In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 28 February until 08:00, 29 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: 81 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 30,035. With another 132 wounded, that has risen to 70,457. Fully accurate statistics are not available,due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
OCHA Flash Update #129:
Key Highlights
The Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza reports that more than 100 Palestinians were killed on 29 February; according to media sources, the incident occurred when thousands of Palestinians reportedly gathered around trucks carrying supplies.
The reported death toll among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the onset of hostilities has surpassed 30,000.
UN officials are warning of an impending famine in Gaza; MoH in Gaza reports that six infants have died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration.
A Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medical point in Jabalya, in northern Gaza, is receiving a daily average of 100-150 cases of Hepatitis A.
A Palestinian child is killed in Beit Furik village in Nablus, bringing the death toll in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to 406 Palestinians, including 103 children, since 7 October.
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. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, particularly in northern Gaza, Deir al Balah, and Khan Younis.
Between the afternoon of 28 February and 11:30 on 29 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 81 Palestinians were killed, and 132 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 11:30 on 29 February 2024, at least 30,035 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 70,457 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza. Separately, MoH reported that 104 Palestinians have been killed and 760 were injured in the early morning hours of 29 February on Al Rashid Road south of Gaza city, warning that the actual death toll is likely to be higher as medical teams are struggling to handle the situation with limited critical care resources. The incident occurred as thousands of Palestinians reportedly gathered around trucks carrying supplies when they were allegedly hit by artillery shells and gunfire, according to initial media reports. The Israeli military, cited by the media, has reportedly acknowledged shooting by its troops, and has also said that most casualties occurred as a result of congestion and incidents of people being run over by trucks.
Between the afternoons of 28 and 29 February, there were no Israeli soldiers reported killed in Gaza. As of 29 February, 240 soldiers have been killed and 1,431 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 29 February, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies remain withheld in Gaza.
In two separate incidents on 26 February, UNRWA reports that internally displaced persons (IDPs), including UNRWA staff, sheltering at two schools in Khan Younis were forced to evacuate and some were arrested by Israeli forces. One of the schools reportedly had the main gate, guard room, and generator damaged by Israeli tanks and bulldozers. One female IDP was reportedly killed during this incident – the circumstances are unclear at time of this writing. As of 28 February, according to UNRWA, at least 404 IDPs have been killed, and 1,385 others have been injured, in more than 330 incidents affecting UNRWA premises and shelters hosting IDPs since the escalation of hostilities in October.
The risk of death from starvation in Gaza is reportedly growing, disproportionately affecting children and pregnant women, and is exacerbated by inadequate water, sanitation and health services, the severing of power and fuel supplies, and the decimation of food production and agriculture. MoH in Gaza reported that six infants have died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, including two at Shifa Hospital on 28 February. A rise in anemia among pregnant women was also reported at Project HOPE’s clinic in Deir al Balah, where some 21 per cent of 416 pregnant women who visited the clinic between 5 and 24 February showed signs of malnutrition “caused by the lack of protein, iron, and other micronutrients, which can increase the risk of a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage, premature births, and low birth weight.” According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the entire food supply chain in Gaza has been severely disrupted with 97 per cent of ground water reportedly unfit for human consumption, about 27 per cent of greenhouses destroyed, more than 40 per cent of croplands and dozens of home barns, broiler farms and sheep farms damaged, more than 600 agricultural wells damaged, and the fishing sector grounded to a halt. On 28 February, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) highlighted that the significant damage incurred by the agricultural sector in Gaza combined with limited commercial food imports have led to food scarcity and soaring prices at a time when people’s purchasing power has declined. To prevent starvation in Gaza, the two aid organizations emphasized the criticality of safe and unimpeded aid flow via all possible routes, reactivating essential services in Gaza, and upscaling aid responses toward the early restoration of agrifood systems.
Citing the danger of a “looming man-made famine,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the Agency has been unable able to deliver food to northern Gaza since late January due to security incidents affecting the few aid convoys that are permitted to reach northern Gaza from the south via Israeli military checkpoints, and growing incidents of chaos and robbery. On 20 February, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it had paused deliveries of food aid to northern Gaza, following incidents where WFP convoys were unable to deliver aid largely due to a breakdown in civil order. The convoys had resumed on 18 February after a three-week suspension following a strike on an UNRWA truck and due to the absence of a functioning humanitarian notification system. In his address to the UN Security Council on 27 February, Ramesh Rajasingham, the Director of OCHA’s Coordination Division cited the warning by food security experts of “complete agricultural collapse in northern Gaza by May if conditions persist, with fields and productive assets damaged, destroyed, or inaccessible.” Reiterating the UN call for a ceasefire, Mr. Rajasingham cautioned that “if nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable.”
The health care system in Gaza is struggling to remain functional, amid severe shortages of fuel and medications, spread of infectious diseases, and access constraints. On 28 February, MoH in Gaza reported that Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been rendered out of service due to the lack of electricity and fuel for its generator. According to UNICEF, Kamal Adwan Hospital is the primary hospital serving children and offering maternal health services in northern Gaza, and has been severely damaged amidst increased hostilities. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the area, including IDPs, also continue to face rising food insecurity, overcrowding, and lack of clean water. PRCS reports that their medical point in Jabalya, in northern Gaza, which is managed by the association’s volunteers, has been receiving an average of 100-150 cases of Hepatitis A per day as well as many cases of infectious skin diseases.
West Bank Updates
On 29 February, Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian child during a search-and-arrest operation in Beit Furik village in Nablus that involved clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian stone throwers.
On 29 February, a Palestinian man died of injuries sustained on 19 October 2023 during an Israeli military operation in Nur Shams Refugee Camp near Tulkarm city, which resulted in the killing of 13 other Palestinians, including the man’s 12-year-old son.
Since 7 October 2023, 406 Palestinians have been killed, including 103 children, and 4,606 Palestinians have been injured, including 709 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Since the beginning of the year, 93 Palestinians have been killed, including 26 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.
On 28 February, the Israeli authorities demolished three homes in Al Walaja village in Bethlehem due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing three families comprising 16 people, including six children. Since 7 October 2023, 592 people, including 282 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, OCHA has recorded 601 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (53 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (481 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (67 incidents).
Movement restrictions affecting an estimated 7,000 residents of H2 area in Hebron continue to be in place since 7 October, with checkpoints that control access to the area only open for Palestinian pedestrians between 7:00 and 19:00. Residents have also reported facing restrictions while moving between neighbourhoods within the H2 area.
West Bank
[Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded and taken prisoner: Ramallah – dawn, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, shooting and wounding a resident, Saleh Muhammad Hassouna, and taking him prisoner.
Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Nablus – 14:20-16:20, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, invaded Qusra, wounding one person: Zain Basil Sari Kanaan.
Israeli Army attack – 1 killed: Nablus – 23:20, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed Beit Furik, killing one resident: Bashar Nihad Abdel Latif Hanani.
Death: Ramallah – morning, Assef Abdel Muti Muhammad Al-Rifai, held by Israeli forces in Ramla Prison since 2022, has now died of cancer as a result of medical negligence.
Home invasion and abduction: Ramallah – 18:10–22:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Deir Abu Mash’al, and abducted a 15-year-old boy: Hamza Abdel Hakim Zahran.
Home invasion: Qalqiliya – 01:40–03:55, Israeli Occupation forces raided Azzun and searched a house.
Home invasions and destruction: Bethlehem – 08:30, the Israeli Army demolished three houses and one mobile home, in the village of al-Walaja.
Home invasion and abduction: Hebron – 03:50, Israeli forces abducted three residents from the Old City: a 15-year-old boy, Ahmed Al-Titi, as well as taking prisoner his father, along with another adult.
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: Jerusalem – 14:30, Israeli Occupation forces, at the Shuafat checkpoint, fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people.
Israeli Army land-grab for settlement expansion: Salfit – Israeli forces issued an order, for the seizure of around 15,500 hectares of land in Deir Istiya and Haris village, for the expansion of the Revava Occupation settlement.
Occupation settler stoning: Nablus – 15:25, Israelis, from the Yitzhar Occupation settlement, invaded the outskirts of Burin village and stoned homes near the settlement bypass road.
Occupation settler stoning: Nablus – 19:10–22:45, Israelis, from the Yitzhar Occupation settlement, stoned passing vehicles at the nearby roundabout, north of Huwara.
Occupation settler violence – children beaten: Hebron – settlers, in the Wadi al-Jawaya area, east of the town of Yatta, beat up and injured four children from the Awad Makhamra family.
Raid: Jerusalem – 21:40–23:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Abu Dis.
Raids: Ramallah – 09:20, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the villages of Yabrud and Beitin.
Raid – stun grenades: Ramallah – 10:10-15:50, the Israeli Army, firing stun grenades, raided and patrolled al-Bireh.
Raid: Ramallah – 10:40-15:50, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Sinjil.
Raid: Ramallah – 12:45-17:30, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Ein Yabrud.
Raids: Ramallah – 13:15, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Ni’lin as well as the village of Medea.
Raids: Ramallah – 20:15–02:35, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Deir Dibwan and the village of Beitin.
Raid – pastoral sabotage – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – 10:40, Israeli forces raided the village of Jalboun, destroyed two livestock shelters and took prisoner one person.
Raid: Jenin – 20:50–01:30, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Araba.
Raids: Jenin – 23:05–01:30, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the villages of al-Jalama, Arranah, Deir Ghazaleh and Faqua.
Raid: Jenin – 00:45, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the city
Raid: Tulkarem – 19:55–01:55, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Quffin.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 21:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Hablat.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 21:55–03:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Hajjah.
Raid: Nablus – 10:40-16:20, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Sebastia.
Raid: Nablus – 13:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Qabalan.
Raid: Nablus – 13:35-16:20, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Odala.
Raid: Nablus – 14:50, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Madama.
Raid: Nablus – 22:20–00:50, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Talfit.
Raid: Nablus – 07:35, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Einabus.
Raid: Salfit – 14:30, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Deir Ballut.
Raid: Salfit – 19:25–23:25, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Masha.
Raid: Salfit – 20:10-21:10, the Israeli military raided and patrolled al-Zawiya.
Raid: Bethlehem – 11:20-13:30, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled al-Khadr.
Raid: Bethlehem – 23:05, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Beit Jallah.
Raid: Bethlehem – evening, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Husan.
Raids: Bethlehem – 02:30, the Israeli Army raided Beit Sahour, Za’tara and Janata.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 02:30–04:20, Israeli troops raided Beit Tamar, taking prisoner one person.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Bethlehem – evening, the Israeli military, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Husan.
Raid: Hebron – 09:45, Israeli soldiers raided Bani Naim.
Raid: Hebron – 13:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the city.
Raid: Hebron – 18:00, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Bani Naim.
Raid: Hebron – 00:25, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Idhna.
Raid – 7 taken prisoner: Hebron – 02:35, Israeli troops raided Halhul, taking prisoner seven people.
YAWN!