In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, on 02 January until 08:00, 03 January 2024
[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]
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.
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.
Victims:
128 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 22,313. With another 261 wounded, that has risen to 57,296. Fully accurate statistics are not available due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Up to 7,000 people are estimated to be missing, with many presumably buried under the rubble.
Latest developments
The UN and other humanitarian partners have been unable to deliver urgently needed life-saving humanitarian assistance north of Wadi Gaza for three days due to access delays and denials, as well as active conflict. This includes medicines that would have provided vital support to more than 100,000 people for 30 days, as well as eight trucks of food for people who currently face catastrophic and life-threatening food insecurity. Humanitarian organizations are calling for urgent, safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to areas north of Wadi Gaza, which has been severed from the south for more than a month.
On 3 January, the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Khan Younis was bombed multiple times throughout the day. Casualty numbers are unconfirmed as of yet. Multiple displaced families that had been sheltering in the building and in the PRCS headquarters attempted to evacuate as a result of the bombing on 2 January, where five fatalities were reported, including a five-day-old baby. A training centre run by PRCS within the hospital complex was severely damaged. OCHA and the World Health Organization (WHO) visited the hospital, witnessing extensive damage and displacement of civilians. An estimated 14,000 people were sheltering at the hospital at the time of the attack.
On 3 January, WHO stated that over the past three days, 13 trucks carrying crucial medical supplies for surgeries and anaesthesia were delivered through the Rafah crossing. The medical aid is set to be delivered to Nasser Medical Complex, Al Aqsa, Al Awda, and European Gaza hospitals in southern Gaza, benefiting around 142,000 patients. WHO called for unimpeded access for these life-saving items to reach their final destinations.
On 3 January, 105 trucks with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip via Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)
The following are examples are among the deadliest reported incidents resulting in fatalities between 2 January and 3 January:
On 2 January, at about 12:50, nine people, most of them children, were killed and tens were injured when a house in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp was reportedly struck.
On 2 January, at about 12:40, five people were killed and others injured when a house in Al Hakar area, in Deir al-Balah was reportedly struck.
On 2 January, at about 12:50, a child was killed and several others were injured as a result of the firing of live ammunition in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp market.
On 3 January, at about 10:45, one child was killed when the entrance to a school in Jabalya city in northern Gaza was reportedly struck.
Displacement (Gaza Strip)
By the end of 2023, according to UNRWA, 1.9 million people, or nearly 85% of the total population of Gaza, were estimated to be internally displaced, including some who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Nearly 1.4 million IDPs are sheltering in 155 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates. Rafah governorate is now the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people, squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging.
On 2 January, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that there is no safe space in Gaza. “We cannot talk about safety anywhere. People are sleeping in the streets, out in the open. Some of them have not been able to even follow the evacuation orders.”
On 1 January, PRCS, in collaboration with the Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERC), established the first organised IDP camp in Khan Younis. Initially hosting 300 families, with PRCS medical, ambulance, and relief teams, its capacity is to be expanded to 1,000 tents, providing shelter for hundreds in southern Gaza.
On 1 January, the Israeli Prison Authority announced that a Palestinian prisoner had died in prison. This is the seventh Palestinian to die in custody since 7 October 2023.
Since 2 January, an Israeli military raid is ongoing in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm city. Initial reports suggest tens of Palestinians are injured, including a child, and access to the Tulkarm hospital has been restricted by Israeli forces. An exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians and the use of explosive devices by the latter were reported. Furthermore, dozens have been detained and a curfew has been imposed on the camp until further notice. Reportedly, Israeli forces have caused severe damage to several residential houses due to detonations or demolition by bulldozers, an UNRWA health clinic and multiple road sections inside and surrounding the camp. This is the eighth raid on the camp since 7 October, resulting in 24 Palestinians being killed.
Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)
On 3 January, UNRWA announced it will carry out a rapid response plan, together with UNICEF, WHO, and other partners to deliver over 960,000 doses of key vaccines into the Gaza Strip, protecting against diseases like measles, pneumonia and polio. Between 25 and 29 December, humanitarian partners delivered over 600,000 doses of vaccines to the Gaza Strip.
According to WHO, as of 3 January, 13 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional; nine in the south and four in the north. Those in the north have been offering maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialised surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies such as anaesthesia, antibiotics, pain–relief medicines and external fixators. Additionally, they have an urgent need for fuel, food and drinking water. The situation of hospitals and the level of functionality depend on fluctuating capacity and minimum level of supplies being able to reach the facilities. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206% in inpatient departments and 250% in intensive care units.
West Bank
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 15:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Dura al-Qar‘, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Ramallah – 21:05, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided and patrolled the village of Nabi Saleh.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 04:30–07:10, the Israeli Army raided Beit Liqiya, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – dawn, Israeli troops raided Beit Rima, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Jenin – 13:45, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of al-Mutala.
Raid: Jenin – 15:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Jalboun.
Raid: Jenin – 16:05, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of al-Fandaqumiya.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Nablus – 14:05, Israeli soldiers, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades raided and patrolled Beita.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – 04:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided the city, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, Israeli forces raided Tafuh, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, the Israeli Army raided al-Shiyoukh, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, Israeli troops raided Dura, taking prisoner two people.
Home invasions – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades – 5 taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 03:50–05:45, Israeli Occupation forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided thecity, invaded a number of homes and took prisoner five people.
Home invasions: Nablus – 01:25–03:00, Israeli forces raided the city and searched several homes.
Home invasions – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired – 5 taken prisoner: Jericho – 04:40, the Israeli Army, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the Ein Sultan refugee camp and invaded homes.
Home invasions – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired – 5 taken prisoner: Hebron – 20:00, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the al-Arroub refugeecamp and invaded homes.
Israeli Army agricultural sabotage to facilitate settlement development: Jerusalem – 08:00, Israeli Occupation forces bulldozed Beit Safafa village and uprooted olive trees close to family homes, in preparation for building a settlement road.
Israeli police and settlers’ mosque violation: Jerusalem – 08:00, settler militants, escorted by Israeli police, invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and molested worshippers.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas canisters: Jerusalem – evening, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people in al-Ram.
Occupation settler violence – agricultural sabotage: Hebron – armed Israeli settlers, in the Khirbet al-Thala area, assaulted three farming families at work on their land that is threatened with seizure by the Israeli Occupation.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 15:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Dura al-Qar‘, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Ramallah – 21:05, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided and patrolled the village of Nabi Saleh.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 04:30–07:10, the Israeli Army raided Beit Liqiya, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – dawn, Israeli troops raided Beit Rima, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Jenin – 13:45, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of al-Mutala.
Raid: Jenin – 15:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Jalboun.
Raid: Jenin – 16:05, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of al-Fandaqumiya.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Nablus – 14:05, Israeli soldiers, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades raided and patrolled Beita.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – 04:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided the city, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, Israeli forces raided Tafuh, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, the Israeli Army raided al-Shiyoukh, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, Israeli troops raided Dura, taking prisoner two people.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 3 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 376 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (36 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (293 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (47 incidents). The number of such incidents represents almost one third of all settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank recorded from 1 January 2023 to date. In a report on the situation of human rights in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the UN Human Rights Office called on the Government of Israel to “ensure that all incidents of violence by settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinians, including violence against women, and damage to their property, are promptly, effectively, thoroughly and transparently investigated; that perpetrators are prosecuted and, if convicted, punished with appropriate sanctions, and that victims are provided with effective remedies, including adequate compensation, in accordance with international standards.”
In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving settlers (with or without Israeli forces) resulted in Palestinian casualties and/or property damage in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.
The weekly average of such incidents since 7 October stands at 30, compared with 21 incidents per week between 1 January and 6 October 2023. The number of incidents since 7 October has declined from 127 incidents in the first week (7-13 October) to 18 incidents between 23 and 28 December. One-third of the incidents since 7 October included firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reportedly to be supporting the attackers.
Displacement in West Bank (OCHA)
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 3 January, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. They represent 78% of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since the beginning of 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
On 1 January 2024, two Palestinian families comprising eight people, including three children, were displaced after their homes were demolished in Al Maniya (Bethlehem). These demolitions were carried out due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.
This brings to 430 the number of Palestinians displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli issued permits in Area C and East Jerusalem. Among them are 220 children since 7 October. This represents 36 per cent of all displacement reported due to the lack of building permit since 1 January 2023 (1,153 people).
A total of 19 homes have been demolished on punitive grounds since 7 October, resulting in the displacement of 95 Palestinians, including 42 children. Between January and September 2023, 16 homes were punitively demolished, resulting in the displacement of 78 Palestinians. Punitive demolitions are a form of collective punishment and as such are illegal under international law.
Another 537 Palestinians, including 238 children, have been displaced since 7 October following the destruction of 82 residential structures during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank; 55 per cent of the displacement was reported in Jenin Refugee Camp, and 39 per cent in Nur Shams and Tulkarem Refugee Camps (both in Tulkarm). This represents 59 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).
