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 Click here for an overview by week in 2024

Special reports: Updates January and earlier, 2025: The ceasefire will not bring our lives back & No child should ever see the horrors of Gaza & The genocide has left me feeling like a stranger in my own homeland & Why I won't stop telling Gaza’s stories & Israel may burn Gaza schools, but Palestinians shall resist & This is the last phase of Zionism Previous reports: Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war & Sense of impunity 'absolute' & No food, no sleep, no hope in Gaza and related report & Genocide in Gaza: Silence is complicity and earler stories  Overview special reports

November 28 - 24 and earler stories, 2024 Is Netanyahu immune from ICC arrest warrant-NO!   TRIBUTES TO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

Shireen Abu Akleh In commemoration of Shireen Abu Akleh, the 'voice of Al Jazeera' killed while revealing the true face of israel Updated: December 6, 2024: Attacks, arrests, threats, censorship: The high risks of reporting the Israel-Gaza war   Click here for earlier stories/news

January 22 - 20, 2025 Food for thought: A ceasefire? Not as far as the idf and its co-genocide-predetators are concerned. 'The show must go on!' Read more and decide for yourself   January 21 - 19, 2025 Food for thought: Let's see what an israeli word is worth. Read more and decide for yourself

Actual news January 17 - 13, 2025 A ceasefire has been reached but the milions-people life question is if the idf-led carnage/bloodshed will stop? And more actual news January 19 - 14, 2025 Pre-ceasefire & Post-Ceasefire

December 30 - 26, 2024 'Betrayed' and 'abandoned' Sixth baby dies from severe cold   December 10 - 7, 2024 Food for thought: 'The next one' as seen by an Iranian activist cartoonnist and yes, with the fall of assad it most likely is a matter of time before the next ones, netanyahu, khamenei, erdogan and others, will follow. Gino d'Artali Read more and decide for yourself

 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.



Palestinians killed/wounded in the West-Bank
Al Jazeera - Jan 22 2025 - By AJLabs
<<Mapping 1,800 Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank since October 2023
An average of four incidents of settler violence have taken place each day in the occupied West Bank since October 7.
Earlier this week, in a recurring pattern of violence, dozens of Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, set fire to several vehicles and properties, injuring at least 21 Palestinians. As global attention focused on the brutal Israeli military offensive in Gaza, settler attacks as well as deadly raids by Israeli forces intensified in the occupied West Bank in the past 15 months. From October 7, 2023 to December 31, 2024, at least 1,860 incidents of settler violence in the occupied West Bank were recorded – an average of four a day according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). With 411 incidents, the Nablus governorate saw the highest number of settler attacks, followed by 410 incidents in Ramallah and 362 in Hebron.
Who are Israeli settlers?
Settlers are Israeli citizens living in Jewish-only communities, known as Israeli settlements, built on Palestinian-owned land that Israel occupied in 1967. Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s longest-serving prime minister – has bolstered settlement expansions since he first came to power in 1996, undermining the 1993 Oslo Accords, which called for the freezing of settlements and a mutually negotiated two-state solution. Today, roughly 10 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, totalling between 600,000 and 750,000 people, live in about 250 settlements and outposts dispersed throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many of these settlements are located near Palestinian population centres, often leading to increased tensions and restrictions on movement for Palestinians. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bans an occupying power from transferring its population to the area it occupies. This is for a variety of reasons, including protecting civilians from the theft of resources by the occupying power and to prevent changes in the demographic makeup of the occupied territory.
............
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Palestine expressed alarm at the “wave of renewed violence” by Israeli settlers and armed forces in the occupied West Bank.
At least 870 Palestinians killed
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, at least 870 Palestinians, including 177 children, have been killed and more than 6,700 wounded in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
At least 13,500 Palestinians including children have been arrested and more than 2,100 structures demolished in the occupied West Bank leaving more than 6,700 people displaced.>>
Read more: AL JAZEERA: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/22/mapping-1800-israeli-settler-attacks-in-the-occupied-west-bank-since-october-7

Al Jazeera - Jan 22 2025
<<Israel’s scorched earth campaign leaves Gaza in ruins
Palestinians in Gaza are confronting an apocalyptic landscape of devastation following the ceasefire that paused more than 15 months of Israel’s attacks on the besieged enclave. Across Gaza, where built-up refugee camps are interspersed between cities, mounds of rubble are stretching as far as the eye can see. Critics say Israel has waged a campaign of scorched earth to destroy the fabric of life in Gaza, accusations that are being considered in two global courts, including the crime of genocide. International rights groups said the vast destruction was part of a broader pattern of extermination and genocide directed at Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The groups dispute Israel’s stance that the destruction was a result of military activity. A United Nations assessment from satellite imagery showed more than 60,000 structures across Gaza had been destroyed and more than 20,000 severely damaged in the war as of December 1, 2024. Israel also carved out a buffer zone about one kilometre inside Gaza from its fence, as well as within the Netzarim Corridor that bisects north Gaza from the south, and along the Philadelphi Corridor, a stretch of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt.>>
Photos here: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/1/22/israels-scorched-earth-campaign-leaves-gaza-in-ruins

Al Jazeera - Jan 22 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Israel launches deadly raid on occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp
Israeli forces kill at least 10 people and injure dozens in an assault expected to last several days. Several people have been killed as the Israeli military raided the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian health services said at least 10 Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded in the raid, which was launched in the early hours of Tuesday, continued well into the night and is expected to last for days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation, dubbed <Iron Wall,> was intended to <eradicate terrorism> in the area. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its first responders treated seven people injured by live ammunition, adding that Israeli forces were hindering access to the area.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from security forces and said that he “remains deeply concerned”.
Israeli NGO B’Tselem accused the Israeli government of using the Gaza ceasefire as “an excuse and opportunity to ratchet up the oppression of West Bank Palestinians”. “This is not what a ceasefire looks like,” it said. Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP the operation was “an invasion of the (refugee) camp”. “It came quickly, Apache helicopters in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere,” he added. A spokesman for the Palestinian security forces said in a statement that Israeli forces had “opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a number of security personnel, one of whom is in critical condition”. Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said that attacking Palestinians in the West Bank was always likely after hostilities in Gaza halted. The raid also served to deflect public attention after the resignations of Israeli military commanders for their admitted failure to protect Israel from the Hamas attack in October 2023, he suggested. “I think the Netanyahu government is deflecting. Where does it deflect? In the West Bank. In Jenin. By various closures and by a huge attack on Jenin that probably will go on for days, weeks – perhaps more.” In recent months, raids have increased in frequency and intensity in Jenin.>>
Photos here: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/1/22/israel-launches-deadly-raid-on-occupied-west-banks-jenin-refugee-camp

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Trump’s pick for UN ambassador dodges question on Palestinian rights
Elise Stefanik, Donald Trump’s nominee to be the US ambassador to the UN, refused to say whether she believes Palestinians have a right to self-determination, but did say she agrees that Israel has a biblical right to the entire occupied West Bank.>>
Video: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/1/21/trumps-pick-for-un-ambassador-dodges-question-on-palestinian-rights

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Aid trucks arriving in Gaza but distribution will be a challenge
Aid has started to flow into Gaza following the ceasefire announcement, but the main challenge is getting it to Palestinians now on the move to their homes. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary explains.>>
Video: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/1/21/aid-trucks-arriving-in-gaza-but-distribution-will-be-a-challenge

France24 - Jan 21,2025
<<'Extremely fragile' Gaza ceasefire faces risk of 'spoilers' on both sides, expert says
A long-awaited ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went into force on Sunday, followed by the first exchange of hostages and detainees by the two sides. The ceasefire and the process of releasing the hostages and prisoners will continue over the next three months. It has already caused discontent among far-right members of PM Binyamin Netanyahu's Israeli government, with one minister quitting. But for now, the release of the first hostages has been welcomed in Israel. FRANCE 24's Oliver Farry spoke to Oliver McTernan, the co-founder and director of Forward Thinking, a charity that works on conflict resolution and mediation in the Middle East. He gave his take on the prospects of the ceasefire holding in Gaza.>>
Video: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/perspective/20250121-extremely-fragile-gaza-ceasefire-faces-risk-of-spoilers-on-both-sides-expert-says

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025
<<At least 10 killed, dozens wounded in Israeli attacks across Jenin
Ten killed, more than 35 wounded says Palestinian Ministry of Health, as violence rises in the occupied West Bank. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Jenin governorate in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The Israeli army said earlier on Tuesday that soldiers, police and intelligence services launched a <counterterrorism action>, but gave no further details. The identity of those killed was not immediately clear. The Health Ministry said that more than 35 people have been wounded. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) security forces said in a statement that Israeli forces “opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a number of security personnel, one of whom is in critical condition”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to <eradicate terrorism>. An Israeli military spokesperson said the ongoing operation was dubbed the <Iron Wall>. Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub called the action “an invasion”, according to the AFP news agency. “It came quickly,” he said. “Apache planes in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere.” The attack in Jenin, where the Israeli army has carried out multiple raids and large-scale incursions in recent years, comes days after a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, and underscores the threat of more violence in the West Bank. Before the Israeli action, the PA’s security forces had been conducting a weeks-long operation to reassert control of the city of Jenin, as well as its refugee camp. Last week, an Israeli air raid on the refugee camp killed at least three Palestinians and wounded many more. On Monday, Israeli settlers set vehicles and properties on fire under the protection of Israeli forces while also injuring at least 21 Palestinians across the West Bank. The Israeli military said it has opened an investigation into the incident, which it said involved dozens of Israeli civilians, some in masks. Violence has soared throughout the West Bank since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 847 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Health Ministry. At least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli figures.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/israeli-army-launches-deadly-attack-on-jenin-refugee-camp-in-west-bank

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025
<<Trump lifts US sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank
Israeli officials welcome Trump’s decision to remove sanctions imposed by the Biden administration. United States President Donald Trump has issued an executive order lifting sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Trump issued the order, among a slew of controversial moves, as he returned to the White House on Monday. The sanctions were imposed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, via an executive order in February. Biden’s actions paved the way for the US Departments of State and the Treasury to sanction several far-right individuals and groups accused of perpetrating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 despite international law, freezing their US assets and barring US bodies and individuals from commercial relationships with them. As much of the world’s attention has focused on the war in Gaza, growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and land grabs in the occupied territory have raised concerns among some of Israel’s Western allies. On Monday and Tuesday, settlers set vehicles and properties on fire under the protection of Israeli soldiers. At least 21 Palestinians were reported to have been injured. Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, at least 860 Palestinians, including 175 children, have been killed and more than 6,700 wounded in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. “Lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people,” the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
‘US has returned to being our friend’
Israeli officials welcomed Trump’s <historic decision> to reverse the sanctions.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, said the reversal of the <scandalous sanctions> was <a political message that the United States has returned to being our friend,> according to Israeli media. <This is a righting of an injustice of many years, in which distorted policies were pursued by the American administration and also by local elements who confused lovers with enemies,> Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right former national security minister said on X. His ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said Trump’s stand shows his <deep connection to the Jewish people and our historic right to our land>. <These sanctions were a serious act of blatant foreign interference in the internal affairs of the state of Israel and harmed the principles of democracy and the mutual relationship between the two friendly countries,> he said. US sanctions on settlers landed after the Biden administration repeatedly urged the Israeli government to take action to hold settlers to account for actions that Washington believed set back hopes for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. Since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. Israel has built settlements there, which are illegal under international law. Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/trump-lifts-us-sanctions-on-israeli-settlers-in-the-occupied-west-bank

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Israeli settlers attack West Bank villages under army’s protection
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian villages, set vehicles on fire and injure several residents in the West Bank. Israeli settlers have set vehicles and properties on fire under the protection of Israeli forces while also injuring at least 21 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank. Jalal Bashir, head of Jinasfut village council, was quoted as saying by Wafa news agency on Monday evening that the attacks took place in the villages of Jinasfut and Funduq, east of Qalqilya. He added that dozens of Israeli settlers raided Jinasfut and set fire to three homes, a nursery and a workshop. The settlers also set several vehicles owned by Palestinian residents ablaze. One Palestinian sustained a head injury while trying to protect his home. Several others were undergoing treatment after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated those injured by the settlers in Jinsafut and Fanduq, adding that the victims suffered bruises as they were beaten by the settlers. In the southern West Bank, Israeli settlers also stormed a Palestinian home in the Masafer Yatta area. Dozens of settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones south of Hebron, damaging several of them. Yesh Din, which monitors human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, shared video clips showing Palestinian-owned vehicles and a building in flames from earlier settler attacks. According to the group, settlers set two Palestinian homes on fire and torched at least four vehicles in Sinjil village, located northeast of Ramallah. In Ein Siniya village, settlers attacked and set fire to homes, north of Ramallah. It added that settlers attacked and damaged Palestinian-owned property in Turmus Aya, northeast of Ramallah, and also threw stones at vehicles on Route 60, near al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus. The attacks by Israeli settlers come as US President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday to reverse US sanctions on them in the occupied West Bank. The Biden administration described them as part of the “extremist settlement movement”. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Palestine also expressed alarm at the “wave of renewed violence” by Israeli settlers and armed forces in the occupied West Bank. “The UN Human Rights Office is alarmed by a wave of renewed violence perpetrated by settlers and Israeli security forces in the Occupied West Bank, coinciding with the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement,” it said in a statement. The OHCHR also said the violence was accompanied by reinforced restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement, including the closure of checkpoints and installation of new gates, resulting in entire communities being locked in. Highlighting multiple recent settler attacks on Palestinian villages as well as Monday’s raid in several West Bank towns by Israeli forces, which killed a Palestinian teenager, the OHCHR also said it was concerned about Israel’s plans to expand and increase operations in the Palestinian territory.>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/israeli-settlers-attack-west-bank-villages-under-armys-protection

Related interview published earlier by
Medyanews - December 23, 2024
<<Woman Palestinian journalist speaks out about reporting Israel’s attacks on West Bank city of Tulkarem
In this interview with UK radical writers' cooperative, Shoal Collective, Palestinian journalist Diana Khwaelid talks about Israel's incessant attacks on the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Her story is one of a series of interviews to be included in an upcoming anthology of interviews with radical Palestinian women. As part of our coverage of the 25 November 2024 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Medya News is publishing an in-depth interview with 27-year-old Palestinian journalist Diana Khwaelid. Diana has spent the past eight years working as a freelance photo-journalist in the West Bank, with a focus on the Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps. She speaks to UK based writers’ cooperative Shoal Collective about the violence she faces from the Israeli military during her work as a journalist, about the challenges of working in a war zone, and about what it is like to be a woman journalist in Palestine. Her interview will be included in the second edition of Shoal Collective’s book, ‘Interviews with Radical Palestinian Women‘. The interview was carried out in mid-October 2024.>>
Read the full interview here:
Source: https://medyanews.net/woman-palestinian-journalist-speaks-out-about-reporting-israels-attacks-on-west-bank-city-of-tulkarem/

Al Jazeera - Jan 20 2025 - By Maram Humaid
<<Palestinians in Gaza look ahead with hope and fear amid uncertain ceasefire
Displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah share mixed emotions, losses, and their plans for the future after the truce.
Deir el-Balah, Gaza – After a long-awaited ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza on Sunday, marking a pause in one of the region’s most devastating wars, residents are now navigating a mix of relief and disbelief. With the skies finally silent after months of relentless Israeli attacks, people are returning to their battered neighbourhoods facing the immense challenges of rebuilding lives torn apart by the 15-month war. Displaced residents sheltering in makeshift camps in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, spoke with Al Jazeera to share their mixed emotions, losses, and their hopes and fears for the future.
Hamza al-Ramlawi, 70, from Tal al-Hawa, Gaza City
“We are very happy and relieved that a ceasefire agreement has finally been reached,” al-Ramlawi said. “The sorrow will remain in our hearts. We will remember those we lost among family and loved ones. There is joy that we will return, but it is joy filled with loss and grief. “I will remember my son, Mohammed, whom I lost in a bombing near our tent in az-Zawayda in central Gaza. His loss is as vast as the universe. “For us, we are spending our days with peace of mind now that the bloodshed has finally stopped. “This is the first night we’ve slept peacefully and stably. Every night during the war, we slept in fear of any strike that could target us. “We’ve had enough wars. I hope both sides will calm down and let people live their lives.“We hope this truce will last. We cannot endure this great battle that turned our lives into a catastrophe. “I would be lying if I said I would return to my home in the north happily when I’ve lost my son. Let me stay silent.”
Suleiman Abdel Qader, 74, a resident of Deir el-Balah
“We thank God that the war has finally been stopped. I hope all the displaced can return to their homes soon,” Abdel Qader said. “The people are miserable and have lost so much. Some of our relatives are still buried under the rubble, and others are missing. “I still feel angry towards the European world and America because they didn’t put enough pressure at the beginning of these 15 months of war. “It was a great suffering that every individual in Gaza endured. “I hope people heal from their wounds, that the injured find treatment, and those who lost loved ones find comfort.
“We hope the ceasefire will continue, despite my many fears, because Israel does not keep its promises.”
Samah Shalail, 44, mother of five from Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza:
“The first day of the ceasefire felt strange. Some people were celebrating and happy, while others were crying and remembering their loved ones who were killed in this war,” Shalail said. “This is the first night we’ve slept peacefully, feeling at ease knowing that the bloodshed will stop, that we will return to our lands, and that we are on the verge of starting a new life. “The Palestinian people are full of hope and determination to carry on. “At the beginning of the announcement of the ceasefire, I felt cautiously optimistic. But when the prisoner exchanges began and the planes disappeared from the skies, I started to feel a bit of relief. “The heart is still wounded. We cannot talk about joy and happiness, but there is psychological relief. We are still afraid of the obstacles awaiting us. The country has been completely devastated. “I expect the ceasefire to last as long as there are agreements for the release of prisoners and hostages. “I’m excited for the upcoming period, for life to resume once again. I want my children to return to their school desks.”
Soheila Hazem, 65 years old, from Deir el-Balah:
“The feeling of the ceasefire is indescribable,” Hazem said. “We are still deeply affected and pained by the war. “I lost my son Hatem, 30 years old, a father of three daughters, last June in a bombing in Deir el-Balah. My sister also lost her only son, my brother lost his son, and other relatives as well. No one was spared from loss. We all endured great suffering in this war. “We finally slept our long nights after such a long absence. We couldn’t sleep because of the bombing and fear. If the bombing wasn’t on us, it would be on my neighbour, my family, or people we know somewhere else. Every night, when darkness came, so did worry and fear. “We are all one family in this war, and our wounds are shared. We waited for the war to end so we could learn about the fate of those we lost contact with due to the communication breakdowns. “Things are easier now for us. We feel a great sense of relief and hope international efforts will continue to stabilise the truce. “Everyone must know that this is our land, and it is our right to live here. We ask God to compensate us for what we’ve lost. “I have no plans. I just want to live normally and with stability.”>>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/20/palestinians-in-gaza-hopes-and-fears-after-israel-hamas-ceasefire

Al Jazeera - Jan 21 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Report on the widespread destruction from Rafah in Gaza
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports on the widespread destruction from Rafah in southern Gaza, just a kilometre away from where the Israeli military withdrew after the implementation of the ceasefire.>>
Video: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/1/20/report-on-the-widespread-destruction-from-rafah-in-gaza

Al Jazeera - Jan 20 2025 - By Al Jazeera Live By Urooba Jamal and Stephen Quillen
<<Rescuers find dozens of bodies in Gaza rubble amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Palestinian officials estimate 10,000 bodies are under the debris covering Gaza after the devastating 15-month war. Palestinians have recovered dozens of bodies buried under rubble in Gaza and are searching for thousands more as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold for a second day. Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Monday that the bodies of 97 Palestinians have been recovered in the destroyed city of Rafah in southern Gaza since the ceasefire took effect the previous day with the release of the first three captives held by Hamas and 90 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Israeli attacks on Gaza killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 111,000, according to local health authorities. But the Palestinian Civil Defence agency said it estimated there are 10,000 bodies under destroyed structures across the strip. At least 2,840 bodies were melted and there are no traces of them, said Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson of the Palestinian Civil Emergency Services in Gaza. Meanwhile, many displaced residents returning to their neighbourhoods found them almost unrecognisable due to the devastation from more than 15 months of war. “[The level of destruction] was a big shock, and the amount [of people] feeling shocked is countless because of what happened to their homes. It’s destruction, total destruction,” Mohamed Gomaa, who lost his brother and nephew in the war, told the Reuters news agency. “It’s not like an earthquake or a flood, no no. What happened is a war of extermination.” Meanwhile, more than 630 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Monday, with at least 300 of those trucks going to the enclave’s north, where the UN said famine looms. With a growing flow of aid into the Palestinian enclave, residents flocked into markets with some expressing happiness at the lower prices and the presence of new food items like imported chocolates. “The prices have gone down, the war is over and the crossing is open to more goods,” Aya Mohammad-Zaki, a displaced woman from Gaza City sheltering in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, told Reuters. Attention is also starting to shift to the rebuilding of the coastal enclave, which the Israeli military demolished in retaliation for Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Those assaults killed 1,139 people with about 250 taken captive into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing more than 50 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2bn. A UN report from last year said rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes could take at least until 2040 but could drag on for many decades. The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos because some refugee camps struck during the war are known to have been built with the material. A UN Development Programme official said on Sunday that development in Gaza has been set back by 69 years as a result of the conflict.
Isolated incidents as ceasefire largely holds
Residents and officials in Gaza said on Monday that, for the most part, the ceasefire appeared to be holding – although there were incidents of violence. Two Palestinian civilians, one of them a teenage boy, were killed by Israeli snipers in Rafah, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Eight Palestinians, including children, were also injured on Monday as a result of Israeli gunfire in Rafah. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots towards people who approached soldiers deployed according to the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, Mohamad Elmasry, a media studies professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said Israeli media are now increasingly focusing on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war on Gaza. “They’re calling this a spectacular failure,” he told Al Jazeera, stressing that Netanyahu failed to fulfil his promise to eliminate Hamas. “And now he has to watch on all the TV screens Hamas fighters dressed in their fatigues escorting Israeli captives to their vehicles,” the academic added. “He’s watching as Hamas will continue to govern Gaza and oversee the security situation, the humanitarian aid situation and all elements of this ceasefire. Hamas has not been eliminated, and this is very embarrassing for Netanyahu.” >>
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/20/rescuers-find-dozens-of-bodies-in-gaza-rubble-amid-israel-hamas-ceasefire

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