November 11: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 36

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November 11: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel – Day 36
Palestinians inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli air strikes on October 13, 2023, in Gaza City (photo)

Latest casualty figures for Palestine and Israel, hospitals on the brink, bombing and humanitarian aid update, and more.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.

Some people are led to be skeptical of the Al Jazeera news network. However, the network has won several Emmys, a Peabody and the Overseas Press Association’s Edward R. Murrow award, among many other honors. The New York Times reports that “its reporting hews to international journalistic standards and provides a unique view on events in the Middle East.” it’s important to remember that all news sources may potentially have bias. For example, CNN uses anchors who used to work for the Israel Lobby, who have lifelong attachment to Israel, and who often exhibit pro-Israel spin and omission in their broadcasts. Similarly, Fox News is strongly influenced by Rupert Murdoch, who has a strong attachment to Israel, and who may have fired Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host, in part due to the host’s opposition to war and his pattern of failing to exhibit sufficient devotion to Israel).

Latest statistics:

Palestinian death toll: 10,790* (10,607 in Gaza** (including at least 4,506 children and 3,027 women), and at least 183 in the West Bank). *NOTE: The official UN death toll includes 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast. IAK does not yet include those deaths since the source of the projectile is being disputed; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation.

Palestinian injuries: 30,042** (including at least 27,490 in Gaza** and 2,552 in the West Bank). **NOTE: it is impossible to offer an accurate number of injuries in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and communication disruption. The Associated Press has reported ~32,000 in Gaza, while the UN number is somewhat lower. Our total for Gaza and the West Bank is based on the conservative figure.

It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.6 million people have been displaced; 2,700 are missing (1,500 children) and presumed to be under rubble.

Israel has now killed more Palestinians in a little over a month than in all the previous 22 years combined.

Reported Israeli death toll has been reduced to ~1,200*** (3 killed in West Bank, 42 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and ~5,400 injured). The names of the 1,162 identified (31 of them children) are here.

***NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries in Israel may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.

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

Hospital update: ‘We are minutes away from death.’ Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital is under attack. Palestinian health officials say babies in incubators are fighting for their lives as Israel lays siege to the hospital compound. Israel’s military has brought the war to the front gates of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s biggest hospital complex, where thousands of injured and displaced people are trapped amid ferocious bombardment. Operations had to be suspended after it ran out of power and fuel.

The hospital director said al-Shifa’s buildings are being targeted, and any person moving within the hospital compound is being attacked by Israeli snipers. Israel claims al-Shifa provides cover for a Hamas command centre, an accusation the hospital’s director has rejected as “utter lies”. Hamas also rejects the claims.

Patients are dying by the minute, victims and wounded are also dying – even babies in the incubators…We are totally cut off from the whole world, we are minutes away from imminent death.

Israeli forces have completely encircled four hospitals in Gaza City, the UN reports. (02:05 GMT) 20 (out of 36) hospitals throughout Gaza are no longer functioning.

The ICRC stressed today: “The rules of war are clear. Hospitals are specially protected facilities under international humanitarian law. The ICRC urgently calls for the immediate protection of all civilians, including humanitarian workers and medical personnel. This protection is not only a legal obligation but a moral imperative to preserve human life in these terrible times”.

Humanitarian aid: 30 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on 9 November, bringing the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October to 861. Prior to the start of hostilities, an average of 500 truckloads entered Gaza every working day.

Israeli authorities continue to ban the entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment.

Humanitarian disaster: On average, 160 people sheltering in UNRWA schools’ facilities share a single toilet and there is one shower unit for every 700 people. The worsening sanitary conditions, along with the lack of privacy and space, generate health and safety hazards.

Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout for 31 days.

RECOMMENDED READING: Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)

Evacuation update: More than 100,000 Palestinians have fled south over the past two days, according to the Israeli army, but they still face bombardment and dire conditions in the south. Witnesses have also reported attacks against people fleeing south. (09:00 GMT) Several explosions were recorded in Israel’s designated safe “corridor,” resulting in fatalities and injuries, among those fleeing.

The vast majority of internally displaced Palestinians – those who were ordered in recent days to leave the northern part of Gaza – end up in the streets and not in UNRWA schools. The UNRWA schools that have been designated as shelters for evacuees are already fully packed, as southern Gaza is overwhelmed with the large number of displaced people.

So some of the new evacuees have decided that they are going to sleep on the side of the road because it’s not safe to be inside residential homes. Some of them have relatives who were killed while being inside homes. This all happens amid an extreme shortage of food, water and medical supplies. In the past we’ve spoken to evacuees in the central and southern part of Gaza who hadn’t eaten for two days. (07:00 GMT)

READ ABOUT GAZA’S HEALTHCARE SITUATION BEFORE THE WAR: Int’l medical community must call out Israel’s medical cruelty & war crimes

No let-up in Israel’s bombardment: The Israeli air strikes and heavy bombardment do not seem to come to an end. In the late hours of Friday night and early Saturday morning, attacks continued to pound the entire Gaza Strip from north to south. (06:35 GMT)

Bombardment of school: At least 50 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the Al Buraq School after an Israeli attack targeted the school from the ground and the air.

Palestinians inside Israel: Over the past month, Palestinian citizens of Israel have reported increased harassment and repression by both the Israeli authorities and fellow citizens. On Thursday, a number of prominent Palestinians in Israel were arrested for planning a small anti-war protest, which Israeli authorities claimed could incite violence and disrupt public peace. (06:40 GMT)

Hostage update: Hamas and Israel are reportedly negotiating two proposals for the release of captives in Gaza, with one said to involve a small number of civilians and another that could involve some 100 of those being held. In return for the release of captives, Hamas is said to be seeking a brief pause in fighting, more humanitarian aid, fuel for hospitals and the release of women and children in Israeli prisons, an official told the Times, adding that the Israeli authorities had expressed uncertainty about releasing their prisoners. (01:30 GMT)

The Hamas resistance group is currently holding about 240 prisoners, captured on October 7th for the purpose of a prisoner swap. Israel currently holds 7,000 Palestinians as political prisoners, and has agreed to such a swap in the past.

RECOMMENDED READING: Why are so many Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails?

West Bank Bedouin community update: In the West Bank, 51 Palestinians were displaced on 10 November from a herding community in Hebron following systematic settler violence and threats, bringing to 1,149 the number of people displaced in this context since 7 October. Another 18 people were displaced on 9 and 10 November following punitive demolitions of homes in Hebron and East Jerusalem; of whom some family members had been convicted or accused of killing Israelis.

Florida legislature backs Israel: Florida State Rep. Michelle Salzman openly called for the genocide of all Palestinians on Thursday, during a debate in the state legislature about calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. In the speech in support of the ceasefire resolution, the Democratic Florida state representative Angie Nixon said: “We are at 10,000 dead Palestinians. How many will be enough?”

“All of them,” Michelle Salzman called in reply. “One of my colleagues just said, ‘All of them.’ Wow,” Nixon said, acknowledging the interruption. The Florida state house voted 104-2 to reject Nixon’s resolution. Salzman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Universities silencing pro-Palestine voices: Columbia University is the latest in a string of higher learning institutions to suspend campus groups that call for justice for Palestinians. Columbia University said on Friday that it was suspending the two pro-Palestine student groups for violating “policies related to holding campus events”. But rights advocates said the move aimed to stifle criticism of Israel in the United States.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) at Columbia University said their suspension would not stop their “hearts from beating for liberation, humanity and the freedom of Palestine.” “Once again, we are witnessing the suppression and silencing of pro-Palestinian voices on campus,” Afaf Nasher, executive director of the New York branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement.

“Our actions will be louder than our words,” the groups said in a brief joint statement.

RECOMMENDED READING: Columbia University suspends Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace

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