(JNS) The invasion of thousands of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, “was for us, and for the vast masses across the world, not merely a military event but a moment of glorious birth and an emergence of a liberated consciousness free from deception or falsification,” Hamas wrote in English and Arabic in a formal document released on Dec. 24.
The dictatorship still ruling most Gazans after two years of war, sparked by its incursion into the northwestern Negev, butchering roughly 1,200 people and abducting 251 more, has signaled no willingness to disarm—a demand stipulated in Phase 2 of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
The Israel Defense Forces hold about 54% of Gaza’s territory, east of the so-called Yellow Line that runs through the Strip. The start of the second phase of Trump’s plan was announced last week and is set to involve an interim “technocratic” Palestinian administration to govern the territory under Israeli control, along with the full demilitarization of Gaza.
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