Visualizing Palestine

from the wonderful folks at “Visualizing Palestine”:

Do you want to learn more about how the human geography of Gaza (or other parts of historic Palestine) has changed over 75 years of Israeli settler colonialism, ongoing displacement, and systemic violence? Use Palestine Open Maps (POM), to explore, search, and download historical maps of Gaza and other parts of Palestine before and after the Nakba.

Special thanks to Ahmad Barclay and Majd Al-Shihabi for their leading efforts on this platform! Access it here: https://palopenmaps.org/en

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #67. Dec 12

Between the afternoons of 11 and 12 December, 217 Palestinians were killed and another 455 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. Overall, according to the MoH in Gaza, between 7 October and 12 December afternoon, at least 18,205 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, about 70 per cent of whom are said to be women and children, and about 50,100 were reportedly injured. Many more people are missing, presumably buried under the rubble, waiting for rescue or recovery.  

  • On 12 December, heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza continued, especially in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued, especially in Khan Younis (also in the south) and the northern parts of Gaza Strip. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel also continued. 

  • On 12 December, initial reports and footage emerged of Israeli forces blowing up  an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza. 

  • The spread of diseases in Gaza has reportedly intensified, especially due to overcrowded living conditions; which adds to the strain on an increasingly overwhelmed health system and an increased risk of people dying. On 12 December, the MoH’s spokesperson in Gaza said that the ministry had documented 360,000 cases of infectious diseases in shelters, noting that the actual number is believed to be higher.  

  • On the same day, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the occupied Palestinian territory announced that cases of meningitis, jaundice, impetigo, chickenpox and other upper respiratory tract infections had been recorded. Additionally, the director of the Abu Youssef An Najjar Hospital in Rafah announced that smallpox, diarrhoea and influenza were spreading amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rafah; including 1,500 cases of intestinal disease reported daily due to food shortages. 

  • On 12 December, Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza city, arrested the director and transported some 70 medical staff to an unknown location. The remaining staff were ordered to collect all patients and carers into one building and evacuate the other buildings; where they remain without electricity, water, or food. The hospital had already been under siege for three days, according to the MoH in Gaza. 

    read the entire report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #67

A brother and a sister passing by their destroyed home in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. Photo by UNICEF/Al-Qattaa, 7 December 2023 

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #66. Nov 11

Between the afternoons of 10 and 11 December, 208 Palestinians were killed and another 416 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. Heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza continued, especially in the central part, including Al Maghazi and An Nuseirat Refugee Camps, as well as in parts of northern Gaza. Meanwhile, intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued, especially in Khan Younis, Jabalya, and the northern parts of Gaza Strip. Additionally, air strikes have reportedly targeted residential homes in the western and central parts of Rafah, areas designated as safe for displaced Palestinians by the Israeli army. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel also continued.

  • On 11 December, the maternity department at Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, was hit. As a result, two mothers were reportedly killed, and several people were injured. The hospital remains surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks, and fighting with armed groups has been reported in its vicinity for three consecutive days. The hospital is currently accommodating 65 patients, including 12 children in the intensive care unit (ICU) and six newborns in incubators. About 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain trapped in the facility and are awaiting evacuation with extreme shortages of water, food and power reported.

  • On 11 December, the Israeli military has again been calling and exerting pressure on Palestinian residents who have remained north of Wadi Gaza to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. However, movement through the Salah Ad Deen areas located north and east of Khan Younis city, has reportedly experienced intense battles on the road.

read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #66

Teams preparing for the establishment a field hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza. The Qatari field hospital is set to have a capacity of 50 beds, an operating room, intensive care unit, reception, and radiology services. Separately, with facilities for displaced people being overcrowded, thousands of people have relocated to this site. Photo: Palestine Red Crescent Society