Palestine - January 2024

Conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate, with Israeli attacks leading to the displacement of 85 per cent of Gaza's population. Over 1.4 million people are living in overcrowded and unsanitary humanitarian shelters. As of 30 January, the death toll exceeded 27,000, including over 10,000 children, while 218 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Healthcare facilities are grappling with both the high number of injuries from the conflict and the dire impact of the Israeli blockade, which has restricted entry of essential supplies, including food, water, fuel, and medicines. Hospitals are reportedly on the brink of collapse. Several countries’ suspension of funding to UNRWA following allegations of staff involvement in Hamas’ attacks has heightened the threat of famine. Moreover, there has been an unprecedented communications blackout, with several rights organizations expressing concern over the use of network blackouts as weapons. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also called for attention to the ‘devastating high’ in journalist killings in 2023. 

Sources: United Nations, Relief Web, Al Jazeera (1), , United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Access Now, Al Jazeera (2), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Since 7 October, Palestinians in the West Bank have experienced a significant decline in living conditions due to escalating movement restrictions, collective punishment by Israeli forces, increased violence, economic hardship, and ongoing settlement expansion. Israeli authorities have intensified roadblocks, checkpoints, and closures. These measures have effectively fragmented the West Bank, deeply affecting Palestinians' daily lives. Allegations against Israeli forces include collective punishment strategies, such as punitive home demolitions, which human rights organizations condemn as breaches of international law. These measures have triggered economic hardships, with escalating unemployment and poverty rates, and hindered access to basic services like healthcare and education.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education highlights that the recent upsurge in Israeli military raids and settler violence is infringing on Palestinian children's right to education, forcing school closures. This escalation in aggression is creating an unfavourable learning environment, significantly impacting the regional education system.

Sources: Associated Press, Arab Center, Voice of America, Le Monde, Amnesty International, Jordan News, Al Jazeera