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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8 Syrian soldiers injured as an Israeli airstrike hits military position near Damascus airport

Friday 3-May-2024

DAMASCUS, (PIC)

At least eight Syrian soldiers were injured as an Israeli warplane targeted a military position near an airport in the Syrian capital late Thursday.

“Eight soldiers were injured on Thursday evening as a result of an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of the capital, Damascus,” the Syrian news agency SANA reported.

“At approximately 10:50 p.m. (19.50GMT) Thursday, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site in the vicinity of Damascus,” the agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying.

Israel has been intensifying its attacks on various sites in the Syrian territory since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7.

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Students unfurl massive flag of Palestine at George Washington University

WASHINGTON DC, Friday, May 3, 2024 (WAFA) –

Students at George Washington University in Washington D.C. have raised a massive flag of Palestine in the midst of the university campus, as students continue their ongoing action demanding divestment from Israel over the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.

Cheers and chants in support of the Palestinian people echoed as the flag was raised within the university, marking a new challenge to the university administration, which has been threatening to forcefully evacuate the campus and disburse the Gaza solidarity encampment.

Student action against the Israeli war on Gaza, which began at major American universities over two weeks ago, have now spread to over 120 universities and institutes across the United States. This is despite warnings issued by the administrations of these universities, in collaboration with local police, to arrest and prosecute students.

These protests and encampments extend from California in the west to the northeastern states, passing through the central and southern states such as Texas and Arizona, against the war on the Gaza Strip and demanding divestment from Israel and from companies profiteering off Palestinian suffering.

According to media reports, over 2000 students have been arrested by police and security forces during the nonviolent protests at universities across the United States.

Police have been deployed in several universities and carried out hundreds of arrests, intervening in educational institutions in Los Angeles, New York, and other states.

M.N.

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'Hamas hails Türkiye for severing commercial ties with Israel, joining ICJ’s genocide lawsuit

Friday 3-May-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The 'Hamas Movement appreciated the recent decisions taken by Türkiye including halting its commercial relations with Israel, and joining the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against the Israel before the International Court of Justice.

'Hamas said the Turkish moves constitute a form of victory for the Palestinian people who are being subjected to a horrific genocidal war.

In a press statement on Friday, the Hamas Movement said, “Such courageous decisions reflect the Turkish people’s authentic position in support of the struggle of our Palestinian people and their right to freedom and self-determination.”

The Movement called on all countries, especially the Arab and Muslim countries, “to sever all ties with the Nazi-Zionist entity, to isolate it internationally, and to strive to hold its terrorist leaders accountable for their systematic crimes against our children and defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 120,000 martyrs, wounded and missing persons; 70% of whom were children and women, in addition to the displacement of two million people and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure, affecting more than 60% of the buildings, amid a tight siege, a stifling humanitarian crisis, and an unprecedented famine. 

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'Hamas condemns doctor’s killing, calls for international intervention

Friday 3-May-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

'Hamas Movement said in a statement issued Thursday that the killing of two Palestinian detainees, including Dr. 'Adnan Al-Bursh in an Israeli occupation regime prison, is another episode of the “horrific war crimes” committed against Palestinians.

The Movement said many, including doctors, are regularly detained by Israeli occupation forces from schools and hospitals and taken to detention centers where they lack the most basic rights.

“Among them are doctors whose crime was performing their humanitarian duty towards their wounded and sick people,” Hamas said.

'Hamas also called on the international community to condemn the arbitrary arrest and subsequent deaths in detention of Palestinians, and force Israel to reveal the fate of thousands of prisoners and return them to their families.

Earlier, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said that two detainees from the Gaza Strip have died in Israeli prisons.

The society identified the two victims as 'Adnan Al-Bursh, 50, a doctor, and Isma'eel Khadir, 33.

Al-Bursh was the head of the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. He was arrested by the Israeli army last December as he was treating patients at Al-'Adwa Hospital in northern Gaza.

Hundreds of Palestinians are believed to have been detained by the Israeli army amid a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip. 

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ICC: Threats against the court may constitute a crime

THE HAGUE, Friday, May 3, 2024 (WAFA) –

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has affirmed that threats in response to the Court's decisions may constitute a crime.

In a statement posted on X, the Office called today for the immediate cessation of all attempts to obstruct, intimidate, or unduly influence its officials, adding that the Rome Statute, which establishes the structure and jurisdiction of the Court, prohibits such actions.

The statement from the Office of the ICC Prosecutor comes amid Israeli media reports expressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's worries about a potential arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Israel Hayom said there are speculations suggesting that the ICC would issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Netanyahu downplayed the effectiveness of any potential arrest warrants issued by the ICC against him or any members of his government, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz described the anticipated arrest warrants from the ICC in The Hague as "absolute hypocrisy," according to Israeli Channel 12.

M.N.

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UNRWA: Ongoing war in Gaza is a war on women

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), Friday, May 3, 2024 (WAFA) -

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said today that the Israeli war in Gaza continues to be a war on women, with over 10,000 women have been killed and 19,000 injured.

"The war in Gaza continues to be a war on women, with over 10,000 women have been killed and 19,000 injured," the UN agency said in a tweet.

The statement added that 37 children lose their mother every single day amid the ongoing war, now in its seventh month.

It added, "Conditions are appalling; 155,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women faced with severely limited access to water and sanitary items."

M.N.

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Republic of Trinidad and Tobago formally recognizes the State of Palestine

PORT OF SPAIN, Friday, May 3, 2024 (WAFA) -

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has taken the decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine.  

As recommended by the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the country's Cabinet has determined that the formal recognition of Palestine by the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will assist in the achievement of a lasting peace by strengthening the growing international consensus on the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Trinidad and Tobago has a long history of principled support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The Government’s consistent position is that a two-State solution is the only way out of the ongoing cycle of violence.  

"This is our consistent foreign policy position, which is founded on Trinidad and Tobago’s respect for and adherence to international law and to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations," said the Foreign Ministry of the country in a press statement.

It said this support has been consistently demonstrated through the endorsement by Trinidad and Tobago of key resolutions on Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).  Such resolutions include Resolution 67/19, which accorded Palestine Non-Member Observer StateAl-Quds (occupied Jerusalem).

Since the outbreak of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza in October 2023, Trinidad and Tobago also supported resolutions adopted at the Emergency Special Sessions of the UNGA held on October 27 and December 10, 2023, on the Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations.  

Trinidad and Tobago has been a longstanding advocate of the two-State solution as the credible path to peace and security for Palestinians, the Israelis and, by extension, the wider region.  

"Recognition of Palestine is moral and just and demonstrates Trinidad and Tobago’s acknowledgement of and support for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian People," said the statement.

Trinidad and Tobago will join 141 other countries that recognize Palestine, Algeria being the first to have done so in 1988.

M.N.

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Cash liquidity shortage adds to Gaza’s genocide war suffering

Monday 29-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

Ahmed Youssef, an employee at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, was unable to receive his salary for the third month in a row due to the lack of liquidity in the enclave. His situation is similar to thousands of employees who are desperately searching for liquidity.

Youssef told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that his salary is deposited into his account monthly, but he couldn’t withdraw it due to the liquidity crisis. This has caused difficult living conditions and an inability to meet his family’s basic needs.

The liquidity shortage in Gaza is one aspect of the Israeli aggression and genocide since October 7th. Attempts by some individuals to receive money from their relatives abroad face difficulties in transfers and exorbitant fees, with transfer commissions ranging from 20% to 30%.

The lack of liquidity also negatively affects the ability of traders to engage in economic activities, leading to paralysis in commercial and economic life.

Targeting the financial system

Various reports have documented the deliberate Israeli targeting of money delivery locations and their operators. The Israeli targeting of the banking system is not limited to Gaza but also extends to the West Bank, through targeting exchange shops and seizing their funds.

Although banks in Palestine are supervised by the Palestinian Monetary Authority under the Palestinian Authority, they remain under the almost absolute control of the Central Bank of Israel.

The Israeli shekel is a major currency in Palestine, along with the Jordanian dinar, the euro, and the dollar, and it is legally used as a means of payment for all purposes.

During the current Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the occupation army destroyed or disabled all Banks’ branches in the northern and central parts of the Strip, leaving only 5 operating branches in the city of Rafah in the southern part, out of a total of 56 branches in the entire Strip.

Out of the original 91 ATMs that were operating in the Strip before this war, only 7 ATMs remain operational.

Exacerbated suffering

In his interview with our correspondent, citizen Bilal Ibrahim points out the difficulty of obtaining money for himself and his family for more than two months due to the severe shortage of cash liquidity in the Palestinian markets.

Bilal adds that the economic conditions have become extremely dire for the majority of Palestinian families due to the scarcity of cash liquidity and the difficulty of obtaining it, as well as the high fees imposed by money changers.

He recalls that at the beginning of the war on Gaza, money changers were charging a percentage that did not exceed 1% to 2% under the worst conditions. However, the percentage gradually increased until the end of April, reaching 20%.

Bilal explains that the recipient of the financial remittance bears the percentage received by the money changer, which is deducted from the received amount, in addition to the exchange being made in Israeli shekels at a lower rate than the market exchange rate.

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