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 194 of the US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 6 Massacres, 56 Palestinians Killed, 89 Injured, with a Death Toll of  33,899 and 76,664 Injuries

April 17, 2024 

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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 April 17, 2024, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 41,899+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (33,899) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on April 9, 2024: 8,000+). 

By April 17, 2024, the documented injuries exceeded 76,664, and more than 2,520 civilians have been abducted from Gaza Strip.

By April 7, 2024, the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip resulted in more than 116,061 martyrs, wounded and missing Palestinians, 70% of whom were children and women.

By April 7, 2024, 14,350 children were killed, constituting 44% of the total number of martyrs (over 33,175) in Gaza Strip.

By April 17, 2024, 470 Palestinians who were killed, 4,847 who were injured, and 8,245, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023 (Some of the detainees have been released).

By March 28, 2024, about 12,091 Palestinians, from both the West Bank and Gaza, have been detained in 2023. About half of them were detained after October 7. This included 1,085 children and 300 women.

More than 10,000 Palestinian women were killed (by April 17, 2024), 23,000 were injured (by March 8, 2024), but there are 2,100 women who are unaccounted for (by March 8, 2024).

By January 17, 2024, about 661 detainees from Gaza are currently languishing in Israeli prisons as “illegitimate combatants” (the Israeli term for Palestinian fighters) in addition to more than 50 women from Gaza, who are detained in the Damon prison, noting that 8 women of whom have been recently released.

By March 4, 2023, the death toll included 13,420+ children, 8,900+ women (more than 72.8% of the accounted for victims), 364 doctors and medical staff, 132 journalists, and 48 civil defense workers. 

The total number of detainees in the occupation prisons until the end of December was 8,800, and the number of administrative detainees was 3,484.

By March 4, 2024, the Government Media Office (GMO) said that the Israeli occupation forces killed 364 health personnel, destroyed 155 health institutions, 32 hospitals, 53 health centers, 126 ambulances, displaced 1.9 million Palestinians, and destroyed 360,000 housing units, about and 60% of the buildings and infrastructure in Gaza Strip.

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GMO reveals latest statistics on Israeli genocidal war on Gaza

Saturday 3-February-2024, GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip revealed on Saturday the latest and most significant figures on the Israeli ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 7.

This announcement comes as the latest updates from the GMO, showing the scale of human and material damage that resulted from the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, on its 120th day.

The statistics demonstrated latest updates on the numbers of martyrs, missing, and wounded people in addition to the sick, displaced and prisoners as well as numbers of damaged structures and infrastructure.

Below are figures released by the GMO about Israel’s violations over the period of 120 days since the start of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

(2,325) Massacres (34,238) Martyrs and missing people. (27,238) Martyrs who arrived in hospitals. (12,000) Child martyrs. (8,190) Female martyrs. (339) Martyrs of medical staff. (46) Civil defense martyrs. (122) Journalist martyrs. (7,000) Missing, 70% of whom are children and women. (66,452) Wounded.

(11,000) Wounded people in need of travel abroad for treatment, (life-saving and critical cases). (10,000) Cancer patients facing the risk of death. (700,000) Wounded with infectious diseases as a result of displacement. (8,000) Cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement. (60,000) Pregnant women at risk due to the lack of health care. (350,000) Chronic patients at risk due to blocked medications.

(99) Cases of arrest among health personnel. (10) Cases of arrests among identified journalists. (2 million) Displaced people in the Gaza Strip.

(140) Government headquarters destroyed. (100) Completely destroyed schools and universities. (295) Partially destroyed schools and universities. (183) Completely destroyed mosques. (264) Partially destroyed mosques. (3) Destroyed Churches.

(79,200) Completely destroyed housing units. (290,000) Partially destroyed and uninhabitable housing units. (66,000) tons of explosives dropped on Gaza. (30) Hospitals knocked out of service. (53) Health centers knocked out of service. (150) Partially targeted Health institutions. (122) Destroyed ambulances. (200) Destroyed archaeological and heritage sites.

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More children are among the 56 Palestinians who were killed, and the 89 who were injured on Day 194 of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip, April 17, 2024	Seven Palestinian police officers were killed by an Israeli genocidal air strike on their vehicle, in Al-Tuffa'h neighborhood, east of Gaza City, April 16, 2024
Israeli occupation forces destroyed homes of two Palestinian political prisoners in Bani Na'eem and in Bait 'Haneena, April 17, 2024	11 Palestinian civilians were killed, numerous wounded, mostly children and women, by an Israeli genocidal air strike on Al-Maghazi refugee camp, April 16, 2024
13 Palestinians were massacred, others were injured, by an Israeli occupation army bombardment, in Al-Shaikh Radhwan area, in Gaza City, April 17, 2024	Scenes from the destruction inflicted on South Lebanon by Israeli genocidal air strikes, April 16, 2024
Israeli occupation forces destroyed homes of two Palestinian political prisoners in Bani Na'eem, in Al-Khaleel (Hebron), April 17, 2024	Bidding farewell to the martyrs who were killed by Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Rafa'h, April 17, 2024

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).

"إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ " (الإسْرَاءُ ، 17: 7). 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"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).

"If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, (you do it) to yourselves" (Al-Isra, 17: 7). 

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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.

This is a necessary brief background to understand the US-Backed Zionist Israeli continuous wars against the Arab nation generally, and the Palestinian people in particular, which included the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1978, 1982, the brutal crushing of the two Uprisings (1987-1993 and 2000-2004), 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, and the current genocidal war on Gaza (October 7, 2023-Fruary 26, 2024), which has culminated a blockade of Gaza since 2007. In addition, the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime launched so many covert operations, raids, and air strikes on many Arab states since 1948.

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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UN Security Council to vote on Palestine's UN full membership application draft tomorrow

NEW YORK, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) -

The UN Security Council is set to vote tomorrow on a draft resolution prepared by Algeria recommending Palestine's admission as a full member of the UN.

"Draft resolution on the State of Palestine membership to the United Nations put in blue by @AlgeriaUN on behalf of the Arab Group," Palestine's mission to the UN said Tuesday.

The Arab Group issued on Wednesday a statement in which it expressed its total support for Palestine's UN full membership application, calling on the UN Security Council's members to accept the draft.

The Group said in a statement that it 'continues its efforts to work constructively with the Security Council in fulfilling its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security, in particular its responsibilities towards the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people, by expressing its unwavering support for the State of Palestine's application for full membership in the United Nations. This is a long-overdue step that should have been taken not just since 2011, but since 1948.'

"We call on all members of the Security Council to vote in favor of the draft resolution submitted by Algeria on behalf of the Arab Group and with the support of States from all regions of the world. At the very least, we implore Council members not to obstruct this critical initiative. Membership in the United Nations is crucial step in the right direction towards just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions. It is high time that the Palestinian people are fully empowered to exercise all their legitimate rights on the global stage as an important step towards promoting the rights of the Palestinian people and the realization of the international consensus on the two-State solution on the 4 June 1967 lines," the Group said.

K.T.

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UN official: Israel’s siege on Gaza led to unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe

Tuesday 16-April-2024

GENEVA, (PIC)

The head of a high-level UN-appointed independent rights probe into the Occupied Palestinian Territory spoke of her “serious alarm” at the potential for military escalation in the Gaza Strip and the risks of triggering a regional conflict.

In a briefing to Arab League States days after Iran launched a massive drone and missile strike against Israel, Navi Pillay highlighted the “unprecedented” scale of war sustained by Israel.

To date, more than 33,200 people have been killed, according to Gaza’s health authority, Pillay said, with some 40 percent of schools directly hit in attacks, and 1.7 million people displaced inside the enclave.

“The complete siege imposed on Gaza since October 2023 has resulted in an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe, with famine and starvation now a reality for its residents,” said the head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.

“The destruction of roads and infrastructure has severely compromised the ability of humanitarian actors to bring in aid to the population.” 

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Gaza’s interior ministry decries Israeli attack on police vehicle, killing 7 officials

Tuesday 16-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

Gaza’s Interior Ministry declared the killing of seven police officials in Al-Tuffa'h neighborhood of eastern Gaza City in an Israeli genocidal attack on a police vehicle.

Gaza’s Interior Ministry has condemned the Israeli attack, which it said killed seven “officers and members of the police force.”

The Israeli occupation army’s “repeated, targeted attacks on security forces” across Gaza is an attempt to create an atmosphere of chaos among residents of the Strip, the ministry said in a statement.

“We call on all parties within the international community to pressure the occupation to halt its attacks against members of the police force, who are carrying out their duties to serve and protect our people,” it added.

By April 16, 2024, at least 33,843 Palestinians have been killed and 76,575 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.

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'Hamas calls for global movement in support of the Palestinian political prisoners

Wednesday 17-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

'Hamas has called for a global movement in support of Palestinian political prisoners, emphasizing that they are at the heart of the battle for Al-Aqsa and their liberation from the enemy’s prisons is one of its top priorities, as a gesture of gratitude for their sacrifices and steadfastness.

In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas said: “This year’s Palestinian Prisoner Day comes amid the heroic battle for Al-Aqsa, in which our people and their valiant resistance have been engaged in for more than six months, defending the land, principles, sanctities, and achieving victory for Jerusalem, the prisoners, and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The Movement explained that the goal of liberating “our heroic prisoners from the prisons of the Zionist enemy was at the heart of the ongoing battle for Al-Aqsa,” stressing that it will remain one of its top priorities, and that it will spare no effort to accomplish a deal that guarantees their freedom on the homeland.

It affirmed that the escalation of the occupation’s crimes and violations against the Palestinian prisoners, such as solitary confinement, deliberate medical negligence, strip search and humiliation, psychological and physical torture, and deprivation of basic human rights, are crimes that will not succeed in breaking their will. At the same time, the perpetrators will not escape punishment, and their crimes will not be subject to the statute of limitations, no matter how long time passes.

'Hamas pointed out that the systematic and horrifying violations and brutal torture practices committed against prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip “constitute a war crime added to the series of sadistic crimes carried out by the Nazi occupation army against civilians from our people.”

It held the occupation fully responsible for the lives and safety of thousands of abducted detainees held in the West Bank since October 7 of last year, who are subjected to the most heinous forms of revengeful torture. It denounced the international silence in the face of the continued crimes of execution and killing under torture that they are subjected to in their places of detention, and called for intervention to save them and for their immediate release.

'Hamas urged the Palestinian people, their living forces, and national factions in all areas of the homeland and abroad to unify their efforts, mobilize their energies, and escalate activities in solidarity with the prisoners and to support them by all means.

It also called on the Arab and Islamic nations and the free people of the world to launch a global movement in support of the cause of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation regime jails.

'Hamas called on human rights organizations worldwide to expose the Israeli crimes against prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the occupied territories, and to take effective action to pressure for an end to the Zionist enemy’s crimes against them, and to pursue their perpetrators in international courts and prosecute them as war criminals.

The Israeli occupation regime prison administration continues to commit the most heinous crimes against prisoners inside prisons and detention centers, including medical negligence, torture, and direct killing, as 16 prisoners have been martyred inside prisons since October 7 until today, as a result of the horrifying crimes committed against them amidst intentional blackout.

The Israeli occupation army also exploited its aggression on Gaza to practice enforced disappearance against the residents of the Strip, by kidnapping them, arresting them, and torturing them to death.

There are more than 9,500 prisoners in Israeli jails, including 3,660 administrative detainees, 56 journalists, at least 80 women, over 200 children, and 17 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (Parliament).

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UN Women: Israel killed 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza

Wednesday 17-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

UN Women launched on Tuesday its latest alert on Gaza, saying that “six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed.”

There are about 6,000 mothers among those slain women, which has left 19,000 children orphaned, according to a report released by UN Women.

“Women who have survived Israeli bombardment and ground operations have been displaced, widowed, and facing starvation. This devastating differentiated impact continues to make the war on Gaza also a war on women.”

The series of alerts produced by UN Women on Gaza have provided a detailed analysis of the reality of women’s and girls’ lives in Gaza and documented their suffering from “abhorrent living conditions.”

The report launched by UN Women on Tuesday under the tile, “Scarcity and Fear,” focuses on the lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, which are vital to women’s health, dignity, safety, and privacy.

“More than one million Palestinian women and girls in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger, with almost no access to food, safe drinking water, functioning toilets or running water, creating life-threatening risks,” the report explained.

“Access to clean water is especially critical for breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women, who have higher daily water and caloric intake requirements. It is also essential for the ability of women and girls to manage their menstrual hygiene with dignity and safety,” the report added.

UN Women called for the implementation of the Security Council resolution (2728) adopted on March 25, 2024, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and civilians’ safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.

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WHO renews calls to provide protection for Gaza’s hospitals

RAMALLAH, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) – 

Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, today renewed today its calls to provide protection for all hospitals in in the Gaza Strip.

The WHO's director described the destruction inflicted on hospitals in the Gaza Strip as heartbreaking.

Ghebreyesus said in a post on X, that "we conducted, with our partners, an assessment of the situation of Al-Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza," stressing that the process of recovering bodies in Al-Shifa Hospital is still going on.

He pointed out that health workers cleaned the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital and removed the burned beds, as the safety of the remaining building still needs a comprehensive engineering evaluation, noting that the Indonesian hospital is empty, and reconstruction work is continuing in an attempt to rehabilitate it.

Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire, saying that the main medicine that people in Gaza need is peace.

According to the Ministry of Health, 12 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are partially operating, with six of which are in the north and six others in the south.

In a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has resulted in 33,843 documented Palestinian fatalities, in addition to 76,575 injuries since October 7, 2023.

Y.S.

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Italian foreign minister says Gaza ceasefire is necessary

ROME, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) –

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Wednesday called on Israel to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the daily newspaper La Stampa, the Italian Foreign Minister confirmed that the time has come for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"A ceasefire is necessary now. Israel must stop the military operations that have greatly affected Palestinian citizens."

The Palestinian death toll from Israel's deadly offensive against the Gaza Strip since October 7th, 2023, has now soared to 33,899, according to medical sources.

Sources added that at least 76,664 others have also been injured in the onslaught.

At least 56 people were killed and 89 others were injured in Israeli attacks that took place in the last 24 hours, they added.

The sources said that many victims are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are still unable to reach them.

K.T.

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

On April 17 2024, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, the Spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Gaza Strip resulted in 6 massacres, which resulted in the killing of 56 Palestinian civilians, and the injury of 89 others, in the past 24 hours. This increased the accounted for death toll in Gaza Strip to 33,899 and the injuries to 76,664, since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on October 7, 2023.   

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Gaza: Death toll surges to 33,899 martyrs

Wednesday 17-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation army committed six massacres in different areas of the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, killing at least 56 civilians and injuring over 89 others, while a large number of victims are still under the rubble of bombed buildings or lying on roads.

In a statement, the health ministry said that the Israeli occupation army killed and injured a large number of civilians in different areas of Gaza during the past 24 hours, but only 145 of them, including 56 martyrs, were transported to hospitals.

The health ministry added that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardments and shooting attacks, which started on October 7, climbed to 33,899 martyrs and the number of the wounded surged to 76,664 people.

The Gaza Strip has been under brutal bombardment since a cross-border operation was launched by Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, on October 7.

Besides the large number of casualties and the huge displacement of people, basic food, fuel, water and medical supplies have run out for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the tight Israeli blockade and the massive destruction of infrastructure and facilities.

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US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters Day 194

Wednesday 17-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered Day 194 on Wednesday, aerial and artillery strikes continued to pound and target different areas, 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, killing and injuring scores of citizens.

According to media sources, 13 citizens were massacred and others were injured when the Israeli occupation army bombarded them near Al-Shaikh Radhwan Bridge in Gaza City.

The Israeli occupation army also bombed an apartment in Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood in eastern Gaza, killing and injuring a number of civilians.

Other casualties were reported in different areas of Gaza following Israeli aerial, artillery and shooting attacks last night and today.

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Bodies of 26 slain Palestinian prisoners withheld by the Israeli occupation regime, says official

RAMALLAH, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) – 

The Israeli occupation regime are withholding the bodies of 26 slain Palestinians who died inside Israeli occupation jails, the last of whom was the prisoner Waleed Abu Daqqa, the National Campaign to Retrieve the Bodies of the Martyrs told WAFA.

On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, the Campaign said that the occupation authorities are withholding the bodies of about 497 Palestinians inside cemeteries and refrigerators, including 95 others after the 7 October as well as 51 children and six females.

According to the National Campaign, it stressed that these numbers do not include the bodies withheld in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli aggression.

Y.S.

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11 Palestinians killed in an Israeli slaughter in Maghazi refugee camp

GAZA, Tuesday, April 16, 2024 (WAFA) -

Israeli occupation forces committed a new massacre in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip this evening, resulting in the death of 11 people killed and numerous wounded, the majority of whom were children.

Local sources reported that a series of Israeli genocidal airstrikes targeted residential areas in the refugee camp, leading to the murder of 11 individuals, most of them children, and injuring others.

Simultaneously, the Israeli occupation forces continued their intense shelling on northern Gaza, destroying a four-story house belonging to the Hassouna family on Al-Nafaq Street north of Gaza City, causing damage to surrounding homes.

The occupation forces also continued to fire live ammunition at the homes of Palestinian citizens in the town of Bait 'Hanoun, northern Gaza, alongside sporadic artillery shelling. Israeli warplanes further carried out an airstrike east of Al-Tuffa'h neighborhood in Gaza City.

Meantime, Israeli warplanes and artillery targeted several homes in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp and its outskirts in the central Gaza Strip with a series of violent airstrikes. They also destroyed the top three floors of the Fayyad Tower in the northern areas of the camp, resulting in casualties.

In a related development, Israeli warplanes launched a fierce airstrike on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, ambulance and rescue teams managed to recover the bodies of six martyrs from the Al-Amal neighborhood west of the city.

Earlier, at least eight Palestinian citizens were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting vehicles in Al-Tuffa'h neighborhood in central Gaza City.

Additionally, three Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes north of Al-Nusayrat refugee camp. Occupation forces also demolished a number of residential homes north of the camp with explosives.

In northern Gaza, Israeli occupation forces continued for the second consecutive day to force all families present in the town of Bait 'Hanoun to evacuate, and several youths were arrested.

By April 16, 2024, in a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has resulted in 33,843 documented Palestinian fatalities, in addition to 76,575 injuries since October 7, 2023.

M.N. 

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Day 194 of Genocide: Dozens of civilians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

GAZA, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) -

Israeli occupation warplanes have Wednesday dawn intensified airstrikes on Gaza City and the central Gaza Strip, killing dozens and injuring others with various wounds, amidst widespread property destruction.

WAFA correspondent reported that six citizens were killed and a number of others were wounded, as a result of the occupation bombing of a gathering of citizens in Al-Shaikh Radhwan Market, north of Gaza City.

Civil defense crews recovered two slain civilians and a number of wounded, while at least 9 are still missing, shortly after the occupation bombed a house owned by Abu Sa'da family in Al-Sha'af area in Al-Shuja'iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, is currently under intense artillery shelling.

The occupation warplanes also bombed a pharmaceutical factory east of the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, while Israeli military vehicles penetrated the vicinity of the place, amid sweeping operations.

For the 7th day in a row, Al-Nusayrat refugee camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip is witnessing continuous missile and artillery bombardment, as Israeli bulldozers and tanks advance in the vicinity of the north of the camp, and carry out sweeping works of land near the water desalination plant north of the camp.

The occupation army also destroyed most of the towers and residential houses located in Mufti’s land and the outskirts of the new camp north of Al-Nusayrat in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military operation is still taking place until this moment.

The occupation aircraft and artillery bombed the area of ​​​​the Martyrs' Axis, known as "Netzarim", which led to significant damage in the vicinity of the place.

In the southern Gaza Strip, the bodies of 7 martyrs, including 4 children, were recovered after an Israeli missile targeted a house belonging to Abu Al-Hannoud family in the Yibna refugee camp in the center of Rafa'h.

The occupation aircraft also targeted an inhabited house in central Rafa'h, resulting in a number of martyrs and wounded, most of whom were children.

Crews are still trying to recover the bodies of the martyrs and wounded from under the rubble.

By April 16, 2024, in an infinite toll, the number of martyrs as a result of the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 194th day rose to more than 33,843, and injuries to 76,575.

A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them.

K.T.

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

IOFs raid homes, kidnap Palestinian civilians in the West Bank

Wednesday 17-April-2024

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) kidnaped last night and at dawn Wednesday a number of Palestinian citizens from their homes in the West Bank, amid clashes in some areas.

According to local sources, the IOFs stormed 'Aseera Al-Qibliya town in southern Nablus and kidnaped two young men from their homes.

The IOFs also kidnaped two young men from 'Aqraba town in southern Nablus and carried out raids on homes in Rujaib town in eastern Nablus.

In Jenin, Israeli soldiers assaulted and kidnaped a young man during a raid in Fandaqumiya village, amid clashes with local youths.

Israeli forces also stormed Seelat Al-Dthahr town, southwest of Jineen, and clashed with local young men and resistance fighters.

In Tubas, Israeli forces raided homes in the city and Tammoun town, with no reported arrests.

Resistance fighters reportedly clashed with Israeli occupation soldiers in Toubas City and detonated a number of explosive devices at their vehicles.

The IOFs also carried out raids on homes in other West Bank areas, without making detentions. Its troops came under attack from resistance fighters in Toulkarm City.

In Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Israeli occupation apartheid regime police forces stormed Shu'fat refugee camp and kidnaped a teenager after ransacking his home.

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

 

IOFs destroy two Palestinian homes in Al-Khaleel (Hebron), one in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Wednesday 17-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) destroyed at dawn Wednesday the homes of two Palestinian political prisoners in Bani Na'eem town, east of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), several hours following a similar measure in Al-Quds (oddupied Jerusalem).

According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces detonated the homes of two Palestinian political prisoners, Ma'hmoud 'Ali and A'hmed Mu'hammed, after storming Bani Na'eem town last night.

Clashes reportedly took place between local youths and Israeli soldiers near the prisoners’ homes.

On January 15, 2024, during the Israeli war on Gaza, Mahmoud and Ahmed carried out a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing operation in the industrial zone of Ra’anana in 1948 occupied Palestine. One Israeli was killed and 18 others were injured.

In east Jerusalem, Israeli police forces detonated part of a house belonging to the family of martyr Khalid Al-Mu'htasib and sealed off the other part with concrete in Bait 'Haneena town.

The house is an apartment located on the ground floor of a three-story building. The detonation reportedly caused damage to some nearby homes.

Martyr Al-Mu'htasib, 21, was shot dead by Israeli police officers on October 12, 2023 near Al-Rasheediya School in the Old City of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) after he carried out a shooting operation. His body is being held in police custody. 

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Israeli Occupation Regime seizes 64 dunums in Al-Khaleel (Hebron) to establish an illegal settlement

Tuesday 16-April-2024

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation regime (IOR) have issued a military decision to seize 64 dunums (64,000 square meters) of Palestinian citizens’ land in Al-Bouira area, north of Al-Khaleel (Hebron) in the southern West Bank, municipal sources revealed on Tuesday.

The confiscation order came as a prelude to establishing a new illegal Israeli Jewish settlement in the area, the sources added.

The decision came in conjunction with the illegal Israeli settlement expansion, which has notably accelerated since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The confiscation decision, according to the municipality of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), is directed towards a vital area of the city and serves as a pretext for Israeli-enforced plans to uproot the area’s 8,000 native residents in order to seize and control about 800 dunums.

In response to the Israeli decision, Palestinian local and rights institutions decided to take legal measures against the Israeli move.

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Israeli occupation forces raze land for settler-only road purposes near Salfeet

SALFIT, Thursday, April 16, 2024 (WAFA) – 

Israeli occupation regime bulldozers today started the groundwork construction of a settler-only road near the town of Dair Istya, northwest of Salfeet.

The mayor of Dai Istya, Firas Dthiyab, said that the occupation bulldozers began razing lands belonging to the family of Mu'hammed Husain Abu Nasir, in order to build a settler-only road and expand the entrance to the illegal Rafava settlement.

The heavily-armed soldiers further uprooted olive trees in the said area.

Y.S. 

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Israel has sped up settlement-building in East Jerusalem since Gaza war began: The Guardian

LONDON, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (WAFA) – 

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime has accelerated the construction of its illegal settlements across Al-Quds (occupation Jerusalem), with more than 20 projects totaling thousands of housing units having been approved or advanced since the start of the war in Gaza six months ago, planning documents show, according to an exclusive report by The Guardian.

Ministries and offices within the Israeli government are behind all the largest and most contentious of the projects, sometimes in association with rightwing nationalist groups with a history of trying to evict Palestinians from their homes in parts of the city.

The rapid approval or construction of settlements that are illegal under international law is likely to further damage Israel’s relationship with the Biden administration.

“The fast-tracking of these plans has been unparalleled in the last six months,” said Sari Kronish, from the Israeli human rights organization Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights. “While many government bodies were shuttered or had limited operation following 7 October, the planning authorities continued to plough forward, advancing these plans at unprecedented speed.”

The new settlements will offer homes for Israel’s majority Jewish population in parts of Jerusalem that were unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1980, and are likely to be an obstacle to any attempt to create a viable Palestinian state with the east of the city as its capital.

The US, EU and UK have recently imposed sanctions on individual settlers in the West Bank amid surging violence.

Israeli planning authorities have approved two new settlements since the outbreak of the war, the first to be approved in East Jerusalem in more than a decade. The expansion of a gated high-security settlement called Kidmat Zion, in the heart of the Palestinian neighborhood of Ras Al-'Amoud on the eastern periphery of the city, is also set to go ahead pending comments from the public.

Two major projects now flank the Palestinian community of Bait Safafa, most of which is in East Jerusalem. One, known as Givat Hamatos, was frozen for a decade due to international opposition. Work resumed in 2020 and last month the site was busy with workers, heavy machinery and trucks.

According to the most recent official planning documents, the “initiator” and “applicant” for the project is the Israel Land Authority, a governmental body. The document lists stakeholders as the state of Israel and the Jerusalem municipality among others.

A second large housing development is known as Givat Shaked and will be built on the north-western side of Bait Safafa, on a plot of grass and trees.

Official documents viewed by the Guardian show that the entity which has formally filed the plan is the Jerusalem Development Authority, a statutory body that aims to “promote Jerusalem as a leading international city in the economic sector and in quality of life in the public domain”.

Two years ago the scheme regained momentum. The interior minister at the time, Ayelet Shaked, rejected any claims of Palestinian control over Jerusalem’s east and said it was “unthinkable to prevent development and construction in this area, or anywhere else in the city”.

Shaked also stressed the need “to increase the supply of housing” in Jerusalem. Other supporters of the scheme claimed Palestinians would be able to move into the new “neighborhood”.

Full planning approval was given on 4 January this year.

The scheme involves high-rise blocks containing 700 housing units that occupy the only land in Bait Safafa where the 17,000-strong majority Muslim community could expand to accommodate young people. In the neighbourhood, as elsewhere, bureaucratic obstacles and other restrictions usually prevent Palestinians from building larger homes.

“Our family has been here for 250 years … Now I have a black hole in my heart because I can’t see how my children and grandchildren can spend their lives here,” said Ahmed Salman, 71, the chair of Bait Safafa’s community council.

“We had good relations with the municipality once, but not in recent years. Since the war, life goes on but they approved the plan and dismissed all our objections. We are appealing but I’m not optimistic.”

A third project, also near Bait Safafa, is known as Lower Aqueduct and involves the construction of a large settlement adjacent to a Palestinian neighborhood. The Lower Aqueduct plan was fully approved on 29 December.

The site straddles the line between East Jerusalem and the western part of the city. The initiator and applicant of the project is the Israel Land Authority, documents show.

K.T.

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