Associated Press: Food Aid Reaches North Gaza For First Time In Weeks. Israeli Hostages’ Families Push For Release

“Aid convoys carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, Israeli officials said Wednesday, the first major delivery in a month to the devastated, isolated area, where the U.N. has warned of worsening starvation among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amid Israel’s offensive. The increasing alarm over hunger across Gaza has fueled international calls for a cease-fire as the U.S., Egypt and Qatar work to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas for a pause in fighting and the release of some of the hostages seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack. Mediators hope to reach an agreement before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts around March 10. But so far, Israel and Hamas have remained far apart in public on their demands. Increasing the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal, families of hostages on Wednesday launched a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free. Some of the around 100 hostages freed during a cease-fire in late November are joining the march, which is to end near Netanyahu’s official residence.”

Associated Press: Turkey Bears Responsibility For Possible War Crimes In Syria, Human Rights Watch Says

“Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that Turkey bears responsibility for some of the abuses and possible war crimes committed in Syria, mostly against Kurdish residents in northern Syria. The New York-based watchdog said the abuses were committed by Turkish forces and also armed factions backed by Ankara in areas they control in northern Syria. There was no immediate response from Turkey over the accusations, which came in a new, 74-page report by HRW. As an occupying power in northern Syria, Turkey has had the responsibility to restore public order and safety, protect residents and hold those responsible for abuses accountable, the report said. Since 2016, Turkey has launched three major operations inside Syria, targeting Syria’s main Kurdish militia — the People’s Protection Units or YPG, a U.S.-backed faction that Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.”

CEP Mentions

The Daily Express: Islamists And Muslims Are Not The Same, And We Need To Be Clear About That

“Since the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel, activists associated with Islamist political groups like Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb ut-Tahrir have been more visible than ever on British streets. It’s hard to imagine then, that despite some shocking scenes, the result might not be increased understanding and vigilance towards the presence of an anti-democratic political ideology in Britain, but quite the opposite - the further narrowing of an already stifled debate. First, Lord Ian Austin was the target of Islamophobia allegations. His crime? To describe Hamas as “Islamist rapists and murderers” in a tweet. Then, thanks to Lee Anderson MP’s offensive comments directed at Mayor Sadiq Khan, some commentators have sought to delegitimise the term ‘Islamist’ altogether, portraying those who use it as somehow bigoted or racist. This is wrong. ‘Islamist’ may be sometimes abused but it is not only an academically accepted term, it is a necessary one to differentiate a 20th century political ideology from Islam - the faith followed by nearly two billion people.”

CapX: We Have Surrendered Civilised Discourse To Violent Bigotry

“Last week, I sat in Portcullis House, the modern addition to the Palace of Westminster opposite Big Ben housing the offices of many of our legislators. After formidable security I waited in a holding pen, keeping company with several police ballistic shields propped against a wall, not far from where a couple of heavily armed officers scanned visitors with practised indifference. We live in the age of extremity. Reminders are potent and unsettling.  Do Members of Parliament deserve special protection? What does this mean for the rest of us? The answer to the first question ought to be straightforward. Last week we were told the Speaker of the House of Commons subverted parliamentary process because of fears Labour MPs would be targeted with violence by protestors if their amendment on a ceasefire on the Gaza conflict did not take precedence in a vote. The baroque explanations for this chicanery should not detain us, but the underlying menace must. Democratic representation, cowed by what the singer Chris Rea memorably called, ‘the perverted fear of violence’, is a blade to the fabric of liberal democracy in our country.”

WTOP News: The Hunt: Al-Qaida Has Been Quiet For Months. Security Officials Are Concerned

“On this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, said al-Qaida is now shifting its operations.”

Iran

Voice Of America: Iran-Backed Attacks Slow Since 3 US Service Members Killed

“Attacks by Iranian-backed proxies have slowed since the drone attack in January that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan near the Syrian border. There have been only two minor attacks in Syria since Feb. 2, when the United States launched retaliatory attacks on targets in Syria and Iraq. But U.S. lawmakers warned Wednesday that the lull does not de-escalate the risks of a regional conflict. “Iran doesn't have complete command and control of their operations,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said Wednesday. “That makes this a very precarious situation, one that requires careful clear-eyed American leadership. The risks of miscalculation would not only lead to another deadly attack against U.S. service members, it could lead to a full-scale regional war.” The U.S. military said U.S. and coalition forces shot down five Houthi drones late Tuesday in the Red Sea.U.S. Central Command said the drones were launched from areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region.”

Turkey

Associated Press: Turkish Drones Kill 3 In An Attack On A Local Christian Militia In Northeastern Syria, Officials Say

“Turkish drone strikes in northeastern Syria on Wednesday killed at least three members of a local Christian force and wounded others, including civilians, a Kurdish official and a Syrian opposition war monitor said. Also on Wednesday, reported Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus, and in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, security forces opened fire at protesters angry over the country’s worsening economy as they tried to break into the offices of President Bashar Assad’s ruling Baath Party. A 52-year-old man was shot in the chest and later died of his wounds. There was no immediate comment from Ankara on Wednesday’s airstrikes. Turkey has been attacking Kurdish fighters in Syria for years but attacks on the fighters from the country’s Christian minority have been rare. The force that was targeted, the local Christian Syriac police known as Sutoro, works under the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.”

Middle East

Reuters: U.N. Rights Chief: War Crimes Committed By All Parties In Israel-Hamas Conflict

“U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday said war crimes had been committed by all parties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for them to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable. "Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties," Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "It is time - well past time - for peace, investigation and accountability." Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people and captured 253 hostages in an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies. The attack sparked an Israeli offensive in Hamas-run Gaza, which it says is intended to rescue the remaining hostages and eradicate Hamas. Health authorities in Gaza say more than 30,000 people have been confirmed killed during the offensive. Turk, who was presenting a report on the human rights situation in Gaza and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said his office had recorded "many incidents that may amount to war crimes by Israeli forces". He added there were also indications that Israeli forces have engaged in "indiscriminate or disproportionate targeting" in violation of international law.”

Associated Press: Strike On Palestinians Waiting For Aid Kills 70, Gaza Officials Say, Taking War’s Toll Past 30,000

“A strike early Thursday on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City killed at least 70 people, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, health officials said. Gaza City and the surrounding areas in the enclave’s north were the first targets of Israel’s air, sea and ground offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The area has suffered widespread devastation and has been largely isolated during the conflict. Trucks carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, the first major aid delivery to the area in a month, officials said Wednesday. Aid groups say it has become nearly impossible to deliver humanitarian assistance in most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order, with crowds of desperate people overwhelming aid convoys. The U.N. says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians face starvation; around 80% have fled their homes.”

Reuters: New Zealand Lists Hamas As Terrorist Group, Sanctions 'Extremist' Israeli Settlers

“New Zealand on Thursday listed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity and imposed travel bans on "extremist" Israeli settlers whom it said had committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement that the attacks by the Hamas on Israel in October "were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them." But he added that "New Zealand wants to be clear that the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world.”

Europe

Reuters: Poland Detains Russian Citizen Accused Of Being Member Of Islamic State

“Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) has detained a Russian citizen accused of being a member of Islamic State (IS), the National Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Thursday. "The prosecutor... charged the detainee with being part of armed groups in the Syrian Arab Republic aimed at committing crimes of a terrorist nature," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. It said that the accused had been a part of Jabhat Al-Nusra and al Qaeda before joining IS. The man is being held in pre-trial detention for three months and if found guilty could face eight years in prison.”

Associated Press: Austria’s Top Diplomat Appeals For A Pause In Mideast Fighting For The Muslim Holy Month Of Ramadan

“Austria’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group against escalating the conflict along the volatile Israel-Lebanon border and expressed hope for a pause in the fighting in Gaza in time for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in March. The Middle East has witnessed enough devastation and cruelty, said Alexander Schallenberg, speaking after meeting his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut. Schallenberg said he came to Lebanon after visiting Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Overnight, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese villages along the southern border killed two people and wounded 14 others in the village of Kafra, state-run National News Agency reported. Since the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7, after Palestinian militants stormed parts of southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage, Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts, drawing return fire from Israel in daily exchanges. More than 210 Hezbollah fighters and nearly 40 civilians have been killed since then on the Lebanese side.”