November 27, 2023

*) Hamas seeks to extend humanitarian pause in Gaza Palestinian group Hamas has announced that it is seeking to extend the four-day humanitarian pause with Israel in Gaza. The group said in a statement that it is making serious efforts to secure the release of more Palestinians even after the pause ends. A Palestinian source who preferred to remain anonymous, as the person was not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Hamas informed mediators Qatar and Egypt that the resistance movements were willing to extend the current truce by two to four days. *) Israeli girl’s death brings army’s ‘Hannibal Protocol’ back into focus An Israeli eyewitness said that during Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, the army surrounded a house containing members of the Palestinian group and Israelis and later opened fire with tank rounds, killing all of them. It appeared to be the latest implementation of the ‘Hannibal Protocol’, which involves the killing of enemy-held captives to prevent Israeli civilians from being taken to Gaza as hostages. Reports in Israeli media about the high number of civilian casualties during Hamas’s cross-border assault and Israeli military helicopters shooting both Palestinian fighters and civilians at a music festival near Gaza have led to debates on whether the army applied the ‘Hannibal Protocol’. *) President Erdogan discusses Gaza with his Iranian counterpart Raisi In a recent phone conversation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have discussed unlawful Israeli attacks on Palestine’s Gaza, humanitarian aid delivery for Palestinians, and potential steps to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the region. President Erdogan emphasised the importance of taking a common stance by particularly Türkiye and Iran, and Muslim world against Israeli atrocities and brutality in Palestinian lands. The leaders expressed their commitment to working together to turn the temporary ceasefire into a permanent one and achieving permanen