In Occupied Palestine

Zionism in practice

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

08:00, 03 October until 08:00, 04 October 2024

[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Gaza Strip

Attacks: There are no safe places for the militarily-dominated population in Gaza, who find themselves subjected to airstrikes and other missile attacks on buildings, homes and many essentialfacilities, as well as constant gunfire and invasions by Israeli forces. The Israeli Navy continues to fire missiles, targeting facilities and buildings along the entire Gaza shoreline.

Victims: statistics uncertain at this time.

 

OCHA Update #226 – Gaza Strip

4 October 2024

 

Key Highlights

• At least six schools and one orphanage serving as shelters for internally displaced persons were hit in the last four days, the UN Human Rights Office reports, calling on the Israeli military to immediately end the pattern of strikes in Gaza on buildings serving as shelters for displaced people.

• At least 87 per cent of schools in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged since October 2023, including one-third of UNRWA schools, a new assessment by the Education Cluster finds.

• Only 229 critical patients, along with 316 companions, have been exceptionally medically evacuated from Gaza since the closure of the Rafah Crossing in early May. This includes eight patients, including seven children, evacuated to Romania on 30 September.

Humanitarian Developments

• Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations, particularly in Beit Hanoun and west of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, south of Gaza city, east of Al Bureij and Al Maghazi refugee camps in Deir al Balah, south-east Khan Younis and east and south Rafah also continue to be reported.

• Between the afternoons of 30 September and 4 October, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 187 Palestinians were killed and 485 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 October 2024, at least 41,802 Palestinians were killed and 96,844 were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.

• On 3 October, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) called on “the Israeli military to immediately end the pattern of strikes in Gaza on buildings” serving as shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to OHCHR, in the early hours of 2 October, at least six Palestinians were killed when the Israeli military reportedly hit Al Amal Institute for Orphans that was also serving as an IDP shelter. Furthermore, in the preceding 72 hours, at least six schools serving as IDP shelters had been hit, resulting in tens of fatalities, including children and women. In September, OHCHR documented at least 14 strikes on schools and at least one strike on schools every other day in August, noting that these “attacks have become an almost daily event.” OHCHR emphasised: “Irrespective of whether Palestinian armed groups were present in these facilities, the resulting high rate of civilian casualties makes it difficult to conceive that such strikes are proportionate according to the principles of international humanitarian law. These attacks have long-term impacts on the civilian population, destroying the only viable shelters remaining for the more than one million Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced into an unsafe, unilaterally declared ‘humanitarian zone’ where there is little or no access to life-saving essential humanitarian assistance.” In its statement, OHCHR also reminded Palestinian armed groups that “using the presence of civilians to shield themselves from attack constitutes a violation of IHL”, calling on them to “cease and refrain from any such use.”

• The following are other deadly incidents reported between 30 September and 3 October:

  • On 30 September, at about 23:10, 11 Palestinians, including three children and four women, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in south-western An Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Deir al Balah.

  • On 1 October, at about 22:30, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Ash Shuja’iyeh neighbourhood, east of Gaza city.

  • On 1 October, at about 21:25, at least 10 Palestinians, including a woman and a toddler, were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Maan area east of Khan Younis city. Nine additional family members reportedly remained under rubble. Ambulances were unable to reach the area and evacuate the injured for several hours due to the ongoing incursion and shelling.

  • On 1 October, at about 13:10, 12 Palestinians, including at least a woman and a girl, were reportedly killed and at least 26 others were injured when two IDP tents were hit in Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.

  • On 2 October, at about 00:30, 12 Palestinians, including four females, were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Al Manarah neighbourhood south-east of Khan Younis. Bodies stuck under rubble were only recovered hours later due to intensified shelling and shooting.

  • On 3 October, at about 1:30, five Palestinians, including two children, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Ash Shati’ (Beach) refugee camp, west Gaza city.

• Between the afternoons of 30 September and 4 October, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 October 2024, according to the Israeli military and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,546 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October and its immediate aftermath. The figure includes 346 soldiers killed in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation. In addition, 2,297 Israeli soldiers were reported injured since the beginning of the ground operation.

• According to a new assessment by the Education Cluster, which relies on satellite imagery collected on 6 September, at least 87 per cent of school buildings in the Gaza Strip (493 out of 564) have been directly hit or damaged and are currently estimated to require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again, up from 84.6 per cent in July 2024. Fifty-five per cent of these schools (273) are government schools, a third (161) are UNRWA schools, and 12 per cent (59) are private schools. Since the last damage analysis on 6 July, 35 additional school buildings have been classified as directly hit, 11 of them in the Rafah governorate and another 11 in Gaza governorate. Additionally, the analysis finds that at least 71 schools were totally destroyed, up from 65 schools as of 6 July, and 48 additional schools lost at least half of their structures. Prior to the escalation, “directly hit” or “damaged” schools served about 541,227 students and had more than 20,222 teachers, who represent, respectively, about 86 and 87 per cent of the total student population and teaching staff in Gaza. The number of buildings requiring full reconstruction or rehabilitation highlights the severe impact of ongoing hostilities on school facilities. The situation jeopardises the possibility of using the schools again for educational purposes, ultimately threatening children’s right to learn.

• Preparations are underway for the second round of the polio vaccination campaign, which is scheduled to take place in mid-October and will also include the distribution of Vitamin A supplements, reports WHO. This new vaccination drive will integrate lessons learnt from the first round and findings from the post-campaign assessments conducted in September. Concurrently, the Health Cluster is tackling several other health-related priorities. On 30 September, 3,000 blood units collected through a blood donation campaign in the West Bank were delivered to health facilities across Gaza to mitigate the shortage of blood units. On 19 and 23 September, WHO conducted two missions to the Kerem Shalom Crossing to facilitate the entry of eight trucks carrying urgently needed medications and supplies. Earlier on 20 September, WHO collected eight pallets donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Field Hospital from the field hospital in Rafah for distribution to other Emergency Medical Teams in northern and southern Gaza. Moreover, as part of efforts to enhance Infection Prevention and Control, the Trauma Working Group is also standardising wound management protocols to enhance the quality of wound care and reduce the rate of infections at both primary healthcare centres and hospitals.

• A dedicated working group under the Health Cluster is currently mapping all Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) service providers across the Strip to ensure a co-ordinated response to the vast scale of mental health needs and trauma. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that young patients from Gaza receiving treatment at the MSF Reconstructive Surgery Hospital in Amman, Jordan, are experiencing a combination of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress syndrome, and will require psychotherapy for years to learn how to live with the traumatic events they experienced. Meanwhile, in Gaza, attacks impacting on healthcare have continued, with 516 such attacks recorded by WHO, as of 25 September. WHO informs that on 21 September, an MoH warehouse in northern Rafah was hit, resulting in the reported killing of four MoH employees and the injury of six others. MoH also confirmed the death of three healthcare workers who were reportedly detained by Israeli Army while on duty between December 2023 and March 2024; in total five health workers have died in detention since 7 October.

• In a positive development, on 30 September, eight patients, including seven children, were evacuated from Gaza to receive specialised medical treatment in Romania. Four patients have cancer, two have blood diseases, one requires a kidney transplant, and one has a severe injury; they travelled to Bucharest accompanied by 24 family members. The operation was co–ordinated by the EU directly from Gaza under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and was undertaken jointly with Romania, WHO and the Israeli authorities. Since the closure of Rafah Crossing in early May, 229 patients, along with 316 companions, have been exceptionally evacuated outside Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, while an estimated 12,000 patients in need of urgent treatment remain inside the Strip. WHO continues to reiterate its appeal for the urgent establishment of evacuation corridors and “for all possible routes to be used for safe and timely passage of all patients who need specialised care.”

West Bank

[Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Israeli airstrike – 18 killed, including 2 children and a 16-year-old youth: Tulkarem – 22:20, an Israeli warplane fired a missile into a café in the Tulkarem refugee camp, killing 18 peopleincluding a man, his wife and their children in their home nearby. The two children killed are: 7–year-old Sham Muhammad Abu Zahra and Karam Muhammad Abu Zahra (aged 8). One minor, Muhammad Mamoun Anbas (aged 16) was also killed, along with 15 other people: Basil Mahmoud Nafi’ (aged 18), Majdi Jamal Salem (aged 19), Ghaith Badi’ Radwan, Zahi Yasser Awfi, Ayman Khaled Tanji, Asem Numan Qawzah, Anwar Muhammad Masimi, Ahmad Jamal Ubaid, Saja Nasser Khrioush, Omar Nimr Fiat, Muhammad Salah Abu Zahra, Rakan Bilal Awad, Mahmoud Nasser Khrioush, Mohsen Ghazi Dabaya and Athir Majdi Luisi.

Israeli Army attack– 1 killed: Hebron – 16:10, Israeli Occupation forces shot and killed a man, Salah Ziad Issa Shawahin, in south Hebron.

Israeli Army attack: Hebron – 00:15, Israeli forces fired live ammunition towards people, near the entrance to the city.

Home invasion and occupation: Jenin – 09:40, Israeli Occupation forces stormed into Ya’bad, occupied the roof of a house and turned the home into a military post.

Home invasions, theft and surveillance: Salfit – 21:05–03:55, Israeli forces raided the town of Deir Istiya, invaded a number of homes and seized their surveillance–camera recordings.

Israeli Army population–control: Jerusalem – evening, Israeli Occupation forces closed to traffic, in both directions, three entrances to the town of Hizma.

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 population–control: Qalqiliya – 10:40, Israeli forces closed the road between Jayus and Azzun.

Israeli Army – youngster terrorised: Jericho – 19:30, the Israeli Army set up a checkpoint at the northern entrance to the city and terrorised a 16-year-old youth, Bassam Omar Al-Jabali, until releasing him just after midnight.

Israeli Army population–control: Bethlehem – 11:55, Israeli troops forced residents and members of the al-Khadr Municipality to evacuate students from the schools in al-Khadr.

Israeli Army – 2 children and 5 other youngsters terrorised: Hebron – the Israeli military held captive and terrorised two 14-year-old boy, Sami Ahmad Bahar and Ahmad Ibrahim Bahar, as well as five teenage minors: 16-year-old Ayman Hassan Sabarneh and four 17-year-olds: Qusay Mufid Ikhlil, Ammar Arar, Abdul Fattah Al-Tayti, Wadih Muhammad Muslih Awad.

Israeli Army population–control: Hebron – Israeli soldiers imposed a curfew on three neighbourhoods in the Old City, in order to facilitate further celebration of the Jewish holidays.

Israeli Army population–control: Hebron – 12:30, Israeli Occupation forces closed the northern, western and southern entrances to the city as well as closing the Qalqas village roundabout, the road under the Beit Kahil town bridge, the entrance to the Nabi Yunis area, the main entrance to Beit Kahil, the entrance to the al-Fawar and al-Arroub refugee camps, the Beit Einun village roadjunction and the entrances to Bani Na’im and Idhna.

Occupation settler violence: Ramallah – 16:05, Israeli Occupation settlers assaulted a number of Palestinian farmers, in Shuqba village.

Occupation settler pastoral sabotage: Tubas – 17:15, a settler motorist drove towards shepherds, in the al-Farisiya area of the northern Jordan Valley, and tried to run over their sheep.

Occupation settler population–control: Salfit – 12:55, Israelis, from the Kfar Tapuach Occupation settlement, blocked the road leading to the village of Yasuf.

Occupation settler violence and agricultural sabotage: Salfit – 15:00, an armed Israeli, from the Rafafa Occupation settlement, forced off an olive–harvesting farmer, Alaa Aziz, from his land nearHaris village.

Occupation settler stoning: Hebron – 07:30, Israeli settlers invaded the outskirts of the village of Susya and stoned a house, smashing its windows. The settlers also assaulted foreign solidarity activists, smashing the windows of their vehicle.

Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Jerusalem – 22:00–00:55, Israeli Occupation forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the town of Hizma.

Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Jerusalem – 03:00–04:00, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the town of Anata.

Raid: Jerusalem – 03:00–04:20, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of al-Jadira.

Raid: Ramallah – 23:30–01:05, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Kafr Malik.

Raids: Ramallah – 00:20–03:10, the Israeli military raided as well as patrolling the villages of al-Mughayir and Abu Falah.

Raids: Ramallah – 00:50–03:10, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Ni’lin as well as the villages of Deir Abu Masha‘al and Budrus.

Raids: Ramallah – 07:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Beitunya, Beit Ur al-Tahta and the village of Beit Ur al-Fauqa.

Raid: Jenin – 20:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the town of Ya’bad.

Raids: Jenin – 18:30-21:40, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the villages of Faqua and al-Jalameh.

Raid: Jenin – 00:15–02:15, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Araba.

Raid: Tulkarem – 08:05, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Baqa al-Sharqiya.

Raid: Tulkarem – 09:40, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Quffin.

Raid: Tulkarem – 10:50, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Beit Lid as well as the village of Safarin.

Raid – refugee camp: Tulkarem – 23:10–03:30, Israeli soldiers raided the city and also the refugee camp.

Raids: Tulkarem – 23:50–03:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Anabta and Kafr al-Labad.

Raid: Tulkarem – 02:25, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of Izbit Shufa.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 08:55, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the town of Kafr Thulth.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 11:55, Israeli troops raided the town of Azzun.

Raids: Qalqiliya – 16:10-18:30, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the villages of Hajjah, al-Funduq and Izbit Salman.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 19:05-20:30, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Farata.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 20:55–04:40, Israeli Occupation forces raided the village of Kafr Qaddum.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 00:20–01:30, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the village of al-Nabi Elias.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 00:50, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the town of Azzun.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 03:05–05:55, Israeli troops raided the city, taking prisoner one person.

Raid: Nablus – 13:05, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Burin.

Raids: Nablus – 14:20, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the villages of Burqa as well as Bizzariya.

Raid: Nablus – 16:25-18:55, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Iraq Burin.

Raids: Nablus – 18:55–22:00, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the town of Jama’in as well as the village of Zeita Jama’in.

Raid: Nablus – 20:20–04:50, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Asira al-Shamaliya.

Raid: Nablus – 20:30, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the town of Beita.

Raid: Nablus – 01:05–04:50, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Beit Furik.

Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Nablus – 01:50–05:50, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Beita, taking prisoner one person.

Raid: Nablus – 02:40–04:55, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the city.

Raid: Salfit – 16:30-17:50, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the city .

Raid – population–control: Salfit – 21:20–02:40, the Israeli Army raided the village of Marda and forced the shops to close.

Raid: Jericho – 23:40–07:00, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the town of al-Auja.

Raid: Bethlehem – 21:45–01:05, the Israeli military, firing stun grenades, raided al-Khadr.

Raid – 3 taken prisoner: Hebron – 09:30, Israeli soldiers raided the city, taking prisoner three people.

Raid – 5 taken prisoner: Hebron – 01:05–06:55, Israeli Occupation forces again raided the city, taking prisoner five people.

Raid: Hebron – 00:40, Israeli forces raided and patrolled al-Dhahiriya.

Raid: Hebron – 04:50–06:55, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the town of Idhna.

Raid – 23 taken prisoner: Hebron – 05:00–07:30, Israeli troops raided Beit Ummar, taking prisoner 23 people.

Raid: Hebron – 05:00–07:30, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Deir Samit.