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.

 

Israeli Genocidal War on 2.3 Million Palestinians in Gaza, Imposing Total Siege, Denying them Water, Food, Fuel, Electricity

October 11, 2023 

Nearly 400,000 people have been displaced as a result of Israeli shelling of residential neighborhoods in Gaza, October 11, 2023	Scenes of Israeli genocidal terrorist war on Palestinians in Gaza, October 11, 2023
16 Palestinian civilians were killed in new Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis, a wounded child who survived it, on October 11, 2023	Total destruction of residential neighborhoods by Israeli air strikes on Gaza city,, on October 11, 2023
In a new provocation to Muslim worshippers, illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds, Jerusalem, on October 11, 2023	Destruction of residential neighborhoods by Israeli air strikes on Khan Younis, on October 10, 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 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 David, Solomon, 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 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.

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/



With the exception of killings, the following news stories are just examples, not a systematic record, from: https://imemc.org/

***

Ghazza (Gaza)-West Bank: Death toll rises to 1078 as 5314 others wounded

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) - 

The number of Palestinians killed during Israeli aggression against the Ghazza (Gaza) Strip and the West Bank has risen to 1078, while the number of wounded has reached more than 5,314.

The Ministry of Health said that 1055 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, and 5184 others were injured in the ongoing raids throughout the Strip, for the fifth day in a row.

In the West Bank, the number of slain Palestinians rose to 23, after the two youths, Abdul Ra'hman Faraj and Ali Al-'Abbasi, were killed by Israeli occupation bullets in the Ain Al-Luza neighborhood in the town of Silwan in the city of Jerusalem, while 130 others were injured.

K.T

Israeli death toll rises to 1200 as army continues aggression against Ghazza (Gaza)

TEL AVIV, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

As the Israeli occupation army continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the fifth day in a row, it was announced that the number of Israelis killed has risen to 1,200.

The Israeli occupation army said in a post on its official X account that among the dead were 170 officers and soldiers, and that there were more than 2,800 wounded.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that 350 Israelis have been reported missing by their families since the beginning of the escalation on the Gaza Strip border.

K.T.

Israeli warplanes, warships bomb civilian areas in Ghazza (Gaza)

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) - 

Israeli occupation warplanes and warships bombed residential apartments as well as the Fishermen’s Port west of Ghazza (Gaza) City, with a large number of rockets and shells.

WAFA correspondent said that the occupation warplanes bombed residential apartments west of Gaza City with a large number of missiles, destroying them and setting them on fire, leading to injuries among citizens who were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital west of the city.

Israeli warships also bombed the Fishermen's Port with dozens of rocket shells, causing great destruction to it and to the property of citizens adjacent to it.

The violent Israeli missile bombardment from the air and sea continues on various areas of the Gaza Strip, for the fifth day in a row, killing civilians, destroying residential buildings, public and private facilities, and infrastructure.

The number of Palestinians killed during Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank has risen to 974, while the number of wounded has reached more than 5,000.

The Ministry of Health said that 950 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, and 5,000 others were injured in the ongoing raids throughout the Strip, for the fifth day in a row.

In the West Bank, the number of slain Palestinians rose to 24, after the two youths, Abdul Ra'hman Faraj and Ali Al-'Abbasi, were killed by Israeli occupation bullets in the 'Ain Al-Luza neighborhood in the town of Silwan in the city of Jerusalem, while 150 others were injured.

K.T.

New Israeli airstrike kills Palestinian civilians and injures others in Ghazza (Gaza)

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

A number of Palestinians civilians were Wednesday killed in new Israeli airstrikes on a number of homes in the Ghazza (Gaza) and Khan Younis governorates and the city of Dair El-Bala'h.

WAFA correspondent said that Israeli occupation warplanes bombed a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza, killing and injuring a number of people.

The warplanes also bombed another house for Al-Adham family in the Shati camp, west of the governorate, leaving at least three dead and a number of other injuries.

Israeli warplanes also bombed a house in Al-Hakar area in the city of Dair El-Bala'h in the middle of the Gaza Strip, killing three people from the Kurd family and causing several injuries while others are still under the rubble of the house.

He pointed out that warplanes bombed a house for Al-Qudra family in Al-Amal neighborhood park area, west of Khan Yunis, killing a number of civilians and wounding others, adding that other citizens are still under the rubble.

The Ministry of Health said that 1055 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, and 5184 others were injured in the ongoing raids throughout the Strip, for the fifth day in a row, with 60% of the casualties are children and women.

K.T

Four paramedics killed in an Israeli bombing of an ambulance in northern Gaza

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

Four paramedics were killed today when an Israeli aircraft bombed their ambulance in the northern Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent said the aircraft directly and deliberately bombed the ambulance killing the four paramedics and destroying the ambulance.

T.R./M.K.

Children among eight people killed in Israeli shelling of two houses in south of Gaza Strip

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

Eight people were killed, including children, in an Israeli bombing that targeted two houses in the city of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent said that the occupation warplanes targeted the two houses without warning, one of which belonged to the Zanoun family, and the other to the al-Ajez family.

In addition, Israeli warplanes targeted three residential apartments in the Carmel Tower, next to Shifa Hospital, west of Gaza City, and caused serious damage to them and other apartments in the building.

The Israeli aggression continues for the fifth day in a row, causing more deaths and wounded among civilians, and massive destruction to buildings, property, and infrastructure.

M.K.

16 Palestinian civilians killed in new Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis

GAZA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

16 Palestinians were Wednesday killed in new Israeli airstrike in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to sources.

Local sources told WAFA correspondent that the occupation warplanes bombed two houses belonging to Al-Agha and Abu Shab families over the heads of their residents without prior warning, which led to the death of eight people from each family, in addition to the injury of dozens.

The occupation artillery continues to violently bombard the areas adjacent to the border strip, especially the area east of Khan Yunis and the northern Gaza Strip, while the occupation boats continue to bomb all the areas adjacent to the sea.

K.T.

Over 263,000 Gaza residents forced to flee their homes due to Israeli aggression

RAMALLAH, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) said that the number of Palestinians who fleed their homes due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has exceeded 263,000.

The organization said in a statement that over 175,486 people among the displaced are seeking shelter in 88 schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"Mass displacement has continued over the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip, with the total displacement now exceeding 263,934 people. This number is expected to rise further. Among the displaced, over 175,486 people are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools, while about 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza remain displaced due to previous escalations," it said.

K.T.

***

***

In a new provocation to Muslim worshippers, illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds (Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -  

Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers Wednesday morning stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, under protection from Israeli occupation police, according to local sources.

Witnesses said scores of settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in separate groups, where they conducted provocative tours through the courtyards of the mosque, received explanations about the alleged "Jewish Temple," and performed Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock.

K.T.

Armed illegal Israeli terrorist settlers open fire at Palestinians in Qusra village, injuring at least four, one critical

NABLUS, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) –

Armed illegal Israeli terrorist settlers today attacked the northern West Bank village of Qusra, opening fire at its residents and injuring four, one of them critically, according to medical and local sources.

The Ministry of Health said four people shot with live bullets were brought to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus, one of them was critical, and another four were taken to Salfit Hospital with one shot in the neck by a live bullet and said to be critical.

Local activist, Fouad Hasan, said colonists from the illegal outpost called Yesh Kodesh attacked, under army protection, villagers living in the southern parts on the main road between Qusra and Jaloud.

He said the residents confronted the colonists who opened heavy fire at them causing injuries and damage to cars.

T.R./M.K.

Palestinian shot and killed by soldiers near Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) –

A Palestinian who was not immediately identified was today shot and killed at an Israeli army checkpoint near Bethlehem, according to Palestinian security sources.

They said soldiers opened fire at a car when it arrived at the checkpoint on the Tunnels Road, west of Beit Jala, in the Bethlehem governorate, killing one person.

The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately known.

M.K.

***

Euro-Med Monitor: Israel commits widespread war crimes in Ghazza (Gaza), humanitarian catastrophe is imminent

Nearly 400,000 people have been displaced as a result of Israeli shelling of residential neighborhoods in Gaza.

GENEVA, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) -

The Israeli occupation regime forces destroyed at least 40 media offices and 970 residential units in the Gaza Strip, documented Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

The Israeli occupation regime is committing widespread crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, Euro-Med Monitor said; amidst five consecutive days of its escalating war, Israel has cut off Gaza’s electricity, water, food, and fuel supplies, creating a threat of imminent humanitarian catastrophe.

Euro-Med Monitor stated that the Israeli attack has resulted in the deaths of more than 1000 Palestinians, with approximately 60% of them being civilians, including 185 children and 120 women. Around 5,000 others have been injured, with hundreds remaining trapped under rubble and along border areas.

Euro-Med Monitor added that Israel’s army is expanding its military operations in Gaza, targeting residential buildings without prior warning and causing the deaths of entire families.

“What is happening in Gaza represents a comprehensive humanitarian disaster, especially with the lack of electricity and water affecting more than 90% of civilian residents, and the disruption of various essential supplies,” the organization said in a statement. The group documented the killing of seven journalists, injury of at least 10 more, and loss of contact with two.

About 40 media and press institutions have been damaged or completely destroyed due to Israel’s targeting of residential and commercial buildings, including the Palestine and Watan towers; 56 schools and roughly 30 kindergartens have been affected.

Euro-Med Monitor has recorded the destruction of at least 70 industrial facilities and 970 residential units, plus significant damage to approximately 7,920 residential units. Fourteen water and sanitation stations have been severely damaged, the statement said, affecting services for nearly half a million people.

The  Israeli occupation regime warplanes bombed a house belonging to the Za’anin family in Bait Hanoun, northern Gaza, without prior warning, destroying the four-story building where four families lived. The bombing resulted in the deaths of all 20 civilians inside, including 11 children and five women.

In a similar incident, an Israeli aircraft, without prior warning, targeted a house belonging to the Nabahin family, east of the Buraij refugee camp in central Gaza. Directly hitting residents, the attack led to the deaths of 13 people, including 10 children and two women. Additionally, another four-story house and a neighboring house were completely destroyed.

Euro-Med Monitor’s statement highlighted the events of Monday, 9 October, pointing to the Israeli army’s targeting of a residential building beside one of the main markets in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza and an area near shelters provided for the displaced. The assault resulted in the simultaneous killing of over 40 people, exposing the severity of Israeli retaliatory crimes and collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

Significantly, teams from the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza have lost much of their ability to retrieve the bodies of victims from under the rubble due to Israeli attacks in various areas of the Strip, given the shortage of necessary logistical supplies for such tasks.

The Israeli bombing has resulted in the deaths of five healthcare workers and the injury of 10 more, stated the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. According to the ministry, Israel’s attacks have targeted seven hospitals and health centers, causing direct damage to large parts of the facilities, and have forced the evacuation of Bait Hanoun Hospital—the only hospital in the city of Bait Hanoun—following repeated targeting of the building’s vicinity, which made it impossible for medical staff to enter or leave safely and damaged various sections within.

Officials from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza informed the Euro-Med Monitor team that Israeli authorities refused a request that was transmitted from the International Committee of the Red Cross to evacuate seriously injured individuals for treatment outside of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Security Cabinet approved a declaration of war on Gaza on Saturday evening, allowing for extensive military operations in response to an armed attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1200 Israelis and the capture of dozens more. Since then, the Israeli army has carried out thousands of airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods and multi-story buildings inhabited by civilians in the Gaza Strip. Shocking scenes of extensive destruction have been observed, including the erasure of entire neighborhoods, including many central and densely populated areas.

Due to Israel’s consecutive attacks on neighborhoods, Euro-Med Monitor estimated that nearly 400,000 people, including more than 180,000 in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities, have been displaced.

Euro-Med Monitor documented damage to about 14 UN facilities as a result of Israeli airstrikes, including the direct targeting of a UNRWA school housing hundreds of displaced individuals. The organization’s statement also documented direct and severe attacks on universities, mosques, markets, banks, telecommunications companies, residential towers, and other civilian infrastructure.

The statement emphasized that Israel’s army is violating the principles of international humanitarian law in its continuous attacks on the Gaza Strip, especially the principles of necessity and proportionality, given the absence of shelters or safe areas for Gazan civilians. It stressed that international humanitarian law requires the protection of civilians in all circumstances and under any conditions, and considers the killing of civilians to be a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts, which may rise to the level of a crime against humanity.

“Attacking or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended” is prohibited under Article 25 of The Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land. Moreover, Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that “Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited unless such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.”

According to Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of property that is not justified by military necessity and is carried out on a large scale constitutes a grave breach that requires prosecution. Such practices are also considered to be war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Euro-Med Monitor further highlighted that, in parallel with systematic killings, Israel has imposed a complete closure on the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of approximately 365 square kilometers and is inhabited by around 2.3 million civilians. This closure has deprived them of water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical supplies.

Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon has referred to Palestinians as “human animals” and vowed to act accordingly, announcing a “complete siege” on Gaza, which has already been under intensely strict restrictions since 2007.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterated its call for the United Nations, countries, and relevant powers to exert pressure on Israel to immediately cease its unjustifiable attacks on civilians, refrain from military operations, and open all closed border crossings to ensure the flow of medical, food, and logistical supplies into the Gaza Strip.

M.K.

Euro-Med Monitor: Israel commits widespread war crimes in Gaza, humanitarian catastrophe is imminent (wafa.ps)

***

Palestinian human rights organizations strongly condemn Israel’s widespread and systematic targeting of civilians in Gaza

RAMALLAH, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 (WAFA) - 

Palestinian human rights organizations strongly condemned Israel’s widespread and systematic targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, warranting the intervention of the international community to ensure accountability.

Over the past two days, the Israeli army has conducted a relentless series of attacks by air, sea, and land against the civilian population in Gaza, destroying dozens of houses with their residents still inside, residential and commercial buildings—often without issuing precautionary warnings—and wiping out entire Palestinian families. Mosques and medical facilities have also come under attack, said a statement issued by Palestinian human rights organizations.

The population is being urged, by means of random texts, to evacuate their homes, heightening fear, terror and panic among the civilian population whilst warplanes hover constantly. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, between 7 October and as of 3 p.m. on 9 October 2023, 560 Palestinians have been killed, and 2,900 have been injured. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed, resulting in the displacement of thousands of civilians. Water and electricity supplies continue to be cut off, said the statement.

Al-Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemned Israel’s widespread and systematic targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, warranting the intervention of the international community to ensure accountability.

In armed conflicts, all civilians and civilian objects must always be protected. All parties must abide by their legal obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law—including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution regulating the conduct of hostilities. Israel must not treat the entire Gaza Strip as a single military objective. It is prohibited to treat as a single military objective, a number of clearly separate military objectives located in a town or city with concentrations of civilian objects.

The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes has increased. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that it is now providing shelters to around 73,538 internally displaced persons in 64 of its schools across the Gaza Strip, including 45 designated for emergencies. Thousands more are expected to have taken shelter with their extended families. UNRWA has also announced that 14 of its schools were damaged. Our organizations have documented the direct targeting of some of these schools.

As part of its total warfare against the Palestinian civilian population, the Israeli government cut off electricity and water supplies to the Gaza Strip, where now electricity supply does not exceed 4 hours a day. This foreshadows catastrophic consequences in light of the disruption of water and sewage plants. The Palestinian Water Authority estimated the decrease in water supply at 40 per cent due to the interruption of supply by Mekorot, the Israeli national water company.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq and Al-Mezan condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of civilians and the destruction of homes and other private and public structures. “We further condemn terrorizing the people of Gaza and displacing thousands of them from their homes, the denial of the protected civilians their right to access water and electricity. These acts are in breach of international law and are considered a collective punishment and clear war crimes.

Gaza’s protected civilian population, especially women and children, are the ones paying the price for the lack of will and inaction on the part of the international community to put an end to Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, and address the root causes of the current situation in Palestine. As we write, Israeli crimes are increasing, also in light of the international community's silence, a catastrophic humanitarian outcome is looming in Gaza, they said.

“Our organizations call for respect for the principles of international humanitarian law and to refrain from targeting civilians under all circumstances, including targeting the civilian economic infrastructure damaging civilian livelihoods, and preventing the provision of humanitarian supplies. We call on the international community to take urgent action to stop attacks and protect civilians as an integral part of their legal obligations.”

They equally renewed their call on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite the investigation into the situation in Palestine to hold those responsible for committing international crimes accountable.

They called on the peoples of the world, solidarity groups and friends of Palestine to continue to pressure their governments to take urgent action to stop the Israeli military attacks and to protect civilians, their property, and the indispensable facilities needed in Gaza.

T.R.

Palestinian human rights organizations strongly condemn Israel’s widespread and systematic targeting of civilians in Gaza (wafa.ps)