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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The Israeli Genocide of Palestinians by Massacres and Starvation Intensified

106 Killed, 367 Injured, Which Brings the Death Toll of the Israeli Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip to 52,760 and the Injuries to 119,264

May 8, 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 8, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 66,255+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (52,760), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 13,495+). 

By May 8, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 119,264.

By May 8, 2025, according to news report, 960 Palestinians who were killed, 6,742 who were injured, and 12,010*, 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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106 Palestinians were killed, 367 were injured in the past 24 hours, by the Israeli genocidal air strikes on the Gaza Strip, which brought the death toll to 52,760 and the injuries to 119,264, by May 8, 2025.	106 Palestinians were killed, 367 were injured in the past 24 hours, mostly children, women, and elderly, by the Israeli genocidal air strikes on the Gaza Strip, May 8, 2025.
EU Med said that the planned distribution of limited aid in Gaza aims to impose a new form of siege, legalize starvation, turn food into a tool of oppression, for uprooting the population from their land, May 8, 2025.	With the killing of 106 Palestinian civilians and the injury of 367, with the total Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli genocidal war continues unabated with no attempts to stop it by any world power, May 8, 2025.
Former Palestinian political prisoner, Mo'tasim Talib Raddad, who was exiled to Egypt, passed away in a hospital in Cairo, after a long battle with cancer, May 8, 2025.	A Palestinian man, Rami Sami A-Kukhun, was shot and killed during an Israeli military raid on the Old City of Nablus, north of the occupied West Bank, with dozens more injured in the assault, May 8, 2025.
Carrying to Al-'Awda hospital the martyred and injured Palestinians, who were massacred by the Israeli genocidal air strikes on Al-Nusayrat, in central Gaza Strip, on April 8, 2025.	Starved Palestinians try to get some food from a local charity in Bait Lahya, in northern Gaza Strip, as the total Israeli blockade made food rare to find, leading to famine and starvation, May 8, 2025.
Tent area for displaced Palestinians at the Unknown Soldier Square, in Gaza City, May 8, 2025.	Due to the total Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, particularly on food and medical supplies, including medical care and medicine for patients of various diseases, such as patients of thalassemia, who are calling for medicine, on May 8, 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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 Israel's genocide in Gaza: 106 Palestinians killed in 24 hours

GAZA, May 8, 2025 (WAFA, PIC) –

At least 106 Palestinians were killed and 367 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.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 2023 has risen to 52,760 fatalities, with an additional 119,264 individuals 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 2,651, in addition to 7,223 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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Israel continues to massacre civilians across Gaza

Thursday 8-May-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation army continued last night and on Thursday 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 on a tent that killed four civilians in Al-Qarara town, northeast of Khan Younus.

Casualties were reported after a military helicopter attacked a house near the Baseeso intersection in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood.

The Israeli army also bombed a house belonging to the family of Rayyan in Bait Lahya, north of Gaza, killing at least five people, while another attack on a house belonging to the family of Abu 'Ajwa in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp in central Gaza injured five others.

A girl child was martyred following an Israeli airstrike on a gathering of citizens near the 'Abasan rotary in Khan Younus, south of Gaza.

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

The Israeli occupation 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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Seven killed, others injured in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City

Archive photo

GAZA, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

Seven Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday afternoon in an Israeli airstrike targeting a group of civilians west of Gaza City, according to local sources.

WAFA correspondents reported that the strike hit a fish market owned by the Abu Hassira family, located behind the Al-Amal Hotel in the western part of the city. The attack resulted in the killing of seven civilians and injuries to others, though the exact number of wounded has yet to be confirmed.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 52,760 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 119,264 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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Seven Palestinians, including two girls, killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

MOSCOW, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

Seven Palestinians, including two young girls, were killed and dozens wounded on Thursday evening in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting the northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip.

According to WAFA correspondents, an Israeli airstrike hit a home goods store near the entrance to Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing four Palestinians, including two girls. The attack also left 27 others injured, among them four children and five women.

In a separate strike, three more Palestinians were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Al-Zaanin family near the sports stadium in the town of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 52,760 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 119,264 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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Killing, Injuring, and Abduction of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces 

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One Palestinian killed, dozens injured as Israeli forces raid Old City of Nablus

NABLUS, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

A Palestinian man was shot and killed on Thursday during an Israeli military raid on the Old City of Nablus, north of the occupied West Bank, with dozens more injured in the assault.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that Rami Sami A-Kukhun, 30, who succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained during the Israeli incursion. The General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the ministry that al-Kukhun’s body is being held by Israeli forces.

According to eyewitnesses and official sources, undercover Israeli units infiltrated the Old City around midday, followed by military reinforcements breaking into the city through the 'Huwwara and Al-Tour areas.

During the offensive, nine Palestinians were injured and two young men were detained, including Rami Al-Kukhun, who later died from his injuries. Both were detained during a raid on the Yasmeena neighborhood in the Old City.

The Ministry of Health said that Rafeedya Government Hospital received nine injured people, including two in critical condition. The remaining injuries were described as stable.

The Palestinian Red Crescent also reported that 35 civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation due to the Israeli army’s heavy use of toxic gas during the raid. All were treated on site.

M.N.

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Former Palestinian prisoner dies in Cairo after battling cancer contracted in Israeli prisons

TULKARM, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) – 

Former Palestinian detainee Mo'tasim Talib Raddad, 43, from the town of Seeda in the northern West Bank province of Tulkarm, passed away on Thursday evening in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, after a long battle with cancer, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Raddad, who had been exiled to Egypt following his release as part of the prisoner exchange agreement in January, was among the most medically severe cases among Palestinian prisoners. His health condition had significantly deteriorated over the years due to the systematic medical neglect during his nearly 20-year imprisonment in Israeli jails.

He was transferred to a hospital in Egypt immediately after his release, but his condition had already reached a critical stage, leading to his death just months later.

Raddad was detained in 2006 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. During his imprisonment, he suffered injuries from shrapnel and subsequently developed multiple chronic and life-threatening health issues, including severe intestinal inflammation, chronic internal bleeding, hypertension, respiratory distress, irregular heartbeat, and intense pain in his back and joints.

Despite his worsening health, Raddad faced consistent medical neglect and poor prison conditions. He was frequently moved between Ofer Prison and the Ramla prison clinic for treatment, but these transfers — combined with harsh treatment and inadequate care —have exacerbated his suffering.

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Palestinian assaulted, injured by Israeli soldiers south of Hebron

HEBRON, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

A Palestinian man sustained bruises on Thursday after being brutally assaulted and abused by Israeli occupation forces south of Hebron, in the southern West Bank, according to local sources.

Activist Osama Makhama told WAFA that Israeli soldiers stopped Raed Mohammad al-Amour, 40, at the entrance to the village of al-Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta region while he was attempting to return to his home. The soldiers beat him severely and subjected him to physical abuse, causing multiple contusions. He was treated on site by Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medics.

In a related development, a group of armed Israeli colonists raided the nearby community of al-Halawah in Masafer Yatta. The colonists released their sheep into Palestinian agricultural lands planted with olive trees and near residential areas. They also conducted provocative searches throughout the area.

M.N. 

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Youth injured by live fire during Israeli raid on Tammoun, northern West Bank

TUBAS, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

A young Palestinian man was shot and injured on Thursday evening during an Israeli military raid on the town of Tammoun, located in the northern occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, its medical teams treated the youth who was wounded in the leg and hand by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces during the incursion. He was later transferred to hospital for further treatment.

The raid began when undercover Israeli units infiltrated the town, followed by military reinforcements, sparking confrontations with local residents.

M.N.

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Armed clashes reported near Toubas after IOFs besiege Palestinian house

Thursday 8-May-2025

TUBAS, (PIC)

Armed clashes broke out on Thursday evening between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) after an Israeli special force infiltrated the town of Tammoun, south of Toubas in the West Bank.

Local sources said the clashes coincided with besieging a Palestinian house in Tammoun by the special forces, followed by a dispatch of IOFs reinforcements to the town.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its crews treated a young man wounded by IOFs gunfire in Tammoun.

This coincided with the flight of Israeli drones over the besieged house, as fierce clashes and shooting continued.

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Injuries reported in clashes with IOFs in Nablus

Thursday 8-May-2025

NABLUS, (PIC)

A number of young men were reportedly injured on Thursday afternoon during clashes with Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) in the Old City of Nablus, in the northern West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its crews treated eight people, including three injuries with live ammunition in the thigh and foot and two with shrapnel wounds, during the IOFs raid on the Old City of Nablus. All of the wounded were transferred to the hospital for treatment, it added.

The Red Crescent added that 53 citizens were suffocated by IOFs tear gas and were treated in the field.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that there were a number of injuries at the entrance of Hosh al-Atout area in the Yasmina neighborhood of the Old City, noting that occupation soldiers prevented them from approaching.

Local sources reported that gunfire was heard after the occupation army’s special forces infiltrated the Old City in civilian clothing, noting that Israeli troops arrested two young men, one of whom was already shot by the special forces near Hosh al-Atout.

The IOFs dispatched large military reinforcements through the Al-Tur and Huwara checkpoints and encircled the Old City amid violent clashes with citizens.

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IOFs continues its aggression on Tulkarem for the 102nd consecutive day

Thursday 8-May-2025

TULKAREM, (PIC)

Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) continued their aggression against the city of Tulkarem and its camp for the 102nd consecutive day, and for the 89th day on the Nur Shams camp east of the city, amid an ongoing escalation of raids, searches, and home demolitions and infrastructure.

The Israeli aggression and its ongoing escalation against Tulkarem city and its two camps have resulted in the martyrdom of 13 citizens, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant, in addition to the injury and arrest of dozens.

The aggression has also caused the forced displacement of more than 4,200 families from the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps, comprising more than 25,000 citizens, and the complete destruction of more than 400 homes and partial destruction of 2,573 others.

Local sources reported that the IOFs deployed in large numbers in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Nour Shams refugee camp and its vicinity, setting up military checkpoints at its entrance on Nablus Street and imposing severe restrictions on residents of houses threatened with demolition.

The sources revealed that the IOFs notified last night of the demolition of 15 new buildings in the camp in three areas, each containing a number of residential apartments, and gave families two hours to evacuate their homes in the morning, each area separately and at different times.

This escalation comes after the IOFs had notified last Thursday of the demolition of 106 buildings and houses in the two camps, including 58 buildings in the Tulkarem camp and 48 houses in the Nour Shams refugee camp.

The Popular Services Committee in Nur Shams announced that the number of buildings and homes demolished by the IOF over the past three days exceeded 48, distributed in the neighborhoods of Manshiyya, Al-Maslakh, Al-Ayada, and Al-Jama’a, displacing dozens of families amid widespread and comprehensive destruction of property and infrastructure.

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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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Dozens of the illegal Israeli settlers defile Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Thursday 8-May-2025

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

Scores of the illegal Israeli settlers desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) on Thursday morning, amid restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers to the holy site.

According to the Islamic Awqaf Administration in the holy city, dozens of settlers entered the Mosque through its Maghariba Gate and provocatively toured its courtyards under police protection.

During their tours at the Islamic holy site, the settlers received lectures from rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a number of them provocatively performed provocative dances and Talmudic prayers.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation police imposed movement and entry restrictions on Muslim worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and gates and prevented many of them from entering the holy site.

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News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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MSF: Lack of accountability for Israel is shocking

LONDON, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has condemned the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, describing the absence of accountability for Israel's ongoing aggression on Gaza as "shocking" and warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis as aid remains blocked.

In a post on X on Thursday, the international medical organization stated that no humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip since March 2, due to an Israeli decision to block the entry of desperately needed aid.

The organization reported severe shortages of essential medical supplies and fuel, which are critically hampering its ability to provide life-saving care, while the number of people suffering serious injuries continues to rise.

Claire Manera, MSF's Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, said: “Palestinians are being killed and injured en masse as Israeli forces intensify attacks across the Strip. The lack of accountability is shocking. We are running out of words as more lives are crushed every day.”

M.N.

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OCHA: Colonist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank on the rise

NEW YORK, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Thursday a sharp increase in Israeli colonist violence across the occupied West Bank, documenting 13 recent attacks that left four Palestinians injured, displaced two families, and caused significant damage to property and farmland.

In its daily briefing, OCHA noted that colonist violence is escalating alongside expanding Israeli settlements and the establishment of new outposts. Over the past three weeks, the agency recorded five incidents where Israeli colonists kidnapped or detained Palestinians in the provinces of Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron.

One particularly alarming case occurred in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, where colonists armed with knives and stones chased local children. Two siblings—a 13-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother—were abducted and later found tied to a tree within the town.

M.N.

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UNRWA Commissioner-General on Israel’s closure of schools in Jerusalem: An assault on children, education

NEW YORK, May 8, 2025 (WAFA) –

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, has decried the Israeli occupation authorities’ forcible eviction of students and teaching staff and the closure of several UNRWA-run schools in the Shuafat refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.

“An assault on children. An assault on education. A sad day in occupied East Jerusalem… Storming schools & forcing them shut is a blatant disregard of international law,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X. “These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations.”

Earlier this morning, heavily armed Israeli forces entered three UNRWA schools in Shu’fat Camp in occupied East Jerusalem, forcing over 550 girls and boys who were in classrooms out of their schools. One UNRWA staff member was detained.

As a result, UNRWA was forced to evacuate all children across the six schools it runs in East Jerusalem. 

“Storming schools and forcing them shut is a blatant disregard of international law,” said Lazzarini. “These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations… By enforcing closure orders issued last month, the Israeli authorities are denying Palestinian children their basic right to learn.”

On April 8, the Israeli occupation authorities issued a decision prohibiting anyone from entering the school building after May 8, 2025, including principals, teachers, staff, and parents.

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed a law banning the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Israel.

M.N.

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IOAR closes six UNRWA schools in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Thursday 8-May-2025

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime (IOAR) closed six schools belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) on Thursday, after raiding them and forcing students and educational and administrative staff to evacuate and leave immediately.

UNRWA said that the closure of schools in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) constitutes a serious violation of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, and a shocking experience for children who face the risk of losing their right to education immediately, as the current academic year continues until June 20, 2025.

The UN agency said in a press statement that it was forced to evacuate the schools in order to preserve the safety of the students, adding that the IOAR police raided the schools and ordered the students to end their school day immediately, at a time when more than 550 students between the ages of 6 and 15 and their teachers were present.

For its part, Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) Governorate said in a statement that elements of the IOAR police stormed the vicinity and courtyards of the schools, amid a state of extreme tension and fear of attacks on students and teachers, in the context of a systematic Israeli escalation against Palestinian educational institutions in the city.

It considered the IOAR closure of UNRWA schools in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), in which more than 800 students receive their legitimate right to education, a blatant attack on a UN institution that enjoys the immunity and privileges guaranteed and protected by international laws and agreements.

The governorate added that this unfair decision constitutes a dangerous escalation in the systematic campaign led by the IOAR with the aim of undermining the role of UNRWA, as an entry point to liquidating the Palestinian refugee issue and canceling the right of return, which represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) Governorate also warned of the catastrophic repercussions of this racist and illegal decision, which comes within the policy of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing pursued by the IOAR in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), stressing that targeting Palestinian education, especially that affiliated with UNRWA, is an attempt to falsify awareness and distort the Palestinian national identity.

It called on the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and all international organizations to take urgent action to stop the IOAR measures, and to pressure for the reopening of the schools immediately, and to ensure the return of students to their studies without restriction or condition.

The governorate also called on the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, civil society organizations, and national forces to reject this decision and confront it with all possible legal means, and to affirm that education is a sacred right that cannot be compromised, and that the IOAR attempts to obliterate the Palestinian identity will fail in the face of the steadfastness and will of our people.

The IOA had handed over 3 schools in the Shuafat camp, and a school in each of Sur Bahir, Silwan, and Wadi Al-Joaz, a decision on April 8, 2025 preventing anyone from entering the school building after 5/8/2025, including principals, teachers, employees, and parents.

UNRWA had said that the IOAR implementation of its decision to close the six schools would deprive 800 children of their right to education, which constitutes a violation of Israel’s obligations under international law.

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset approved a law prohibiting the activity of the UNRWA in Israel.

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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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