Gaza 3 years on: The unfinished fight for Palestinian workers

Thousands of Palestinian workers were detained and tortured in 2023, yet questions about their fate remain unanswered, writes Hossam el-Hamalawy.

Three years after Israel began its genocide in Gaza, the fate of Palestinian workers detained after 7 October remains unclear, though their odyssey of humiliation, torture, and, on occasion, murder is beyond doubt and is mostly documented by their Israeli tormentors on social media and aired live by the far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Stalled at the Front, Russia Seeks to Undermine Ukraine’s Economic Capacity

Russian strikes are weakening the economy sustaining Ukraine’s war effort. Closing the growing funding gap will require more European support and politically contentious reforms in Kyiv.

In Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, the furnaces have fallen silent. The mining enterprises of international steelmaker ArcelorMittal stand idle, and other large businesses operate at a fraction of their prewar capacity. Falling tax receipts are forcing the city to cut spending. Next year, the priority will be keeping basic services functioning.

Syria’s new rulers and Hezbollah: An unlikely détente?

Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Syria’s post-Assad government have a contentious relationship formed in the bloody crucible of the Syrian civil war, when Hezbollah intervened against the Syrian opposition in 2013 in defence of the ailing regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

However, a recent Reuters report suggests that the two sides have held secret meetings in Turkey designed to defuse tensions between them, which may suggest a relative détente.

Ukraine’s Carpathian Eight Platform Will Optimize The “Cordon Sanitaire’s” Military Logistics

The containment noose around Russia’s western and southern flanks might eventually tighten.

Zelensky launched the Carpathian Eight (C8, also the Carpathian Integration Initiative) during a summit in late September. This platform was supposed to include Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria, Serbia, Romania, and Hungary, but the latter’s leader later denied that it joined. Anyhow, their initiative will optimize the deployment of NATO forces eastward in the spirit of the “military Schengen” as well as military logistics between the western and southern flanks of the new “cordon sanitaire” around Russia.

International Burke Institute: The Academic Façade of a Russian Influence Operation

A think tank that presents itself as Israeli is, according to OpenAI and Meta, part of a Russian influence operation. Its sovereignty index and several of its studies have made their way into reputable media outlets and academic texts. Leaked documents show that the Moscow-based propaganda firm Social Design Agency (SDA) had planned influence operations as early as 2024.

Drone in the service of the GRU. How Russian intelligence agencies organized (and failed) the sabotage at Leipzig airport

After the failed sabotage at Leipzig airport, many media, referring to sources in law enforcement agencies, called the names of some of the perpetrators and reported the likely involvement of the GRU, but could not provide evidence. The Insider was able to find not only documentary evidence that the sabotage was organized by the GRU, but also some previously unknown performers, before that lit up in sabotage in Poland.