In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 06 March until 08:00, 07 March 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: 83 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 30,800. With another 142 wounded, that has risen to 72,298. Fully accurate statistics are not available,due to insecurity menacing hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
OCHA Flash Update #134:
Key Highlights
The access of only six of 24 planned aid missions by the UN and its humanitarian partners to areas north of Wadi Gaza was facilitated by the Israeli authorities in February.
The number of deaths as a result of malnutrition and dehydration has risen to 20, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
Some 700 displaced families at an informal site in Rafah report facing significant challenges across multiple sectors, according to a recent inter-agency assessment.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food in Gaza has risen by nearly 105 per cent since the onset of hostilities, significantly diminishing people’s purchasing power.
Gaza Strip Updates
Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
Between the afternoon of 6 March and 12:30 on 7 March, according to the MoH in Gaza, 83 Palestinians were killed, and 142 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:30 on 7 March 2024, at least 30,800 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 72,298 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
Between the afternoons of 6 and 7 March, according to the Israeli military, one Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza. As of 7 March, 245 soldiers have been killed and 1,469 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 7 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
According to a new report, February witnessed an almost 50 per cent increase in the number of co-ordinated humanitarian missions that were facilitated by the Israeli authorities across Gaza, rising to 111 compared with 75 in January. However, only six of 24 planned missions to areas north of Wadi Gaza were facilitated in February, primarily due to an operational pause, after a UN co-ordinated food convoy was struck by Israeli naval fire on 5 February. The UN attempted two food convoys to the north on 18 and 19 February, but the lack of law and order, and the aggressive stance by the Israeli military towards approaching crowds, led to a renewal of the pause. By contrast, 105 out of 200 planned missions requiring co-ordination to areas south of Wadi Gaza were facilitated, a significant increase compared with January (65). This occurred despite a 48-hour pause in co-ordinated missions in the south on 26 February, after two medical workers were detained from a UN co-ordinated medical evacuation the day before. Other incidents which highlight the degraded humanitarian space and increasing risks to aid workers include a direct strike on ambulances conducting a co-ordinated medical evacuation on 7 February and a strike on a compound on 20 February, reportedly by an Israeli tank, killing two Médecins Sans Frontières family members. The UN attempted to reach Al Amal Hospital eight times, but movement was denied or impeded, except for a fuelling mission on 20 February. Of the 27 UN attempts to reach Nasser Hospital, only six of 12 missions that were initially co-ordinated by the Israeli military were facilitated: the Israeli military alleged that both hospitals were used by combatants for military purposes. The degrading security situation is compounded by cases of violence against humanitarian workers and from people attempting to seize humanitarian supplies. On at least five separate occasions in February, the Israeli military attacked Palestinian police elements, resulting in their decreased presence at the border crossings and along the main supply routes through Gaza, and a further deterioration in security. The frequent and prolonged closures and blockages at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings have also significantly hampered the entry of humanitarian aid. The report concludes that “the cumulative effect of these disruptions had a tangible decrease in the efficiency and predictability of aid delivery into Gaza, with no evidence to suggest an imminent improvement in the situation.”
On 5 March, the bodies of 25 Palestinians reportedly killed in several areas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, were recovered. In addition, the following are among the deadly incidents reported between 5 and 6 March, all in Deir al Balah:
On 5 March, at about 19:15, six Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house was hit.
On 6 March, at about 0:50, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house was hit.
On 6 March, at about 6:15, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Bureij camp was hit.
Some 700 families displaced from northern Gaza to an informal site managed by a local committee in Rafah report facing significant challenges across multiple sectors, according to a joint assessment mission carried out by the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) on 28 February to inform emergency response efforts. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have reported that food distributions are sporadic and inadequate, mainly comprising canned food, which offers limited nutritional variety. There is also a critical need for milk products for babies and children. At the site, there are no health services currently available, poor hygiene conditions, insufficient shelter materials, and a lack of medications for people suffering from chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and Hepatitis A. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions are dire at the IDP site; there are no latrines, essential hygiene items, or sufficient clean water, forcing many IDPs to use brackish water discharged from a nearby desalination plant. Solid waste disposal is also a significant problem, contributing to unsanitary living conditions and attracting rats and insects.
The malnutrition crisis in northern Gaza continues to deteriorate significantly, and hunger has reached “catastrophic levels” according to the Humanitarian Co-ordinator Jamie McGoldrick. On 6 March, MoH in Gaza reported that a 15-year-old child and a 72-year-old man died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza, bringing the number of such deaths to 20. Furthermore, in addition to some 14 incidents documented by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) involving shooting and shelling of people desperately gathered to receive lifesaving aid at two entrances of Gaza city between mid-January and the end of February, at least five additional incidents have been reported since 1 March. These include two incidents on 6 March when at least nine people were reportedly killed, and more than a dozen injured, by gunfire as people gathered at the Nabulsi roundabout southwest of Gaza city. On 5 March, a 14-truck convoy of World Food Programme (WFP) food deliveries to northern Gaza, the first since it paused deliveries to the north on 20 February, was turned back by Israeli forces at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint after a three-hour wait. The trucks, which were carrying some 200 tons of food aid, were subsequently ransacked by a large crowd of desperate people. Despite challenges, WFP emphasized that “road routes are the only option to transport the large quantities of food needed to avert famine in northern Gaza,” reiterating its call for a ceasefire to create enabling conditions for the humanitarian operation.
Markets in the Gaza Strip are facing a range of challenges, including critical food shortages, reliance on informal supply channels, and the re-selling of humanitarian assistance, according to WFP’s Gaza Market Monitoring report issued on 1 March. Due to the insufficient flow of goods, more than half of shops surveyed between 7 and 15 February in Deir al Balah and Rafah reported a decrease in food stocks, and a notable portion indicated a complete depletion of their stocks. The shortages include food staples, such as eggs, dairy products, vegetable oil, vegetables, rice, and pulses. These developments, combined with the displacement of owners and employees have compelled many shop owners to transition into informal street vendors. The re-selling of humanitarian aid, particularly among informal street vendors, is also rising, according to the report. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the annual rate of food inflation in Gaza has reached 118 per cent in January 2024. In addition, the CPI for food has risen by nearly 105 per cent since the onset of hostilities, significantly diminishing people’s purchasing power.
West Bank Updates
On 6 March, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained on 4 March when he was shot by Israeli forces in Burin village, in Nablus governorate, while trying to help an injured child who was shot and killed. Also on 6 March, a 14-year-old boy was arrested in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem after stabbing and injuring an elderly Israeli settler in the nearby Israeli settlement of Neve Yaakov.
Since 7 October, 416 Palestinians have been killed and 4,658 Palestinians have been injured, including 718 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 101 Palestinians have been killed, compared to 71 in the same period in 2023, the majority by Israeli forces. Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 90 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
On 5 March, the Israeli authorities demolished a house in Nablus city, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. As a result, family of eight people, including four children, were displaced. Since 7 October 2023, a total of 1,620 Palestinians, including 710 children, have been displaced across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, because of the demolition of their homes. More than half of them were displaced during military operations, mainly in the refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin; 38 per cent were displaced following the demolition of their homes due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits; and nine per cent on punitive grounds.
Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 623 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (55 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (497 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (71 incidents).
West Bank
[Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Israeli Army attack – 3 wounded: Tubas – 12:10, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the city of Tubas, as well as the villages of Tayasir and al-Far’a, wounding three people.
Israeli Army attack – 3 wounded: Tubas – 00:10, Israeli forces stormed Tamoun, wounding three people, Alaa Jihad Sawafta, Amin Jamil Sawafta, and Muhammad Hassan Sawafta, and taking prisoner thirteen others.
Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Nablus – 10:20, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed Sebastia, wounding a resident: Ayman Shawqi Al-Shaer.
Israeli settler attack: Nablus – 20:20, an armed Yitzhar Occupation settlement guard opened fire towards a motor vehicle, in the village of Asira al-Qibliya.
Israeli Army attack – 6 wounded: Bethlehem – 18:00, Israeli troops stormed the al-Duheisha refugee camp, firing live ammunition and wounding six people: Laith Nidal Abu Amriya, Muhammad Nidal Manasra, Mahmoud Osama Akl, Ibrahim Fadi Daamsa, Youssef Omar Abu Omar and Ibrahim Shadi Muhammad Al-Saqqa.
Death: Nablus – 23:15, 19-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Raja Eid, has now died from wounds sustained during a an attack by Israeli forces, in the village of Burin on 4 March.
Home invasion: Jerusalem – 01:55–06:30, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of al-Jib and searched a house.
Home invasion: Jerusalem – 13:50-17:35, Israeli forces raided the village of al-Za’im and searched a home.
Home invasion: Jericho – 12:00-13:30, the Israeli Army raided al-Auja and searched a house.
Home invasions – 6 injured, 3 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 18:00-20:50, Israeli troops raided the Dheisheh refugee camp and invaded homes, injuring six residents and taking prisoner three others.
Israeli Army destruction – agricultural sabotage: Jerusalem – Israeli Occupation forces demolished a retaining wall in the Silwan neighbourhood and bulldozed privately-owned land.
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 destruction – agricultural sabotage: Salfit – 11:50, Israeli forces destroyed the base of an agricultural amenity about to be built, in the al-Ras area of Qarawat Bani Hassan.
Israeli Army plunder – agricultural sabotage: Salfit – 16:30, the Israeli Army seized agricultural equipment, east of Qarawat Bani Hassan.
Occupation settlement development: Jerusalem – the Israeli Occupation approved a plan to build 3500 new housing units in the Maale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar settlements.
Occupation settler violence – pastoral sabotage: Hebron – 14:55, Israeli Occupation settlers terrorised and pursued shepherds in the Wadi al-Jawaya area, east of Yatta, preventing them from reaching pastoral land to graze their flocks.
Occupation settler violence – beatings: Hebron – 19:35, Israeli Occupation settlers, in the Shweika area east of al-Dhaheriya, beat-up three people: Zain Ahmed Al-Battat, Muhammad Ahmed Al-Battat and Ahed Sameh Al-Battat.
Raids: Jerusalem – 01:55–04:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled al-Eizariya and Abu Dis.
Raids: Jerusalem – 04:10, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Biddu and Beit Anan as well as al-Qubeiba village.
Raid: Ramallah – 08:40, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Umm Safa.
Raid: Ramallah – 09:20-14:00, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Ni’lin.
Raids: Ramallah – 09:25, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the villages of Yabrud and Beitin.
Raid: Ramallah – 09:55, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Ein Qiniya.
Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 01:10–06:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Aboud, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 02:10–06:45, Israeli forces raided the city, taking prisoner two people.
Raid: Ramallah – 02:10–06:45, the Israeli Army raided al-Bireh.
Raids – refugee camp: Ramallah – 04:50–06:45, Israeli troops raided the villages of Jaffna and Surda, as well as the Jalazoun refugee camp.
Raid: Jenin – 09:40-11:40, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Ya’bad.
Raid: Jenin – 13:00, Israeli troops raided Araba.
Raids: Jenin – 14:45, the Israeli Army raided the villages of Faqua and Jalboun.
Raids: Jenin – midnight–03:15, Israeli troops again raided and patrolled Faqua and Jalboun.
Raid: Jenin – 02:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Araba.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – 02:30, Israeli soldiers raided the town of al-Zababdah, taking prisoner one person.
Raids: Jenin – 02:30, Israeli Occupation forces raided the villages of al-Jarba and Massalia.
Raid: Tulkarem – 21:45-midnight, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Nazlet Issa.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Tulkarem – dawn, the Israeli Army raided the village of Kafr Abbush, taking prisoner two people.
Raid: Qalqiliya – 18:50–22:25, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Hablat.
Raids: Qalqiliya – 01:05, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the villages of Hajjah and Izbit Jalloud.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 02:30–05:55, Israeli soldiers raided the city, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Qalqiliya – evening, Israeli Occupation forces raided and searched a mosque, vandalising and destroying its contents.
Raid: Nablus – 12:00, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Einabus.
Raid: Nablus – 19:55-20:55, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Asira al-Qibliya.
Raids – 3 taken prisoner: Nablus – 02:05–04:20, Israeli troops raided the city as well as the Balata refugee camp, taking prisoner three people.
Raid: Salfit – 18:35-19:45, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Haris.
Raid: Bethlehem – 10:45-14:50, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled al-Khadr.
Raid: Bethlehem – 17:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the city.
Raids: Bethlehem – 02:10–06:10, Israeli soldiers raided al-Ubeidiya and Za’atara villages.
Raids – 3 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 02:10–06:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided Tuqu as well as the village of Beit Tamar, taking prisoner three people.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – dawn, Israeli forces raided the village of al-Jab’a, taking prisoner two people.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Hebron – 11:10-12:50, the Israeli Army raided al-Samou, taking prisoner two people.
Raids: Hebron – 01:20–06:10, Israeli troops raided Hebron and Dura.
Raid: Hebron – 02:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Idhna.
Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Hebron – 02:20, Israeli Occupation forces raided Tafuh, taking prisoner two people.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Hebron – 02:35, Israeli forces raided the village of Deir Samit, taking prisoner one person.
YAWN!