In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 15 December until 08:00, 16 December 2023
[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Restrictions of movement: Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza are under relentless and extreme control over all travel and movement.
Gaza Strip
Armed Palestinian Resistance: Palestinian Resistance continued launching dozens of missiles towards the Green Line.
Air strikes: Heavy aerial bombardment on buildings, homes and many facilities.
Victims: Since the start in October of the Israeli war on Gaza the number of people killed has risen to 18,800 (8,000 children and 6,200 women). The number of wounded currently amounts to more than 51,000.
Attacks: All over Gaza, there are air strikes, heavy gunfire, tank and artillery shelling, as well as missiles fired from Israeli forces and military occupation, especially in Khan Yunis. The Israeli Navycontinues to fire missiles, targeting facilities and buildings along the shoreline of the whole of Gaza.
OCHA Flash Update #70 Correction (Corrigendum): to clarify that the telecommunications blackout, which started on 14 December at about 17:45, was still in place when the Flash Update was being finalised at about midnight the following day.
The shutdown of telecommunications and internet services in Gaza, which started on 14 December, continues as of midnight on 16 December. This marks the fifth blackout since 7 October. As a result, this Flash Update provides limited updated information about the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past 24 hours.
On 16 December, heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza continued, with the most intense airstrikes reported in Khan Younis, in the south, and Ash Shuja’iyeh, At Tuffah and Ad Darraj areas of Gaza city. Intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued on 16 December, especially in Khan Younis and Rafah, in southern Gaza. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel continued.
Since 14 December afternoon, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza has not updated its casualty figures, which stood at 18,787 fatalities. About 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. As of then, about 50,589 Palestinians have been injured, according to MoH. Many people are missing, presumably buried under the rubble, waiting for rescue or recovery. According to the Israeli military, since the start of the ground operations, 119 soldiers have been killed in Gaza, and 681 have been injured.
On 16 December, Israeli forces withdrew from Kamal Adwan Hospital after four days of besieging the facility. According to initial reports by media and video footage, an Israeli military bulldozer flattened the tents of a number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside the hospital, killing and wounding an unconfirmed number of people. The MoH in Ramallah has called for an investigation into the incident. According to the Israeli army, it has detained 90 people, and found weapons and munitions inside the hospital.
On the morning of 16 December, Israeli forces reportedly struck the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building in Al Remal area of Gaza city, reportedly killing six Palestinians and injuring many others. Some 250 IDPs were reportedly sheltering in the premises at the time. Also on 16 December, in the Middle Area, Palestinians were reportedly killed in an Israeli attack hit the vicinity of UNRWA’s Al Mazra’a School.
Since 7 October and as of 15 December, UNRWA reported that at least 288 IDPs seeking refuge in its shelters had been killed and at least 998 injured. A total of 342 school buildings have sustained damage (about 70 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza). Seventy of the schools damaged are UNRWA schools, with at least 56 serving as shelters for IDPs. Several schools, including UNRWA schools, have been directly hit by Israeli airstrikes or tank shells.
On 16 December, a convoy operated by the World Health Organization (WHO), departing from Rafah, managed to deliver medical supplies for about 500 people in Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city. This is the third humanitarian convoy that has managed to access north Gaza since the end of the humanitarian pause on 1 December. According to the Director-General of WHO, “Gaza’s largest hospital is at the moment able to provide limited trauma stabilization and some dialysis support. Surgery is not yet possible; the hospital has no blood for transfusion, and hardly any staff to care for the constant flow of patients. The hospital needs sustained supplies of medicines, equipment, water, food, fuel, and additional human resources.”
Gaza Strip hostilities and casualties
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 15 and 16 December:
On 16 December, during the morning, 14 people were reportedly killed when two houses were struck in Jabalia, North Gaza. Many other people are said to have remained trapped under the rubble.
On 15 December, at about 19:50, four people were reportedly killed and 10 others injured as a residential building was struck in Al Bureij, Middle Area.
Displacement
Areas encompassing nearly 30 per cent of the Gaza Strip (excluding the orders to evacuate the areas north of Wadi Gaza) have been marked for evacuation on the Israeli military’s online map that was launched on 1 December. Access to this information is impaired by recurrent interruptions in telecommunications and the lack of electricity.
Since 3 December, tens of thousands of IDPs, who have arrived in Rafah governorate continue to face extremely overcrowded conditions both inside and outside shelters. With an estimated fourfold increase in population density, exceeding 12,000 people per square kilometre, Rafah governorate is now the most densely populated area within the Gaza Strip.
Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging. According to UNRWA, almost 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced, including people who have been displaced multiple times.
Nearly 1.3 million of these IDPs are registered in 155 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, including more than 1.2 million in 98 UNRWA shelters in the Middle Area, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates. The average number of IDPs in UNRWA shelters located in the middle and southern areas is about 12,400, more than four times their capacity.
Health care, including attacks
On 16 December, the director of Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza was quoted in media, stating that medical aid had not reached the facility for the past 67 days, and that oxygen supplies and support for patients had run out. Israeli forces, including tanks, have reportedly surrounded the hospital, blocking the entrance. Additionally, two floors of the hospital have reportedly been hit in attacks, with the surgical wards destroyed, according to the hospital director.
Currently, only eight out of 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip are functional and able to admit new patients, although services are limited. Only one of these hospitals is in the north, according to WHO. The two major hospitals in southern Gaza are operating at three times their bed capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are now reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units. Additionally, these hospitals are providing shelter to thousands of IDPs.
On 14 December, an airstrike hit the vicinity of Al Ahli Hospital in the east of Gaza City, causing large damage in the hospital facilities with no reported casualties.
West Bank
Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Jerusalem – 22:45, Israeli Occupation forces, storming into al-Eizariya, wounded a man: Moataz Farid Jibril Al-Shwaiki.
Israeli Army attack – 1 child wounded: Tulkarem – 18:15, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition while raiding and patrolling the Shweika suburb, wounded a 15-year-old boy: Mahmoud Bashar Odeh.
Israeli Army attack – 1 killed: Nablus – 19:05, the Israeli Army shot and killed one person, Hamza Ibrahim Muhammad Bashkar, near the Huwara checkpoint.
Israeli Army home invasions – 2 wounded: Nablus – 20:40, Israeli troops stormed into the Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camp and invaded homes, wounding two residents.
Israeli Army attack on refugee camp – destruction and vandalism: Nablus – 00:45, the Israeli military, firing live ammunition, stormed into the Balata refugee camp, bulldozing roads and destroying infrastructure as well as motor vehicles.
Israeli Army attack – 1 child wounded: Bethlehem – 14:00, Israeli soldiers, firing live ammunition near the entrance to Tuqu, wounded a 15-year-old boy: Omar Ahmed Dakhlallah Al-Amor.
Israeli Army attack – 1 youngster wounded: Bethlehem – 20:55, Israeli soldiers opened fire on homes in al-Khadr, wounding a 17-year-old youth: Ibrahim Jaafar Yaqoub Da`du.
Israeli Army attack: Hebron – 14:05, Israeli Occupation forces fired live ammunition towards people, near the northern entrance to Hebron.
Home invasions: Jerusalem – 14:30, Israeli Occupation forces raided Abu Dis and searched two homes.
Home invasions: Jerusalem – 14:30, Israeli forces raided the village of Qatana and searched two homes.
Home invasions: Ramallah – evening, the Israeli Army raided the village of Beitin and invaded a number of homes.
Home invasions in refugee camp – 2 residents wounded: Nablus – 20:40, Israeli troops raided the Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camp and invaded homes, wounding two residents.
Home invasions in refugee camp – 1 woman and 1 man beaten up: Nablus – 00:45–03:30, the Israeli military raided the Balata refugee camp and severely beat up a woman, Aisha Muhammad Masimi, as well as a man, Nidal Ahmed Usayd Saeedi, while invading homes.
Home invasions – armed robbery and 1 resident taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 02:15-05:15, Israeli soldiers, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided al-Khadr and searched a number of homes, taking prisoner one resident and seizing his motor vehicle.
Israeli Army mosque violation and population–control: Jerusalem – 08:00, Israeli Occupation forces imposed severe restrictions on the entry of worshippers for prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing many to pray outside the walls of the Old City.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades in refugee camp: Jerusalem – evening, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the Shuafat refugee camp.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Jerusalem – 02:30, the Israeli Army, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the village of al-Issawiya.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Jerusalem – 04:30, Israeli troops, in the Ras Kabsa area of al-Eizariya, fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people in the streets.
Israeli Army beating and hospitalisation: Jerusalem – in the Wadi Al-Joz neighbourhood, Israeli soldiers beat up, and hospitalised with head injury, a man: Mustafa Al-Kharouf.
Israeli Army population–control: Hebron – 12:30, the Israeli military took prisoner one person, Rami Zidan Al-Kassar, when he reported, as ordered, for interrogation at Israeli Military Intelligence.
Israeli Army abducts children: Hebron – 16:10, Israeli Occupation forces abducted two children, Moatasem Nabil Salem Abu Raiya (aged 15) and his brother, Muhammad (aged 14).
Occupation settler violence – pastoral sabotage: Tubas – 10:10, armed Israeli settlers assaulted shepherds, in the North Jordan Valley, and forced them to stop grazing their livestock.
Occupation settler raid: Nablus – 13:35, Israeli Occupation settlers raided the village of Qaryut.
Occupation settler violence – 4 injured – vandalism: Salfit – 16:35, armed Israeli settlers, assaulted and injured four people, Tamer Saqr Mahmoud Al-Badawi, Iyad Rashid Fayez Al-Qaq, Ibrahim Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Yaqoub and Muayyad Raed Fayez Fayez Al-Qaq, near the entrance to Bruqin, and smashed the windows of a vehicle.
Raids: Ramallah – 12:20, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the villages of Kharbatha Bani Harith and Bil’in.
Raids: Ramallah – 12:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Beit Liqiya, as well as the village of Beit Sira.
Raid: Jenin – 13:35, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Nazlet Zaid.
Raid: Jenin – 14:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Jalboun.
Raid: Jenin – 18:40, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Faqua.
Raids: Tulkarem – 08:00-10:10, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the villages of Shufa and Pharaoh.
Raid: Tulkarem – 10:10-14:05, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Baqa al-Sharqiya.
Raid: Tulkarem – 13:30, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the Shweika suburb.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Tulkarem – 02:50–03:50, the Israeli Army raided the city, taking prisoner two people.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Qalqiliya – 10:40, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Kafr Qaddum.
Raid: Qalqiliya – the Israeli military raided and patrolled Kafr Qaddum.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 14:50, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Ras Tira.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner:Qalqiliya – 15:20, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Jinsafut, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 16:35, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Azzun Atma.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 04:10, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the city.
Raids: Nablus – 09:05-16:35, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the villages of Madama and Asira al-Qibliya.
Raids: Nablus – 12:10, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the eastern neighbourhoods of the city as well as the village of Kafr Qallil.
Raid: Nablus – 15:00, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Awarta.
Raid: Salfit – 10:35, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Deir Istiya.
Raid: Salfit – 14:25, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Marda.
Raid: Salfit – 01:50, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Bidya.
Raids – in city and refugee camp: Jericho – 05:30–06:40, Israeli troops raided Jericho as well as the Ein al-Sultan refugee camp.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner in refugee camp: Jericho – 05:30–06:40, the Israeli military raided the Aqbat Jabir refugee camp, taking prisoner three people.
Raid: Bethlehem – 14:15, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled al-Khadr.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 00:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided Zatara, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Hebron – 21:50, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided and patrolled al-Dhahiriya.
Raid: Hebron – evening, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Hebron.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Hebron – evening, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided and patrolled al-Samou.
YAWN!