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By Mohammad Madhat Amin Amer,
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
Israeli forces killed 88 Palestinians in a single day across Gaza. They bombed the enclave more than 100 times in just three days, killing more than 200 Palestinians, with women and children making up a majority of the victims. Among the dead were six Palestinian security guards working to provide humanitarian aid.
Another baby has died of hypothermia in Gaza – the eighth reported death from exposure to the cold.
Silence on Israel’s massacres of journalists is dangerous to all
A December 26 press statement by the Israeli army attempted to justify a war crime. It unabashedly admitted that the military incinerated five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked press vehicle outside al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip.
The five victims were Ibrahim Sheikh Ali, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan, Mohammed al-Ladaa, Fadi Hassouna, and Ayman al-Gedi. Ayman had arrived at the hospital with his wife who was about to give birth to their first baby; he was visiting his colleagues in the vehicle when it was struck. His baby boy was born several hours later and now carries the name of his father who was not allowed to live long enough to celebrate his birth.
The Israeli army statement claimed that the five Palestinians were “operatives posing as journalists” and that they disseminated “combat propaganda” because they worked for Al-Quds Al-Youm TV, affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement. The Israeli army made no claims that they were actually carrying weapons or involved in any armed action.
Many Western publications quoted the Israeli army statement as if it was an objective position and not propaganda whitewashing a war crime. They failed to clarify to their audiences that attacking journalists, including journalists who may be accused of promoting “propaganda”, is a war crime; all journalists are protected under international humanitarian law, regardless of whether armies like their reporting or not.
The Geneva Conventions Article 79 of the Additional Protocol states that all journalists “engaged in dangerous professional missions in armed conflict areas shall be considered civilians … [and] shall be protected […] and without prejudice to the right of war correspondents accredited to the armed forces”.
Completely disregarding these provisions of international law, the Israeli army has gone on a killing spree of Palestinian journalists over the past 15 months. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, 201 have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Other counts put the number at 217.
Israel eyes Gaza aid cuts as Trump takes office: Report
Israel is reportedly considering significant reductions of the already minimal amounts of humanitarian aid it allows into the Gaza Strip as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, a news report says.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported current aid levels may be reduced in the coming weeks following Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
An unnamed Israeli “political source” told the network: “We doubt the amount of aid currently allowed into Gaza will remain the same under Trump’s administration. If such a decision is made to reduce aid, it will be coordinated with the new US administration.”
Continuing aid deliveries would allegedly help Hamas maintain its hold over Gaza, the source added.
West Bank: Israeli Forces Kill a Palestinian, Injure 9 Others, Near Nablus
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian young man and injured nine others, on Friday night, after invading the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the young man, Mohammad Madhat Amin Amer, 18, died of serious gunshot wounds inflicted on him by occupation forces during their incursion into the Balata refugee camp.
The Ministry added that nine wounded young men, including four in critical condition, were transported to the hospital after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the Balata refugee camp.
Media sources said that the army invaded the Balata refugee camp, on Friday night, deployed sharpshooters on tall rooftops, and opened fire at citizens with live ammunition.
Sources added that occupation soldiers obstructed the work of ambulance crews, preventing them from entering the camp to reach the injured young men.
Since the beginning of the Israeli military onslaught against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed 837 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 172 children, and injured 6,500.
Israel set to extend southern Lebanon presence after cease-fire deadline: Report
Israel is reportedly preparing to notify the US of its intention to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day timeframe set in the recent cease-fire deal, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said Saturday.
The cease-fire, brokered by the US and France, took effect on Nov. 27, was meant to end 14 months of intense clashes between Israel and Hezbollah – the deadliest conflict there since the 2006 Lebanon War.
Claiming that the Lebanese Army has not met its obligations under the agreement, Israel sought to justify its extended military presence by pointing to Hezbollah’s efforts to regroup in the region.
“Under the cease-fire agreement, the Lebanese Army was supposed to deploy in the region, but it has done so at a very slow pace,” the report said.
It added: “The Lebanese Army has not targeted Hezbollah sites that Israel identified and shared through a designated mechanism established for this purpose.”
The broadcaster also said Israel intends to tell the US that it will continue preventing residents of Lebanese villages near the border from returning to their homes.
Lebanon has yet to issue an official response to Israel’s allegations.
Lebanese officials have documented 353 violations by Israeli forces since the cease-fire was signed, resulting in 32 deaths and 38 injuries.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 4,063 people have been killed, including women, children, and health workers, since Israel’s offensive against Lebanon began on Oct. 8, 2023, with another 16,664 people injured.
Israeli soldier flees Brazil amid investigation into Gaza war crimes
An Israeli soldier accused of war crimes has fled Brazil where authorities were pressing an investigation into his actions in Gaza, local media reported Sunday.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a pro-Palestine advocacy organisation, last week filed a criminal complaint accusing the soldier, who was in Brazil on tourism, of being involved in the Israeli military’s systematic demolitions of civilian homes in Gaza.
On Saturday, a Brazilian court instructed police to investigate the soldier for war crimes.
In a statement, the HRF accused Israel of orchestrating his departure to obstruct justice, adding that “there are also indications that evidence is being destroyed.”
The HRF had provided the court with over 500 pages of evidence, consisting of video recordings, geolocation data, and photographs that show the suspect actively planting explosives and taking part in the destruction of entire neighborhoods.
The foundation has submitted similar complaints in other countries, including one against Israel’s military attache in Brussels and another involving a soldier travelling in Sri Lanka.
Fears in Israel have been growing that decisions by the International Criminal Court could lead to arrests and investigations into war crimes.
Last month, the Israeli military advised dozens of soldiers against travelling abroad, after reportedly tracking around 30 war crimes complaints and legal actions targeting its personnel for their roles in Gaza operations.
Officers and soldiers have been instructed to remove any photos or videos documenting their involvement in Gaza from social media platforms.
Biden notifies Congress of proposed $8bn arms package to Israel
The State Department has notified Congress “informally” of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel that will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.
Some Democrats pushed the administration to condition arms sales to Israel based on Israel’s handling of the war effort and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but Biden declined to do so.
This is a long-term agreement, according to the sources. Some production and delivery of the munitions can be fulfilled through current U.S. stocks, but the majority will take one or more years to deliver.
The arms sale needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees.
One source familiar with the arms sale said the State Department told Congress the deal is aimed at “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities.”
“The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” a U.S. official said.
Statement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations regarding arms sale
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
We strongly condemn the Biden administration for its unbelievable and criminal decision to send another $8 billion worth of American weapons to the government of indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu instead of using American leverage to force an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Only racists who do not view people of color as equally human, and sociopaths who delight in funding mass slaughter, could send Netanyahu even more bombs while his government openly kidnaps doctors, destroys hospitals, and exterminates the last survivors in northern Gaza.
If President Biden is actually the person who approved this new $8 billion arms sale, then he is a war criminal who belongs in a cell at The Hague alongside Netanyahu. But if Antony Blinken, Brett McGurk, Jake Sullivan and other aides are making these unconscionable decisions as shadow presidents, then anyone with a conscience in the administration should speak up now about their abuses of power.
MORE NEWS:
IMEMC Daily Reports
🚨🚨 Urgent Alert❗️
The #HindRajabFoundation has verified information that Israel is imminently attempting to smuggle suspected Israeli war criminal Yuval Vagdani out of Brazil, because of a Brazilian court order for police to take investigative measures against him. There are… pic.twitter.com/DiIigN4kC2— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) January 4, 2025
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 4, 2025:
Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 4, 2025: at least 46,642* – 45,805 in Gaza; in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers and/or settlers have killed at least 837 Palestinians (~172 of them children).
Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.
According to a report in the Lancet, by multiplying the reported deaths by five, it is possible to reach a conservative estimate of total deaths (including indirect causes like starvation and lack of medicine). Using the latest figure from AFP (45,805), it is reasonable to estimate at least 229,025 total deaths in Gaza since October 7th, 2023.
According to a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office of identified fatalities in Gaza, about 44% were children. It is reasonable to estimate that 20,154 of known direct deaths and 100,771 of the total deaths are children.
Since Israel launched an extermination campaign in northern Gaza in early October, over 4,000 Palestinians have been killed or are missing and another 12,000 wounded.
Palestinian injuries from October 7, 2023 – January 4, 2025: at least 115,356 (including at least 109,064 in Gaza and 6,500 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 – January 4, 2025: ~1,595 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 417*** (or 391) military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza (updated: Dec. 17); 43 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
ADDITIONAL STATISTICS: Since October 7th, 2023:
- At least 50 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (at least 30 of them from Gaza).
- 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.
*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.
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 59 Israeli soldiers – nearly 17% 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.
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