In Occupied Palestine

Zionism in practice

Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land

08:00, on 23 January until 08:00, 24 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: 210 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 25,700. With another 386 wounded, that has risen to 63,740. Fully accurate statistics are not available, due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

OCHA Flash Update #101

Between the afternoons of 23 and 24 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 210 Palestinians were killed, and 386 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 23 January 2024, at least 25,700 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 63,740 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.

Between the afternoons of 23 January and 24 January, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 24 January, 219 soldiers have been killed, and 1,250 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.

On 24 January, a carpentry workshop located inside the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC) was hit by two tank shells, causing a fire inside the workshop, according to UNRWA. The number of casualties is yet to be confirmed. It is estimated that some 800 IDPs had been sheltering inside the workshop, while tens of thousands of people are estimated to be sheltering in the rest of the Training Centre. Despite the lack of safe passage, IDPs are reportedly fleeing the KYTC towards the coastal road towards Deir al Balah or Rafah. The area of KYTC was also struck on 22 January. That day, six people were killed and 16 were injured, as reported by UNRWA, because of stray bullets and shrapnel falling in the adjacent area outside KYTC.

On 24 January, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported that thousands of civilians were forced to flee to Rafah, which is now hosting more than 50 per cent of Gaza’s population. Strikes have seriously endangered civilians, including those sheltering in health facilities. They stated that: “…the IDF continues to shell areas that it has unilaterally designated as ‘safe’ for evacuation, reinforcing that nowhere in Gaza is safe (for example, the Al Mawasi area in western Khan Younis)…and raises grave alarm of further escalation of the hostilities in Rafah which could have serious implications for over 1.3 million people who are reportedly sheltering in the governorate with the attendant risk that people who are essentially trapped in smaller and smaller areas may be forced out of Gaza.”

On 24 January, the MoH in Gaza continued to report on the besieging of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. No one can enter or exit the facility due to ongoing bombardments in the vicinity, including 400 dialysis patients in need of support. Health staff are reported to be digging graves on hospital grounds due to the large numbers of fatalities anticipated and the need to manage burials.

On 24 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that there are now 14 partially functional hospitals; seven in the north and seven in the south. In addition, two hospitals are providing minimal services only for those within the compounds. The two minimally functioning ones, Al Kheir (which the Israeli military is currently present) and Nasser (surrounded by the Israeli military and heavy fighting) are not able to receive patients or supplies.

On 24 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces continued to siege their ambulance headquarters and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, restricting all movement in the area. Furthermore, the entrance of the PRCS headquarters was reportedly struck, killing at least three Palestinians and injuring two others. PRCS stated that they have been forced to ask IDPs to donate blood as they are unable to access blood banks and treat the wounded. The medical teams are reportedly unable to transfer serious injuries from Nasser Hospital to nearby health facilities. On 23 January, the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital, in Khan Younis, was reportedly shelled, amid intense fighting around the hospital; one Palestinian was reportedly killed at the entrance of Al Amal Hospital.

On 23 January, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced that services in Gaza are gradually being restored. Initial reports indicate that the phonelines have not been restored to the middle and northern areas, and internet services have not been restored to the entire Gaza Strip since the start of the previous telecommunication blackout on 12 January. The communications shutdown continues to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis.

On 24 January, Israeli protesters attempted to block the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, holding up the trucks for several hours. As a result, only nine trucks were able to enter, and the rest (114) were forced to reroute to Egypt and the Rafah crossing. On the same day, 153 truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.

On 24 January, UN partners, on the occasion of World Education Day, urged all actors to ensure that barriers to education are addressed, especially through the provision of adequate shelter that facilitates recovery, to enable the right to learn. Further, they stated: “learning has been devastated in the Gaza Strip since the hostilities began in October 2023. Over 625,000 students and 22,564 teachers have been deprived of education and a safe place for over three months, and thousands of learners and education personnel are amongst the more than 25,000 people who have reportedly been killed”. All UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip have closed–most turned into shelters–, depriving the 300,000 children who attended them of their education. UNRWA reports that at least 340 internally displaced people have been killed while seeking safety in UNRWA shelters.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 23 and 24 January:

On 22 January, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed after an explosion was reported at Al Mawasi School, Al Mawasi area.

On 22 January, during the night, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 15 others were injured, after a residential building was struck in Jabalya city, North Gaza.

On 23 January, at about 16:50, four displaced Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others were injured, including children, after a residential building was struck in Al Hassanynah area, Deir al Balah.

On 23 January, at about 12:50, four Palestinians were reportedly killed, after a car was hit in Rafah, southern Gaza.

On 23 January, at about 14:00, four Palestinians, including one child, were killed as reportedly a group of people was struck in Al Mawasi area.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

On 23 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in a number of city blocks in Khan Younis. The affected area covers some four square kilometres. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 bed capacity), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. As of 24 January, only 14 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.

The 14 hospitals that are still partially functional include seven in the south and seven in the north. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water.

The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is a tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.

Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 158,000 cases of diarrhea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Humanitarian Access

On 22 January, WHO and partners completed a high-risk mission to resupply fuel to the Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. According to WHO, functionality has improved since their last visit ten days previously. There are 120 health and care workers, and 300 patients. The hospital conducts between five and ten surgeries daily, mainly trauma cases that require immediate care. Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remain operational, along with emergency care, a surgical unit, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit. There are plans to reopen a 9-bed Intensive Care Unit over the coming days. A significant decrease in the number of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, from 40,000 to 10,000, was also observed.

The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors. For more information, see the Humanitarian Access Snapshot.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 360 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Of these 360 fatalities, 350 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 24 January), 51 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 4,353 Palestinians, including 657 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,218 have been injured by Israeli forces, 114 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 456 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (355 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.

One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.

In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. 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.

Displacement (West Bank)

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 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. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 493 Palestinians, including 244 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.

On 23 January, the Israeli authorities demolished on punitive grounds a house in ‘Urif village in Nablus, displacing five people, including one child. The house belonged to a Palestinian currently in prison convicted of being involved in shooting and killing four Israeli settlers on Road 60 near Eli settlement in Nablus on 20 June 2023. A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, have been displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.

Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

West Bank

[Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Ramallah – 10:10, Israeli forces, opened fire on, and wounded, a woman, Rana Kamal Muhammad Derbas, near the Psagot Occupation settlement.

Israeli Army attack – armed robbery: Jenin – 15:40, Israeli Occupation forces opened fire towards a vehicle, near the Kefert village road junction, robbing the owner, Nassim Omar Salah (who managed to escape), of his motor vehicle.

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Jenin – 20:50, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition in Ya’bad, wounded a resident: Ahmed Hani Hamarsha.

Israeli Army attack – 1 killed: Tulkarem – 16:45, Israeli troops at the Einav checkpoint opened fire on and killed a motorcyclist: Karim Nashaat Kamal Ayesh.

Israeli Army attack – 1 youngster and 1 adult wounded: Nablus – 20:00–04:30, the Israeli military, firing live ammunition, stormed into Nablus and the Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camp, wounding two residents: 16-year-old Hamza Saeb Bashtawi and Nidal Majdi Ali Okasha.

Home invasion: Jenin – 18:25–05:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided Araba and searched a house.

Home invasion – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – dawn, Israeli forces raided Burqin, taking prisoner one person.

Home invasion – home destroyed with explosives: Nablus – 22:15–03:00, the Israeli Army raided Orif village and used explosives to destroy the home of a prisoner: Basil Shehadeh.

Home invasions – 2 homes demolished: Hebron – 10:15, Israeli troops demolished one home in the village of Lasifar as well as another in the village of Birin.

Home invasions and armed robbery: Hebron – 01:20, the Israeli military invaded and pillaged homes in Bani Naim, stealing gold jewellery and four motor vehicles.

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 land-grab: Tubas – Occupation forces issued an order, for the seizure of 9.14 hectares of Tammun village land for the Israeli military.

Israeli Army youngster abducted: Jericho – Israeli forces abducted a 17-year-old youth, Youssef Al-Khatib, when he arrived as ordered, for interrogation by Israeli Military Intelligence.

Occupation settler stoning: Ramallah – 18:00, Israelis, from the Halamish Occupation settlement, stoned nearby passing vehicles.

Occupation settler terrorism against children: Jericho – 14:20, an Israeli guard from the Maf’ut Jericho Occupation settlement dug three symbolic graves, threatening Ka’abna Arab Bedouin community children with death.

Occupation settler land–grab: Jericho – Occupation settlers seized Arab Al-Malihat community land and began excavations and bulldozing work on it, for the building of settlement housing.

Occupation settler violence and pastoral sabotage: Bethlehem – evening, Occupation settlers, in the Wadi Al-Hajjar area, west of the village of Kisan, attacked local shepherds and killed two sheep.

Occupation settler vandalism: Hebron – Israelis, from the Havat Ma’on Occupation settlement, punctured tyres and smashed windows of cars owned by Al-Tuwani School’s teaching staff in Masafer, Yatta.

Raid: Ramallah – 18:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiya and invaded a home.

Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 03:35–05:25, Israeli forces raided the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, taking prisoner a mother and her son.

Raid: Jenin – 14:40, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Ya’bad.

Raid – 1 injured – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – 20:50, Israeli troops raided Ya’bad, injuring one person and taking prisoner another.

Raid: Tulkarem – 11:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the Ertah suburb of the city.

Raid – water crime: Qalqiliya – 08:30–12:30, Israeli soldiers raided the village of Ras Atiya and destroyed an artesian well, owned by the local Co–operative Society, by pouring concrete into it.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 04:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Azzun Atma.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Nablus – 14:30–16:15, Israeli forces raided the village of Rujeib, taking prisoner one person.

Raid – beatings-up: Nablus – 22:45–02:00, the Israeli Army raided Sebastia and beat–up two residents: Yasser Muhammad Awad Bahalq and Ayham Mahdi Abu Rizqa.

Raid – 4 taken prisoner: Nablus – 05:15, Israeli troops raided the village of Deir Sharaf, taking prisoner four people.

Raid: Salfit – 21:30–01:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the town of al-Zawiya.

Raid – 7 taken prisoner: Salfit – 01:30–04:30, Israeli soldiers raided Kifl Haris, taking prisoner seven people.

Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Salfit – dawn, Israeli Occupation forces raided Haris village, taking prisoner three people.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 11:40–15:40, Israeli forces raided Tuqu, taking prisoner one person.

Raid: Bethlehem – 16:00, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Husan.

Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Bethlehem – 16:00, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Husan village.