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.

 

On Day 197 of the US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 4 Massacres, 37 Palestinians Killed, 68 Injured, with a Death Toll of  34,049 and 76,901 Injuries

April 20, 2024 

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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 April 20, 2024, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 41,049+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (34,049) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on April 18, 2024: 7,000+). 

By April 20, 2024, the documented injuries exceeded 76,901, and more than 2,520 civilians have been abducted from Gaza Strip.

By April 7, 2024, the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip resulted in more than 116,061 martyrs, wounded and missing Palestinians, 70% of whom were children and women.

By April 7, 2024, 14,350 children were killed, constituting 44% of the total number of martyrs (over 33,175) in Gaza Strip.

By April 20, 2024, 477 Palestinians who were killed, 4,860 who were injured, and 8,295, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023 (Some of the detainees have been released).

By March 28, 2024, about 12,091 Palestinians, from both the West Bank and Gaza, have been detained in 2023. About half of them were detained after October 7. This included 1,085 children and 300 women.

More than 10,000 Palestinian women were killed (by April 17, 2024), 23,000 were injured (by March 8, 2024), but there are 2,100 women who are unaccounted for (by March 8, 2024).

By January 17, 2024, about 661 detainees from Gaza are currently languishing in Israeli prisons as “illegitimate combatants” (the Israeli term for Palestinian fighters) in addition to more than 50 women from Gaza, who are detained in the Damon prison, noting that 8 women of whom have been recently released.

By March 4, 2023, the death toll included 13,420+ children, 8,900+ women (more than 72.8% of the accounted for victims), 364 doctors and medical staff, 132 journalists, and 48 civil defense workers. 

The total number of detainees in the occupation prisons until the end of December was 8,800, and the number of administrative detainees was 3,484.

By March 4, 2024, the Government Media Office (GMO) said that the Israeli occupation forces killed 364 health personnel, destroyed 155 health institutions, 32 hospitals, 53 health centers, 126 ambulances, displaced 1.9 million Palestinians, and destroyed 360,000 housing units, about and 60% of the buildings and infrastructure in Gaza Strip.

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GMO reveals latest statistics on Israeli genocidal war on Gaza

Saturday 3-February-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip revealed on Saturday the latest and most significant figures on the Israeli ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 7.

This announcement comes as the latest updates from the GMO, showing the scale of human and material damage that resulted from the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, on its 120th day.

The statistics demonstrated latest updates on the numbers of martyrs, missing, and wounded people in addition to the sick, displaced and prisoners as well as numbers of damaged structures and infrastructure.

Below are figures released by the GMO about Israel’s violations over the period of 120 days since the start of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

(2,325) Massacres (34,238) Martyrs and missing people. (27,238) Martyrs who arrived in hospitals. (12,000) Child martyrs. (8,190) Female martyrs. (339) Martyrs of medical staff. (46) Civil defense martyrs. (122) Journalist martyrs. (7,000) Missing, 70% of whom are children and women. (66,452) Wounded.

(11,000) Wounded people in need of travel abroad for treatment, (life-saving and critical cases). (10,000) Cancer patients facing the risk of death. (700,000) Wounded with infectious diseases as a result of displacement. (8,000) Cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement. (60,000) Pregnant women at risk due to the lack of health care. (350,000) Chronic patients at risk due to blocked medications.

(99) Cases of arrest among health personnel. (10) Cases of arrests among identified journalists. (2 million) Displaced people in the Gaza Strip.

(140) Government headquarters destroyed. (100) Completely destroyed schools and universities. (295) Partially destroyed schools and universities. (183) Completely destroyed mosques. (264) Partially destroyed mosques. (3) Destroyed Churches.

(79,200) Completely destroyed housing units. (290,000) Partially destroyed and uninhabitable housing units. (66,000) tons of explosives dropped on Gaza. (30) Hospitals knocked out of service. (53) Health centers knocked out of service. (150) Partially targeted Health institutions. (122) Destroyed ambulances. (200) Destroyed archaeological and heritage sites.

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Five Palestinian resistance fighters killed, others injured in the Israeli offensive in Nour Shams refugee camp, in Toulkarm, April 20, 2024	Grieving over the death of family members, who were massacred in Rafa'h, on Day 157 of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip, April 20, 2024
A Palestinian child standing at the bottom of a crater created by an Israeli genocidal air strike on Rafa'h, on April 20, 2024	Due to ongoing Israeli genocidal war, Palestinians in Gaza city suffer from severe thirst, due to lack fuel needed to lift water from wells, April 20, 2024
Israeli genocidal air strikes destroy a residential neighborhood, north of Al-Nusayrat, Gaza Strip, on April 20, 2024	Funeral procession of the martyrs Bani Fadhil and Bani Jami', in 'Aqraba, the West Bank, occupied Palestine, April 20, 2024
Performing burial prayer, in Dair El-Bala'h, on the martyrs who were killed by Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on central Gaza Strip, April 20, 2024	Some of the injured Palestinian civilians who survived the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on central Gaza Strip, April 20, 2024

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).

"إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ " (الإسْرَاءُ ، 17: 7). 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"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).

"If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, (you do it) to yourselves" (Al-Isra, 17: 7). 

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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.

This is a necessary brief background to understand the US-Backed Zionist Israeli continuous wars against the Arab nation generally, and the Palestinian people in particular, which included the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1978, 1982, the brutal crushing of the two Uprisings (1987-1993 and 2000-2004), 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, and the current genocidal war on Gaza (Since October 7, 2023), which has culminated a blockade of Gaza since 2007. In addition, the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime launched so many covert operations, raids, and air strikes on many Arab states since 1948.

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/


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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.

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President 'Abbas: U.S. use of veto at UNSC, against Palestine membership, disappointing and irresponsible

RAMALLAH, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) –

President Ma'hmoud 'Abbas slammed the United States' use of veto power at the UN Security Council to block Palestine’s pursuit of full membership in the United Nations, describing the move as disappointing, regrettable, shameful, irresponsible, and unjustified.

In an exclusive interview with WAFA, he emphasized that the US veto "constitutes a blatant aggression against the rights, history, land, and sanctities of the Palestinian people, challenging the will of the international community."

"While the world agrees on the application of international law and stands by the Palestinian right, America continues to support the occupation, refusing to compel Israel to stop its genocidal war. It provides Israel with weapons and funds that kill our children and destroy our homes, and it stands against us in international forums, in positions that do not serve security and stability in the region," the President stated.

He continued, "The United States has violated all international laws and abandoned all promises regarding the two-state solution and achieving peace in the region."

President Abbas also highlighted that "the current U.S. administration not only reneged on its promises and commitments but also allowed Israel to weaken the Palestinian National Authority by remaining silent on [Israel’s] theft of Palestinian funds, despite its repeated claims of wanting to strengthen the PA and enhance its presence."

He stressed the necessity for the United States to realize that the Middle East will not stabilize without a just solution to the Palestinian issue, emphasizing that "Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities, is a red line that no one can cross."

He criticized the policy of double standards and support for Israel in its aggression against the Palestinian people, stating that it will not create a reality acceptable to the Palestinian people and will not bring security and peace to anyone.

"The Palestinian cause is unbreakable, immutable, and unyielding. The sacrifices, patience, and resilience of the Palestinian people on their land, and their unbreakable will, will thwart all policies supported by America. They will not allow deals that do not serve the national interest to succeed, and all conspiracies will collapse before the reality and power of Jerusalem," the President affirmed.

M.N.

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Shaikh Ra-id Sala'h says even if a thousand red cows were slaughtered, nothing will change at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Saturday 20-April-2024

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

Shaikh Ra-id Sala'h, the leader of the Islamic Movement in northern occupied Palestine, affirmed that even if the Zionists slaughtered a thousand red cows and their blood flowed on the thresholds of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, it would not change the eternal fact of the Mosque, as stated in the Holy Quran, which we recite its verses: “Exalted is He who took His worshipper by night from Al-Masjid Al-'Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”

Shaikh Sala'h said in a video, commenting on the Zionist incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and their violations and desecration of its sanctity, the latest of which was their call to slaughter sacrifices in exchange for a large reward: “These days, there have been many discussions about the issue of the red cow and its slaughter, and the effects of its slaughter on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and naturally, there have been various analyses of the subject, and it seems to have taken on global dimensions in the media that have started to address this issue.”

He explained that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque was subjected to the Crusader occupation, and in those days, “the Crusaders turned the Marwani prayer hall into a stable for their horses, and they dug holes in the columns of the Marwani prayer hall, and they used to tie their horses to those columns.”

He continued, “Naturally, these horses defecated in the Marwani prayer hall, and let me ask, did this behavior change anything at the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque? The answer is clear: the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque remained as it is until now and will remain so until the Day of Judgment.”

Shaikh Sala'h added, “Another scene, let me stop and focus on it. When the Crusaders converted the Dome of the Rock into a church, the rock that is still under the roof of the Dome of the Rock, they dug a cylindrical hole in it. Why? Because they used to place pigs on that rock, slaughter them, and their blood would flow from that cylindrical hole. The blood of those pigs slaughtered by the Crusaders flowed under the roof of the Dome of the Rock. Did the blood of those pigs change anything at Al-Aqsa Mosque? The answer is clear: the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque remained and will remain so until the Day of Judgment.”

He added, “Therefore, I say with confidence, even if a thousand red cows were slaughtered, it will not change anything at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and it will remain eternal with its truths, just like the eternal truths of the Holy Quran, and we will continue to recite the words of Allah the Almighty: ‘Exalted is He who took His worshipper by night from Al-Masjid Al-'Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.'”

The illegal Israeli extremist settler group, so-called “Return to the Temple Mount,” announced the allocation of financial rewards amounting to 50,000 shekels to anyone who succeeds in smuggling and slaughtering sacrifices inside the holy Islamic site on the Jewish Easter holiday, on the upcoming Sunday and Monday. They also allocated other financial rewards to anyone who attempts to smuggle the sacrifices and fails. 

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'Hamas delegation led by Haneyya arrives in Turkey

Saturday 20-April-2024

ANKARA, (PIC)

The 'Hamas Political Bureau Chief Isma'eel Haniyya and his accompanying delegation arrived in Turkey on Friday evening.

The delegation is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the latest developments of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Earlier Wednesday, Erdogan insisted in press statements that he would continue “to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people.”

Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the people of Gaza, 34,012 Palestinians have been killed and 76,833 more have been injured, while nearly 1.7 million people have been displaced. 

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'Hamas strongly condemns Israeli attack on Popular Mobilization Forces’ in Iraq

Saturday 20-April-2024

DOHA, (PIC)

The 'Hamas Movement strongly denounced the brutal Israeli aggression on the headquarters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces at the Kalsu military base in Babil Governorate at dawn Saturday causing material damage and wounding a number of citizens.

'Hamas confirmed, in a press statement, that this attack “represents an assault and violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and security, and an embodiment of the Zionist barbarism of the Israeli occupation” which is constantly expanding its aggression against the entire region.

The Movement held the US President Joe Biden’s administration responsible for the escalation in the region, through its “supply and support for the Nazi war of genocide against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” stressing that “the region will not witness stability or peace except by halting the Israeli occupation of our occupied Palestinian and Arab lands.”

Earlier on Saturday, the Popular Mobilization Forces announced in a statement that an explosion had occurred at its headquarters at the Kalsu military base, north of Babil Governorate, causing material losses and injuries.

International media said that the odds indicate that the aggression was carried out with drones. 

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Following a 10-day visit, UN official describes the impact of Israeli aggression on healthcare in Gaza

Saturday 20-April-2024

GENEVA, (PIC)

Dominic Allen, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for the State of Palestine, described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a humanitarian hellscape after he had returned from his latest 10-day mission in Gaza.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is a humanitarian hellscape after six and a half months of Israeli military operations in Gaza where hospitals are exhausted in northern, central, and southern Gaza, he said.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, via video conference from Jerusalem, Allen said, “What I witnessed is heartbreaking and cannot be described. We saw medical equipment being deliberately broken and destroyed. “Ultrasound machines, critical to help ensure safe deliveries, had their wires cut and their screens smashed.”

Mr. Allen said he travelled to Gaza regularly. For the most recent mission, he was there from 8 until 17 April. The mission of the United Nations agency for reproductive health was conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and UNRWA.

According to the United Nations, the mission’s goal was to visit about 10 hospitals, including Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, which faces burdens beyond its capacity due to the large number of trauma patients (physical trauma injuries) and because the hospital is no longer able to provide reproductive care.

“I am terrified for the one million women and girls in Gaza now, especially the 180 women who give birth every day in unimaginably inhumane conditions,” the UNFPA official said.

Before the war, 15% of obstetric cases required emergency medical care, but this percentage has now doubled, according to some reports.

“These numbers have gone up,” Allen said. Some doctors say the complications associated with childbirth are now more than double what they were dealing with before. This is due to malnutrition, dehydration, and fear, all of which affect the pregnant woman’s ability to give birth safely and complete the full term of pregnancy.”

As for Al-Shifa Hospital, which was the largest hospital in Gaza, it was in ruins. In Rafa'h in the south, the Emirati Hospital, which is a lifeline for pregnant women in Gaza, supports between 50 and 60 births daily, including 10 and 12 cesarean sections.

The UNFPA mission, supported by the United Nations Demining Service, visited Nasir Hospital in Khan Younus, from which Israeli forces withdrew weeks ago. The hospital has a maternity ward supported by the Fund’s teams.

“When we visited Nasir Hospital, we had to be careful – with the demining service – as we walked through the hospital entrance because of the unexploded ordnance,” Allen said, adding that he barely recognized the place he visited two months ago because of the extent of destruction.

Three shelter centers (former schools) run by the UNRWA were turned into emergency medical points to dispatch midwives to help pregnant women who cannot obtain prenatal care.

Allen expressed his concern about the possibility of a military incursion into Rafa'h – where about 1.2 million people reside – and its impact on the humanitarian catastrophe there.

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PGMO calls for urgent action to save the Gaza Strip from thirst

Friday 19-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

Head of Gaza’s Government Media Office (PGMO), Salama Ma'rouf, called for urgent action to address the water crisis and save the residents from thirst.

Gaza City is facing a new environmental catastrophe that threatens the people’s lives, Ma'rouf added, pointing out that the city’s water wells had stopped functioning two weeks ago.

The wells are no longer operational, mainly due to a lack of fuel, which Israel has banned from entering the Strip since it imposed a total blockade more than six months ago.

Gaza City’s only desalination plant, more than 40 water wells and the city’s water networks have been destroyed, he said.

He further warned that the “crisis” has reached its peak as temperatures continue to rise and demand for water consumption has also increased.

“The whole city is living in a state of extreme thirst,” he said.

“This requires all concerned parties to intervene urgently to provide fuel and resupply water to citizens urgently, and save them from the state of extreme thirst and the health and environmental crisis that is only going to get much worse amid extreme water shortages.” 

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

On April 20, 2024, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, the Spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Gaza Strip resulted in 4 massacres, which resulted in the killing of 37 Palestinian civilians, and the injury of 68 others, in the past 24 hours. This increased the accounted for death toll in Gaza Strip to 34,049 and the injuries to 76,901, since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on October 7, 2023.   

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37 Palestinian martyrs in Gaza in the past 24 hours

Saturday 20-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Saturday that the Israeli occupation army committed four massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, adding that the casualties included 37 martyrs and 68 injured.

The Ministry confirmed in a press statement that the toll of the ongoing Israeli aggression has risen to 34,049 martyrs and 76,901 injured since October 7, 2023.

The Ministry indicated that many victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been prevented by the IOF from reaching them.

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US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters day 197

Saturday 20-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered day 197 on Saturday, aerial and artillery strikes continued to pound and target different areas, and massacre more civilians, mostly children and women.

A reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said that the Israeli occupation army continued to attack different areas of Gaza, killing and injuring scores of citizens.

The Israeli artillery shelling targeted the Nusayrat camp in the central Gaza Strip, in conjunction with several air strikes.

The Israeli war boats also opened machine gun fire on the shore of Rafa'h City, amid intensive air raids. Several casualties were reported, including children.

The Palestinian Civil Defense also revealed that 9 martyrs, mostly children, were pulled out after Israeli warplanes struck a residential building in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafa'h.

The Israeli warplanes also launched several airstrikes on Dair El-Bala'h in the central Gaza Strip, while Israeli artillery bombed residential areas in northern Gaza, and targeted the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of the city.

The Israeli occupation forces also bombed residential blocks housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younus.

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Scores of Palestinian civilians killed as Israel continues with its relentless genocidal war on Gaza Strip

GAZA, Friday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) – 

Scores of Palestinian civilians today were killed and others wounded in Israeli aerial and artillery strikes in various areas of the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources reported that Israeli warplanes targeted a house belonging to the Radhwan family, in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in the city of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of nine people, including six children and women.

Simultaneously, a civilian was killed in the bombing by Israeli warplanes of a house east of the city of Rafa'h. At least one missile targeted two lands in the Al-Brahma and Al-Shu'outh neighborhoods, and its artillery fired a number of shells towards the border areas of the city.

The occupation fighter jets targeted, with several missiles, the Al-Zaytoun and Tel Al-Hawa neighborhoods in Gaza City, causing massive and significant damage to the neighboring homes and buildings.

In the meantime, the occupation artillery launched an air raid on a house in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City.

The occupation warplanes bombed a residential square in the Al-Dawa neighborhood, north of the Nusayrat camp in the central Gaza Strip, belonging to the Al-Gharabli, Al-Nabaheen, Abu Muraeeil, Al-Sayyid, and Al-Qassas families.

Israeli naval boats fired machine guns at the seashore of the city of Dair El-Bala'h, in the central Gaza Strip.

In a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7th has resulted in 34,012 documented Palestinian fatalities, the majority of whom are children and women, in addition to 76,883 injuries. Thousands of victims are still under the rubble.

Y.S.

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Seven Palestinians killed in an Israeli genocidal airstrike on a Rafa'h neighborhood

GAZA, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) –

Seven Palestinians were Saturday overnight killed in an Israeli genocidal airstrike on Tel Al-Sulatn neighborhood in Rafa'h, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that Israeli warplanes targeted a house in Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in the southern blockaded Gaza Strip, killing seven people, who were mostly women and children.

He added that the death toll is likely to climb given the number of people who sustained wounds in the air raid.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 33,970 Palestinians and injuring over 76,770 others.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafa'h near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

K.F.

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

‎ 

Five Palestinians killed in IOFs Nour Shams raid

Friday 19-April-2024

Toulkarm, (PIC)

Five Palestinian resistance fighters have been killed in the Israeli military raid into Nour Shams refugee camp, in Toulkarm.

One of the reported martyrs was the leader of the Toulkarm resistance brigade, Mu'hammed Jabir, known as Abu Shuja'.

Abu Shuja' was killed along with three other members of the brigade in a drone attack targeting a local house in the refugee camp after being besieged for more than 20 hours.

Earlier Friday, the young man, Salim Ghannam, was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire during the clashes that erupted during the Israeli military raid into the refugee camp.

Meanwhile, three Israeli soldiers have been injured while raiding Nour Shams refugee camp.

The soldiers were “lightly wounded” by shrapnel while exchanging fire with fighters there, according to Israeli sources.

The Israeli military has carried out near daily raids throughout the occupied West Bank since October 7, encountering some of its fiercest resistance in the Nour Shams camp.

The Israeli soldiers went into Nour Shams refugee camp late Thursday night, and on Friday morning.

In the two-day raid, they destroyed roads, buildings, shops, and houses, and tore up sewage lines, carrying out on-site interrogations.

Locals describe the military raid as the worst destruction of infrastructure they’ve seen in the West Bank since the destruction of the Jenin refugee camp during the second Intifada in the early 2000s.

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Five killed, others injured in ongoing Israeli offensive in Nour Shams camp

TULKARM, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) – 

The Israeli occupation army today killed five Palestinians and injured others in the course of its ongoing large-scale offensive in Nur Shams refugee camp, east of the occupied West Bank city of Toulkarm.

The occupation forces continue their large-scale offensive in Nour Shams refugee camp for the second day, killing at least five people, including a child, and injuring others. At least four casualties were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that the occupation forces were still withholding the bodies of the victims and preventing ambulance crews from reaching them.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its crews managed to evacuate two live ammunition casualties from the camp to the Thabit Thabit Government Hospital.

It added that Israeli soldiers obstructed PRCS emergency ambulance crews from helping injured people in the camp, forced the casualties out of ambulances and inspected their identity cards.

This came as the occupation army continued to besiege the northern West Bank camp and sent additional reinforcements to it.

The occupation army launched Thursday evening a large-scale offensive against the refugee camp, triggering confrontations and causing extensive destruction.

The army, accompanied by two bulldozers, one of them a D9, stormed and imposed a strict siege on the camp, deploying military vehicles on all axes leading to the camp and closing the main street amid the flying of reconnaissance aircraft in the area.

Israeli bulldozers deliberately destroyed main streets, alleyways, water and wastewater networks on their way to and inside the camp, and tore down walls, stores and parts of houses in the camp.

Additionally, the Israeli forces sealed off the entrances of the camp with earth mounds and targeted electricity poles and wires along the main Nablus Street adjacent to the camp, causing power outages in parts of the area.

Scores of soldiers showed up at dozens of houses in the camp, broke inside, conducted thorough searches, interrogated occupants, wreaked havoc inside, and detained dozens of youths.

They turned some houses into military outposts, deployed snipers and prevented ambulances from entering the camp to transport the bodies of victims and evacuate casualties.

A commercial strike is observed today in Toulkarm district in condemnation of the offensive.

K.F.

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IOFs continues attack on Nour Shams camp for third day

Saturday 20-April-2024

TULKAREM, (PIC)

Armed clashes broke out between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) in Nour Shams refugee Camp in Toulkarm Governorate for the third consecutive day.

The clashes erupted after the IOFs troops stormed the camp and surrounded a local house before bombing it.

The Israeli military has carried out near daily raids throughout the occupied West Bank since October 7, encountering some of its fiercest resistance in the Nour Shams camp.

The Israeli occupation soldiers went into Nour Shams refugee camp late Thursday night, and on Friday. Five Palestinian resistance fighters were killed in the Israeli military raid.

The IOFs also destroyed roads, buildings, shops, and houses, and tore up sewage lines, carrying out on-site interrogations.

Locals describe the military raid as the worst destruction of infrastructure they’ve seen in the West Bank since the destruction of the Jineen refugee camp during the second Intifada in the early 2000s. 

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Israeli occupation forces injure 11, detain others in Nour Shams offensive

Toulkarm, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) - 

The Israeli occupation forces injured 11 Palestinians and detained others in the course of the large-scale offensive in Nour Shams refugee camp, east of the occupied West Bank city of Toulkarm, according to the Health Ministry.

It confirmed that 11 injuries were admitted to the Thabit Thabit Government Hospital; seven people who sustained live ammunition injuries in addition to four others, who sustained injuries as a result of being beaten by the Israeli troops.

The injuries were described as being light to moderate.

The Ministry also confirmed its medical crews were informed there was an unidentified number of Palestinian fatalities and injuries in the camp, which remains besieged by the military, which continues to prevent ambulance crews from reaching them.

The ongoing large-scale offensive has resulted in the killing of two Palestinians, including 15-year-old Qays Fat'hi Nasrallah, while eyewitnesses from inside the camp said that five people were killed by Israeli army gunfire.

The bodies of the fatalities continue to be withheld by the army.

Earlier today, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its crews managed to evacuate seven casualties from the camp to a nearby hospital.

It added that Israeli soldiers obstructed PRCS emergency ambulance crews from helping injured people in the camp, forced the casualties out of ambulances and inspected their identity cards.

This came as the occupation army continued to besiege the northern West Bank camp and sent additional reinforcements to it.

The Israeli occupation army launched Thursday evening a large-scale offensive against the refugee camp, triggering confrontations and causing extensive destruction.

The Israeli occupation army, accompanied by two bulldozers, one of them a D9, stormed and imposed a strict siege on the camp, deploying military vehicles on all axes leading to the camp and closing the main street amid the flying of reconnaissance aircraft in the area.

Israeli bulldozers deliberately destroyed main streets, alleyways, water and wastewater networks on their way to and inside the camp, and tore down walls, stores and parts of houses in the camp.

Additionally, the Israeli forces sealed off the entrances of the camp with earth mounds and targeted electricity poles and wires along the main Nablus Street adjacent to the camp, causing power outages in parts of the area.

Scores of soldiers showed up at dozens of houses in the camp, broke inside, conducted thorough searches, interrogated occupants, wreaked havoc inside, and detained dozens of youths.

They turned some houses into military outposts, deployed snipers and prevented ambulances from entering the camp to transport the bodies of victims and evacuate casualties.

A commercial strike is observed today in Toulkarm district in condemnation of the offensive.

Various civil society organizations (CSOs) in the camp called on international organizations to intervene to secure the entry of medical staff to the camp and halt the offensive, particularly given the lack of access to food and medicines and the disconnection of the supply of water and electricity and Internet access.

K.F.

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Palestinian man injured in foot by live bullets in Nablus area

NABLUS, Friday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) –

A Palestinian man today was injured by live bullets fired by Israeli occupation forces during conformations that erupted in the town  of Bait Foureek, east of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its crews transferred the 24-year-old man to hospital after he was injured by live bullets in the foot.

In the aftermath of the military incursion, confrontations broke out with the Israeli forces, during which the occupation forces randomly fired live bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas bombs towards locals and their homes.

Y.S.

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Israeli forces detain 30 Palestinians in West Bank raids

RAMALLAH, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation forces Friday and Saturday detained 30 Palestinians from various parts of the West Bank, according to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

They said that the occupation forces rounded up 30 people in multiple raids across the West Bank. Among the detainees, they added, were three women, who were rounded up from Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) and released afterwards, and half of the detainees are residents of the Nour Shams refugee camp.

They added that the detention raids were concentrated in the Nour Shams refugee camp, which is still subject to an ongoing offensive while pointing out that among the 15 people detained from the camp were minor and injured people.

Two of the 30 detainees were identified as a former prisoner from Kafr Al-Deek town, west of the city of Salfeet, and another from Dair Ballout town.

According to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, the occupation forces have detained some 8,340 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. Such prisoners were detained from their houses, at checkpoints, were forced to turn themselves in or were held as hostages.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

According to the latest figures from Al-Dhameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 9,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres, including 200 child prisoners and 80 female prisoners.

This number includes approximately 3,660 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, which allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

The mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Al-Dhameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.

K.F.

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Israeli occupation forces seal off entrance of Ramallah-district town

RAMALLAH, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation forces today sealed off the entrance of the town of Turmus 'Ayya, northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to local sources.

They said that closed the main entrance of the town, obstructing the movement of commuters into and out of the town and causing traffic congestion.

Israel severely restricts Palestinians’ freedom of movement through a complex combination of approximately 100 fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, colonist-only roads and various other physical obstructions.

Closures besides other measures, taken under the guise of security, are intended to entrench Israel’s 57-year-old military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project which it enforces with routine and frequently deadly violence against Palestinians.

K.F.

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

 

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Illegal Israeli settlers target Palestinian-owned vehicle near Salfeet

SALFIT, Friday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) – 

A group of illegal Israeli settlers today attacked Palestinian-owned vehicle in the the town of Kafr Al-Deek, west of Salfeet.

Sources said that a group of armed illegal Israeli settlers sneaked their way into the town and attacked a vehicle owned by a local resident while he was passing near the town of Dair Istya.

Neither damage nor casualties were reported though.

The illegal Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by the Israeli occupation apartheid regime.

The illegal Israeli settler  violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Y.S.

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EU official condemns the illegal Israeli settler violence

BRUSSELS, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) -

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Friday condemned the illegal Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, including Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem).

“We strongly condemn extremist settler violence: perpetrators must be held to account,” he tweeted on X platform.

“The EU has decided to sanction extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for serious human rights abuses against Palestinians,” he added.

This came after the US State Department imposed new sanctions on far-right Israeli colonists over their involvement in violence in the occupied West Bank.

Among those listed is Ben Zion Gopstein, leader of Lehava, a far-right Jewish supremacist group that gained notoriety in Israel for attempting to prevent marriages between Jews and Arabs.

The Treasury Department also designated Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich over their role in establishing fundraising campaigns for two US-sanctioned far-right Israelis.

"We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in the West Bank in recent days and call on Israel to take all appropriate measures to prevent attacks by violent extremist settlers and hold those responsible accountable," the State Department said in a statement.

"The United States will not hesitate to take additional steps to promote accountability if necessary."

The illegal Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by the Israeli occupation apartheid regime.

The illegal Israeli settler violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Over 700,000 Israeli colonists are living in colonies across Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) and the West Bank in violation of international law.

K.F.

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US sanctions fundraisers linked to the illegal extremist Israeli settlers in West Bank

WASHINGTON, Friday, April 19, 2024 (WAFA) –

In response to escalating violence perpetrated by the illegal extremist Israeli settler militias against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Biden administration has announced sanctions on two entities that fundraise these illegal Israeli settlers. Additionally, the founder of an organization associated with assaulting Palestinians has also been sanctioned.

The Treasury Department revealed on Friday that the Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich are among the entities facing sanctions for their involvement in raising funds for sanctioned illegal settlers Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai. Both Levi and Chasdai were previously sanctioned by the Biden administration for their roles in violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The sanctions, which aim to prevent the targeted entities from utilizing the US financial system and prohibit American citizens from engaging in transactions with them, come amidst a surge in Israeli colonist violence in the West Bank, coinciding with the ongoing aggression on Gaza.

According to the US Treasury, the fundraising campaigns established by the Mount Hebron Fund for Levi and by Shlom Asiraich for Chasdai have collectively generated substantial amounts, with $140,000 raised for Levi and $31,000 for Chasdai.

M.N.

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