Killed | Wounded | Missing |
65,926 | 167,783 | 9,000 |
- Israeli occupation forces launched widespread attacks on displaced Palestinians across Gaza on Saturday, leaving scores dead. At the same time, three of the few hospitals still operating in the Strip were forced out of service.
- While commemorating the first anniversary of the passing of two of its most prominent leaders, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safi al-Din, Sheikh Qassem emphasized that while Hezbollah remains committed to national unity, this unity must be focused on shared defense against the external enemy.
- Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 65,926 and injured 167,783 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 6:46 PM
(Palestine Time)
Israeli Soldier Injured, Palestinian Killed in Ramming in Northern West Bank
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian following a suspected ramming operation near Jit Junction in the northern West Bank, which left one Israeli soldier seriously injured.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades Seize Israeli Reconnaissance Drone in Gaza
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed that they seized an Israeli reconnaissance drone while it was carrying out intelligence missions in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Netanyahu Preparing for Meeting with Trump Tomorrow
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed his schedule today and held meetings with his inner team in preparation for his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
MSF: No Longer Able to Support Patients in Gaza Hospitals
MSF: “The situation in Gaza City is dire, and we are focusing our operations in the central and southern parts of the Strip. We are no longer able to support patients in hospitals in Gaza City.”
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades: We Destroyed Israeli Vehicle Near Al-Quds Hospital on Friday
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed that they destroyed an Israeli military vehicle near the Al-Quds Hospital intersection in Gaza City last Friday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Palestinian Killed After Car-Ramming Operation in Northern West Bank
ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army confirmed the death of a Palestinian who carried out a car-ramming operation near the Jit junction in the northern West Bank. He was shot dead by Israeli forces, though his identity was not disclosed
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Qassam Announces Targeting of Tank and Israeli Force in Tel al-Hawa
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES:
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they targeted an Israeli Merkava tank in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza City.
They also confirmed they struck an Israeli force inside a house in the neighborhood, causing casualties.
The brigades added that one of their fighters sniped an Israeli soldier, killing him instantly in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City last Wednesday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Injured in Car-Ramming Operation in Northern West Bank
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that an Israeli was seriously injured in a car-ramming operation in the northern West Bank. The attacker was shot at the scene.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades Announce Targeting of Israeli Tank in Gaza on Thursday
AL-òQUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades said they targeted an Israeli Merkava tank in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City last Thursday evening.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
JD Vance: Complex Talks Underway on Gaza
FOX NEWS: US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News:
“Complex talks are currently underway regarding Gaza. Our country wants to bring humanitarian aid into the Strip for the many innocent civilians.
“These complicated discussions have been ongoing for two days with Israeli participation. President Trump’s optimism about the Gaza talks is justified.
“The United States wants to ensure that Hamas does not pose a ‘terrorist threat’ to the State of Israel.”
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
Trump: Real Opportunity to Achieve Great Accomplishments in Middle East
TRUTH SOCIAL: US President Donald Trump said there is “a real opportunity to achieve great accomplishments in the Middle East.”
Sun, Sep 28, 4:16 PM (Palestine Time)
BREAKING: Qassam Warn of Prisoners’ Fate as Israeli Forces Advance into Gaza City
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: The Qassam Brigades warned that the lives of two Israeli prisoners are at risk after losing contact amid intensified Israeli assaults that killed scores across Gaza and deepened the destruction of Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Civil Defense: Israel Deprives Us of Fuel and Increases Pressure in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced that Israel is preventing the entry of fuel supplies needed to operate rescue and firefighting vehicles and equipment, increasing pressure on the service in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Airstrikes Target Central Khan Yunis
AL-JAZEERA: An Al Jazeera correspondent confirmed that Israeli airstrikes targeted buildings in central Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Qassam Announces Loss of Contact With Two Israeli Prisoners in Gaza
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES:
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that contact has been lost with two Israeli prisoners, Omri Miran and Metan Ingrest, due to what it described as the occupation’s “barbaric” operations in the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods of Gaza City.
In its statement, the brigades stressed that the lives of the two prisoners are at risk and demanded that the occupation immediately withdraw south of Street 8 and halt air sorties so its members can attempt to extract them.
It called on the occupation to stop aerial operations for 24 hours starting at 18:00 local time today to allow its fighters to try to retrieve the two prisoners.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
40 Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza since Dawn
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army strikes on various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Israel Approves First Reading of Law to Execute Palestinian Prisoners
AL JAZEERA: The Israeli Knesset’s National Security Committee approved in its first reading a bill to execute Palestinian prisoners who carried out operations. The law was proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Yitzhak Brik Expresses Fears of Collapse of Israeli Army
ISRAELI MEDIA: Reserve General Yitzhak Brick said: “There is a real danger of the army’s collapse due to the depletion of manpower and military capabilities. Netanyahu’s government is leading us to a terrible disaster that only ending the fighting and retrieving the captives can prevent.”
Sun, Sep 28, 1:20 PM (Palestine Time)
Palestine and Partition: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Two State Solution’ (Part One)
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In the welter of statements about a ‘two-state solution’ based on the division of the territory occupied by Israel in 1967, there is a critical omission: Palestine is not just about 1967.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Child Injured, Villages Attacked as Israeli Forces and Settlers Escalate in West Bank
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces and settlers carried out widespread raids and assaults across the West Bank on Saturday, injuring Palestinians, destroying farmland, and announcing new settlement plans amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Health Ministry: More Than 66,000 Killed in Israeli Genocide
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: Hospitals in Gaza received 79 killed and 379 injured during the past 24 hours. The total toll of the Israeli assault has reached 66,005 killed and 168,162 injured since October 7, 2023.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:34 PM (Palestine Time)
Global Sumud Flotilla Nears Gaza as New Aid Flotilla Departs Sicily
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: The Global Sumud Flotilla, joined by the Freedom Flotilla from Sicily, is sailing with over 50 ships and 600 activists to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:34 PM (Palestine Time)
31 Killed in Israeli Strikes on Several Areas of Gaza since Dawn
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that 31 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire since dawn today, including 15 in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:11 PM (Palestine Time)
Euro-Med: Israel Imposes ‘Cooperate or Be Killed’ Choice on Gaza Civilians
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says Israel is coercing Gaza families to collaborate or face death, displacement and starvation, warning the practice amounts to war crimes.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:11 PM (Palestine Time)
Families of Prisoners: Netanyahu’s Refusal to Respond to Trump Initiative Raises Concern
ISRAELI MEDIA: Families of Israeli soldiers held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip said: “We warn against a new attempt by Netanyahu and Dermer to obstruct Trump’s plan regarding Gaza. We call on the US administration not to allow the failure of the new initiative on Gaza. Israel is once again evading a concrete proposal to end the war and return the captives. Netanyahu’s refusal to respond to Trump’s initiative raises concern.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:52 AM (Palestine Time)
Hospitals Report Rising Death Toll amid Continued Israeli Assaults on Gaza
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: At least twenty-four Palestinians have been killed since dawn on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments targeting several areas across the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported, citing hospital sources.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:32 AM (Palestine Time)
Dan Steinbock on the ‘Fall of Israel’: Five Takeaways from The FloodGate Podcast
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In this FloodGate conversation, Dan Steinbock outlined five takeaways on how Israel’s internal decay and Gaza’s devastation are deeply intertwined.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Hamas: We Have Not Received Any New Proposals from Mediators
HAMAS STATEMENT: “We have not received any new proposals from the mediators. Negotiations have been suspended since the failed assassination attempt in Doha. We are ready to study any proposals that preserve the national rights of our people.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Resistance Executes Three Members of Yasser Abu Shabab Militia in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Palestinian news outlets reported that the resistance in the Gaza Strip executed three individuals for belonging to the Yasser Abu Shabab militia.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu to Stall on Trump Proposal
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Jerusalem Post, citing sources, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court, will stall and may ask Washington for time to amend its proposal regarding Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Infant Dies Due to Malnutrition and Lack of Treatment in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip announced the death of an infant due to malnutrition and lack of treatment.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
10 Killed in Israeli Strike on Two Homes in Nuseirat Camp
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Al-Awda Hospital reported that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on two homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip has risen to 10.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Maariv: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Threaten Netanyahu
ISRAELI MEDIA:
Maariv reported that ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Trump, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told him:
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: “Mr. Prime Minister, you have no mandate to end the war before defeating Hamas.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “We will not stop until Hamas is defeated and the captives are returned. We will never agree to a Palestinian state, even if it is difficult, costly, or requires time.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Rights Group: Occupation Blackmailing Gaza Families With Cooperation or Bombing
EURO-MED MONITOR: Israel is pursuing a dangerous policy of blackmail against families in the Gaza Strip. It is giving families two options: cooperate with its forces and militias, or face mass killing, starvation, and forced displacement.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Maariv: Netanyahu Sought “Victory Image” with Qatar Attack
ISRAELI MEDIA: Maariv reported, citing sources, that Israel’s attack on Qatar aimed at assassinating Hamas leaders was intended to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “victory image” he needed to end the war — but it failed.
Sun, Sep 28, 7:02 AM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Strikes Kill 10 in Nuseirat; Washington Post Details Trump's Proposal
Casualties in Nuseirat:
Strikes on homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in the killing of at least 10 Palestinians. Al-Awda Hospital reported 8 deaths from a strike on two houses, while emergency services reported 2 killed in an Israeli drone strike on a home in western Nuseirat.
Widespread Demolition:
The Israeli army is continuing large-scale demolition operations, deliberately bombing and leveling apartment buildings in both the northern and southern parts of Gaza City. Strikes were also reported on homes in the Nuseirat and Al-Bureij camps.
Details of Trump’s Proposal: The Washington Post published details of US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza. The reported plan includes:
An immediate halt to all military operations and a freezing of current battle lines.
The release of all detainees within 48 hours.
The destruction of all offensive weapons belonging to Hamas.
Granting amnesty to militants who commit to peaceful coexistence.
Nablus Raids:
Israeli forces launched incursions into neighborhoods and several villages across the Nablus governorate. Local sources reported that forces used sound bombs during a raid on the Old Askar Refugee Camp and also conducted raids in the Al-Juneid area west of Nablus.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:28 AM (Palestine Time)
New 'Freedom Flotilla' Departs Sicily, Headed for Gaza
A new “Freedom Flotilla,” consisting of 10 ships loaded with humanitarian aid, departed from Catania, Sicily (Italy) yesterday, Saturday, with the stated aim of “breaking the illegal Israeli blockade on Gaza.”
Participants:
The flotilla carries approximately 60 people representing 15 different nationalities, including French and other European parliamentarians.
Destination and Alliance:
The new fleet, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and “Thousand Madelines,” is expected to join the existing “Flotilla of Resilience” which is currently off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.
Context:
The Flotilla of Resilience already comprises more than 50 boats and hundreds of activists from around 45 countries, with some of its ships having set sail from Catania earlier this month on September 13.
Sun, Sep 28, 3:08 AM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Airstrikes Continue as UK Reports International Peace Deal is Close
Khan Yunis:
The Israeli army launched airstrikes targeting civilian homes in the central and southern parts of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Central Gaza Strikes:
Casualties were reported following an Israeli strike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Additionally, Israeli aircraft targeted the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
UK: Peace Deal Is Near:
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told The Guardian that the international community is close to reaching a peace agreement for Gaza. She urged Israel to change its current trajectory and halt renewed military action.
Pre-October 7 Mossad Assessment:
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on a detailed Mossad document, dated two weeks before October 7, which concluded that Hamas was not interested in initiating a military confrontation.
Sun, Sep 28, 1:06 AM (Palestine Time)
San Marino Officially Recognizes State of Palestine
STATEMENT: The Republic of San Marino officially announced its recognition of the State of Palestine today, Saturday, September 27, 2025.
Foreign Minister Luca Beccari made the formal declaration, days after the decision was initially taken during the “Two-State Solution Conference” held in New York under the auspices of the United Nations.
This recognition aligns with a rapidly growing trend among European and Western nations. In the past week alone, countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium, Andorra, France, Malta, and Monaco have also announced their recognition of a Palestinian state.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Barrack: US Position Moving Toward Ending War in Gaza
AL JAZEERA:
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Al Jazeera:
“The US position is moving toward ending the war in Gaza. Everyone wants to stop the war, and killing people, especially children, is unacceptable. We hope the coming days will bring an end to the killings in the Middle East. We recognize that the region is experiencing a wave of anger and resentment.
President Trump is eager to end the war and is the only one in the world capable of delivering a quick solution. The attack in Qatar disrupted the situation in the region, and there was a feeling of shock and betrayal over what Israel did.”
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Military Vehicle Runs Over Child in Jericho
PRCS: The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a child was injured after being run over by an Israeli military vehicle in Jericho, east of the West Bank.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Israel Investigating to Identify States Absent From Netanyahu’s UN Speech
ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel has decided to conduct an investigation to determine which states were absent during Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Argentina Asked Netanyahu to Cancel His Visit
ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Benjamin Netanyahu had planned a visit to Argentina, but its president requested that he cancel the visit for the time being.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
San Marino Recognizes State of Palestine
AL-JAZEERA: The Foreign Minister of San Marino announced the recognition of the State of Palestine.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Hamas: Massacres in Al-Daraj and Nuseirat Are Netanyahu’s Message to the International Community
AL-JAZEERA: Hamas said that the massacres in the Al-Daraj neighborhood and the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza are Netanyahu’s message to the international community amid unjustified inaction.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Fidan: Washington Exerting Influence on Israel to Stop Gaza Ceasefire
AL-JAZEERA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that negotiations are continuing regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and that the United States will exert its influence on Israel.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Barak: Trump Realized Importance of Achieving Ceasefire in Gaza
AL-JAZEERA: Tom Barak told Al Jazeera that President Trump realized the importance of moving to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza after his meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:46 PM (Palestine Time)
Piercing the Ship: Qassem's Warning Exposes Deepening Schism over Lebanon's Fate
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Sheikh Qassem emphasized that while Hezbollah remains committed to national unity, this unity must be focused on shared defense against the external enemy.
Sat, Sep 27, 9:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Lavrov: Israel’s Use of Force Risks Blowing Up the Middle East
RUSSIAN FM AT UN:
Israel’s unlawful use of force in Gaza, Iran, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria threatens to blow up the Middle East.
We condemned the October 7 attack, but there is no justification for the brutal killing of Palestinian civilians or terrorist attacks.
There is no justification for the collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza, where children are dying from bombing and starvation.
Sat, Sep 27, 9:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Massacres of Displaced Palestinians Reported, Three Gaza Hospitals Out of Service
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces intensified attacks across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 82 people and forcing three major hospitals to close.
Romana Rubeo
Drawing from Steinbock’s two latest works, The Fall of Israel and The Obliteration Doctrine, the conversation explored the internal decay of Israel’s politics, economy, and military, how the “obliteration doctrine” had shaped Gaza’s genocide, the complicity of Western powers, the failures of international law, and the global shifts then challenging Israel’s regional dominance.
However, through starvation policies, propaganda, authoritarian drift, and genocidal military doctrines, Israel is, in Steinbock’s words, “sleepwalking into a catastrophe.” His analysis underscored that the same processes devastating Palestinians were also eroding Israel from within.
As global power shifts are reshaping the Middle East, he cautioned, Israel’s unraveling could accelerate — unless international law and accountability were finally enforced.
Here are five takeaways from the interview.
Starvation as a Weapon of War
For Steinbock, one of the starkest indicators of Israel’s trajectory is its systematic use of starvation as a tool of war. He recalled how, long before October 7, “four out of five of Gaza’s residents were already largely dependent on humanitarian aid,” the result of years of deliberate economic strangulation.
As he explained, Israeli officials themselves had admitted — in documents later revealed by WikiLeaks — that the goal was to keep Gaza’s economy “on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge.”
That policy is not simply about economics but about controlling life itself. “They started calculating what would be an adequate number of kilocalories for the people to manage but not to cause a famine,” Steinbock noted.
He situated this grim calculus in a longer colonial history, comparing it to the British famine policies in India, which had deliberately set rations so low that millions died. In Gaza, he argued, the logic is similar: “Perhaps only in the Warsaw Ghetto we have seen something even worse.”
Propaganda and Denial of Reality
Alongside the weaponization of food, Steinbock highlighted a campaign of denial designed to obscure what is happening. Israeli spokespeople and their defenders insist that Palestinians are not starving, attributing deaths to disease or pre-existing conditions.
To Steinbock, these arguments echo dangerous historical precedents: “Their arguments seem very similar to the arguments you hear from Nazi Holocaust deniers… pulling up a photo of somebody overweight in Auschwitz to claim no one starved.”
But, he warned, denial could not be sustained forever. “The reality is that ultimately the real data will come out,” he said, adding that even many Israelis were becoming “increasingly uncomfortable with what they see when they can see something that happens in Gaza.”
For Steinbock, the more such propaganda is repeated, the more it risks backfiring — not only morally but politically — because it lays bare the real objective: “not truth, but ethnic cleansing, taking over Gaza just as the West Bank.”
Institutional Crisis
The decay, Steinbock stressed, is not only external but internal. He sees Israel’s crisis as rooted in its transformation from a fragile democracy into something far more authoritarian.
He traced this shift back to the decision of David Ben-Gurion not to adopt a formal constitution, leaving open deep divisions between secular and religious Zionists. Those divisions, Steinbock argued, have later been exploited by Netanyahu and his far-right allies through judicial overhauls and nation-state laws.
“It was this movement from a country that was supposed to be democratic and secular and then Jewish into something very different,” he explained, “not so democratic or autocratic, religious and far right by its methods.”
The 2018 nation-state law, Steinbock said, codified apartheid into the legal order, paving the way for Netanyahu’s efforts to fully subvert the judiciary. “The very nature of the country as a democracy is changing dramatically,” he concluded.
Netanyahu’s Far-Right Bubble
This institutional collapse is compounded by Netanyahu’s personal style of rule. Steinbock described the prime minister as having surrounded himself with “yes men and yes women,” creating a political bubble in which dissenting voices were purged — including former defense ministers and even the head of the Shin Bet.
Such consolidation, he argued, had left Israel “dangerous to itself,” as decision-making became detached from reality.
“The enemy of Israel is not the Palestinians,” Steinbock insisted. “There is an enemy that Israel has and it is itself — its far right.”
The consequences, he said, are already catastrophic: “What has happened in Gaza (is) the major collapse of morality in the early 21st century… it has already hurt so many Palestinians that I consider it catastrophic.”
By elevating extremist figures such as Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu has, in Steinbock’s words, “opened the hen house for other foxes far more lethal than himself.”
The “Obliteration Doctrine”
The culmination of this decay, Steinbock argued, is what he called the “obliteration doctrine” — a strategy that combines four interlocking elements: scorched earth, collective punishment, civilian victimization, and indiscriminate aerial bombing.
Unlike traditional military doctrine, it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. “The idea is that civilians are no longer just collateral damage,” he explained. “It is the objective to hurt civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
What is new in Gaza, he stressed, is the role of artificial intelligence in targeting, where kill probabilities replace human judgment. “If it’s civilians all the better, then people will move faster if you’re after ethnic cleansing,” he warned.
For Steinbock, this is not war in any meaningful sense: “This is not war. It’s mass butchery by any other name. We should call these things as they are and treat them as such.”
Israeli Soldier Injured, Palestinian Killed in Ramming in Northern West Bank
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian following a suspected ramming operation near Jit Junction in the northern West Bank, which left one Israeli soldier seriously injured.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades Seize Israeli Reconnaissance Drone in Gaza
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed that they seized an Israeli reconnaissance drone while it was carrying out intelligence missions in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Netanyahu Preparing for Meeting with Trump Tomorrow
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed his schedule today and held meetings with his inner team in preparation for his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
MSF: No Longer Able to Support Patients in Gaza Hospitals
MSF: “The situation in Gaza City is dire, and we are focusing our operations in the central and southern parts of the Strip. We are no longer able to support patients in hospitals in Gaza City.”
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades: We Destroyed Israeli Vehicle Near Al-Quds Hospital on Friday
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades confirmed that they destroyed an Israeli military vehicle near the Al-Quds Hospital intersection in Gaza City last Friday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Palestinian Killed After Car-Ramming Operation in Northern West Bank
ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army confirmed the death of a Palestinian who carried out a car-ramming operation near the Jit junction in the northern West Bank. He was shot dead by Israeli forces, though his identity was not disclosed
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Qassam Announces Targeting of Tank and Israeli Force in Tel al-Hawa
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES:
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they targeted an Israeli Merkava tank in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza City.
They also confirmed they struck an Israeli force inside a house in the neighborhood, causing casualties.
The brigades added that one of their fighters sniped an Israeli soldier, killing him instantly in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City last Wednesday.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Injured in Car-Ramming Operation in Northern West Bank
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that an Israeli was seriously injured in a car-ramming operation in the northern West Bank. The attacker was shot at the scene.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Quds Brigades Announce Targeting of Israeli Tank in Gaza on Thursday
AL-òQUDS BRIGADES: The Al-Quds Brigades said they targeted an Israeli Merkava tank in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City last Thursday evening.
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
JD Vance: Complex Talks Underway on Gaza
FOX NEWS: US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News:
“Complex talks are currently underway regarding Gaza. Our country wants to bring humanitarian aid into the Strip for the many innocent civilians.
“These complicated discussions have been ongoing for two days with Israeli participation. President Trump’s optimism about the Gaza talks is justified.
“The United States wants to ensure that Hamas does not pose a ‘terrorist threat’ to the State of Israel.”
Sun, Sep 28, 5:54 PM (Palestine Time)
Trump: Real Opportunity to Achieve Great Accomplishments in Middle East
TRUTH SOCIAL: US President Donald Trump said there is “a real opportunity to achieve great accomplishments in the Middle East.”
Sun, Sep 28, 4:16 PM (Palestine Time)
BREAKING: Qassam Warn of Prisoners’ Fate as Israeli Forces Advance into Gaza City
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: The Qassam Brigades warned that the lives of two Israeli prisoners are at risk after losing contact amid intensified Israeli assaults that killed scores across Gaza and deepened the destruction of Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Civil Defense: Israel Deprives Us of Fuel and Increases Pressure in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced that Israel is preventing the entry of fuel supplies needed to operate rescue and firefighting vehicles and equipment, increasing pressure on the service in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Airstrikes Target Central Khan Yunis
AL-JAZEERA: An Al Jazeera correspondent confirmed that Israeli airstrikes targeted buildings in central Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Al-Qassam Announces Loss of Contact With Two Israeli Prisoners in Gaza
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES:
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that contact has been lost with two Israeli prisoners, Omri Miran and Metan Ingrest, due to what it described as the occupation’s “barbaric” operations in the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods of Gaza City.
In its statement, the brigades stressed that the lives of the two prisoners are at risk and demanded that the occupation immediately withdraw south of Street 8 and halt air sorties so its members can attempt to extract them.
It called on the occupation to stop aerial operations for 24 hours starting at 18:00 local time today to allow its fighters to try to retrieve the two prisoners.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
40 Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza since Dawn
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army strikes on various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Israel Approves First Reading of Law to Execute Palestinian Prisoners
AL JAZEERA: The Israeli Knesset’s National Security Committee approved in its first reading a bill to execute Palestinian prisoners who carried out operations. The law was proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Yitzhak Brik Expresses Fears of Collapse of Israeli Army
ISRAELI MEDIA: Reserve General Yitzhak Brick said: “There is a real danger of the army’s collapse due to the depletion of manpower and military capabilities. Netanyahu’s government is leading us to a terrible disaster that only ending the fighting and retrieving the captives can prevent.”
Sun, Sep 28, 1:20 PM (Palestine Time)
Palestine and Partition: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Two State Solution’ (Part One)
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In the welter of statements about a ‘two-state solution’ based on the division of the territory occupied by Israel in 1967, there is a critical omission: Palestine is not just about 1967.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Child Injured, Villages Attacked as Israeli Forces and Settlers Escalate in West Bank
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces and settlers carried out widespread raids and assaults across the West Bank on Saturday, injuring Palestinians, destroying farmland, and announcing new settlement plans amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:55 PM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Health Ministry: More Than 66,000 Killed in Israeli Genocide
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: Hospitals in Gaza received 79 killed and 379 injured during the past 24 hours. The total toll of the Israeli assault has reached 66,005 killed and 168,162 injured since October 7, 2023.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:34 PM (Palestine Time)
Global Sumud Flotilla Nears Gaza as New Aid Flotilla Departs Sicily
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: The Global Sumud Flotilla, joined by the Freedom Flotilla from Sicily, is sailing with over 50 ships and 600 activists to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:34 PM (Palestine Time)
31 Killed in Israeli Strikes on Several Areas of Gaza since Dawn
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that 31 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire since dawn today, including 15 in Gaza City.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:11 PM (Palestine Time)
Euro-Med: Israel Imposes ‘Cooperate or Be Killed’ Choice on Gaza Civilians
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says Israel is coercing Gaza families to collaborate or face death, displacement and starvation, warning the practice amounts to war crimes.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:11 PM (Palestine Time)
Families of Prisoners: Netanyahu’s Refusal to Respond to Trump Initiative Raises Concern
ISRAELI MEDIA: Families of Israeli soldiers held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip said: “We warn against a new attempt by Netanyahu and Dermer to obstruct Trump’s plan regarding Gaza. We call on the US administration not to allow the failure of the new initiative on Gaza. Israel is once again evading a concrete proposal to end the war and return the captives. Netanyahu’s refusal to respond to Trump’s initiative raises concern.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:52 AM (Palestine Time)
Hospitals Report Rising Death Toll amid Continued Israeli Assaults on Gaza
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: At least twenty-four Palestinians have been killed since dawn on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments targeting several areas across the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported, citing hospital sources.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:32 AM (Palestine Time)
Dan Steinbock on the ‘Fall of Israel’: Five Takeaways from The FloodGate Podcast
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: In this FloodGate conversation, Dan Steinbock outlined five takeaways on how Israel’s internal decay and Gaza’s devastation are deeply intertwined.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Hamas: We Have Not Received Any New Proposals from Mediators
HAMAS STATEMENT: “We have not received any new proposals from the mediators. Negotiations have been suspended since the failed assassination attempt in Doha. We are ready to study any proposals that preserve the national rights of our people.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Resistance Executes Three Members of Yasser Abu Shabab Militia in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Palestinian news outlets reported that the resistance in the Gaza Strip executed three individuals for belonging to the Yasser Abu Shabab militia.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu to Stall on Trump Proposal
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Jerusalem Post, citing sources, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court, will stall and may ask Washington for time to amend its proposal regarding Gaza.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Infant Dies Due to Malnutrition and Lack of Treatment in Gaza
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip announced the death of an infant due to malnutrition and lack of treatment.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
10 Killed in Israeli Strike on Two Homes in Nuseirat Camp
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Al-Awda Hospital reported that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on two homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip has risen to 10.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Maariv: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Threaten Netanyahu
ISRAELI MEDIA:
Maariv reported that ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Trump, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told him:
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: “Mr. Prime Minister, you have no mandate to end the war before defeating Hamas.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “We will not stop until Hamas is defeated and the captives are returned. We will never agree to a Palestinian state, even if it is difficult, costly, or requires time.”
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Rights Group: Occupation Blackmailing Gaza Families With Cooperation or Bombing
EURO-MED MONITOR: Israel is pursuing a dangerous policy of blackmail against families in the Gaza Strip. It is giving families two options: cooperate with its forces and militias, or face mass killing, starvation, and forced displacement.
Sun, Sep 28, 11:04 AM (Palestine Time)
Maariv: Netanyahu Sought “Victory Image” with Qatar Attack
ISRAELI MEDIA: Maariv reported, citing sources, that Israel’s attack on Qatar aimed at assassinating Hamas leaders was intended to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “victory image” he needed to end the war — but it failed.
Sun, Sep 28, 7:02 AM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Strikes Kill 10 in Nuseirat; Washington Post Details Trump's Proposal
Casualties in Nuseirat:
Strikes on homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in the killing of at least 10 Palestinians. Al-Awda Hospital reported 8 deaths from a strike on two houses, while emergency services reported 2 killed in an Israeli drone strike on a home in western Nuseirat.
Widespread Demolition:
The Israeli army is continuing large-scale demolition operations, deliberately bombing and leveling apartment buildings in both the northern and southern parts of Gaza City. Strikes were also reported on homes in the Nuseirat and Al-Bureij camps.
Details of Trump’s Proposal: The Washington Post published details of US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza. The reported plan includes:
An immediate halt to all military operations and a freezing of current battle lines.
The release of all detainees within 48 hours.
The destruction of all offensive weapons belonging to Hamas.
Granting amnesty to militants who commit to peaceful coexistence.
Nablus Raids:
Israeli forces launched incursions into neighborhoods and several villages across the Nablus governorate. Local sources reported that forces used sound bombs during a raid on the Old Askar Refugee Camp and also conducted raids in the Al-Juneid area west of Nablus.
Sun, Sep 28, 4:28 AM (Palestine Time)
New 'Freedom Flotilla' Departs Sicily, Headed for Gaza
A new “Freedom Flotilla,” consisting of 10 ships loaded with humanitarian aid, departed from Catania, Sicily (Italy) yesterday, Saturday, with the stated aim of “breaking the illegal Israeli blockade on Gaza.”
Participants:
The flotilla carries approximately 60 people representing 15 different nationalities, including French and other European parliamentarians.
Destination and Alliance:
The new fleet, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and “Thousand Madelines,” is expected to join the existing “Flotilla of Resilience” which is currently off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.
Context:
The Flotilla of Resilience already comprises more than 50 boats and hundreds of activists from around 45 countries, with some of its ships having set sail from Catania earlier this month on September 13.
Sun, Sep 28, 3:08 AM (Palestine Time)
Gaza Airstrikes Continue as UK Reports International Peace Deal is Close
Khan Yunis:
The Israeli army launched airstrikes targeting civilian homes in the central and southern parts of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Central Gaza Strikes:
Casualties were reported following an Israeli strike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Additionally, Israeli aircraft targeted the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
UK: Peace Deal Is Near:
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told The Guardian that the international community is close to reaching a peace agreement for Gaza. She urged Israel to change its current trajectory and halt renewed military action.
Pre-October 7 Mossad Assessment:
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on a detailed Mossad document, dated two weeks before October 7, which concluded that Hamas was not interested in initiating a military confrontation.
Sun, Sep 28, 1:06 AM (Palestine Time)
San Marino Officially Recognizes State of Palestine
STATEMENT: The Republic of San Marino officially announced its recognition of the State of Palestine today, Saturday, September 27, 2025.
Foreign Minister Luca Beccari made the formal declaration, days after the decision was initially taken during the “Two-State Solution Conference” held in New York under the auspices of the United Nations.
This recognition aligns with a rapidly growing trend among European and Western nations. In the past week alone, countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium, Andorra, France, Malta, and Monaco have also announced their recognition of a Palestinian state.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Barrack: US Position Moving Toward Ending War in Gaza
AL JAZEERA:
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Al Jazeera:
“The US position is moving toward ending the war in Gaza. Everyone wants to stop the war, and killing people, especially children, is unacceptable. We hope the coming days will bring an end to the killings in the Middle East. We recognize that the region is experiencing a wave of anger and resentment.
President Trump is eager to end the war and is the only one in the world capable of delivering a quick solution. The attack in Qatar disrupted the situation in the region, and there was a feeling of shock and betrayal over what Israel did.”
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Israeli Military Vehicle Runs Over Child in Jericho
PRCS: The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a child was injured after being run over by an Israeli military vehicle in Jericho, east of the West Bank.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Israel Investigating to Identify States Absent From Netanyahu’s UN Speech
ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel has decided to conduct an investigation to determine which states were absent during Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly.
Sun, Sep 28, 12:22 AM (Palestine Time)
Argentina Asked Netanyahu to Cancel His Visit
ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Benjamin Netanyahu had planned a visit to Argentina, but its president requested that he cancel the visit for the time being.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
San Marino Recognizes State of Palestine
AL-JAZEERA: The Foreign Minister of San Marino announced the recognition of the State of Palestine.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Hamas: Massacres in Al-Daraj and Nuseirat Are Netanyahu’s Message to the International Community
AL-JAZEERA: Hamas said that the massacres in the Al-Daraj neighborhood and the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza are Netanyahu’s message to the international community amid unjustified inaction.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Fidan: Washington Exerting Influence on Israel to Stop Gaza Ceasefire
AL-JAZEERA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that negotiations are continuing regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and that the United States will exert its influence on Israel.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:56 PM (Palestine Time)
Barak: Trump Realized Importance of Achieving Ceasefire in Gaza
AL-JAZEERA: Tom Barak told Al Jazeera that President Trump realized the importance of moving to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza after his meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders.
Sat, Sep 27, 10:46 PM (Palestine Time)
Piercing the Ship: Qassem's Warning Exposes Deepening Schism over Lebanon's Fate
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Sheikh Qassem emphasized that while Hezbollah remains committed to national unity, this unity must be focused on shared defense against the external enemy.
Sat, Sep 27, 9:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Lavrov: Israel’s Use of Force Risks Blowing Up the Middle East
RUSSIAN FM AT UN:
Israel’s unlawful use of force in Gaza, Iran, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria threatens to blow up the Middle East.
We condemned the October 7 attack, but there is no justification for the brutal killing of Palestinian civilians or terrorist attacks.
There is no justification for the collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza, where children are dying from bombing and starvation.
Sat, Sep 27, 9:02 PM (Palestine Time)
Massacres of Displaced Palestinians Reported, Three Gaza Hospitals Out of Service
PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli forces intensified attacks across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 82 people and forcing three major hospitals to close.
Romana Rubeo
In
this FloodGate conversation, Dan Steinbock outlined five takeaways on how
Israel’s internal decay and Gaza’s devastation are deeply intertwined.
In the latest episode of The
FloodGate Podcast, Robert Inlakesh sat down with Dan Steinbock, an expert on
global economy, international relations, and the multipolar world order, to
discuss Israel’s unraveling — politically, economically, and militarily.Drawing from Steinbock’s two latest works, The Fall of Israel and The Obliteration Doctrine, the conversation explored the internal decay of Israel’s politics, economy, and military, how the “obliteration doctrine” had shaped Gaza’s genocide, the complicity of Western powers, the failures of international law, and the global shifts then challenging Israel’s regional dominance.
However, through starvation policies, propaganda, authoritarian drift, and genocidal military doctrines, Israel is, in Steinbock’s words, “sleepwalking into a catastrophe.” His analysis underscored that the same processes devastating Palestinians were also eroding Israel from within.
As global power shifts are reshaping the Middle East, he cautioned, Israel’s unraveling could accelerate — unless international law and accountability were finally enforced.
Here are five takeaways from the interview.
Starvation as a Weapon of War
For Steinbock, one of the starkest indicators of Israel’s trajectory is its systematic use of starvation as a tool of war. He recalled how, long before October 7, “four out of five of Gaza’s residents were already largely dependent on humanitarian aid,” the result of years of deliberate economic strangulation.
As he explained, Israeli officials themselves had admitted — in documents later revealed by WikiLeaks — that the goal was to keep Gaza’s economy “on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge.”
That policy is not simply about economics but about controlling life itself. “They started calculating what would be an adequate number of kilocalories for the people to manage but not to cause a famine,” Steinbock noted.
He situated this grim calculus in a longer colonial history, comparing it to the British famine policies in India, which had deliberately set rations so low that millions died. In Gaza, he argued, the logic is similar: “Perhaps only in the Warsaw Ghetto we have seen something even worse.”
Propaganda and Denial of Reality
Alongside the weaponization of food, Steinbock highlighted a campaign of denial designed to obscure what is happening. Israeli spokespeople and their defenders insist that Palestinians are not starving, attributing deaths to disease or pre-existing conditions.
To Steinbock, these arguments echo dangerous historical precedents: “Their arguments seem very similar to the arguments you hear from Nazi Holocaust deniers… pulling up a photo of somebody overweight in Auschwitz to claim no one starved.”
But, he warned, denial could not be sustained forever. “The reality is that ultimately the real data will come out,” he said, adding that even many Israelis were becoming “increasingly uncomfortable with what they see when they can see something that happens in Gaza.”
For Steinbock, the more such propaganda is repeated, the more it risks backfiring — not only morally but politically — because it lays bare the real objective: “not truth, but ethnic cleansing, taking over Gaza just as the West Bank.”
Institutional Crisis
The decay, Steinbock stressed, is not only external but internal. He sees Israel’s crisis as rooted in its transformation from a fragile democracy into something far more authoritarian.
He traced this shift back to the decision of David Ben-Gurion not to adopt a formal constitution, leaving open deep divisions between secular and religious Zionists. Those divisions, Steinbock argued, have later been exploited by Netanyahu and his far-right allies through judicial overhauls and nation-state laws.
“It was this movement from a country that was supposed to be democratic and secular and then Jewish into something very different,” he explained, “not so democratic or autocratic, religious and far right by its methods.”
The 2018 nation-state law, Steinbock said, codified apartheid into the legal order, paving the way for Netanyahu’s efforts to fully subvert the judiciary. “The very nature of the country as a democracy is changing dramatically,” he concluded.
Netanyahu’s Far-Right Bubble
This institutional collapse is compounded by Netanyahu’s personal style of rule. Steinbock described the prime minister as having surrounded himself with “yes men and yes women,” creating a political bubble in which dissenting voices were purged — including former defense ministers and even the head of the Shin Bet.
Such consolidation, he argued, had left Israel “dangerous to itself,” as decision-making became detached from reality.
“The enemy of Israel is not the Palestinians,” Steinbock insisted. “There is an enemy that Israel has and it is itself — its far right.”
The consequences, he said, are already catastrophic: “What has happened in Gaza (is) the major collapse of morality in the early 21st century… it has already hurt so many Palestinians that I consider it catastrophic.”
By elevating extremist figures such as Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu has, in Steinbock’s words, “opened the hen house for other foxes far more lethal than himself.”
The “Obliteration Doctrine”
The culmination of this decay, Steinbock argued, is what he called the “obliteration doctrine” — a strategy that combines four interlocking elements: scorched earth, collective punishment, civilian victimization, and indiscriminate aerial bombing.
Unlike traditional military doctrine, it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. “The idea is that civilians are no longer just collateral damage,” he explained. “It is the objective to hurt civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
What is new in Gaza, he stressed, is the role of artificial intelligence in targeting, where kill probabilities replace human judgment. “If it’s civilians all the better, then people will move faster if you’re after ethnic cleansing,” he warned.
For Steinbock, this is not war in any meaningful sense: “This is not war. It’s mass butchery by any other name. We should call these things as they are and treat them as such.”
No comments:
Post a Comment