Gaza, 25 January 2024 - Persistent attacks on civilian sites in Khan Younis are utterly unacceptable and must stop immediately. People are being killed and injured. As fighting intensifies around hospitals and shelters hosting the displaced, people are trapped inside and lifesaving operations are impeded.
Yesterday, our training centre, hosting thousands of people, was hit by two shells and caught fire. Twelve people have now been confirmed dead with over 75 casualties, 15 of whom are in a critical condition.
A number of missions to assess the situation were denied. Yesterday evening, the UN finally managed to reach the affected areas to treat trauma patients, bring medical supplies and evacuate injured patients to Rafah.
Heavy fighting near the remaining hospitals in Khan Younis, including Nasser and Al Amal has effectively encircled these facilities, leaving terrified staff, patients and displaced people trapped inside. Al Khair hospital has shut down after patients, including women who had just undergone C-section surgeries, were evacuated in the middle of the night.
The situation in Khan Younis underscores a consistent failure to uphold the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law: distinction, proportionality and precautions in carrying out attacks. This is unacceptable and abhorrent and must stop.
Video: Rashid Khalidi on "This Moment in Palestinian History"
On January 19, Peter Beinart hosted an online discussion entitled “Rashid Khalidi on This Moment in Palestinian History.” He was joined by special guest and Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi, America’s most eminent historian of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian struggle.
They talked about this latest iteration of what Rashid’s called “The Hundred Years' War on Palestine”— what’s new and what’s old since October 7. They also talked about where the Palestinian national movement goes from here, why Palestinian freedom has become a defining issue for progressive activists, and what the crackdown on that activism means for America’s universities.
Photos & Video from the Leahy Law standout at the Boston Courthouse 1/23
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #100
On 22 January, Israeli Forces reportedly raided Al Kheir Hospital in western Khan Younis, ordering women and children to evacuate towards Rafah, southern Gaza and reportedly arresting medical staff. The World Health Organization expressed its concern that the facility was facing military incursions and that several health workers had been detained. Communication with the hospital is no longer possible.
On 22 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces had surrounded their ambulance headquarters in Khan Younis,; restricting ambulances from providing support in the area. Reportedly, Israeli forces struck the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and the ambulance headquarters, as intense fighting continued in the area, resulting in dozens of casualties. Patients, wounded people, and an estimated 13,000 displaced people, who have taken shelter in Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters were unable to leave. According to humanitarian partners on the ground, people in the vicinity of Al Kheir area east of Al Mawasi have lost access to the health facility and have no alternatives for medical assistance in the area.
read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #100
Women and children squeezing into a limited space at an overcrowded UNRWA facility in Khan Younis, amid nearby gunfire and shelling. Photo by UNRWA/Hussein Owda, 23 January 2024