GMO reveals latest statistics on Israeli genocidal war on Gaza

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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OCHA: Nothing left to distribute in Gaza

Saturday 18-May-2024

UN New York -- 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that “there is almost nothing left to distribute in Gaza” due to the Israeli army’s closure of border crossings.

“Water and sanitation situation is rapidly deteriorating. With supplies import blocked, people can only resort to using rubble and waste to solve sanitation needs,” OCHA said in its X page on Saturday.

In a brief statement on Friday, OCHA said that ‘the ongoing influx of displaced people into Khan Younus and Dair El Bala'h continues to strain dwindling resources to respond to humanitarian needs.”

“As of 11 May, WFP-supported distributions of special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five have been suspended in Rafa'h but continued on a limited basis in Khan Younus and Dair El-Bala'h,” OCHA highlighted.

“Only five bakeries are operational in all of Gaza and 11 have ceased operations, the Food Security Cluster reports; limited amounts of supplies have entered Gaza since May 6 and remain largely insufficient to address the soaring needs,” OCHA added.

The Israeli army occupied the Rafa'h border crossing with Egypt on May 7 and stopped the flow of aid into the enclave. This exacerbated the man-made famine in the Strip, while Jewish extremists prevented the flow of aid coming from Jordan through the West Bank and then entering the Karm Abu Salim crossing with Gaza. 

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Labor strike in 10 California universities demands the right to protest for Palestine

Saturday 18-May-2024

WASHINGTON, (PIC)

Around 48,000 workers at 10 universities affiliated with the University of California system and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the state of California, USA, voted to begin a strike in defense of the right to protest for Palestine.

This follows campaigns of arrests and attacks on students in tents, who are demanding an end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, following the university administration’s failure to address complaints regarding the handling of pro-Palestinian protests.

Activists promised that the union vote on starting the strike next Monday represents a historic decision that may push unions in other universities and labor unions to strike in defense of students’ right to protest for the Palestinian cause.

The announcement of the strike comes two days after the vote of the academic workers at the University of California, where the union considered it a result of changes to the university system’s policies regarding freedom of expression and discrimination in pro-Palestinian speeches, and allowing attacks on protesters during their sit-ins.

In this context, high schools in the state of Wisconsin joined schools in the state of Illinois in student protests at American universities, by walking out of classrooms after the second or third period, and organizing marches inside schools to demand an end to the aggression on Gaza.

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Ramon prison administration ignores sick detainees’ conditions

Saturday 18-May-2024

RAMALLAH, (PIC)

The Prisoners’ Affairs Commission stated that Israel’s Ramon prison administration ignores monitoring the conditions of Palestinian sick detainees. The Commission’s legal department reported that it managed to visit the dean of detainees, Mohammed Al-Tawas, in Ramon prison, as well as detainees Murad Abu Al-Rab and Tahir Sali'h, who spoke about the suffering of the detainees there.

The detainees focused their discussion on the sick detainees, whose illnesses and health conditions are ignored by the prison administration. They are subjected to organized persecution, left as prey to their diseases, and denied treatment and medication.

Dean of detainees Mohammed Al-Tawas, who has been detained since 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment, spoke about the general conditions in the prison, describing them as the worst he has witnessed in his nearly 39 years of imprisonment. They face all forms of punishment and deprivation, which have affected every aspect of their lives.

The legal team clarified that the dean of detainees, Al-Tawas, suffers from visual impairment. He had a retinal problem two years ago and was undergoing a treatment program, but the prison administration halted it since the outbreak of the aggression (on Gaza), depriving him of completing his treatment. This has led to a deterioration in his vision, and he can now only see things very close to him.

Detainee Murad Abu Al-Rub, who is serving four life sentences, confirmed that complex medical cases in the prison are subject to punishment. He is confined to a room with four detainees who rely on ventilators for breathing: Khaleel Baraq’a, 'Assaf Zahran, Sameer 'Hashash, and Asa'd Zo’rob.

He also spoke about the widespread skin diseases among the detainees due to the deprivation of sanitizers, cleaning materials, shortage of clothes, and blankets.

Regarding the health condition of detainee Abu Al-Rub, he was supposed to undergo a nasal operation due to a fracture he suffered at the moment of his arrest. However, the prison administration prevents him from receiving treatment.

Administrative detainee Tahir Sali'h, who has been detained for four years, spoke about his difficult health condition. He experienced a sudden ailment two months ago, diagnosed as a severe pain in his head and chest, causing him to lose consciousness. He regained consciousness after the intervention of the prison doctor, who applied pressure to his chest. The ailment resulted in paralysis in the left side of his body, making him unable to move his jaw, arm, and leg. He suffers from constant and severe pain, cannot walk or use the bathroom, and relies on a wheelchair with the help of other detainees. He also experiences memory and concentration problems.

Recently, Sali'h has regained some movement in his jaw after receiving nerve medication. Despite all that, he has not been transferred to a hospital and has been left with only this treatment, despite being informed by the prison clinic doctor that he needs electrotherapy sessions to revive his nerves.

The Commission warned of the escalating crime of medical negligence in this manner and approach, which threatens the lives of dozens and hundreds of sick detainees. The current health situation requires urgent international intervention, as the continued denial of treatment and medication puts them in real danger, especially since the prison guards lack all humanitarian aspects and exploit the aggression to exacerbate the pain and diseases among the detainees.

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Gaza Endowments: IOFs destroyed more than 600 mosques, stole 1,000 bodies

Saturday 18-May-2024

GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza reported on Friday evening that Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) completely destroyed 604 mosques and caused severe damage to 200 other mosques and three churches in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry explained in a statement that the IOFs targeted 60 cemeteries across the Gaza Strip, noting that they exhumed a number of graves and stole more than 1,000 bodies of martyrs who were brutally killed and mutilated.

The statement indicated that the IOF destroyed 15 headquarters of the Ministry, most notably its main headquarters as well as the headquarters of the Holy Quran Radio station, the Khan Younus Endowments Directorate, the Center for Antiquities and Manuscripts, the Shari'a Endowments School for Boys, and the Da’wa College in the north.

it highlighted that about 91 of its employees and preachers have been martyred since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Endowments held Israeli and its supporters, especially the United States, fully responsible for the policy of targeting mosques and places of worship, calling on the countries of the free world, international organizations, and Islamic institutions to intervene immediately and urgently to stop the genocidal war in the Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has launched a brutal aggression against the Gaza Strip, resulting in killing, injuring, and displacing tens of thousands of people in addition to thousands of the missing, mostly children and women.

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Euro-Med: Scores of wounded and sick Palestinians die due to closure of the Rafah crossing

Saturday 18-May-2024

GENEVA, (PIC)

The ongoing closure of the Rafah land crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt, has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians and has accelerated the genocide that has been taking place since 7 October, the Euro-Med Monitor said in a report on Saturday.

It pointed out that by blocking the Rafa'h crossing, Israel has tightened its grip and imposed a crippling siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting it off from the outside world and resulting in the deaths of scores of injured and ill people. Additionally, the closure of the crossing has hindered the flow of humanitarian aid and medical supplies, further undermining the efforts of the few remaining local hospitals.

The closure of the Rafa'h crossing has made it impossible for more than 11,000 wounded people to get the urgent medical care they need outside the Gaza Strip, while over 10,000 cancer patients and at least 2,000 patients with other diseases—of whom about 750 are children—require treatment outside the Gaza Strip, the report elaborated.

Euro-Med underlined that fewer than 4,000 cancer patients have been granted permission to leave Gaza to receive treatment abroad since October 2023, according to officials at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza and medical relief organizations. However, in practice, only about 600 patients have done so, and the remaining patients currently face an uncertain future due to the closure of the Rafah crossing, knowing that the majority of cancer treatments are not available inside Gaza.

“Mona Abdel Rahman, a woman in her late thirties, was waiting for her name to show up on the list of patients who were permitted to travel for breast cancer treatment when the Rafah crossing was closed. This left her back at the starting line, vulnerable to further decline in her health,” the reported noted, adding that she was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, according to her husband Saeed, and was getting treatment in Jerusalem on occasion until the Israeli military attack started, which prevented her from leaving the Gaza Strip to continue her care. With her health continuing to deteriorate, they were waiting for permission for her to travel to Türkiye at any time to finish her treatment; however, the closure of the Rafah crossing denied her that opportunity.

The report pointed out that cancer patients in the Gaza Strip lack access to hormonal or immunological treatments for their disease, as well as infrastructure for producing chemotherapy, at a time when they are living in shelter centers, medical facilities, or hospitals that are ill-equipped to care for cancer patients. This is due to the severe deterioration of the health system and the closure of the majority of the local hospitals.

It said that some children in Gaza suffer from rare diseases that call for special treatment and ongoing monitoring. Muneer Al-Da'hdou'h, for example, is said by his family to have a rare genetic disorder called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, which stunts his growth, results in congenital deformities, and causes him to lose limbs. The family made progress in getting their sick child treated abroad, but all of their efforts were thwarted until further notice by the Israeli army’s closure of the Rafah crossing.

Approximately 40% of the medical cases authorized to leave the Rafah crossing were exiting at a rate of approximately 40 cases per day prior to the Israeli army seizing control of the crossing.

In addition to the serious consequences of halting the entry of life-saving aid and fuel supplies required to continue humanitarian operations and run all essential sectors, including the health system, the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing puts thousands of injured and ill people in the Gaza Strip in grave danger of dying, without access to essential treatment outside the Strip, and potentially doubling the number of critical medical cases and deaths as a result of delayed treatment, Euro-Med warned.

It added, “Given the deficiency of medical services in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s genocide, which has destroyed most hospitals and health facilities and resulted in the deaths and incarceration of numerous doctors and medical personnel, an immediate international intervention is required to reopen the Rafa'h crossing and assure secure transit for civilians, particularly safe passage for the sick and wounded to allow them to receive life-saving treatment abroad.”

As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is blatantly violating international humanitarian law and committing war crimes when it deliberately punishes sick and injured civilians and when it fails to fulfill its legal obligations to provide medical care. These abuses must not be tolerated, the report concluded.

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Euro-Med demands holding Israel accountable for its crimes against Palestinian athletes

Saturday 18-May-2024

GENEVA, (PIC)

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on the International Olympic Committee and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to take serious measures against Israel including accountability for the crimes it committed against Palestinian athletes amid the genocide war it has been waging in the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year.

The Euro-Med revealed in a press statement on Saturday that the ongoing Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip for the eighth month in a row, has killed at least 270 Palestinian athletes, while sport infrastructure, facilities and stadiums were either completely or severely damaged.

The human rights organization charged Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) with deliberately turning the Al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City into a detention center where hundreds of Palestinians including minors were humiliated as they appeared naked after being stripped of their clothes in scenes broadcasted by Israeli media in December 2023.

The Euro-Med stressed that international sports bodies must take a decisive stance regarding Israel’s violations against athletes and civilian sports figures in the Gaza Strip, addressing the FIFA in particular as it intends to schedule an extraordinary council meeting by July 20 to decide on an immediate suspension of Israel’s membership at the request of the Palestinian Federation, with the support of the Asian Football Confederation.

The Human Rights Monitor documented the destruction of 31 sports facilities, football fields, gyms, headquarters, and sports training halls, that may amount to the destruction of more than 80% of sports facilities at stadiums or clubs in the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of players from the Gaza Strip were prevented from their right to travel abroad to represent Palestine in various international tournaments, in addition to the cessation of all sports activities, events and tournaments, due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, the Euro-Med revealed.

The human rights group said, “the FIFA cannot continue turning a blind eye to these violations committed in the ongoing genocide war in the Gaza Strip.”

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