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.

Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Continues, through Air Strikes, Starvation, Dehydration, and Lack of Health Care

November 17, 2023

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1,200 massacres, death of 4,710 children, 3,145 women, and 685 elderly.

3,640, still under the rubble, including 1,770 children.

25 hospitals and 52 health centers have been forced to close.

198 Palestinians were killed, and 2,702 injured by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank.

Note: The above statistics represent Day 40 of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, they are even initial, not complete or final.

 

A Palestinian girl, one of the victims of an Israeli genocidal air strike on Rafa'h, November 17, 2023	Palestinian children have been the main victims of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, November 16, 2023
A scene of Gaza city under an Israeli genocidal air strike, file, November 17, 2023	Accompanied and protected by Israeli occupation soldiers, illegal Israeli settlers throwing stones at Palestinian farmers in the West Bank, file, November 17, 2023
Palestinian Muslims performing the Jumu'a prayer in the streets due to denying them entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, November 17, 2023	Funeral prayer performed on victims of an Israeli genocidal air strike on Gaza, November 17, 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 nams 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.

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Gaza is facing widespread hunger as food systems collapse, warns WFP

GAZA, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

With only ten percent of necessary food supplies entering Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, Gaza is facing a massive food gap and widespread hunger as nearly the entire population is in desperate need of food assistance, the UN World Food Program (WFP) has warned.

“Supplies of food and water are practically non-existent in Gaza and only a fraction of what is needed is arriving through the borders. With winter fast approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters, and the lack of clean water, civilians are facing the immediate possibility of starvation," said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.

"There is no way to meet current hunger needs with one operational border crossing. The only hope is opening another, safe passage for humanitarian access to bring life-saving food into Gaza."

Earlier this week, WFP confirmed the closure of the final bakery operating in partnership with the agency due to lack of fuel. Fuel shortages have triggered a crippling halt in bread production across all 130 bakeries in Gaza. Bread, a staple food for people in Gaza, is scarce or non-existent.

The shortage of fuel is also crippling humanitarian distribution and operations, including the delivery of food assistance. Even as trucks arrived from Egypt and offloaded supplies in Gaza on Tuesday, they were unable to reach civilians in shelters because of insufficient fuel for distribution vehicles.

Of the 1,129 trucks have entered Gaza since the opening of the Rafa'h border crossing on 21 October, only 447 were carrying food supplies. “While WFP welcomes the increase in the number of trucks crossing into Gaza, the volume remains woefully inadequate: the food that has entered Gaza is only enough to meet 7 percent of the people’s daily minimum caloric needs,” WFP said.

The food infrastructure in Gaza is no longer functional; only 25 percent of shops contracted by WFP remain open and others have run out essential food items. Local markets have shut down completely. The small quantities of food that can be found are being sold at alarmingly inflated prices and are of little use without the ability to cook, forcing some to survive on one meal a day.  

"The collapse of food supply chains is a catastrophic turning point in an already dire situation, where people have been stripped of basic necessities”, said Sameer 'Abdul Jabir, Representative and Country Director in Palestine.

"Without access to fuel, our ability to provide bread or transport food to those in need has been severely compromised, essentially bringing life in Gaza to a standstill. People are going hungry."

M.N.

High Commissioner for Human Rights urges space ‘for a path out of this horror’

GENEVA, Thursday, November 16, 2023 (WAFA) –

The High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for “creating the political space for a path out of this horror”, referring to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Türk condemned Israel’s widespread targeting of civilians in the past five weeks of hostilities and urged accountability for gross rights violations.

He stressed that attacks directed at “hospitals, schools, markets and bakeries” as well as collective punishment “in the case of Israel’s blockade and siege imposed on Gaza” are prohibited under international humanitarian law.

Addressing the desperate humanitarian situation in the enclave after briefing Member States and journalists in Geneva, Türk highlighted multiple patient deaths at Gaza City’s besieged Al-Shifa hospital and the proliferation of Israeli attacks on healthcare in the Strip.

The UN rights chief spoke of people forced to move south by Israeli bombardments and fighting on the ground, “carrying elderly family members, and terrified, sometimes wounded children, moving slowly on a bomb-cratered road”, and of those unable to move who remain trapped in sealed-off northern Gaza.

Putting hostilities on hold to give space to humanitarian action, as called for by Security Council resolution 2712 adopted on Wednesday night, is “critically necessary”, Türk said.

Türk also stressed that the crisis “extends well beyond Gaza”, with a “potentially explosive” situation in the occupied West Bank, where settler attacks against Palestinians and the use of military means in law enforcement operations are on the rise.

M.N.

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

On 42nd day of the aggression on Gaza, the massacres continue

November 17, 2023, GAZA, (PIC) +-

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued the bloody onslaught on the Gaza Strip for 42 consecutive days on Friday, intensifying airstrikes, shelling homes with occupants inside, invading the Shifa Medical Complex, and committing acts of genocide, while expanding ground incursions from multiple axes amidst fierce resistance.

PIC correspondents reported that the occupation forces continued their bombardment of Gaza through air, sea, and land, particularly targeting homes with occupants inside. The communication and internet blackout has made it extremely difficult to ascertain the results of the airstrikes.

Israeli warplanes targeted a house in eastern Gaza, while the helicopters gunships fired towards several areas.

Israeli warplanes carried out multiple airstrikes this morning in eastern Khan Younus and eastern Rafa'h, while the IOF conducted artillery shelling targeting Palestine Square, 'Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, and the center of Gaza City.

Three martyrs and a large number of injuries were reported as a result of the Israeli occupation's shelling of the Al-Qahwaji family's house in the middle of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younus. Meanwhile, sounds of clashes were heard in the eastern governorate, without further details available.

The IOF fired smoke bombs in the Abu Iskandar area, Jabalya Camp, and the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood in the northern part of Gaza City.

Israeli warplanes carried out several airstrikes in the Austrian neighborhood west of Khan Younus.

The Secretary-General of the Al-A'hrar Movement, Khalid Abu Hilal, along with one of his sons and six civilians, were martyred in an Israeli airstrike last night on his house and neighboring houses on Al-Jalaa Street in the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood in Gaza, according to the local newspaper Al-Quds.

Israeli warplanes launched dozens of airstrikes last night on the Sabra neighborhood and other neighborhoods in Gaza, with no details available about the casualties and the victims.

Israeli occupation forces are, meanwhile, still besieging Baptist Hospital in Gaza.

The occupation airstrikes resulted in the complete destruction of four houses in the Nusayrat Camp, causing 18 martyrs in addition to injuries and missing persons.

Israeli warplanes carried out multiple airstrikes on Jabalya Camp and the city of Jabalya and targeted the headquarters of Nama'a Radio in Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip, resulting in numerous martyrs and injuries.

The IOF artillery shelled several areas in the northern Gaza Strip, including Jabalya, in addition to the Tuffa'h neighborhood, Shuja'iyya neighborhood, and Yafa Street in Gaza City.

 Health ministry: Al-Shifa Hospital was turned into a war zone

November 17, 2023, GAZA, (PIC) +-

Spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf Al-Qudra has said that the Israeli occupation army has turned Al-Shifa Medical Complex into a war zone, warning that the situation is extremely critical there.

In press remarks published by Al-Ray news agency on Thursday, spokesman Qudra talked about the latest developments inside the hospital after the Israeli occupation forces stormed it and embarked on destroying it gradually.

Qudra said that there are ongoing Israeli digging, destruction and search activities inside Al-Shifa Complex, adding that the hospital was not provided with any quantity of fuel for its generators.

The spokesman also said that the Israeli forces gathered the bodies of the civilians that were in the hospital’s main courtyard, took them to an unknown place, destroyed all the parked vehicles outside and refused to allow anyone to leave the facility.

The spokesman affirmed that one of the female kidney patients died because of the failure to operate the dialysis machines in the hospital.

“There is no food, water, or milk for children in Al-Shifa Hospital, which includes 650 patients and about 7,000 displaced people,” he said.

“The medical crews, patients and displaced people are fighting death due to the unavailability of any basic life needs,” he added.

He called for urgent action to alleviate the human suffering of all those inside Al-Shifa Complex. 

More civilian casualties amid nonstop Israeli bombardment in Gaza

GAZA, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Scores of Palestinian civilians were murdered and many others injured today as the Israeli genocide campaign in Gaza continues for the 42nd day in a row. The Israeli airstrikes also resulted in massive destruction to homes and infrastructure.

Reports from our correspondents confirmed that four civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike which targeted a house in the southern city of Khan Younus. Additionally, several people were killed and injured in the Israeli shelling of a house in the nearby town of Bani Suhaila, located to the east of the city.

Furthermore, at least 18 civilians, including children and women, lost their lives in an airstrike that targeted a house in the Nusayrat refugee camp in central Gaza.

In the northern region of Jabalya, a densely populated city, dozens of civilians were killed and injured as Israeli warplanes relentlessly targeted residential squares with a series of airstrikes.

The assault extended to the vicinity of the Indonesian Hospital, with the Israeli occupation forces intensifying their bombardment in the area.

With all hospitals in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip out of service due to the dire conditions at the Baptist Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Bait Lahiya, the situation has become increasingly critical. Tank incursions by Israeli occupation forces around the Jordanian Field Hospital have also added to the challenges faced by medical teams.

Gaza has also been cut off from the outside world, with a complete disruption of landline and mobile telecommunications and internet services. The Israeli blockade, the depletion of fuel necessary to operate key network components, and the ongoing massacres across the Gaza Strip have contributed to the isolation and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the region.

Since the beginning of the continuous Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, nearly 11,500 Palestinians, including over 4,700 children and 3,155 women, have been killed, with nearly 29,000 others wounded.

M.N.

Casualties among displaced Palestinians as Israel bombs homes in Rafa'h

GAZA, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

The tragic death toll continues to mount as Israeli occupation forces intensify their airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, leaving a number of Palestinians dead and many others injured. The latest airstrikes targeted displaced individuals east of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip, leaving many casualties.

The Israeli occupation military also bombed various areas in northern Gaza, focusing its recent attacks on the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood in Gaza City. The strikes resulted in casualties and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.

Israeli airstrikes, accompanied by indiscriminate artillery shelling, were reported in the neighborhoods of Tuffah, Shuja'iyya, and Yafa Street in Gaza City. Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted the Nuzha neighborhood in Jabalya, north of Gaza.

Yesterday evening, a new massacre unfolded in Jabalya refugee camp, where at least 18 civilians were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting residential buildings. The victims included members of the Abu Al-Qumsan, Mas'oud, Al-'Asali, Al-Tululi, Abu Dthan, and Abu Dayr families.

Videos from the scene documented citizens and rescue teams attempting to retrieve the bodies of the deceased and rescue those trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes.

Later, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Falouja neighborhood in Jabalya, resulting in the murder of three more civilians.

With all hospitals in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip out of service due to the dire conditions at the Baptist Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Bait Lahiya, the situation has become increasingly critical. Tank incursions by Israeli occupation forces around the Jordanian Field Hospital have also added to the challenges faced by medical teams.

Gaza has also been cut off from the outside world, with a complete disruption of landline and mobile telecommunications and internet services. The Israeli blockade, the depletion of fuel necessary to operate key network components, and the ongoing massacres across the Gaza Strip have contributed to the isolation and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the region.

Since the beginning of the continuous Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, nearly 11,500 Palestinians, including over 4,700 children and 3,155 women, have been killed, with nearly 29,000 others wounded.

M.N.

Israeli massacres claim more civilian lives in northern and southern Gaza

GAZA, Thursday, November 16, 2023 (WAFA) –

A number of Palestinian civilians were murdered and others injured tonight in a series of Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, and in Khan Younus in the south of the territory, according to local sources.

Israeli warplanes reportedly bombed a residential square in Jabalya refugee camp, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties and injuries. The houses bombed by the Israeli warplanes belong to the families of Abu Al-Qumsan, Mas'oud, Al-Asali, Al-Tululi, Abu Dthan, and Abu Dayer. A bakery was also bombed during the Israeli raid.

Video footage captured the aftermath showed rescue teams desperately attempting to pull out the bodies of the deceased and rescue those trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes.

Meantime, Israeli artillery shelled homes in the Izbet Milleen neighborhood in Jabalya, leading to more casualties among civilians.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza has reported a complete collapse of its healthcare system due to the overwhelming influx of the wounded, with medical staff facing tremendous challenges in providing necessary treatment. The situation is exacerbated by Israeli warplanes bombing the vicinity of the hospital.

Further south, in Khan Yunis province, at least seven civilians were killed in an Israeli bombardment on a house in the Al-Qarara town. The casualties were transported to Nasir Hospital in the city.

Israeli warplanes also targeted a residential apartment west of Rafa'h in southern Gaza., while intense airstrikes were reported in the Shaikh Radhwan neighborhood north of Gaza City.

In the meantime, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its ambulance crews were still trapped at the Baptist Arab Hospital in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City. The area witnessed explosions and intense gunfire, hindering the rescue teams' access to the wounded.

With all hospitals in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip out of service due to the dire conditions at the Baptist Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Bait Lahiya, the situation has become increasingly critical. Tank incursions by Israeli occupation forces around the Jordanian Field Hospital have also added to the challenges faced by medical teams.

Gaza has also been cut off from the outside world, with a complete disruption of landline and mobile telecommunications and internet services. The Israeli blockade, the depletion of fuel necessary to operate key network components, and the ongoing massacres across the Gaza Strip have contributed to the isolation and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the region.

Since the beginning of the continuous Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, nearly 11,500 Palestinians, including over 4,700 children and 3,155 women, have been killed, with nearly 29,000 others wounded.

M.N.

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

Two Palestinians shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

HEBRON, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Two young Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli occupation forces this morning at the northern entrance of the city of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), south of the occupied West Bank, according to medical sources.'

In a brief statement, the Ministry of Health identified the two Palestinians killed as Mu'hammed Kamil Abu Maizar and 'Abdul Ra'hman Talal Abu Sunaina, both of whom are residents of Al-Khaleel (Hebron).

The incident unfolded in the morning when Israeli occupation soldiers opened fire on the vehicle carrying the two young men at the northern entrance of Hebron. Emergency medical teams from the Palestinian Red Crescent were initially denied access to the scene, before the two were announced dead of their wounds a short time later.

The bodies of the two victims were taken away by the Israeli occupation forces.

M.N

Three Palestinians killed in a wide-scale Israeli raid of Jenin

JENIN, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Three Palestinians were killed and several others sustained injuries in the early hours of this morning as Israeli occupation forces targeted a group of people in Jenin refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank, with a drone strike.

Witnesses in the camp reported that an Israeli drone bombed a gathering of civilians in the Hawasheen neighborhood of the refugee camp, resulting in the tragic murder of three individuals and leaving nine others wounded, some in critical condition.

The Israeli incursion into Jenin involved a significant military presence, including special units and armored bulldozers. The occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods of the city and the neighboring refugee camp, deploying snipers on the rooftops of several buildings.

During the raid, forces raided a residence in the Jabariyat neighborhood of the city, arresting several civilians and detonating several vehicles owned by the Rukh family. The military attack extended to the neighborhoods of Jabal Abu Dthuhair, Khallet Al-Soha and the outskirts of Jenin refugee camp.

Caterpillar D9 bulldozers joining the Israeli troops also embarked on vandalizing infrastructure in the city and the entrances to the Jenin refugee camp, causing damage to streets and parked vehicles. Communication disruptions were reported as Israeli forces jammed signals in Jenin city and its camp, and electricity was cut off in several neighborhoods of the city. The Israeli military also besieged Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, interrogating paramedics and creating a tense situation in the area.

Moreover, the Israeli occupation forces besieged Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin early today, interrogating medical staff and creating a tense atmosphere. Witnesses reported that the hospital has been encircled for several hours, with thorough searches of ambulances in the vicinity by the Israeli army and demands for the evacuation of the hospital through loudspeakers.

Witnesses also reported that the Israeli forces forcibly evacuated medical personnel from the hospital, compelling them to raise their hands before subjecting them to searches in the hospital courtyard. Interrogations were conducted on several healthcare workers, the sources said.

Meantime, the Israeli occupation army deployed in the vicinity of the Jenin Government Hospital, launching a barrage of toxic tear gas canisters. The indiscriminate use of chemical agents in the vicinity of the hospital resulted in suffocation to several civilians who suffered from gas inhalation.

M.N.

Israeli occupation soldiers shoot, injure young man west of Ramallah

RAMALLAH, Thursday, November 16, 2023 (WAFA) –

A young Palestinian man sustained injuries this evening after Israeli occupation forces opened fire on his vehicle in the village of Dair Nidtham, to the west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Nasr Al-Tamimi, the head of the Dair Nidtham Village Council, said the young man was hit by shattered glass when Israeli occupation forces fired live ammunition at the vehicle he was driving in the village. The incident occurred during a military incursion by an infantry Israeli unit into the village.

The vehicle, targeted by live bullets, suffered visible damage, as captured in video footage taken at the scene of the shooting.

The incident has once again raised concerns about the use of live ammunition by Israeli occupation forces in civilian areas, putting the lives of civilians at risk.

M.N.

Israeli soldiers assault, injure two Palestinians south of Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

HEBRON, Thursday, November 16, 2023 (WAFA) –

Two young Palestinians were assaulted and injured this evening by Israeli occupation forces as they raided the archeological area in the town of Carmel, to the south of Hebron, and various areas in the neighboring Masafir Yatta region, according to local sources.

The sources reported that Israeli occupation forces stormed the historic Carmel area, south of Hebron, firing live ammunition in the vicinity of homes. The soldiers conducted search raids in the fields surrounding the area and detained several young men, subjecting them to physical assault and verbal abuse.

During the violent incident, two young men, Mustafa and Mufeed Al-Da'ajna, sustained injuries and bruises. One of the two siblings was subsequently transported to a nearby healthcare center for treatment.

M.N.

Two children injured by Israeli gunfire in Nablus

NABLUS, Thursday, November 16, 2023 (WAFA) –

Two Palestinian children were injured by Israeli occupation forces' gunfire tonight during confrontations in the town of Baita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to medical sources.

A'hmed Jibreel, the Director of the Emergency and Ambulance Center at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, reported that the two children, 13 and 17 years old respectively, sustained gunshot wounds caused by Israeli occupation forces during the confrontations in the town. The two were in a stable condition.

M.N.

Abduction of Palestinians by Israeli Occupation Regime Soldiers

Over 35 Palestinians detained by Israeli occupation force in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces continued last night their mass detention campaign in the West Bank, detaining at least 36 Palestinians in a series of raids into Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps across the occupied territory.

In Ramallah, in the central occupied West Bank, at least 28 Palestinians were reportedly arrested by the occupation forces during a raids into the town of Ni’leen, where soldiers raided and searched several homes in the town and terrorized their residents.

At least five Palestinians were also arrested by the Israeli occupation forces in Hebron province, south of the West Bank, as army stormed Hebron City, raiding and searching several homes and terrorizing their civilian residents.

Two more Palestinians were also reported in the village of Jalqamous, in the northern province of Jenin, while at least one detention was reported in the northern province of Tulkarm.

These arrests are part of an ongoing Israeli mass detention campaign in the occupied West Bank coinciding with the bloody Israeli aggression on Gaza.

According to right groups, nearly 2,500 Palestinians have been mass arrested by the Israeli occupation army across the occupied West Bank since October 7, sending the total number of Palestinians in Israeli jails to unprecedented levels.

M.N.

Dozens of Palestinians arrested in IOF raid campaign in Wet Bank

November 17, 2023, WEST BANK, (PIC) +-

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) launched a large-scale raid and campaign in several areas of the West Bank at dawn Friday.

In al-Khalil, the IOF troops took the measurements of the family homes of the two Palestinian martyrs, Hassan Qafishah and 'Abdul Qadir Al-Qawasma, as a prelude to their demolition.

Qafishah and Al-Qawasma were killed following a shooting attack earlier Thursday.

The IOF stormed several local homes, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes. A young man was shot and injured in his foot during the confrontations. At least five local youths were detained during the raids.

In Ramallah, 27 Palestinians were detained after the IOF stormed Ni'leen town. Nine more youths were rounded up in the Jenin raids.

In Tulkarm, the IOF arrested a young man after breaking into his  house in the Shwaika suburb.

Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

Al Jazeera tv journalist assaulted by illegal Israeli settlers near Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

BETHLEHEM, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Joseph Handal, a photojournalist with Al Jazeera, was injured today as illegal Israeli settlers attacked him near the Israeli checkpoint of Container, northeast of Bail La'hm (Bethlehem) in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian security sources.

The sources informed WAFA that the illegal Israeli settlers intercepted Handal's vehicle as he was passing through the main road connecting to the towns of Abu Dees and Al-'Aizariya. They brutally assaulted him, leaving him with bruises and injuries.

The attackers also drew a Star of David on the journalist's vehicle. Handal managed to escape and reach the outskirts of Abu Dis, where he received initial medical care.

M.N.

Young Palestinian wounded by illegal Israeli settlers’ gunfire in Nablus

NABLUS, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

A Palestinian youth was shot and injured today by the illegal Israeli terror settler militias in the village of Khirbit Tana, located on the outskirts of the town of Bait Foureek in the West Bank province of Nablus, according to local and medical sources.

The sources reported to WAFA that a 30-year-old young man was shot with live ammunition in the thigh when settlers opened fire on him while he was present in the village. He was subsequently transported to hospital for medical treatment.

The incident adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinians living in areas adjacent to colonial Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

M.N

Israeli occupation forces suppress worshipers in occupied Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

Tensions escalated today in occupied Jerusalem as Israeli occupation forces once again suppressed worshipers attempting to reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the weekly Friday prayers, marking the sixth consecutive Friday of such restrictions.

Thousands of worshipers were subsequently prevented from entering the mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, marking the sixth Friday that the Israeli occupation forces limit the number of worshipers allowed into the holy site to only a few hundreds.

WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets towards worshipers in Wadi Al-Joaz neighborhood and near the Asbat Gate, preventing them from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque. The forces pursued and physically assaulted several worshipers.

Despite the heavy military presence and strict security measures imposed by the occupation forces on access to the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, a small number of worshipers managed to reach the holy site to perform Friday prayers.

This marks the sixth consecutive Friday where Israeli occupation forces have suppressed worshipers, preventing them from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque. The harsh measures have led to confrontations between Israeli police and worshipers, with confrontations erupting at the Asbat Gate, where worshipers attempted to push through barriers in a bid to access Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Footage circulating on the social media showed the yards of the holy site almost empty of any worshipers, which is an abnormal situation on a Friday where usually tens of thousands of worshipers would enter the holy site to pray.

M.N.

Blinken calls on Israel to curb settler violence in West Bank

WASHINGTON DC, Friday, November 17, 2023 (WAFA) –

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Israel to take urgent steps to curb violence by colonial Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.

Blinken’s call was made in a telephone call with Israeli wartime cabinet minister Benny Gantz. Blinken “stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence,” the State Department said in a press statement.

Israeli settler violence has increased significantly since the outbreak of the ongoing Israeli genocide campaign in Gaza, rising from an average of three incidents to seven per day, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA).

Blinken’s comments came as Israeli occupation forces carried out raids in the occupied West Bank and continued its raids of several of Gaza’s major hospitals, including the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, forcing them to suspend operations amid a depletion of fuel necessary for operation of power generators.

Earlier yesterday, France condemned violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling it a "policy of terror" aimed at displacing Palestinians, urging Israeli occupation authorities to protect Palestinians from the violence.

"Concerning the West Bank, I'd like to express the strongest condemnation by France of the violence carried out by the settlers against the Palestinians," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told a press conference.

"Violence which has the clear objective of forced displacement of the Palestinians and a policy of terror."

She said the Israeli authorities needed to take the necessary measures to protect the Palestinian population and warned that the settlement policy harms the two-state solution.

M.N

Illegal Israeli settlers, police attack Armenian neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem

November 17, 2023, OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC) +-

A group of illegal Israeli settlers, under police protection, violently attacked the Armenian neighborhood in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem on Thursday evening

According to media sources, the settler groups attempted to steal residences and a parking lot located in front of the neighborhood's main church entrance.

The Israeli occupation authorities have been planning to take control of the neighborhood's 11,500 square meters, which include houses, the Armenian Museum, the "Theology" school, and a parking lot.

Twenty-five percent of the neighborhood is among the threatened lands. The locals have been protesting the occupation's plans for days.

The neighborhood is one of the oldest in the town and covers an area of roughly 300 dunums, which is one-sixth of the Old City's total area.

Israeli Colonizers Construct a Settlement Road Near Hebron, Invade Al-Aqsa Mosque

 IMEMC, NOV 17, 2023

Illegal Israeli colonizers, on Thursday, attacked Palestinian citizens, began the construction of a settlement road near Hebron, and invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

In the northern occupied West Bank, dozens of illegal Israeli colonizers attacked, on Thursday, Palestinian citizens’ vehicles near the village of Deir Sharaf, northwest of Nablus.

The colonizers also closed the main road which connects Nablus to the city of Tulkarm, in the northwestern part of the West Bank, preventing citizens from leaving Nablus.

Meanwhile, south of Nablus, a group of illegal colonizers assaulted a Palestinian citizen near the town of Qusra, southeast of the city.

According to anti-settlement activist, Bashar Al-Qaryouti, colonizers assaulted a Palestinian man on the road between Qusra and Jaloud, causing him to sustain bruising.

Al-Qaryouti added that occupation forces detained the assault victim, and subjected him to interrogation for more than an hour before releasing him.

In the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, dozens of illegal Israeli settlers invaded the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the the full protection of the Israeli police.

Media sources reported that the colonizers entered through the Mughrabi Gate, carried out provocative tours, and performed Talmudic rituals in the courtyards of the Islamic holy site.

At the same time, Israeli police stopped and searched Palestinian students at the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, obstructing their access to their schools inside the compound.

Furthermore, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, illegal Israeli colonizers, on Thursday, began building a settlement road on Palestinian lands in Masafir Yatta, south of Hebron.

According to Nidal Younus, the head of the Masafir Yatta Village Council, a group of Israeli settlers began constructing a settlement road using heavy machinery.

The road is expected to be 12 kilometers in length and connect the illegal colonies of “Avigal” and “Ma’on”, expropriating Palestinian lands.

In related news, Israeli occupation forces installed, Thursday evening, a military tower in the Masafir Yatta region, south of Hebron.

According to the head of the Susiya Village Council, Jihad Nawaja'a, Israeli forces installed a military tower on Palestinian lands between the village of Susiya and Ma’on in Masafer Yatta, for the purpose of monitoring the movement of citizens.

Also in the southern West Bank, a group of Israeli settlers forced, at gunpoint, three Palestinian citizens to leave their land, east of Tuqu’ town, south of Bethlehem.

According to Hasan Breijiyya, the head of the Bethlehem office of the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission, the colonizers forced the citizens, Ibrahim Abd Salem Saba'h, Bassam Mu'hammed Al-Zeer, and 'Imad A'hmed Tanou'h, to abandon their lands east of the town.

Breijiyya added that the colonizers stole three livestock barracks, three caravans, solar cells, and set fire to an agricultural room.

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