Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

On Day 78 of the Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza, Hunger Crisis Is Catastrophic, with 20,258 Palestinians Killed, 53,688 Injured

December 23, 2023 

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Editor's Notes:  

Here are some initial (not final) statistics, which show the Israeli war crimes against humanity, during the current Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip:  

By December 23, 2023, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strop is 27,258+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (20,258) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on December 23, 2023: 7,000+).   

The documented injuries exceeded 53,688.   

Note: The spokesman of the Palestinian government in Gaza announced that the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza resulted in killing 201 and injuring 368 Palestinians, during the past 24 hours (December 22/December 23, 2023).

By December 23, 2023, there were 304 Palestinians who were killed, 3,494 who were injured, and 4,668 who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023.

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By December 20, 2023, the death toll included 8,000+ children and 6,200+ women.   

By December 21, 2023,  there was a complete destruction of 53,000+ housing units, and 255,000+ damaged housing units (60% of Gaza housing units). This forced about 1.5 million people to become homeless, taking refuge in crowded UN schools and ultimately sleeping in the streets.  

The Israeli refusal to allow international aid caravans to enter Gaza freely led the Palestinian population to be on the verge of mass extermination for the lack of food, water, medicine, and fuel.  

By December 21, 2023, 99 health personnel were killed and hundreds were injured, 102 ambulances were destroyed while on duty, killing and injuring their crews, and destroyed 56 health institutions. As a result of the strikes and lack of fuel, 23 hospitals and 53 primary care centers are not functioning.  

 

Grieving martyrs, who were killed by Israeli genocidal air strikes on Khan Younus, December 23, 2023	Injured and martyred Palestinians, who were victims of Israeli genocidal air strikes brought to Nasir hospital, in Khan Younus, December 23, 2023
Continuous Israeli genocidal air strikes on Khan Younus, December 23, 2023	Site of Al-'Awda hospital in Jabalya, which was destroyed by Israeli bombardment, and in which patients and refugees were massacred and bulldozed by Israeli occupation soldiers, December 22, 2023
Gaza city attacked by several Israeli genocidal air strikes, on December 22, 2023	Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafa'h, as famine and starvation have affected most of the population in-Gaza-Strip, December 23, 2023
A Palestinian man carries the body of his grandson who was killed in the Israeli genocidal bombardment at the Rafa'h hospital, southern Gaza Strip, December 22, 2023	Palestinians pray on the wrapped body of a relative killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, outside a morgue in Khan Younus on December 23, 2023

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

"مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا"  (الْمَائِدَةُ ، 5: 32).

"وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا" (النِّسَاءُ ، 4: 93).

"Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption in the land, it is as if he had killed humankind entirely" (The Holy Quran, Al-Ma-ida, 5: 32).

"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him, and has cursed him, and has prepared for him a great torment" (Al-Nisa, 4: 93).

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While brutal force has been used to create Zionist Israel and sustain it thus far, Zionist claims to Palestine are false. Actually, from the five thousand years of known written human history, there has been a continuous Palestinian-Canaanite presence in the Holy Land. Despite the Zionist false claims, the ancient Israelites ruled part of the land for only 85 years (during the reign of Prophets David and Solomon , peace be upon them, and Solomon's son).

 After that, the Egyptians conquered Palestine-Canaan in 925 BC, followed by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arab Muslim rule, starting from 636 AD.

By the Time Jesus, peace be upon him, started his mission, the three population groups of Canaanites, Palestinians, and Israelites were melted together in religion and language. Most of them became Christians when Constantine converted in 313 AD. Then, most of them became Muslims in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.

So, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews are the ones who have the right to claim descent from ancient Israelites, Palestinians, and Canaanites, not Zionists from other continents.

No matter what the Zionists and their supporters do, they cannot change the will of God, Who promised the Holy Land to Abraham and his descendants, basically the Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

No matter how much persecution and aggression the Zionists and their supporters inflict upon the Palestinian people, they will never be able to force them out of the Holy Land, which Allah, praise to Him, promised for them, and kept His promise ever since.

The following news stories are just examples, not a systematic record, of the Israeli occupation government abuse, mistreatment, and violations of Palestinian human rights, on daily basis.

More detailed news stories can be found at the following sources:

http://english.wafa.ps/, https://english.palinfo.com/, https://imemc.org/, https://paltoday.ps/ar/


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Editorial Notes about terms & names of people and places:

1. Names of people and places have been standardized to match standard Arabic grammatical rules.

2. Underlined letters and letters preceded by an apostrophe are references to Arabic letter sounds, which does not exist in the English alphabet.

3. The English letter i is equivalent to the Arabic short vowel known as kasra, as in Ibraheem and Qasim as well as in the English words sit and bit. So, it is incorrect to use it as a long vowel for such Arabic names as Jameel and Jibreel.

4. The English letter e is equivalent to the Arabi short vowel known as fat'ha, as in A'hmed and Mu'hammed.

5. It is more accurate to refer to the land-grabbing Israelis, who establish illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, as illegal Israeli settlers, than referring to them as colonists.

The term colony is a reference to a large entity or a country, such as American states before independence. It was also a reference to Egypt, and India, when they were British colonies.

In addition, the term "colony" represents a positive nostalgic theme, in the minds of native speakers of English, particularly in America and Britain.

6. It is more accurate to use the verb "abduct" than the verb "detain," in reference to taking Palestinian citizens by force to prisons and interrogation centers, by Israeli occupation regime soldiers. This is because the presence of the Israeli occupation regime forces is illegal in the Palestinian territories, and they have no jurisdiction over the Palestinian people.

Click here for more about using the apostrophe and the underlining of letters in the transliteration of Arabic names.


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WHO and UNICEF say Gaza’s hunger crisis “catastrophic”

Saturday 23-December-2023, Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that people in Gaza are selling their belongings for food, while the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that more than 80 percent of Gazan children “suffer from severe food poverty.”

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said in a post on his X account that “hunger is present and famine is looming in Gaza.”

“People are facing starvation and selling their possessions in exchange for food. Parents are going hungry so their children can eat. This is catastrophic to the health of people across the Strip,” Ghebreyesus affirmed.

“Four out of five households in northern Gaza and half of the displaced households in the south are going entire days and nights without eating. This is heartbreaking,” the WHO chief said.

“This protracted conflict is blocking much-needed access to food and other life-saving humanitarian aid. Displaced people are crowding in shelters amid harsh winter conditions, which will inevitably increase the spread of disease. Children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people are at greatest risk,” he added.

For its part, UNICEF warned on Friday that acute food insecurity puts all children under five in the Gaza Strip (335,000) at high risk of severe malnutrition and preventable death.

“Yesterday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned the world of the very high risk of famine in the Gaza Strip, increasing every day if the situation persists. Specifically, the IPC report said at least one in four households in the Gaza Strip, or more than half a million people, are facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, the highest level of warning,” UNICEF said in a statement.

“These entirely manmade, foreseeable, and preventable catastrophic conditions mean that children and families in the Gaza Strip are now facing violence from the air, and deprivation from the ground — with potentially the worst yet to come,” UNICEF added.

“The report also said that almost 1.2 million people are experiencing emergency levels of acute food insecurity and acknowledged that famine thresholds for acute food insecurity have already been exceeded. In short, this means for many families in Gaza, the threat of dying from hunger is already real.”

“These findings imply that all children under five in the Gaza Strip —335,000— are at high risk of severe malnutrition and preventable death as the risk of famine conditions continues to increase. UNICEF estimates that in the coming weeks, at least 10,000 children under five years will suffer the most life-threatening form of malnutrition, known as severe wasting, and will need therapeutic foods.”

“This unacceptable risk comes at a time when the Gaza Strip’s food and health systems are facing complete collapse. More than 80 percent of young children are experiencing severe food poverty, and more than two-thirds of hospitals are no longer functioning because of the lack of fuel, water, and vital medical supplies or because they sustained catastrophic damage in attacks.”

UNICEF, particularly, expressed its concern about the nutrition of over 155,000 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, as well as for over 135,000 children under two, given their specific nutrition needs, which are compounded by stress and trauma.

UNICEF said, however, that based on the IPC report, these conditions do not have to persist. “Yesterday’s warning of famine in the coming weeks and months can still be averted. But we must act now.”

“We need an immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire so that humanitarian actors can support the strengthening and restoring of essential services across the Gaza Strip, allowing vulnerable children to meet their basic nutrition and health needs. These include the provision of infant milk, food and nutrient supplements, and ready-to-use therapeutic foods for the early prevention, detection and treatment of severe malnutrition, as well as water, medical supplies and fuel, and resumption of commercial traffic.”

UNICEF concluded its statement by calling for necessarily restoring “critical infrastructure, including hospitals, so young children, pregnant women and injured patients can safely access life-saving treatment and care.”

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The UN Security Council has adopted the draft resolution, penned by the UAE, as Resolution 2720 (2023).

13 members voted in favor, US and Russia abstained

Voting results on the resolution:

In favor: 13

Against: 0

Abstain: 2 (Russia, US)

22 December 2023

The Security Council has adopted a resolution on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, with 13 votes in favour, and the US and Russia abstaining. The resolution, among other points, demands immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.

In the resolution, the Security Council reaffirmed the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law, especially regarding the protection of civilians and civilian objects, safety of humanitarian personnel, and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The Council demanded that the parties “allow, facilitate and enable” the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.

It also requested the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility for “facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying” in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all relief consignments to the enclave provided through States that are not party to the conflict.

It also called for the “expeditious” establishment of a UN mechanism to accelerate aid consignments to Gaza through States that are not party to the conflict, to expedite, streamline and accelerate assistance while continuing to help ensure that aid reaches its civilian destination.

Security Council adopts key resolution on Gaza crisis | UN News

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Arab League chief: The Security Council decision came too late, what is required is a complete ceasefire in Gaza

CAIRO, Saturday, December 23, 2023 (WAFA) -

The Secretary-General of the Arab League, A'hmed Abul Ghait, said, today that the adoption of a resolution in the United Nations Security Council regarding the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip came late, and is still far from what is expected to be achieved, which is a complete ceasefire.

 “Resolution No. 2270, which was adopted yesterday, Friday, is an attempt to prevent famine in the Gaza Strip and to save people, especially women and children, from a catastrophic situation, but it is not enough to stop Israel’s war machine, particular it does not include a ceasefire," said the Arab League chief in a statement.

He said the decision came after stalling and delay at the request of Israel, stressing that what is required is not only the introduction of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, but also primarily the protection of civilians from the continuous bombing, achieving a sustainable ceasefire, and immediately starting a major relief operation to include hundreds of thousands of people who lack the minimum necessities for life.

“Every step to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza is in the right direction, but addressing the humanitarian catastrophe cannot be achieved through partial measures or palliatives to absorb the anger of world public opinion over what is happening in Gaza,” said Abul Ghait.

The Secretary-General also stressed that rejecting an immediate ceasefire is a “license to kill,” explaining that Arab efforts will not stop to reach an end to the war, calling on the United States to reassess the situation and take the correct decision from both a humanitarian and political standpoint instead of being led by the desire to the Israeli extreme right to inflict collective punishment and revenge against 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip.

M.K.

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Guterres: Israel creates massive obstacles to aid distribution in Gaza

Saturday 23-December-2023, NEW YORK, (PIC)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip created massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside the war-torn Palestinian territory.

“The real problem is that the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza,” he told reporters.

“A humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza and end their ongoing nightmare,” he said. “I hope that today’s Security Council Resolution may help this finally to happen but much more is needed immediately.”

“Many people are measuring the effectiveness of the humanitarian operation in Gaza based on the number of trucks allowed to unload aid across the Egyptian-Gaza border. This is a mistake,” Guterres said.

An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security, staff who can work in safety, logistical capacity, and the resumption of commercial activity. These four elements do not exist, the UN chief underlined.

“Security for aid delivery is absent. The intense Israeli bombardment and active combat in densely populated urban areas throughout Gaza threaten the lives of civilians and humanitarian aid workers alike. The United Nations waited 71 days for Israel finally to allow aid to enter Gaza via Karm Abu Salim (Kerem Shalom) crossing. The crossing was then hit while aid trucks were in the area,” he said.

“The humanitarian operation requires staff who can live and work in safety. Some 136 UN staff members in Gaza have been killed in 75 days — something unprecedented in the history of the United Nations. Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” he added.

He outlined that more than 20,000 Palestinians were killed and 1.9 million people, 85 per cent of the population, were forced to flee their homes.

“The Gaza health system is on its knees, clean water is at a trickle and the World Food Program (WFP) has warned of the threat of widespread famine,” he said. 

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RSF files second complaint with ICC for Israeli war crimes against journalists in Gaza since 7 October

PARIS, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) -

Reporters sans frontières - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the deaths of seven Palestinian journalists killed in the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip between 22 October and 15 December.

RSF has urged the ICC prosecutor to investigate all of the deaths of Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli military since 7 October, currently totaling 66.

In response to the continuing tragedy in Gaza, RSF filed its latest complaint with the ICC today (22 December) – this one concerning probable war crimes by the Israel Forces in the deaths of seven Palestinian reporters during the eight weeks ending 15 December.

RSF has reasonable grounds to believe that the journalists named in this complaint were the victims of attacks amounting to war crimes. According to the information collected by RSF, these journalists may have been deliberately targeted as journalists. It is for this reason that RSF is describing these deaths as intentional homicides of civilians.

The journalists named in the complaint are 'Aasim Al-Bursh, an Al-Naja'h radio journalist killed by sniper fire; Bilal Jadallah of the Palestinian Press House, the victim of a direct missile attack on his car as he left his workplace; Montasir Al-Sawwaf, whose home was targeted twice by missile fire; Rushdi Al-Sarraj, the victim of a direct shot on his home; 'Hassouna Salim of the Quds News agency, killed by a missile after receiving death threats; Sari Mansour, a photo-journalist for Quds News, who died in the same attack; and Samir Abu Daqqa, an Al-Jazeera tv photographer who appears to have been killed by a precision shot fired from a drone that also wounded Al -Jazeera tv bureau chief Wa-il Al-Da'hdou'h.

“In view of the massacre of journalists in Gaza and the targeting to which they seem to be subjected, we call on ICC prosecutor Kareem Khan to clearly state that he is making it a priority to elucidate the crimes committed against journalists in Gaza and to prosecute those responsible,” said Christophe Deloire, RSF secretary-general.

RSF’s first war crimes complaint since 7 October was filed with the ICC on 31 October and concerned the killing of seven other journalists. In both complaints, RSF urged the ICC prosecutor to investigate all of the deaths of Palestinian journalists killed since the start of the war, which currently total 66, according to RSF’s information.

T.R. 

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Killing and Injuring of Palestinians in Ghazza (Gaza) by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

Israeli genocidal airstrikes claim dozens of innocent lives on day 78 of genocide in Gaza

GAZA, Saturday, December 23, 2023 (WAFA) –

As the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza marks 78 days in a row, dozens of innocent civilians, including children and women, were brutally murdered today as a result of the nonstop Israeli airstrikes, artillery bombardments and indiscriminate shootings by invading troops.

In Jabalya, northern Gaza, Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building with missiles resulting in the tragic of lives and injuries to dozens of civilians, predominantly children and women, according to local sources.

The sources reported that 12 civilians, all women and children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Bursh family home in Jabalya, reducing it to rubble and leaving many trapped beneath the debris. Dozens more were reported injured in the attack.

Furthermore, the Israeli artillery shelled a house in the Nazla neighborhood of Jabalya, resulting in the tragic murder of a child.

The Gaza Civil Defense reported the recovery of dozens of decomposed bodies from the streets of Bait Lahya city in northern Gaza after the withdrawal of Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers. Most of the recovered bodies were subjected to field executions and were mutilated by stray dogs.

In Gaza City and its northern suburbs, particularly in the neighborhoods of Al-Shaikh Radhwan and Shuja'iya, intense airstrikes targeted civilian homes. The recent Israeli attacks led to the tragic murder of journalist Mu'hammed Nasr Abu Huwaidi in the Shuja'iya neighborhood.

In another devastating incident, Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of six civilians and injured dozens in an artillery attack on the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City.

Additionally, warplanes targeted a house belonging to the Al-Ghamri family east of the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, resulting in the tragic death of two young girls and injuries to several others.

The relentless Israeli offensive on Gaza, ongoing since October 7, has now resulted in a heartbreaking toll of 20,258 Palestinians killed and 53,688 wounded. In addition, as many as 7,000 people are unaccounted for, and are feared dead under the debris.

M.N.

Note: The spokesman of the Palestinian government in Gaza announced that the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza resulted in killing 201 and injuring 368 Palestinians, during the past 24 hours (December 22/December 23, 2023).

*** 

Day 78 of the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on Gaza: Killing and injuring hundreds in Gaza Strip

 IMEMC, DEC 23, 2023

On Day 78 of the Israeli onslaught on the civilian population of the densely populated Gaza Strip, Israeli missiles and shells struck hundreds of homes and buildings, killing and wounding hundreds of Palestinians.

In the Nusayrat refugee camp in central Gaza, Israeli missiles killed at least eighteen Palestinians and injured dozens in a home for the Khalifa family; among the slain Palestinians, a journalist identified as Mu'hammed Khalifa.

The Israeli occupation army also bombed an apartment owned by Fahd Al-'Assar near the Ihsan Mosque in the Nusseirat refugee camp.

Israeli missiles also struck the home of a Palestinian journalist, Mohammad Sa’idi, in the refugee camp, killing him, his wife, and three of their children.

Many buildings and homes were also bombarded in the Al-Mighraqa and Al-Zahra’ areas in central Gaza, causing many casualties.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured when the army bombarded homes and buildings in Dair El-Bala'h city in central Gaza.

In Khan Younus, Israeli missiles and shells killed at least 42 Palestinians and injured dozens, in addition to causing damage to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) building, where dozens of families sheltered.

At least four Palestinians were killed, and many were injured by Israeli missiles in the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younus, in addition to many casualties in a series of Israeli air strikes and bombings in Bani Suhayla town, east of Khan Younus.

Furthermore, the army fired a missile at the home of 'Isam Al-Mughrabi in Gaza City, killing him and his family. 'Isam worked for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Israeli missiles also killed Rizq Al-'Orouq, the secretary-general of the Popular Resistance Movement, and several members of his family after the army bombarded his home in Gaza City.

In the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood in Gaza City, the army fired missiles at homes, killing at least nine Palestinians from the Al-Khalidi family and wounding many others.

In Jabalia, in northern Gaza, the army bombarded the home of Khamees Junaid, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

Media sources said the corpses of dozens of Palestinians remain in the streets of Tel Al-Za’tar in Jabalya after the army prevented the Palestinian medics from reaching it and bulldozed the Indonesian Hospital streets while invading the area.

Hundreds of Palestinians, who were trapped in homes and buildings in Jabalya for at least three days, managed to leave the area, trying to reach Gaza City.

On its part, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of 'Hamas, said its fighters destroyed five Israeli tanks in Jabalya, in northern Gaza.

The brigades stated that its fighters repurposed an unexploded 2-ton Israeli missiles that army fired at homes and used them to detonate the Israeli tanks.

It is worth mentioning that UNICEF said the ongoing war in Gaza “is having a catastrophic impact on children and families. Children are dying at an alarming rate – more than 5,000 have reportedly been killed and thousands more injured. Well over 1.7 million people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced – half of them children. They do not have enough access to water, food, fuel, and medicine. Their homes have been destroyed; their families torn apart.

It added: “Without sufficient safe water, food, and sanitation, child deaths due to disease could surpass those already killed in bombardments. To protect children in Gaza, UNICEF is calling for an immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire.”

“Recently displaced children in southern Gaza are accessing only 1.5 to 2L of water each day, well below the minimum for survival. Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease. UNICEF calls for unimpeded humanitarian access to reach children.”

It added that more than %80 of Gaza Children suffered severe malnutrition and that, within the coming few weeks, at least 10,000 children below the age of five will suffer life-threatening malnutrition.

***

US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters Day 78

Saturday 23-December-2023, GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered Day 78 on Saturday, massive aerial and artillery strikes continued to pound and level whole blocks and homes and massacre more civilians, mostly children and women.

A reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said that the Israeli occupation army continued to attack different areas of Gaza last night and on Saturday morning, targeting homes, civilian gatherings and shelter centers, and massacring dozens of citizens.

According to local sources, a number of casualties were reported following the Israeli genocidal airstrikes on a number of homes in the central area of Dair El-Bala'h City.

Last night, an Israeli warplane bombed a house in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp, killing 18 civilians and wounding others.

Dozens of casualties were also reported in Israeli aerial and artillery attacks on different areas of Gaza in the morning and later in the afternoon.

Israeli genocidal airstrikes in Jabalya, Al-Buraij claim dozens of innocent lives

GAZA, Saturday, December 23, 2023 (WAFA) –

Dozens of civilians were killed and several others sustained injuries today following a series of Israeli airstrike in the Al-Buraij refugee camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, and in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

WAFA correspondent said five civilians, including a young girl, were killed and others injured when an Israeli fighter jet bombed a residence in Al-Buraij refugee camp.

Meantime, another Israeli airstrike targeting a house in Jabalya refugee camp resulted in the murder of dozens of civilians and the injury of many others. Disturbingly, emergency medical crews faced challenges in reaching the affected individuals due to the ongoing airstrikes and gunfire, hindering their efforts to transport the injured to hospitals.

The eastern regions of Dair El-Bala'h in central Gaza, as well as the Nusayrat refugee camp, also witnesses a series of relentless airstrikes and artillery shelling, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians. The casualties have been transported to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

In Gaza City and its northern areas, particularly in the neighborhoods of Al-Shaikh Radhwan and Al-Shuja'iya, intense Israeli airstrikes targeted residential homes, causing widespread destruction.

The Israeli occupation forces also targeted the eastern areas of Khan Younus with air raids, and tanks continue to besiege the city, preventing ambulances from reaching the wounded and hindering the retrieval of bodies.  

At least 20,057 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom are innocent civilians, including children, since the beginning of the Israeli genocide campaign in Gaza on October 7, according to an unofficial tally. Nearly 7,000 others are still unaccounted for under the rubble, and are most likely thought dead.

M.N.

As the Israeli occupation apartheid regime continues its war of genocide on Gaza, dozens killed and injured in the ongoing bombardment

GAZA, Saturday, December 23, 2023 (WAFA) -

The Israeli occupation forces continued last night and this morning to target civilians and their homes in various parts of the Gaza Strip, leaving dozens of dead and wounded, most of them children and women, while many are still missing under the rubble.

Israeli warplanes targeted two houses in Dair El-Bala'h in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in two deaths and dozens of injuries.

Warplanes also bombed a residential apartment in Nusayrat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing several people and wounding others.

While the occupation forces continue to prevent ambulances from reaching various areas in Gaza City, the bodies of the dead remain in the streets and buildings and the injured remain unattended to. The forces surrounded the Red Crescent ambulance service in Gaza City and arrested eight of its staff, amid continued bulldozing of a street near the Indonesian Hospital, while trying to advance into Tel Al-Za'tar, north of Gaza.

The occupation artillery launched violent shelling in the eastern areas of the city of Rafa'h, and in various parts of the city of Khan Younus in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The occupation warplanes also launched a series of violent raids on the Al-Mughraqa and Al-Zahraa areas in central Gaza, and the Al-Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood north of Gaza City.

By December 22, 2023, more than 20,057 people have been killed, most of them children and women, and over 53,320 injured in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip started October 7.

M.K.

***

At least 18 civilians killed, dozens injured in an Israeli genocidal strike on Al-Nusayrat camp in central Gaza

GAZA, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) -

At least 18 civilians were killed tonight in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Nusayrat Refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Local sources said that Israeli warplanes bombed a house on Al-'Ishreen Street, east of the camp, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens of others.

Another airstrike destroyed a water desalination plant on Old Gaza Street in the town of Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the occupation artillery shelled the last floor of a house belonging to the Arafa family in the Al-Amal neighborhood in the city of Khan Younus.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the occupation warplanes carried out violent airstrikes in front of its Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younus.

A.D./T.R.

***

Dozens killed and injured in ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza

GAZA, Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) -

 Israeli occupation forces tonight continued their brutal and genocidal war against the besieged Gaza Strip, bombing with warplanes and heavy artillery the homes and facilities of civilians.

The bombing was at its most intense over the city of Khan Younus, which resulted in the killing and injuring of dozens of civilians.

During the past hours, 28 citizens were killed in an Israeli shelling by a reconnaissance aircraft, which targeted a gathering of citizens from the Wadi family, near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younus, south of the Gaza Strip, leaving several people killed and wounded.

In the meantime, three people were killed, and others were injured, in an Israeli strike on the center of Khan Younus, and two others were also killed in a bombing that targeted the town of 'Abasan to the east.

The Israeli artillery bombed a house near the 'Ain Jalout towers in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in a number of casualties.

Israeli warplanes also targeted a civilian car in the city of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip, killing seven people and wounding others.

Meanwhile, ambulance crews and citizens were able to recover six bodies from under the rubble of the Al-Debs family home in Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip, which was targeted by an Israeli airstrike at dawn.

Rescue teams also recovered 30 bodies from under the rubble of the Khaella family home in Jabalya, the majority of whom were women and children, after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes. A large number of bodies are still trapped under the rubble.

 Citizens and medical teams also found large numbers of decomposed bodies scattered in the streets and under the rubble in the areas of Tel Al-Za'tar, the vicinity of the Indonesian Hospital, and Jabalya Refugee Camp, especially the Al-Jurn neighborhood.

A provisional count of casualties of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip indicates that more than 20,000 people were killed, and over 56,000 wounded; with children and women accounting for 70% of the victims.

A.D./T.R.

IOF bombs Palestine Today TV headquarters in Gaza

Saturday 23-December-2023, GAZA, (PIC)

Israeli occupation forces (IOF), on Friday, bombarded the office of Palestine Today, a TV channel affiliated with Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza City. The attack also destroyed the channel’s broadcast vehicle.

The channel administration issued a statement condemning the attack, charging the IOF with deliberate targeting of the channel and its personnel to hinder its media coverage that exposes the Israeli war crimes and bloody aggression on Gaza.

It stressed that “this is not the first time that the IOF has deliberately targeted the channel, whether in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank and Jerusalem, in a desperate attempt to silence its voice, and prevent it from delivering its message.”

As a channel of a resistance movement, many of its workers have fallen martyrs and others have been subjected to many restrictions and harassment including, abuse, threats, and arrest, the statement added.

The Channel reiterated, in its statement, that this act “is an attempt to hide the Israeli atrocities carried out against civilians as well as facilities in the Gaza Strip.”

The Government Media Office in Gaza announced last Tuesday that the number of journalist martyrs had risen to 97 since the start of the Israeli brutal aggression on the Strip on October 7.

Since then, the IOF has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, resulting in 20,057 deaths and 53,320 injuries, mostly women and children, causing massive damage to infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

 

Killing and Injuring of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

Israeli Occupation Army Shoots a Palestinian, Abducts Three Near Hebron, Assaults a Young Man Near Bethlehem

 IMEMC, DEC 23, 2023

Israeli occupation forces abducted, on Friday, three additional Palestinian young men, injured another young man near Al-Khaleel (Hebron), and assaulted a young man near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), both in the southern occupied West Bank.

At dawn Friday, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of 'Hal'houl, north of Al-Khaleel (Hebron) in the southern occupied West Bank, sparking protests.

The Israeli occupation soldiers fired live rounds and tear gas canisters at those who resisted the incursion and shot a young man in the foot with live ammunition; he was transported to hospital for medical treatment.

Earlier it was reported that two other young men were shot with live rounds during the invasion.

In Dura town, southwest of the city, Israeli forces abducted Walaa 'Omar Abdul Qadir 'Amr, in addition to Jihad Abdul 'Azeez Al-Sha'hateet and Osama Yousuf Al-Sha'hateet as previously reported.

In nearby Al-Sura village, soldiers abducted 'Eisa Abu Hashim, and in the town of Taffou'h, west of the city, the soldiers abducted Taha Mu'hammed Al-Tardah.

Also in the southern West Bank, the Israeli occupation soldiers stationed at the “Container” military roadblock, northeast of Bethlehem, brutally assaulted Mu'hammed Al-'Ajouri, after which he was transported to hospital for treatment.

Israeli occupation forces raid Jineen and several other West Bank cities and towns

JENIN, Saturday, December 23, 2023 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation force raided early this morning the northern West Bank city of Jineen and its refugee camp as well as several other West Bank cities and towns, according to various sources.

Witnesses said Israeli occupation soldiers raided Jenin in the pre-dawn hours accompanied by a bulldozer as the military vehicles were deployed by Jineen Government Hospital, next to Jenin refugee camp.

The soldiers broke into several homes overlooking the camp and deployed snipers in the buildings and on rooftops as soldiers broke into homes in the refugee camp and abducted people.

Power was cut in the camp and several areas as the incursion was taking place.

Raids were also reported in Duhaisha refugee camp in Bait La'hm (Bethlehem) in the south of the West |Bank where they seized the car of the wife of a detainee, as well as 'Ain Al-Sultan and 'Aqbat Jabr refugee camps in Jericho, Qalandya refugee camp where two people were arrested, the city of Hebron and nearby Yatta, and the towns of Baita and Qaryout, south of Nablus.

Confrontations were reported in some areas but no reports of injuries.

M.K.

Two Palestinian brothers injured in Israeli colonists attack near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Friday, December 22, 2023 (WAFA) -

Two Palestinian brothers from the Khalayil Al-Loaz area southeast of Bethlehem were stabbed and wounded after being attacked and beaten by a group of the illegal Israeli settlers.

A security source told WAFA correspondent that colonists attacked two brothers, who were identified as Nasif Naseef Ismail, 38, and Hodthayfa,36, causing them injuries throughout their bodies.

The director of the Red Crescent Ambulance and Emergencies Branch Bethlehem Abdul Haleem Ja'afra said that the two brothers were wounded throughout their bodies as a result of being severely beaten up by the illegal Israeli settlers.

T.R. 

Abduction of Palestinians by Israeli Occupation Regime Soldiers

Israeli Forces Abduct Three Palestinians Near Ramallah, Two Near Salfeet, Shoots One

 IMEMC, DEC 23, 2023

Israeli occupation forces abducted, on Friday, three Palestinians from the town of Bait Rima, northwest of Ramallah, and two in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, northwest of Salfeet in the central West Bank, in addition to shooting one young man.

At dawn Friday, Israeli occupation soldiers invaded the town of Bait Rima, northwest of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, and abducted three Palestinians.

Media sources said that the army broke into and ransacked the homes of Mu'hammed Isma'eel Al-Rimawi, Mu'hammed Nabit Al-Rimawi, and Ramiz 'Hamdan Al-Barghouthi, before abducting them.

On Friday afternoon, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, northwest of Salfeet in the central West Bank, sparking protests.

The Israeli occupation soldiers fired live rounds at those who resisted the incursion, and shot a Palestinian young man in the hand.

During the invasion, occupation forces abducted two young men, identified as Ma'hmoud 'Imad and Mamoun Ma'hmoud.

Israeli Occupation Forces Abduct Two Palestinians in Tubas, One in Qalqilia

 IMEMC, DEC 23, 2023

Israeli occupation forces abducted, on Friday, two Palestinians from Tubas in the northeastern part of the West Bank, one from Qalqilia, in the northwestern part of the West Bank, and assaulted a 15-year-old child in Kafr Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya.

Before dawn on Friday, Israeli occupation forces invaded the city of Tubas in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank, opened fire at a vehicle, injuring one young man.

According to Kamal Bani 'Oada, the director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society in Tubas, soldiers abducted Mithqal Fayiz Fala'h Abu Dawwas and Fawwaz Fayiz Fala'h Abu Dawwas in an attempt to pressure their sons to turn themselves in.

Israeli occupation forces deployed sharpshooters on the rooftops of buildings, and invaded many homes, while armed Palestinian resistance fighters exchanged fire with the invading army.

In the northwestern part of the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces invaded the city of Qalqilya before dawn on Friday.

The army stormed the Kafr Saba neighborhood, positioned sharpshooters on the rooftops of buildings and surrounded the home of Tawfiq Abu Libda, before abducting him.

On Friday afternoon, after the weekly anti-settlement march in the village of Kafr Qaddoum, east of Qalqilya, Israeli forces stormed the home of Abdullah Musa Ali, and assaulted his 15-year-old son, Sari, causing bruises.

Local Palestinians protested the incursion, while soldiers fired live rounds and tear gas canisters, causing dozens to sustain inhalation injuries from tear gas exposure.

IOFs raid West Bank areas, kidnaps citizens from homes

Saturday 23-December-2023, WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided several areas of the West Bank at dawn Saturday and abducted a number of Palestinian citizens, amid violent clashes with resistance fighters.

According to local sources, Palestinian resistance fighters opened fire and detonated explosive devices at Israeli occupation forces in Aree'ha (Jericho), Tulkarm and Jineen.

The IOF reportedly stormed different West Bank areas, including the cities of Nablus and Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), Bait Ummar town in northern Al-Khaleel, Yatta town in southern Al-Khaleel, 'Ain Yabrud town in eastern Ramallah, and the refugee camps of 'Aqabat Jabr and 'Ain Al-Sultan in Aree'ha (Jericho).

Clashes reportedly took place between local youths and Israeli occupation soldiers in those areas, while resistance fighters attacked IOF troops and vehicles in some areas.

The IOF also stormed Qalandya refugee camp in northern Al-Quds (Jerusalem), clashed with local youths and abducted some citizens.

In Jineen, a large number of Israeli occupation troops stormed the city and its refugee camp and used flares to light up the sky over the area.

According to media sources, the IOF intensified its presence near the Jineen Hospital, deployed snipers on rooftops of some buildings in the city and its refugee camp, raided homes, kidnaped a number of citizens, and cut off electricity to the camp and other areas.

Meanwhile, the Tulkarm Brigade said that its fighters were able to open fire at Israeli foot soldiers in Dair Al-Ghusoun town in northern Tulkarm and injured some of them. 

Israeli Occupation Army Abducts Two Palestinians Near Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

 IMEMC, DEC 23, 2023

On Saturday dawn, Israeli occupation soldiers invaded the Qalandya refugee camp north of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank and abducted two young men.

Media sources said several military jeeps invaded the refugee camp before the soldiers stormed and ransacked homes and integrated many Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.

The sources added that the soldiers abducted Anas Sho’ani and Suhayb Al-Saqqa from their homes and took them to an unknown location.

In related news, the Israeli occupation army invaded Dair Abu Mesh'al village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, especially the eastern area, before storming and ransacking several homes and shops.

Many Palestinians protested the invasion before the soldiers fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs.

In addition, dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded the Duhaisha refugee camp south of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), searched and ransacked homes, and confiscated a Palestinian car.

On Friday evening, illegal paramilitary Israeli settlers injured two Palestinian siblings in the Khalayil Al-Loaz area, southeast of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), in the occupied West Bank. 

Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

‎Illegal Israeli settlers raze land and uproot olive trees in Dair Istya‎ 

‎Salfeet 23-12-2023, Wafa -

On Saturday, a group of illegal Israeli settlers bulldozed large areas and uprooted olive trees from the lands of the town of Dair Istya, northwest of Salfeet.‎

‎Salfeet governorate reported that the the illegal Israeli settlers of "Refafa", which is built on Palestinian citizens' lands, bulldozed large areas and uprooted old olive trees and stole them from the Al-Ma'aridh area, south of Dair Istya, owned by the citizen Abdul Jabir Yousuf 'Aql.‎

ـ‎M.J.‎

Illegal Israeli Settlers Injure Two Palestinian Siblings Near Bethlehem

 DEC 23, 2023

On Friday evening, illegal paramilitary Israeli settlers injured two Palestinian siblings in the Khalayil Al-Loaz area, southeast of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.

The settlers attacked the two siblings, Nasif Naseef Ismael, 38, and his brother Hodthayfa, 36, before the locals rushed to their aid, forcing the illegal Israeli settlers to flee the area.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the siblings suffered numerous cuts and bruises to various parts of their bodies and were taken to a medical center.

On Saturday dawn, dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded the Duhaisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem, searched and ransacked homes, and confiscated a Palestinian car. 

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