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 102 of the US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 15 Massacres, 185 Palestinians Killed, 320 Injured, with a Death Toll of  24,285 and 61,154 Injuries

January 16, 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 January 16, 2024, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 32,285+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (24,285) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on December 23, 2023: 8,000+).   

By January 16, 2024, the documented injuries exceeded 61,154, and more than 2,520 civilians have been abducted from Gaza Strip.

By January 4, 2023, the death toll included 9,730+ children and 6,830+ women (more than 70% of the victims). 

By January 16, 2024, there were 348 Palestinians who were killed, 3,619 who were injured, and 5,904, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023 (Some of the today's reported detained 5,903 have been released).

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.

The total number of detainees in the occupation prisons until the end of December was 8,800, and the number of administrative detainees was 3,291.

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By January 9, 2023,  there was a complete destruction of 69,000+ housing units, and a partial destruction of 290,000+ housing units (60% of Gaza housing units). This forced about 1.5 million people to become homeless, taking refuge in crowded UN schools and ultimately sleeping in the streets.  

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

By January 9, 2024, 326 health personnel and 97 journalists were killed and hundreds were injured, 121 ambulances were destroyed while on duty, killing and injuring their crews, and destroyed 150 health institutions. As a result of the strikes and lack of fuel, 30 hospitals and 53 primary care centers are not functioning. In addition, 99 health personnel have been abducted by the invading Israeli occupation forces.

Meanwhile, 134 government offices and 95 schools and universities were completely destroyed, while 295 schools and universities were partially damaged.

138 mosques were completely destroyed, while 240 others were partially damaged, in addition to three churches.

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Palestinian Four-old-old girl, Ruqaya Abu Dahouk, was killed by Israeli occupation forces on January 7, 2024, but her body was kept by IOF until January 16, 2024	Bodies of 13 Palestinians were pulled out from under the rubble in Al-Maghazi, several days after Israeli air strikes and bombardment, January 16, 2024
Israeli occupation army killed and injured dozens of Palestinians in Gaza Strip who were trying to receive aid, January 16, 2024	Palestinian women and children fleeing their neighborhoods in Gaza Strip, looking for safety and food, January 16, 2024
A Palestinian young man carrying his sister who was killed in an Israeli genocidal air strike, arriving at the entrance of Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital, January 16, 2024	A view of the refugee tents for Palestinians who fled northern Gaza Strip, southwest of Rafa'h, January 16, 2024
A view of the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Gaza Strip, file, January 16, 2024	Palestinian children and women constituted more than 70% of the victims of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, January 16, 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, 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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UN calls for allowing entry of urgent aid to Gaza to avoid famine, deadly disease outbreak

Tuesday 16-January-2024, GENEVA, (PIC)

United Nations agencies stressed on Monday the urgent need for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza as the risk of famine increases and more people are exposed to outbreaks of deadly diseases.

The heads of World Food Program, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization said in a joint statement that new entry routes needed to be opened to Gaza, more trucks needed to be allowed in each day, and aid workers and those in need of aid should be allowed to move around safely.

Aid does not meet basic needs

The statement highlighted that all Gaza residents depend on aid to survive in light of the inability to produce or import food, stressing that the sent humanitarian aid does not meet the basic needs of Gaza residents.

Although the United Nations, international aid agencies and NGOs have been able to deliver limited humanitarian aid, under extremely difficult conditions though, the quantities are far less than what is needed to prevent deadly hunger, malnutrition, and disease as the northern regions are running out of food, clean water, and medicines.

Restricted and risky humanitarian action

The UN agencies stressed that humanitarian action is restricted, due to the closure of all border crossings, except for two in the south, and because of the multi-stage inspection process of trucks heading to Gaza. Once inside the Strip, efforts to establish aid distribution points are hampered by bombings and ever-changing battle fronts, threatening the safety of ordinary Gazans as well as UN and humanitarian workers striving to deliver aid.

World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said “People in Gaza risk starving to death just miles away from trucks carrying food. Every hour wasted puts the lives of countless people at risk. We can only avoid famine if we can provide adequate supplies and have safe access to everyone who needs aid, wherever they are.”

Food insecurity

The latest report of The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) noted devastating levels of food insecurity in Gaza, pointing out that the entire population of Gaza, some 2.2 million people, “are experiencing a crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.” Almost all residents of the Gaza Strip are losing weight, spending entire days without eating, and many adults go hungry so that children can eat. The report warned of an imminent famine if current conditions continue.

The UN agencies’ statement underlined that the conflict has led to the destruction of infrastructure, basic water services, sanitation, and health services, in addition to limited capacity to treat acute malnutrition and the spread of infectious diseases. Children under the age of five, about 335,000, are particularly at risk. The UNICEF anticipates that the rate of child wasting could increase by approximately 30 percent in the next few weeks, compared to pre-crisis conditions, affecting up to 10,000 children. Wasting is one of the most life-threatening forms of malnutrition among children.

Children of Gaza at the risk of death

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, “Children who are at risk of death due to malnutrition and diseases, are in desperate need of medical treatment, clean water, and sanitation services. The conditions on the ground do not allow us to safely reach the children and families in need. Some materials needed to repair and increase water supplies are still prohibited from entering Gaza. The lives of children and their families are at stake. Every minute counts.”

The heads of the three agencies stressed the urgent need to lift restrictions on the delivery of aid into and within Gaza, and to resume commercial traffic, reiterating their call for a humanitarian ceasefire in order to launch a large-scale and multi-agency humanitarian operation.

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Over one hundred days into the war, Israel destroying Gaza’s food system and weaponizing food - UN human rights experts

GENEVA, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Palestinian in Gaza now make up 80 percent of all people facing famine or catastrophic hunger worldwide, marking an unparalleled humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s continued bombardment and siege, according to UN human rights experts.

“Currently every single person in Gaza is hungry, a quarter of the population is starving and struggling to find food and drinkable water, and famine is imminent,” UN human rights experts in a statement.

“Pregnant women are not receiving adequate nutrition and healthcare, putting their lives at risk. In addition, all children under five – 335,000 – are at high risk of severe malnutrition as the risk of famine conditions continues to increase.”

“A whole generation is now in danger of suffering from stunting,” said the experts. Stunting occurs when young children’s growth is hampered due to a lack of adequate nourishment and causes irreparable physical and cognitive impairments. This will undermine the learning capacity of an entire generation.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” the experts said, adding that since October 9, Israel declared and imposed a “total siege” on Gaza, depriving 2.3 million Palestinians of water, food, fuel, medicine, and medical supplies, against the backdrop of a 17-year Israeli blockade, which before this war made approximately half of the people in Gaza food insecure and more than 80 percent reliant on humanitarian aid,” the statement stated.

While the majority of aid distribution is concentrated in the southern governorates, since 1 January, only 21 percent (5 out of 24) of planned deliveries of aid containing food and other lifesaving supplies reached their destination north of Wadi Gaza, added the statement. “The experts are particularly alarmed about conditions in northern Gaza, where the population faces prolonged food shortages and extremely restricted access to essential resources.”

In southern Gaza, a large concentration of individuals resides in inadequate shelters or areas devoid of basic amenities, escalating the brutal situation, said the UN experts.

“It is unprecedented to make an entire civilian population go hungry this completely and quickly. Israel is destroying Gaza’s food system and using food as a weapon against the Palestinian people,” warned the experts.

Israel is destroying and blocking access to farmland and the sea. Recent reports allege that since the Israeli military's ground offensive started on 27 October, approximately 22% of agricultural land, including orchards, greenhouses, and farmland in northern Gaza, has been razed by Israeli forces. Israel has reportedly destroyed approximately 70% of Gaza’s fishing fleet. Even with little humanitarian aid that has been allowed to enter, people still lack food and fuel to cook. Most bakeries are not operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour along with structural damage. Livestock are starving and unable to provide food or be a source of food. Meanwhile, access to safe water continues to diminish while the healthcare system has collapsed due to the widespread destruction of hospitals, significantly heightening the spread of communicable diseases.”

The experts explained that Israel has also destroyed more than 60% of Palestinian homes in Gaza, directly affecting the ability to cook any food, and causing domicide through the mass destruction of dwellings, making the territory uninhabitable.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has estimated that nearly 85% of Gaza's population — representing 1.9 million people — is internally displaced, including many who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.

“We have raised the alarm of the risk of genocide several times reminding all governments they have a duty to prevent genocide,” added the experts.

Not only is Israel killing and causing irreparable harm to Palestinian civilians with its indiscriminate bombardments, but it is also knowingly and intentionally imposing a high rate of disease, prolonged malnutrition, dehydration, and starvation by destroying civilian infrastructure, said the experts. “Aid needs to be delivered to Gazans immediately and without any hindrance to prevent starvation.”

“Our alarm for the unfolding genocide does not only refer to the ongoing bombardment of Gaza but also concerns the slow suffering and death caused by Israel’s long-standing occupation, blockade and current civic destruction, since genocide advances through an ongoing process and is not a singular event,” read the statement.

"The clear path to achieving peace, safety, and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians lies in the realization of Palestinian self-determination. This can only be achieved through an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of the Israeli occupation,” The UN experts concluded.

T.R.

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UNRWA describes Gaza war as largest displacement of the Palestinian people since 1948

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said that the war on the Gaza Strip resulted in the 'largest displacement of the Palestinian people since 1948.'

As Israel's brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip enters its 120nd day, the UNRWA took it to their official page on X, formerly known as Twitter, to say that Palestinians in Gaza are living "through the unliveable."

"100 days in 100 seconds. This has been the largest displacement of the Palestinian people since 1948," UNRWA said on X.

"An entire generation of children is traumatized, thousands have been killed, maimed, and orphaned. People live through the unliveable."

K.T

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4,368 students killed since the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza began, says Ministry of Education

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

The Ministry of Education said that 4,368 students were killed and 8,101 others were injured since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7th on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Ministry explained in a statement released on Tuesday that the number of students who were killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression reached more than 4,327 and 7,819 were wounded, while in the West Bank 41 students were killed and 282 others were injured, in addition to 85 of them who were detained.

It indicated that 231 teachers and administrators were killed and 756 were injured in the Gaza Strip, five were injured, and more than 71 were detained in the West Bank.

The statement pointed out that 281 government schools and 65 affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) were bombed and vandalized in the Gaza Strip, which led to 83 of them being severely damaged and seven completely destroyed, whereas 42 schools in the West Bank were stormed and vandalized.

The Ministry of Education confirmed that the Israeli targeting of schools affected 90% of government school and education buildings, which were subjected to direct and indirect damage, in addition to 29% of school buildings that could not be operated due to being completely demolished or severely damaged, and that 133 government schools were used as shelter centers in the Gaza Strip.

It indicated that students will actually attend schools for the second semester, while 55 schools will shift to e-learning due to them being located in a “seam zone” — an area separated from the rest of the occupied West Bank by Israel’s apartheid wall, and is usually surrounded by Israeli forces and settlers.

K.T. 

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

On January 16, 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 15 massacres, in which  185 Palestinian civilians were killed, and 320 were injured, in the past 24 hours. This increased the death toll in Gaza Strip to 24,285 and the injuries to 61,154, since October 7, 2023.  

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Gaza: Death toll surges to 24,285 martyrs

Tuesday 16-January-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

The health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that the Israeli occupation army committed 15 massacres in different areas of the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, killing at least 158 civilians and injuring over 320 others, while a large number of victims are still under the rubble of bombed buildings or lying on roads.

In a statement, the health ministry added that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardments, which started on October 7, climbed to 24,285 martyrs and the number of the wounded surged to 61,154 people.

Every day, the Israeli army carries out deadly air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless bombardment since a cross-border operation was launched by Hamas’s armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, on October 7.

Besides the large number of casualties and the huge displacement of people, basic food, fuel, water and medical supplies have run out for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the tight Israeli blockade and the massive destruction of infrastructure and facilities. 

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At least 13 civilians killed in Israeli shelling of Khan Younus, in southern Gaza, death toll today rises to 23

GAZA, Wednesday, January 17, 2024 (WAFA) -

At least 13 civilians were killed and others were injured late tonight on Tuesday in the continuous Israeli strikes and artillery bombardment of Khan Younus, in the southern Gaza Strip, raising the number of people killed since Tuesday morning to 23.

Israeli warplanes launched strikes targeting four houses west of Khan Younus, with the inhabitants still inside. Heavy shelling also targeted several residential buildings in the Al-Namsawi neighborhood in Khan Younus.

Israeli artillery also targeted Al-Batn Al-Sameen and the New 'Abasan area to the west and east of Khan Younus, respectively.

The occupation airstrikes and artillery also targeted the vicinities of the Nasser Medical Hospital and the Al-Amal Hospital, causing severe damage to the Al-Amal hospital and spreading a state of panic and terror among patients, wounded, medical staff, and displaced people seeking shelter there.

Local sources said that the Israeli occupation has reduced to rubble dozens of houses and residential buildings in Khan Younus governorate.

Earlier Tuesday night, a Palestinian mother and her child were killed in an Israeli air raid that targeted a group of civilians in Al-'Hashasheen area, west of Rafa.h city, in the southern Strip.

At least four other civilians were killed in an Israeli bombing targeting the town of Jabalya, in the north.

According to sources, four civilians, including a child, were killed by an artillery shelling of the town of Jabalya.  Israeli jets also launched several strikes on the town of Bait 'Hanoun, in the north.

In Gaza City, rescue teams were able to retrieve the bodies of 20 civilians and dozens of wounded after violent airstrikes that targeted several homes in the Al-Nafaq area of Gaza City without any prior notice, causing massive destruction.

As the death toll continues to rise, the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7 has so far risen to 24,285. At least 61,154 people were wounded and thousands were reported missing.

The reported number might not count all casualties due to incomplete coverage as a result of Israel’s ongoing intensive shelling and the repeated complete interruptions of communications and internet services.

T.R.

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US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters day 102

Tuesday 16-January-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered day 102 on Tuesday, massive aerial and artillery strikes continued to pound neighborhoods and homes 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 last night and on Tuesday morning, killing and injuring dozens of citizens.

According to local sources, two civilians were martyred and others were injured when the Israeli army bombed a group of fishermen and citizens in Gaza port.

Seven displaced children and women suffering from injuries were also evacuated to the Mu'hammed Yousuf El-Najjar Hospital after an Israeli warplane bombed the beach of Rafa'h, south of Gaza.

The Israeli army also bombed homes in 'Abasan al-Kabira town, east of Khan Younus, with no information about casualties.

Meanwhile, three civilians were killed and others were wounded following an Israeli attack on UNRWA’s al-Daraj Clinic and School, which houses displaced families, in the east of Gaza City.

Two citizens were also killed in an Israeli attack on Road 20 in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp in central Gaza, while bodies of 13 martyrs were retrieved from Al-Maghazi refugee camp 10 days after they were killed by the Israeli army.

Medical sources, for their part, reported that the European Hospital received 16 martyrs after they were evacuated from different areas of Khan Yunis following Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.

Last night, the Israeli army killed 10 civilians and injured others, mostly women and children, after it bombed a house belonging to the family of Sham’ah in Gaza City.

Other casualties were reported in different areas of Gaza following Israeli aerial and artillery attacks on Tuesday morning and later in the afternoon.

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Euro-Med: Israeli army killed dozens of Gazans trying to receive aid

Tuesday 16-January-2024, GENEVA, (PIC)

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has accused the Israeli occupation army of starving the Palestinians in the north of Wadi Gaza (Gaza Valley) and killing them while trying to obtain food.

“Not only the Israeli occupation forces starved the Palestinians in the north of Wadi Gaza, but they also killed dozens of them as they tried to obtain small portions of food aid that arrived there,” Euro-Med said in a statement on Tuesday.

Euro-Med described such Israeli practices as “part of the genocidal crimes that have been committed by the Israeli army against the civilians in Gaza since October 7 of last year.”

Euro-Med documented shocking testimonies about the killing of dozens of Palestinians and wounding others as they gathered on Thursday, January 11, in al-Rashid street in the west of Gaza City to receive humanitarian aid, holding UN agencies responsible for their failure to find appropriate mechanisms for delivering aid to the population.

“Nearly 50 Palestinians were martyred and dozens of others were injured after the Israeli occupation army used quadcopter drones to open fire at Palestinians who had gathered to receive quantities of flour from UN trucks,” Euro-Med explained.

“The residents fled the area and managed to transport a number of wounded civilians, but the martyrs remained there. Later on the same day, the aid trucks arrived and hundreds of residents gathered again in order to receive portions of flour,” Euro-Med said.

According to testimonies obtained by Euro-Med, the local residents had to travel distances of up to 10 kilometers to reach that area, while there was no mechanism to arrange aid distribution safely and appropriately.

Euro-Med also received information about a number of casualties as a result of the extreme crowding and stampede that happened after aid trucks started to flock into the area.

Several hours later, some residents used animal-drawn carts to transport the martyrs who were killed in the area, Euro-Med added.

Similar drone attacks against civilians trying to receive aid happened in the same area in the following days, according to the rights group.

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Child among four civilians killed in Israeli shelling of Jabalya, in northern Gaza

GAZA, Tuesday, January 16, 2023 (WAFA) -

At least four civilians were killed this evening in an Israeli shelling that targeted the town of Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip, said local sources.

Sources said that at least four civilians, including a child, were killed in an artillery shelling of a site in the town of Jabalya. The occupation jets also launched a series of strikes against the town of Bait 'Hanoun, north of the Strip.

An entire residential block east of the new town of 'Absan, in southern Gaza, was turned to rubble today as a result of Israel's intensive strikes.

T.R.

13 bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes pulled from under the rubble in Gaza

GAZA, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Civil Defense and ambulance crews Tuesday pulled the bodies of 13 Palestinians from under the rubble in Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.

According to sources, they were killed in the past days as a result of the Israeli occupation’s bombing.

Seven wounded children and women were transformed to the Martyr Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in the city of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip, as a result of Israeli occupation aircraft targeting a chalet on the seashore, west of the city, housing displaced people from Gaza.

A number of civilians were killed and injured as a result of the occupation targeting a group of citizens in Khirbet Al-'Adas in the city of Rafa'h.

K.T.

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Israeli airstrikes on Gaza claim dozens of lives as Israel's aggression enters its 102nd day

GAZA, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

At least 57 Palestinians at night  were killed and dozens wounded following intense Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas in the Gaza Strip, according to local and security sources.

Sources said that at least 20 people were killed following an Israeli airstrike targeting a house for the Al-Sousi family in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in the center of Gaza City, while dozens of others sustained several injuries.

The intense and fierce airstrikes resulted in massive destruction of the house on the heads of its occupants, in addition to neighboring houses,

Following the bombing, dozens of dead bodies and injured individuals were transferred to Al-Shifa Medical Complex west of the city. .

Israeli military air force carried out fierce airstrike targeting a house for the Al-Haddad family in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, resulting in the killing of 11 people. Shahad Harbi Al-Haddad was seriously injured as a result of the bombardment, and she is the only survivor of her family.

At least 11 people were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a house south of the city without previous warning.

The causalities were transferred to the Gaza European Hospital. Additionally, seven people arrived to Nasser Hospital in the city.

Israeli fighter jets carried out intense airstrikes targeting Al-Maghazi and Al-Buraij camps, resulting in the killing of seven people and the injury of several others.

A citizen was further killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house for the Al-Muznar family in the Al-Saftawi area, north of Gaza City.

Israeli warplanes launched violent airstrikes targeting the neighborhoods of Tel Al-Hawa, Al-Shaikh 'Ijleen, Al-Sabra and Al-Zaytoun, and the Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip. The city of Khan Younus was also targeted in the non-strop Israeli bombardment against the enclave.

For the fifth day in a row, the complete interruption of communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip continues, due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.

This is at least the seventh time that communications have been completely cut off from the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression on October 7.

Networks and transmission towers were damaged as a result of the massive destruction caused by the aggression to the infrastructure, and the lack of fuel due to the siege. This led to frequent outages, pressure on the network, and weak transmission in various parts of the sector.

By January 15, 2024, the Palestinian medical sources reported that the Israeli occupation committed 12 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leading to the killing of nearly 132 and 252 injured during the past 24 hours.

In a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 has resulted in at least 24,000 fatalities, more than 70% of whom are women and children, and 60,317 wounded. Additionally, more than 8,000 are still missing under the rubble.

Y.S.  

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

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Occupation authorities hand over body of a 4-year-old Palestinian child killed by Israeli fire

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation authorities tonight handed over the body of a four-year-old Palestinian girl, who was shot and killed by Israelioccupation forces fire on January 7, to the Palestinian side, after withholding it for ten days.

The body of four-year-old Ruqaya Abu Dahouk, a resident of Bait Iksa, northwest of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), was transferred to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

On January 7, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on two vehicles crossing the Bait Iksa military checkpoint, which resulted in the fatal shooting of the four-year-old little girl.

A married couple, who were onboard the second car that was targeted by the Israeli fire, were also killed in the shooting. They were identified as Mu'hammed Abu 'Eid and his wife, Dhu'ha, from the town of Biddu, northwest of Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

A.D/T.R.

Two Palestinian young men injured by Israeli live gunfire in Nablus

NABLUS, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) –

Two young men were shot and injured by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank city of Nablus, said security sources.

Sources told WAFA that Israeli soldiers fired live bullets, stun grenades, and toxic tear gas at citizens during confrontations that broke out following a military incursion into 'Aseera Al-Shamaliya, south of Nablus, injuring a young man with live bullets in the thigh.

Meanwhile, another young man, aged 23, was also injured in the thigh by live bullets during confrontations with Israeli forces in the village of Madama, south of Nablus. The youth was taken to a hospital for treatment, said the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

A.D./TR.

Palestinian youth injured by live ammunition in confrontations northeast of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

A young Palestinian man was shot by Israeli forces’ live fire this evening during a military incursion into the town of 'Anata, northeast of  Al-Quds (Jerusalem), said local sources.

Sources said that confrontations broke out with the occupation forces in the 'Anata area, during which forces attacked residents with live fire and tear gas canisters, shooting and injuring a youth. Dozens of others suffocated due to tear gas inhalation.

Confrontations also erupted in the town of al-Ram, north of  Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Forces reportedly closed the northern entrance to the said town during the confrontations and attacked residents and their homes with stun grenades and tear gas bombs. No injuries were reported.

T.R.

Two Palestinian shot by Israeli forces near Aree'ha (Jericho)

Aree'ha (Jericho), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Two Palestinian youths were Tuesday injured by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets during storming of Ain al-Sultan camp in the city of Aree'ha (Jericho).

Local sources said that the occupation forces fired live bullets at civilians, wounding two Palestinians whose condition was described as moderate. They also detained a youth after raiding his house.

The occupation forces had previously stormed Ain Sultan camp, accompanied by a bulldozer, and carried out sweeping operations in its streets.

K.T

Two Palestinian men injured following an Israeli raid of Nablus

NABLUS, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

Two Palestinians today were injured and another was arrested during an Israeli military raid of Askar Camp, east of Nablus, according to local sources.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that one Palestinian was injured by live bullets shrapnel in the foot from the New Askar camp, and another was injured after being severally assaulted and beaten up by occupation soldiers on Mount Gerzim Street

The two injured individuals were transferred to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The occupying Israeli forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, stormed the new Askar camp in the morning hours, during which they embarked on firing live gunshots at residents.

Forces reportedly stormed Jabal Gerzim Street area, broke into one of the houses and investigated its residents. They also stormed several areas and neighborhoods after breaking into one of the houses there and inspected it.

Israeli forces further detained, 'Hamid Al-'Amoudi, an-ex detainee, during the raid.

In a related context, occupation forces stormed the town of Bait Foureek, east of Nablus, leading to confrontations with locals. However, no injuries were reported.

Y.S. 

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Abduction of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

IOF kidnaps 50 Palestinians in W. Bank raids

Tuesday 16-January-2024, WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnaped at least 50 Palestinian citizens, including children, during a large-scale arrest campaign in the West Bank, which started last night and continued into Tuesday morning.

According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, most of the detainees are from al-Khalil province.

The IOF arrest campaigns in the West Bank involved violent practices by Israeli soldiers, including physical and verbal attacks, maltreatment, threats, on-site interrogations, acts of sabotage and shootings.

Since the seventh of last October, over 5,980 Palestinian citizens have been kidnaped, detained or jailed by the IOF in the West Bank. This number of detainees does not include those who were kidnaped from Gaza.

Israeli occupation forces detain 35 Palestinians from the West Bank

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -  

Israeli occupation forces detained 35 Palestinians across the West Bank in a wide-scale arrest campaign last night and this morning, according to sources.

In Hebron, 16 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces, while in Jenin, six people, including two former prisoners, were detained.

Additionally, the soldiers detained two from Qalqilya and a former prisoner from Ramallah.

Moreover, the occupation forces detained 10 from Ramallah, including a 17-year-old minor and a number of siblings.

The sources added that Israeli forces stormed Ramallah's Teera neighborhood and took measurements of the house of the detainee Aysar Al-Barghouthi, whom the occupation accuses of carrying out a shooting attack at the 'Oyoon Al-'Haramiya intersection, north of Ramallah.

K.T.

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

Illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Al-Quds (Jerusalem)

Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

Illegal Israeli settlers, heavily protected and guarded by occupation army, stormed Muslim holy place, Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

They said that dozens of colonial Israeli settlers stormed the compound, took provocative tours in its yards, and performed Talmudic rituals there.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected to almost daily incursions by Israeli settlers, except on Saturday and Sunday, which are done under the heavy guard of the Israeli police in an attempt to divide the mosque spatially and temporally between Muslims and Jews.

Y.S. 

Illegal Israeli settlers lace a mobile home on land in Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)-area town

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Israeli colonists this evening placed a mobile home in the town of Taqou, southeast of the southern West Bank city of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), a step often seen as a prelude to taking over the land, said a local activist.

'Hasan Buraijiyah, director of the Bethlehem Wall and Settlements Resistance office, told WAFA correspondent that a group of colonial settlers placed a caravan in the Taqou wilderness.

The official stressed a significant surge in colonists’ attacks against communities in the Al-Badiya Al-Sharqiyah area, which includes several communities. The attacks include the seizure of caves, the erection of mobile homes, forcing landowners to leave and banning them from accessing their lands, and the demolition of agricultural rooms and tents.

T.R.

Israeli occupation forces fire tear gas toward civil defense center during confrontations in Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)-area village, officer suffocates

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) –

An officer of the Palestinian Civil Defense Service suffocated this evening by tear gas during confrontations in the village of 'Husan, west of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), said a local official.

Head of 'Husan village council, Rami Hamamrah, told WAFA correspondent that the Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas canisters directly toward the civil defense center during confrontations with the village youths, causing one of the officers to suffocate. He received first aid at the scene.

To be noted, the civil defense center is located in the village council’s building.

The official said that forces stepped up their military measures and erected flying checkpoints across the streets and neighborhoods of the village, especially in the Matina area, hindering residents’ movement.

T.R.

Israeli occupation soldiers storm boys high school in Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), remove Palestinian flag

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Israeli occupation soldiers today broke into the Batteer High School for boys, in the Palestinian village of Batteer, west of Bethlehem, according to the Director of Education in Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Bassam Jabr.

He told WAFA correspondent that forces stormed the high school and removed the Palestinian flag hoisted on its premises. Forces reportedly prevented residents from reaching the school during the raid.

Israeli army previously carried out numerous attacks, with the deliberate and reckless use of force, against schools and educational facilities across the West Bank, in a serious violation of international law and students’ right to pursue education in a safe environment.

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack said, “During situations of armed conflict, attacks on education may violate international humanitarian and criminal law and constitute war crimes as set out in the 1907 Hague Regulations, the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and customary international humanitarian law.”

T.R.

Several Palestinians suffocate by tear gas during Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)-area confrontations

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) –

 Several Palestinians suffocated today during confrontations with Israeli occupation forces in the village of' Husan, west of Bethlehem, according to a local official.

Head of Husan village council, Rami Hamamreh, told WAFA correspondent that confrontations concentrated in the Matina area at the eastern entrance of the village, during which forces fired live bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades, causing several people to suffocate due to tear gas inhalation.

Forces also completely closed off the Matina area and the 'Husan village center, blocking traffic.

T.R.

Israeli occupation police soldiers detain Palestinian after ramming his vehicle near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

The Israeli occupation regime police soldiers today detained a Palestinian after his vehicle was struck near the Al-Manshiya area, southeast of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem).

Security source said an occupation police patrol chased a citizen’s vehicle on the main road leading to the town of Tuqu’, rammed it and arrested its driver.

 The identity of the deriver's is still unknown. 

 Y.S. 

Israeli occupation forces raid Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)-area town, raid homes

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

Israeli occupation forces Tuesday stormed the village of Mara'h Raba'h, south of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), and raided several homes.

The head of the Mara'h Village Council, Raba'h Husain Al-Shaikh, said that an occupation army force stormed the village and broke into a number of citizens’ homes.

He added that the occupation soldiers closed the roads inside the village and stormed the school and kindergarten area.

Al-Shaikh indicated that he contacted school principals to keep students inside the classrooms, due to the random shooting of live bullets by Israeli forces.

He stated that the entrances to the village have been completely closed with an iron gate and dirt blocks since October 7, adding that the occupation is also deliberately cutting off the main water line feeding the village.

K.T.

Israeli occupation forces demolish seven sheds, seize heavy machinery owned by Palestinians in Al-Khaleel (Hebron) area-town 

Al-Khaleel (Hebron), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Israeli occupation forces today demolished seven sheds as well as seized vehicles and trucks belonging to Palestinian residents during a military raid into the town of Idhna, west of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), in the southern occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Sources said that forces stormed the Wad Reesha area and demolished three sheds used by residents for scrap recycling.

 The Israeli occupation forces also seized two trucks loaded with scraps, in addition to bulldozers and vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of Shekels.

The Israeli occupation forces also raided the Khillet Ibrahim area of western Idhna village, demolished four other sheds, and confiscated several vehicles and a truck loaded with scrap owned by residents.

The Israeli occupation forces reportedly imposed a curfew on the village residents during the demolition.

Such Israeli measures are part of the occupation policy of collective punishment against the town. The town has been under a suffocating siege and closure of all the main roads and dirt routes leading to it, which are often used by residents to avoid Israeli checkpoints.

T.R.

Illegal Israeli settlers graze their cows on Palestinians' cultivated lands near Salfeet

SALFEET, Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

Illegal Israeli settlers, heavily protected occupation army, graze their cows on Palestinians' cultivated lands in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, located to the west of Salfeet.

The mayor of Qarawat Bani Hassan, Ibraheem Al-'Aasi, said that a group of Israeli settlers brought their cows on Palestinians' cultivated lands in Beer Abu Ammar area in the northwestern of the town, to graze them and destroy their crops.

Israeli occupying military forces fired live bullets towards Palestinians citizens who tried to approach the place, to expel the shepherds from their lands.

Israeli forces further seized a scooter belonging to local resident Rami Youssef following a raid of the said town,

Colonists’ attacks and violence against Palestinians have significantly escalated in the said town

 Y.S. 

Illegal Israeli settlers build settler-only road near Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

Al-Khaleel (Hebron),  Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Illegal Israeli settlers Tuesday began working on building a colonial road on Palestinian citizens’ lands in Masafir Yatta, south of Al-Khaleel (Hebron).

WAFA correspondent said that colonists began building a colonial road on citizens’ lands in Masafir Yatta, starting from the illegal Avigal settlement all the way to the Mitzpe Yair illegal settlement, with a length of five kilometers, seizing up to fifty dunams of land from the villages of Al-Rakiz and Sha’b Al-Butm, and other villages and areas in Shafa Yatta, south of Hebron.

The occupation forces also closed the entrances to the side roads on both sides of bypass road 60 east of Yatta, leading to Al-Musafir and the villages and areas of southern Hebron.

The occupation forces seized shacks owned by Al-Jabareen family in the village of Sha'b Al-Batm in Musafir Yatta, noting that these shacks were demolished by the settlers about two months ago.

K.T

Israeli forces demolish shack near Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

Al-Khaleel (Hebron), Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (WAFA) - 

Israeli occupation bulldozers Tuesday demolished a shack in the town of Idhna, west of Al-Khaleel (Hebron).

WAFA correspondent said that the occupation forces, accompanied by the bulldozers of the Israeli Civil Administration demolished a scrap yard in the Wadi Reesha area owned by the family of local resident Muslim Abu Juhaisha.

He pointed out that citizens fear that the demolition and bulldozing operations will affect their property and lands, especially since the occupation forces stormed the town with a large number of vehicles and soldiers.

K.T. 

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