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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On Day 462 of US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, Dozens of Palestinians Are Killed, Hundreds Injured, Death Toll Figures Are 41 Percent Higher Than Officially Reported

January 10, 2025

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Note: The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza did not issue its daily report about the death toll in the Gaza Strip, for January 10, 2025.

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On Day 461 of US-Backed Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Strip, 3 Massacres, 70 Palestinians Killed, 104 Injured, in the Past 24 Hours, with a Death Toll of  46,006 and 109,378 Injuries, by January 9, 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 Gaza Strip, based on the reliable data reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza:

By January 9, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 56,006+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (46,006), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 10,000+). 

By January 9, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 109,378.

By January 9, 2025, 847 Palestinians who were killed, 6,647 who were injured, and 10,824*, 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).

* The number of the Palestinians detainees who remain in the Israeli occupation prisons has been updated today (December 5, 2024), by Wafa, to be 10,300.

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Tens of thousands of Yemenis participate in massive rallies in support of the Palestinian people and their resistance to the Israeli genocidal regime, on January 10, 2025.	Death toll figures in Gaza are 41 percent higher than officially reported, for not including deaths due injures, lack of health care, lack of food, and persons buried und the rubble, January 10, 2025.
1,600 families have ben wiped out completely from the Palestinian civil registry by killing all of their members by the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, January 10, 2025.	Substantial evidence indicating systematic and widespread acts of rape and sexual violence by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by EMM, on January 10, 2025.
Grieving the death of the Palestinian journalist Sa-id Abu Nabhan, who was assassinated by an Israeli sniper in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, on January 10, 2025.	Bidding farewell to the Palestinian journalist Sa-id Abu Nabhan, who was assassinated by an Israeli sniper in Al-Nusayrat refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, on January 10, 2025.
The Israeli occupation forces invade Qabatya, south of Jineen, in the West Bank, on January 10, 2025.	Despite severe weather and Israeli restrictions, some of the Palestinian Muslim worshippers managed to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), to perform the Friday prayer, on January 10, 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). 

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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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Note: The following figures only include the killed and injured Palestinians who have  been accounted for by the Palestinian hospitals. The victims who are not carried to the hospitals are not accounted for.

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Israeli genocidal war on Gaza enters Day 462

Friday 10-January-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

In the midst of catastrophic humanitarian suffering for more than two million Palestinians — half of them children, the Israeli occupation army continued, for the 462dn consecutive day, to pound and target different areas and massacre more civilians in the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern areas.

Reporters for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said on Friday that the Israeli occupation army carried out attacks on several homes, civilian targets and shelter centers in different areas of Gaza during the past 24 hours, killing and injuring dozens of citizens.

The Israeli army’s large-scale genocidal campaign in northern Gaza, especially in Jabalya and Bait Lahya, has entered day 98, where its forces continue to intensively bomb homes and shelters and attack civilians while imposing a tight siege on the entire area.

Deliberate Israeli attacks on ambulance and civil defense workers already deprived northern Gaza of any rescue services.

Citizen Shadi 'Omar Sa'hloul was killed while two others were injured in an Israeli drone attack on a group of citizens west of Khan Younus.

The Israeli forces also blew up several local homes in the northern Gaza Strip.

The two sisters, Tala and Najwa, and their father Mu'hammed Bassam Abu Kharouf were killed while their mother was injured in a Thursday night attack on Al-Nusayrat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

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Israeli airstrike on Gaza kills three Palestinians, injures 10 others

GAZA, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

An Israeli airstrike on western Gaza City Friday evening killed three Palestinians and injured 10 others, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that an Israeli fighter jet carried out an airstrike targeting an apartment in a building located close to al-Kanz Mosque in the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City, claiming the lives of three civilians, including a woman and a female child, and injuring 10 others.

The airstrike caused damage to nearby houses.

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

Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 46,006 Palestinians and injuring over 109,378 others.

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

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

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

K.F.

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Journalist among several Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing on Gaza

GAZA, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

A journalist and several other Palestinians were killed Friday evening in an Israeli bombing of Al-Nusayrat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that Sa-Id Nabhan was killed by an Israeli sniper after a group of journalists and media personnel were besieged in the camp.

He added that an Israeli fighter jet carried out an airstrike targeting a house in Al-Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza, killing at least one civilian and injuring others.

The fatality along with the casualties were rushed to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as Al-Ma‘madani, in the city.

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

Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 46,006 Palestinians and injuring over 109,378 others.

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

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

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

K.F.

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1,600 Palestinian families erased from civil registry in Gaza

Friday 10-January-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

A report issued on Thursday by the Palestinian Government Media Office (PGMO) in the Gaza Strip stated that Israeli occupation forces (IOFS) have wiped out 1,600 Palestinian families completely from the Palestinian civil registry by killing all members of those families during the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for 15 months.

The report quoted the Ministry of Health in Gaza as saying that the number of the killed members of those families was estimated at 5,612 martyrs.

The report added that this brings the number of the Palestinian families which were executed entirely by the IOF to 3,471 Palestinian families, except for only one individual remaining from them, noting that the number of the members of those families exceeded 9,000 martyrs.

The report condemned in the strongest terms the murder of entire Palestinian families, as well as all forms of killing and the ongoing genocidal war and crimes carried out by the IOF against the Palestinian people, calling on the world and international institutions to condemn the Israeli crimes of genocide and prosecute Israeli officials at international courts.

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

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Israeli occupation  forces conduct multiple raids in Ramallah and Nablus governorates

RAMALLAH, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces Friday evening conducted multiple raids in the occupied West Bank governorates of Ramallah and Nablus, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.

Eyewitnesses said that the occupation forces stormed Budrus village, west of Ramallah, where the soldiers fired barrages of tear gas canisters towards the villagers and their houses.

Meanwhile, the occupation forces conducted a raid in Yatma village, south of Nablus, triggering confrontations, as confirmed by A'hmad Sanaubar, the head of the Village Council.

The gun-toting soldiers fired volleys of teargas and concussion bombs towards the villagers, without any casualty.

The occupation forces showed up at the family house of a slain Palestinian in Wadi Al-Badthan, a village northeast of Nablus.

The family of Ja'far Dababsa said that several army vehicles stormed the village, where the soldiers muscled inside the house, held them along with some guests in a room and confiscated their mobile phones.

Dababsa is a former 40-year-old detainee who was killed by undercover forces on Tuesday, January 7, in front of his house.

Israeli 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, which also take place in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for 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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Several Palestinians suffocate in Israeli army raid in West Bank town

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Several Palestinians Friday evening suffocated during an Israeli army raid in Tuqu‘ town, southeast of the occupied West Bank city of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), according to a local source.

Tayseer Abu Mufri'h, head of Tuqu‘ Municipal Council, said that Israeli occupation forces stormed the downtown part of the town, at a time when the soldiers fired live ammunition along with teargas and concussion bombs towards the residents’ houses and a gathering of mourners.

He added that the soldiers besieged worshipers in a local mosque following the Maghreb prayers and showered the mosque with teargas canisters, resulting in several suffocation cases.

All of the suffocation cases were treated at the scene.

Israeli 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, which also take place in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for 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 Biden administration total support for the Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the U.S. official policy is still considering the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories as illegal.

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Israeli colonists raid outskirts of village near Ramallah

RAMALLAH, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli colonists Friday evening raided the outskirts of Burqa village, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to local sources.

They said that several colonists barged their way into Beer Al-Marj and Al-Sh‘ab areas on the outskirts of the village.

Colonists’ violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Colonists’ violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

There are over 700,000 Israeli colonists living in colonies in the West Bank and Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem).

K.F. 

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Israeli occupation forces, settler attacks throughout West Bank

Friday 10-January-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) launched at dawn Friday a large-scale raid and arrest campaign throughout the West Bank, while Jewish settlers carried out fresh attacks in several areas.

In Ramallah, the IOF stormed the Jalazoan refugee camp and arrested a young man after raiding his family home.

A massive destruction was left following the raid.

The IOFs also broke into Kafr Ni’ma and Sinjil towns, before arresting a young man.

Late Thursday, a group of settlers set fire to an agricultural room and wrote racist slogans in Abu Fala'h village, northeast of Ramallah.

In Nablus, the Israeli forces stormed 'Aseera Al-Shamaliya town, and arrested several young men after raiding their homes.

Similar raids were reported in Al-Badthan and Talouza towns.

Meanwhile, a group of settlers launched several attacks against Palestinian properties in Susiya village, east of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), and 'Huwara town, south of Nablus.

In Salfeet, the large-scale raid campaign carried out in Dair Istya town, ended with the arrest of more than 70 citizens, after raiding their homes and abusing them.

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Israeli occupation forces prevent civil defense teams from extinguishing fire in Qabatya and Jineen

JENIN, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces prevented civil defense teams from reaching a store to extinguish a fire that broke out in the town of Qabatya, south of Jineen, this evening.

According to local sources, a fire erupted in goods in front of a commercial store in Qabatya, with flames quickly spreading, threatening to engulf the entire store, which is located beneath a residential building.

The occupation forces blocked civil defense teams from reaching the scene to put out the fire. As a result, several paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent along with journalists attempted to extinguish the blaze using water bottles, as the fire continued to pose a significant threat to the building and its residents.

M.N.

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Israeli occupation forces order shop closures in Huwara, south of Nablus

NABLUS, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces forced shops to close their doors in the town of 'Huwara, located south of Nablus, today, amid rising provocations from Israeli settlers militias near the town.

Jihad 'Oada, the head of 'Huwara Municipality, reported that Israeli forces compelled shop owners to shut down their businesses while engaging in acts of provocation and disorder within the town.

He further explained that Israeli forces had initially informed the shop owners of their intention to close several businesses around the 'Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the town until Sunday.

However, the Israeli occupation forces proceeded to close all shops along the main street, significantly disrupting the local economy and daily life in the area.

M.N.

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Israeli occupation forces to demolish three houses in West Bank town

Jineen, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

Israeli occupation forces Friday took the measurements of three houses in Qabatya town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Jineen, in anticipation of their demolition, according to local sources.

They said that the occupation forces broke into two houses belonging to As‘ad Ma'hmoud Nazzal’s family and another belonging to Mu'hammed As‘ad Nazzal’s family in the town, took their measurements and ordered the occupants to immediately evacuate them in preparation of their planned demolition.

K.F.

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News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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'Hamdan: Any ceasefire agreement must include end to the Israeli occupation

Friday 10-January-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The leader in the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, 'Hamas, Osama 'Hamdan, said that the Palestinian resistance has foiled the Israeli plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause, stressing that the only solution is to end the Israeli occupation completely from all Palestinian lands.

“We will continue the struggle until we liberate our land and establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Hamdan said in press statements on Friday.

He explained that any ceasefire agreement must include an end to the Israeli aggression and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, noting that the number of victims has exceeded 40,000 people, including children and women.

He called on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation to abide by what was agreed upon in the previous negotiations.

'Hamdan earlier confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is manipulating the fate of his captives, as part of his pursuit of a political achievement.

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QB: Most of Israeli captives in northern Gaza are missing

Friday 10-January-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

A source of the Al-Qassam Brigades (QB), the armed wing of Hamas Movement, revealed on Friday that most of Israeli occupation army’s captives held in the northern Gaza Strip have gone missing after heavy Israeli bombardment of the besieged area.

The source told the Al-Jazeera TV that QB has repeatedly warned of the repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the fate of Israeli captives, stressing that targeting the densely populated areas endangers their lives.

The source stressed that “the QB once again holds the Israeli occupation government and Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, fully responsible for the lives and fate of the captives” being held across the blockaded Palestinian region.

The Al-Qassam Brigades announced the killing of 33 Israeli captives, most of whom were killed in Israeli bombing of various areas in the Gaza Strip since the start of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on October 7, 2023.

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UN: Israel continues to deny vital aid to northern Gaza

NEW YORK, January 10, 2025 (WAFA) –

The UN Friday reported that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to obstruct “vital aid” reaching those in need in the Gaza Strip.

“OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach North Gaza governorate with vital aid. This includes the most recent attempt today,” said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

“Across the Strip yesterday, only 10 out of 21 UN planned humanitarian movements were facilitated by the Israeli occupation apartheid regime. Seven were denied outright, three were impeded, and one was cancelled due to security and logistical challenges,” it explained.

The UN organization voiced deep concern about “the impact that dwindling fuel supplies are having on essential services in Gaza.”

“Palestinian telecommunication providers are now warning that their services may start to shut down tomorrow due to fuel shortages,” it concluded.

K.F.

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Euro-Med Monitor: Israel must be added to the UN’s sexual violence blacklist

Friday 10-January-2025

GENEVA, (PIC)

The Geneva-based Euro-Med Monitor said in a press release on Friday that Israel’s consistent obstructions of all United Nations investigations into allegations of sexual violence since 7 October 2023 is profoundly concerning. These obstructions, coupled with substantial evidence indicating systematic and widespread acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians, including prisoners and detainees, constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The grounds for the inclusion of Israel on the UN’s blacklist of entities suspected of perpetrating sexual violence in conflicts are compelling.

For the past 15 months, Israel has consistently refused to cooperate with all United Nations bodies with an investigative mandate to examine allegations of rape and other forms of sexual violence arising from the attacks of 7 October.

It was disclosed last Wednesday that Israel has once again denied authorization for an investigation by the UN Special Representative on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, Pramila Patten. This refusal reportedly stems from concerns that a comprehensive investigation would expose Israel’s systematic use of mass rape against Palestinians, including women and children, as Patten had insisted that access to Israeli detention centers to investigate allegations against Israeli soldiers was a crucial requirement for the process.

Israel’s refusal is particularly striking given that Israeli civil society, until recently, held a generally favorable view of Patten, and even called on her to revisit Israel.

Patten’s earlier report, published on 11 March 2024, marks the only instance in which the Israeli government has provided information to a UN inquiry into allegations of sexual violence. However, as clearly stated in the report, the mission’s mandate at that time was not investigative. The report recommended that the Israeli government cooperate with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt), including East Jerusalem and Israel, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to facilitate comprehensive investigations into all alleged violations, especially after Israel denied these entities access and cooperation, as highlighted in the report.

The Israeli obstruction of truth in this context was first evidenced in January 2024, when the Israeli government expressly prohibited Israeli doctors and relevant authorities from cooperating with the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, labeling the commission as “anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic”. Since then, the Israeli government has persistently maintained this obstructive stance, undermining the Commission’s efforts to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, which constitutes a failure by Israel to comply with its obligation under international law to cooperate with UN bodies. Israeli is also denying victims on both sides their right to justice and accountability for the alleged violations.

“Israel’s repeated refusal to cooperate with all UN investigations into sexual violence highlights the Israeli government’s exploitation of the allegations of this grave crime as a propaganda tool to manufacture consent for its full-fledged, live-streamed genocide,” said Ramy 'Abdu, Chairman of Euro-Med Monitor. “Israel merely uses these allegations to shame and smear critics and deflect blame from its formidable crimes against humanity.”

Over the past 15 months, the Euro-Med Monitor team has documented numerous instances of Israeli-perpetrated sexual violence, including rape and other forms of sexualized torture, against Palestinian civilians, including individuals abducted to Israel’s Sde Teiman torture camp.

In at least one instance, a Palestinian detainee was subjected to rape by Israeli police dogs as part of their assault. In Sde Teiman, “the soldiers took off the blindfolds covering our eyes for the first time,” lawyer Fadi Saifuddeen, released on 22 February 2024 after 45 days of detention, told the Euro-Med Monitor team. “The soldiers later pulled a young man sitting to my right, forced him to sleep on the ground, and tied his hands and feet. Suddenly, the occupation soldiers let loose trained police dogs on the young man, who was subjected to rape by the dogs. Throughout the entire ordeal I endured, this was among the most awful things that I witnessed.”

Added al-Din Bakr: “Everything was a lot [to go through], and this was just one more [incident] added to the heap of torments. I was hoping to die so that this would not happen to me, but one of the soldiers told me to get ready. [Yet] something miraculous happened in the prison; the torture session quickly ended, and we were brought back to the barn.”

In some cases, Palestinians have been raped to death by Israeli army personnel. These documented incidents provide strong evidence of the systematic and widespread nature of such atrocities, revealing that Israel has weaponized sexual violence as a deliberate tactic to destroy the Palestinian population’s morale.

Among the at least 36 detainee deaths under investigation at Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman detention facility, one Palestinian man is reported to have died following a horrific act of rape with an electric baton. This brutal act, along with many others, is unlikely to be investigated or prosecuted within Israel, and will be prevented from international scrutiny as Israel continues to block investigations into such crimes.

Numerous reports from international, UN, and Israeli human rights organizations, including the UN Human Rights Office, Amnesty International, and B’Tselem, have documented Israel’s systematic and widespread use of torture and sexual violence against Palestinians.

In addition, the June 2024 report by the UN CoI on the oPt, including East Jerusalem and Israel reached similar conclusions. It documented a “significant increase in the range, frequency, and severity of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) against Palestinians” since 7 October 2023. The report further stated that this increase was “linked to an intent to punish and humiliate Palestinians”.

Recently, the Euro-Med Monitor team documented horrific testimonies at Kamal 'Udwan Hospital regarding the sexual assault of civilians, including female medical staff and children. The victims were forced to remove their clothes and headscarves and subjected to humiliating body searches by male Israeli army personnel. One woman, forcibly evacuated from the hospital, recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team: “A soldier forced a nurse to remove her trousers and then placed his hand on her genitals. When she tried to resist, he struck her hard across the face, causing her nose to bleed.”

The Israeli crimes involving the killing of Palestinians and the infliction of severe physical and psychological harm through torture, mistreatment, and sexual violence, including rape, are being carried out with extreme brutality and in a systematic nature that is clearly indicative of a specific intent to destroy the Palestinian people. These acts constitute components of the crime of genocide, as outlined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Euro-Med Monitor calls on the United Nations to include Israel on its blacklist of entities involved in sexual violence in conflicts. This call comes in light of substantial evidence documenting Israel’s systematic use of sexual violence, including rape and other forms of sexual abuse, as part of its broader campaign of annihilation against the Palestinian people.

Euro-Med Monitor emphasizes the urgent need for international accountability and a comprehensive investigation into these atrocities to ensure justice for the victims and prevent further impunity. The Monitor affirmed that, over the course of several decades, Israel has consistently demonstrated both a lack of willingness and a lack of capacity to hold accountable or prosecute those implicated in crimes committed against Palestinians, with such individuals afforded judicial, political, military, and even popular protection.

The international community must take urgent and decisive action to address and halt Israel’s grave crimes against Palestinian prisoners and detainees. This includes the immediate and unconditional release of individuals being arbitrarily detained, the cessation of enforced disappearances that facilitate further atrocities, and the granting of access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other competent local and international organizations to all Israeli detention facilities. Additionally, victims must be granted the right to legal representation.

Euro-Med Monitor further demands that these crimes be investigated promptly, impartially, thoroughly, and independently, in order for all perpetrators to be held accountable, and that all victims and their families be fully granted their right to truth, to effective remedies, and to comprehensive reparations, ensuring justice and dignity for those affected by these heinous crimes.

It is imperative that the international community support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in conducting a comprehensive investigation into these crimes, as well as ensuring their incorporation into the charges brought against Israeli officials before the Court, and ensure the accountability and prosecution of all those responsible for it.

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A Lancet medical study: Gaza death toll 41% higher than the official figures, PGMO calls for international support

Official figures do not include those who died due to war injures, lack of health care, lack of food, and missing persons who are buried und the rubble

Friday 10-January-2025

LONDON, (PIC)

A research study published on Friday in the medical journal ‘The Lancet’ reported that the death toll in the Gaza Strip during the first nine months of the devastating war that Israel continues to wage is approximately 40% higher compared to the figures provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

On June 30, 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll from the war reached 37,877. However, the new study, which relied on data from the ministry, an online survey, and obituary data from social media, concluded that the estimated number of deaths due to war injuries in the Gaza Strip ranged between 55,298 and 78,525 during that period.

The best estimate for the death toll in the study is 64,260, which means it exceeds the figures published by the Ministry of Health for that period by 41%.

The study noted that this number represents 2.9% of the population of Gaza before the war, or about one in every 35 citizens in the region. According to the researchers’ estimates, 59% of the victims are women, children, and the elderly.

The announced number only includes deaths from war-related injuries and does not account for deaths caused by other factors such as lack of healthcare or food, nor does it include the thousands of missing persons believed to be buried under the rubble.

The study indicated that the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s ability to maintain electronic records of deaths has previously proven reliable, but it has deteriorated amid the Israeli military campaign, which included raids on hospitals and other healthcare facilities and disruptions in digital communications.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression has risen to 46,006, with 109,378 injured since October 7, 2023.

Three approaches to counting

The researchers employed a statistical method known as “capture-recapture” analysis, which has been previously used to estimate death tolls in other conflicts worldwide.

The analysis was based on data from three different lists: the first provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza for identified bodies in hospitals or morgues. The second list was derived from an online survey launched by the Ministry of Health, where Palestinians reported the deaths of their relatives. The third list relied on obituary data published on social media networks such as X, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, whenever the identity of the deceased could be verified.

The principal investigator of the study, Zaina Jamaluddeen, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated in a statement to Agence France-Presse, “We kept only those in the analysis whose deaths were confirmed by their relatives or morgues or hospitals.”

The researchers scrutinized the three lists for any repeated data. Zaina added, “Afterward, we looked at the overlap between the three lists, and based on the overlap, you can get an overall estimate of the population that was killed.”

Patrick Ball, a statistician at the U.S.-based Human Rights Data Analysis Group, who did not participate in the research study, has used “capture-recapture” methods to estimate death tolls in conflicts in Guatemala, Kosovo, Peru, and Colombia. He told Agence France-Presse that the well-tested technique has been used for centuries, and the researchers arrived at a “good estimate” regarding Gaza.

For his part, Kevin McConway, a professor of applied statistics at the Open University in the UK, noted that there is “definitely a lot of uncertainty” when making estimates based on incomplete data. However, he said it is “impressive” that the researchers used three different approaches to statistical analysis to verify their estimates. He added, “Overall, I find these estimates reasonably convincing.”

Nonetheless, there is evidence to support the hypothesis that the announced toll of the war is less than reality, as the research study did not include missing persons.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that about 10,000 missing Gazans are buried under the rubble.

The war can also indirectly cause loss of life, including due to lack of healthcare, food, water, sanitation, or disease outbreaks, all of which have afflicted the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

In a controversial message published in “The Lancet” last July, another group of researchers relied on the indirect mortality rate recorded in other conflicts to suggest that the death toll in Gaza could ultimately be estimated at around 186,000.

The new study considered these estimates “may be inappropriate due to clear differences in the burden of diseases before the war” in Gaza compared to conflicts in countries like Burundi and East Timor.

Zaina Jamaluddeen anticipated that “criticism will come from various parties” regarding this new research study, condemning what she called the “obsession” with debating the death toll, stating, “We already know there are far too many deaths.”

The Palestinian Media Office (PGMO) in Gaza calls for international support to figure out the exact number of victims

Meanwhile, the Government Media Office (PGMO) in the Gaza Strip expressed its deep concern in a statement on Friday regarding the results of the British study published in “The Lancet,” which indicates that the number of deaths (martyrs) resulting from violent injuries in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024, has reached 64,260, significantly exceeding the figures announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which only reports the number of martyrs who reach hospitals. This also reflects the extent of the disaster inflicted by the Israeli occupation army on civilians and civil sectors and facilities in the Gaza Strip.

It emphasized that this gap results from the existing failure to register all the victims killed by the Israeli occupation across all governorates, amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions and the restrictive standards adhered to by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.

The PGMO pointed to the ongoing killings, siege, targeting of medical teams, destruction of hospitals, and obstruction of civil defense teams’ work, which hinder efforts to recover thousands of bodies and bury them, making the reported statistics reflect only a limited part of the grim reality experienced by the Palestinian people.

The Office called on the international community, the United Nations, and various institutions and organizations “to provide the necessary support to help us register the true number of victims, which exceeds what is officially announced by a significant margin, as indicated by the British study.”

It also called for enabling rescue and civil defense teams to access the affected and damaged areas due to the Israeli aggression to recover the bodies and ensure their dignified burial, in accordance with heavenly religions and international humanitarian standards.

The PGMO urged the international community and the UN Security Council to take effective and urgent action to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and lift the unjust siege imposed on more than 2,444,000 civilian people in the Gaza Strip, which has caused the largest humanitarian disaster in decades.

Source of the study: 

Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture–recapture analysis - The Lancet

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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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