In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 15 February until 08:00, 16 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 Navy continues to fire missiles, targeting facilities and buildings along the shoreline of the whole of Gaza.
Victims: 112 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 28,775. With another 157 wounded, that has risen to 68,552. Fully accurate statistics are not available, due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
OCHA Flash Update #120
Key points
Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Widespread ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, especially in the centre of Khan Younis and east of Deir al Balah.
Between the afternoon of 15 February and 11:00 on 16 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 112 Palestinians were killed, and 157 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 11:00 on 16 February 2024, at least 28,775 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 68,552 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
Intensified airstrikes on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population are crammed into less than 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, and statements by Israeli officials about a ground operation in Gaza have reportedly led to the movement of people out of Gaza’s southernmost governorate toward Deir al Balah. On 14 February, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) emphasized that international humanitarian law “protects all civilians from the effects of hostilities, including those who may not be able to depart Rafah,” and added: “Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population are met. In addition, it is necessary … that the trickle of aid being let into Gaza becomes a steady, robust stream: food, drinkable water, hygiene items, medicines, and materials to do basic sanitation and allow for adequate shelter.”
Between the afternoons of 15 and 16 February, two Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 16 February, 232 soldiers have been killed and 1,368 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 16 February, the Israeli authorities estimate that about 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza and reportedly include fatalities whose bodies are being withheld.
As of 16 February, the Israeli forces’ operation in the the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis continues. The Israeli military alleged that Hamas was holding hostages or withholding the bodies of Israelis within the compound, and subsequently reported that its forces arrested twenty of the suspects from the 7 October attacks in Israel. On 15 February, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that hundreds of patients and staff had been relocated to a building within the hospital compound, where they lacked food, water, and baby formula, and that the hospital generators had stopped functioning, putting the lives of six patients on ventilators in the intensive care unit (ICU), and three premature babies, at risk. On the morning of 16 February, the Ministry of Health reported that five ICU patients had died due to the depletion of oxygen. On 15 February, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that the hospital had been shelled, killing and wounding an undetermined number of people, and that one of its staff was unaccounted for. On 15 February, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, expressing his concern about developments at the hospital, stated the “wounded and sick, as well as medical personnel and facilities must be protected. All feasible precautions must be taken to spare patients, staff and civilians sheltering in the hospital. Hospitals must be places of greater safety, not of war.”
According to the Food Security Sector (FSS), a consistent and dependable food supply to serve the entire population of Gaza continues to be hindered by frequent border closures, longstanding import restrictions of goods into Gaza, damage to critical infrastructure, and the security situation. Food insecurity in North Gaza and Gaza governorates has especially reached an extremely critical state, given significant restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance. In Rafah, humanitarian conditions have become increasingly severe, with continued reports of people stopping aid trucks to take food. Vulnerable segments of the population, including children, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions, are particularly susceptible to the risk of malnutrition.
Between 1 January and 12 February, 51 per cent of missions planned by humanitarian partners to deliver aid and undertake assessments to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza were denied access by the Israeli authorities. During the same period, 25 per cent of missions planned to areas assessed as necessitating coordination to the south of Wadi Gaza were denied by the Israeli authorities. Missions to areas not requiring coordination to the south of Wadi Gaza are not included in these statistics.
On 15 February, UNRWA reported that its Rehabilitation Centre for the Visually Impaired in Gaza city, which had provided services and recreational activities for affected children across Gaza, has been destroyed. Some 321 incidents impacting UNRWA premises in Gaza have been reported since 7 October 2023, including at least 45 incidents of military use and/or interference at UNRWA premises. In the same period, at least 396 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least 1,383 injured. As of 15 February, the total number of UNRWA staff members killed since the beginning of hostilities is 158.
Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 14 February, mainly in Gaza city and Deir al Balah governorate:
On 14 February, at about 14:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, when a civilian car was reportedly hit in Gaza city.
On 14 February, at about 15:00, 15 Palestinians were reportedly killed, when a residential building in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Deir al Balah, was hit.
On 14 February, at about 16:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, when a group of people in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza city, was hit.
On 14 February, at about 16:00, six Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 18 others were injured, when an area behind Al Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
On 14 February, at about 16:00, six Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 10 others were injured, when a residential building in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Deir al Balah, was hit.
On 14 February, at about 17:00, three Palestinians, including a journalist, his wife and son, were killed when a car in Ash Sheik Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza city was hit.
West Bank Updates
Since 7 October 2023, 389 Palestinians have been killed, including 100 children, and 4,503 Palestinians, including 698 children, have been injured in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. During the same period, 10 Israelis, including four members of security forces, were killed and 75 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 552 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (51 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (440 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (61 incidents).
Since 7 October 2023, 524 people, including 256 children, have been displaced in Area C and East Jerusalem after their homes were demolished due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.
Since 7 October 2023, 814 Palestinians, including 332 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 127 homes during operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 94 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm.
West Bank
[Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Israeli Army attack – ambulance and crew held for a time – 1 person wounded: Qalqiliya – 00:25–02:10, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed Qalqiliya, opening fire on road traffic, wounding one person, Habib Youssef Haddad, and taking him prisoner. The Israeli Army also interfered with a Red Crescent ambulance, seizing the vehicle’s keys and detaining, for a time, the crew: Mahmoud Shreim and Ammar Samman.
Israeli Army attack: Hebron – 13:30, Israeli forces fired live ammunition, as well as rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, towards people near the entrance to Beit Ummar.
Home invasion and occupation: Bethlehem – 23:50, Israeli Occupation forces raided Janata and searched a home.
Israeli Army mosque violation and population–control: Jerusalem – 18:00, the Israeli Occupation issued an order, banning a resident, Muhammad Adly Abu Sneineh, from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for the next four months.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas canisters: Jerusalem – 20:30, Israeli forces, in the Shuafat refugee camp, fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades at residents.
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 for benefit of settlers: Ramallah – the Israeli Army issued an order, to seize more land near the Mitzpe Danny Occupation settlement outpost in Deir Dibwan, to benefit settler ‘security’.
Israeli Army armed robbery: Salfit – 11:00, Israeli troops, at the entrance to Qarawat Bani Hassan, robbed a resident, Nazer Arif Assi, ofan amount of cash worth nearly $US13,000.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas canisters: Bethlehem – 15:25, the Israeli military fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people, near the entrance to the village of Husan.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas canisters: Bethlehem – 18:35, Israeli soldiers, in al-Khadr, fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades at residents.
Occupation settler land-grab: Bethlehem – evening, Israelis, from the Givat Eitam Occupation settlement outpost, seized an area of landnear the village of Wadi Rahal and planted four mobile homes on it.
Occupation settler violence and pastoral sabotage: Hebron – 17:10, near the village of Susiya, Israeli settlers assaulted three working shepherds: Salah Shanaran and his two brothers, Muhammad and Ezz.
Raid: Ramallah – 08:25, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Jabrud.
Raid: Ramallah – 08:50-11:15, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Shuqba.
Raid: Ramallah – 10:10-16:05, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Beit Liqiya.
Raid: Ramallah – 10:55-13:40, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Umm Safa.
Raid: Ramallah – 15:20-17:20, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Aboud.
Raids: Ramallah – 17:20, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Deir Dibwan and the village of Beitin.
Raid – in refugee camp: Ramallah – 22:05–01:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the al-Jalazoun refugee camp.
Raids: Jenin – 14:50, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the villages of al-Jalama and Jalboun.
Raids: Jenin – 16:15, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the villages of Deir Ghazaleh, Arranah, Arbouna and Faqua.
Raid: Jenin – 23:05, Israeli troops raided the village of al-Fandaqumiya.
Raid – 4 taken prisoner: Jenin – 23:05, the Israeli military raided Silat al-Dahr, taking prisoner four people.
Raids: Jenin – 05:20–06:20, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Ya’bad, al-Zababdah, Qabatiya, Meithalun and Jaba.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Tubas – 05:20-06:30, Israeli Occupation forces raided Aqaba, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Tulkarem – 02:10–07:00, Israeli forces raided Anabta, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 01:00, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Azzun.
Raids: Nablus – 11:10-15:30, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Beit Iba as well as Deir Sharaf village.
Raids: Nablus – 15:40, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the villages of Burin and Yatma.
Raid: Nablus – 20:35, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Salem village.
Raid: Salfit – 19:55, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Iskaka.
Raid: Bethlehem – 16:40, Israeli forces raided and patrolled al-Khadr.
Raid: Bethlehem – 01:05–03:45, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the city.
Raid: Hebron – 06:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the city.
Raid: Hebron – 14:50, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Dura.
Raid: Hebron – 07:25, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled al-Samou.
Raid: Hebron – 01:50, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the city.
YAWN!