In Occupied Palestine

Zionism in practice

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

08:00, 23 May until 08:00, 24 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: 57 people killed in Gaza brings the total number of deaths since 7 October to at least 35,857. With another 93 wounded, that figure has risen to more than 80,293.

ICJ orders Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah, Gaza in new ruling

Judges at the top United Nations court order Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The Judges ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and withdraw from the enclave, in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, citing “immense risk” to the Palestinian population. Friday’s decision marked the third time this year the 15-judge panel has issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza. While orders are legally binding, the court has no police to enforce them.

Reading out a ruling by the International Court of Justice or World Court, the body’s president, Nawaf Salam, said provisional measures ordered by the court in March did not fully address the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave now, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order.

Israel must “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” Salam said, and called the humanitarian situation in Rafah “disastrous”.

OCHA Flash Update #170:

Key Highlights

No hospitals are currently accessible in North Gaza governorate; and communicable diseases are on the rise, with children under five particularly affected, the World Health Organization reports.

Some displaced people in central Gaza are now surviving on three per cent of the minimum standard for daily water needs, warn international NGOs.

Network outages, insecurity, and access challenges continue to disrupt aid operations in Gaza, reports the Emergency Telecommunications 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 as well as eastern and central Rafah.

Between the afternoons of 22 and 23 May, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 91 Palestinians were killed and 210 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 23 May 2024, at least 35,800 Palestinians were killed and 80,200 were injured in Gaza, according to MoH in Gaza. Casualty numbers covering the period until the afternoon of 24 May are not available as of the time of reporting.

The following are among the deadly incidents reported between 21 and 23 May:

On 21 May, at about 15:00, six Palestinians, including an infant, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was struck in As Sahaba neighbourhood, in Gaza city.

On 22 May, at about 0:35, six Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Beer An Na’aja area of Jabalya Refugee Camp.

On 22 May, at 0:50, 12 Palestinians, including at least four children and a pregnant woman, were reportedly killed and others injured when a location near Al Quds factory and a house were hit in Az Zawayda area in Deir al Balah.

On 22 May, at about 19:55, four Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when internally displaced persons (IDPs) were hit while evacuating a shelter in Jabalya Refugee Camp, in North Gaza.

On 22 May, at about 13:05, six Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit in Jabalya Refugee Camp.

On 22 May, at about 17:00, six Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit near Al Jurn roundabout in Jabalya city.

On 22 May, at about 18:00, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed and 20 injured when a group of people were hit in Al Zeitoun area in Gaza city.

On 22 May, at about 22:45, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit behind Al Ouruba school, in the New Camp of An Nuseirat, in Deir al Balah.

On 23 May, at about 0:30, at least ten Palestinians, including children and women, were reportedly killed when the fourth floor of Fatima Az Zahra Mosque was hit in Ad Daraj neighbourhood, in Gaza city.

On 23 May, at about 1:30, 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, were reportedly killed when a four-story building was hit in Gaza city.

Between the afternoons of 22 and 23 May, three Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 24 May, 285 soldiers have been killed in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation and 1,781 soldiers have been injured, 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. On 24 May, the Israeli military announced that the bodies of three Israelis, thus far listed as hostages, were recovered from Gaza; as of 24 May, it is estimated that 125 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.

On 22 May, at about 7:50, Israeli forces reportedly released an unconfirmed number of Palestinian detainees at Kissufim Crossing in Al Qarara, east of Khan Younis. According to Palestinian media reports, 30 detainees were released, of whom three, including a woman, were transported to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah.

Entry of aid supplies into Gaza continues to be limited. Between the start of the military operation in Rafah on 7 May and 23 May, only 906 truckloads carrying humanitarian assistance entered Gaza through all operating entry points, including 143 through Kerem Shalom Crossing, 62 through Erez, 604 through Erez West, and 97 through the floating dock. These figures do not include commercial trucks, as the UN has been unable to observe the arrival of private sector cargo through Kerem Shalom crossing due to insecurity. Supplies that are dropped off at the crossing without safety or logistical viability for humanitarian organizations to pick them up are also not included in these statistics. Additionally, just over 1 million litres of fuel have entered the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the military operation in Rafah. This represents an average of 29 per cent of fuel allocations that would have been received under arrangements in place prior to 6 May, further affecting the functioning of bakeries, hospitals, water wells, and other critical infrastructure. On 22 May, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that “humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse” and “if food and humanitarian supplies do not begin to enter Gaza in massive quantities, desperation and hunger will spread.” As of 24 May, only 11 out of 16 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners are operational, including one in Jabalya, six in Deir Al Balah, and four in Gaza city.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that “access to health care in Gaza is further shrinking.” According to WHO, on 22 May, the Israeli military reportedly raided Al Awda Hospital, which had been under siege since 19 May. The majority of the 140 hospital staff, patients and their companions who were present at the hospital were allowed to evacuate, while 12 staff, including the director, as well as 14 patients and eight companions remained, the WHO Director-General reported. At Kamal Adwan Hospital, all health workers and patients have been evacuated, the majority of whom are now at Al Helou Hospital in Gaza city and four critical cases are at Al Ahli Hospital, WHO informs. As of 24 May, there is only one hospital considered partially functional in North Gaza (Al Awda) but it remains inaccessible.

Shortages in fuel, medical supplies and equipment are threatening the ability of the remaining health facilities to operate. In Deir al Balah, the situation remains critical at Al Aqsa Hospital, where on the night of 23 May, the electricity was largely cut off, due to the depletion of fuel to operate generators. Humanitarian organisations were able to deliver 15,000 litres of fuel to the hospital on 24 May. In a press briefing on 23 May, the administration of Al Aqsa Hospital had appealed for an urgent intervention by international organisations to provide 50,000 litres of fuel to avert “an imminent crisis” if the electricity stops, which would threaten the lives of more than 1,200 wounded and sick patients, particularly those in the Intensive Care Unit, newborns in incubators, and some 600 patients with kidney failure requiring dialysis treatment.

Between 15 and 21 May, WHO documented eight new attacks on healthcare facilities, for a total of 458 attacks on health care since the escalation of hostilities on 7 October, affecting 102 healthcare facilities, including 32 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, and 109 ambulances. As of 24 May, 15 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are only partially functional, 21 hospitals are out of service, and there are eight functional field hospitals, according to WHO. Partially functional hospitals include facilities that are unable to provide inpatient care, with available bed capacity at existing hospitals reaching 439 per cent as of 13 May, or more than four times the case load that their maximum capacity allows for, according to MoH. The Health Cluster estimates that hospital bed capacity in the Gaza Strip currently stands at 2,368 beds, compared with about 3,500 beds before the war.

Access to sexual, reproductive, and maternal health (SRMH) services across the Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly limited. Only five hospitals continue to offer such services, including As Sahaba and Al Helou hospitals in Gaza city, Al Awda Hospital in Deir al Balah, Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, and Al Emirati Hospital in Rafah, in addition to two field hospitals, 15 primary healthcare centres and 17 medical points. The Health Cluster reports that, with 170-180 deliveries taking place daily in Gaza and 27 per cent of them requiring caesarean sections, there is a critical need to establish additional containerized clinics across Gaza to scale up SRMH services, particularly in Al Mawasi and Deir al Balah to address the urgent needs of displaced people. The lack of adequate SRMH services exposes mothers and newborns to severe and life-threatening health risks, and if women survive pregnancy and childbirth, the risk of disease, infections and critical nutrition deficits hampers postpartum recovery, reports CARE.

On 22 May, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that some displaced people in central Gaza are surviving on just three per cent of the internationally recognized minimum requirements. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 litres, which includes water for drinking, washing, and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is three litres per day. This is the case, for instance, at a shelter visited by the IRC that houses 10,000 people and receives just 4,000 litres of water per day, translating to about 0.4 litres per person, for drinking, washing, cooking and cleaning. The IRC stressed that this situation is forcing people to rely on unsafe water sources like seawater and agricultural wells, and the lack of adequate water quantities is contributing to dehydration. In the absence of sanitation facilities, displaced people are also building their own makeshift latrines, with up to 600 individuals sharing a single latrine, a situation exacerbated by the scarcity or unaffordability of hygiene supplies. Within this context, communicable diseases, including diarrhoea and suspected Hepatitis A, continue to increase, with children under the age of five being particularly affected. The Health Cluster reports that, among cases for which age-disaggregated data exist, children under five make up 29 per cent of acute respiratory infections, 33 per cent of bloody diarrhoea cases, and 28 per cent of acute watery diarrhoea illnesses.

Aid operations in Gaza continue to be disrupted by network outages and difficulties facing local Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in carrying out needed maintenance and repair works. This is due to damaged infrastructure, limited access to fuel and prevailing insecurity. The ability of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) to provide services is also severely limited due to import challenges; since 7 October, the ETC only had 20 satellite phones, four Very High Frequency (VHF) repeaters, four solar power solutions, and 30 VHF handheld radios approved for import into Gaza by Israeli authorities. Coordination is also under way to secure the clearances and licenses required to program the 30 imported VHF radios, transport them from Jerusalem to Gaza, and enable the re-activation of the Gaza Security Communications System (SCS). Recently, intensified hostilities and limited staff rotations through border crossings have hampered the transport of received ICT equipment to Gaza, the deployment of shared ETC communications services, and the provision of face-to-face technical support to humanitarian responders. Funding challenges are an additional concern, as the ETC has so far only received about 23 per cent of required funds under the Flash Appeal and continues to appeal for additional funding to address life-saving communication needs of humanitarian actors in Gaza.

West Bank

[Palestinian Monitoring Group]

Israeli Army attack – 2 youngsters wounded: Qalqiliya – 09:40, Israeli Occupation forces, at the Annexation Wall close to Jayus, opened live-fire, wounding two minors: 13-year-old Majd Shadi Salim and 17-year-old Mahmoud Shadi Wafiq Salim.

Israeli Army attack – refugee camp: Nablus – 04:15, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the Balata refugee camp.

Israeli Army attack on village: Bethlehem – 21:15–23:30, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed Husan village.

Home invasion: Qalqiliya – 18:15–22:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided Azzun and searched a house.

Home invasions: Hebron – 20:35–23:00, Israeli forces raided Idhna and invaded a number of 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 land–seizure: Bethlehem – the Israeli Occupation issued an order, for the seizure for military purposes of an area of land belonging to Nahalin as well as the village of al-Jaba’a.

Occupation settlement development: Hebron – 09:10, the Israeli Army installed eight mobile-homes on seized Karma village land, in order to enlarge the Otniel Occupation settlement.

Occupation settler stoning: Jerusalem – 23:50–03:10, Israeli Occupation settlers stoned passing vehicles, on the Mikhmas village roundabout.

Occupation settler land-grab: Ramallah – morning, armed Israeli settlers set-up camp and herded 200-head of sheep onto land in Deir Dibwan.

Occupation settler water crime and population–control: Ramallah – 19:05, Israeli Occupation settlers invaded the Ein Samiya area, east of al-Mughayir, and vandalised the water–supply network.

Occupation settler arson and agricultural sabotage: Nablus – evening, Israelis, from the Shavei Shamron Occupation settlement colony, invaded 1.5 hectares of Sebastia farmland and set fire to the wheat crop.

Occupation settler violence and food vandalism: Nablus – 17:40, Israeli Occupation settlers, invading an area of Beita and stoning passing vehicles, held up a truck loaded with flour and destroyed part of its cargo.

Occupation settler arson and agricultural sabotage: Nablus – 19:25, Israeli settlers raided an area in east Beit Dajan village and set fire to a number of greenhouses.

Occupation settler violence and food vandalism: Salfit – 18:55, Israeli Occupation settlers held up a truck loaded with sugar, near the Za’tara junction checkpoint, and scattered the load over the road.

Occupation raid: Salfit – 03:20, two Israeli settler vehicles invaded the centre of Kifl Haris.

Occupation settler land-grab: Jericho – morning, Israeli Occupation settlers raided al-Auja and established a new settlement outpost, in addition to one set up two weeks ago.

Occupation settler arson and pastoral sabotage: Jericho – 15:40-16:55, Israeli settlers set fire to pastoral land, along the al-Ma’arjat Road, which also led to the road’s closure.

Occupation settler plunder – pastoral sabotage: Jericho – 02:15, Israeli settlers stoned a house in the Arab Mleihat area, north–east of Jericho, and plundered sheep.

Occupation settler land-grab: Hebron – 18:00, Israeli Occupation settlers set up camp on privately-owned land in al-Samou.

Occupation settler arson and agricultural sabotage: Hebron – 18:30, Israeli settlers set fire to crops and trees on Susiya village farmland.

Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades: Jerusalem – 10:30, Israeli Occupation forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided al-Ram and the local Bank of Palestine.

Raid: Jerusalem – 11:30, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Hizma.

Raid: Jerusalem – 15:30, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled al-Eizariya.

Raid – stun grenades: Jerusalem – 01:40–05:45, Israeli troops, firing stun grenades raided Anata.

Raid: Jerusalem – 03:40–05:45, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Biddu.

Raid: Ramallah – 11:45, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Turmusaya.

Raid: Ramallah – 11:45, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Umm Safa.

Raid: Ramallah – 17:00, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled al-Bireh.

Raid: Ramallah – 17:00-02:00, Israeli troops raided al-Bireh, taking prisoner two people.

Raid – 2 taken prisoner: Ramallah – 02:50–03:45, the Israeli military raided Beitunya, taking prisoner two people.

Raid: Jenin – 17:00, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Mansura.

Raids: Jenin – 18:50-21:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the villages of Zububa and Rumana.

Raids: Tulkarem – 09:45, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the Shweika suburb of Tulkarem as well as the village of Pharaoh.

Raid – 1 injured: Tulkarem – 21:40-midnight, the Israeli Army raided Quffin, injuring a woman.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 08:20, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Azzun.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 20:50–22:25, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Qalqilya.

Raid: Qalqiliya – 02:45, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled Hajjah village.

Raid: Nablus – 09:55-13:40, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Nablus.

Raid: Nablus – 04:15–07:00, Israeli forces raided Nablus.

Raid – stun grenades – beating and hospitalisation: Bethlehem – 09:40-12:15, the Israeli Army, firing stun grenades, raided Beit Fajjar, beating and hospitalising a resident, Muhammad Bassam Salim Hayyan.