Documentation of the Israeli abuse of power, mistreatment of humanity, and perpetration of the genocidal war on the Palestinian people in the  Gaza Strip.

*** 

New Footage of Al-Sinwar, 4 Israeli Female-Soldier Prisoners Exchanged for 200 Palestinian Political Prisoners, Part of the Second Round of the Ceasefire Agreement

January 25, 2025

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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 the Gaza Strip, based on the reliable data reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza:

By January 23, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 58,292+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (47,292), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 11,000+). 

By January 23, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 111,800.

By January 24, 2025, 870 Palestinians who were killed, 6,746 who were injured, and 10,989*, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023, including 310 women and 640 children (Some of the detainees have been released).

By January 21, 2025, and since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have launched genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing of at least 47,035 Palestinians, including 17,581 children and about 12,048 women, and the injury of more than 111,091 others, while about 11,000 are still missing under the rubble and in the streets. 

***

Al-Jazeera satellite channel aired an investigative program, showing 'Hamas leader Ye'hya Al-Sinwar moving between fighting locations, before his martyrdom in Rafa'h, published by PIC, on January 25, 2025.	Al-Jazeera satellite channel aired an investigative program, showing 'Hamas leader Ye'hya Al-Sinwar directing military operations, before his martyrdom in Rafa'h, published by PIC, on January 25, 2025,
Four female Israeli soldiers were released by Hamas in Gaza City, in exchange for 200 Palestinian political prisoners, part of the ceasefire agreement, on Saturday, January 25, 2025.	One  of the 200 Palestinian political prisoners who was released in Khan Younus, in exchange for the four Israeli female-soldier prisoners, part of the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire agreement, January 25, 2025.
The second round of the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange agreement took place in Gaza city by releasing four Israeli female soldiers and in the West Bank and Khan Younus by releasing 200 Palestinian political prisoners, on January 25, 2025.	Palestinian celebrations in the West Bank city of Ramallah for the release of Palestinian political prisoners, part of the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange agreement, on January 25, 2025.
The Israeli occupation forces continued their attacks on the Jineen refugee camp, during which several homes were destroyed and thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes, January 24, 2025.	Displaced Palestinian families dismantle their tents in Al-Zawayida, in central Gaza Strip, in preparation to return to their homes in Gaza City and northern Gaza Strip, part of the ceasefire agreement, January 24, 2024.
16 of the Palestinian political prisoners arrived at Khan Younus, in southern Gaza Strip, part of the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire exchange, January 25, 2025.	The Israeli occupation apartheid regime released today the second batch of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian factions in Gaza, January 25, 2025.

***

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). 

***

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.

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

***

'Hamas: We await the Israeli withdrawal and the start of the return of displaced persons

Saturday 25-January-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The spokesperson for Hamas, Abdul Lateef Al-Qanou', stated that the scenes and details of the resistance’s handover of the four female soldiers today showcase the creativity of resistance and tell a story of heroism, solidifying a model of pride and dignity. He pointed out that our people are waiting for the occupation’s withdrawal and the beginning of the return of the displaced.

Al-Qanou' emphasized in a press statement on Saturday that these scenes send messages with strategic implications to the fascist Israeli occupation government, its criminal army, and their supporters in their aggression against our people. “They must grasp these messages to acknowledge the reality of our great people and our valiant resistance.”

He noted that the “gathering of our people to accompany the handover process led by the resistance is a manifestation of popular solidarity with it, affirming unity around it, and embracing it over the span of 471 days.”

He said, “We await the occupation’s withdrawal according to the terms of the (ceasefire) agreement and the start of the return of the displaced to their lands and homes.”

He added, “We stand with our great people in these historic moments and call for mobilizing all available resources, Arab, Islamic, and international, to support our people, heal their wounds, and advocate for their rights.”

***

Israeli occupation forces kill Palestinian, injure others south of Wadi Gaza

GAZA, January 25, 2025 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation forces Saturday evening killed a Palestinian and injured others, south of Wadi Gaza, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that the Israeli occupation forces opened live gunfire at internally displaced Palestinians returning from the southern and central Strip to the northern Strip via Sala'huddeen, claiming the life of one and injuring several others, including a child.

He added that the occupying forces continue to violate the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on Sunday, January 19, by directly shooting at Palestinians, resulting in several fatalities and casualties in the past few days.

Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their houses in the northern Strip following an Israeli military plan aimed at the permanent forced displacement of northern Gaza's population, as settlers plan for post-war colonization of the Palestinian enclave.

Proposed and promoted by a group of senior Israeli army reservists, the "Generals' Plan", also known as the "Eiland Plan", involves forcibly displacing the entire population of northern Gaza, and then besieging the area, including stopping the entry of humanitarian supplies, in order to starve out anyone left.

Israel proceeded with its genocidal offensive on the war-torn Strip in complete disregard of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel in a legally binding decision to halt its military offensive in Rafah, which may violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Israel waged a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 47,107 Palestinians and injuring over 111,147 others.

Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafa'h near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

K.F.

***

Al-Jazeera TV program unveils new details on “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Al-Sinwar, and Al-Dhaif

Saturday 25-January-2025

DOHA, (PIC)

Al-Jazeera satellite channel’s investigative program “The Hidden Is More Immense” showed exclusive footage on Friday, revealing new details about the October 7th cross-border operation (Al-Aqsa Flood) and prominent 'Hamas leaders.

The program showed never-before-seen clips of Ye'hya Al-Sinwar, the martyred leader of 'Hamas, directing military operations against the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) in Rafa'h and other areas of Gaza. The footage showed Al-Sinwar moving between locations, boosting the morale of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters and coordinating ambushes.

In one scene, Al-Sinwar appeared with Ma'hmoud 'Hamdan, the commander of the Tel Al-Sultan Brigade in Rafa'h. Both men were seen planning field counterattacks before their martyrdom. Another clip captured Al-Sinwar observing a disabled IOFs vehicle in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafa'h.

The program also unveiled rare footage of Mu'hammed Al-Dhaif, the chief of staff of Al-Qassam Brigades, inside a command room. Al-Dhaif was shown finalizing plans for the October 7th assault, pinpointing Israeli military targets.

In the program, there was a secret operations document signed by Al-Dhaif two days before the resistance operation. It outlined detailed instructions for the operation, “Al-Aqsa Flood,” and determined the start time at 6:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023.

Additional footage revealed Al-Qassam’s meticulous border surveillance in the months leading up to the operation. This included monitoring the Israeli officer 'Assaf 'Hamami (commander of the IOFs southern brigade), now held captive in Gaza.

An exclusive interview with senior Al-Qassam leader, 'Izzuddeen Al-Haddad shed more light on the operation’s execution. The program also aired dramatic clips of al-Qassam fighters seizing Israeli tanks and vehicles during the October 7th operation.

***

Israel releases second batch of Palestinian prisoners under ceasefire agreement

WAFA Images

RAMALLAH, January 25, 2025 (WAFA) –

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime released today the second batch of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian factions in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the second batch includes 200 prisoners, comprising individuals with life sentences and high prison terms. Among them, 121 prisoners were serving life sentences, and 79 were serving long-term sentences.

The release, which took place from Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, saw 114 prisoners bussed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Ramallah, while 16 prisoners were released to Gaza, and 70 others exiled outside Palestine.

Among those released is the oldest Palestinian prisoner in Israeli prisons, Mu'hammed Al-Tous, 67 years old, from the village of Al-Jaba', south of Bait (Bethlehem). Al-Tous had spent 39 years in Israeli prisons.

Another significant release includes Ra-id Al-Sa'di, 57 years old, from the town of Silat Al-'Harithiya, west of Jineen. Al-Sa'di, imprisoned since 1989, is the longest-serving detainee in the Jineen Governorate.

The release also included the Abu Hmeed brothers—Nasir, Mu'hammed, and Shaeef—from Al-Am'ari refugee camp in Ramallah. The three brothers, sentenced to life imprisonment, were exiled outside Palestine. Their brother, Nasir Abu 'Humaid, a prominent leader, died in Israeli detention in late 2022, and his body remains withheld by Israeli authorities.

During the release process, the Israeli occupation forces declared the area near Ofer Prison a closed military zone, dispersing families of detainees and supporters with live ammunition and tear gas.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians gathered at the Ramallah Entertainment Complex to welcome the 114 freed prisoners from Ofer Prison. The event was attended by Layla Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Beereh, along with several Palestinian leadership figures.

The release marks a significant development in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, with emotions running high among families and supporters celebrating the return of their loved ones.

Here is a list of the Palestinian prisoners released today under the exchange deal:

Israel releases second batch of Palestinian prisoners under ceasefire agreement 

‎***

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

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Armed clashes broke out on Friday night between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Israeli occupation forces Maythaloan and Silat Al-Harithiya

Armed clashes during IOFs raids in West Bank towns

Saturday 25-January-2025

Jineen, (PIC)

Armed clashes broke out on Friday night between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the towns of Maythaloan and Silat Al-Harithiya in the Jineen province.

According to local sources, the IOFs carried out an airstrike and encircled a house in Maithaloan town, amid reports about casualties.

The sources added that violent clashes broke out with Israeli forces in the town as IOFs reinforcements stormed the area.

Medical sources said that ambulances failed to reach the bombed site in Maythaloan, where some people were reportedly martyred.

Meanwhile, the IOFs forced families living near the surrounded house in the town to leave their homes.

The IOFs also stormed Silat Al-'Harithiya town in western Jineen, where they encircled a house and demanded its residents over a megaphone to evacuate it.

The IOFs also ordered other families in the same area to leave their homes.

Eyewitnesses said that Israeli occupation forces fired projectiles at the surrounded house in the town. There were no information about casualties in the attack.

Earlier on the same day, two Palestinian citizens were martyred in an Israeli airstrike on a car in Qabatya town, south of Maythaloan.

***

Palestinian man injured by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets north of Hebron

Al-Khaleel (Hebron), January, 25, 2024 (WAFA) – 

A Palestinian  young man was injured by live bullets at night during the Israeli occupation forces' storming of Al-'Arroub camp north of Al-Khaleel (Hebron).

Local sources told WAFA that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the camp from the eastern area,  deployed in the Al-Bass area and the vicinity of Al-Baraka Al-Romaniya, while he soldiers deployed in the rooftops of several houses.

During the raid, the occupation soldiers further fired live bullets, sound bombs and toxic teargas, injuring a young man by live bullets in the foot.

Y.S.

***

For the fifth day in a row, Israeli forces continue large-scale military onslaught on Jineen city and its camp

Jineen, January, 25, 2024 (WAFA)- 

The Israeli occupation army continued its aggression on the city of Jineen and its refugee camp for the fifth consecutive day, which has resulted so far in the killing of 14 Palestinians and the injury of others, amidst massive destruction to infrastructure.

During the onslaught, several villages and towns in the Jineen governorate witnessed raids and detentions. Meanwhile, the town of Qabatya to the south witnessed an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle last night, resulting in the killing of two Palestinians.

The occupation bulldozers have also destroyed the entrance to the towns of Al-Yamoun and Al-Silah Al-'Harithiya to the west, in addition to bulldozing Jaffa Street connecting the city of Jenin and its western villages.

The occupation forces launched a large-scale  detention campaign that targeted several local residents from different neighborhoods and homes in the Jenin refugee camp. Additionally, the Israeli soldiers broke into the home of the detainee Zakariyya Al-Zubaidi,  detained his wife and children, and stormed the homes of his two siblings in Al-Jabariyat area and destroyed their contents.

Also, the occupation army destroyed and set fire to residents' homes in the southwestern area of ​​the camp.

In the Al-Zahra and Al-Jabariyat neighborhoods, the occupation forced citizens to evacuate their homes, and did not allow them to return to them before a month from that date, while drones continued to fly in the sky of the camp and declared a curfew in it.

The occupation army continues to send military reinforcements into the city of Jenin and the entrances to the camp, at a time when the Health Directorate issued a circular to patients who obtain medicines from its headquarters in Jenin, to go to the directorate's centers in the towns of the governorate, due to the continued storming of the city

Y.S. 

***

 Israeli forces detain child after beating him in 'Udala village, near Nablus

NABLUS, January 25, 2025 (WAFA) –

 Israeli occupation forces detained a Palestinian child today in the village of 'Udala, located south of Nablus, after beating him.

Local sources stated that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village early this morning, firing live ammunition into the area. Amidst the raid, a child was assaulted and detained by Israeli soldiers, though his identity remains unknown at this time.

M.N.

***

Several Palestinians injured in West Bank clashes

Friday 24-January-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

Several Palestinians were injured after clashes erupted in different towns in the West Bank on Friday evening.

A number of teargas suffocation cases were reported after the Israeli forces stormed Beita town, south of Nablus, amid heavy fire of tear gas bombs.

Meanwhile, a group of settlers stormed the vicinity of Mount Al-'Arma near Baita.

The Beita town is exposed to frequent attacks by Israeli forces and settlers following the illegal establishment of the Avitar outpost on Mount Sabee'h lands.

Similar attacks were reported in Qusra town, south of Nablus, after the Israeli forces stormed the area amid heavy firing of live ammunition and tear gas bombs, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes.

The Israeli occupation forces also broke into Al-Khadhir town, south of Bethlehem, and were stationed in Dar Salah and Dar Mahmoud neighborhoods amid heavy fire of tear gas and sound bombs.

***

Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

*** 

Note: Despite the Trump administration support for the Israeli occupation apartheid regime, the U.S. official policy is still considering the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories as illegal.

***  

Israeli occupation forces tighten movement restrictions around Ramallah

RAMALLAH, January 25, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation authorities have intensified movement restrictions at military checkpoints in the Ramallah and Al-Beereh governorate, in the central West Bank, disrupting the movement of Palestinian commuters.

Reports indicate that Israeli forces at checkpoints on the main and bypass roads leading to the governorate are obstructing the flow of civilian vehicles, causing severe traffic congestion, especially for those trying to enter. 

Major disruptions were observed at the checkpoints of Beit El, 'Atara, and Al-Tayba. Additionally, the Israeli gate at the entrance to the town of Silwad has been closed in both directions.

Additionally, a new checkpoint has been established at the entrance to the village of 'Aboud in the northwestern part of the governorate. Vehicles at that point are being subjected to extensive inspections.

In addition to the restrictions, Israeli occupation forces carried out incursions into the villages of Turmus 'Ayya, Bait Liqya, and Al-Mughayyir. No detentions were reported during these attacks.

These measures have led to widespread frustration among residents, who say the restrictions are disrupting daily life and increasing tensions in the area.

M.N.

***

Israeli occupation forces tighten measures at military checkpoints surrounding Nablus city

NABLUS, January, 25, 2024 (WAFA) – 

The Israeli occupation forces continue to tighten their measures at the military checkpoints surrounding the city of Nablus.

According to local sources, the occupation forces obstructed the movement of citizens and placed more iron gates at the entrances to villages and towns, preventing thousands of local residents from reaching their homes and destinations.

 The soldiers further closed side roads with earth mounds.

It is noteworthy that the occupation forces set up 10 permanent military checkpoints around the city of Nablus, installed 36 iron gates at its entrances and the surrounding villages, and closed more than 47 sites with earth mounds.

In a related context, the occupation forces stationed at the military checkpoints at the main and bypass entrances to the Ramallah and Al-Beereh governorate, obstructing the movement of citizens' vehicles and causing severe traffic jams.

They further closed the Silwad gate in both directions and placed a checkpoint at the entrance to the town of 'Aboud to the north, amid a thorough inspection of vehicles.

Y.S.

***

An illegal extremist Israeli settler grazes his sheep among Palestinian's homes near Aree'ha (Jericho)

Aree'ha (Jericho), January, 25, 2024 (WAFA) – 

An illegal Israeli extremist settler today grazed his sheep among the homes of Palestinian citizens in the village of 'Arab Al-Mulai'hat, northwest of the city of Aree'ha (Jericho).

The Secretary of Fatah in the village of 'Arab Al-Mulai'hat, Sulayman Mulaih'at, said that a colonist from the colonial pastoral outposts in Al-Ma'arjat grazed his sheep among the homes of citizens in the village.

This attack comes as part of a series of attacks aimed at displacing Palestinians and seizing their homes and properties.

Y.S.

***

***

News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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Significant decrease in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza on Friday

Saturday 25-January-2025

NEW YORK, (PIC)

The United Nations stated that more than 4,200 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip in the six days since the ceasefire began between Hamas and Israel, but noted a significant decrease in the number of trucks that entered yesterday, Friday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 339 aid trucks entered the Palestinian territory on Friday, citing information received from the Israeli occupation authorities and the guarantor countries of the ceasefire agreement, namely Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.

On Sunday, 630 trucks entered the Gaza Strip, followed by 915 on Monday, 897 on Tuesday, 808 on Wednesday, and 653 the day before yesterday, Thursday.

The ceasefire agreement requires the entry of 600 aid trucks daily into the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire, which lasts six weeks, including 50 trucks loaded with fuel. Half of these trucks are supposed to head to northern Gaza, where experts have warned of an imminent famine.

When asked about the significant drop in the number of trucks on Friday, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Eri Kaneko stated that “the international organization and humanitarian partners are working as quickly as possible to send and distribute this large volume of aid to about 2.1 million people across the devastated territory.”

No further details were provided. The Gaza government has previously accused Israel of imposing obstacles that led to a decrease in the number of aid trucks.

For its part, a government source in Gaza confirmed that the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza “still requires immediate and comprehensive support to provide fuel and essential materials to assist those affected by the Israeli genocide.”

The source emphasized “the importance of accelerating the arrival of the remaining trucks to meet the urgent needs of the population.”

With U.S. support, Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, resulting in over 157,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, most of whom are children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

***

 Israel demands UNRWA to end operations in Palestine by Jan. 30

Saturday 25-January-2025

NEW YORK, (PIC)

Israel’s permanent representative to the UN Danny Danon has called on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to halt its operations in Occupied Jerusalem and evacuate its premises in the city “no later than January 30,” the day an Israeli ban on the organization is due to take effect.

As the date for the enforcement of the Israeli ban approaches, Danon told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday that UNRWA’s premises in Jerusalem must be vacated as stipulated by law.

The Israeli envoy claimed that the Israeli legislation came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by 'Hamas and other armed groups, and the agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel.

Most UN member states consider UNRWA, the largest aid agency for Palestinians, to be the irreplaceable backbone of humanitarian operations. However, few levers have been pulled to try to ensure the agency’s existence.

Asked by Arab News about this discrepancy between public statements of support and meaningful action, and whether it means Western countries are undermining the same multilateral values on which they were founded, UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said: “The same question could be asked about the importance of international humanitarian law and the blatant and constant disregard of that law.

“You can ask the same question about the disrespect for the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. And you can ask the same question about the International Court of Justice’s ruling that Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal, and the court’s call for its withdrawal.

“And so, it’s obviously frustrating,” Lazzarini added. “What we have witnessed is an extraordinary ‘crisis of impunity,’ to the extent that international humanitarian law is almost becoming irrelevant if no mechanism is put in place to address this impunity.”

Legislation blocking UNRWA from operating within the occupied Palestinian territories was approved overwhelmingly by the Knesset last October. The ban also prevents any Israeli authority from maintaining contact with the relief agency.

Delivery of aid to Gaza and the West Bank requires close coordination between UNRWA and the Israeli occupation authority. If the legislation is executed, Israel will no longer issue work or entry permits for the agency’s staff, while coordination with the Israeli occupation army that is essential for ensuring safe passage for aid deliveries will no longer be possible.

Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has relentlessly condemned and the aid agency and bombed its buildings and personnel. More than 260 of its staff have been killed, while coordinated Israeli media campaign has attempted to discredit the agency by portraying it as a tool of 'Hamas. 

***

Euro-Med: calls for halting Israeli aggression on Jineen

Friday 24-January-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The ongoing Israeli attack on the Jineen refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank is an extension of the large-scale Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and their occupied land, the Euro-Med for Human Rights revealed in a statement issued on Friday.

Since the international community has remained silent about Israel’s aggressive strategy against the Palestinians, the occupation has been able to escalate its military assault and reach new parts of the West Bank, it said, warning against a repeat of the genocide carried out by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip, which killed and injured roughly 158,000 Palestinians and destroyed over 70% of the Strip’s buildings.

Last Tuesday afternoon, January 21, the Israeli occupation army launched its attack after Israeli special forces infiltrated the Jenin camp. This was followed by the arrival of numerous soldiers and military vehicles, the flight of attack and drone aircraft, and the Israeli military and political leadership’s declaration that a massive military operation known as the “Iron Wall” had begun.

As part of a larger security effort to seek out members of the armed Palestinian factions under the guise of maintaining security, the Palestinian security services that had been occupying the Jenin camp for 48 days withdrew in tandem with the Israeli incursion.

Nine Palestinians, including a child, were killed and forty others were wounded when Israeli occupation forces launched multiple airstrikes, dropped bombs from quadcopter drones, and opened fire on Palestinians attempting to flee the camp.

Two members of the armed Palestinian factions were besieged in a house in the town of Burqin, west of Jenin, and then executed extrajudicially by the occupation forces the day after the operation.

Euro-Med expressed deep concerns about the parallel campaign that the Palestinian security services launched against civilians and members of Palestinian factions as they attempted to flee the Jenin camp and a few nearby villages in the governorate.

The systematic practice of making arrests, particularly of individuals attempting to flee life-threatening military operations, is a grave human rights violation that goes against the Palestinian Authority’s applicable local and international legal obligations, the Euro-Med said.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Palestine has acceded without reservation, guarantees the right to liberty and security of person as well as the right to be free from arbitrary arrest or detention, it added.

The Euro-Med called on the international community to protect Palestinian civilians and put an end to Israel’s operation in the West Bank.

***

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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 verbs "abduct" and "kidnap" than the verbs "detain" and "arrest," 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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Names of some of the Palestinian cities, as pronounced in standard Arabic, and their foreign names in parentheses: 

Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

Al-Nusayrat

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Aree'ha (Jericho)

Al-Zaytoun (al-Zeitoun)

Bait (Beit)

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

Dair El-Bala'h

Jineen (Jenin)

Khan Younus (Khan Younis)

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Person's names as pronounced in standard Arabic:

A'hmed, 'Hasan, Mu'hammed, Younus, Yousuf,  

'Hasan Mulai'hat,

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Conflict terminology

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime (the Israeli government)

Illegal Israeli settlers (instead of settlers, colonists)

A group of the illegal Israeli settlers

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