Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

US Allows Food to Enter Starving Gaza, After 77 Days of the Israeli Genocidal War, Resulting in Killing 20,057 and Injuring 53,320

December 22, 2023 

*** 

Editor's Notes:  

Here are some initial (not final) statistics, which show the Israeli war crimes against humanity, during the current Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip:  

By December 22, 2023, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strop is 26,757+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (20,057) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on December 11, 2023: 6,700+).   

The documented injuries exceeded 53,320.   

By December 22, 2023, there were 304 Palestinians who were killed, 3,488 who were injured, and 4,659 who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023.

***

By December 20, 2023, the death toll included 8,000+ children and 6,200+ women.   

By December 21, 2023,  there was a complete destruction of 53,000+ housing units, and 255,000+ damaged housing units (60% of Gaza housing units). This forced about 1.5 million people to become homeless, taking refuge in crowded UN schools and ultimately sleeping in the streets.  

The Israeli refusal to allow international aid caravans to enter Gaza freely led the Palestinian population to be on the verge of mass extermination for the lack of food, water, medicine, and fuel.  

By December 21, 2023, 99 health personnel were killed and hundreds were injured, 102 ambulances were destroyed while on duty, killing and injuring their crews, and destroyed 56 health institutions. As a result of the strikes and lack of fuel, 23 hospitals and 53 primary care centers are not functioning.  

 

Injured Palestinian children waiting to die, for a lack of functioning hospitals, due to the Israeli siege and the Israeli genocidal war, file, December 22, 2023	Palestinian children waiting for food handouts, as food shortage intensified by the Israeli genocidal ar on Gaza Strip, file, December 22, 2023
A view of a Palestinian residential neighborhood, which was totally destroyed by Israeli genocidal air strikes on Gaza Strip, file, December 22, 2023	Shaza Al-Kafarna passed away by a heart attack in Istanbul, in sorrow and distress for what happened to her family in Gaza Strip, file, December 22, 2023
A Palestinian car attacked by an Israeli genocidal air strike on Rafa'h, December 21, 2023	A Palestinian man carrying a dead child, who was killed in an Israeli genocidal air strike, to bury him/her in a Rafa'h cemetery, December 21, 2023

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

"مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا"  (الْمَائِدَةُ ، 5: 32).

"وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا" (النِّسَاءُ ، 4: 93).

"Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption in the land, it is as if he had killed humankind entirely" (The Holy Quran, Al-Ma-ida, 5: 32).

"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him, and has cursed him, and has prepared for him a great torment" (Al-Nisa, 4: 93).

***

While brutal force has been used to create Zionist Israel and sustain it thus far, Zionist claims to Palestine are false. Actually, from the five thousand years of known written human history, there has been a continuous Palestinian-Canaanite presence in the Holy Land. Despite the Zionist false claims, the ancient Israelites ruled part of the land for only 85 years (during the reign of Prophets David and Solomon , peace be upon them, and Solomon's son).

 After that, the Egyptians conquered Palestine-Canaan in 925 BC, followed by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arab Muslim rule, starting from 636 AD.

By the Time Jesus, peace be upon him, started his mission, the three population groups of Canaanites, Palestinians, and Israelites were melted together in religion and language. Most of them became Christians when Constantine converted in 313 AD. Then, most of them became Muslims in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.

So, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews are the ones who have the right to claim descent from ancient Israelites, Palestinians, and Canaanites, not Zionists from other continents.

No matter what the Zionists and their supporters do, they cannot change the will of God, Who promised the Holy Land to Abraham and his descendants, basically the Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

No matter how much persecution and aggression the Zionists and their supporters inflict upon the Palestinian people, they will never be able to force them out of the Holy Land, which Allah, praise to Him, promised for them, and kept His promise ever since.

The following news stories are just examples, not a systematic record, of the Israeli occupation government abuse, mistreatment, and violations of Palestinian human rights, on daily basis.

More detailed news stories can be found at the following sources:

http://english.wafa.ps/, https://english.palinfo.com/, https://imemc.org/, https://paltoday.ps/ar/


***
Editorial Notes about terms & names of people and places:

1. Names of people and places have been standardized to match standard Arabic grammatical rules.

2. Underlined letters and letters preceded by an apostrophe are references to Arabic letter sounds, which does not exist in the English alphabet.

3. The English letter i is equivalent to the Arabic short vowel known as kasra, as in Ibraheem and Qasim as well as in the English words sit and bit. So, it is incorrect to use it as a long vowel for such Arabic names as Jameel and Jibreel.

4. The English letter e is equivalent to the Arabi short vowel known as fat'ha, as in A'hmed and Mu'hammed.

5. It is more accurate to refer to the land-grabbing Israelis, who establish illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, as illegal Israeli settlers, than referring to them as colonists.

The term colony is a reference to a large entity or a country, such as American states before independence. It was also a reference to Egypt, and India, when they were British colonies.

In addition, the term "colony" represents a positive nostalgic theme, in the minds of native speakers of English, particularly in America and Britain.

6. It is more accurate to use the verb "abduct" than the verb "detain," in reference to taking Palestinian citizens by force to prisons and interrogation centers, by Israeli occupation regime soldiers. This is because the presence of the Israeli occupation regime forces is illegal in the Palestinian territories, and they have no jurisdiction over the Palestinian people.

Click here for more about using the apostrophe and the underlining of letters in the transliteration of Arabic names.


***
***

UN Security Council passes Resolution 2720, which allows the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, to Gaza Strip, after 77 days of the Israeli genocidal war on 2.3 million Palestinians

NEW YORK, December 22, 2023

Internet and Wafa ---

The UN Security Council has passed Resolution 2720, which allows the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, to Gaza Strip, after 77 days of the Israeli genocidal war on 2.3 million Palestinians.

The resolution was finally possible by Russia and the U.S. abstaining, for different reasons, to allow it to pass.

This resolution comes after the United States announced its readiness to support the latest version of the resolution, which urges "urgent measures" to improve humanitarian aid access to Gaza. 

The United States used its veto power seven times to prevent the UNSC from passing a resolution to stop the war, which allowed the Israeli genocidal war to continue, in killing as many Palestinians as possible and destroying as much of Gaza as possible.

 The new resolution, formulated on Thursday, calls for urgent measures to immediately enable safe and unobstructed access to humanitarian assistance, as well as creating conditions for a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The fresh resolution abandons the call for an "urgent and permanent" halt to hostilities present in its original version, which Russia called for. It also removes the plea for an "urgent suspension" of hostilities, a milder expression found in a later version but omitted in the new draft.

Originally scheduled for Monday, the vote has been repeatedly postponed, with the latest delay announced on Thursday evening. 

Despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month, the United States has vetoed the adoption of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli aggression has persisted since October 7.

Last week, the General Assembly approved the same resolution with 153 votes in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions out of 193 member states. However, the UN General Assembly decisions are not binding.

Following this overwhelming support, the United Arab Emirates presented the new resolution to the Security Council.

M.N.

Israeli bombardment, ground operations, and besiegement of entire population in Gaza have caused catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity - IPC

ROME, Thursday, December 21, 2023 (WAFA) –

The Israeli bombardment, ground operations and besiegement of the entire population in the Gaza Strip have caused catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity. Around 85 percent of the population (1.9 million people) is displaced and currently concentrated into an increasingly smaller geographic area, said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in a report.

Between 24 November and 7 December, over 90 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.08 million people) was estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). Among these, over 40 percent of the population (939,000 people) were in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and over 15 percent (378,000 people) were in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), it said.

Between 8 December 2023 and 7 February 2024, the entire population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.2 million people) is classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse), added IPC.

This is the highest share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity that the IPC initiative has ever classified for any given area or country. Among these, about 50 percent of the population (1.17 million people) is in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and at least one in four households (more than half a million people) is facing catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5, Catastrophe), said the report. These are characterized by households experiencing an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.

Even though the levels of acute malnutrition and non-trauma related mortality might not have yet crossed famine thresholds, these are typically the outcomes of prolonged and extreme food consumption gaps. The increased nutritional vulnerability of children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly is a particular source of concern, said the report.

T.R.

Injured patients ‘waiting to die’ in northern Gaza as last hospital shuts down, amid rising 'catastrophic' hunger levels - says WHO

NEW YORK, Thursday, December 21, 2023 (WAFA) -

There are no functioning hospitals in the north of Gaza and injured patients who need surgery and cannot be moved are “waiting to die”, the UN health agency; World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, in a plea for a ceasefire to allow more aid into the shattered enclave.

The latest grave assessment from the World Health Organization (WHO) came after UN teams reached Al-Ahli Arab hospital and Al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday, amid reports of intensifying ground operations by Israeli forces and continuing airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

“Patients were crying out in pain, but they were also crying out for us to give them water,” said WHO Emergency Medical Teams coordinator Sean Casey, describing the scene at Al Ahli Arab hospital, where medical staff were struggling to cope with “no food, no fuel, no water”.

“It looks more like a hospice now than a hospital. But a hospice implies a level of care that the doctors and nurses are unable to provide…. It's pretty unbearable to see somebody with casts on multiple limbs, external fixator on multiple limbs, without drinking water and almost no IV fluids available,” said WHO.

“At the moment, it's a place where people are waiting to die unless we are able to move them to a safer location where they can receive care.”

According to the UN health agency, only nine out of 36 health facilities in Gaza are partially functional; all of them are located in the south.

“There are no operating theatres (in the north) anymore due to the lack of fuel, power, medical supplies and health workers, including surgeons and other specialists,” said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative and now acting UN humanitarian coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking from Jerusalem.

At Al-Ahli Arab hospital approximately 10 staff – “all junior doctors and nurses” – have continued to provide basic first aid to some 80 patients now sheltering in a church within the hospital grounds, Peeperkorn explained. “Some of them are severely injured and have been waiting for surgery for two weeks or have been operated on but are now at risk of post-operation infection due to lack of antibiotics and other drugs. All these patients cannot move and need to be transferred urgently, to have a chance to survive.”

“The time is now. We are dealing with starving people now, adults, children, it's unbearable. Everywhere we go, people are asking us for food even in the hospital, I walked around in the emergency department, somebody with an open bleeding wound, an open fracture; they asked for food. If that's not an indicator of the desperation, I don't know what is,” said WHO Emergency Medical Teams coordinator Sean Casey

UN workers delivering medical supplies to the Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza on 16 December have described the emergency department as a “bloodbath”, with hundreds of injured people inside, and a constant flow of new patients.

T.R.

'Hamas: Israeli army committed several field executions against entire families

Friday 22-December-2023, GAZA, (PIC)

Ghazi 'Hamad, a senior leader in the 'Hamas Movement, said in a recorded statement on Thursday that the Israeli fascist army committed several field executions against entire families in the Gaza Strip during the 76-day aggression.

Following is the full text of 'Hamad’s statement:

“Over the past 76 days, the Palestinian people have been experiencing the horrors of the Israeli genocide war across the Gaza Strip, in addition to the daily aggression in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem by the Israeli occupation army and settlers, who are given a free hand to kill and damage Palestinian properties. Why is the international community silent while the Israeli occupation army continues to commit massacres on a daily basis, especially in the northern parts of the Gaza Strip?

In Gaza City, the Israeli fascist army committed several field executions against entire families. Eyewitnesses reported the dozens of Palestinians who were taken from their homes and executed in cold blood in front of their families. In the Jabalya refugee camp, Israeli warplanes continue to commit horrible war crimes by carpet bombing entire residential neighborhoods in the camp and killing dozens of people.

According to the latest figures, the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli aggression exceeded 20,000, in addition to more than 52,000 who were injured. These horrible figures include the deaths of more than 5,000 children, and more than 6,200 women, comprising over 70% of the deaths.

Under this genocide war on the Palestinian people, we in the Hamas resistance Movement stress the following: firstly, despite the unprecedented horror that our people are experiencing every minute in Gaza, the people’s morale is very high, they are steadfast on their land, and they will never surrender to the Israeli evil plans that aim to expel them from their homes and areas. Despite the image of heroism, we still remind the entire world that people are experiencing human suffering that is unprecedented in our modern times. The people in Gaza are on the verge of famine under the Israeli-tightened and suffocating siege.

As our victorious resistance in Gaza is inflicting every day heavy losses on the Israeli invading forces and vehicles, the Palestinian resistance is determined to continue the fight against the Israeli criminal army, which only succeeds in showing the entire world its level of savagery and thirst to kill.

As the United Nations Security Council yesterday postponed voting on the resolution that calls for the immediate ending of Israeli aggression, we hold the United States administration responsible for postponing the voting session aimed at giving the Israeli fascist entity time to kill more of our people in Gaza.

We have held our fair position; we will not hold any form of talks over prisoners’ exchange under the continuation of the Israeli genocide war. We are, however, open to any initiative that contributes to ending the aggression against our people.

Our Movement’s senior delegation is currently in Egypt to discuss the Israeli aggression on Gaza, efforts to end it, and to allow for humanitarian aid into Gaza as the quantities of aid that enter Gaza are very limited and do not reach all areas of Gaza.

The Hamas Movement strongly condemns the formation of a US-led part-time coalition in the Red Sea that only aims to back the Israeli genocide war against our people. We view this aggressive coalition as a further escalation that would not lead to de-escalation but further expansion of the conflict. Therefore, we call on all countries to distance themselves from such a suspicious coalition.

In this regard, we highly commend the courageous stance of our brothers in Yemen, standing with the Palestinian people and their resistance. We hail all resistance groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria for their support of the Palestinian people.

We highly appreciate the Malaysian stance on preventing Israeli-flagged ships from using its seaports; it’s a courageous stance, and we urge all countries to announce similar positions as long as the Palestinian people are deprived of basic needs in Gaza. We continue to urge the international community and the United Nations not to give up their responsibilities in relieving the pain of the Palestinian people and in protecting them from the Israeli genocide war. It is the UN and the international community’s responsibility to prevent the Israeli occupation from continuing the mass killing and destruction of all aspects of life in Gaza.

Finally, we salute all the free people across the world. We appreciate their activism and rallies in support of the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom. Glory and eternity to our martyrs, speedy recovery to the injured, and victory to our people.” 

***

Tragic loss: Heartbroken young woman’s demise amidst Gaza news

Friday 22-December-2023 (PIC)--

The heart of the young Palestinian woman, Shaza (Shadtha) Al-Kafarna, could not bear the suffering endured by her family in the Gaza Strip due to the horrors of war and displacement. The shock was greater than she could handle, and she passed away in sorrow and distress.

As soon as the war broke out in the Gaza Strip on October 7th, the life of 23-year-old Shaza (Shadtha) turned upside down, and all her concerns focused on the safety of her family.

Shaza (Shadtha), a graduate in multimedia from the Gaza Strip, had moved to Istanbul, Türkiye, to live with her sister about two years ago, and she had planned to achieve many of her ambitions and dreams there.

With the start of the Israeli ground offensive and the accompanying brutal indiscriminate shelling of the homes of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Kafarna family was forced to flee their town of Bait 'Hanoun in the northernmost part of the Strip to Rafa'h in the south. The impact of that was like a lightning strike on her.

The SAFA news agency quoted her sister, Walaa, as saying, “Shaza (Shadtha) was extremely worried, tense, and fearful for our family, and she followed the news minute by minute, living in constant anxiety.”

Shaza’s close monitoring of the details of her family’s life in Gaza was not in vain, as she was the “spoiled little one” among her siblings, and she had a unique relationship with her parents and brothers. She could not imagine the suffering they were going through.

Walaa adds, “Shaza was very spoiled, light-hearted, and loved by everyone. In fact, my brother named his daughter after her because she was so beloved.”

The heart of the young woman was breaking in sorrow due to the deteriorating living conditions of her family amidst the ongoing war and killings. She couldn’t imagine her family taking refuge in a school with thousands of displaced people, in extremely difficult humanitarian circumstances, after they had lived in a beautiful home and a stable and happy life.

“She couldn’t bear to see her family in this situation, and she was in a lot of pain. She followed the harsh details of their lives, and what bothered her the most was their exhaustion and need, wishing she could bring them to her,” says Walaa, grieving for her sister and companion in the journey of exile.

The young woman’s heart couldn’t withstand all this pain for more than two months. She suffered a sudden heart attack on December 7th and was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Istanbul for about two weeks. 

***
***

Killing and Injuring of Palestinians in Ghazza (Gaza) by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

Ongoing genocide in Gaza on day 77 of aggression

Friday 22-December-2023, GAZA, (PIC)

 The Israeli occupation forces continue their brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 77th consecutive day Friday, with dozens of airstrikes and artillery shelling, committing massacres against civilians and carrying out horrific crimes in the infiltration areas as part of the genocide, amidst a catastrophic humanitarian situation resulting from the blockade and the displacement of more than 90% of the population.

Our correspondent reported that the Israeli warplanes and artillery continued their airstrikes and shelling on various areas of the Gaza Strip on Friday, targeting houses, gatherings, facilities, and streets.

Journalist Abdul Qadir Saba'h from northern Gaza said: “After a tour with the medical teams in the Jurn area, the place was subjected to a large number of artillery shells and war rockets, confirming the presence of a large number of martyrs and wounded under the rubble.”

He added: “The medical teams are trying to reach the place, but most of the roads are closed due to the shelling and repeated targeting by the Israeli artillery.”

The Israeli warplanes bombed the house of the Abu Hussein family in Block 1 in Jabalya refugee camp, along with continuous aerial and artillery bombardment on Block 2 and the Jurn neighborhood in the camp.

A young man was killed in the Israeli reconnaissance planes’ bombing of a motorcycle he was riding in Khan Younus.

The Israeli occupation forces issued new evacuation orders against the residents of Al-Buraij camp, Badr and the northern coastal neighborhoods, Al-Nusayrat, Al-Zahra, Al-Baraq, Al-Rawdha, and Al-Saflouk in the southern areas of Gaza Valley, and asked them to move to Dair El-Bala'h.

The Israeli occupation forces released a number of Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics and female volunteers who were detained last night from inside the Jabalya ambulance center after some of them were subjected to beating and torture.

The Red Crescent Society said that the Israeli occupation forces continue to detain eight medical crews.

It stated that the Israeli soldiers destroyed the central wireless communication device and all the ambulance vehicles in the branch.

Based on the testimony of the released crew members, the Israeli occupation forces instructed the residents near the ambulance center to head towards it as a shelter, and later called on those present at the headquarters to leave the center and took them for questioning. Later, the Israeli soldiers called on the women and ordered them to leave the center and took them to an unknown location.

The Israeli occupation forces bombed several houses in the Abu Iskandar area, and sounds of clashes were heard in the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood in the northern city of Gaza.

The civil defense recovered martyrs and injured people after the Israeli army targeted the Dthahir family’s house in Rafa'h last night, and rescued the injured after the army targeted the Al-Kurd family’s house in the Yibna camp at dawn.

The Israeli occupation forces shelled the southern area of Dair El-Bala'h, resulting in casualties, and recorded injuries in an Israeli shelling that targeted the Khattab family’s house in the Hikr area of Dair al-Bala'h.

The Israeli warplanes carried out extremely violent airstrikes on Jabalya camp in northern Gaza while the Israeli artillery shelled the vicinity of Al-Jalaa roundabout in northern Gaza.

A woman was killed and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Nabhani family’s house in Al-Buraij.

A man was killed and others were injured in the Israeli shelling of the Sharaf family’s house in Khan Yunis camp, and other airstrikes targeted houses in Bani Suhayla and Shaikh Nasir to the east.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qidra, announced in the early hours of Friday that the Israeli aggression resulted in 390 martyrs and 734 injuries in the Gaza Strip during the past 48 hours, during which communications were interrupted.

He confirmed that the death toll of the Israeli aggression has risen to 20,057 martyrs and 53,320 injuries since October 7th.

Incursions The Israeli occupation forces continue their incursions in several areas of the Gaza Strip, amidst fierce clashes in those areas.

Our correspondents reported that the occupation forces are committing horrific crimes inside the infiltration areas, including raiding and looting houses and facilities, besieging thousands of citizens in their homes and depriving them of food, water, or health services.

There are casualties and martyrs in houses and streets, and the medical teams are unable to retrieve them. The occupation forces also carry out random abductions against civilians, accompanied by extensive harassment operations.

More civilian casualties reported in Gaza on 77th day of Israeli aggression

GAZA, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

On the 77th day of the aggression against the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupation forces continued their airstrikes and artillery shelling on various areas in the region, resulting in the murder and injury of dozens of civilians, predominantly children and women, according to local sources.

In an Israeli drone genocidal airstrike in Khan Younus, south of the Gaza Strip, a young man was while riding a motorcycle, medical sources said

Additionally, several civilians were killed and others were injured due to intensive Israeli artillery shelling targeting Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip.

Meantime, rescue teams managed to retrieve 16 dead bodies and more than 50 injured individuals from the Al-Bursh family home which was targeted and destroyed by Israeli genocidal airstrikes in Jabalya, north of the Strip.

Israeli warplanes also carried out multiple airstrikes on Blocks 1 and 2 in Jabalya refugee camp. No reports were available from the scene regarding any casualties, likely due to the outage of telecommunications in many areas of the besieged territory as a result of the prolonged Israeli aggression.

Simultaneously, Israeli artillery targeted the eastern areas of Al-Buraij refugee camp in the central region of the enclave.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, which began on October 7, has resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 Palestinians, with 70% of the casualties being women and children, according to a preliminary toll.

M.N. 

Indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes on Gaza claim dozens of lives as the Israeli genocidal war persists for 77th day

GAZA, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) -

As the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip enters its 77th day in a row, Israeli occupation forces persist in committing massacres against the defenseless civilian population, with the latest attacks claiming the lives of dozens of innocent people and adding to the growing toll of casualties.

In Khan Younus, south of the Strip, six civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house east and northeast of the city, according to local sources. The bodies of victims and dozens of wounded were rushed to Nasser Hospital in the city following the deadly Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling.

In Al-Nusayrat refugee camp, in central Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on homes resulted in more casualties and injuries, according to local and medical sources.

In the northern Gaza Strip, a child was killed and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house sheltering displaced persons in Jabalya refugee camp.

Meantime, rescue and ambulance teams retrieved the bodies of 9 martyrs, including a mother and her five daughters, following the bombardment of their home in Jabalya town. The death toll in the town and its camp rose to approximately 30 victims and dozens of wounded within the past 24 hours.

In Rafa'h, south of Gaza, eight civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting two residential houses. Three of them lost their lives in a house belonging to Al-Dthahair family west of Rafa'h. All casualties were transported to the Kuwait Hospital in Rafa'h.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported receiving numerous calls regarding the shelling of a house in the Nazla area of Jabalya, northern Gaza, where rescue and ambulance teams struggled to reach due to the intensity of the attacks.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 has resulted in the murder of over 20,000 Palestinians, with 70% of them being women and children, according to an unofficial tally. 

M.N,

Communication services partially return in central and southern Gaza - Telecommunications Company

GAZA, Thursday, December 21, 2023 (WAFA) -

The Palestine telecommunications company announced tonight the gradual restoration of communication services in the central and southern Gaza Strip, after it went out of service on Wednesday for the sixth time since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7th.

The occupation machinery also destroyed during its aggression the generators powering the main division from Khan Younus, in the south of the Gaza Strip, it said.

Israeli warplanes once again bombed the main fiber-optic internet line in the Strip, causing a complete interruption of communication and Internet services, according to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Technical teams are having great difficulty repairing the damage due to the extensive destruction to the infrastructure left behind by the Israeli aggression.

T.R. 

Killing and Injuring of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

Occupation forces injure, detain two Palestinians near Jineen

JENIN, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces injured and detained two Palestinians, in addition to abducting two others, during a raid into the town of Barta'a, to the southwest of Jineen in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Ghassan Kabha, the mayor of Barta'a, told WAFA that Israeli occupation forces arrested two young men, Ramzi Ibraheem and Mustafa Kabha, after shooting them in their lower limbs. The incident occurred as Israeli occupation forces raided the town and confiscated several vehicles, leading to confrontations.

Kabha pointed out that the occupation forces continue to close the military checkpoint separating the town—located behind the Israeli segregation barrier—from the rest of the West Bank in both directions daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day.

He noted that since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on October 7, the occupation has allowed only pedestrian traffic through the checkpoint. This checkpoint is considered the sole corridor for the residents of the town and nearby villages to connect with Jenin Governorate and the rest of the West Bank.

He further emphasized that the residents of the town and nearby villages endure harsh conditions, forced to traverse rugged mountainous roads due to Israeli restrictions and closures.

The blockade has led to shortages of essential supplies in the town, he added, as traders are prohibited from importing them. Additionally, residents face difficulties seeking medical attention for chronic illnesses, as they require special permits to travel to the Jenin Hospital, the nearest public hospital accessible to the town's residents.

M.N.

Israeli forces assault Palestinian youth at checkpoint near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

BETHLEHEM, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

A young man from the town of Do'ha, west of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), sustained injuries today following an assault by Israeli occupation forces at the Container checkpoint, to the northeast of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem) in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian security sources.

The sources relayed told WAFA correspondent that soldiers stationed at the checkpoint, which separates the central and southern regions of the West Bank, briefly detained the young man, Mohammed Al-Ajouri, and brutally attacked him.

The assault resulted in Al-'Ajjouri sustaining bruises and wounds, necessitating his immediate transfer to the hospital.

The incident sheds light on the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinians in the West Bank as they commute from one region into another in the occupied territory.

M.N.

Israeli occupation forces storm multiple areas in Tulkarm, leading to confrontations and injury of youth

TULKARM, Thursday, December 21, 2023 (WAFA) -

A Palestinian young man was shot and injured by Israeli occupation forces during confrontations that broke out tonight in the town of Qaffeen, north of Tulkarm.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its crews dealt with a live fire injury to the foot for an 18-year-old young man after he was shot during conformations with the occupation forces in the town of Qaffeen. He was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Local sources said that confrontations broke out following an Israeli military incursion into the said town. Forces reportedly stormed the town, deployed their troops in its streets and alleys, conducted a combing camping the area and set up ambushes, leading to confrontations.

Israeli forces also stormed the village of Nazlat 'Eisa, in the north, where they set up ambushes and a military checkpoint and proceeded to stop Palestinian-registered vehicles, interrogating passengers and checking their identity cards.

Forces also raided and searched commercial shops, tampering with their contents.

No detentions were reported in the military incursions.

T.R.

Israeli forces storm shu'fat refugee camp in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) amid firing of tear gas canisters, dozens suffocate

JERUSALEM, Thursday, December 21, 2023 (WAFA) –

Dozens of Palestinians suffocated tonight after Israeli occupation forces stormed the Shu’fat refugee camp, north of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), amid the firing of tear gas canisters toward residents and their homes.

Local sources reported that the Israeli occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods in the camp, firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters toward residents and their homes, causing dozens of people to suffocate.

T.R. 

Abduction of Palestinians by Israeli Occupation Regime Soldiers

Occupation forces injure, detain two Palestinians near Jineen

JENIN, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces injured and detained two Palestinians, in addition to abducting two others, during a raid into the town of Barta'a, to the southwest of Jineen in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Ghassan Kabha, the mayor of Barta'a, told WAFA that Israeli occupation forces arrested two young men, Ramzi Ibraheem and Mustafa Kabha, after shooting them in their lower limbs. The incident occurred as Israeli occupation forces raided the town and confiscated several vehicles, leading to confrontations.

Kabha pointed out that the occupation forces continue to close the military checkpoint separating the town—located behind the Israeli segregation barrier—from the rest of the West Bank in both directions daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day.

He noted that since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on October 7, the occupation has allowed only pedestrian traffic through the checkpoint. This checkpoint is considered the sole corridor for the residents of the town and nearby villages to connect with Jenin Governorate and the rest of the West Bank.

He further emphasized that the residents of the town and nearby villages endure harsh conditions, forced to traverse rugged mountainous roads due to Israeli restrictions and closures.

The blockade has led to shortages of essential supplies in the town, he added, as traders are prohibited from importing them. Additionally, residents face difficulties seeking medical attention for chronic illnesses, as they require special permits to travel to the Jenin Hospital, the nearest public hospital accessible to the town's residents.

M.N.

Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

Israeli occupation forces attack worshipers, block access to Al-Aqsa Mosque

JERUSALEM, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

 Tensions escalated today in occupied Jerusalem as Israeli occupation forces clamped down on worshipers and attacked them with teargas in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, leaving scores of them suffering from tear gas inhalation.

The confrontations occurred in the Wadi Al-Joaz neighborhood, adjacent to the holy site, as worshipers gathered for Friday prayers, unable to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the 11th consecutive week due to restrictions imposed by Israeli occupation forces.

The forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters and doused the crowd with contaminated water to disperse them, causing many cases of suffocation from teargas inhalation, according to local sources.

The use of force extended to journalists covering the event, with Israeli occupation forces assaulting and expelling them from the scene.

Due to stringent military measures imposed by Israeli authorities, only 12,000 worshipers managed to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This included the closure of mosque doors and the prohibition of entry for those residing outside the Old City of Jerusalem, regardless of whether they hailed from the 1948 territories or the surrounding neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

It is worth noting that calls from Jerusalem activists to rally and pray at Al-Aqsa persist amid an Israeli campaign of colonization and intense efforts to alter the historical and religious status of the holy site.

M.N.

Israeli occupation forces destroy water network in a village near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces closed off and subsequently destroyed the water network today in the village of Al-Minya, located southeast of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem) in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

The occupation forces also shut down all three main entrances to the village using earthen barriers, said the head of the Al-Minya village council, Zayid Al-Kawazba.

Al-Kawazba told WAFA that the forces sealed off the village by erecting soil barriers at its three main entrances. Following this blockade, the forces proceeded to demolish the water infrastructure that serves the village.

The head of the Al-Minya village council pointed out that this marks the third instance in which the Israeli authorities have deliberately targeted and destroyed the village's water network since October 7 of this year.

The closure of the three entrances effectively imposes a strict siege on the village, preventing residents from entering or leaving, he added.

M.N.

Illegal Israeli settlers uproot dozens of olive trees south of Nablus

NABLUS, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) –

Illegal Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees today in the village of Qusra, located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Fuad Hassan, a local activist, reported to WAFA that the settlers plowed more than 30 dunums of land in the Al-Furn area north of the village and uprooted dozens of decades-old olive trees.

Hassan explained that the illegal Israeli settlers seized the uprooted trees, noting that the local Palestinian citizens were unable to access the area due to the Israeli army providing protection for the settlers in their rampage.

The incident adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinian farmers in the region, as settler attacks on agricultural lands continue to escalate, exacerbating tensions in the area.

M.N. 

***