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 203 of the US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 5 Massacres, 51 Palestinians Killed, 75 Injured, with a Death Toll of  34,356 and 77,368 Injuries

April 26, 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 26, 2024, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 41,356+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (34,356) and those who are still missing under the rubble (Corrected on April 18, 2024: 7,000+). 

By April 26, 2024, the documented injuries exceeded 77,368, 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 26, 2024, 491 Palestinians who were killed, 4,863 who were injured, and 8,462, 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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58 new bodies of Palestinians, who were massacred by Israeli occupation forces, recovered from 3 mass graves in Nasir Medical Complex in Khan Younus, bringing the total number of martyrs to 392 so far, April 26, 2024	This Palestinian little child was one of the 51 martyrs, who were massacred by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza Strip, on April 26, 2024
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela said that Palestinian steadfast determination and strong will for freedom have been a source of inspiration for South Africa, April 26, 2024	UN HR Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, calls for sanctions on Israel for  violating its international legal obligations, April 26, 2024
Thousands of American university students continue their protests against the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip and the US Support for it, April 26, 2024	Most of the million Gaza displaced Palestinians live in an extensive tent city in and around Rafa'h, threatened by an imminent Israeli genocidal attack, April 26, 2024
51 Palestinians were killed, 75 were injured in 5 Israeli genocidal Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip, on April 26, 2024	Daughter of martyr Rif'at Al-Areer, Shaymaa, was martyred today, along with her husband, Mu'hammed Siyam, and their newborn baby in an Israeli genocidal airstrike, April 26, 2024

US State Department Arabic-language spokeswoman, Hala Rharrit, resigned in protest against Biden's administration support for the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip, April 26, 2024	Despite police crackdown, American college students continue protests against the US support for the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip, April 26, 2024
Hungry Palestinian children, in Dair El-Bala'h, calling for getting cooking gas for the charity which provides them with daily food meals, as the Israeli occupation genocidal regime prevents the entry of enough quantities of cooking gas into Gaza strip, April 26, 2024	Palestinian residential neighborhoods were totally destroyed by the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Al-Balad area, in Khan Younus, as seen after the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces, April 26, 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 (Since October 7, 2023), 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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Palestinian Civil Defense: 58 new bodies recovered from 3 mass graves in Nasir Medical Complex

Thursday 25-April-2024

 Khan Younus, (PIC)

The Palestinian Civil Defense Service in Gaza announced on Thursday the recovery of 58 new bodies from 3 mass graves discovered in Nasir Medical Complex in the city of  Khan Younus, bringing the total number to 392 martyrs after Israeli occupation forces departed the Complex on April 7.

The Director of Civil Defense in Khan Younus, Yamen Abu Sulayman, said during a press conference held in Rafa'h in the southern Gaza Strip, “Three mass graves were discovered in the Nasser Medical Complex, containing 392 bodies, some of which showed signs of torture, other indications point to possible field executions and that some of them were buried alive.”

“During search operations, we discovered bodies of children. We do not know why children bodies were found in mass graves at Nasir Hospital in  Khan Younus,” he added.

Suleiman revealed that “the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) buried a number of bodies in the Nasser Medical complex in plastic bags at a depth of 3 meters, which accelerated their decomposition.”

“Among the bodies were 165 bodies of martyrs who could not be identified because of IOF changing the appearance of the special identification signs and mutilating the bodies,” he underlined.

Suleiman called on the international community to “halt the Israeli aggression against our people and allow the entry of human rights and international media teams to expose the Israeli crimes against the people of the Gaza Strip.”

For his part, the Director of the Civil Defense Supply and Equipment Department in the Gaza Strip, Mu'hammed Al-Mughair, presented during the conference a video clip showing the bodies of people killed by the IOFs, with visible signs of torture as being shackled with plastic restraints.

“The bodies found in the Nasir complex show suspicions of torture and field executions,” he said.

He added: “The bodies were buried at a depth of 3 meters, contrary to the usual body burial methods pursued by the people of the Gaza Strip.”

On April 7, the IOFs withdrew from  Khan Younus, 4 months after launching a ground operation there that included storming the Nasser Medical Complex.

On Wednesday, the European Union called for a comprehensive and independent investigation into the mass graves discovered following the withdrawal of the IOFs from areas in the Gaza Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving tens of thousands as martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to massive destruction, and unprecedented famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN data.

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Israel launches a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon

BEIRUT, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) –

Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes along with artillery shelling this morning targeting several towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli strikes targeted the towns of Shab'a, Kfar Shouba, and Helta during the early hours of the morning.

Prior to that, Israeli warplanes conducted genocidal airstrikes, resulting in the destruction of a house in the village of Shab'a and two houses in the village of Kfar Shouba, as well as damage to more than 35 houses in both villages.

Furthermore, Israeli artillery targeted the vicinity of the town of Al-Khiyam, while the Israeli forces targeted the town of Yaroun with white phosphorus shells and flares, causing a fire to break out.

M.N.

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Mandela’s grandson: Palestinian determination is a source of inspiration

Friday 26-April-2024

ISTANBUL, (PIC)

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, a member of the South African parliament and grandson of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, stated that the Palestinians’ steadfast determination and strong will for freedom have been a source of inspiration for his country that urged it to raise the Palestinian issue in international forums.

Mandela, during his presence in Istanbul, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency on Thursday, “The Palestinian cause has been and still is in the hearts of the citizens of the Republic of South Africa.”

He continued, “My grandfather, President Nelson Mandela, the founding father of our democracy, said during his visits to Gaza in 1995 and 1997: ‘Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people.'”

He pointed out that President Nelson Mandela made this pledge to the Palestinians, “and for this reason, we in South Africa continue to defend the issues he represented and fought for. President Mandela considered the Palestinian struggle the greatest ethical issue of this era.”

He emphasized the importance of the “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” initiative, which is scheduled to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza from Türkiye.

He mentioned that the “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” is a step towards implementing the decision of the International Court of Justice, which stipulates the necessity of allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza freely.

In late January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The decision was issued during a session held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, to consider South Africa’s request for provisional measures in the genocide case filed against Israel.

Despite the UN Security Council’s resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, the Israeli occupation forces continue their war, and they also face charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice. 

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Hamas warns of the dangerous fuel shortage in Gaza’s hospitals

Friday 26-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The Hamas Movement said on Thursday that the health ministry’s warning of the severe shortage of fuel supplies to hospitals, which threatens a complete power outage in the health facilities, putting the lives of thousands of sick and wounded in danger, requires the international community to work immediately to put pressure on the fascist occupation to lift the criminal siege it imposes on all aspects of life in Gaza, including hospitals.

“The criminal Zionist enemy has targeted hospitals and medical centers in the Gaza Strip since the first day of the aggression.”

The Movement pointed out that the Israeli occupation is now seeking to obstruct all attempts to reopen the health facilities as part of its genocide campaign.

Meanwhile, Hamas demanded an immediate international investigation into mass graves with hundreds of bodies that were killed by the Israeli army at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younus in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Medical teams continue to discover the bodies of martyrs who were executed by the fascist Israeli army and buried in mass graves at the Nasir Medical Complex,” it said in a statement.

The statement urged the international community to send specialized forensic teams and necessary equipment to search for the missing and identify the bodies.

It stressed the immediate need ”to establish an independent international committee to investigate these heinous crimes of mass graves containing the bodies of patients, wounded, children, and women who were subjected to torture and brutality, in addition to indications of some being buried alive.”

The Gaza Civil Defense Agency said Thursday that it uncovered 392 bodies in three mass graves at Nasir Hospital.

The Israeli army withdrew from Khan Younus on April 7 after a four-month ground operation in the Nasir Medical Complex.

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Student protests continue at 44 US universities, rejecting the war on Gaza

Friday 26-April-2024

WASHINGTON, (PIC)

Thousands of students continued their protests in dozens of US universities, rejecting the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, and demanding an end to the war and the US support for it.

Protests have popped up in about 44 US universities and colleges despite police arrest campaigns against students and organizers who support them.

The American students movement in support of the Palestinian people is expanding from Los Angeles to New York, passing through Austin, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta, where demonstrations and protests were organized at a number of world prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton.

The students were able to set up more tent encampments in many universities to deliver their message to local communities and decision-makers in Washington about the need for immediate intervention to stop the war and support Palestinian rights.

The students are seeking to put pressure on the US administration to withdraw investments from Israel and the companies supporting it. They are calling as well for boycotting Israeli universities complicit in the genocide against the Palestinian people.

On Thursday, professors as well as students were arrested by the police from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, amid assaults, rubber bullets, and tear gas.

Video clips showed the police arresting and assaulting the head of the Philosophy Department, Noelle McAfee, and Professor of Economics, Carolyn Fohlin, at Emory University, after they participated in a protest demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the US support for Israel.

The scenes show the police treating Fohlin violently at the university, throwing her to the ground before arresting her, while she was telling them that she was a professor at the university.

Local platforms also published scenes showing Atlanta police trying to disperse students at Emory University with rubber bullets after they had demonstrated in support of Palestine and in condemnation of the genocide in Gaza.

US media reported that police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesting students and faculty at Emory University.

Since April 18, the student movement in support for Palestine and condemnation of the continued US support for Israel has been on the rise in the United States after Columbia University President Ne'mat Shafiq called the police on students, who set up a tent encampment on the university campus to protest the continuation of the war in Gaza, arresting about 100 of them.

The pro-Gaza protests began last week at Columbia University in New York State, when a group of students decided to organize an open sit-in inside a tent encampment in the university courtyard, denouncing the aggression against the Palestinian people.

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College protests in solidarity with Gaza sweep across America for second week

WASHINGTON DC, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) -

From Los Angeles to New York, Austin to Boston, Chicago to Atlanta, American students and faculty members at major US universities continue to mobilize in support of the Palestinian cause despite the police crackdown and the dozens of arrests at many colleges.

Encampments in solidarity with the Palestinian people have been staged at globally renowned institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton. 

Students have expanded their presence by erecting more tents on campuses, amplifying their message to local communities and policymakers in Washington, calling for immediate intervention to halt the war and support Palestinian rights.

Efforts are underway to pressure the US administration to divest from Israel and boycott companies supporting its occupation, as well as to boycott complicit Israeli universities in the genocide against Palestinians.

These protests began last week at Columbia University in New York, where a group of students decided to stage an open sit-in encampment on campus, condemning the aggression against the Palestinian people.

There have nearly been 550 protest-related arrests in the past week at major US universities, according to a tally by news agency Reuters.

Some universities have called in police to quell the demonstrations, resulting in injuries and arrests, while others appear to be biding their time as the academic semester enters its final days.

At Boston's Emerson College, 108 nonviolent protesters were arrested overnight by police, who appeared in a video forcefully moving through the crowd, throwing some students to the ground.

At Emory University's Atlanta campus, 28 people were detained and the local branch of activist group Jewish Voice For Peace said police used tear gas and tasers on protesters.

At Indiana University Bloomington, police with shields and batons shoved into a line of protesters, arresting 33 people.

At City College of New York, police officers retreated from protests, to cheers from the hundreds of students gathered on the lawn on the Harlem campus.

At California State Polytechnic University in Humboldt, students have been barricaded in a campus building since Monday, with staff trying to negotiate.

At University of Connecticut one protester was arrested and tents torn down, while protests continued at Stanford University and the New Jersey campus of Princeton University.

At New York's Columbia University, where the protest movement began, university officials remain locked in a stalemate with students.

Police cleared tents and arrested more than 100 people last week but students put the tents up again in an area where graduation ceremonies will be held in a few weeks.

The administration has given protesters until Friday to leave.

M.N.

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Palestinian statistics bureau: 1.1 million citizens in Rafa'h

Friday 26-April-2024

RAFAH, (PIC)

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics announced on Thursday that the number of residents in the Rafa'h governorate until April 22nd is estimated at around 1.1 million individuals, living in an area of 63.1 square kilometers.

The Bureau stated in a statement that “the population density in Rafa'h reached 4,360 individuals per square kilometer before the aggression, and it has now reached approximately 17,500 individuals per square kilometer. This represents a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe, and puts immense pressure on scarce services and the ability to obtain the basic necessities of life under the aggression.”

The statement added that “the number of citizens in Gaza City and North Gaza governorates is estimated at around 511,000, and in Khan Younus to the south and center of the Strip, it is estimated at 685,000, taking into account the instability caused by displacement.”

The Bureau further explained that “the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a severe aggression and systematic genocide since October 7th, resulting in the forced displacement of citizens from the north and center of the Strip to the south, especially to the Rafah governorate, which is now overcrowded with internally displaced people.”

The Palestinian Statistics Bureau noted that “the Rafa'h governorate is currently facing fierce attacks from the occupying army and continuous threats of invasion. The period of aggression has witnessed structural changes in the pattern and distribution of citizens in the governorates of the Strip, due to targeting all areas, despite the limited return of some of them to their original places of residence in the north and center of the Strip.”

The Bureau affirmed that it “worked on preparing estimates for the number of residents in the Rafa'h governorate based on foundations that rely on actual data, monitoring the situation in the Gaza Strip before and during the aggression, using supportive data from several sources within the national statistical system in addition to the population estimates issued by the Bureau.”

Since October 7th, the Israeli occupation army, with American and European support, has continued its aggression on the Gaza Strip, with its aircraft targeting the vicinity of hospitals, buildings, towers, and Palestinian civilians’ houses, destroying them over their heads, and preventing the entry of water, food, medicine, and fuel.

By April 25, 2024, the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza has resulted in the death of 34,305 martyrs and the injury of 77,293 people, in addition to the displacement of approximately 1.7 million people from the population of the Strip, according to data from UN organizations. 

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

On April 26, 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 5 massacres, which resulted in the killing of 51 Palestinian civilians, and the injury of 75 others, in the past 24 hours. This increased the accounted for death toll in Gaza Strip to 34,356 and the injuries to 77,368, since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on October 7, 2023.   

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Gaza death toll surges to 34,356 martyrs

Friday 26-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The health ministry in Gaza said on Friday that the Israeli occupation army committed five massacres in different areas of the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, killing at least 51 civilians and injuring over 75 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 army killed and injured a large number of civilians in different areas of Gaza during the past 24 hours, but only 126 of them, including 51 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 34,356 martyrs and the number of wounded surged to 77,368 people.

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US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza enters day 203

Friday 26-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

As the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip entered day 203 on Friday, 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 launch attacks across Gaza, killing and injuring multiple citizens.

The Israeli artillery bombed east of Shuja’iya and Al-Zaytoun neighborhoods, east of Gaza City.

The Israeli artillery also shelled at midnight north of Al-Nusayrat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Massive airstrikes were also carried out in the Shuja'iya neighborhood, east of Gaza.

Earlier Thursday (April 25, 2024), the health ministry in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation army committed five massacres in different areas of the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, killing at least 43 civilians and injuring over 64 others, while a large number of victims are still under the rubble of bombed buildings or lying on roads.

The health ministry added that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardments and shooting attacks, which started on October 7, climbed to 34,305 martyrs and the number of the wounded surged to 77,293 people.

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Israel continues its genocide in Gaza Strip for 203rd day

GAZA, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces continued their intense bombardment across the Gaza Strip over the last few hours, marking the 203rd day of an ongoing genocide that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 35,000 Palestinians.  

In central Gaza, Israeli warplanes launched heavy airstrikes in the northern areas of Nusayrat and Maghazi refugee camps, as well as in the town of Al-Zawayida. Additionally, occupation forces demolished residential buildings in nearby Al-Mughraqa town.

Simultaneously, Israeli artillery shelled areas north of Bait Lahya town, and the eastern areas of the northern Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Israeli military vehicles fired live ammunition along the northern border of the Strip.

Meantime, rescue and ambulance teams continued to retrieve the bodies of martyrs from the Israeli mass graves discovered in Nasir Medical Complex in Khan Younus, south of the Gaza Strip.

At least 392 bodies have been recovered from three mass graves discovered in Nasser Medical Complex after Israeli occupation forces withdrew from Khan Younus. Among the bodies, 165 remain unidentified due to the occupation's alteration of identification marks on the bodies.

Meanwhile, the suffering of citizens in displacement camps in the southern Gaza Strip worsened as amid a scorching heat wave, with warnings of a potential spread of epidemics and diseases, especially among children and women.  

The Israeli war of genocide has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of citizens from the northern and central Gaza Strip to the south, particularly to the Rafa'h governorate, which is now overcrowded with internally displaced persons.

By April 25, 2024, in a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression has claimed the lives of at least 34,305 Palestinians, mostly children and women, with an additional 77,293 injuries.

M.N.

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Daughter of martyr Al-'Areer martyred along with husband, newborn baby in an Israeli genocidal airstrike

Friday 26-April-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The daughter of martyr Rif'at Al-Areer, Shaymaa, was martyred on Friday along with her husband, engineer Mu'hammed Siyam, and their newborn baby in an Israeli genocidal airstrike that targeted their apartment near Al-Rimal Clinic in Gaza City.

Media sources said Israeli aircraft launched several attacks this morning targeting the headquarters of the International Red Cross, which houses displaced people, and a residential apartment near Al-Rimal Clinic, resulting in a number of martyrs and wounded.

The sources revealed that among the martyrs was Shaymaa, the eldest daughter of martyr Dr. Rif'at Al-'Areer, who was previously assassinated last December in a deliberate Israeli airstrike targeting his sister’s home in Gaza City.

Dr. Rif'at Al-'Areer was one of the pillars of the English Section at the PIC, and the supervisor of its Social Media Department. He was martyred along with his brother, sister, and her four children.

The martyr Rif'at Al-'Areer also worked as Professor of English Language at the Islamic University which was destroyed in the Israeli aggression. A number of its staff along with its President were martyred as well.

Al-'Areer was one of the courageous voices who spoke and wrote in English about the Palestinian cause and refuted the Israeli narrative. He is the author of the book “Gaza Writes Back”.

He was also hosted in distinguished interviews with various Western media outlets. 

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Casualties in a series of Israeli genocidal airstrikes on Gaza, fisherman killed in Rafa'h

GAZA, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) – 

Several Palestinians, including a child and a woman, were killed today in an Israeli genocidal airstrike which targeted a house in the Al-Rimal neighborhood west of Gaza City. Meanwhile, a fisherman was shot dead by the Israeli navy off the shores of Rafa'h in the south of the enclave.

WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli fighter jets bombed a house belonging to Al-Shawa family in the Al-Rimal neighborhood. Subsequently, rescue and ambulance crews retrieved the bodies of three victims, including a child and a woman, along with several injured individuals from under the rubble of the targeted house.

The casualties and the injured were transported to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, the last functioning hospital in Gaza City after Israeli occupation forces destroyed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex during a major invasion of the western areas of the city last month.

Israeli warplanes also targeted the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood south of Gaza City, as well as a residential building on Al-Wehda Street in the city center, resulting in the killing of at least one civilian and the injury of others.

In Rafa'h, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, a fisherman was killed and another was injured by Israeli occupation forces while they were working off the Mediterranean coast of the city.

Additionally, rescue teams managed to retrieve the body of a martyr from under the rubble of the Jouda family's house in the Shaboura refugee camp, which was targeted by an Israeli genocidal airstrike last Saturday.

Simultaneously, Israeli artillery shelled the Al-Nusayrat and Al-Buraij camps in central Gaza, while the occupation forces demolished homes and facilities in the neighboring town of Al-Maghazi.

By April 25, 2024, in a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023 has claimed the lives of at least 34,305 Palestinians, mostly children and women, with an additional 77,293 injuries.

M.N

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US State Department's Arabic spokeswoman resigns over Gaza policy

WASHINGTON DC, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) – 

Hala Rharrit, the Arabic-language spokeswoman for the US State Department, has resigned from the post in protest against the Biden administration's Gaza policy.

Her resignation, effective Wednesday, was confirmed through her State Department biography page, where she had also served as the Deputy Director of the Dubai Regional Media Hub.

In a statement attributed to her on a LinkedIn page believed to be hers, Rharrit stated, "I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States' Gaza policy. Diplomacy, not arms. Be a force for peace and unity."

Having commenced her Foreign Service career in 2006, Rharrit has undertaken assignments in various countries, including Yemen, Hong Kong, Qatar, and South Africa.

Rharrit's resignation underscores a growing trend within the State Department, with several employees stepping down in disagreement with President Joe Biden's Gaza policy.

Annelle Sheline, who resigned publicly last month, cited her inability to fulfill her role in the human rights department under the current administration's policies.

Josh Paul, another former staffer who resigned last year over Gaza-related issues, remarked that while resignations may exert pressure on the administration, substantial changes in policy remain elusive.

The resignations come amid heightened criticism of Washington's steadfast support for Israel, particularly in light of recent legislation allocating $26 billion in aid to Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

M.N.

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

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Fresh IOFs raids, kidnappings across West Bank

Friday 26-April-2024

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) kidnapped several Palestinians during a large-scale raid campaign across the West Bank at dawn Friday.

In Ramallah, the IOFs skidnapped teacher Jihad Nakhla, 33, after raiding and searching her family house in the Jalazoan camp.

Several local homes were also stormed during the raid.

In Jineen, two youths were kidnapped from their family houses after the IOFs broke into Qabatya town amid a heavy firing of live ammunition.

Meanwhile, the IOFs continued to besiege Jalboun town, northeast of Jineen, for the sixth day in a row, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes. No casualties or kidnappings have been reported so far.

In Qalqilya, the Israeli forces raided 'Azzoun and Jayyous towns, where several local homes were stormed and searched.

In Nablus, more than 40 Israeli military vehicles stormed the eastern area of the city via the 'Awarta checkpoint and were stationed in the vicinity of Joseph’s Tomb to secure the illegal Israeli settlers’ incursion into the site. 

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Israeli Occupation forces detain 7 Palestinians in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces detained at least seven Palestinian—including a woman—over the last night and this morning during military raids into several areas across the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

In Ramallah province, an Israeli army unit stormed Al-Jalazoan refugee camp, where they detained three Palestinians, including a 33-year-old woman, Jihad Nakhla, after raiding their homes and tampering with their content.

In Jenin province, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Qabatya and arrested two Palestinians after raiding and searching their homes.

During the raid, Israeli occupation forces fired live ammunition at homes and parked vehicles, with no reports of injuries.

Meantime, an Israeli occupation army force stormed Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, where they detained at least one Palestinian youth after besieging and raiding a home in the camp.

Confrontations erupted between local Palestinians and the Israeli troops in the aftermath of the raid.

Simultaneously, in the southern province of Hebron, an Israeli military force stormed the town of Idhna, where they detained one Palestinian after raiding and searching his home.

Almost on a daily basis, Israeli occupation forces carry out raids targeting populated Palestinian communities for arrests or searches. The practice, mostly carried out at nighttime, has become a routine under Israeli military regime.

M.N.

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

 

Dozens of the illegal Israeli settlers storm Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus

Friday 26-April-2024

NABLUS, (PIC)

Clashes broke out in Nablus at dawn Friday between dozens of local youths and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOFs) after dozens of the illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed Joseph’s Tomb under the army protection.

Eyewitnesses affirmed that Israeli buses and cars carrying dozens of Jewish settlers stormed the city, accompanied by large numbers of Israeli military vehicles.

Clashes erupted when the Israeli soldiers randomly fired tear gas bombs and live fire during the raid.

The illegal Israeli Jewish settlers organize periodic army-protected tours of Joseph’s Tomb which Palestinian residents contest.

The site has frequently been one of the most violent and heated areas of confrontation in Nablus since settlers began raiding it following the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

Both Palestinians and Israelis claim counter narratives about its religious and national significance.

Palestinians believe the shrine is the burial site of Shaikh Yousuf Duwaikat a cleric who lived in the nearby Balata neighborhood.

The illegal Israeli Jewish settlers claim that the shrine contains the tomb of the Prophet Joseph, a figure revered in both Islamic and Jewish religions.

The site is registered as an Islamic endowment at the Palestinian Authority’s Department of Endowments in the city of Nablus.

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Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers attack al-Mughayyir villagers, attempt to destroy farmlands

RAMALLAH, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) –

Continuing with their terror rampages, armed The illegal Israeli Jewish settlers todday attacked the villagers of Al-Mughayyir, east of the West Bank city of Ramallah, and attempted to destroy their farmlands, according to a local activist.

Mu'hammed Abu 'Alya said that armed colonists rampaged through the olive groves of the villagers in an attempt to vandalize olive trees and opened fire at a group of villagers who attempted to confront them and fend off the attack.

This came several days after colonists set up two tents at the nearby locality of Ayn al-Banat, stirring the villagers’ fears that this could serve as a prelude to taking over villagers’ lands and a nucleus of a future colony.

Colonist violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Colonist violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Over 700,000 illegal Israeli Jewish settlers are living in illegal settlements across Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) and the West Bank in violation of international law.

K.F.

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Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers storm residential tents in Jordan Valley

JORDAN VALLEY, Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) –

 Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed the tents of a Palestinian resident this afternoon in Al-'Ain Al-Hilwa community, located in the northern Jordan Valley region, northeast of the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Arif Daraghma, a local human rights activist, reported that a group of colonists, under the protection of the Israeli army, stormed the tents of Fuad Daraghma, a Palestinian resident of the village.

Residents in several communities in the northern Jordan Valley have been enduring daily attacks by Israeli colonist militias. This latest incident adds to the ongoing tensions fueled by colonist violence against defenseless Palestinian communities across the West Bank.

M.N.

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Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers storm archaeological site in Al-Khaleel (Hebron)-area, perform Talmudic rituals

Al-Khaleel (Hebron), Friday, April 26, 2024 (WAFA) -

Dozens of the illegal Israeli Jewish settlers, backed by Israeli forces, broke into the Al-Karmil archaeological site in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, today and performed Talmudic rituals in the area, according to local sources

Sources informed WAFA that the occupation forces closed all entrances to the archaeological site and took over the rooftops of residents’ homes to secure the entry of colonists to conduct Talmudic rituals in the area.

The Al-Karmil area contains a park that was established by the Hebron municipality and an archaeological water pool used for livestock watering and rainwater harvesting. The collected water is used by farmers for irrigating crops.

In the meantime, a group of colonists stormed an area in the western part of 'Husan village to the west of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), in the southern occupied West Bank, and performed religious rituals there.

The area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by the illegal Israeli settlers for the past three days.

T.R.

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