Author: M Barbu

Hamas Attacks IDF Troops in Rafah, Drawing Israeli Response

Latest Developments

  • Hamas Attacks in Rafah: Hamas terrorists attacked IDF troops in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on October 28, violating the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group. During the attack, the terrorists reportedly used small arms and an anti-tank missile to fire at Israeli forces. The attack marked the second incident of its kind since October 19, when two IDF soldiers were killed by a Hamas cell operating in the area. In the aftermath of the attack in Rafah, Hamas released a statement denying responsibility.
  • Renewed Airstrikes After Attack: In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “directed the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip.” Airstrikes were reported in both Deir al-Balah and Rafah in the hours following the Hamas attack. An Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post, “The response to the current violations by Hamas will be significantly greater than the response last time,” referring to a series of airstrikes carried out by Israel following the October 19 attack in Rafah.
  • Israel Set to Expand “Yellow Line”: Israeli media reported later on October 28 that Netanyahu had ordered the expansion of the “Yellow Line,” which delineates Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza from territory under IDF control. In future negotiated phases of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the IDF is expected to gradually relinquish control of the territory to a transitional authority in Gaza, handing it over to be secured by the International Stabilization Force.

The Sojourners of Jihad: Foreign Fighters and the Fabric of the New Syrian State

In the quiet corridors of Syria’s emerging republic—where the embers of revolution still flicker beneath the veneer of reconstruction—the saga of the so-called “Strangers’ Brigade” has once again resurfaced. Far from a transient disturbance, it remains a persistent quandary that continues to haunt the evolving Syrian polity. First surfacing in late 2024, the issue drew attention when the nascent General Command integrated several senior military officers into the army’s leadership ranks, including six foreign nationals—a move that symbolised the formal absorption of once-transnational fighters into the structure of a newly envisioned state.

Lynchages, incendies, massacres de troupeaux : la Cisjordanie face à une violence israélienne sans précédent

Une violence sans frein

Les deux dernières années ont été une période de violence israélienne déchaînée. Dans la bande de Gaza, cette violence a pris des proportions monstrueuses ; mais en Cisjordanie aussi, les Palestiniens en subissent leur part. Chaque lieu a sa propre forme de violence. Ici, en Cisjordanie, elle est exercée conjointement par toutes les forces israéliennes présentes : armée, police, police des frontières, service de sécurité intérieure (Shin Bet), administration pénitentiaire, coordinateurs de sécurité des colonies – et bien sûr, des civils israéliens. Souvent, ces civils portent des bâtons, des barres de fer ou des pierres, d’autres des armes à feu. Des milices opérant hors la loi mais dans son giron. Parfois, les civils prennent l’initiative et les forces officielles les couvrent ; parfois, c’est l’inverse. Le résultat, lui, ne change pas.

The Avalon Project : Hamas Covenant 1988

The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement

In The Name Of The Most Merciful Allah

“Ye are the best nation that hath been raised up unto mankind: ye command that which is just, and ye forbid that which is unjust, and ye believe in Allah. And if they who have received the scriptures had believed, it had surely been the better for them: there are believers among them, but the greater part of them are transgressors. They shall not hurt you, unless with a slight hurt; and if they fight against you, they shall turn their backs to you, and they shall not be helped. They are smitten with vileness wheresoever they are found; unless they obtain security by entering into a treaty with Allah, and a treaty with men; and they draw on themselves indignation from Allah, and they are afflicted with poverty. This they suffer, because they disbelieved the signs of Allah, and slew the prophets unjustly; this, because they were rebellious, and transgressed.” (Al-Imran – verses 109-111).

Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood

Introduction

In the 1988 charter that announced its existence, Hamas introduced itself as “one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.” The charter then informs the reader that the Brotherhood “is a universal organization that constitutes the largest Islamic movement in modern times.”1 That is no idle boast. The Brotherhood has scores of national branches across the globe. Among those branches, Hamas stands out for its unbroken record of violence and its readiness to massacre men, women, and children, as it did in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Yet the ideas that animate Hamas are not unique; they are part of the Brotherhood’s common heritage. These ideas have also spread far beyond the Brotherhood, animating al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and many other lethal organizations.

Profile: Who was Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi?

Al-Qurayshi was a shadowy and brutal figure who led ISIL when under intense military pressure from the US and allied forces.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi led ISIL (ISIS) from the shadows for a little more than two years before he was killed during a raid by US forces on a house in northern Syria.

The New Supply Chain Insecurity

In a matter of months, the Trump administration has rewritten the rules of U.S. trade policy. It has imposed blanket tariffs on nearly every country, starting at ten percent and rising as high as 50 percent. Levies on a host of products, such as steel, aluminum, cars, and car parts, have raised these trade barriers even further. At an average effective rate of around 18 percent, U.S. import taxes are now the highest they have been in nearly a century.

UAE Political Science Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla: Hamas Has Lost, It Should Apologize For Its Act Of Stupidity; Lebanon Should Sign Peace With Israel Like Jordan And Egypt; Hizbullah Is Weak, Naim Qassem Is Not Rational, Gulf States Reject His Rhetoric

In an October 4, 2025 interview on Spot Shot on YouTube, UAE political science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said that Hamas has lost, not the Palestinian cause, and that it must admit its loss and apologize for its “act of stupidity.” He suggested that Lebanon sign a peace agreement with Israel, like Jordan and Egypt, which both border Israel and have benefited from such agreements.