In Occupied Palestine

Zionism in practice

Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land

08:00, 16 May until 08:00, 17 May 2024

[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Gaza Strip

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: 31 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 35,303. With another 56 wounded, that figure has risen to 79,261.

OCHA Flash Update #167:

Key Highlights

The ongoing influx of displaced people into Khan Younis and Deir al Balah continues to strain dwindling resources to respond to humanitarian needs.

As of 11 May, WFP-supported distributions of special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five have been suspended in Rafah but continued on a limited basis in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

Only five bakeries are operational in all of Gaza and 11 have ceased operations, the Food Security Cluster reports; limited amounts of supplies have entered Gaza since 6 May and remain largely insufficient to address the soaring needs.

The movement of Emergency Medical Teams in Gaza remains highly constrained, including due to growing insecurity, according to the Health Cluster.

Gaza Strip Updates

Israeli bombardment from the air, land, and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. Ground incursions and heavy fighting also continue to be reported, especially in Jabalya and eastern Rafah. As of 17 May, Rafah Crossing remains closed. Kerem Shalom Crossing is operational, but the prevailing security and logistical conditions are hampering humanitarian aid deliveries at scale.

Between the afternoon of 15 and 10:30 on 17 May, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 70 Palestinians were killed and 120 were injured, including 31 killed and 56 injured in the last 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 17 May 2024, at least 35,303 Palestinians were killed and 79,261 were injured in Gaza, according to MoH in Gaza.

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between 14 and 16 May:

On 14 May, at about 14:30, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Beit Lahiya in North Gaza.

On 15 May, at about 1:00, five Palestinians, including a girl, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Al Bureij Refugee Camp.

On 15 May, at about 2:00, four Palestinians were reportedly killed when their house was hit on Old Gaza Street in Jabaliya, in North Gaza.

On 15 May, at about 16:30, five Palestinians were reportedly killed and 15 injured when a group of Palestinians were hit in Al Jala Street, in Gaza city.

On 16 May, at 00:25, four Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in central Rafah.

On 16 May, at about 4:35, several Palestinians, including children and women, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Abu Iskandar area in Ash Sheikh Radwan, in Gaza city.

On 16 May, at about 11:50, five Palestinians, including two children and two women, were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit east of the European Gaza Hospital in eastern Khan Younis.

Between the afternoons of 15 and 17 May, six Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 17 May, 279 soldiers have been killed and 1,723 soldiers have been injured in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, according to the Israeli media citing official Israeli sources, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 17 May, it is estimated that 132 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.

The ongoing influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into Khan Younis and Deir al Balah continues to strain dwindling resources to respond to humanitarian needs. Between 6 and 16 May, according to the UN, nearly 640,000 people were displaced from Rafah, including about 40,000 people displaced on 16 May. According to the Shelter Cluster, there are no remaining stocks of shelter materials inside Gaza. Moreover, on 14 May, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, highlighted that the recent ground operations in Rafah and northern Gaza have heightened concerns about access to clean water and sanitation across Gaza: “In the north, vital wells have suffered great damage, while in Rafah at least eight facilities are down, impacting… people, many of them children who will likely revert to contaminated water and become seriously ill. When water fails, children suffer the most.” In addition to inadequate infrastructure, “civilians – already exhausted, malnourished, and facing numerous traumatic events – are now facing increased death, injury, and displacement among the ruins of their communities. The very humanitarian operations that became the only lifeline for the whole population across the Strip are threatened,” Khodr warned.

Gaza Internal Displacement Map

On 17 May, in parallel to reports on first shipments arriving at the new floating dock off Gaza’s shore, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said that “any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route. However, getting aid to people in need, into and across Gaza, cannot and should not depend on a floating dock.” Humanitarian agencies have stressed that land routes are the most viable, effective and efficient aid delivery method, which is why all crossing points need to open. Partners are finalising operational plans to ensure readiness to handle aid once the floating dock is properly functioning, while ensuring the safety of staff.

The food security situation in Gaza remains dire, with ongoing closures and inaccessibility exacerbating critical shortages of food, water, and fuel. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported on 15 May that its food and fuel stocks would run out in a matter of days. More than 3,000 metric tons of food in main warehouses have become inaccessible by food security partners due to ongoing hostilities. According to the Egyptian Red Crescent, as of 16 May, 1,574 out of about 2,050 trucks that remain stuck in Al Arish on the Egyptian side of Rafah Crossing carry critical food items. Limited amounts of supplies have entered Gaza since 6 May and remain largely insufficient to address the soaring needs; six trucks carrying food aid entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom Crossing on 11 May, 27 trucks carrying flour entered through the same crossing on 15 May, 121 trucks carrying food items entered through Erez Crossing on 6 and 8 May, and 156 trucks carrying flour were reported to have arrived in northern Gaza via West Erez (Zikim/As Siafa) entry point between 12 and 15 May, the Food Security Cluster reports. As of 16 May, 11 bakeries in southern Gaza have ceased operations due to fuel and supply shortages and ongoing hostilities and only five remain operational in the Gaza Strip, including four in Gaza city and one in Deir al Balah. These conditions have forced partners to conduct small-scale distributions with limited stocks, providing reduced rations and prioritizing Khan Younis and Deir al Balah governorates that have been receiving hundreds of thousands of IDPs from Rafah over the past ten days. As of 11 May, WFP-supported distributions of special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five have also been suspended in Rafah but continued on a limited basis in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

On 16 May, water engineers at Khan Younis municipalities reported that water and sanitation services in the governorate have collapsed due to ongoing hostilities and closure of the crossings. Vital infrastructure, such as wells, water tanks, distribution networks, desalination plants, sewage stations and drainage networks have sustained damages estimated at US$40 million in the water sector and $20 million in the sanitation sector, they added. Destroyed infrastructure includes 45 out of 60 water wells, nine out of ten main water tanks, 350 out of 700 kilometres of water pipes, and 70 kilometres of the main drainage networks, according to the same source. The engineers additionally noted that repair and restoration efforts have been rendered impossible by the closure of the crossings, and shortages in urgent maintenance supplies have been compounded by the destruction of all power generators and the governorate’s emergency and central warehouses. Ongoing displacement from Rafah to Khan Younis has further exacerbated the water and sanitation conditions, with sewage overflow and solid waste accumulation spread across roads, displacement camps and the rubble of destroyed homes and resulting in catastrophic health and environmental impacts. The engineers called for an urgent intervention to facilitate the entry of fuel and resources through the crossings and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe from unfolding, including death from thirst.

The healthcare system in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with the delivery of critical medical supplies to hospitals located within the evacuation zones severely disrupted, UNICEF reports. The provision of basic services at nine primary healthcare centres and 37 medical points in Rafah and North Gaza has been similarly hampered by high insecurity and recent evacuation orders, according to the Health Cluster. Moreover, health facilities that maintain some level of functionality are facing rising shortages of essential medical supplies and have been forced to ration fuel. On 14 May, the Palestine Red Crescent Society highlighted that the continuous interruption of the entry of fuel into Gaza “threatens the complete collapse of the healthcare system, and shutdown of the remaining hospitals if fuel is not provided for power generators, ambulances, water desalination stations, and sewage networks.” Restrictions on the entry of tents and building equipment into Gaza also limit the ability of health partners to establish new temporary health facilities. While 18 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) continue to be deployed across the Strip, their movement remains highly constrained, including due to growing insecurity. On 14 May, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that “relentless fighting and bombing has led to a massive influx of patients at the Al Aqsa Hospital,” where 46 of the 117 patients who were brought to the emergency room on 10 and 11 May alone succumbed to their wounds; these “mass casualty incidents are becoming more frequent,” MSF added.

West Bank

[Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded in refugee camp: Ramallah – 23:10, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the Jalazoun refugee camp, wounding a resident: Thaer Maher Naanesh.

Israeli Army attack – 1 youngster wounded: Tulkarem – 23:50, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, stormed Anabta, wounding a 16-year-old youth: Omar Alaa Adeeb Faqha.

Israeli Army attack – 1 killed: Tulkarem – 23:50, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed al-Balah, shooting dead a resident: Karim Raeq Abdel Raouf Amir.

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded – 1 beaten-up and taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 22:50, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the city, wounding one person and taking prisoner another, after beating him up.

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded: Nablus – 17:10, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed Qusra, wounding a resident: Ahmed Riyad Hassan.

Israeli Army attack – 1 wounded and 1 taken prisoner in refugee camp: Nablus – 05:30, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed the Askar refugee camp, wounding one person, Mustafa Abdel Qader Al-Salhi, and taking prisoner one other.

Home invasions – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Jerusalem – 13:00, Israeli Occupation forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Abu Dis and searched twohomes.

Home invasions: Qalqiliya – 18:25, Israeli forces raided Azzun and searched two homes.

Home invasions: Salfit – 01:30–03:50, the Israeli Army raided Kafr al-Dik and searched two homes.

Home invasions: Bethlehem – 22:55–00:15, Israeli troops raided Janata and searched two homes.

Home demolitions and economic sabotage: Bethlehem – 08:50, the Israeli military, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Idhna and demolished two homes as well as the offices of a family business.

Home invasions: Bethlehem – 01:10–08:00, Israeli soldiers, raiding Sa’ir and al-Shuyukh, searched six 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 assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Ramallah – 10:00, Israeli Occupation forces fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people, near the Ofer refugee camp.

Israeli Army armed robbery – agricultural sabotage – population–control: Nablus – 18:40, Israeli forces seized an agricultural tractor being used by a farmer, Yahya Nizam Youssef Azem, to work his land.

Israeli Army population–control: Salfit – 09:50, the Israeli Army closed the north-eastern entrance to Yasuf village.

Israeli Army assault with rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Hebron – 19:10, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades towards people, near the Tabqa village road junction.

Israeli Army vandalism and population–control: Hebron – 16:50, the Israeli military bulldozed the Marla Road near the village of al-Simiya.

Occupation settler stoning: Ramallah – 23:10, Israelis, from the Shilo Occupation settlement, stoned passing vehicles at the nearby road junction.

Occupation settler violence and arson: Ramallah – 23:45, Israelis, from the Kochav Hashahar Occupation settlement, intercepted a truck near Deir Jarir village, severely beating-up the driver and setting fire to his vehicle.

Occupation settler stoning: Nablus – 10:10, Israeli settlers stoned passing vehicles, on the main road north of Huwara.

Occupation settler stoning: Salfit – 15:00, Occupation settlers stoned passing vehicles, near the Za’tara junction checkpoint.

Occupation settler stoning: Salfit – 22:15, Israelis, from the Ariel Occupation settlement, stoned passing vehicles at the nearby roundabout.

Occupation settler population–control: Salfit – 22:35, Occupation settlers blocked a road from use at the eastern entrance to the village of Yasuf.

Occupation settler stoning: Hebron – 22:30, Israelis, from the Adora Occupation settlement, stoned passing vehicles on the 35th bypass road, north of Hebron.

Raid: Jerusalem – 10:25–16:35, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Jaba’.

Raid: Jerusalem – 10:25, Israeli forces raided and patrolled al-Ram.

Raid: Jerusalem – 20:30, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Hizma.

Raid: Jerusalem – 02:55, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Anata.

Raid: Ramallah – 08:25-15:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Ein Qiniya.

Raids: Ramallah – 10:15-15:00, Israeli soldiers raided Silwad and Turmusaya.

Raid: Ramallah – 17:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Ni’lin.

Raid: Ramallah – 19:30-20:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Sinjil.

Raid: Ramallah – 01:20, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Aboud.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 02:10, Israeli troops raided Silwad, taking prisoner one person.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 02:50–05:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Azzun.

Raid: Tulkarem – 00:35–02:50, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the Shweika suburb.

Raid – abduction and 2 people taken prisoner: Nablus – 10:10-14:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided Huwara and abducted a 16-year-old youth, Rawhi Abdel Fattah Awad, as well as taking prisoner two other people prisoner.

Raid: Nablus – 10:50-14:45, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Einabus.

Raid: Nablus – 11:05-14:45, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Bizzaria.

Raid: Nablus – 19:40, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Salem village.

Raid: Nablus – 21:00, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Deir al-Hatab.

Raid: Nablus – 21:40, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Aqraba.

Raid: Nablus – 22:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Sebastia.

Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Nablus – 02:10, Israeli Army raided the village of Duma, taking prisoner two people.

Raid: Salfit – 13:20-17:55, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Qarawat Bani Hassan.

Raid: Salfit – midnight-00:35, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Haris village.

Raid: Jericho – 15:25-17:40, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled al-Auja.

Raid: Jericho – 20:40-21:40, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the city.

Raid: Bethlehem – 11:45, Israeli forces raided and patrolled al-Khadr.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Hebron – 09:20-10:35, the Israeli Army raided Bani Naim, taking prisoner one person.

Raid – 9 taken prisoner: Hebron – 11:40, Israeli troops raided Beit Ula, taking prisoner nine people.

Raid: Hebron – 01:05, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the city.

Raid: Hebron – 01:35, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Dura.

Raid: Hebron – 04:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Yatta.

Raid: Hebron – 06:40, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Tarqumiya.