In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 06 February until 08:00, 07 February 2024
[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]
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: 123 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 27,708. With another 169 wounded, that has risen to 67,147. Fully accurate statistics are not available, due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
OCHA Flash Update #113
Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in and around Khan Younis, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported across much of Gaza.
The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing by the day, particularly for an estimated 300,000 people in northern Gaza who have been predominantly cut off from assistance and where food security assessments show the greatest needs, according to WFP. WFP warns that humanitarian aid reaching Gaza city is “not enough to prevent a famine.” WFP stressed that “faster and sustained access” is urgently needed. The last time UNRWA was able to carry out a food distribution in the north of Wadi Gaza was 23 January. On 4 February, the World Central Kitchen, with the support of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Dutch Air Force, carried out airdrops using GPS-guided parachutes to deliver humanitarian aid for the Jordanian field hospital in northern Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global partnership had projected that the entire population of the Gaza Strip would face crisis or worse levels of hunger for the period between 8 December and 7 February, including one in four households facing catastrophic hunger conditions.
Health care in Gaza remains extremely precarious amid continued bombardment and hostilities, a lack of supplies and medical personnel, access restrictions, and fast deteriorating health conditions. On 7 February, UNRWA reported an “alarming spread of disease due to lack of sanitation and clean water.” Moreover, recent findings from malnutrition screenings carried out by partners of the Nutrition Cluster indicate a sharp increase in the global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate among children aged 6 to 59 months, with the GAM rate for northern Gaza (16.2 per cent) being above the World Health Organization (WHO) critical threshold of 15 per cent. Yet, in January, the access of missions to support critical hospitals and facilities providing water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services to areas north of Wadi Gaza were among those overwhelmingly denied by the Israeli authorities. As of 7 February, there are no fully functional hospitals in Gaza while 36 per cent of hospitals and 17 per cent of primary health care centres are only partially functional, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Heavy fighting near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals in Khan Younis continues to jeopardize the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge at these hospitals. On 7 February, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli military vehicles positioned in front of Al Amal Hospital were firing directly at the building, resulting in two injuries. On the same day, PRCS also reported that a 77-year-old patient died due to the oxygen shortage at Al Amal hospital. Two days earlier, some 8,000 patients and IDPs had reportedly evacuated this hospital and PRCS headquarters, after the Israeli military guaranteed safe passage to Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis. However, some 100 medical staff and volunteers as well as elderly patients and people with disabilities, who could not be moved, remained at the hospital.
Intense fighting around Khan Younis continues to drive thousands of people into the southern town of Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza’s population. On 7 February, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths expressed extreme concern about the safety and well-being of families who “have endured the unthinkable” in search of safety and now find themselves facing the prospect that intensified hostilities will expand to Rafah. He warned: “Further fighting in Rafah risks claiming the lives of even more people. It also risks further hampering a humanitarian operation already limited by insecurity, damaged infrastructure and access restrictions.”
Attacks on schools hosting IDPs continue to be reported. On 5 February, nine IDPs were reported shot and killed at schools in Khan Younis in three separate incidents, according to UNRWA. Highlighting the gendered impact of the crisis in Gaza, UN Women emphasized that nearly one million women and girls displaced in Gaza are often disproportionately affected by food insecurity, daily bombardment, overcrowded shelters and inadequate WASH facilities. Between 7 October and 31 January, more than 375 IDPs and humanitarian staff were killed and 1,350 injured in over 290 incidents that directly or collaterally impacted humanitarian compounds, the coordinates of which had been notified to parties to the conflict. In addition to endangering civilian lives, such incidents have compromised the safety of humanitarian operations.
Incidents affecting aid trucks and ambulance teams continue to be reported. On 7 February, a PRCS paramedic was killed, and others were injured, when an ambulance team, deployed from southern Gaza to evacuate injured Palestinians from Gaza city, was hit between Al Ahli Baptist Hospital and Shifa Hospital, according to PRCS. On 6 February, at about 16:20, six Palestinian police officers were reportedly killed when a police vehicle that was purportedly guarding an aid truck in Khirbet Al Adas area in eastern Rafah was hit. On 5 February, an UNRWA-led convoy carrying food aid to northern Gaza was hit in Deir Al Balah, despite prior notification to, and coordination with, parties to the conflict, the third such incident according to UNRWA.
Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between the afternoons of 6 and 7 February:
On 6 February, at about 17:00, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed, and ten others were injured, when a residential building in eastern Jabalya Camp in North Gaza was hit.
On 6 February, three Palestinians, including a journalist, his mother and sister, were reportedly killed, and several others were injured, in a strike on a house in western Rafah.
On 7 February, at about 9:30, four bodies were reportedly recovered in Jourat Al Lot in Khan Younis and were transferred to the European Gaza Hospital, also in Khan Younis.
On 7 February, at about 5:40, two Palestinians (mother and daughter) were reportedly killed, when a residential building in Az Zuhur neighbourhood in northern Rafah was hit.
Displacement (Gaza Strip)
As of 5 February, UNRWA estimates that some 75 per cent of Gaza’s population (1.7 million out of 2.3 million people) are displaced, more than half of whom are children. IDPs are sheltering at UNRWA and public shelters, informal sites, in close vicinity to UNRWA shelters and distribution sites, or within host communities, according to UNRWA. They face acute shortages of food, water, shelter and medicine.
Electricity
Since 11 October 2023, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder people from seeking lifesaving services, as well as the aid community’s efforts to assess and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
Hostilities and casualties (Israel)
Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October and in the immediate aftermath.
As of 7 February 2024, the Israeli authorities estimate that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza; these reportedly include fatalities whose bodies are being withheld. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.
Violence and casualties (West Bank)
According to initial reports, on 7 February, three Palestinians were killed following an exchange of fire during an Israeli military operation in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. The body of one fatality was reportedly withheld by Israeli forces. During the operation, civilian access into and out of the camp was blocked and a house where the three killed Palestinians were present sustained severe damage. According to UNRWA, 15 staff members were trapped inside the Agency’s health clinic in the camp during the operation.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 377 Palestinians have been killed, including 96 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the majority (365) by Israeli forces. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Between 1 January and 7 February 2024, 68 Palestinians, including 15 children, were killed, the majority by Israeli forces.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, ten Israelis have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel. These include five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; four Israelis killed by Palestinians from the West Bank in Israel, and one Israeli killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him during a Palestinian-perpetrated attack in West Jerusalem.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 4,426 Palestinians, including 67 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of these, 4,288 have been injured by Israeli forces, 117 people by settlers and 21 people by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 55 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during attacks perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians.
Settler Violence
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, OCHA has recorded 512 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (49 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (405 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (58 incidents). October, followed by November, represented the peak of such incidents, after which the frequency of settler violence incidents returned to their pre-October levels. Overall, in 2023, OCHA documented 1,264 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the highest such number in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.
Displacement (West Bank)
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 508 Palestinians, including 248 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. Overall, in 2023, 892 structures were demolished, sealed off and/or confiscated, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, resulting in the displacement of 1,152 Palestinians, including 575 children. One-fourth of the demolished structures in 2023, and over 50 per cent of the people displaced, were in East Jerusalem.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, Israeli forces have punitively demolished 22 Palestinian-owned homes, displacing 105 Palestinians, including 45 children. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced in that context.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 775 Palestinians, including 322 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 123 homes during 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 85 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 – destruction and home invasions in refugee camp: Jenin – 23:45, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed Jenin as well as the Jenin refugee camp, bulldozing roads, destroying infrastructure and invading homes.
Israeli Army attack – home invasions and armed robbery: Tubas – 01:50–04:00, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed Tamoun, invading five homes and wounding two residents:Youssef Jamil Tubasi and Saddam Hussein Mansour Bani Odeh. The raiding troops robbed householders of gold jewellery, valued at $US 3600, and cash equivalent in value to around $US1300.
Israeli Army attack – destruction and obstruction of ambulances: Tulkarem – 23:40–06:45, Israeli forces stormed the city and the Nour Shams refugee camp, destroying infrastructure, bulldozing roads, obstructing the movement of ambulances and taking prisoner three people.
Israeli Army attack – youth shot and killed: Nablus – 14:00, Israeli troops, near the Beit Furik checkpoint, opened fire on and killed 18-year-old Muhammad Saud Abdullah Al-Titi.
Home invasion and destruction: Jerusalem – 09:40, the Israeli Occupation, in the Silwan neighbourhood, destroyed part of a house.
Home invasions and vandalism – 4 taken prisoner: Jenin – 23:45–05:40, Israeli forces raided the city as well as the Jenin refugee camp, invading homes, bulldozing roads and taking prisoner four people.
Home invasion: Nablus – 00:10–03:05, the Israeli Army raided Burqa village and searched a home.
Home invasion and demolition – destruction orders against 6 other homes: Jericho – Occupation forces demolished one house, in the village of al-Nuweimah, and issued orders for the destruction of six others.
Home invasions in refugee camp: Jericho – 00:40–02:15, Israeli troops raided the city, as well as the Aqbat Jabir refugee camp, and searched a number of homes.
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 population–control: Jerusalem – 01:05, the Israeli Army took prisoner a man, Wajih Abdullah Hamdan, when he reported, as ordered, for interrogation at Israeli Military Intelligence.
Israeli Army land-grab: Nablus – 11:50, Israeli Occupation forces bulldozed an area of agricultural land on the south-eastern side of Qusra, in preparation for the placing of mobile homes for settlers there.
Israeli Army armed robbery and population–control: Salfit – Occupation forces seized a forklift, as well as other equipment, near the Qarawat Bani Hassan road junction.
Israeli Army destruction: Hebron – 10:55, the Israeli Army demolished a retaining wall in the Wadi al-Joz area, near the entrance to Bani Naim.
Israeli Army vandalism: Hebron – 17:45, Israeli troops damaged the tyres on a motor vehicle in al-Tuwani village.
Occupation settler population–control: Nablus – 16:00, Israeli settlers closed the road between Qabalan and the village of al-Sawiya.
Occupation settler land-grab: Hebron – 14:45, Israelis, from the Avigail Occupation settlement outpost, east of Yatta, excavated land outside the settlement in the Um al-Shaqhan area.
Raids – 3 taken prisoner: Jerusalem – dawn, Israeli Occupation forces raided Beit Anan as well as the village of Beit Duqqu, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 01:15, Israeli forces raided the village of Ras Karkar, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Ramallah – 01:20, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Kharbatha Bani Harith.
Raid: Jenin – 08:35-11:00, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Araba.
Raid: Jenin – 09:10, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Rumana.
Raid: Jenin – 11:20, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Jalboun.
Raid: Jenin – 22:20, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Zububa.
Raid: Jenin – 22:20, Israeli forces again raided and patrolled the village of Rumana.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – 03:40, the Israeli Army raided al-Yamoun, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – armed robbery: Tulkarem – 20:15, Israeli military raided the village of Nazlet Issa, and stole a vehicle.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 18:30–21:00, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Hajjah.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 23:45–07:20, Israeli Occupation forces raided the town of Azzun, taking prisoner three people.
Raid: Nablus – 20:15–02:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Einabus.
Raids – 6 taken prisoner: Nablus – 01:40–04:10, the Israeli Army raided the city, taking prisoner six people.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Nablus – 02:25–04:05, Israeli troops raided Qusra, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Bethlehem – 11:15-13:25, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of al-Jaba’a.
Raid: Bethlehem – 12:50-16:25, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of al-Manshiya.
Raid: Bethlehem – 17:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Husan.
Raid: Bethlehem – 22:10, Israeli forces raided the village of Marah Rabah.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 03:05–06:15, the Israeli Army raided the city, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Bethlehem – 03:05–06:15, Israeli troops raided Janata.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 03:35, the Israeli military raided Tuqu, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Hebron – 00:25, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the city.
Raid – 4 taken prisoner: Hebron – 02:45–04:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided Sa’ir, taking prisoner four people.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner in refugee camp: Hebron – 03:30, Israeli forces raided the al-Arroub refugee camp, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Hebron – 03:35, the Israeli Army raided Bani Naim, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Hebron – 06:20, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Beit Awa.
YAWN!