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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Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians Intensifies in the West Bank, 20 More Bodies of Palestinian Martyrs Recovered, Bringing the Death Toll in Gaza to 47,540 and the Injuries to 111,618

February 4, 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 February 4, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 61,762+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (47,540), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 14,222+). 

By February 4, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 111,618.

By February 3, 2025, 888 Palestinians who were killed, 6,786 who were injured, and 11,075*, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023, including 310 women and 640 children (Some of the detainees have been released). 

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Palestinian civil defense teams are actively working to rescue a woman and her three children, who remain trapped under the rubble of their home in the Jineen refugee camp, February 4, 2025.	The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza criticized the UN organizations for storing fuel in the Gaza Strip and leaving desperate hospitals to face tragedies without helping it, February 4, 2025.
Hamas accused the Israeli government of obstructing the entry of the urgent needs for returning Palestinians, especially tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, and equipment for removing rubble, February 4, 2025.	20 bodies of the Palestinian martyrs, who were massacred by the Israeli genocidal air strikes, were recovered from the rubble, in northern Gaza Strip, February 4, 2025 anadolu
Piles of garbage spread in Gaza city as a result of the Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which destroyed the city municipality, February 4, 2025.	Destruction inflicted on the Indonesian hospital by the Israeli genocidal air strikes on northern Gaza Strip, February 4, 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 ۚ " (الإسْرَاءُ ، 17: 7). 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption in the land, it is as if he had killed humankind entirely" (The Holy Quran, Al-Ma-ida, 5: 32).

"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him, and has cursed him, and has prepared for him a great torment" (Al-Nisa, 4: 93).

"If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, (you do it) to yourselves" (Al-Isra, 17: 7). 

***

While brutal force has been used to create Zionist Israel and sustain it thus far, Zionist claims to Palestine are false. Actually, from the five thousand years of known written human history, there has been a continuous Palestinian-Canaanite presence in the Holy Land. Despite the Zionist false claims, the ancient Israelites ruled part of the land for only 85 years (during the reign of Prophets David and Solomon , peace be upon them, and Solomon's son).

 After that, the Egyptians conquered Palestine-Canaan in 925 BC, followed by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arab Muslim rule, starting from 636 AD.

By the Time Jesus, peace be upon him, started his mission, the three population groups of Canaanites, Palestinians, and Israelites were melted together in religion and language. Most of them became Christians when Constantine converted in 313 AD. Then, most of them became Muslims in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.

So, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews are the ones who have the right to claim descent from ancient Israelites, Palestinians, and Canaanites, not Zionists from other continents.

No matter what the Zionists and their supporters do, they cannot change the will of God, Who promised the Holy Land to Abraham and his descendants, basically the Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

No matter how much persecution and aggression the Zionists and their supporters inflict upon the Palestinian people, they will never be able to force them out of the Holy Land, which Allah, praise to Him, promised for them, and kept His promise ever since.

This is a necessary brief background to understand the US-Backed Zionist Israeli continuous wars against the Arab nation generally, and the Palestinian people in particular, which included the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1978, 1982, the brutal crushing of the two Uprisings (1987-1993 and 2000-2004), 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, and the current genocidal war on Gaza (Since October 7, 2023), which has culminated a blockade of Gaza since 2007. In addition, the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime launched so many covert operations, raids, and air strikes on many Arab states since 1948.

The following news stories are just examples, not a systematic record, of the Israeli occupation government abuse, mistreatment, and violations of Palestinian human rights, on daily basis.

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

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Gaza death toll reaches 47,540 as more bodies are recovered from the rubble

 by Ahmed Asmar  

04.02.2025  

Anadolu, ANKARA  --

Palestinian medics recovered 20 more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 47,540, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement said that six injured people were also admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of the injured to 111,618 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.

According to the Health Ministry, medical teams removed the bodies of 526 people from the rubble since a ceasefire agreement took hold in Gaza on Jan. 19.

Note:

On Monday, Gaza Government Information Office head Salama Maarouf said that there are at least 14,222 people believed to be trapped under the rubble, on the roads or in areas inaccessible to rescuers. According to Maarouf, only 76 percent of those killed in the genocide have been brought to medical centers, which is the primary way that officials were counting deaths.

This brings the official death toll to 61,709, including 17,881 children, with at least 111,618 wounded. The toll has already risen by hundreds since the ceasefire went into effect as rescuers have recovered bodies from the rubble. 

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Rescue teams recover 19 bodies west of Gaza

GAZA, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Rescue teams Tuesday announced the recovery of the remains of 19 bodies from an informal cemetery on Ath-Thawra Street, west of Gaza City.

Israel launched a genocidal offensive on the war-torn Strip during the period from October 7, 2023 to January 19, 2025, killing and injuring over 158,000 Palestinians.

Moreover, over 14,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

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

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

K.F.

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PGMO slams UN for not providing Gaza’s hospitals with fuel

Tuesday 4-February-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Palestinian Government Media Office (PGMO) in Gaza has criticized UN organizations for storing fuel in the Gaza Strip and leaving desperate hospitals to face tragedies without helping it.

In a statement on Tuesday, PGMO expressed dismay at some UN organizations in Gaza “for piling thousands of liters of fuel in their warehouses while Gaza’s hospitals and humanitarian institutions are facing a severe shortage.”

PGMO warned that the severe fuel shortage at Gaza’s hospitals, especially in the north, threatens the lives of patients and wounded people, calling such a practice an “unjustified behavior that contradicts the UN’s humanitarian and moral duty.”

PGMO said that such a UN behavior, which it also described as “serious,” reflects the failure of these organizations to perform the mission assigned to them in light of the unprecedented humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

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'Hamas accuses Israel of not implementing agreement’s humanitarian protocol

Tuesday 4-February-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Hamas Movement has accused the Israeli occupation government of obstructing the implementation of the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire deal, calling on the mediators and sponsors of the agreement, especially Egypt and Qatar, to intervene to address this issue.

“The Israeli occupation continues to evade the implementation of the humanitarian part of the ceasefire agreement and deliberately delays and obstructs the entry of the most urgent needs, especially tents, prefabricated houses, fuel and heavy equipment for removing rubble,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said in a statement on Tuesday.

“What has been accomplished in this regard is much less than the minimum agreed upon, which means a lack of commitment towards the relief and humanitarian issue,” Qasem added.

Qasem stressed that the Israeli occupation army “left behind massive destruction, especially in northern Gaza, and killed all aspects of life there … which makes emergency relief a central step of the ceasefire agreement.”

For its part, Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has held the Israeli government and the US administration fully responsible for the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Monday, GMO accused the Israeli government of being reluctant to implement the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement.

GMO also accused the Israeli government of obstructing the entry of humanitarian, relief and shelter aid into the Gaza Strip, where the dire humanitarian situation needs urgent action.

Under the humanitarian protocol, Israel was supposed to allow in 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents to accommodate displaced Palestinians whose homes and residential areas had been destroyed by Israeli attacks, GMO underlined.

The agreement also stipulated the daily entry of 600 aid and fuel trucks, including 50 carrying fuel and gas, as well as essential humanitarian, medical and civil defense equipment, and other vital needs that help rehabilitate the infrastructure and public services in Gaza, GMO added.

GMO warned that Israel’s disregard for the terms of the agreement would lead to serious repercussions, calling on the international community and the mediators to immediately intervene to ensure that the agreement is implemented fully without restrictions or conditions.

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

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Civil Defense teams continue efforts to rescue woman and her children trapped under rubble in Jineen refugee camp

Jineen, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) -

Civil defense teams in Jineen are actively working to rescue a woman and her three children, who remain trapped beneath the rubble of their home in the Jineen refugee camp.

Colonel Abdul Lateef Abu 'Amsha, director of Civil Defense in Jineen, reported that the teams responded immediately after citizens alerted them to cries coming from under the debris.

Upon reaching the scene, they discovered the woman and children alive and immediately began efforts to remove the rubble using hand tools, as heavy machinery could not access the area due to extensive destruction in the refugee camp.

He affirmed that communication was established with the woman, confirming her presence along with her three children, all of whom are alive. He emphasized the urgent need to act with the utmost speed to save their lives.

T.R.

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Israeli occupation forces kidnap two Palestinians from Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces Tuesday evening kidnapped two Palestinians from the occupied West Bank city of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), according to local sources and Jerusalem Governorate.

They said that the occupying forces rounded up two Palestinians; a 14-year-old minor from his family house, located on Al-Wad Street, in the Old City of Jerusalem, and another from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the occupying forces raided al-Ram town, north of Jerusalem, simultaneously while firing barrages of tear gas canisters.

The soldiers briefly held and interrogated several residents before releasing them.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted without a search warrant whenever and wherever the military chooses, in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law, army commanders have full executive, legislative, and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

According to the latest figures from Al-Dhameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 10,400 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres, including 320 child prisoners and 88 female prisoners.

This number includes approximately 3,376 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, which allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

The mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Al-Dhameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.

K.F.

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IOF kidnaps and detains dozens of Palestinians in W. Bank

Tuesday 4-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnaped and detained dozens of Palestinian citizens during a large-scale arrest campaign in the West Bank last night and on Tuesday morning.

According to local sources, the IOF stormed at dawn al-Fawwar refugee camp in southern al-Khalil and kidnaped at least 100 citizens.

The sources explained that those citizens, including young men and teenagers, were kidnaped during raids on dozens of homes in different neighborhoods of al-Fawwar camp, adding that the IOF also tried to break into the Muaad Mosque in the camp.

The sources also said that Israeli soldiers interrogated and assaulted all the detainees before releasing a large number of them and taking the rest to detention centers.

In Bethlehem, the IOF raided several homes in al-Deheisha refugee camp and detained and interrogated over 20 citizens before releasing them.

In Ramallah, Israeli forces kidnaped three children aged 15 during raids on homes in Beitunia town.

The IOF also kidnaped a father along with his 15-year-old child and two other kids, including two brothers, during a raid in al-Jalazon refugee camp in northern Ramallah.

In Nablus, the IOF kidnaped a young man after ransacking his home in Balata refugee camp.

In Tubas, Israeli forces kidnaped three women from their homes in Tammun town. Two of them were taken prisoners to pressure their husbands to turn themselves in.

They also kidnaped a young man from the family of Bisharat to pressure his brother to turn himself in during the same raid in Tammun town.

Local sources in Tubas said that about 20 citizens were kidnaped and many others were detained and interrogated during the IOF raid in Tammun.

In Tulkarem, the IOF reportedly kidnaped a woman escorting a patient from a Red Crescent ambulance, which was going to the Thabet Thabet Hospital in the city. She was interrogated and released later.

Last night, Israeli soldiers kidnaped a Red Crescent volunteer paramedic from an ambulance transporting a patient to the Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem City before releasing him later.

The IOF also kidnaped last night a number of young men after raiding their homes in the suburbs of Tulkarem City.

Another young man, who was suffering from a health issue, was kidnaped last night by Israeli forces immediately after he arrived aboard an ambulance at the Thabet Thabet Hospital.

In Jenin, the IOF kidnaped a young man after seizing his car near al-Hathnawi rotary in the central area of the city.

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Palestinian rescuers evacuate casualty from Jenin camp

JENIN, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Palestinian rescuers Tuesday evening evacuated a casualty from a destroyed building in the occupied West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, according to the Civil Defense (CD).

The CD said in a press release that its rescue crews evacuated a casualty from a heavily damaged house by digging a tunnel that led to it in the Damj neighborhood.

It explained that it resorted to such a method to reach the young man due to the lack of necessary equipment and given that large swathes of the camp had been completely ravaged by Israeli army detonations.

The CD pointed out that the young man was handed over to medical crews while in panic and that the search and evacuation operation lasted for 4 hours.

Earlier, the CD crews conducted a search operation in an attempt to rescue a family from under the rubble of their house in the camp.

Israeli occupation forces continue to launch large-scale aggression on the Jenin city and camp for the 15th consecutive day, killing over 20 Palestinians and resulting in the destruction and detonation of many houses and neighborhoods.

K.F.

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 Israeli forces continue detention campaign, raids in Tammun and al-Faraa camp

TUBAS, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

For the third consecutive day, Israeli occupation forces Tuesday evening continued a detention campaign and raids in Tammun town and al-Faraa refugee camp, south of the occupied West Bank city of Tubas, according to the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS) Director Kamal Bani Odeh.

Bani Odeh said that since the morning hours, the occupying forces rounded up 14 Palestinians, including two women, from Tmmun town, and were still holding and interrogating dozens of others.

This came as Israeli army drones carried out seven airstrikes on various areas in the town, but without resulting in any casualty.

Meanwhile, the occupying forces conducted house-to-house raids in al-Faraa refugee camp, forcing out the families, ransacking the houses, and turning them into outposts, at a time when Israeli snipers seized positions on the rooftops of buildings in the camp.

The occupation forces continue to maintain a tight siege on the town and the camp, causing the stock of foodstuff, including bread and infant formula, to run out.

They deliberately ploughed through infrastructure, destroying main water pipelines, leading to a water crisis and causing a power outage in parts of the town and the camp.

K.F.

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Israeli forces conduct raids in Ramallah governorate

RAMALLAH, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

 Israeli occupation forces Tuesday evening conducted multiple raids into several villages, northwest of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to security sources.

They said that the occupying forces raided the villages of Deit Nitham, Ajjul, Umm Safa, and Deir As-Sudan. They also barged their way into Turmusayya town and Burqa village.

Meanwhile, a convoy of Israeli army vehicles stormed Qiffin town, north of Tulkarm, simultaneously while opening live gunfire.

There was no immediate information on any casualties and detention cases.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted without a search warrant whenever and wherever the military chooses, in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.

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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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 IOF razes two homes, 10 agricultural structures in W. Bank

Tuesday 4-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) demolished on Tuesday two homes and 10 agricultural structures in Salfit, al-Khalil and Jericho belonging to Palestinian citizens in the West Bank.

According to local sources, the IOF stormed Kafr ad-Dik town in Salfit and bulldozed a house belonging to Bassam ad-Dik.

The IOF also knocked down an agricultural room in al-Takweera area in Salfit.

Later, another agricultural room was razed by Israeli forces in the north of Kafr ad-Dik town.

In al-Khalil, the IOF demolished a house under construction in Idhna town.

In Jericho, Israeli forces demolished eight agricultural and livestock structures in Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, south of Jericho.

The IOF also bulldozed swaths of Palestinian land near the illegal settlement of Vered Yeriho near Jericho.

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Israeli forces storm southern West Bank town

BETHLEHEM, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces Tuesday evening stormed al-Khader town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to local sources.

They said that the occupying forces barged their way into the town, deploying in the vicinity of a local mosque.

They added that the gun-toting soldiers fired volleys of tear gas canisters, causing a tree to catch fire.

In the course of the raid, the soldiers briefly held and physically assaulted a 13-year-old minor.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted without a search warrant whenever and wherever the military chooses, in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.

***

Israeli occupation forces raid al-Bireh city

AL-BIREH, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces Tuesday evening raided the occupied West Bank city of al-Bireh, according to eyewitnesses.

They said that the occupying forces barged their way into the city, where they sealed off several roads in the Old Town, broke into local stores, and confiscated the recordings of surveillance cameras.

There was no immediate information on any detention case or casualty.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted without a search warrant whenever and wherever the military chooses, in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.

***

 Israeli forces raid homes, turn them into military outposts in Tulkarm

TULKARM, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

 Israeli occupation forces raided residential buildings and homes in various neighborhoods of Tulkarm city and its refugee camp on Tuesday, marking the ninth consecutive day of the Israeli military offensive in the area.

According to local sources, Israeli troops surrounded a house belonging to the Hawaji family in the eastern suburb of Iktaba, ordering its residents to evacuate through loudspeakers. The soldiers conducted field interrogations but did not make any arrests. Nearby homes belonging to the Khouli and Sheikh Mazhar families were also raided, with Israeli forces positioning snipers inside them.

The Israeli military further deployed additional infantry units across the city, particularly in the eastern neighborhood, where troops stormed residential buildings and forced their occupants out. Several homes and commercial buildings near the entrance of Tulkarm refugee camp, were seized and converted into military outposts, with snipers stationed inside.

Simultaneously, Israeli forces continued efforts to empty the refugee camp of its residents, compelling them to leave under threat of weapons. Witnesses reported hearing explosions inside the camp, believed to be the result of Israeli forces demolishing Palestinian homes.

Amid the ongoing assault, residents who remain in the camp issued urgent appeals for basic necessities such as food, water, medicine, and baby formula. 

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate due to a tight blockade, power and water outages, and a communications blackout following Israeli bulldozers’ destruction of infrastructure.

Meanwhile, in the western part of Tulkarm, Israeli troops withdrew from homes they had occupied for the past eight days, leaving behind significant destruction. Residents reported that their belongings, including money and valuables, had been looted before the soldiers vacated the premises.

M.N.

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Israeli forces close dirt roads in Salfit, central West Bank

SALFIT, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces closed several dirt roads in the villages of Bruqin and Marda in the Salfit province of the central West Bank on Tuesday.

According to local sources, the Israeli occupation military sealed off a dirt road near the entrance of Bruqin. In addition, four dirt roads were blocked in the nearby village of Marda.

The closures have further restricted movement for residents in the affected areas, adding to ongoing mobility challenges faced by Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

M.N. 

***

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News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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El-Sisi and Abdullah II stress importance of implementing ceasefire agreement, accelerating Gaza reconstruction

CAIRO, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s monarch Abdullah II Tuesday stressed the importance of implementing the ceasefire agreement and accelerating Gaza reconstruction efforts.

Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said President El-Sisi and King Abdullah II discussed regional developments, primarily with regard to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, including the exchange of hostages and detainees and the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief to the residents of the sector.

El-Shennawy added that the two leaders emphasized the importance of the full implementation of the agreement and the vital need to accelerate the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that both leaders reiterated the imperative to achieve lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the sole guarantor to realizing peace and stability in the Middle East.

They affirmed the necessity to adopt a unified Arab stance, demanding the achievement of enduring peace in the Middle East, so as to achieve the desired stability and economic prosperity.

K.F.

***

'Hamdan: A national government is the best option for Gaza

Tuesday 4-February-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that the best formula for the situation in the Gaza Strip is to form a national unity government.

“If it is not possible to form it, we are open to all formulas that ultimately lead to the formation of a national administration for the Strip,” Hamdan said during a political event held in Beirut on Monday.

Hamdan highlighted the Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. “We spoke clearly with the mediators about Israel’s procrastination regarding the issue of relief and shelter for the residents of Gaza.”

“We have a committee that monitors what is being brought into the Strip, but the occupation is deliberately creating problems,” Hamdan stated.

“The mediators informed us of some steps that would oblige the occupation to respect what had been agreed upon,” Hamdan said, warning that Hamas would take measures on its part if these steps did not work out.

“We are interested in a permanent halt to the aggression against the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction [of what had been destroyed],” the Hamas official underlined.

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Slovakia affirms support for Palestinian rights

BRATISLAVA, February 4, 2025 (Wafa) –

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini reaffirmed his country’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people during a meeting with accredited ambassadors at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Tuesday.

President Pellegrini conveyed his greetings to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, emphasizing Slovakia’s backing of Palestinian rights and the efforts of the Palestinian government. 

He also affirmed his country’s support for humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza and the pursuit of a fair political settlement for the Palestinian cause.

During the meeting, Palestinian Ambassador Safa Khaldi conveyed President Abbas’s greetings to the Slovak leader. She expressed hope that Slovakia would continue supporting the Palestinian government’s national efforts, particularly in relief and early recovery plans for Gaza. 

She also urged Slovakia, as a member of the European Union, to help counter displacement plans against the Palestinian people and contribute to achieving peace through a political agreement based on the two-state solution.

M.N.

***

Over 160 NGOs and trade unions call on EU to ban trade with the illegal Israeli settlements

BRUSSELS, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

Over 160 NGOs and trade unions Tuesday called on the European Union (EU) to ban trade and business with the illegal Israeli settlement, which have been built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the groups urged action to comply with international law and to halt Europe’s support for the illegal colonial settlement enterprise and its underlying abuses.

Among the NGOs, trade unions and civil society organizations (CSOs) are ActionAid, Human Rights Watch, Action, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Caritas Europe, Child Rights International Network (CRIN), Defense for Children International, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Olof Palmes Internationella Center, Oxfam and Pax Christi.

“We, the undersigned human rights organizations, trade unions and civil society groups, urge the European Commission to take action to ban all trade and business between the EU and Israel's illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem,” the letter read.

The signatories stressed that “Such action is essential for the EU and its member states to comply with their obligations under international law.”

They explained that “The EU’s current policy of distinguishing between goods produced in Israel and those produced in settlements falls short of these obligations. While this differentiation denies preferential trade terms for settlement goods, it still allows such goods to enter the EU market.”

“This contravenes the obligations under international humanitarian law and as laid out by the ICJ, which require a complete ban on trade and business with Israel’s illegal settlements,” they added.

The signatories highlighted that “By trading with Israel’s illegal settlements, the EU, its member states and EU companies are not only breaching their own legal obligations but also contributing to the serious and systemic human rights and other international law abuses underpinning the settlement enterprise.”

They said that “despite EU consensus about the settlements’ illegality and their link to serious abuses, the EU continues to trade and allow business with them, helping to sustain the serious human rights and international law violations inexorably intertwined with settlements’ maintenance and expansion.”

They called on the European Commission (EC) to “introduce Legislation to Ban Trade with and Investments in Settlements”, a step which involves “Propos]ing[ legal acts banning all imports and exports of goods and services from and to Israel’s illegal settlements in the OPT as well as investments therein.”

They also called on the EC to “issue a Strengthened Business Advisory: Pending the adoption of such legislation, publish a reinforced advisory document discouraging European businesses from activities benefitting the Israeli settlements.

“This should go significantly further than the existing EU advisory document in order to discourage all trade with settlements and engagement with Israeli banks and enterprises operating in illegal settlements due to the significant risk of contributing to serious human rights violations and breaches of international law and ensure that the entire value chain falls under the scope of the legislation.”

K.F.

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UNRWA says Tulkarm camp residents have “endured the impossible”

AMMAN, February 4, 2025 (WAFA) –

The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Tuesday that the residents of Tulkarm refugee camp have “endured the impossible”.

Speaking from Amman at an update on the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma described catastrophic scenes, with some 100 buildings “destroyed or heavily damaged” by the detonations. The camp’s residents had “endured the impossible”, she added.

UNRWA pointed out that some 30,000 residents from the Jenin refugee camp have fled their houses after large swathes of the camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli occupation forces.

“The detonation on Sunday was when children were supposed to go back to school,” Touma explained, adding that the 13 UNRWA schools in the camp and its surrounding areas remain closed, depriving 5,000 children of education.

The agency reiterated that it has been facing unprecedented challenges to continue carrying out its work following the Israeli parliament’s adoption in October last year of two laws banning its operations in the occupied territories – the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem- and prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The Knesset laws entered into force last Thursday.

Still, Touma said that to this day, the Israeli government has “not communicated to UNRWA how they intend to implement” the laws.

The agency’s teams are “staying and delivering” in the remaining parts of the West Bank, Touma said, with basic services, including primary healthcare and education ongoing.

“Schools and clinics remain open, including in occupied East Jerusalem, providing services to refugees,” the UNRWA spokesperson said. “We are seeing attendance at UNRWA schools at over 80 to 85 percent.”

Touma also reported a “steady increase” in the number of patients visiting the UNRWA health centers in the West Bank, with one clinic in East Jerusalem recording more than 400 patients a day.

Turning to the Gaza Strip, where humanitarian needs are sky-high, Touma said that the “biggest priority” for UNRWA teams there is distributing supplies from 4,200 aid trucks that have entered the enclave since the start of the ceasefire on 19 January.

This is the target number that was set as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire and represents a welcome boost for the people of Gaza whose needs remain enormous – particularly among the hundreds of thousands of people who have returned to the shattered north.

More trucks are expected to arrive later this week, Touma said, adding that “hundreds of trucks” are waiting to enter Gaza from Egypt and Jordan.

She stressed that UNRWA has brought in 60 percent of all supplies that came into Gaza since the ceasefire began and that the “vast majority” of the aid is distributed by the agency which has more than 5,000 staff there. A fifth of them are health workers, Ms. Touma added, underscoring UNRWA’s major role as a primary healthcare provider in the enclave, offering an average of 17,000 daily consultations.

Following the Knesset ban, UN chief António Guterres and the heads of many UN agencies insisted that UNRWA is irreplaceable in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Besides obstacles stemming from the new Israeli legislation, the agency’s operations are also constantly in jeopardy because of its “very bad” financial health, Touma said. The United States, notably, had stopped funding UNRWA as of January 2024.

The UNRWA spokesperson said that the agency was able to pay salaries to its workers last month but had limited visibility over its financial situation, calling the funding crisis “endemic”.

K.F.

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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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