Jerusalem:

Israel is to build the first West Bank settlement since 2017, announced the Israeli Civil Administration, the country’s governing body that operates in the West Bank, local media reported.

Nahal Heletz, the new settlement, will cover approximately 148 acres (about 600,000 square metres) southwest of Jerusalem, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the Times of Israel.

The construction is likely years away since obtaining the zoning plans and construction permits would take time, the report further read.

Peace Now, an organisation opposing the settlements, warned that Nahal Heletz “will be an enclave in a Palestinian zone and will bring about friction and security challenges.”

It said Nahal Heletz is designed to disrupt Palestinian territorial continuity and argued that it contributes to Israel’s “de facto annexation” of the West Bank.

It also pointed out that the settlement will be built on land that belongs to Battir, a Palestinian village known for its ancient agricultural terraces recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Israel on Saturday woke up to a massive terror attack by the Hamas group that broke through Tel Aviv’s impregnable Iron Dome, firing over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip, and breached the security barrier to infiltrate Israel.

Hamas terrorists came in vehicles, boats, and paragliders and the land-sea-air attack stunned Israel as it was caught off-guard in what is being seen as a major intelligence failure. Over 600 Israelis have died since the attacks began on Saturday, a day of Sabbath and a Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

The terror strikes have turned the global focus back on the at-war neighbours – Palestine And Israel. Here’s a look at the power centres in Israel, West Bank, and Gaza.

Israel

The two most powerful men in Israel currently are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. They are the decision-makers of Israel, battered by unparalleled terror attacks that began at the dawn of the Sabbath.

PM Netanyahu was voted back to power in December last year. The coalition partners of his government – known to be the most right-wing government – are asking the PM to wipe out Gaza

Gaza

The Gaza Strip is an impoverished Palestinian enclave under an Israeli blockade since 2007. It is under the control of Hamas, which launched an unprecedented 5,000-rocket attack on Israel on Saturday.

Over two million people live in Gaza – a 362-square-kilometre strip of land and one of the world’s most densely populated places.

The power in this Strip rests with Hamas chief and political spokesperson Ismail Haniyeh and his military chief Mohammed Deif.

Haniyeh has a good rapport with the Arab world, including Lebanon and Hezbollah, and Qatar, which funds Gaza and the West Bank.

Deif, on the other hand, handles operations, plans and executes attacks and the group’s defence.

West Bank

Hamas called on “resistance fighters in the West Bank” and in “Arab and Islamic nations” to join the battle against Israel.

The West Bank is a landlocked territory bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. It is a part of Palestine under President Mahmoud Abbas and the government is called the Palestinian Authority. Mr Abbas has been a President for nearly two decades now. Interestingly, India assisted with the last elections held in the West Bank.