As Gaza’s children freeze, Israel blocks delivery of coats and blankets – Day 460

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As Gaza’s children freeze, Israel blocks delivery of coats and blankets – Day 460
A Palestinian man carries a lifeless body of a child after Israeli airstrike in Deir el-Balah on Thursday, Jan 9 (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

At least 70 Palestinians were killed Thursday in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

Newborns and other patients at risk as Nasser hospital in Gaza runs out of fuel, MSF warns

Nasser hospital, Al-Aqsa hospital and European Gaza hospital, in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, are on the verge of closure due to a lack of fuel. This situation is threatening the lives of hundreds of patients, including newborns, who depend on electricity to stay alive, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Meanwhile, MSF teams are transferring fuel to Nasser and Al-Aqsa hospitals, serving only as a temporary solution for the next 36 to 48 hours.

As of 8 January, electricity for the MSF-supported Nasser hospital might be cut-off in some departments leaving people without lifesaving care. In the neonatal intensive care unit, we are currently treating three children and four newborns with mechanical ventilation, as well as 15 newborns in incubators, all dependent on electricity provided by fuel generators.

“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives,” says Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator. “The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive.”

MSF is alarmed by this catastrophic situation, which could have tragic and serious consequences as the situation is unlikely to improve. We call on all parties to facilitate the entry of fuel into Gaza and to ensure its safe delivery to medical facilities. The dismantling of the health system by the Israeli blockade, which is endangering the lives of people, must stop immediately.

A premature baby receives care at al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip in May. Israel’s brutal 13-month long assault on Gaza has caused a spike in premature births and congenital deformities.
A premature baby receives care at al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip in May. Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza has caused a spike in premature births and congenital deformities. ( Omar Ashtawy APA images)

Aid groups struggling to bring in winter clothes for Gaza’s children

OCHA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said in its recent report that conditions are impeding the delivery of desperately needed warm clothing, blankets, and tarps. OCHA points to “the limited cargo capacity at the crossings, the lengthy coordination requirements imposed by the Israeli authorities to bring shelter items into the Strip, and the frequent rejection of such items, alongside the high risk of armed looting” as the main challenges.

At least 945,000 people in Gaza need these items. 

The report explains, “for over a month, about 13,000 children’s clothing kits have been awaiting entry into Gaza from the West Bank and more than 11,000 children’s clothing kits have already been lost due to looting … As a result, only 19,000 children’s clothing kits out of a total of 220,000 procured kits have so far entered Gaza,” it said.

These were given to vulnerable children, including newborn babies in hospitals and children in residential care, it added.

OCHA also stated on social media, “Between 6 October and 31 December, the UN attempted 165 times to access the besieged areas of North Gaza. 

“Of these, 149 were denied by Israeli authorities and 16 were impeded.”

NOTE: An internal United Nations memo obtained by The Washington Post concluded last month that the gangs “may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence” or “protection” from the Israel Defense Forces. One gang leader, the memo said, established a “military like compound” in an area “restricted, controlled and patrolled by the IDF.”
Aid organizations say Israeli authorities have denied most of their requests for better measures to safeguard convoys, including appeals for safer routes, more open crossings and permission to allow Gaza’s civilian police to protect the trucks.
Israeli forces within view of the attacks have also failed on multiple occasions to intervene as looting was underway, aid workers, U.N. officials, transport workers and truck drivers say.
Palestinians, including children, live in makeshift tents in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where the rain and cold weather add to their struggles ,November 24, 2024
Palestinians, including children, live in makeshift tents in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where the rain and cold weather add to their struggles, November 24, 2024 (Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency)

Israel boasts of new underground prison for “most dangerous detainees”: Report

Pope calls situation in Gaza ‘very serious and shameful’

Pope Francis on Thursday exhorted Catholic leaders to make 2025 a time “to pardon offenses, to support the weak and the poor in our midst, to give rest and relief to the earth, to practice justice and to recover hope.”

Meeting with representatives of 184 nations, Pope Francis read only the first paragraph of his prepared text. Explaining that he was “still suffering from a bit of a cold,” he asked an aide, Msgr. Filippo Ciampanelli, to read the rest of his text. 

Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, on January 06, 2025
Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, on January 06, 2025 (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency)

“I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, where there is a very serious and shameful humanitarian situation, and I ask that the Palestinian population receive all the aid it needs.”

Yaron Sideman, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See, also was present at the meeting and, like all the ambassadors, shook the pope’s hand at the end of the audience.

The Israeli government and various Jewish groups have objected to Pope Francis’ frequent criticism of Israeli military action in Gaza, particularly regarding civilian casualties, the bombing of hospitals and schools, and the lack of access for humanitarian aid deliveries.

In his text, Pope Francis said, “My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust, starting with the smallest, so that future generations can live side by side in the two states, in peace and security, and that Jerusalem can be the ‘city of encounter’ where Christians, Jews and Muslims live together in harmony and respect.”

“War is always a failure,” the pope wrote in his text. 

“We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians or the attacking of infrastructures necessary for their survival,” he wrote. “We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country’s energy network has been hit.”

The Holy Year, the text said, should be a time when the international community takes “active steps to ensure that inviolable human rights are not sacrificed to military needs.”

14 children among 35 Palestinians killed by Israel last year in Jerusalem alone: Governorate

The occupied East Jerusalem governorate says in its annual report that during the past year, Israel has killed at least 35 Palestinians there, including 14 children.

At least 168 people were also injured in the governorate by live and rubber-coated metal bullets, severe beatings and tear gas attacks, the report said.

It added that Israeli settlers carried out about 159 attacks in the governorate in 2024, including 19 attacks involving physical harm.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli finance minister, speaks during a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot
Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli finance minister, speaks during a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot (Getty)

Smotrich says Israel ‘preparing hell’ for Hamas

Israel’s far-right finance minister has warned of a new phase in the war on Gaza.

During a live interview on Israel’s Channel 7, Bezalel Smotrich said there will be a “very fundamental change” in the way Israel will “conduct the war in Gaza”.

“We are preparing hell for Hamas,” Smotrich said.

In the same session, he also criticized the ongoing talks for a ceasefire, saying there “should have been no negotiations with Hamas”.

Hind Rajab Foundation files case in Sweden against Israeli sniper

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation, named after the six-year-old killed by Israeli shelling in Gaza City in 2024, has filed its latest criminal complaint against an Israeli soldier for alleged abuses in Gaza.

Yuval Vagdani, the Israeli soldier who was forced to flee Brazil, and Boaz Ben David, an Israeli sniper currently believed to be in Sweden, are accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possible acts of genocide.
Yuval Vagdani, the Israeli soldier who was forced to flee Brazil, and Boaz Ben David, an Israeli sniper currently believed to be in Sweden, are accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possible acts of genocide. (social media)

The case in Sweden accuses Boaz Ben David, an Israeli sniper from the 932 Battalion of the Nahal Brigade, of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and possible acts of genocide.

The foundation seeks to hold individual Israeli soldiers accountable for violations in Gaza, evidence of which many soldiers have posted on their own social media accounts.

On Thursday, the foundation said, “Ben David’s posts show him actively participating in sniper operations and vandalizing civilian property”.

While also submitting evidence for the ongoing ICC investigation, the foundation typically pushes to use national laws to bring the accused to justice.

It has filed cases in Ecuador, the Netherlands, France and Cyprus, among others.

Most recently, an Israeli soldier fled Brazil as authorities opened an investigation at the behest of the foundation. In recent days, Israel’s military has warned soldiers about travelling abroad and imposed new restrictions on speaking to the media.

RELATED:
New US House passes bill to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in protest of its arrest warrant for Israeli officials.

The bill, which was introduced last Friday as soon as the 119th Congress began, passed in a 243-140 vote.

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act imposes sanctions on those who aid efforts by the ICC to prosecute Americans or Israelis.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib criticized the voting: “What’s their top priority the first week of the new Congress? Lowering costs? Addressing the housing crisis? No, it’s sanctioning the International Criminal Court to protect genocidal maniac (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu so he can continue the genocide in Gaza,” Tlaib wrote on X.

Rep. Jim McGovern criticized Republicans for prioritizing sanctioning the ICC amid the wildfires in the state of California: “Of all the ways that Republicans have shown this country how messed up and backwards their priorities are, I have to say that this bill that we debating today to sanction the International Criminal Court, the ICC, this really takes the cake,” McGovern said from the House floor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to bring the legislation to the Senate floor.

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STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 9, 2025:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 9, 2025: at least 46,851* – 46,006 in Gaza; in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and/or settlers have killed at least 845 Palestinians (~175 of them children).

Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.

According to a report in the Lancet, by multiplying the reported deaths by five, it is possible to reach a conservative estimate of total deaths (including indirect causes like starvation and lack of medicine). Using the latest figure from AFP (46,006), it is reasonable to estimate at least 230,030 total deaths in Gaza since October 7th, 2023.

According to a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office of identified fatalities in Gaza, about 44% were children. It is reasonable to estimate that 20,243 of known direct deaths and 101,213 of the total deaths are children.

Palestinian injuries from October 7, 2023 – January 9, 2025: at least 116,274 (including at least 109,378 in Gaza and 7,000 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 9, 2025: ~1,608 (or 1,581) (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 423*** (or 396) military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (updated: Jan. 7, 2025); 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS: Since October 7th, 2023:

  • At least 54 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (at least 35 of them from Gaza).
  • At least 43 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition (at least 37 of them children)**.
  • About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
  • About 345,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

*The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.

Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.

**Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. 

***The figure does not include the reportedly 59 Israeli soldiers – nearly 17% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents. 

† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

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