Hamas-Israel swap deal
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has released more captives under a swap deal, which is part of a truce agreement with Israel. Eight captives consisting of two minors and six women, including dual citizens of Mexico, Russia, and Uruguay, were freed in the seventh round of the exchange deal. Two Russian citizens released on Wednesday were also counted on the seventh exchange list. Israel, in return, freed 30 Palestinian prisoners, including seven women and 23 children. The initial four-day truce went into effect on November 24 and has been extended twice. Since then, nearly 350 people from both sides have been released. The latest one-day extension is due to expire at 05:00 GMT on Friday. Efforts are underway to further prolong the truce agreement.
Israeli crimes in Gaza
An Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip has held the regime’s prime minister responsible for killing his family in indiscriminate airstrikes on the Palestinian territory. Yerden Bibas asked Benjamin Netanyahu to at least allow the bodies of his wife and two children to return to the occupied territories for burial. Bibas made the plea in a video message released by the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement. He said it was Netanyahu who killed his family through brutal bombardment of Gaza. The al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of Bibas’ wife and two children on Wednesday. The brigades then offered to hand over the three bodies as part of the seventh batch of the prisoner exchange with Israel. The regime, however, refused to receive them.
US military support for Israel
A new report by US media has shed light on the extent of the country’s huge military support for Israel’s war machine over the past seven decades. The report said the US has provided Israel with more than seventy-thousand consignments of military equipment between 1950 and 2022. The consignments included aircraft, ground vehicles, missiles and bombs. The report said the US has provided Israel with at least sixteen types of weapons since the start of 2023 alone. However, the exact numbers and types of those weapons have not been made public. According to arms transfer experts, American weapons are being used extensively in the current Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign military assistance, with weapons accounting for the lion’s share of that aid. The Pentagon announced in late October that it will not put limits on how Israeli occupation forces use US-provided weaponry.