Farrukh Abadi
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas stated that it received a proposal to continue negotiations with the US and Israel on Thursday (03/13). Hamas has agreed to release an Israeli-American soldier and four bodies as part of the agreement to begin negotiations of a second phase of the ceasefire. Israeli officials previously claimed that they would not engage in a second phase.
The US-Israeli enforced siege on Gaza nears its second week following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire. The suspension of food, fuel, and other basic necessities “amounts to a crime of mass suffocation” according to the Gazan government media office director. Israel continues to carry out sporadic attacks across Gaza, with several killed and injured across the territory over the last few days.
Meanwhile, Trump and Netanyahu are discussing with leaders of East African countries the prospect of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Top Hamas official Hussam Badran stated on Friday that “the Palestinian people are steadfast and attached to their land, and they will not leave their homeland no matter the position of US President Donald Trump.”
In the West Bank, the US-backed joint Israeli and Palestine Authority attacks have continued for over 50 days as part of the genocidal Operation Iron Wall. Israeli-PA forces have destroyed wide swathes of civilian infrastructure and displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians through aerial and ground assaults, including the use of tanks for the first time since the Second Intifada in 2002. These attacks continue during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and aim at terrorizing the population and targeting their cultural and religious practices. In defiance of Israeli restrictions on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, 80,000 Palestinians from the West Bank joined together in prayer at the mosque on Friday. Palestinian resistance forces have repeatedly targeted Israeli and PA forces with armed actions in defense of their homeland.
Israelis in illegal settlements in the West Bank have been supporting Israeli-PA incursions with pogroms. Palestinian resistance forces have successfully carried out a series of shooting operations against Zionist extremists in retaliation for their violence, successfully escaping each time. Hamas has called for “escalating confrontations and resistance” with the Israelis.
Yemeni anti-imperialist organization Ansar Allah resumed its Red Sea blockade after its deadline expired demanding Israel remove its blockade on Gaza. Ansar Allah carried out over 100 naval and aerial attacks between the time it first launched its blockade following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the January 2025 Gaza ceasefire deal, including direct attacks on Israel itself.
Hamas has praised the resumption of the Yemeni siege, stating that it “reflects the authentic stance of the Yemeni people and their leadership. It also demonstrates their genuine commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance, while exerting real pressure to break the unjust siege on Gaza.”
Photo: Tens of thousands of Palestinians pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Friday. Credit: Al-Qastal
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