why should you not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?

﴿وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا﴾

“And why should you not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? — Men, women, and children, Whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town. Whose people are oppressors? And raise for us from the One who will protect and raise for us from the One who will help”!

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ الطَّاغُوتِ فَقَاتِلُوا أَوْلِيَاءَ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا (76)

“Those who believe fight in the cause of God, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of Evil: So fight ye against the Friends of Satan: feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan.”

The Israeli occupation army said on Saturday that it would be expanding its ground attack in the Gaza Strip. They will be starting a new advance in the southern part of the enclave along the so-called “Morag Axis.” The operation’s goal is to cut off Rafah and Khan Younis even more from the rest of the world. Palestinian officials have called the operation an effort to “sustain occupation and divide Gaza.”

The international community is becoming more worried about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has been under constant Israeli airstrikes and ground operations for months. The Gaza Health Ministry said that in the last 24 hours alone, 26 Palestinians have been killed and 113 have been hurt. There have been 50,695 deaths and more than 115,338 injuries since the war began on March 18. Since March 18, the war has claimed 1,335 lives and inflicted 3,297 injuries.

In related news, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, which is the military arm of Hamas, posted a video on Saturday that showed two Israeli hostages saying they were bombed by Israeli forces while they were out for a rare nighttime walk. People saw the video as a message to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The video made it clear that the time for a hostage deal is running out.

The New York Times also released a video from the phone of a Palestinian paramedic who was killed by Israeli fire in Rafah on March 23 along with 14 other colleagues. A top UN diplomat allegedly shared the video, which contradicts Israel’s claims. Some victims were shot at close range, and at least one was found with tied hands.

The office of Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that he will go to Washington, DC, on Sunday, as US President Donald Trump asked him to. The two leaders are likely to discuss customs fees, negotiations over hostages, relations between Israel and Turkey, the threat that Iran poses, and legal problems related to Netanyahu’s war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court.

Heavy bombing has forced about 300,000 Palestinians to leave Rafah. According to Ahmed Al-Soufi, the mayor of Rafah, Israel’s first attack in early May 2024 has destroyed 90% of the city. This includes homes, infrastructure, public buildings, and medical services.