Goto

Collaborating Authors

 Palestine Government


General strikes across West Bank after assassination of Hamas's al-Arouri

Al Jazeera

A general strike has been called across the cities of the occupied West Bank in protest against the assassination of seven members of Hamas, including the deputy head of its political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri. The strike was called by Palestinian armed groups that asked people to stay home on Wednesday and only leave to march in demonstrations against the drone attack on the outskirts of Beirut. The slain men are Saleh al-Arouri, who was also the commander of the Qassam Brigades in the occupied West Bank; Samir Fendi, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in Lebanon; Azzam al-Aqraa, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in southern Lebanon; and members Mahmoud Shaheen, Mohammed al-Rayes, Mohammed Bashasha and Ahmed Hamoud. All seven will be buried in Lebanon. Funerals will be held for Hamoud and Shaheen on Wednesday in the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees and Taalbaya, respectively.


Think You're Smarter Than Slate's Executive Editor? Find Out With This End-of-Year News Quiz.

Slate

You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. As is now tradition, the final quiz of the year is a look back at the past 12 months. It was a year fraught with discord, so grab your favorite beverage, maybe a cookie or two, and take a deep, relaxing breath before you plunge into 2023 for one last time in this week's Slate News Quiz. If this is your first time playing, read the rules here. The quiz may require you to turn on cookies in your browser for it to function properly.


'Fox News Sunday' on December 3, 2023

FOX News

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. joins'Fox News Sunday' to discuss a new survey that revealed 74% of Americans are concerned about a war between the U.S. and China. This is a rush transcript of'Fox News Sunday' on December 3, 2023. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. A special hour on the state of defense, a report card on America's military readiness to meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world. Israel's war with Hamas, the latest conflict to ignite instability, turbo- charging attacks on our forces in the region from Iranian proxies. We'll get reaction from National Security Council Communications Coordinator John Kirby about the restart of the war and the headwinds the Biden White House faces from Democrats over conditioning future aid to Israel. GENERAL C.Q. BROWN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We want to be so good at what we do that our adversaries go, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. General C.Q. Brown joins me here at the Reagan Library. And before serving in Congress, they served several tours of duty on the ground in two of America's longest wars. We sit down with Congressman Michael Waltz and Seth Moulton, veterans for both sides of the aisle, as the fight over defense spending is coming up against the stark deadline. Plus -- JENNIFER GRIFFIN, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Is it cool to be patriotic now? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always been cool to be contrarian and I think right now, it's -- it's been a little contrarian to be very patriotic. BREAM: Our inside look at how cutting-edge technology is shaping the future of warfare and battlefields worldwide. Here are the top headlines making news today. Israel is widening its evacuation orders for Palestinians in southern Gaza, including in and around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, which both reported heavy bombardment overnight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for a total victory against Hamas and pushing back against White House calls to allow the Palestinian Authority to ultimately govern Gaza, claiming the group also calls for Israel's destruction. Meanwhile, in Paris, French authorities are looking into whether terrorism was to blame for a knife and hammer attack on tourists near the Eiffel Tower, leaving a German man dead and two others injured. A 26-year-old French national has been arrested. Let's turn now to Trey Yingst in southern Israel with the very latest on the war in Gaza. After a week-long ceasefire saw more than 100 hostages freed from Gaza, fighting has resumed for a third day. Israeli officials say the ground and air campaign in the second phase of this war against the strip could last for months. New airstrikes overnight targeted tunnel shafts and weapon storage facilities.


In Israel's fight for survival against tech savvy Hamas terrorists Biden seeks to micromanage the war

FOX News

FOX News White House correspondent Peter Doocy has the latest on the Biden administration's response to the Middle East conflict on'Special Report.' As Israeli Defense Forces resumed military operations to eradicate the Hamas terrorist threat last Friday, the Biden administration is inserting itself into Israel's war planning process, teaching the Israelis โ€“ who've been fighting for their survival for decades โ€“ how to properly prosecute the conflict. Washington warfare "experts" โ€“ who arguably haven't secured a single clear military victory since 1945 โ€“ insist that Israeli military strategists alter their war plans to make their combat operations more targeted and their strikes more accurate, in order to minimize casualties, especially among civilians. The Biden administration's demands, while noble-sounding, are misguided and unreasonable. Implementing these requirements, at the expense of achieving the main mission of eliminating Hamas and its entire supporting infrastructure, will likely prolong the conflict, ultimately resulting in many more Israeli and Palestinian deaths.


Israel and Hamas cease-fire begins, Biden campaign guide to conservative rhetoric and more top headlines

FOX News

LAYING DOWN ARMS โ€“ Cease-fire begins between Israel and Hamas ahead of planned hostage-prisoner swap. DISHING IT OUT โ€“ Biden campaign released guide of how to respond to'crazy MAGA nonsense' from relatives. 'LEFT ME SPEECHLESS' โ€“ Israel spokesman's stunned reaction over bizarre question about hostage deal goes viral. LITTLE RECOURSE โ€“ Man who fended off home intruders faces uphill battle to get gun permit back. CASH COW โ€“ Brothels that allegedly hosted politicians raked in millions, kept'impeccable records'.


Israel's use of AI in Hamas war can help limit collateral damage 'if executed properly,' expert says

FOX News

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to improve targeting of Hamas operators and facilities as its military faces criticism for what's been deemed as collateral damage and civilian casualties. "I can't predict how long the Gaza operation will take, but the IDF's use of AI and Machine Learning (ML) tools can certainly assist in the administratively burdensome targeting identification, evaluation and assessment process," Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, told Fox News Digital. "Similar to U.S. forces, the IDF takes great effort to reduce collateral damage and civilian casualties, and tools like AI and ML can make the targeting process more agile and executable," Montgomery added. "AI tools should help in target identification efforts, expediting target review and approval," he said. "There will inevitably still be humans in the targeting process but in a much accelerated timeline."


Israel strikes Iran-backed terrorists in ongoing effort to stop new war front in West Bank

FOX News

The IDF says it forces "destroyed an underground tunnel shaft containing ready-to-use explosive devices. It also said that "additional weapons were found, as well as ammunition and military equipment." JERUSALEM - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday launched a raid on the city of Jenin and its refugee camp - two strongholds of Palestinian terrorist activity - in the West Bank. The IDF operation in the West Bank, known by Israelis by its biblical name Judea and Samaria, raises questions about the opening of a third front in Israel's response to Hamas' multipronged attack against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, resulting in the massacre of 1,400 people in southern Israel. The IDF said in a statement that its counterterrorism forces "exchanged fire with armed terrorists, over ten terrorists were killed, and over 20 wanted suspects were apprehended, among them Nur and Minur Salma, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists." The U.S. has designated the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad a foreign terrorist organization. The fighting comes at a time when the Biden administration is cautioning Israeli actions in the West Bank, especially when it comes to violence from a small group of extremist settlers who have been involved in armed confrontations with Palestinian villagers in the area. NETANYAHU TELLS BRET BAIER CEASE-FIRE'MEANS SURRENDER,' INSISTS SQUAD MEMBER IS CALLING FOR'GENOCIDE' Palestinian terrorists take up position during a confrontation with the Israeli army in Jenin on July 3, 2023. The Israeli army said it had launched drone strikes in Jenin as part of an "extensive counterterrorism effort." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday in Tokyo at the G-7 meeting that "I briefed by (sic) colleagues about my conversations with Israeli leaders on pauses, and on concrete steps to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and to stop extremist violence in the West Bank." The Associated Press reported that President Biden said in late October the attacks by "extremist settlers" amounted to "pouring gasoline" on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas attack. The administration refers to Jewish residents who live in the disputed West Bank territory as settlers. Following Thursday's raid, the IDF added that "Two M-16 rifles, a'Carlo' gun, three handguns, ammunition, and military equipment were seized." The Palestinian-manufactured "Carlo" gun has its origins in the 2016 terrorism wave against Israelis. The weapon is a watered-down version of the Carl Gustav submachine gun - hence its name, the "Carlo" gun. "The initiative is always ours to prevent a third front.


Analysis: Hamas's asymmetric warfare against Israel โ€“ lessons from Ukraine

Al Jazeera

Fighting in Gaza between the Israeli army and the armed faction of Hamas is a textbook example of modern asymmetric warfare. Whenever fighting ends, it will be studied by strategists and tacticians. The term "asymmetric warfare" has been used for less than 60 years, but the concept is much older. Asymmetric wars are usually bloodier and more savage than those between regular armies: In a state versus non-state conflict, the latter's fighters are not recognised as "proper" combatants and thus not considered protected by international conventions and laws of war. The regular army will use weapons and tactics that might be legally unacceptable in a "proper war".


Foreign survivors of brutal Hamas attack on Israel recall terror massacre : 'Everything was burning'

FOX News

JERUSALEM โ€“ For Mitchai Sarabon, a Thai fieldhand working on Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, Oct. 7 started like any other Saturday. His one day off a week, the 32-year-old said, he woke early and began doing his laundry. His friends โ€“ a mix of Thai migrant workers and Nepalese agricultural students โ€“ were also milling about the compound where they lived on the edge of the kibbutz, taking care of various personal tasks, when suddenly they heard gunshots. "Suddenly, I saw one of the Nepalese guys being shot, others ran to hide in a bomb shelter and then the terrorists arrived," Sarabon recounted to Fox News Digital in a video interview from his home in Udon Thani, Thailand, on Friday. "They threw a grenade inside, some of the people died instantly and others ran away, they were shot dead too."


U.S. Drones Are Flying Over Gaza to Aid in Hostage Recovery, Officials Say

NYT > Middle East

The U.S. military is flying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip, according to two Defense Department officials and an analysis by The New York Times. The officials said the drones were being used to aid in hostage recovery efforts, indicating that the U.S. is more involved than previously known. The aircraft are MQ-9 Reapers operated by U.S. Special Operations forces and were first spotted on Saturday on Flightradar24, a publicly accessible flight-tracking website, though Pentagon officials said that the aircraft have been active in the area since the days after the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel by Hamas. While Israel frequently conducts reconnaissance flights over Gaza, U.S. defense officials said it was believed to be the first time that U.S. drones have flown missions over Gaza. The flights are operating at a critical juncture.