Ongoing Israeli airstrikes keep on targeting south Lebanon, Continuous Israeli violations of Gaza fragile ceasefire documented, Israel BARS Turkish rescue team entry to Gaza, linking it to return of captive remains, Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, Gulf states warn Gaza ceasefire will collapse unless Hamas disarms, France and Britain push for UN resolution to establish international force in Gaza, Money transfer firm Whish Money closed multiple accounts used for Hezbollah’s reconstruction fundraising, Lebanon frees Hannibal Gaddafi on $11 million bail after 10 years in detention, Health Ministry allows Tannourine to resume production, The dispute over expatriate voting divides Lebanon’s political class ahead of 2026 parliamentary elections, Israeli forces blow up residential apartment amid ongoing raid in Tubas in the occupied West Bank, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visits Moscow, Damascus and SDF reach breakthrough deal to merge forces into national army, Iran vows legal campaign to hold Israel accountable for crimes against humanity, ICC rejects Israel’s appeal against arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, After Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes reignite, the South Asian countries agree to immediate ceasefire in Doha, Yemeni army confirms chief of staff killed during Israeli aggression, Sudanese army ready for negotiations to restore country’s unity, but without the Quartet’s intrusion
As Israel calls for direct talks with Lebanon, its army’s drones are louder in Beirut – more violent its strikes against the south and the Beqaa Valley. A negotiation or a capitulation. A dialogue or an imposition. The pax americana that brought the belligerent parties to sign last November’s ceasefire and gave Lebanon a new government proved again to be a failure, as Israel continues to attack the country on a daily basis, having killed more than 330 Lebanese in the past year and thwarted any attempts by southern residents to rebuild their homes or return to their land.
The United States, seizing on the arrival of its new ambassador in Beirut, Michel Issa, is said to be weighing a fresh strategy for Lebanon – one that would promote direct talks with Israel to resolve border demarcation issues and end the presence of Israeli forces in the south: a point, the latter one, that should have been ensured by the latest truce – and that Israel keeps on violating.
However, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that US envoy Tom Barrack informed Lebanon that Israel had rejected an American proposal aimed at launching a negotiation process that would begin with a two-month halt to Israeli operations and conclude with a withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories and the start of border demarcation talks and security arrangements. As a result, Berri said, “any path for negotiations with Israel has been abandoned, and what remains is only the mechanism followed through the committee supervising the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.” Berri stressed that “we remain committed to the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, which the mechanism committee is supposed to oversee,” emphasizing that this mechanism is “the only framework currently in place, and nothing else.”
Following comments from President Joseph Aoun that such talks would be “necessary” for conflict resolution in the region, and from Kataeb party leader Samy Gemayel, who said he thought they’d be “in Lebanon’s best interest,” the country’s old divisions are more evident than ever.
Several individuals aligned with Hezbollah have voiced opposition to the idea of engaging in talks with Israel, contending that such a move would ultimately serve Israel’s interests. “Now is the time to protect Lebanon from the trap of negotiations that Washington is trying to impose in order to secure Israel’s interests,” Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Qabalan said on Sunday, calling Israel “an absolute enemy,” The mufti, who is allied with Hezbollah, warned that “any direct negotiation would blow up the country,” insisting that “Lebanon has not lost the war and will not lose it.”
Shiite cleric Ali Fadlallah, whose institution operates with some degree of independence from Hezbollah, noted that internal power struggles in Lebanon have likewise fueled the extent of foreign involvement in the country. “Our problem is that we have built neither a homeland nor a state. We remain a collection of clans squabbling over power and privileges, each community seeking to dominate the other or to rely on foreign powers.” According to Fadlallah, it is time to “understand that our salvation lies in solidarity and cohesion to face the challenges and designs being plotted against this country and the entire region.”
MP Hassan Ezzeddine, in a statement made from Hasbaya district’s Selaa village, declared that “making people believe that peace with the enemy would bring Lebanon prosperity and well-being is contrary to reality.” “To those who think that imposing peace by force will lead to stability, we say that this is an illusion: whoever imposes peace by force does not create peace, because real peace requires justice,” he stated. “In a country like Lebanon, with its religious and political makeup, no party can impose its choices.” Another Hezbollah MP, Hussein Jechi, stated that “the Zionist enemy – through its daily aggressions – seeks to subjugate our people and break their will, and aims to drag Lebanon into negotiations and normalization.”
Gemayel, however, clearly ruled out the possibility of normalization, arguing that the transition from a state of war to to a state of peace requires passing through several stages, namely border demarcation, Israel’s withdrawal from still-occupied territories, the return of prisoners, an end to violations of Lebanese sovereignty and airspace, and the fate of the Palestinians. “Once all these matters are resolved, we will decide whether we want to stop there or go further,” he said in an interview with LBCI.
“I am in favor of anything that protects Lebanon and for Lebanon to negotiate with Syria and Israel to ensure its stability, protection, and prosperity, which can only be guaranteed by a truce or peace with its neighbors,” the Kataeb leader told LBCI. Still, he noted during the broadcaster’s Jadal program, “this decision belongs to the Lebanese state,” adding that he considers it “preferable that it be taken unanimously.” “What matters is that Israeli strikes on Lebanon and attacks from Lebanese territory against Israel stop, so there is stability at the border with Israel,” Gemayel continued. “It is also important that the people of the south no longer have to live in fear of seeing their homes destroyed and their children killed, as has been the case over the past forty years.”
Sunni MP Waddah Sadek, who emerged from the protest movement, made similar remarks. “It would be preferable for Lebanon to begin direct negotiations with Israel in order not to grant it a victory, as was the case in the maritime demarcation file, but these negotiations must come with conditions,” he said. Conditions fair enough to regain the trust of that part of the Lebanese people betrayed by the latest charade masqueraded as a ceasefire; those who are keeping on seeing their family members killed, their homes destroyed, and their attempts to rebuild them criminalized; and those who, witnessing the continuous massacre in Gaza, might not accept the ambiguous terms of yet another American version of peace.
Learning from Gaza
We already knew that this phase would come. We knew that Israel would continue to violate the terms of the truce, that hunger in Gaza would not be resolved in a day, that humanitarian aid would be largely banned, that the Rafah crossing would remain closed, and that the mutilated Palestinian families in Egypt would not be allowed to return. We knew that the occupying troops would fire on displaced persons unaware of the new border of death – the yellow line – and that a new, ever-tighter wall was already suffocating Gaza. Because the stationed troops are followed by permanent checkpoints, which are followed by control towers, which are followed by walls. We know.
That the bitter joy of receiving the corpse of a child would be marred by the tragedy of not being able to recognize it. That the survivors would not be granted even a single day of respite – that the daily battle in Gaza is still one for survival, for bread and water, for medicine, for a return to homes that no longer exist: before the occupation.
We knew that Hamas would avenge the betrayal of the collaborationist clans – and that it would happen violently. Just as we knew that the United States would accuse Hamas of violating the ceasefire – while the facts prove the opposite: it was the occupying authorities who formed, armed and financed the criminal groups that killed, kidnapped and robbed Palestinian civilians. We also knew that the definition of civilian would be used as a weapon against the resistance: and despite the fact that the occupying forces themselves admitted to committing these crimes, sharing reports and video footage.
But we also knew that no one would care, that those reports and video footage would be forgotten, buried under the weight of news stories, all identical yet with ever-changing victims. The Abu Shaaban family, for example, from the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, eleven of them killed for no reason during the aforementioned ‘peace’. For decades, peace for Palestinians has been an abstract concept that only the outside world distinguishes from war, and for them it is always death, deprivation and injustice. It is always occupation: with or without a ceasefire. We know this, yet we continue to place our trust in summits of diplomats, heads of state and arms dealers, who meet smiling on the shores of the Sinai Peninsula to praise the biggest financier of a genocidal army.
We knew that the ceasefire would not last, that the conditions imposed on the occupiers were deliberately impossible. That Hamas had been ready for months to release the hostages, and that Israel would do everything possible to resume the bombings – and blame the rival group: as when, just a day ago, in Rafah, an explosion caused by an Israeli bulldozer detonating an unexploded ordnance killed two occupying soldiers and was immediately condemned as a Hamas attack – aid through the crossing was blocked, and the bombing immediately resumed, along with threats of a new escalation. Few people know, however, that the militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab, and supported by Israel, is present in Rafah: and that, according to reports, Israel protected the militia from Hamas fighters by providing air cover.
“We affirm our full commitment to implementing everything that was agreed upon, foremost of which is the ceasefire across all areas of the Gaza Strip,” stated Hamas commenting on the accusation. “We have no knowledge of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the occupation’s control. Communication has been cut off with our remaining groups there since the war resumed in March of this year, and we have no information on whether they were martyred or are still alive since that time. Therefore, we have no connection to any incidents occurring in those areas and cannot communicate with any of our fighters there, if any are still alive.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army radio announced that preparations to increase retaliation are underway, and some of the most extremist leaders are calling for a full resumption of the war. In a single day, the most violent since the ceasefire began, the occupying army killed 44 Palestinians, and not only in Rafah, but also in Khan Yunis and central Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli liberals assure that there has been no change in the so-called ceasefire agreement with Hamas, and that the escalation in the Gaza Strip serves only to improve Netanyahu’s image within the country. Meanwhile, Western newspapers still talk of a ‘risk’ of collapse – denying the evidence even in the face of dozens and dozens of deaths. Normalizing the side effect of an illegal occupation that we sugarcoat by calling it war.
We knew that media attention also needed to be shifted to the occupied West Bank, where violent raids and attacks by settlers are a daily occurrence; in southern and eastern Lebanon, where rebuilding seems to have become the new crime – one worth killing for; we know – but we do not know when – that the same order of acceptance of deaths, in the dozens, will soon be normalized outside Gaza. And who knows if even then we will stand by, helpless, watching.
In Lebanon
Israel’s ongoing strikes: Last Tuesday, a person was critically injured following an Israeli strike on Yanouh. On the same day, overnight, Israeli forces had already carried out a limited ground incursion in south Lebanon. According to the National News Agency, three small-sized vehicles crossed into the Khallet Ward area in the Bint Jbeil district.
Israeli attacks and violations in south Lebanon have been continuing almost daily. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, a large detonation of civilian infrastructure was reported in the Kassair-Kroum al-Marah neighborhood east of the town of Mays al-Jabal; a military bulldozer breached the border in the Ghasouna area east of the town of Blida, carrying out bulldozing operations inside Lebanese territory; and a drone strike targeted the main Siddiqin-Kafra road, injuring one person.
Later on Thursday, an anti-tank guided missile struck the road between the towns of al-Sharqiya and Kouthariyet al-Sayyad in southern Lebanon – just before another Israeli airstrike targeted the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Rumman. Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes during the night, targeting a concrete mixer and quarry in Wadi Bsafour between Ansar, Sinay, and Bsafour in southern Lebanon. The strikes followed an initial raid on Qalaat Meiss near Ansar and Zrariyeh, hitting facilities belonging to Al-Amaliya Cement Company. The attack involved dozens of missiles, some producing powerful flashes visible from nearby towns, and explosions so strong they shook large parts of south Lebanon, spreading panic and tension among residents. The Health Emergency Operations Center reported that six people were injured in the strikes. According to the initial tally, one person was wounded in Bnaafoul, in Saida, and five others in Ansar. The Israeli army announced it had targeted a site belonging to the Green Without Borders association, claiming it was used by Hezbollah to conceal “terrorist activities” aimed at rebuilding the group’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon under a civilian guise.”
On Friday, then, massive destruction was reported in Sinay – in the Nabatieh district – following the previous night’s Israeli airstrikes, which caused severe material damage and left seven people injured, according to initial reports, and one dead in Shmustar, Baalbek. Also, Israeli occupation forces fired toward a group of Lebanese residents picking olives in the town of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon, who were being protected by a patrol from the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, without any injury reported. Later on the same day, another Israeli airstrike targeted a car in the Tabaleh area of Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon, killing Hezbollah member Hassan Maarouf Rahhal.
On Saturday, October 18, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that Ahmad Baalbaki was killed by an Israeli strike while operating an excavator on the Kfardounin-Deir Kifa road in the Tyre District. The excavator was hit by three missiles and burned completely. This attack is part of Israel’s ongoing systematic campaign to destroy anything that could support reconstruction efforts in south Lebanon. On the same day, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade in the town of Blida, southern Lebanon while residents were harvesting olives.
After a day of relative calm on Sunday, bombings resumed on Monday, October 20, with Israeli drones continuing to fly over the bombed sites in the Jarmaq and Mahmoudiyeh area, as fires broke out across the region.
Cutting Hezbollah’s funds: Money transfer firm Whish Money has closed multiple accounts used for Hezbollah’s reconstruction fundraising, including those of the Wata‘awanu association and Ramieh municipal member Hussein Saleh, citing Banque du Liban’s Circular No. 170. These accounts had been vital for Hezbollah’s funding for reconstruction.
The closures sparked outrage among Hezbollah members, who see them as part of a coordinated effort to “financially strangle the resistance environment” and halt recovery in the border regions. Whish Money, meanwhile, defended the move as compliance with Lebanese and international anti–money laundering laws.
With Israel simultaneously targeting reconstruction machinery and personnel, and donors’ access being cut off, Hezbollah now faces not just physical devastation, but also a financial one.
Hannibal Gaddafi released on bail: Judge Zaher Hamadeh, the judicial investigator in the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, approved Hannibal Gaddafi’s release on $11 million bail on Friday, under a travel ban. The decision came during Gaddafi’s first court appearance in eight years, after he had been held without trial for a decade. The bail includes $1 million to ensure court attendance and fees, and $10 million to cover part of civil claims in the case of Imam Musa al-Sadr’s kidnapping and disappearance.
Inas Harraq, coordinator of Hannibal Gaddafi’s legal team, told MTV that the decision to release him was “expected,” expressing confidence in the integrity of Lebanon’s new administration, but adding she “did not expect justice to come in installments”, referring to the $11 million bail. Harraq warned that Gaddafi should leave Lebanon for his own safety, unless placed under strict protection, and said “justice is incomplete,” urging a reconsideration of the bail decision because “freedom is not a matter of negotiation.” She also thanked the Prime Minister and praised the judiciary’s integrity.
Gaddafi’s lawyers plan to challenge the bail, calling it illogical and a disguised denial of his release request. They said that after ten years, no evidence links him to the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions. The team added that Gaddafi’s assets have been frozen and under sanctions since the fall of the Libyan regime in 2012, and unlike his brothers, he has not been able to access them due to his capture and arbitrary imprisonment in Lebanon.
An armed group, including former MP Hassan Yaakoub, kidnapped Hannibal Gaddafi in the Beqaa Valley in December 2015, after luring him from Syria, where he had sought refuge following his father’s regime collapse. He was handed over to the Lebanese judiciary and charged with withholding information in the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, despite being less than three years old when al-Sadr vanished in Libya in 1978.
The Tannourine case: On Saturday, the Ministry of Health permitted Tannourine to resume its usual operations in the Lebanese market after addressing the contamination that led the ministry to temporarily suspend distribution last Monday. Nasser Eldine emphasized that the ministry will continue its technical procedures “away from anything political and far from, God forbid, any sectarian or religious pressure.”
According to the minister, the issue began when the ministry received complaints about Tannourine’s water. He stated that “five samples were collected from the market and sent to Rafik Hariri Hospital. Three of the samples tested positive for contamination. We later collected 11 samples from the lab and after testing, the same bacteria were found in one of them.” The ministry then inspected the factory, provided its technical observations, and the company cooperated immediately.
Regarding the acting minister, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani’s signature on the Ministry of Health’s decision, Nasser Eldine explained that he had coordinated with Hani and “applauded him for his courage” in taking the precautionary measure, while criticizing the criticism he faced afterward.
To vote or not to vote: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reaffirmed that Lebanon’s parliamentary elections will be held “as planned” in May 2026, despite a growing dispute over the expatriate vote. “The parliamentary elections will take place on the scheduled date. Nothing stands in the way or can prevent their organization,” Berri told the local daily Al-Joumhouria on Thursday. “We have an electoral law in effect, and the elections will be held on this basis. Those who wish to take part in the vote will just have to come to Lebanon.”
The question of expatriate voting has divided Lebanon’s political class for months, raising fears that Parliament could become paralyzed or that the elections might be delayed – or even held without the participation of the diaspora.
Several civil society groups and political parties have called for amending the 2017 electoral law to allow Lebanese abroad to vote in their country of residence for all 128 MPs, each within their original constituency. The Amal-Hezbollah alliance opposes such an amendment, favoring the retention of Article 112, which provides for a separate six-seat constituency for expatriates to be added to the existing 128 seats. That provision has never been implemented, and Article 112 has been temporarily suspended through previous amendments.
Berri’s comments align with a proposal from the Democratic Gathering bloc, affiliated with the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), formerly led by Druze political leader Walid Joumblatt. The bloc has suggested suspending Article 112 while encouraging expatriates to return to Lebanon to vote.
The parliament speaker’s remarks also came after the Foreign Affairs Ministry said earlier this week that it had submitted a bill to repeal Articles 112 and 122 of the electoral law, which the Cabinet is expected to discuss in an upcoming session.
In The Region
Ceasefire violations: On the night of October 17, Israeli forces killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza, the deadliest single violation of the fragile ceasefire since it took effect last week. The attack happened on Friday evening when a tank shell was fired by Israeli forces at a civilian vehicle carrying the Abu Shaaban family in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Gaza’s civil defense.
Seven children and three women were among those killed when the Israeli military fired on the vehicle as the family attempted to reach their home to inspect it, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement. “They could have been warned or dealt with differently,” Basal said, adding that “what happened confirms that the occupation is still thirsty for blood, and insists on committing crimes against innocent civilians.” Hamas condemned what it called a “massacre” and said the family was targeted without justification. The group called on United States President Donald Trump and mediators to pressure Israel to respect the ceasefire agreement.
In that attack, Israeli soldiers opened fire on people who crossed the so-called “yellow line”, the demarcation to which Israel’s military was supposed to pull back under the ceasefire terms. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza, said many Palestinians lack internet access and are unaware of where Israeli forces remain positioned along the demarcation lines, putting families at risk. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that the yellow lines in Gaza will be soon marked out for clarity, as the occupation army remains in control of 53 percent of the enclave’s territory.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights reported that the Israeli military committed about 50 violations of the ceasefire since it took effect on October 10, resulting in the killing of at least 80 Palestinian civilians – 44 of whom only on Sunday – and the injury of hundreds of others. The violations included aerial and artillery bombardments as well as live fire, concentrated in the eastern and northern areas of the Gaza Strip. Israeli drones targeted residents inspecting their homes in the Shujaiya neighborhood, killing five people, while additional strikes in Khan Yunis, Jabalia, and Rafah caused further casualties.
The center stressed that these attacks were carried out without any military justification, aiming to maintain an atmosphere of fear and terror in the Strip. It also noted Israel’s continued control over aid entry, allowing only 173 aid trucks in out of 1,800 expected in recent days. The organization warned that restricting essential supplies constitutes an extension of genocidal policies through starvation, in violation of international humanitarian law, and called on the international community to pressure Israel to fully implement the ceasefire and investigate war crimes and acts of genocide.
Entries are blocked: Israel has continued to seal the Rafah crossing with Egypt and blocked other key border crossings, preventing large-scale aid deliveries into the enclave. While the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt reported that the Rafah crossing will open on Monday, October 20, so as to enable Palestinians displaced in Egypt to return to the Gaza Strip – Netanyahu has ordered Rafah crossing to remain closed until further notice, saying it will not reopen until Hamas returns the bodies of Israeli captives.
Commenting on the matter, Hamas said in a statement: “Netanyahu’s decision to keep the Rafah crossing closed until further notice constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a denial of the commitments he made to mediators and guarantor parties. The continued closure of Rafah Crossing – preventing the evacuation of the wounded and sick, blocking the movement of civilians in both directions, and obstructing the entry of equipment needed to search for those trapped under the rubble and to identify bodies – will delay recovery and handover operations.”
The United Nations warned this week that aid convoys are struggling to reach famine-hit areas, with 49 percent of people accessing less than six liters of drinking water per day – well below emergency standards. The World Food Programme said it has brought an average of 560 tones of food daily into Gaza since the ceasefire began, far below what is needed to address widespread malnutrition and prevent famine.
Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire terms, including returning the remains of Israeli captives still under Gaza’s rubble. The group handed over the body of another captive on Saturday, bringing the total to 12 since the truce began. Hamas said it needs heavy machinery and excavation equipment to retrieve more remains, but Israel has blocked their entry. Israel is in fact refusing to allow an 81-member Turkish rescue delegation with heavy equipment to enter Gaza until Hamas returns all the bodies of remaining captives. Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said by blocking heavy equipment and machinery from entering, Israel is creating “a challenge for the residents of Gaza who are experienced and have the expertise to search and to dig out bodies from under the rubble” with that type of equipment.
Towards phase two: Mediators are asking the US to pressure Israel to drop the issue of the return of all bodies of deceased Israeli captives and to move on to the next stage of negotiations to end the war in Gaza, Qatari news channel Al-Arabi reported. According to the report, the mediators have promised that efforts to locate hostages are already underway by Egyptian teams, and that Turkish assistance will soon begin operating in Gaza for the same purpose. It added that mediators told US officials that Hamas is sharing all the information it has on the matter.
On the other side, Israeli officials claim Hamas can return some bodies immediately. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed that “we know for certain that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of that agreement.” Netanyahu convened a security meeting and later spoke with Trump about pressuring mediators to secure the bodies before advancing to negotiations for the second phase of the US President’s ‘peace’ plan. But as mediators noted, some remains lie deep underground or near unexploded ordnance, making recovery difficult without external support. Meanwhile, Washington and regional partners continue discussions on the next steps of the Gaza plan despite Israeli officials linking progress to the return of all captives.
As part of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect ten days ago, the Palestinian resistance movement was required to return all 20 live captives as well as the bodies of 28 deceased captives within 72 hours. Hamas successfully released the live captives but has been unable to return the bodies of the deceased, as many were killed by Israeli air strikes and buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Israeli officials have therefore claimed that Hamas is violating the ceasefire, but a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump denied the Israeli claim. “We’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘Hamas violated the deal, because not all the bodies have been returned.’ The understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostages out, which they honored,” the advisor said during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday.
A second Trump advisor stated that it was only possible for Hamas to begin retrieving bodies once the ceasefire went into effect and Israeli bombing ended. “On top of all that debris is a lot of unexploded ordinance, and presumably, under that there are many bodies,” the advisor stated. He also praised Hamas for successfully releasing the live captives. “Hamas did the right thing when they gave all of the 20 live hostages up at the same time. That was a big moment.”
Many Israeli captives held by Hamas were killed by the same Israeli bombs that have killed at least 67,000 Palestinians, with nearly a third of the dead under the age of 18, since the start of the war, as Israel prioritized destroying Gaza over the safe return of its citizens and soldiers. “It would have been almost impossible for Hamas – even if they knew where all the 28 bodies were – to mobilize and get them all,” the advisor explained.
The future of Hamas: ️Hamas plans to retain security control in Gaza during a transitional period, a senior official from the group told Reuters, adding that he could not commit to disarmament. Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the movement was open to a ceasefire lasting up to five years to allow for Gaza’s reconstruction, with future guarantees contingent on Palestinians being given “horizons and hope” for statehood.
When asked whether Hamas would disarm, Nazzal, speaking on Wednesday, responded: “I can’t answer with a yes or no. Frankly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you’re talking about, what does it mean? To whom will the weapons be handed over?” He added that discussions on weapons and other security matters would be part of the next negotiation phase and would involve not just Hamas but other Palestinian factions, requiring a unified Palestinian position.
However, CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper warned Hamas to “disarm without delay” and follow Trump’s 20-point plan. In a clear break from Trump’s recent stance, the statement calls on Hamas to stop “shooting at innocent civilians,” contradicting Trump’s own approval of Hamas’ recent operations against “dangerous gangs.” Hamas has been cracking down on armed gangs and militias that cooperated with Israel during the war in Gaza. These gangs include elements from Gaza’s big clans and families – including the Dughmush family. Trump recently signaled approval for Hamas’s crackdown on what he himself referred to as “very bad gangs.” However, the US President also threatened Hamas and warned it to surrender its weapons or face disarmament by force.
Also Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain are warning that the Gaza ceasefire is at risk of collapsing if Hamas continues to refuse disarmament, according to diplomatic sources cited by Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom. Riyadh has even threatened to halt participation in the ceasefire process – including reconstruction – unless the disarmament is enforced, the report claimed. The Gulf states are frustrated with the Qatari, Turkish, and Egyptian mediators’ “leniency” on the issue of Hamas’s weapons, Arab and US diplomats told the Israeli newspaper.
They reportedly relayed these messages to the White House and to US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and former advisor Jared Kushner. The report says the three Arab states have complained about “the systematic assassination of rivals from competing clans, armed displays in the streets, extortion of local merchants, and statements by senior officials flatly rejecting the prospect of disarmament.”
The interviewed diplomat went on saying: “Saudi Arabia has made clear its position: there is no viable solution to the war in Gaza or to the future of the Palestinians in general as long as Hamas remains part of the equation. This organization has inflicted enormous harm on the Palestinian people, a war that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of its own, the destruction of the entire Gaza Strip, and now it insists on preserving the ‘resistance’?” he added. He also accuses the Palestinian resistance of causing “a catastrophe even worse than the Nakba.” “Saudi Arabia is downgrading its level of engagement in the implementation of the Trump plan, and it is unlikely to attend the reconstruction conference Egypt plans to host next month,” the report goes on to say.
The report adds that the UAE has expressed a similar stance. Emirati messages to Washington say that Abu Dhabi will continue reconstruction efforts in areas of Gaza controlled by Israeli troops, but will halt participation in rebuilding other areas of the strip until a framework for disarmament is imposed on Hamas. The Emiratis are also demanding full civilian and security control by an international force, as stipulated in Trump’s ceasefire plan.
The UN option: At the same time, France and Britain, in coordination with the US, are working to finalize a UN Security Council resolution in the coming days that would set the groundwork for a future international force in Gaza, France announced on Thursday. Planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Gaza Strip, according to two senior US advisors on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the force would require a UN mandate to provide a solid legal foundation and facilitate contributions from participating countries. “France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalized through the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution,” he said. A White House official added that the Trump administration is engaging with multiple countries interested in contributing to the force.
Eyes on the occupied West Bank: On Sunday morning, Israeli occupation forces blew up a residential apartment in the northern West Bank city of Tubas, as their large-scale raid of the city continued for the second consecutive day, WAFA news agency reported. According to local sources, the forces stormed an apartment building, forcibly removed its residents, planted explosives inside, and later detonated it, causing a loud explosion heard across the city.
The raids happened after two Israeli soldiers were injured when an explosive device detonated during a military offensive in Tubas. In a statement, the army said: “A short while ago, during Israeli army troops’ operational activity in the Tubas area, a terrorist threw an explosive at the troops. As a result of the explosive’s detonation, two soldiers were moderately injured and evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. Their families have been notified.”
Occupation troops also bulldozed sections of the main square in the city center, damaged private property, and turned several homes into military posts after forcing residents to leave. Meantime, the southern entrance to Tubas was sealed with dirt mounds. The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that several residents were detained and subjected to field interrogations during the offensive.
The city of Tubas and the surrounding northern Jordan Valley area have faced near-daily Israeli military incursions over recent months, often involving home demolitions, raids, and detentions.
In Salfit, four Palestinians were detained after Israeli forces raided and searched their homes. Following the detentions, the forces closed the city’s northern entrance, obstructing the movement of residents. In the village of Deir Abu Masha’al, west of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers detained three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old teenager, after raiding and searching their homes. Meanwhile, in the town of Sanniriya, south of Qalqilya, Israeli forces detained two brothers after raiding and searching their home. The brothers are siblings of prisoner Osama Younis, who was released and deported to Egypt as part of the latest prisoner exchange deal.
Also in the morning of Sunday, October 19, Israeli forces detained six Palestinians in the governorate of Nablus, and shot and killed 42-year-old Majed Mohammad Dawoud during a military raid on Al-Ain refugee camp, Nablus.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers backed by troops burned vehicles and attacked Palestinian farmers picking olives in Ramallah and Nablus. Video footage showed an Israeli settler attacking and injuring an elderly Palestinian woman with a stick during the attack on the olive pickers.
These attacks have persisted in recent days. On October 16, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammad Bahjat al-Hallaq, was killed by Israeli occupation forces. The troops shot him in the pelvis in the town of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron. Settlers also attacked two West Bank communities on October 13, causing damage to vehicles and five injuries in Yabrud east of Ramallah and Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem. The settlers attacking Beit Fajjar were armed with sticks and stones, and unleashed dogs on residents in the area. None of the settlers were arrested.
Since 7 October 2023, there have been 7,154 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. Nearly 1,000 have been killed by soldiers and settlers, including over 200 children.
Iran searching for accountability: During a specialized meeting on Saturday, October 18, titled “Legal Response to the 12-Day Aggression: From Criminal Justice to Restorative Justice,” Iranian diplomat and Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei Hamaneh, announced that Tehran will launch a legal campaign aimed at holding Israeli officials accountable for crimes against humanity. Hamaneh stressed that Israel’s ongoing impunity has encouraged its actions and emphasized Iran’s commitment to pursuing justice through international legal channels.
Hamaneh highlighted that, although Iran is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), it actively engages with the court and supports efforts to confront Israeli actions. He also cautioned against political influence affecting ICC proceedings, underlining the need for impartiality in international justice. The announcement reflects Iran’s determination to seek accountability and challenges what it views as unchecked Israeli aggression.
At the same time, the ICC officially dismissed Israel’s request to appeal the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The court ruled that “the issue, as framed by Israel, is not an appealable issue” while a separate question of ICC jurisdiction remains under review.
Earlier in November 2024, the ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for actions including starvation as a method of warfare and targeting civilians. Israel had challenged both the warrants and the court’s jurisdiction, but the court has kept the warrants in place while the broader legal issues are being examined.
Al-Sharaa in Moscow: Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s self-appointed President and former Nusra Front leader, visited Moscow on Wednesday, October 15, and held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin – marking his first visit to the country. Russia was a major backer of the former Syrian government, and carried out strikes targeting many of the groups, which are now a part of the new Syrian army and security apparatus, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that toppled the Assad regime. Despite this, relations between Russia and the new, extremist-led Syrian state have been positive.
“We respect all previous agreements with Russia, and we are trying to redefine the nature of these relations, with the aim of ensuring Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security stability, which is linked to regional and global stability,” Sharaa said during his meeting with Putin.
“There are long-standing historical ties between Syria and Russia, as well as bilateral relations and shared interests,” he added, noting that “many strategic and political relations, both regional and international, are linked to Russia.” He went on to say that Syria and Russia “are linked by serious bridges of cooperation, including economic cooperation.” “Our two countries have enjoyed a special relationship for decades. We are very happy to see you. Welcome to Russia,” Putin told Sharaa, adding that “Russian-Syrian relations are built on friendship. Russia’s ties with Syria were never tied to political circumstances or narrow interests, but to mutual interests and the well-being of the Syrian people.”
The Russian president described Syria’s recent parliamentary elections as a “great success.” Rather than allow the Syrian public to vote in the election to form a new parliament, Sharaa himself appointed 70 of the 210 members of parliament. The remaining 140 were elected by subcommittees of Syria’s Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections, which Sharaa also appointed in June.
During the meeting, Putin also expressed “readiness to hold regular consultations with Damascus through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Moscow and Damascus have agreed to hold a joint government committee meeting in the near future. “We have a common understanding that Syria currently needs reconstruction. It has a lot of destroyed infrastructure, including energy, railway, and transportation infrastructure. Russia can provide support. Our companies are also interested in developing the transportation infrastructure and rehabilitating the energy sector, which was built during the Soviet era,” he told reporters.
The Kremlin had announced before the Sharaa-Putin meeting that the topic of Russia’s bases in Syria would be addressed. Chief among these bases is the Hmeimim Air Base located in the coastal Latakia region.
Syrian sources cited by Reuters also said that Sharaa was expected to demand that Moscow hand over Syria’s former President, Bashar al-Assad, who has now been residing in the Russian capital since the fall of his government last year. A Russian official had previously said that Moscow would not agree to hand over Assad. The Syrian source also said Damascus is “seeking guarantees that Russia will not help rearm remnants of Assad’s forces,” adding that ”Sharaa is hoping that Russia might also help rebuild the Syrian army.”
Sharaa alleged that he and his forces took power in Damascus as part of an agreement with Russia. The president told Al-Ikhbariya TV channel that his forces had begun secret negotiations with Russia during the 11-day offensive that toppled the former government. Earlier this year, it was reported that Syria was receiving currency shipments from Moscow as part of a deal signed with the Assad government.
Towards a merged Syrian National Army: The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached an agreement in principle to merge the US-backed force as a cohesive military formation into the new Syrian army, marking a major breakthrough after months of stalled negotiations, the Associated Press reported. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said a joint committee with the Defense Ministry will oversee the integration of tens of thousands of fighters and internal security forces as large military units, rather than dissolving them individually.
The agreement comes after interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government and the SDF signed a deal in March, with implementation delayed over disputes about the force’s structure. Abdi said the merger could ease post-war tensions and strengthen the national military, while also signaling some Turkish flexibility on the issue.
On Afghanistan-Pakistan tension: New Pakistani airstrikes hit Afghanistan last week, targeting the capital Kabul just hours after a renewed flare-up of tensions on the border between the two countries. Video footage showed a large cloud of black smoke over the Afghan capital following the strike. According to the Afghan news agency, Aamaj News, Pakistani fighter jets bombed the Taymani area in central Kabul.
In a statement released after the attacks, an Afghan government spokesperson said officials from both countries will hold crisis talks in Doha on Saturday. “As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place in Doha,” Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. Meanwhile, Pakistani state TV reported that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief General Asim Malik will be heading to Doha on Saturday for talks with the Afghan Taliban.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed early on Sunday that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed to the ceasefire “and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries.” Doha said the two countries also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner”. Earlier, both sides said they were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday as they sought a way forward, after clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence between the two South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
The latest airstrikes on Friday killed at least 10 people, breaking a ceasefire that had brought two days of relative calm to the border after an intensive period of bloodshed, Afghan officials say. The 48-hour truce paused nearly a week of bloody border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Earlier on Wednesday, in fact, border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan reignited, resulting in over a dozen casualties. This came after Gulf mediation over the weekend put a halt to deadly fighting between the two sides earlier this month.
“Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar using light and heavy weaponry. As a result, more than 12 civilians were martyred and over 100 were injured,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, on Wednesday. “In the retaliatory action, several Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their checkpoints and bases were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of the Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed.” A spokesman for the Spin Boldak district, Ali Mohammad Haqmal, said 15 Afghan civilians were killed.
Pakistan blamed Afghan forces for initiating the violence, as Islamabad denied that its forces initiated the new clashes. It said it repelled the attack and killed at least 15 Afghan soldiers. “The insinuations that the attack was initiated by Pakistan, are outrageous and blatant lies, just like the claims of capturing Pakistani posts or equipment. The Armed Forces stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan,” the Pakistani army said.
The fighting broke out the previous week after explosions in Kabul and the Afghan city of Paktika. This was not the first time Pakistan had bombed Afghan territory. In April 2022, Islamabad struck Khost and Kunar provinces, killing 47 civilians and injuring 23 others. Pakistani officials initially denied airstrikes, but later claimed that drone strikes originated from Pakistan’s airspace and did not involve aircraft.
Saudi and Qatari mediation put an end to the fighting over the weekend, with Islamabad saying its forces killed over 200 Taliban fighters. Kabul reports killing about 58 Pakistani soldiers since the hostilities started two weeks ago.
The tensions coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s official visit to New Delhi, the first since the Taliban takeover in 2021. During the eight-day visit, Muttaqi held talks with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to revive diplomatic and trade ties. On October 10, India announced the reopening of its embassy in Kabul.
Israel killed al-Ghumari: The chief of staff of the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) was killed during an Israeli airstrike while carrying out his “jihadi duties” in defense of Gaza, Yemeni officials announced on October 16. The Israeli strike killed Major General Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghumari along with several fellow officers and his 13-year-old son, Hussein.
The YAF released a statement saying that Ghumari and the others were killed “as part of the convoy of great martyrs who ascended in the various raids launched by the criminal American-Zionist aggression against our country during the two years of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle.” The statement did not specify when he was killed. “His pure soul ascended while he was engaged in his jihadi work and performing his faithful duty, a blessed martyr among the convoy of great martyrs on the path to Al-Quds,” the statement added.
Ghamari was the highest-ranking official within the YAF to be killed by Israeli strikes in Yemen since 2023, when the country launched attacks on Israel, Israel-linked ships, and US Navy ships in the Red Sea in response to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The YAF carried out 758 operations against Israeli targets involving 1,835 ballistic, winged, hypersonic missiles, drones, and naval boats. The Yemeni Naval Forces carried out 346 operations against 228 vessels against Israeli-linked ships and US naval warships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed credit for Ghamari’s death, saying he died of wounds suffered during a series of Israeli airstrikes carried out on Yemen on August 28. The August attack killed Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and others. AP reported that other analysts believe Ghamari may have been wounded in a different Israeli strike. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also acknowledged Israel’s killing of the Yemeni Major General. “Another chief of staff in the line of terror chiefs who aimed to harm us was eliminated,” Netanyahu said. “We will reach all of them.”
The YAF issued another statement saying Major General Yusuf Hassan al-Madani, who previously commanded Yemeni forces responsible for the fifth military zone, would replace the slain commander.
Sudan ready for negotiations: The Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said Saturday that the army is ready for talks to “end the war and restore Sudan’s unity and dignity.” Speaking in Atbara of northern Sudan, while offering condolences to the family of Army Maj. Muzammil Abdullah, who was recently killed in fighting in El-Fasher, he said no talks are underway with the Quartet – US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – or any other party.
Al-Burhan stressed that the armed forces “will keep fighting the enemy wherever it is found” and denied targeting tribes or regions. He said those who genuinely seek peace are welcome, but “imposing peace or a government on the people against their will is unacceptable.” His remarks came ahead of planned Quartet meetings in New York to push for a peaceful solution to the war in Sudan.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023, which has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000. In July, the Sudanese Founding Alliance, a coalition led by the RSF, announced the formation of a parallel government led by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
What We’re Reading
Lebanon’s place in a new Middle East: In Israel’s Knesset, Donald Trump proclaimed “the dawn of a new Middle East.” In Sharm el-Sheikh, world leaders gathered under Egyptian and American sponsorship to endorse the Gaza ceasefire and outline what comes next: reconstruction, border security, and a promise – or illusion – of regional stability. In Beirut, President Joseph Aoun, despite not being on the list of attendees, echoed the tone, saying Lebanon must be part of this new phase and that negotiations with Israel are now “necessary.” The comment of Ramzi Abou Ismail.
The silent groves: This year, the challenges facing Lebanon’s olive oil sector vary from one region to another, Raydan reported. Prolonged drought has left its mark on olive trees across the country, compounded by unpredictable climate patterns and new environmental factors along with Israeli damage to olive trees and denied access to farmers in the south of Lebanon.
October 17, six years later: On October 17, 2019, thousands of Lebanese took to the streets and public squares against political corruption, sectarian power-sharing, and the worsening economic crisis. Nearly four years since the parliamentary elections in 2022, which witnessed the election of 13 “change MPs”, many Lebanese, particularly among the youth, have grown disillusioned. The once powerful slogans of anti-corruption, accountability, and secularism are now met with skepticism and doubt. The analysis of Rodayna Raydan.
The scouts of obedience: Anyone who knows the history of Lebanon’s scouting movement understands how far this scene strayed from its original values. The true motto of the Lebanese Scout is simple: God, Country, and Family. Scouting was conceived as a school of citizenship and moral duty, not indoctrination. The opinion of Makram Rabah.
