Palestinian suffering grows; American politicians stand firmly with Israel – Day 413

Palestinian suffering grows; American politicians stand firmly with Israel – Day 413

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

At least 38 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza Saturday, according to medical sources.

In northern Gaza, more than 2,300 Palestinians have been killed since October 5th, when Israel imposed a strict siege and began an ethnic cleansing operation.

Israeli attacks killed 84 in Lebanon on Saturday. Among the dead were 2 paramedics.

Civil Defense teams search through piles of debris after an Israeli attack that destroyed an eight-story building in central Beirut, Lebanon on Saturday
Civil Defense teams search through piles of debris after an Israeli attack that destroyed an eight-story building in central Beirut, Lebanon on Saturday (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu)

In a recent interview, Dr. Abu Safiya said, "Everything we ever built, they [Israeli military] burnt to the ground." "The conditions are overall catastrophic... Honestly there is nothing we can provide. The health care system has collapsed."
In a recent interview, Dr. Abu Safiya said, “Everything we ever built, they [Israeli military] burnt to the ground.” “The conditions are overall catastrophic… Honestly there is nothing we can provide. The health care system has collapsed.” (Sky News)

Israeli strike on Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital wounds director, medical staff

An Israeli strike which targeted north Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital and its surrounding areas has wounded the facility’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya and several medical staff late on Saturday, various reports stated.

According to Arabi21, Abu Safiya was wounded by shrapnel from a bomb dropped by a quadcopter drone as he was checking on patients in hospital corridors.

Sources quoted in local media reports also added that an Israeli drone bombed the oxygen station at the hospital, and that there were urgent warnings of a fire breaking out at the hospital following the attack.

In video footage circulating online, Abu Safiya said he will “continue to provide care no matter the cost…it’s an honour for me to serve people that are still here” he said speaking from a hospital bed.

“We will continue to provide humanitarian care no matter what, we are steadfast, before the world which is unjust and has violated our rights. On a daily basis they [Israeli army] has violated our rights, targeted us, targeted our workers, targeted me…God willing I will heal and continue to provide care” he added.


Gaza doctors battle ‘untreatable super-bacteria’ that defies medical science

As Israeli forces continue their attacks on hospitals in Gaza, doctors and medical teams in the strip have been working under intense pressure, and with great difficulty, to treat illnesses and injuries due to the lack of proper medication and the rapid spread of bacteria.

“The medical teams in Gaza are fighting a fierce battle against bacteria, which no longer respond to most antibiotics,” said Izzedin Shaheen, a doctor in the besieged enclave, via X on 21 November.

“Hardly any person with a wound infection survives, no matter how hard the doctors try. All the conditions are bad – no sterilization and no sufficient antibiotics. We have even found E. Coli bacteria in bone tissue, which is unfamiliar in medical books,” Shaheen added.

Former Israeli general Giora Eiland, the man behind the Generals’ Plansaid on 17 November 2023: “The international community warns us of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this, as difficult as that may be. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers.”

Destruction near Nasser Hospital on March 13. | Palestine 2024 © MSF
Destruction near Nasser Hospital on March 13. | Palestine 2024 (MSF)

Israel still blocking Gaza aid missions, UN says

Humanitarian work in Gaza continues to be disrupted by Israeli authorities with only one-third of aid missions authorized to operate over the past week despite the mounting needs of people, a United Nations spokesperson said.

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, said on Friday that just one third of the week’s 129 planned aid missions were able to be carried out with approval of Israeli military, even as humanitarian agencies continue to sound the alarm over the dire living conditions for Gaza’s 2.3 million population after 13 months of war.

“Israeli forces prevented two-thirds of the 129 different humanitarian aid operations from reaching the Gaza Strip last week,” Dujarric said.

He also warned that the coming winter will bring further misery to the population the majority of whom are living in tents or damaged buildings not suitable for cold and wet weather.


UNRWA map shows Gaza humanitarian disaster

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini published a detailed map depicting the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, calling for a ceasefire and holding those responsible for the destruction accountable.

Lazzarini posted on X: “80% of the #Gaza Strip is now high-risk areas where people are forced to flee in search for the basics, especially the non-existent safety.

“They are trapped with no safe place to go. In northern Gaza, people remain under a tight siege.

“They run for their lives in vicious circles and have been deprived of humanitarian aid for more than 40 days now.”

The UNRWA commissioner wrote: “Across Gaza, the delivery of the little aid allowed in has become overly complex, including because of insecure routes.

“Civil order has been destroyed. It can be reestablished by #ceasefire + accountability.”


Israeli captive killed in northern Gaza: Hamas

Hamas’s armed wing spokesman says an Israeli woman held captive has been killed in northern Gaza.

Abu Obeida said she was killed in an area attacked by Israeli forces.

“After re-establishing contact weeks later with those assigned to protect the captives, it emerged a woman was killed in an area under Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip,” he said.

Another woman – also an Israeli captive – was critically wounded and her life is in danger, said Abu Obeida, adding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are responsible for the lives of the abductees.

There was no immediate comment from Israel’s government.

Destroyed buildings and difficult conditions, in Khan Younis, Gaza on October 13, 2024.
Destroyed buildings and difficult conditions, in Khan Younis, Gaza on October 13, 2024. In light of this level of destruction, it should not be surprising that a hostage has died. (Doaa Albaz – Anadolu Agency)

Christmas celebrations in Palestine limited to religious rites amid Israeli war on Gaza


Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general pick, wants FBI to question, deport pro-Palestine protesters

Pam Bondi, whom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to be his attorney general, said last year that campus protesters who express support for Hamas should face FBI questioning.

Trump named Bondi, who served as Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019, on Thursday. Bondi’s confirmation process is expected to face fewer hurdles.

Jewish Insider uncovered an interview Bondi gave Newsmax, the conservative news outlet, last year about the spike in anti-Israel [read: anti-genocide] protests on American campuses.

“The thing that really was troubling to me, these students in universities in our country — whether they’re here as Americans or if they’re here on student visas — and they’re out there saying, ‘I support Hamas,’” she said in the Oct. 23, 2023, interview. “Frankly, they need to be taken out of our country, or the FBI needs to be interviewing them right away when they’re saying, ‘I support Hamas. I am Hamas.’ That’s not saying I support all these poor Palestinians who are trapped in Gaza.”

The Republican Party platform, released in July, calls for the deportation of noncitizens who back Hamas and terrorism, and pledges to “make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.” Trump and his advisers have also called for deporting foreign students who organize pro-Palestine protests.

An aerial view of encampment as pro-Palestinian student protesters continue demonstrations during the second week of the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ at Columbia University in New York, United States on April 28, 2024
An aerial view of encampment as pro-Palestinian student protesters continue demonstrations during the second week of the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ at Columbia University in New York, United States on April 28, 2024 (Lokman Vural Elibol – Anadolu Agency)

US Sen. Lindsey Graham
US Sen. Lindsey Graham (Anadolu Agency)

US senator threatens to sanction allies enforcing ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant

Republican US Sen. Lindsey Graham threatened to sanction US allies if they enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you,” Graham told Fox News in an interview late Friday.

“If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and force the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation,” he said.

“You’re gonna have to pick the rogue ICC versus America,” Graham added.

The ICC announced in a landmark move on Thursday that it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.


MORE NEWS:

IMEMC Daily Reports.

Middle East Eye: Trump is not America First. Like Biden, he’s Israel First


FLASHBACK: Gaza Genocide

NOVEMBER 24-30, 2023 If Americans Knew wrote:

The Israel-Hamas truce began on November 24, 2023 and lasted till November 30. Under the truce, fighting was paused and humanitarian aid was allowed to enter Gaza as Hamas released captives in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners.

The UN humanitarian office, OCHA, reported that despite the pause in fighting, Israeli forces shot at Palestinians in Gaza on November 29, killing two people. They also shelled people on November 30.

Nearly 240 captives were taken by Hamas following the attack on October 7. Of them, 110 were freed as part of the truce.

About 240 Palestinian prisoners were released. However, at the same time, Israel arrested about the same number of  Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

NBC News reported that about 20% of those released had been convicted of a crime; roughly 80% had either not been prosecuted or had been detained under administrative detention.

​​Palestinian administrative detainees are prisoners held without charge, trial, or access to lawyers; administrative detention is intended to be used only in “exceptional” circumstances. Neither the administrative detainees, who include women and children, nor their lawyers are allowed to see the “secret evidence” that Israeli forces say form the basis for their arrests. Read more here.

The released Palestinian prisoners described mistreatment and a lack of food and clean water in Israeli prisons, with one released prisoner stating, “we’ve been tortured.”  The released Palestinian captives were warned not to celebrate their release, or they would be returned to prison, and they could face a heavy fine if they celebrated publicly or spoke to media.

Israel currently holds over 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners – of which over one third have not been charged with a crime. 270 of them are children. Overall, prison conditions for Palestinians are horrific, and include torture (including for children), in violation of international law and medical ethics. This torture has been ongoing since at least 1968. In the case of Gazan prisoners since October 7th, many were restrained so tightly for so long, that they required amputation of limbs; others were sodomized with burning hot objects.

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – NOVEMBER 23, 2024:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – November 23, 2024: at least 44,969* ( 44,211 in Gaza* – 69% are women and children, according to Gaza’s Media Office). [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.]

This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identifiedThis does not include an estimated 10,000 more in Gaza still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children).

In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and/or settlers have killed at least 793 Palestinians (~167 of them children).

In July 2024, the Lancet said: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Ralph Nader earlier estimated 300,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

  • At least 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons.
  • 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.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – November 23, 2024: at least 110,923 (including at least 104,567 in Gaza and 6,450 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 – November 23, 2024: ~1,582 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 404*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (updated: Nov 19); 39 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.

The death toll in Lebanon since October 8, 2023 is at least 3,754, with 15,626 injuries.

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

*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 56 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% 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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