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 168 of the US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 9 Massacres, 82 Palestinians Killed, 110 Injured, with a Death Toll of  32,070 and 74,298 Injuries

March 22, 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 March 22, 2024, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 38,070+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (32,070) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on February 7, 2024: 7,000+). 

By March 22, 2024, the documented injuries exceeded 74,298, and more than 2,520 civilians have been abducted from Gaza Strip.

By March 8, there were 8,900 Palestinian women who were killed, 23,000 who were injured, but there are 2,100 women who are unaccounted for (whither they are dead, injured, or abducted).

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 . 

By March 22, 2024, 452 Palestinians who were killed, 3,691 who were injured, and 7,677, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023 (Some of the detainees 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 3,484.

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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Three crying Palestinian girls who survived an Israeli genocidal air strike on their house, in Gaza Strip, file, March 21, 2024	Palestinian child extending his hand to get a soup meal, as famine has reached a severe level due to the continuous Israeli siege on Gaza Strip, file, March 22, 2024
An injured Palestinian little child receiving treatment, after her family was targeted by an Israeli genocidal bombardment on Dair El-Bala'h, on March 22, 2024	A view of an Israeli genocidal air strike on Gaza Strip, file, March 22, 2024 w
A Palestinian mother grieving over the death of her 9-day-old son, Bassam Al-Muqawusi, who was killed by Israeli genocidal bombardment on Dair El-Bala'h, on March 22, 2024	Site of a residential neighborhood, which was destroyed by an Israeli genocidal air strike on Dair El-Bala'h, March 22, 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 (October 7, 2023-Fruary 26, 2024), 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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On the anniversary of the assassination of its founder, 'Hamas vows to continue along his path

Friday 22-March-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

On the twentieth anniversary of the assassination of its founder, Al-Shaikh A'hmed Yaseen, the 'Hamas Movement said it will continue on his path in defense of the Palestinian people, land, and sanctities until the end of the occupation.

In a statement on Friday, Hamas called for persisting in showing steadfastness and defending the Palestinian land, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa Mosque, until the rights of the Palestinian people are regained, the Palestinian land and sanctities are liberated, and the occupation is eliminated.

The Movement indicated that the anniversary of the martyrdom of Al-Shaikh A'hmed Yaseen, at dawn on March 22, 2004, comes this year in light of the continuation of Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, which came as a result of his efforts to prepare and develop resistance. 

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Russia and China veto US resolution on Gaza at UN Security Council because it did not directly call for a ceasefire

NEW YORK, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –  

Russia and China exercised their veto power today on a US draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council regarding Gaza. The draft resolution did not directly call for a ceasefire but expressed its support for ongoing international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

Eleven members voted in favor of the US resolution, while Russia, China, and Algeria opposed it, and Guyana abstained from voting.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya stated before the vote that the United States had repeatedly promised to reach an agreement to stop the hostilities in Gaza. He noted that the United States has finally realized the need for a ceasefire, after more than 32,000 people in Gaza have already been killed.

He pointed out that the United States is trying to "sell a product" to the Council by using the word "necessary" in its resolution, indicating that "this is not enough," and the Council must "demand a ceasefire."

Nebenzya added that the text did not include any call for a ceasefire, accusing the US administration of "deliberately misleading the international community."

He further stated that the draft resolution is merely manipulating American voters by falsely calling for a ceasefire.

Nebenzya pointed out that an alternative resolution, which is "a balanced and non-political document," is being circulated by some other members of the Council.

This is the ninth time the Security Council has convened to vote on a resolution regarding the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7th. The Council has adopted two resolutions on the situation, Resolution 2712 and Resolution 2720. Washington has used its veto power against three draft resolutions, two of which called for an immediate ceasefire.

M.N.

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Six-party Arab meeting in Egypt calls for comprehensive, immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Friday 22-March-2024, CAIRO, (PIC)

The six-party Arab meeting in Egypt called in a joint statement on Thursday for a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Cairo hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt Sami'h Shukry, Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Far'han, Qatar Mu'hammed Bin Abdul Ra'hman Al-Thani, Jordan Ayman Al-Safadi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimi, and PLO Executive Committee Secretary Husain Al-Shaikh.

The statement said that the six-party Arab meeting witnessed “discussion and exchange of views on the developments of the Palestinian cause and the catastrophic repercussions of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the efforts exerted to stop it and the unprecedented suffering and humanitarian catastrophe it produces.”

The participants stressed, according to the statement, “the priority of achieving a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire, increasing the access to humanitarian aid, and opening all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip.”

They stressed, “The priority of overcoming the obstacles imposed by Israel through full implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 2720 (concerning the enforcement of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip), in a way that meets the needs of more than two million Palestinians facing famine in the Gaza Strip.”

The Arab ministers called for “providing full support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)”, reiterating their rejection of “any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land, or liquidate the Palestinian cause.”

The participants stressed, “The importance of implementing the two-state solution and establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with international resolutions, including the Arab Peace Initiative,” according to the joint statement.

The Israeli occupation war on the Gaza Strip has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, mostly children and women, massive destruction, and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

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Australia and Britain call for "immediate cessation of hostilities" in Gaza

CANBERRA, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –

The foreign and defense ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom have called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" in the Gaza Strip at the conclusion of a meeting in Adelaide, South Australia.

In a joint statement, the ministers emphasized the "necessity" of putting an immediate end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip "to allow for the transfer of [humanitarian] aid".

The United Kingdom is a member of the United Nations Security Council, which will vote today on a US draft resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip as part of an agreement on prisoners.

The text emphasizes the "urgent and permanent need for a ceasefire to protect civilians on both sides and allow for the delivery of essential humanitarian aid."

The United States has used its veto power against several Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the past. However, faced with staggering human losses and the risk of famine, Washington has now redoubled its efforts to reach a ceasefire and thus avoid a large-scale ground assault on Rafa'h.

The United States has been pressuring Israel for weeks to refrain from launching a broad ground assault on Rafa'h, which would have catastrophic consequences in the densely populated city, where the population has risen to one and a half million people, most of whom are displaced.

M.N.

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UN rapporteur: There is no moral argument that justifies arms sales to Israel

LONDON, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) -

Selling weapons to Israel that murder more Palestinian civilians is a "war on human rights" and nothing justifies continuing arms sales, according to the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders.

In an op-ed published yesterday by the British daily The Guardian, Mary Lawlor condemned the continued arms sales to Israel in the face of the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 32,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7th last year.

"There exist no moral arguments that can justify the continued sale of weapons to Israel by states that respect the principle of the universality of human rights," said Lawlor.

Saying that Israel has demonstrated over time that it will use such weapons "indiscriminately against Palestinians," Lawlor noted that any claims by Israel of self-defense have long since been "invalidated" by the disproportionality of the response.

She pointed out that the concept of proportionality in conflict is included in Article 51 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, stressing that now there are "ideological arguments" for continued weapons sales, “which I can only conclude place the value of Israeli lives over and above the value of Palestinian ones.”

“This is unconscionable,” Lawlor added, recalling that some Western countries including the US, the UK, Germany, France and Canada all highlighted their support for human rights defenders while continuing to arm Israel.

Lawlor said the human rights defenders, journalists and health care workers that have been killed in the besieged Gaza Strip over the past few months, recalling that this is a "war on women and children,” who account for a reported 72% of the nearly 32,000 Palestinians deaths in Gaza.

On journalist casualties, Lawlor said that more than 122 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israel.

“Recently, in remarks celebrating the work of Ukrainian journalists, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs said: ‘[I]t is our commitment to continue to lift up, empower, advocate for, and resource the voices that are showing what is happening on the ground.’”

“Not, it would seem, if those voices are Palestinian,” she said.   Lawlor emphasized that the international human rights architecture is "creaking under the weight of the hypocrisy" of countries who expressed support for a rules-based order but at the same time continue to send weapons to Israel that kill more Palestinian civilians, noting "above all, this is a war on human rights."

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities since the outbreak of the Israeli war of genocide on Gaza on October 7.

M.N.

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Halt the war now to save children from dying of imminent famine, UN Committee warns

GENEVA, Thursday, March 21, 2024 (WAFA) –

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child warned today that without an immediate ceasefire, thousands of children in the Gaza Strip, particularly in northern Gaza, are facing an imminent famine. The Committee reiterated its plea for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further suffering.

According to the Committee's statement, children in Gaza are on the brink of starvation, with access to food severely restricted amid the stifling Israeli blockade and the blocking of essential supplies. At least 27 children have already died from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza, though the true toll is feared to be much higher.

Disturbingly, “one in three children under two years old in the Northern Gaza Strip suffer from acute malnutrition, a significant increase from earlier this year,” warned the Committee. Experts project that famine could strike anytime between now and May 2024, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The Committee condemned deliberate actions by Israel, the occupying power, which has blocked or severely restricted humanitarian aid, exacerbating the suffering of Palestinian children. Referring to an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Committee emphasized the obligation to prevent acts of genocide, including the provision of humanitarian assistance.

Since the ICJ's order in January, the situation has worsened, with over 108 Palestinians killed and 178 injured every day in Gaza. Children are among the casualties, and the impending invasion of Rafa'h poses a grave threat to the lives of 600,000 children.

The Committee called on all parties, including the General Assembly and the Security Council, to implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It urged states to increase funding for UNRWA and to open multiple land border crossings to ensure the delivery of aid to all children in Gaza, especially in the northern regions.

M.N. 

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'Hamas official denies Israeli claims on the arrest of resistance leaders in Al-Shifa hospital

Friday 22-March-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

A security official of 'Hamas Movement confirmed on Friday that there is no truth to what was published by Hebrew media on the arrest of dozens of resistance leaders in Al-Shifa Hospital.

The security official told Al-Jazeera TV channel that the list of photos of detainees at Al-Shifa Hospital published by the spokesman of the Israeli occupation army is inaccurate.

He pointed out that a number of the pictures on the list belong to people currently outside Gaza and other pictures are of martyrs.

He also noted that 3 of the photos on the list belong to doctors who were previously arrested by Israeli occupation forces.

The Hamas security official further emphasized that “what is published in the Hebrew media is inaccurate and falls within the psychological war against the resistance in Gaza.” 

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'Hamas says ‘silence’ on al-Shifa Hospital raid shows international failure

Thursday 21-March-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

'Hamas condemned on Thursday evening the “shameful silence” on Israel’s ongoing raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital complex and surrounding areas.

The group said it’s “a disgrace and a moral failure on the part of the international community and the United Nations” because they’ve been unable to stop Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.

It also denounced Washington’s financial and military support for Tel Aviv.

Hamas said Arab countries and the international community must “take urgent action to stop this genocide and the systematic destruction of health facilities in the Gaza Strip.”

Last week, scores of Palestinians were massacred and injured in intense Israeli army shelling near Al-Shifa Hospital as they were breaking their fast in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The artillery bombardment resulted in widespread fires, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, and forcing hundreds to flee to the east of Gaza City.

The Israeli occupation army admitted that its forces had killed about 140 Palestinians and detained hundreds since it carried out its recent raid on Al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli occupation army also forced many families to leave the facility and walk southward. 

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

On March 21, 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 9 massacres, in which  82 Palestinian civilians were killed, and 110 were injured, in the past 24 hours. This increased the death toll in Gaza Strip to 32,070 and the injuries to 74,298, since October 7, 2023.   

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82 Palestinians killed in nine massacres by Israel in Gaza in last 24 hours

GAZA, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces committed nine massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, resulting in the documented killing of at least 82 Palestinians and the injury of 110 others, according to medical sources.

Local health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 7 has risen to 32,070 reported fatalities, with an additional 74,298 individuals sustaining injuries. The majority of the victims are women and children.

Meanwhile, ambulance and rescue teams are still unable to reach many casualties and dead bodies trapped under the rubble or scattered on roads across the war-torn enclave, as Israeli occupation forces continue to obstruct the movement of and medical and civil defense teams.

M.N. 

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Palestinian Health Ministry: 32,070 Palestinians killed, 74,298 injured in Israeli aggression

Friday 22-March-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Friday that the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) committed nine massacres against citizens in the Gaza Strip, claiming the lives of 82 civilians and wounding 110 others during the past 24 hours.

The Ministry said in its daily report, “A number of victims are still under rubble and on the roads, as Israeli occupation forces have been preventing the ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.”

This brings the death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year to 32,070 martyrs and 74,298 wounded.

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US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters day 168

Friday 22-March-2024,

GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered day 168 on Friday, massive aerial and artillery strikes continued to pound neighborhoods, homes, shelter centers, and aid convoys, 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 dozens of citizens.

The Israeli warplanes launched at dawn today a new air raid on the Nusayrat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

At least eight martyrs were reported in an Israeli airstrike on the Abu Thabit family house in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, north of Rafa'h.

The Israeli forces continue their attack on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza for the fifth day in a row, amid gunfire and explosions.

Families of the sick and wounded people who were trapped in the Al-Shifa Complex launched appeals for help after being denied medical treatment.

Over the past few days, the Israeli forces have executed more than 150 Palestinians and arrested hundreds of others in the medical facility.

The Israeli warplanes also targeted the Abu 'Aisha family house in Dair El-Bala'h in the central Gaza Strip

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8 Palestinians, including 3 children, killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah

GAZA, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) -

Several Palestinian civilians, including three children, were killed and injured in an Israeli airstrike early Friday morning northeast of Rafa'h city, south of the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.

The sources reported that the occupation forces targeted a residential building in the neighborhood of Nasr, northeast of Rafa'h, resulting in the killing of eight citizens and the injury of others.

The same sources added that among the victims were three children and three women, with some of the injured being in critical condition.

In a related context, Israeli fighter jets bombed a house on Al-Turazi Street in Dair Al-Bala'h.

Simultaneously, Israeli occupation forces continue their invasion of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, deploying dozens of tanks and vehicles in its vicinity. Furthermore, the occupation warplanes conducted intense airstrikes on residential buildings in the area.

By March 21, 2024, the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to approximately 31,988 martyrs and 74,188 injured since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on October 7th of last year, the majority of whom are women and children, in addition to thousands of victims still trapped under the rubble.

The ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, now in its 168th day, has forced more than 85% of Gaza's citizens into internal displacement amidst a suffocating blockade on most food, clean water, and medicines. 

Meanwhile, over 60% of the Gaza Strip's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.

M.N. 

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The Israeli occupation army shells and burns facilities at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza

GAZA, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –  

The Israeli occupation army shelled several buildings and set on fire today the vascular surgery department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, according to medical sources.

In addition to the bombing and burning of the healthcare facilities, local health authorities in Gaza reported that the Israeli occupation forces are detaining about 240 patients along with their caregivers, in addition to 10 healthcare workers at the Prince Nayif Center within the complex.

The Israeli occupation army has arrested dozens of healthcare workers from inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive in the complex five days ago.

M.N. 

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GMO: Israeli occupation army responsible for deaths of 13 patients at Al-Shifa

Thursday 21-March-2024,

GAZA, (PIC)

The Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip revealed that 13 patients died at the al-Shifa medical complex after the Israeli army deprived them of medicine, oxygen, and food.

Of the 13, four people on ventilators in intensive care died after Israeli troops cut off the electricity supply to the hospital, the GMO said in a statement issued Thursday.

In addition to arresting doctors and nurses and removing them, medical staff were forced to take off their clothes and prevented from entering patients’ rooms to try to save them.

“We hold the US administration, the international community, and the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these ongoing crimes against the sick, the wounded, medical teams, and our Palestinian people for the sixth month in a row,” the statement reads.

Last week, scores of Palestinians were massacred and injured in intense Israeli army shelling near Al-Shifa Hospital as they were breaking their fast in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The artillery bombardment resulted in widespread fires, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, and forcing hundreds to flee to the east of Gaza City. 

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

 

IOFs launch new raids, kidnappings across West Bank

Friday 22-March-2024,

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) launched at dawn Friday a large-scale raid and arrest campaign across the West Bank.

In Aree'ha (Jericho), the Israeli forces kidnapped two brothers after breaking into 'Aqabat Jabr camp, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes. A Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured during the clashes.

A Palestinian man was also detained in Al-Khaleel (Hebron) while another was briefly kidnapped before being released.

Also in Al-Khaleel, the IOFs closed Military Checkpoint 160, the only outlet for thousands of citizens from the Jabir and Al-Salayma neighborhoods, preventing hundreds of them from reaching their homes amid heavy use of teargas and sound bombs.

The IOFs briefly detained a number of citizens, including children and women, at a military checkpoint in 'Harit Jabir, east of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and prevented them from reaching their homes.

Meanwhile, the IOFs troops stormed Qaqilya and Nablus early today, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes.

At least one Palestinian was detained in Nablus.

The IOFs also detained a Palestinian young man after storming Jineen late Thursday.

Settler attacks

Meanwhile, a group of illegal Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles which were parked in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al-Jabari neighborhood east of Al-Khaleel.

The attack was carried out under the protection of IOFs.

A group of illegal Israeli armed settlers also assaulted a number of Palestinian shepherds in the Amnezel and Al-Mufaqara areas, east of Yatta, and prevented their access to their lands.

A similar attack was reported in Nablus after a group of illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian house in the eastern Lubban town. 

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

Illegal Israeli settlers attack Burqa village, east of Ramallah

RAMALLAH, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –

 A group of the illegal Israeli settlers, protected by Israeli occupation forces, attacked today the Palestinian village of Burqa, located east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

The sources reported that group of the illegal Israeli settlers assaulted villagers in Burqa during Friday prayers. Simultaneously, Israeli forces stormed the village, firing live ammunition and tear gas canisters at the homes of residents. No injuries were reported.

The sources added that Israeli forces sealed off the entrances to the village, preventing the movement of vehicles in and out.

In a separate incident, another group of the illegal Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles on the Ramallah-Nablus Road near the village of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, pelting them with stones.

WAFA correspondent said dozens of the illegal Israeli settlers who gathered at the road pelted Palestinian vehicles with stones, causing damage to several vehicles but no injuries.

M.N.

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The Israeli occupation apartheid government orders seizure of 8,000 dunums of land in Jordan Valley

RAMALLAH, Friday, March 22, 2024 (WAFA) –

The Palestinian Anti-Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission declared today that the Israeli occupation apartheid government has ordered the seizure of 8,000 dunums of land in the Jordan Valley, east of the occupied West Bank.

Muayyad Sh'aban, the head of the commission, stated that with the approval of the land confiscation order by hard-right Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, the occupation government continues its plan to seize control of Palestinian lands under various pretexts, including declaring state lands for the benefit of the illegal Israeli settlements.

Sh'aban explained that the year 2024 witnessed the largest land seizure operation by the Israeli occupation by declaring Palestinian lands as state lands, with a total of 10,640 dunums confiscated in two separate announcements so far this year. The first announcement was made a month ago, targeting the lands of Al-'Aizariya and Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem, seizing 2,640 dunams of land.

The second announcement, which was made today, targets the lands of the Jordan Valley, totaling 8,000 dunams, for the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlement of Yafit built on the lands of the Palestinian village of Fasayil in Jericho Governorate, in addition to another 500 dunams seized at the end of 2023 from the lands of the village of Jab'a in Jerusalem Governorate.

Sh'aban pointed out land seizure announcements aim to create a link between existing settlements, as was the case with the Ma'ale Adumim and Kidar illegal settlements, and the illegal Givat Benjamin and Adam settlements, leading to the isolation and suffocation of Palestinian villages, completely cutting off their geographic contiguity.

He said the latest plan comes in the context of imposing full control over the Jordan Valley, the strategic food reserve for Palestinians, which is targeted by many forced displacement and colonial expansion plans by the Israeli occupation.

M.N.

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