, east of Netanya, where Israeli forces have been conducting intensive counter-terrorism operations since last month, is located eight miles from the densely populated coastal plain.

Jerusalem stepped up raids after explosives were discovered on five buses in the cities of Bat Yam and Holon, south of Tel Aviv, on Feb. 20, which authorities called “an attempt to perpetrate a series of terrorist attacks with mass casualties.” One of the bombs bore an Arabic message referencing Tulkarem. No one was injured….

 

Muslim woman: Allah ‘created the Jews to make sure that we would obey his word by eliminating them all’

Feb 28, 2025 12:00 pm By Robert Spencer

This woman apparently doesn't realize that she is preaching genocide, a crime against humanity.

“Kill them wherever you find them…” (Qur’an 2:191, 4:89, cf. 9:5)

“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: ‘The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.’” (Sahih Muslim 2922)

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Only 6 percent of Gazans want Hamas to remain in power, majority credits Trump for ceasefire

 March 2, 2025

Gazans in Rafah protest Hamas control over aid, February 28, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

About 70% of Gazans polled said they didn’t think Hamas was in control of the situation. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A poll of Gazans found that only 6% believe Hamas should continue to rule the Gaza Strip, while 67.9% gave US President Donald Trump credit for the ceasefire.

The poll, conducted by the Palestinian Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP) on January 22, surveyed 400 people over the age of 15 who had lived in various locations in Gaza before the start of the current war.

About 70% of those polled said they didn’t think Hamas was in control of the situation, though it was unclear whether “the situation” referred to governing Gaza or managing the war.

Just 5.3% of Gazans said they would vote for Hamas in the next election, and support for the Fatah party increased by 12 percentage points.

Half of those polled said they looked forward to Gaza being rebuilt in better condition than it was before. This was before Trump proposed that the US take over and rebuild Gaza.

Two-thirds of Gazans felt that the issue of humanitarian aid not reaching them was serious, and 44% said Hamas was solely responsible for this problem.

  Freed hostage Gadi Moses debated with Hamas captors over ownership of Israeli land

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed a plan proposed by Donald Trump that would resettle Gazan civilians, allowing for the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip.

Trump’s proposal to resettle the entire population of the Gaza Strip in third-party countries, Netanyahu said, is a “bold new vision and the only plan that I think can work.”

Defending Trump’s plan against accusations of ethnic cleansing, Netanyahu argued that most Gazans want to leave the Gaza Strip.

“Why not give Gazans a choice? Everybody said this is the largest open-air prison in the world. Not because of us. We let people leave.”

“In fact, if you want to know, over the last couple of years—two years, I think—150,000 Gazans left. You know how they left? Because they bribed their way out, not through us. They bribed their way out.”