In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 27 February until 08:00, 28 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: 76 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 29,954. With another 110 wounded, that has risen to 70,325. Fully accurate statistics are not available, due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
OCHA Flash Update #128
Key Highlights
The UN Secretary-General stated that an Israeli offensive on Rafah would “put the final nail in the coffin” of humanitarian aid programmes in Gaza.
Health workers across Gaza continue to face enormous risks and challenges to save lives as the health care system struggles to remain functional.
MoH in Gaza reports that two infants died in northern Gaza as a result of dehydration and malnutrition, as a quarter of Gaza’s population faces catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
According to UNRWA, more than 2,300 trucks have entered Gaza so far in February, a nearly 50 per cent reduction compared to January 2024.
Gaza Strip Updates
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. On 27 February, Palestinian armed groups fired several rockets towards southern Israel, with no reports of injuries or damage. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, particularly in Khan Younis, Gaza city and Deir al Balah. On 26 February, the UN Secretary-General told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that an Israeli offensive on Rafah, the location of “the core of the humanitarian aid operation,” would be “terrifying for more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there…[and] put the final nail in the coffin of our aid programmes.”
Between the afternoon of 27 February and 11:00 on 28 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 76 Palestinians were killed, and 110 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 11:00 on 28 February 2024, at least 29,954 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 70,325 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 26 February:
On 26 February, at about 13:30, two Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in eastern Al Bureij, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
On 26 February, at about 17:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house in Al Qarara area, in northern Khan Younis, was hit.
On 26 February, at about 19:00, eight Palestinians including three children were reportedly killed, and others were injured, when a house in the vicinity of Kuwait Hospital, in central Rafah, was hit.
On 26 February, at about 21:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others were injured, when a house was hit in Deir al Balah.
Between the afternoons of 27 and 28 February, there were two Israeli soldiers reported killed in Gaza. As of 28 February, 240 soldiers have been killed and 1,429 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, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 28 February, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies remain withheld in Gaza.
Health workers across Gaza continue to face enormous risks and challenges to save lives, as the health care system struggles to remain functional amid continued hostilities, access constraints, lack of supplies, and an overwhelming patient load per health-care worker. Reflecting on her experience at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in January, MedGlobal’s medical director, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, describes a situation where “death [is[ happening in a fully treatable situation” due to the lack of medications and supplies, and doctors are operating to the sound of gunfire and missile strikes. Dr. Ahmed further states that injured persons’ limbs are amputated without anaesthesia, and the delivery of urgent medical supplies “can often take weeks to months.” More than 1,000 children are reported to have suffered a loss of limb because of the bombing since the onset of hostilities, according to UNICEF.
On 27 February, MoH reported that some 120 patients still require medical evacuation from Nasser Hospital, the largest hospital in southern Gaza, which has become non-functional and requires urgent repairs to restore running water and electricity, and to cope wih the disposal of solid waste and sewage overflow. MoH also called for the release of 70 health personnel who were detained by Israeli forces during a raid on the hospital, following weeks of heavy fighting in its vicinity and shelling that caused damage to the orthopaedic department. Between 18 and 23 February, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) evacuated 72 critically wounded and sick patients from the hospital, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and OCHA.
As of 28 February, 64 per cent of hospitals in Gaza have become non-functional (23 out of 36), with the remainder only partially or minimally functional, according to WHO. The situation is especially critical in Rafah where the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has overwhelmed available hospital bed capacities, and in northern Gaza where access by Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) remains challenging. Between 7 October and 20 February, WHO documented 378 attacks on health care across Gaza that resulted in the killing of 659 people and the injury of 843 others.
The food insecurity and malnutrition crisis in Gaza is intensifying. On 27 February, MoH in Gaza reported that two infants had died in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as a result of dehydration and malnutrition. Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are reporting a lack of sufficient basic food supplies and an urgent need to import the agricultural inputs necessary for reactivating domestic production of essential fresh food, such as eggs, vegetables, meat, fish and milk. Children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, people with underlying health conditions, and tens of thousands of injured persons are at high risk of malnutrition, as are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza, which has been largely cut off from assistance despite some relief efforts. In a briefing to the Security Council on food security risks in Gaza on 27 February, Director of OCHA Coordination Division, Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, highlighted recommendations to ensure, among others, “the lifting of restrictions on fishing activity, access to farmland and the entry of agricultural products,” warning that if no action is taken, “widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable.” According to projections by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for the period between 8 December and 7 February, the entire population of the Gaza Strip faces crisis or worse levels of food insecurity, including more than half a million people, or one in four households, facing catastrophic conditions characterized by lack of food, starvation and exhaustion of coping capacities.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the “prolonged and unpredictable administrative procedures” which Israel imposes on aid deliveries to Gaza are impeding access to lifesaving equipment and supply for health care facilities. Because of strict screening procedures, it can take up to one month for supplies to enter Gaza, and if the Israeli authorities deny entry to reject even a single item, the entire cargo is returned to Egypt. With no official list of restricted items, MSF reports that it has consistently been denied the import of power generators, water purifiers, solar panels, and other medical equipment. According to the MSF project coordinator in Gaza: “These supplies mean the difference between life and death for many people,” including thousands who suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes or epilepsy. WHO reports that referring patients outside of Gaza for tertiary care is also a challenge, with 2,293 patients and 1,625 companions permitted to exit through the Rafah Crossing since the onset of hostilities, while more than 8,000 patients are currently on the waiting list. UNRWA is also reporting difficulties in having its trucks enter Gaza due to security constraints and temporary closures at both the Kerem Shalom and Rafah Crossings. According to UNRWA, more than 2,300 trucks have entered Gaza so far in February, a nearly 50 per cent reduction compared to January 2024, and far short of the estimated 500 trucks needed each day to meet people’s basic needs. Security has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the Kerem Shalom Crossing recently, which has led to the withdrawal of the policemen from the Palestinian side of the crossing, and trucks being stopped and their contents either robbed or taken directly by residents deeply in need of assistance.
West Bank Updates
On 27 February, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near An Nu’man checkpoint near Al Khas community in Bethlehem. The man was reportedly trying to bypass the checkpoint through an informal opening in the Barrier fence on foot.
Since 7 October 2023, 404 Palestinians have been killed, including 102 children, and 4,592 Palestinians have been injured, including 708 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Since the beginning of the year, 91 Palestinians have been killed, including 25 in refugee camps. During the same period, 13 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, were killed and 86 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Since 7 October 2023, 576 people, including 276 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.
According to the latest field assessments, since 7 October 2023, 848 Palestinians, including 397 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 132 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.
On 26 February, a group of armed Israeli settlers, believed to be from Telem settlement, raided At Taybe village in Hebron and handcuffed and detained three elderly farmers while they were working on their land, according to eyewitnesses. The farmers were taken to a military base near Tarqumiya checkpoint for several hours before they were released. Landowners report that they have been regularly prevented from reaching their land by Israeli forces and/or settlers since 7 October. In total, OCHA has recorded 595 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (52 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (477 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (66 incidents), since 7 October 2023.
Since 7 October, the Cash Working Group (CWG) has supported hundreds of conflict-affected Palestinian families in the West Bank through emergency multi-purpose cash assistance. These include 98 households, comprising 581 individuals, from 15 communities, who were displaced due to settler violence; over 600 households affected by curfews in the H2 area of Hebron; and 131 families, comprising 662 people, affected by military operations in Jenin. In addition, 457 Gazan patients who have been stranded in the West Bank were assisted with up to three payments to meet their most urgent needs.
On 27 February, Israeli forces installed a roadblock at the main entrance to Rantis village, west of Ramallah, restricting the daily movement of more than 3,600 people. Since 7 October, the Israeli army has installed dozens of new obstacles to movement throughout the West Bank, including road gates, earth-mounds and roadblocks, exacerbating the access and movement of Palestinians that had been impeded by some 645 obstacles prior to 7 October. The restrictions disconnect cities, villages and vulnerable communities from one another, and disrupt communities’ access to basic services and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
West Bank
[Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Israeli Army attack – 1 killed: Jerusalem – 14:50, Israeli Occupation forces, at the Mazmoria checkpoint, opened fire on and killed oneperson: Nizar Mahmoud Abdel-Maadi Hassasna.
Israeli Army attack – air strike on home – 1 wounded: Jenin – 00:35–06:50, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, stormed Jenin as well as the refugee camp (using a drone to target a house there), wounding one resident and taking prisoner one other. The Israeli military also destroyed buildings and infrastructure as well as bulldozing streets.
Israeli Army attack: Qalqiliya – 19:40, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed Azzun.
Israeli Army attack – 2 wounded: Qalqiliya – 07:20, Israeli troops, firing live ammunition, stormed the city, wounding two residents.
Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Jerusalem – 22:30, Israeli Occupation forces fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, towards people near the Shuafat checkpoint.
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 abduction: Jericho – the Israeli Army abducted a 17-year-old youth, Mawid Omar Abdullah Al-Hajj, after he reported, as ordered, for interrogation at Israeli Military Intelligence.
Occupation settler violence: Nablus – 14:40, Israeli Occupation settlers invaded the outskirts of Burin village and stoned people’s homes.
Raid: Ramallah – 14:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Deir Nizam.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 02:10, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the al-Rayhan suburb, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 02:20–05:10, the Israeli Army, firing stun grenades, raided Abwein, taking prisoner two people.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Jenin – 20:45, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Ya’bad, taking prisoner threepeople.
Raid: Tulkarem – 18:35, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the al-Shuweika suburb.
Raid: Nablus – 05:10–06:45, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the city.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 01:30–06:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided Beit Sahour, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 01:55–04:00, Israeli forces raided al-Ubeidiya and Za’atara, taking prisoner two people.
Raid – 5 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 02:55–04:15, the Israeli Army raided Beit Fajjar, taking prisoner five people.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 03:55–05:00, Israeli troops raided Tuqu, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Hebron – dawn, the Israeli military raided the city, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – 20 taken prisoner: Hebron – 00:50–07:10, Israeli soldiers raided Yatta, taking prisoner twenty people.
YAWN!