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

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As Enablers Continue Providing Israeli Genocidists with Weapons

 153 Palestinians Killed, 459 Injured, Which Brings the Death Toll of the Israeli Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip to 53,272 and the Injuries to 120,673

May 17, 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 May 17, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 66,751+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (53,272), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 13,479+). 

By May 17, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 120,673.

By May 17, 2025, according to news report, 969 Palestinians who were killed, 6,760 who were injured, and 12,079*, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023.  

 

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(The Palestine Information Center reported that there were 925 deaths and 14,500 kidnappings but without mentioning how many were released, by February 27, 2025).  

Note About the Missing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip:

On February 26, 2025, the Palestinian Center for Political and Development Studies announced that the number of the missing in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 14,000 people, including 2,000-3,000 held in Israeli occupation prisons, without releasing any information on their fate.

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153 Palestinians were killed, 459 were injured, mostly children, women, and elderly, by the Israeli genocidal air strikes on the Gaza Strip, which brings the death toll to 53,272 and the injuries to 120,673, by May 17, 2025.	At least 153 Palestinians were killed and 459 others were injured in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours as a result of the ongoing Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment, May 17, 2025.
Al-'Awda Association in the Gaza Strip sounded the alarm about an anticipated complete cutoff in its health and social services in the coming days, due to the Israeli blockade, May 17, 2025.	The Israeli occupation army continued to carry out its genocidal attacks on different areas of the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of civilians, detonating more homes, and displacing more families, May 17, 2025.
At least 22 Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Saturday as Israeli occupation forces launched multiple airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting central and northern areas, May 17, 2025.	The UN humanitarian affairs chief called for not wasting time on an alternative Gaza aid plan, demanding rapid, safe, and unimpeded aid delivery for civilians in need, May 17, 2025.
Site of an Israeli genocidal air strike on the tents of displaced Palestinian families, in Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younus, in southern Gaza Strip, May 18, 2025.	Grieving at the Nasir hospital, the death of Palestinian family members, who were massacred by the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Khan Younus, in southern Gaza Strip, May 18, 2025.
Grieving at A hospital, the death of Palestinian family members, who were massacred by the Israeli genocidal air strikes and bombardment on Gaza City,  May 18, 2025	Site of an Israeli genocidal air strike on a Palestinian house in Jabalya, in northern Gaza Strip, in which the family members were all massacred, as dead and injured, May 18, 2025.

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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 ۚ فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الْآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيراً ‎(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. Then, when the latter (final) promise came, they (your enemies) will sadden your faces, and to enter the Masjid (in Jerusalem), as they entered it the first time, and will destroy what they had taken over with (total) destruction (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.

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

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Gaza: Hospitals receives 153 martyrs, death toll climbs to 53,272

Saturday 17-May-2025

GAZA, (PIC, WAFA)

Over the past 24 hours, hospitals in the Gaza Strip received the bodies of at least 153 martyrs, as well as 459 of people suffering from different injuries following Israeli attacks.

Since the Israeli occupation army resumed its genocidal war on Gaza on March 18, 2025, a total of 3,131 people have been killed and 8,632 others have been injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, on Saturday.

The new fatalities increased the death toll from the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, which started on October 7, 2023, to 53,272 martyrs. The number of the wounded also surged to 120,673 people.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to recover the bodies of more martyrs who are still missing in different areas of the Gaza Strip.

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 Israel's genocide in Gaza: 153 Palestinians killed in 24 hours

GAZA, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) —

At least 153 Palestinians were killed and 459 others were injured in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours as a result of the ongoing Israeli genocide in the region, according to medical sources.

Local health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 2023 has risen to 53,272 fatalities, with an additional 120,673 people sustaining injuries. The majority of the victims are women and children.

According to the same sources, the death toll since Israel’s resumption of the genocide on March 18 after a two-month truce has also climbed to 3,131, in addition to 8,632 others injured.

Emergency services are still unable to reach many casualties and dead bodies trapped under the rubble or scattered on roads across the war-torn enclave, as Israeli occupation forces continue to target ambulance and civil defense crews, according to the health authorities.

Israel's genocidal onslaught continues undeterred despite calls from the United Nations Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

M.N.

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Dozens of casualties in ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza

Saturday 17-May-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation army continued last night and on Saturday to carry out deadly attacks on different areas of the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of civilians.

According to local media sources, Israeli forces also continued today to detonate more homes and displace families in the Gaza Strip, further deepening the dire humanitarian crisis as the population grapples with worsening famine.

According to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reporters in Gaza, Israeli attacks have continued across the Gaza Strip, including an Israeli strike that claimed the lives of four civilians and injured others near a school sheltering displaced families in the west of Gaza City.

Casualties, including children, were reported after the Israeli army bombed three homes in the central area of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Another Israeli attack killed and injured several people in al-Jalaa street in the west of Gaza City.

An Israeli strike on an apartment belonging to the family of Mansour in the Hamad residential area in Khan Yunis also killed four people.

Meanwhile, several Gazans were pronounced dead after they succumbed to injuries they sustained in recent attacks.

The Israeli army also launched attacks on other areas of the Gaza Strip last night and today, killing and wounding more civilians, including children and women.

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Four children killed, seven injured in Israeli airstrike on Jabalia, northern Gaza

GAZA, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) —

Four children were killed and seven others injured today in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to WAFA correspondent, Israeli warplanes struck residential homes in the camp, resulting in the killing of at least four children and injuries to seven others. 

In a separate incident, several civilians were wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit a home in the Al-Mahatta neighborhood in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 53,272 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 120,673 others injured.

Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israeli attacks.

Israel's genocidal attacks continue unabated despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

M.N.

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22 Palestinians killed in deadly Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip

GAZA, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

At least 22 Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Saturday as Israeli occupation forces launched multiple airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting central and northern areas.

According to local sources, a deadly strike hit Safeenet Al-Khair, a makeshift structure south of Dair El-Bala'h, killing nine Palestinians and injuring others in a new massacre in the city.

Three more Palestinians were killed in a separate Israeli attack targeting a group of civilians outside the Abu Saleem Mosque in Dair El-Bala'h.

In northern Gaza, four civilians were killed when an Israeli drone strike targeted a home belonging to the Bahtini family near Al-Awda Hospital in the Tal al-Zaatar neighborhood.

Meanwhile, five Palestinians were killed east of Gaza City when Israeli artillery shelled a gathering of civilians near Al-Hawashi Mosque in the Shujaiya neighborhood. The victims were identified as Hussam Al-Fayoumi, Mohammad Ahmad Al-Banna, Hudhaifa Farwana, Sabri Hmeida, and Rami Al-Sousi.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, a man named Waheed Suleiman Abd Abu Aram was killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area.

Additionally, a child, Shahada Abu Jamea, succumbed to wounds sustained from an Israeli attack the previous day in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 53,272 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 120,673 others injured.

Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israeli attacks.

Israel's genocidal attacks continue unabated despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

M.N.

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Over 92 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since the beginning of the day

WAFA Archive

GAZA, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

At least 92 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded on Saturday as Israeli airstrikes continued to pound the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to medical sources. Among the dead were 34 people in Gaza City and the northern part of the enclave.

In the latest attacks, WAFA correspondents reported that siblings Saleh and Doaa Suleiman Baraka were killed, and others wounded, in two separate airstrikes — one targeting a residential tower in Hamad City, northwest of Khan Younis, and another striking a house in the eastern town of Abasan al-Kabira in southern Gaza.

Earlier in the day, seven civilians were killed in Khan Younis, including three in an Israeli drone attack and two in a strike on a gathering of civilians. Four more civilians were killed when a home in the Tel al-Zaatar neighborhood of Jabalia refugee camp in the north was bombed.

In central Gaza, Israeli forces bombed a humanitarian aid warehouse in Dair El-Bala'h, killing 10 people, including a 10-day-old infant, Qusai Abu Labda. Several others were injured and transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Medical and local sources report that over the past 48 hours, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed, around 300,000 forcibly displaced from northern Gaza to Gaza City, and approximately 1,000 housing units destroyed or damaged, as part of the ongoing Israeli campaign of mass destruction targeting civilians.

Sources also warned that an estimated 140 bodies remain trapped under the rubble, with rescue efforts hampered by Israeli restrictions preventing emergency teams from accessing the affected areas — a move condemned as a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

By midday Saturday, Israeli forces had dropped leaflets over parts of Gaza, threatening further escalation, including a new ground invasion, as the war enters its 20th month.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 53,272 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 120,673 others injured.

Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israeli attacks.

Israel's genocidal attacks continue unabated despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

M.N.

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AMO: Gaza detainees subjected to psychological, physical extermination in Ramla prison

Saturday 17-May-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Asra Media Office (AMO) said on Saturday that what is happening in the Rakefet section of the Ramla Israeli prison can only be described as a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a blatant violation of Geneva Conventions, which obligate Israel to protect prisoners and not subject them to torture.

The AMO explained in a statement that Gaza detainees are subjected to systematic torture and deliberate deprivation of basic human rights, including the right to fair trials, family visits and communications, health care, and human dignity.

“Underground, where policies of humiliation and blackmail are pursued, the prison has no longer been a place of legal punishment, but a tool for psychological and physical extermination. Lawyer visits, which were organized under strict control, constituted a narrow window through which the world managed to look at a silent hell,” it stressed.

The AMO described what is happening in Rakefet section as sentencing the detainees to a life of endless darkness.

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

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Palestinian young man killed by Israeli occupation forces in Salfit, central West Bank

SALFIT, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Saturday evening that a young Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Bruqin, located in the central occupied West Bank province of Salfit.

In a brief statement, the ministry confirmed that 36-year-old Nael Sami Samara succumbed to injuries sustained after being shot by Israeli occupation forces earlier in the day in the town. The General Authority for Civil Affairs officially informed the ministry of Samara's fatal shooting.

Witnesses said that Israeli troops fired live ammunition at Samara, wounding him before detaining him while he was still injured in critical condition.

This incident comes amid a broader Israeli military offensive in the towns of Bruqin and Kafr ad-Dik, now entering its third consecutive day. The campaign includes a tight siege, daily raids, and mass detentions.

M.N. 

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Palestinian killed following an alleged stabbing attack

Saturday 17-May-2025

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a Palestinian youth on Friday evening in the Old City of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), claiming he had carried out a stabbing attack that injured an Israeli police officer. The young man was shot and killed at the scene.

According to local sources, the young man was shot after stabbing and injuring an Israeli officer near one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The sources added that following the incident, Israeli forces launched a drone over the Aqsa Mosque area, erected checkpoints in several neighborhoods of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), and continued to close the gates of the Mosque.

Israeli Channel 14 reported that the officer sustained moderate injuries in the attack, which occurred near Bab Al-Silsila (Chain Gate), and that the attacker was shot and critically wounded.

Reinforced police units rushed to the area and began searching the vicinity for additional suspects.

The 'Hamas Resistance Movement hailed the anti-occupation operation that came “in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.”

In a statement, the Movement said it “blesses the operation carried out by one of our Palestinian heroes at Bab Al-Silsila in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque this evening, in response to the ongoing crimes of the occupation against our people in Gaza and the West Bank, and the continuous violations of Islamic holy sites, foremost among them Aqsa Mosque.”

The statement continued: “While we mourn the martyrdom of the attacker, we affirm that this act of resistance reflects the living will of our people in confronting the occupation and resisting its aggression and brutality. Our people will not remain silent in the face of Zionist crimes and will continue their legitimate struggle until the liberation of their land and holy sites.”

'Hamas also called on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem to escalate resistance in all its forms and to respond to the occupation’s crimes with painful actions.

The Movement further urged the Arab and Islamic nations, as well as the free people of the world, to stand with the Palestinian people and support their steadfastness and resistance against the oppressive occupation.

 

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Elderly man shot by Israeli occupation forces at entrance to Jenin refugee camp

JENIN, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

An elderly Palestinian man was shot and injured by Israeli forces on Saturday at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp, according to medical sources.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its medical teams treated the man, who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg near the western entrance to the camp.

The incident comes amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive in Jenin refugee camp, which has continued for 117 consecutive days. Residents have been denied access to their homes throughout this period, with Israeli forces using live ammunition and physical force against anyone attempting to approach the camp entrances. 

M.N.

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Palestinian youth injured by Israeli occupation forces at entrance to Jenin refugee camp

JENIN, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

A young Palestinian man was injured on Saturday evening after being shot by Israeli occupation forces at the entrance to Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, its medics treated the man for a gunshot wound to the thigh at the western entrance — and transported him to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

The Jenin refugee camp has been under an ongoing Israeli military offensive and siege for 117 consecutive days. Israeli forces have been preventing people from accessing their homes in the camp, frequently opening live fire and subjecting anyone approaching the camp entrances to detention and physical assault.

M.N.

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Three Palestinians injured in Israeli military assault in Sebastia, northern West Bank

NABLUS, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

Three Palestinian civilians were injured on Saturday after being assaulted by Israeli occupation soldiers in the town of Sebastia, located north of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to medical sources.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that Israeli forces violently attacked a number of local Palestinian residents during confrontations that erupted in Sebastia. Three locals, aged 60, 52, and 35, sustained injuries as a result and were subsequently transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Earlier in the day, Israeli colonists set fire to agricultural crops near the town, causing significant damage to local farmland.

M.N.

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 Israeli forces shoot, detain injured Palestinian youth in Salfit

SALFIT, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces shot and injured a Palestinian youth on Saturday evening in the town of Bruqin, located in the central West Bank province of Salfit, before detaining him while he was wounded.

Local sources told WAFA that the incident occurred in the Al-Balatah area of Bruqin, where Israeli soldiers opened fire on the young man, causing injuries of unknown severity. Despite his condition, he was detained on the spot.

This incident comes amid a broader Israeli military offensive targeting the towns of Bruqin and Kafr ad-Dik, now entering its third consecutive day. The assault has involved a tightened siege, daily incursions, home raids, arrests, and land bulldozing operations near civilian homes.

M.N.

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Two Palestinian children injured by Israeli gunfire near Nablus

NABLUS, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

Two Palestinian children, aged 13 and 17 years old respectively, were injured by live Israeli gunfire on Saturday evening in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, its medical teams treated the child for two gunshot wounds and transferred them to a nearby hospital for further care. The incident occurred following an Israeli military raid on the village.

Local sources reported hearing gunfire near the illegal Israeli settlement of Homesh, which is built on the lands of the village. In the aftermath of the raid, Israeli forces also closed the Jenin-Nablus road at the entrance to Burqa, blocking vehicle traffic in the area.

M.N.

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IOFs raid homes, kidnaps Palestinians in W. Bank

Saturday 17-May-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) raided different West Bank areas last night and on Saturday morning and kidnaped a number of Palestinian citizens in Salfeet.

According to local sources, the IOFs kidnapped several citizens during dawn raids on homes in Bruqeen town, west of Salfeet.

The IOFs also broke into and ransacked the town’s municipality building and seized a security camera recording device.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces stormed the nearby town of Kafr Al-Deek, raided homes and brutalized families and young men.

The IOFs also imposed a curfew on the town and forcibly displaced several families, ordering them to remain away from their homes for three days, according to residents’ accounts.

In southern Nablus, the Israeli troops stormed Madama village, spread in its streets and maltreated local residents.

In Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), Israeli police officers kidnapped a young man after chasing his car and opening fire at it near the Jaba' checkpoint in the morning.

The Israeli police reportedly closed the checkpoint, resulting in a heavy build-up of traffic in both directions of the road. 

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

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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.

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Two-year-old Palestinian girl injured in Israeli settler attack in Hebron

HEBRON, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

A two-year-old Palestinian girl was injured and lost consciousness on Saturday evening after being assaulted by an illegal Israeli settler in Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

Local and medical sources told WAFA that the child, identified as Sarah Amir Dana, suffered head bruises and fainted after being attacked by an armed Israeli colonist while walking with her mother near an Israeli military checkpoint at the entrance to Al-Shuhada Street in the Old City of Hebron.

According to eyewitnesses, the assault occurred as a group of heavily armed Israeli colonists stormed the area. One of them, estimated to be in his 40s, kicked the young girl in the head, causing her to collapse and lose consciousness. The colonists were accompanied and protected by Israeli occupation soldiers during the incident.

The child was rushed to a hospital in Hebron by Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics. Her condition was described as moderate.

M.N.

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Illegal Israeli settlers launch arson attacks on Palestinian lands in W. Bank

Saturday 17-May-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

A group of the illegal Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural crops belonging to Palestinian farmers in two different areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

Sebastia town mayor Mohamed Azem reported that a horde of extremist settlers set alight swaths of land planted with crops in the Sebastia-Ramin plain, northwest of Nablus.

He added that the Israeli occupation forces prevented firefighters and local residents from reaching the area to extinguish the flames.

Earlier, another group of settlers torched wheat crops in one of the plains of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah.

Turmus Ayya mayor Lafi Adeeb said that settlers living in an illegal outpost established recently near the town set fire to amounts of harvested wheat crops, destroying a large portion of them.

The mayor added that local residents managed to quench the fire and prevent its spread, pointing out that settlers from illegal outposts in the area recently escalated, under military protection, their attacks on Palestinian towns and communities.

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Illegal Israeli settlers torch swaths of land in Ramallah

Saturday 17-May-2025

RAMALLAH, (PIC)

A horde of the illegal Israeli settlers set fire to swaths of Palestinian-owned land near the towns of Turmus 'Ayya and Abu Fala'h in the northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Saturday morning.

Local residents swiftly responded, working tirelessly to contain and extinguish the fires.

On Friday, groups of settlers carried different attacks in the West Bank, including an arson attack on a water well and a car in Al-Mas'oudiya area in the northwest of Nablus.

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Report: Israel approves land settlement plan in the West Bank, accelerating annexation efforts

RAMALLAH, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

In a move viewed as a significant escalation, the Israeli government has approved the resumption of its “Land Settlement Plan” in the occupied West Bank, raising concerns among Palestinian officials and human rights advocates over the potential acceleration of annexation efforts.

According to a report released Saturday by the National Office for the Defense of Land and Resistance of Settlements, the Israeli Security and Political Cabinet gave the green light last Sunday to proceed with the land settlement and registration process in the West Bank. The plan, previously suspended, is seen as a legal and administrative foundation for the eventual annexation of large areas classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords.

The report warns that this decision is part of a broader strategy by the Israeli government to expedite control over Palestinian territories, portraying Palestinian land registration efforts as “illegal attempts” to seize land. The approved plan explicitly invalidates all documents, maps, and approvals issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) regarding these lands and authorizes Israeli security forces to block further PA land registration efforts, restrict the entry of professionals into these areas, and disrupt foreign funding intended for such projects.

The Palestinian Authority began its own land registration initiative in 2006 with Finnish government support, in what was the first Palestinian-led settlement process. However, the project faced setbacks and has remained limited in scope.

The Israeli move stands in stark contrast to international resolutions, including the 2003 Road Map for Peace, which called for a freeze on settlement expansion, and UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. It also defies the 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice demanding an end to the occupation and settlement activity.

The report states that the resumption of the Land Settlement Plan aims to legitimize previous land seizures and facilitate further expansion of Israeli settlements. Since the early years of the occupation in 1967, Israel has used legal and bureaucratic tools, such as Military Order 291 of 1968, to freeze Palestinian land registration and open the door to disputes over remaining unregistered lands – which constitute about 66% of the West Bank.

The current plan builds upon policies set in motion by the 1979 Israeli government decision (Decision 145), which identified areas for settlement construction, and the establishment of the Civil Administration's Central Inspection Unit in 1983, designed to monitor construction and explore legal justifications for land confiscation.

Although limited by the Oslo Accords to work within Area C, the Civil Administration has continued its operations with the goal of legalizing settlements and preventing legal challenges to Israeli land claims. In 2016, the Israeli Knesset passed the “Regulation Law,” granting legal status to settlements built on private Palestinian land, despite strong opposition from rights organizations and Palestinian communities. 

M.N.

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News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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"Cannot ignore ongoing genocide, humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza," says Spanish Foreign Minister

CAIRO, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) -

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that what's happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank cannot be turned a blind eye, not in Europe or anywhere else.

He added that the war on Gaza left nearly 50,000 killed, 100,000 wounded, and two million displaced. These are staggering and unacceptable numbers that violate not only the basic concept of humanity but also the fundamental principles of international and humanitarian law."

Sánchez stressed the need to "end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and allow access to aid. We are working in coordination with the United Nations to succeed in passing a resolution in the UN General Assembly to deliver aid."

He called for increased pressure on Israel to stop the massacre in Gaza, using all international means available under international law.

The Spanish PM announced that his country would submit a proposal to the UN General Assembly regarding Israel's compliance with its international obligations to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

He also called for exploring the full range of legal means available to hold Israel accountable. Adding, "We must move forward to achieve peace and hold a peace conference."

Sánchez emphasized, "We must reach a two-state solution through the recognition of the State of Palestine. The international forum can be an opportunity for Arab-European consensus for joint action that unites the international community in support of Palestine."

Y.S.

***

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemns Israel's policy of displacing Palestinians from Gaza

RAMALLAH, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) - 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israel's policy of displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Guterres noted that the region and the entire world are facing major challenges and crises that began in Gaza, and that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

He called for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the obstruction and denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He added that Israel's plans to expand ground operations are disturbing, and that the United Nations will not participate in announced operations to deliver humanitarian aid that do not comply with international law and humanitarian principles.

He further affirmed full support for UNRWA's work in Gaza and rejected the continued displacement of the population of the Gaza Strip.

Guterres continued, "We must change the situation in the West Bank. Annexation of territory is illegal, settlement construction is illegal, and the two-state solution is the only way to achieve sustainable peace, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states under international law."

Y.S.

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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli escalation of violence against Palestinian civilians

RIYADH, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) —

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the continued military escalation by Israeli occupation forces against unarmed Palestinian civilians, including the recent targeting of the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, which resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries.

In a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom reiterated its firm rejection of the ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israeli forces. The statement called for an immediate ceasefire and held the Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for their repeated violations of international and humanitarian laws.

Saudi Arabia also emphasized the legal, humanitarian, and moral responsibility of the international community to activate mechanisms of accountability. It urged global actors to put an end to the ongoing violations of international law and UN resolutions by the Israeli occupation.

M.N.

***

Egypt's El-Sisi urges ceasefire in Gaza, warns of uninhabitable conditions

RAMALLAH, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) - 

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said, "The Palestinian cause is going through one of its most dangerous phases, as the Palestinian people are subjected to systematic and brutal crimes aimed at ending their presence in the Gaza Strip.

President El-Sisi also denounced the widespread destruction in the Strip, which has rendered it uninhabitable.

He continued  describing the catastrophic situation in the Strip, stating that the  the Israeli war machine has shown no restraint – sparing neither children nor the elderly , and has adopted a policy of destruction amid at displacing two million Palestinians within the Strip, in flagrant defiance of all laws and norms."

He added, "In the West Bank, the occupation machine  are enforcing  a repressive policy based on killing and destruction. Despite this, the Palestinian people remain steadfast, holding firmly to their legitimate right to their land and homeland.

Since October 2023, Egypt has intensified its efforts to reach a ceasefire and facilitate  the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, calling on the international community to take concrete and decisive steps to end the ongoing crisis."

He reiterated his firm rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people, emphasizing that Egypt has adopted a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing its people.

 He also announced Egypt's intention to host  an international conference focused on early recovery and reconstruction efforts as soon as soon the aggression ceases.

Sisi stressed that ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state are the only  viable paths to breaking cycle of violence  plaguing the region.

He warned that even if Israel succeeds in securing and normalization agreements with all Arab countries, a just and lasting peace will remain out of reach unless Palestinian states are established.

He also urged U.S President Donald Trump to make every effort to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as a prelude to launching a serious political process that will lead to a lasting peace."

Y.S.

***

Arab Summit in Baghdad demands immediate end to Israeli onslaught on Gaza, immediate opening of border crossings

BAGHDAD, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) –

The 34th Arab Summit, held today in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, issued a strong and unified call for an immediate cessation of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip and the urgent opening of all border crossings to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The summit's final communiqué, known as the "Baghdad Declaration," firmly rejected the displacement of Palestinians from their land and urged all countries to provide political, financial, and legal support for the joint Arab-Islamic plan to rebuild Gaza.

The statement endorsed the call by President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine to convene an international peace conference and demanded the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until the implementation of a two-state solution.

Out of the 32 points outlined in the declaration, the first 14 focused on the Palestinian cause and the situation in Gaza, which was described as facing "Israeli genocide."

The declaration reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue is central to the Arab world and a core element for regional stability. It emphasized the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to freedom, self-determination, the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, and the right of return and compensation for refugees and the diaspora.

The summit strongly condemned all illegal actions and practices by Israel, the occupying power, accusing it of denying the Palestinian people their basic rights, including life and human dignity. It called for an "immediate cessation of the war on Gaza and all hostilities exacerbating the suffering of innocent civilians."

The summit urged the international community and influential states to shoulder their moral and legal responsibilities to stop the bloodshed and ensure the unobstructed delivery of urgent humanitarian aid across Gaza.

Participants also reiterated support for the joint Arab-Islamic plan adopted on March 4 and March 7, 2025, by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation respectively, which outlines a path for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.

The declaration welcomed proposals to establish a dedicated reconstruction fund, highlighting the initiatives of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani and prior commitments made at the 2023 Cairo summit and the 2024 Saudi-hosted Arab-Islamic summit.

Emphasis was also placed on coordinated efforts to open all crossings into Palestinian territories and empower UN agencies, particularly UNRWA, to resume and expand their humanitarian operations with international support.

The summit backed the formation of an open working group in cooperation with the UN to oversee the establishment of a fund to care for Gaza's approximately 40,000 orphans and to provide prosthetics for thousands of injured civilians, especially children. It praised Jordan’s “Restore Hope” initiative aimed at supporting Gaza’s amputees and encouraged more humanitarian efforts.

Leaders firmly reiterated their rejection of any form of forced displacement of Palestinians, calling it a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles, and branding it a crime against humanity and a form of ethnic cleansing.

They also condemned Israel's use of starvation and scorched-earth policies aimed at coercing Palestinians to abandon their land.

The summit reaffirmed its commitment to a just and comprehensive peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue. It backed President Abbas's call for a peace conference and the adoption of irreversible steps toward the two-state solution, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.

This includes the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, full UN membership, and restoration of all Palestinian rights, especially the rights to return and self-determination.

The leaders also called for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until the two-state solution is fully realized, and urged the UN Security Council to take concrete actions with a defined timeline to implement this plan under its mandate to maintain international peace and security.

Finally, the summit called on all Palestinian factions to unite under a comprehensive national project and a unified strategic vision to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom and statehood.

The participants welcomed the May 10, 2024, UN General Assembly resolution, supported by 143 countries, backing Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.

M.N.

***

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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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