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.

 

1417 Palestinians Killed, 6268 Injured, 350,000 Homeless, 2.3 Million People in Gaza Under Total Siege, Denying them Water, Food, Fuel, Electricity

October 12, 2023 

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Israeli war jets fired missiles at homes in Khan Younis, killing seven Palestinians and wounding many others, October 12, 2023	Israeli missiles targeting residential neighborhoods killed at least sixteen Palestinians in Khan Younis, on October 11, 2023
Israeli airstrike kills 18 civilians, including 2 infants, in Khan Yunis, October 12, 2023	15 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house belonging to the Mutawik family in Jabalia refugee camp, on October 12, 2023
A scene of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza city, on October 12, 2023	A funeral procession of a Palestinian civilian victim, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza Strip, October 12, 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/

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A Palestinian infant who was injured by Israeli air strike on a Khan Younis home, which killed seven people and injured many others, October 12, 2023

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

1417 Palestinian civilians killed, 6268 injured, 350,000 became homeless as a result of destruction of their homes by the Israeli occupation regime forces. The Palestinian population of 2.3 million in Gaza are now without electricity, water, or food supplies.

Palestine Today, October 12, 2023

الاحتلال يقصف غزة لليوم السادس على التوالي وارتفاع في أعداد الشهداء والإصابات

الساعة 02:14 م|12 أكتوبر ، فلسطين اليوم

يواصل الاحتلال الإسرائيلي ارتكاب المجازر ضد المدنيين في قطاع غزة، لليوم السادس على التوالي، ما يرفع حصيلة الشهداء والمصابين، وتدمير الوحدات السكنية، واستهداف المنازل المأهولة على رؤوس ساكنيها، ونزوح الآلاف من بيوتهم لمراكز الإيواء. أعلنت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية اليوم الخميس 12 أكتوبر 2023، عن ارتفاع عدد الشهداء منذ اليوم الأول للعدوان على غزة إلى 1417 شهيداً، و6268 جريحاً، فيما تشير أرقام أوردتها الأمم المتحدة إلى تدمير أكثر من 1000 وحدة سكنية، ونزوح نحو 350 ألف مدني لمراكز الإيواء. 

وقال المكتب الإعلامي الحكومي في قطاع غزة، في بيان له اليوم الخميس، إن القطاع بات منطقة منكوبة، ودخل منحنى خطيرًا على صعيد الواقع الإنساني الذي يشهد تدهورا غير محدود في كل تفاصيله الخدماتية والمعيشية بعد التوقف التام لإمدادات الكهرباء والمياه. وذكر، أن هذه المجازر الجماعية خلّفّت أعدادًا كبيرة من الشهداء، وباتت ثلاجات الموتى غير قادرة على استيعابهم، إضافة للأعداد المتزايدة من الجرحى الذين تمتلئ بهم ممرات المستشفيات بعد امتلاء الأسرِّة وإشغال جميع غرف العمليات والعناية، ما يهدد المنظومة الصحية بالانهيار وعدم القدرة على مواصلة خدماتها في أي لحظة، سيما مع توقف الكهرباء، وفق البيان.

متابعة لحظة بلحظة.. الاحتلال يقصف غزة لليوم السادس على التوالي وارتفاع في أعداد الشهداء والإصابات | فلسطين اليوم (paltoday.ps)

***

In one day, the Israeli occupation apartheid regime forces killed at least 151 Palestinians

GAZA, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime warplanes killed at least 151 Palestinians, including children, in today’s bombing of different locations in the besieged Gaza Strip, and caused massive destruction everywhere.

WAFA correspondent said the bombardment continued non-stop for hours as dozens of missiles and bombs were dropped on tower buildings and homes throughout the Gaza Strip, causing a large number of deaths, injuries, and great destruction.

The border areas along the northern Gaza Strip, especially northwest of the town of Bait Lahia, were subject to violent bombardment, and flames and smoke rose in the sky of the region.

M.K.

Israeli apartheid regime army missiles kill seven Palestinians, injure many, In Khan Younis

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Wednesday night, Israeli occupation apartheid regime war jets fired missiles at homes in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing seven Palestinians and wounding many others.

Media sources said one missile struck a home with many Palestinians in it, killing seven Palestinians and wounding many others in Block C, west of Khan Younis.

The sources said the home is owned by A'hmed Abu Al-Reesh and added that the number of slain and wounded Palestinians is likely higher as rescue teams were still looking under the rubber, especially since the area is densely populated.

It is worth mentioning Ahmad, who was a senior leader of the Fat'h Movement, was assassinated in the year 1993.

The Israeli army continued its bombing of homes, buildings, and facilities, including hospitals and clinics, in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Missiles Kill One Doctor, Four Palestinian Medics in Gaza

 IMEMC, OCT 11, 2023

On Thursday, one Palestinian doctor and her daughter were killed in her home, and four medics were killed after the Israeli occupation apartheid regime Air force fired missiles at Palestinian ambulances in the Gaza Strip.

Media sources said the army fired missiles at an ambulance in the Abraj Al-Nada area in Bait 'Hanoun in the northern part of the coastal region.

They added that three medics were killed in the attack, and several Palestinians were injured.

A fourth medic was killed by an Israeli missile during rescue operations of Palestinians in homes and areas bombarded by the Israeli army in Gaza City.

In related news, the Health Ministry in Gaza issued a statement mourning Dr. Sireen Al-'Attar and her daughter, who were killed in the Israeli bombing of homes in Al-Buraij, in central Gaza.

The Health Ministry added that rescue teams are facing enormous difficulties in extracting corpses of slain Palestinians from under the rubber of bombarded homes and buildings, especially since the army is still bombing Gaza.

It also said that, on the fifth day of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, the number of slain Palestinians has reached 1055, in addition to 5184 wounded Palestinians.

The Ministry stated that half of the slain Palestinians and %60 of the wounded are women and children and that the Israeli missiles have obliterated 22 families.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Missiles Kill Sixteen Palestinians in Southern Gaza

 IMEMC, OCT 11, 2023

As the Israeli occupation apartheid regime army continued the bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles killed at least sixteen Palestinians on Wednesday morning in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Media sources said the Israeli Air Force fired missiles at two homes for the Abu Shuhab and Al-Agha families.

They added that sixteen Palestinians were killed and dozens injured due to the mass explosion caused by the missiles.

The homes were struck without warning and were inhabited by their families when the missiles struck them.

In addition, Israeli navy ships continued to fire missiles at various areas close to the Gaza Sea while the army continued firing missiles into the coastal region, especially areas close to the perimeter fence, east of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the northeastern parts of the coastal region.

The Navy fired many missiles into the Seaport of Gaza, causing excessive damage to it and many surrounding buildings.

The intense Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip continued for the fifth day, causing extensive damage to homes, residential and commercial buildings, farmlands, media centers, hospitals, clinics, and infrastructure.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 973 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed, and more than 5130 have been injured in the first four days of the Israeli onslaught.

In the West Bank, the occupation army killed twenty-three Palestinians and injured more than 130 during various invasions of Palestinian communities.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Missile Kill Dozens In Several Parts Of The Gaza Strip

 IMEMC, OCT 11, 2023

As the Israeli occupation apartheid regime forces continued its bombing of various parts of the Gaza Strip, striking residential buildings and towers, homes, and various medical, media, and civil society buildings, medical sources said dozens were killed and scores injured at dawn Wednesday.

In Dair El-Bala'h, in central Gaza, seven Palestinians were killed and many injured after the army fired a missile at a home for the Al-A’raj family in the Nusseirat refugee camp.

Several Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombings of homes and buildings in al Al-Za’tar, Bait 'Hanoun, Bait Lahia, Nusayrat, Dair El-Bala'h, and Khan Younis in the northern, central, and southern parts of the coastal region.

At least four Palestinians were killed and many injured when the army fired missiles at the home of the Dhaif family in the Qizan Al-Najjar area in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, also causing damage to surrounding homes.

The locals and rescue teams are still searching under the rubble, looking for potential survivors.

Also in Khan Younis, at least one Palestinian was killed at twenty wounded by Israeli missiles targeting a home for the local Al-Agha family near Abdullah 'Azzam Mosque in Khan Younis.

Two Palestinian were killed, and two medics were wounded while trying to evacuate wounded Palestinians after the army fired missiles at the Al-Karama Towers, in addition to Al-Zaytoun and Al-Mighraqa neighborhoods in Ghazza (Gaza City), and also at a home in Sheikh Radhwan, west of the city.

The Israeli army also fired many missiles at the Zawiya Street area, east of Jabalia in northern Gaza, the Doha building, which includes the National Bank, the Post Office, and media outlets, in the center of Rafa'h, in southern Gaza, causing many casualties.

Medical sources in Jabalia said at least twenty Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured in the ongoing Israeli bombing of areas east of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Furthermore, the army fired missiles at a Police station and the Rashid Street in Bait 'Hanoun, in northern Gaza.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said a significantly large number of Palestinians are under the rubble of bombarded homes and buildings, adding that it does not have enough machines and tools to deal with this type of massive destruction.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of slain Palestinians is at least 950, in addition to more than 5000 wounded, including hundreds who suffered serious wounds.

Bodies of 12 people pulled out of the rubble of their Gaza homes destroyed by the Israeli occupation apartheid regime warplanes

GAZA, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) –

Palestinian rescue and civil defense teams removed 12 bodies of Palestinians that were buried under the rubble of two homes destroyed by Israeli warplanes in Khan Younis and Rafa'h in the south of the Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent said the Israeli occupation apartheid regime warplanes hit the Baroud family home in Rafa'h, killing 10 members of the same family, and injuring others, mainly children and women, while others remain under the rubble.

In Khan Younis, bodies were also extracted from under the rubble of the Qudai'h home targeted by the Israel warplanes.

The Ministry of Health said 1354 Palestinians were so far killed in the Gaza massacres and 6,049 were injured, the majority are civilians, mainly children and women, and include entire families.

M.K.

More killed in the Israeli occupation apartheid regime  mass murder in Ghazza (Gaza)

GAZA, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime killing machine claimed an entire Palestinian family in an attack on its home in Jabalya refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent said former prisoner Abdul Ra'hman Shihab, who spent 23 years in Israeli prisons for resisting the occupation and was released in 2011, his wife, children and mother were killed in the shelling of their home without prior warning.

Dozens of civilians were earlier killed in different parts of the besieged Gaza Strip, including entire families with their children.

The Ministry of Health said Israel killed more than 1200 people, mainly civilians, in the Gaza Strip since it started its war on Gaza on Saturday and injured more than 6,000 others, in addition to the destruction of thousands of homes, buildings, and the infrastructure.

M.K.

Israeli occupation apartheid regime airstrike kills 18 civilians, including 2 infants, in Khan Yunis

KHAN YUNIS, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) -

Rescue teams in Khan Yunis , south of the Gaza Strip, retrieved last night the dead bodies of 18 Palestinians, including 2 infants, who tragically died in an Israeli occupation apartheid regime airstrike which leveled two homes to the ground in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

WAFA correspondent said Israeli warplanes targeted with missiles the home of the Abu Al-Reesh family in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, completely destroying it upon the heads of its civilian occupants and killing nine civilians, including five from the Abu Al-Reesh family. Among the casualties were a woman and her infant from the Abu Shammalah family, an infant from the Shurrab family. 

Many others sustained severe injuries, and the surrounding homes suffered significant material damage.

The Israeli military also struck the home of the Bashiti family in the Ma'an area, southeast of Khan Yunis, leading to the tragic murder of a citizen, his spouse, and seven of their children.

Throughout the night, Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes on civilian residences and targeted numerous agricultural lands across Gaza. Israeli naval warships also fired hundreds of artillery shells along the coastal road to the west of Gaza's provinces. 

These attacks came as the United Nations called for the establishment of a safe corridor to facilitate the delivery of much-needed medical, food, and fuel supplies, essential for powering Gaza's electricity generation station. 

M.N

Heinous Israeli occupation apartheid regime massacre claims 15 lives in Jabalia

GAZA, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) -

A devastating Israeli occupation apartheid regime airstrike targeted a civilian house this early morning in the northern region of Gaza, leading to the tragic loss of 15 Palestinian lives and leaving dozens injured, according to WAFA correspondent on the ground.

Reports indicate that the Israeli occupation targeted with the airstrike a house belonging to the Mutawik family on Nazzah Street in the Jabalia refugee camp, located in the north of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli attack resulted in the loss of 15 civilian lives and caused numerous individuals to sustain various injuries. 

The wounded have been rushed to nearby medical facilities for urgent treatment.

The attack further inflicted significant damage to the surrounding homes and infrastructure. The relentless Israeli aggression on Gaza continues to take a heavy toll on the civilian Palestinian population, with the most recent airstrike intensifying the suffering in the region.

At least 1,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed by the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7.

M.N

Seven people killed, others injured, in Israeli occupation apartheid regime shelling of house south of Gaza, number likely to rise

 GAZA, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) –

At least seven Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli occupation apartheid regime airstrike that bombarded a house in Khan Yunis city, south of the besieged Gaza Strip, said medical sources.

Sources said seven people who were pulled out dead and others injured were brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis following an Israeli airstrike on a house west of Khan Yunis.

The number of people killed in the airstrike that targeted a densely populated area is likely to rise as paramedics are still unable to pull out all the bodies and injured from under the rubble.

Others were reportedly injured in an Israeli shelling of a house in Bait 'Hanoun city to the north of the Strip.

T.R.

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

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Soldiers Kill A Palestinian Child In Hebron

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Wednesday, Israeli occupation apartheid regime soldiers killed a Palestinian child in Bani Na'eem town, east of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.

Media sources said the soldiers invaded the town, leading to protests, and fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades.

They added that the soldiers killed Mo’nes Rib'hi Mousa Ziyadat, 16, after shooting him with a live round to the chest.

In related news, the soldiers shot two young men with live fire at the entrance of the Al-Fawar refugee camp south of Hebron.

The two suffered moderate wounds and were moved to Abu Al-Qasim Al-Hasan Hospital in nearby Yatta town.

Also, Israeli soldiers and paramilitary Israeli colonizers killed four Palestinians, including two teenage boys, and injured at least eleven after many colonizers invaded Qusra village and attacked the locals.

In addition, the army killed one Palestinian and injured another near the Tunnel military roadblock, west of Bait Jala city, in the Bethlehem governorate.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Paramilitary Settlers Kill Four Palestinians Near Nablus

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Wednesday, illegal paramilitary Israeli occupation apartheid regime settlers killed four Palestinians, including two teenage boys, and injured at least eleven after many colonizers invaded Qusra village and attacked the locals.

Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medics transferred two slain Palestinians, ages 16 and 17, to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, and two to Salfit Hospital.

The slain Palestinians have been identified as Mos’ab Abul-Halim Abu Reeda, Moath Raed Odah, Abada Saed Abu Srour, and Hasan Mohannad Abu Srour.

Palestine TV said one of the wounded Palestinians is Awad Odah, the son of Mahmoud Za’al Odah, who was killed by Israeli fire four years ago in the same area after Israeli colonizers attacked it; his granddaughter was also shot and seriously injured during Wednesday’s attack.

The colonizers used pistols and automatic machine guns to attack the village and fired many live rounds at a Palestinian ambulance.

The colonizers also broke into homes and burnt lands, several Palestinian cars before Israeli soldiers also invaded homes and attacked the Palestinians.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Soldiers Kill a Palestinian Near Bethlehem

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Wednesday, Israeli occupation apartheid regime soldiers killed one Palestinian and injured another near the Tunnel military roadblock, west of Bait Jala city, in the Bethlehem governorate.

The two were from Gaza; they were both detained by the soldiers when and one of them allegedly tried to escape; the soldiers shot him at the Tunnel military roadblock.

The slain Palestinian has been identified as Morad 'Eissa Mu'hammed Al-Farra, from Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Palestine TV said the army abducted the two Palestinians who were later released, but they do not know their way around the West Bank, so they were apparently trying to reach Bethlehem or Ramallah before the soldiers chased them at the military roadblock and opened fire, killing Morad and abducting the other Palestinian.

Palestine TV correspondent said the soldiers also attacked him and his crew and were threatening to shoot them if they did not leave the area.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 1079 Palestinians, including children and women, have been killed in the last four days, adding that among them, 1055 Palestinians killed and 5184 injured in the Gaza Strip, 24 Palestinians were killed and 130 injured in the West Bank. (%60 of the wounded in Gaza are women and children.)

The United Nations Relief And Works Agency (UNRWA) said nine of its employees were killed by Israeli missiles and shells since the bombing of Gaza began last Saturday.

Injuring of Palestinians by Israeli Occupation Regime Soldiers and Illegal Settlers

Including A Child, Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Army Injures Four Palestinians In Hebron

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Wednesday night, Israeli occupation apartheid regime soldiers shot four Palestinians, including two who suffered serious wounds, one of them is a child, in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.

Media sources said the soldiers invaded the Bab Az-Zawiya area in the center of Hebron city, leading to protests, and fired a barrage of live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs.

The sources said the soldiers shot a child, only 11 years of age, with an expanding bullet in the abdomen, causing life-threatening wounds.

The soldiers also invaded the Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, leading to protests before shooting two young men with live fire.

In the Al-Tha-iriya town, south of Hebron, the soldiers shot a young man, 22, with two expanding bullets, one on the abdomen and one in the arm, causing serious wounds.

Furthermore, the soldiers killed a Palestinian child, Mo’nes Rib'hi Mousa Ziyadat, 16, in Bani Na'eem town, east of Hebron.

In addition, Israeli soldiers and paramilitary Israeli colonizers killed four Palestinians, including two teenage boys, and injured at least eleven after many colonizers invaded Qusra village and attacked the locals.

In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, the soldiers shot three Palestinians with live fire after several Israeli army vehicles, including two bulldozers, invaded the Al-Quds Street in the eastern part of the city.

Abduction of Palestinians by Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Soldiers

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Soldiers Abduct 42 Palestinians In West Bank

 IMEMC, OCT 12, 2023

On Thursday dawn, Israeli soldiers abducted at least 42 Palestinians from several parts of the occupied West Bank.

The soldiers stormed and ransacked dozens of homes across the West Bank and integrated scores of Palestinians.

Many of the abducted Palestinians are former political prisoners, and one of them is a journalist, Saddam Raghib Sala'h, in addition to fathers and their sons.

Israeli Occupation Apartheid Regime Soldiers Abduct 25 Palestinians In West Bank

 IMEMC, OCT 11, 2023

On Wednesday dawn, Israeli occupation apartheid regime soldiers invaded and ransacked many homes across the occupied West Bank, shot at least a young man, and abducted twenty-five Palestinians, mostly from Hebron.

In the southern part of the occupied West Bank in Hebron, the soldier stormed and ransacked dozens of homes, causing damage, and interrogated many Palestinians.

The soldiers also fired live rounds during invasions of Aseeda, Khallit Al-'Ain, and Safa in Bait Ummar town, north of Hebron, before abducting at least 17 Palestinians.

The soldiers caused serious damage to furniture and belongings during the violent searches of homes in Bait Ummar, removed posters and Palestinian flags, and forced many bakeries to close.

Many army vehicles invaded several parts of Al-Beerih city near the central West Bank city of Ramallah before the soldiers stormed homes and abducted one Palestinian.

In Tubas, in the northeastern West Bank, the soldiers shot a young man with a live round in the shoulder and another young man who suffered fragment wounds after the army invaded the city. The soldiers also stormed and searched a few homes and abducted a young man, Nidtham Mustafa Sawafta.

In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, the soldiers stormed a few homes and violently searched them before abducting a young man in Kafr Qallil, south of the city.

***

NRC calls for humanitarian corridors to save lives

OSLO, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) -

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today called for humanitarian corridors and pauses to be immediately introduced to allow the safe passage of humanitarian personnel and relief supplies into Gaza.

“We call on the international community to urgently insist on humanitarian access and civilian protection,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza:

“At this moment, Gaza has almost run out of fuel, with medicine and food in dangerously low supply. This incredibly densely populated area is under full siege and relentless bombardment by Israel. We must be enabled to bring life-saving assistance to the people of Gaza as quickly as possible.”

Egeland added, “I have written to foreign ministers around the world, calling on them to immediately secure humanitarian pauses and corridors to save lives. Aid workers cannot do their jobs while bombs are falling everywhere. We are urgently calling on the US, EU, and Arab states to step up support in order to better protect civilian life and end the mass displacement of families.

“This relentless bloodshed and targeting of civilians must end. With every ongoing minute of violence, the lives of Israeli and Palestinian children and their families are being devastated.”

M.K.

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Dangerous escalation against the Palestinian content, says Sada Social:

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), EU, and Tik Tok join in suppressing Palestinian narrative, thus covering up the Israeli massacres in Gaza

RAMALLAH, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) -

Since Saturday, October 7, Sada Social has been tracking worrying developments in the digital sphere, including violations of the Palestinian narrative.

It said global attempts are underway to silence the Palestinian narrative in the telling of events, while governments and social media platforms around the world fully back and promote the Israeli narrative.

According to Sada Social, the European Union has asked social media platforms to remove Palestinian content related to the escalation in Palestine or face legal consequences. Platforms were given 24 hours to take action against Palestinian content or face fines and bans in Europe.

In response to the escalation in Palestine, Facebook amended its content privacy policy on Tuesday, October 11. It stressed limitations on "dangerous individuals and organizations," including large portions of the Palestinian narrative and even addressing Palestinian press coverage.

Concurrent with the amendment of Facebook's privacy policies, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, which owns platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Messenger, stated unequivocally his entire support for Israel in the midst of its ethnic cleansing of civilians in Gaza.

On Monday, October 10, X Platform declared that it is partnering with the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to remove content relating to the Hamas movement and Palestinian accounts. Approximately 50 million tweets are being watched globally, and X has eliminated hundreds of Palestinian accounts.

YouTube removed videos depicting the unfolding events in Palestine and specifically reminded users that, while these videos may not violate community standards, they may not be appropriate for all viewers.

TikTok suspended multiple Palestinian accounts and restricted or prohibited videos showing solidarity and support for Palestine.

Messenger, which is owned by Meta, has prohibited users from transmitting in private conversations the official website link and Telegram channel link of the Hamas movement, as well as the official website link and Telegram channel link of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. This is in addition to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads prohibiting the sharing of these links, which severely limits access to material while compromising user privacy, particularly for media professionals.

Hundreds of phony profiles on numerous platforms have been detected attacking Palestinians, inciting violence against them, and spreading false news. The platforms have not deleted these accounts.

These actions, said Sada Social, obstruct access to the truth and contribute to the propagation of rumors and fake news, especially during times of crisis. They also allow Israel to narrate events from its point of view while restricting Palestinians. These changes coincide with a lack of transparency in these platforms' regulations, the use of ambiguous terminology with different interpretations, and the imposition of double standards. Social media firms are enforcing stricter restrictions on Arab content but failing to exercise the same level of content management over Hebrew content.

“Censorship and content restrictions on the internet are just as harmful as physical military activities. Without accountability or responsibility, content filtering adds to actual aggression and crimes against citizens,” said Sada Social

As a result of the widespread incitement to kill Palestinians on social media platforms, Sada Social recommended the quick reporting of inciteful posts in order for them to be removed. It also underlined the need to report any infringement of Palestinian material when social media networks take restriction measures against Palestinian accounts.

M.K.

Dangerous escalation against Palestinian content, says Sada Social (wafa.ps)

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Al-Haq: Third States disregard their international responsibility to act to prevent Israel’s violation of Jus Cogens Norms

RAMALLAH, Thursday, October 12, 2023 (WAFA) -

Over the past six days, the Israeli military has employed indiscriminate, excessive and disproportionate force in densely populated residential areas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 1,400 Palestinians killed and over 6,000 injured, said the Palestinian human rights group, Al-Haq.

“Israel, the Occupying Power is continuing its 56-year illegal occupation and aggression on the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), imposing a settler colonial apartheid regime to both subjugate and force the transfer of the Palestinian population, having annexed Jerusalem and large swathes of the West Bank comprising ‘Area C’. In Gaza, Israel’s suffocating 16-year siege and closure of the territory, crippling the local economy and infrastructure, has been condemned as an illegal collective punishment. Notwithstanding, on 9 October 2023, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Minister of Defense, declaring total warfare stated: ‘We are imposing a complete siege on [Gaza]. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel – everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly,” said Al-Haq.

It said, “Despite the gravity and enormity of the situation and Israel’s marked genocidal statements, well implemented so far, as Israel turns back food trucks and cuts the water supply to Gaza, we are alarmed at the one-sided rhetoric and double standard that we have seen among Western countries: supporting Israel and highlighting Israel’s casualties but omitting to mention the dire plight of Palestinian civilians, killed and maimed in Israel’s indiscriminate military reprisals.”

Al-Haq said that the US, the UK, Germany, Italy and France issued a joint statement publicly condemning the Hamas attacks and pledging to “ensure Israel is able to defend itself”, effectively granting Israel, the Occupying Power, a carte blanche to use wide-scale aggressive force across the Gaza Strip, with half its two million population comprising of children.

Other alarming and unprecedented pledges followed. Denmark and Austria decided to suspend their aid to Palestine. Sweden and Germany are considering suspending their funding. In particular, the German Development Minister Svenja Schulze stated that these attacks on Israel mark a “terrible fracture” and that her government “will now review our entire engagement for the Palestinian territories.” Another German official asserted that the EU “must now say: we need a new start and we will no longer finance terrorists.” Similarly, the European Commission, a major donor for development aid, considered suspending its financial assistance for Palestine, said Al-Haq.

“Astonishingly, almost none of these statements allude to Palestinians’ human rights and to norms of international law other than a far-reaching and preposterous extension of the right to self-defense beyond its legal boundaries. The aforementioned Joint Statement briefly indicates ‘the legitimate Palestinians’ aspirations” and the support for “equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike’. However, these considerations, from the perspective of these States, are clearly negated by deference to Israel, the Occupying Power’s so-called security concerns, and complicity in maintaining and prolonging the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory,” it said.

“This Joint Statement is flawed on two major levels. First, it completely ignores the root causes of the conflict. Hamas and other Palestinian resistance movements are the product of Israel’s aggressive occupation that started in 1967, in breach of the UN Charter, an unlawful use of force that continues today. These movements did not exist prior to that. All the more, Israel has de facto and de jure annexed the Palestinian territory, in violation of peremptory norms of international law, including the prohibition of the use of force and in denial of the right of the Palestinian people to exercise self-determination. Moreover, 75 percent of Palestinians living in Gaza are refugees who were in fact expelled from their homes by Israeli forces in 1948 in what is commonly known as the Nakba (the catastrophe) and who have been denied their right of return as refugees ever since.

“Second, presenting the Israeli military attack as an exercise of its right to self-defense denies the reality: Israel is already belligerently occupying the Palestinian territory. Israel is advancing its settler colonial apartheid regime in the OPT, attempting to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza, including through coercive environments, in order to appropriate step by step more and more parts of historic Palestine. These acts breach jus cogens norms of international law and may amount to war crimes of forcible transfer and the crimes against humanity of displacement, persecution, and apartheid.”

In light of the above, Al-Haq urged Third States to cooperate towards ending the situation arising from Israel’s continued violation of peremptory norms of international law. The Third State’s obligations further include the obligation to refrain from assisting in maintaining such an illegal situation, which occurs at the moment when some of the States who took part in the joint statement are sending military equipment to Israel. States further have an obligation to cooperate to bring the illegal conduct to an end, rather than perpetuating and green-lighting protracted illegal occupation and aggressive force under the guise of “self-defense”, said Al-Haq.

Further, it added, Third States may be providing military equipment for use in Israeli war crimes, including “willful killings”, “willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body and health”, “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity, and carried out unlawfully and wantonly”, and “intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival”.

“These crimes have already been established in some detail by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who opened an investigation on the basis of ‘significant evidence’ of crimes committed by the Israeli forces and Israeli authorities therein,” said Al-Haq.

Furthermore, said the rights organization, “the criminal acts committed by the Israeli military constitute prohibited collective punishment as they target Palestinian innocent civilians for prior acts attributed to Hamas. Willful killings and collective punishment violate the Fourth Geneva Convention. By failing to stop the current attack against the Gaza Strip, Third States also violate their obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and perpetuating an aggressive war, denying the Palestinian people their collective right to exercise external self-determination and independence from Israel’s occupation and settler colonial apartheid rule.”

M.K.

Al-Haq: Third States disregard their international responsibility to act to prevent Israel’s violation of Jus Cogens Norms (wafa.ps)