Even now, in moments of joy, all we think about are the things we lost, like celebrating a child’s birthday, celebrating the new year, or even the simple pleasure of gathering as a family without fear of the Israeli death that hovers around us.
The expansive territorial ambitions of creating a “Greater Israel” once seemed only to be a right-wing Zionist fantasy. Today, current events in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria show it might be closer than many ever thought possible.
The Palestinian Authority is in the midst of a deadly operation it says is to ‘restore law and order’ in the Jenin refugee camp, home to the Jenin Brigade. But as the PA seeks to assert its control, it could risks undermining itself in the process.
Residents of a number of Gaza City neighborhoods received evacuation orders from the Israeli military, fueling fears that Israel may be extending it’s military operation, ‘The General’s Plan’ from the northern areas of Gaza to Gaza City.
Israeli forces moved further into the Syrian Golan, forcing entire towns to evacuate. While Netanyahu celebrated what he says will be an “eternal” Israeli presence in Syria, U.S. officials insist Israel’s occupation of Syrian lands is “temporary.”
Over more than a year of war, I have volunteered to help my people in Gaza, wrapping friends and family into shrouds, but also helping bring new life into the world.
Despite being the victims of an attack on our own land, we now face the possibility of imprisonment. It’s not a normal way of life, but it has become the normalized reality under Israeli occupation.
Hamas accepts Egypt’s proposal to form an independent Palestinian committee to run Gaza after the war, while Israel bombs another tent encampment for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Amnesty International declares Israel is committing genocide.
As healthcare workers who have recently participated in medical missions to Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, we are greatly alarmed by Israel’s decision to bar at least eight medical organizations to Gaza. The medical community must speak out.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced that 2025 will be the year Israel annexes the West Bank. With the Trump administration entering the White House, the stage is set for Israel to finally take total control over the occupied territory.