Documentation of the Israeli abuse of power, mistreatment of humanity, and perpetration of the genocidal war on the Palestinian people in the  Gaza Strip.

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More Israeli Repression in the West Bank, More Bodies Recovered from the Gaza Rubbles, the Death Toll of the Israeli Genocidal War on Gaza Rises to 48,291 and the Injuries to 111,722

February 18, 2025

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Editor's Notes:  

Here are some initial (not final) statistics, which show the Israeli war crimes against humanity, during the current Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, based on the reliable data reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza:

By February 18, 2025, the initial death toll of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza Strip is 62,079+.   

This includes the accounted for deaths (48,291), those who are still missing under the rubble (an estimate of at least 13,794+). 

By February 18, 2025, the documented injuries exceeded 111,722.

By February 18, 2025, 900 Palestinians who were killed, 6,826 who were injured, and 11,231*, who were abducted by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, since October 7, 2023, including 310 women and 640 children (Some of the detainees have been released).  

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15-year-old Dhiyaa Saba'na died of critical injuries he suffered in an Israeli airstrike on Qabatya town, near Jineen, in northern West Bank, on February 18, 2025.	The ongoing Israeli occupation army raids on the Toulkarm and its refugee camps resulted in kidnapping and displacement of Palestinians, raids on their homes, and destruction of public and private property, February 18, 2025.
The Israeli occupation regime police demolished four Palestinian houses in the town of Jabal Al-Mukabbir, southeast of Al-Quds, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, February 25, 2025.	The initial losses incurred in the power sector in Gaza city reached about 450 million dollars, due to the massive destruction during the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, February 18, 2025.
The funeral procession of the Palestinian15-year-old child, Dhiyaa Saba'na, who died of critical injuries he suffered in an Israeli airstrike on Qabatya town, near Jineen, in northern West Bank, on February 18, 2025.	Displaced Palestinian families returning to their homes in the Jabalya, to find that their homes were totally destroyed during the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, leading an extremely hard conditions, February 18, 2025.
Destruction of the equipment inside the Turkish hospital in Gaza City, which happened during the Israeli genocidal war, February 18, 2025.	Tented neighborhoods started to emerge in Gaza city and northern Gaza Strip, as shelters for the returning displaced Palestinian families, such as the one in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, which was totally destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces, February 18, 2025.

***

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

"مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا"  (الْمَائِدَةُ ، 5: 32).

"وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا" (النِّسَاءُ ، 4: 93).

"إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ " (الإسْرَاءُ ، 17: 7). 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption in the land, it is as if he had killed humankind entirely" (The Holy Quran, Al-Ma-ida, 5: 32).

"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him, and has cursed him, and has prepared for him a great torment" (Al-Nisa, 4: 93).

"If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, (you do it) to yourselves" (Al-Isra, 17: 7). 

***

While brutal force has been used to create Zionist Israel and sustain it thus far, Zionist claims to Palestine are false. Actually, from the five thousand years of known written human history, there has been a continuous Palestinian-Canaanite presence in the Holy Land. Despite the Zionist false claims, the ancient Israelites ruled part of the land for only 85 years (during the reign of Prophets David and Solomon , peace be upon them, and Solomon's son).

 After that, the Egyptians conquered Palestine-Canaan in 925 BC, followed by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arab Muslim rule, starting from 636 AD.

By the Time Jesus, peace be upon him, started his mission, the three population groups of Canaanites, Palestinians, and Israelites were melted together in religion and language. Most of them became Christians when Constantine converted in 313 AD. Then, most of them became Muslims in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.

So, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews are the ones who have the right to claim descent from ancient Israelites, Palestinians, and Canaanites, not Zionists from other continents.

No matter what the Zionists and their supporters do, they cannot change the will of God, Who promised the Holy Land to Abraham and his descendants, basically the Palestinian Muslims and Christians.

No matter how much persecution and aggression the Zionists and their supporters inflict upon the Palestinian people, they will never be able to force them out of the Holy Land, which Allah, praise to Him, promised for them, and kept His promise ever since.

This is a necessary brief background to understand the US-Backed Zionist Israeli continuous wars against the Arab nation generally, and the Palestinian people in particular, which included the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1978, 1982, the brutal crushing of the two Uprisings (1987-1993 and 2000-2004), 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, and the current genocidal war on Gaza (Since October 7, 2023), which has culminated a blockade of Gaza since 2007. In addition, the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime launched so many covert operations, raids, and air strikes on many Arab states since 1948.

The following news stories are just examples, not a systematic record, of the Israeli occupation government abuse, mistreatment, and violations of Palestinian human rights, on daily basis.

Killing and Injuring of Palestinians in Ghazza (Gaza) by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces

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Palestinians find more bodies in Gaza rubble, as death toll nears 48,291

By A'hmed Al-Asmar  |18.02.2025 -     

ANKARA, Anadolu --

Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered six more bodies from the rubble in the Gaza Strip, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,291, the The Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement said that the toll also included one Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.

According to the Ministry, 13 injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of the injured to 111,722 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, 2025, halting the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.

Despite the ceasefire, the Gaza local authorities reported almost daily ceasefire violations by the Israeli occupation army.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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Three Palestinians injured by IOFs gunfire in Rafa'h

Tuesday 18-February-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

Three Palestinian citizens were injured on Tuesday morning when the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) opened fire at them in the east of Rafa'h, south of the Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces opened fire at citizens in the east of Al-Shawka town in eastern Rafa'h, injuring three of them.

All the wounded citizens were rushed to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younus.

Israeli tanks also fired volleys of bullets in the east of Khan Younus and along the Sala'huddeen corridor in southern Rafa'h, with no reported casualties.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian woman identified as Salima Abu Sha'ban was martyred in the morning after she succumbed to serious injuries she sustained during the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation army has committed dozens of violations since the ceasefire agreement took effect on January 19, 2025. 

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Gaza Electricity Company: $450 million losses due to Israeli war

Tuesday 18-February-2025

GAZA, (PIC)

The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company has estimated the initial losses incurred by the power sector at about $450 million, due to the massive destruction of electrical networks during the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The Electricity Company confirmed in a statement that rebuilding and rehabilitating the power sector requires urgent funding, time and huge efforts, in light of its urgent need for maintenance materials and equipment to resume providing electricity services to vital facilities in the Strip.

It added that it has not yet received any of the materials it needs, which poses major challenges to its technical teams in providing electricity to essential facilities.

It explained that it has a ready response plan consisting of three stages: the first covers 60 days of emergency, followed by a 6-month plan, then a comprehensive 3-year plan, which focuses on gradually rehabilitating the networks.

The company indicated that it lost 50 of its staff, including engineers and technicians, in the Israeli aggression, but it will continue to work on rebuilding what was destroyed.

It pointed out that more than 80% of its vehicles were completely destroyed, leaving it in urgent need for heavy machinery and excavators to complete maintenance operations.

The company called on the international community to intervene immediately to secure the entry of materials needed for the electricity sector, stressing that this intervention is necessary to support reconstruction efforts and protect the lives of 2.5 million citizens suffering from the power crisis in the Strip.

The power sector in Gaza faces major economic challenges due to the lack of international and institutional support, which complicates the process of renewing electrical networks and installing alternative energy systems. The continuous rise in the prices of electrical materials also adds a heavy burden on small projects that were seeking to provide sustainable solutions for renewable energy.

In this context, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed that great efforts are being made across the Gaza Strip to restore basic services, despite the massive destruction caused by the war and the restrictions imposed on the entry of necessary equipment.

According to a recent UN report, Gaza is going through an unprecedented destruction crisis, as estimates indicate that removing the debris and rubble resulting from the Israeli war, which ranges between 40 and 50 million tons, and restoring services to normal will take years of hard work.

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Killing, Injuring, and Abduction of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Regime Forces 

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Palestinian child dies of injuries from recent Israeli air strike in the West Bank

Tuesday 18-February-2025

Jineen, (PIC)

A Palestinian child was martyred on Monday after he succumbed to serious injuries he sustained recently in an Israeli airstrike in the occupied West Bank.

According to medical and local sources, 15-year-old Dhiyaa Saba'na died of critical injuries he suffered in an Israeli airstrike on Qabatya town near Jineen City earlier this month.

His death has brought to 26 the number of the Palestinian citizens who have been killed during the ongoing Israeli aggression in Jineen.

56 citizens have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces since they started their large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank on January 21, 2025.

***

Two, including child, injured during Israeli raid near Jineen

Jineen,  February 18, 2025 (WAFA) – 

Two Palestinians, including a child, were injured today during the Israeli occupation forces' storming of the town of Maythaloan, south of Jineen.

WAFA correspondent reported that a child, 16, was injured in the hands after being hit by a tear gas canister fired by the Israeli occupation soldiers.

A young man was also injured after being severely beaten.

The occupation forces stormed Maythaloan and detained a youth after raiding and searching his house.

K.T.

***

The Israeli occupation army continues aggressive operation in Toulkarm and its refugee camps

Tuesday 18-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation army’s violent raids in the northern West Bank entered day 23 in Toulkarm City and its refugee camp and day 10 in Nour Shams refugee camp on Tuesday, amid ongoing arrests, raids on homes, destruction of public and private property, and forced displacement of citizens.

According to local sources, the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) deliberately carried out detonations and intensively fired live ammunition in the besieged Nour Shams refugee camp, triggering fires in some neighborhoods, including around the Abu Bakr Al-Siddeeq Mosque

Meanwhile, the IOFs continued to terrorize families, ransack and destroy more homes and buildings, and wreak havoc on everything in Nour Shams refugee camp, including roads, cars and infrastructure.

Similar IOFs practices were reported in Toulkarm refugee camp, where massive destruction and displacement of families already happened in previous weeks.

Local sources in Tulkarem camp appealed for providing families, who are still trapped in their homes, with food supplies, drinking water, medicines, and baby milk, describing the humanitarian situation in the camp as “increasingly unbearable.”

The sources added that the IOFs attacks and opens fire at anyone who tries to leave home or return to the camp.

Last night, Israeli forces and armored vehicles spread throughout Toulkarm City’s streets and continued to prevent the local residents in different neighborhoods from leaving their homes or the camp, especially in the eastern area.

The Israeli occupation forces reportedly detained, interrogated and assaulted a number of local young men near Al-Younus roundabout in the city’s northern neighborhood.

Meanwhile, IOFs bulldozers destroyed roads, infrastructure, cars and trees in the city’s eastern neighborhood and blocked its entrances with mounds of dirt and debris.

In a separate incident, violent clashes broke out on Monday evening between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in Bait Ummar town, north of Al-Khaleel (Hebron).

Local sources reported that the IOFs fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades during skirmishes with young men in Bait Ummar town.

They added that the Israeli occupation soldiers stormed a house in the town and used its rooftop as a watchtower.

In Al-Khaleel (Hebron) City, the IOFs closed the barrier on the road leading to Al-Ibraheemiya School, for the second consecutive day, and prevented teachers and students from reaching it.

In Nablus, Israeli soldiers stormed a mosque in Burqa village, fired a stun grenade at its gate, barred worshipers from performing the Asr prayer, and interrogated them.

The IOFs also stormed the Tel village in the southwest of Nablus and opened fire at local youths during clashes with them, injuring one of them in his shoulder.

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IOFs raid homes, kidnap Palestinians in the West Bank

Tuesday 18-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) kidnapped last night and on Tuesday morning a number of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, amid clashes in some areas.

According to local sources, the IOFs kidnapped a young man identified as Dawood 'Hajjawi from his home after assaulting his mother and son and stealing gold jewelry.

Three other young citizens were kidnaped by the IOFs from their homes in Kafr Qaleel village, Osarin village, and 'Askar refugee camp in Nablus.

Israeli occupation forces also stormed Tal village in the southwest of Nablus, which provoked clashes with local youths.

Similar clashes with Israeli forces broke out in different areas of Nablus, including the towns of Baita and 'Awarta.

The IOFs also raided Madama village in southern Nablus and savagely beat a young man after ransacking his home.

In Qalqilya, the IOFs kidnapped three young men after ransacking their homes during a raid in 'Azzoun town.

Another young man was taken prisoner during an IOFs raid in Qalqilya City.

The IOFs also stormed the eastern area of 'Azzoun town in Qalqilya and ransacked homes, while intensively firing stun grenades.

In Ramallah, Israeli forces kidnaped two young men after assaulting them and members of their families and rampaging through their homes in Al-Jalazoan refugee camp and Bitillu town.

The IOFs also kidnapped a university student after raiding his home in Ramon town, east of Ramallah, and another one from his home in Silwad town, north of Ramallah.

Two others were kidnapped during an IOFs raid in Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi village, west of Ramallah.

In Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), the IOFs kidnapped four citizens from the city and three others from Al-Duhaisha refugee camp.

In Toulkarm, a citizen was kidnapped by the IOFs from his home in Al-Bawatin neighborhood in 'Anabta town.

In Jineen, the IOFs kidnapped a young man from his home in Maythaloan town.

The Israeli occupation forces also stormed Jineen City and carried out a teargas attack on citizens, injuring a 16-year-old teenager in his hands. Another young man suffered injuries when soldiers severely beat him during the same IOFs raid.

In Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), the Israeli police officers kidnapped two brothers from Al-'Eisawiya district.

***

Palestinians suffocate in southern West Bank village

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), February 18, 2025 (WAFA) – 

A number of Palestinians Tuesday evening suffocated in an Israeli army raid in Al-Khadir town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Bait La'hm (Bethlehem), according to WAFA correspondent.

He said that the occupying forces barged their way into the town, simultaneously while firing barrages of heavy concussion and tear gas grenades, causing a number of residents to suffocate from excessive tear gas inhalation.

The occupation forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost daily across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids are conducted without a search warrant whenever and wherever the military chooses, in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative, and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.

***

 Israel threatens detainees subjected to abuse not to report what is happening inside Israeli detention

RAMALLAH, February, 18, 2025 (WAFA) –

The spokesman for the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS), Amjad Al-Najjar, said that several Palestinian detainees were subjected to abuse and torture by the occupation prison administration, stressing that the prisoners, according to what the lawyers confirmed during their visits, were threatened not to convey the image of what was happening to them inside the Israeli detention.

Al-Najjar affirmed in a statement to the Voice of Palestine Radio that the detainees in Megiddo Prison were subjected to abuse and are suffering from severe cold in light of the lack of blankets and the prevention of bringing in clothes.

In a related context, Al-Najjar stated, quoting one of the released detainees, that the prisoners inside the same room exchange blankets and clothes, and some of them sleep during the day and others at night, due to the severe cold and their deprivation of their most basic rights.

Y.S.

***

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Aggression and Attacks by Illegal Israeli Settlers and Soldiers

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Note: Despite the Trump administration support for the Israeli occupation apartheid regime, the U.S. official policy is still considering the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories as illegal.

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Dozens of the illegal Israeli settlers defile Al-Aqsa Mosque under police guard

Tuesday 18-February-2025

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

Scores of the illegal Israeli settlers desecrated Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) on Tuesday morning and later in the afternoon, amid tight restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers to the holy site.

According to local sources, dozens of the illegal Israeli settlers entered the Mosque through its Maghariba Gate and provocatively toured its courtyards under police protection.

During their tours at the Islamic holy site, the settlers received lectures from rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a number of them provocatively performed Talmudic prayers.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation police imposed movement and entry restrictions on Muslim worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and gates and prevented many of them from entering the holy site.

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Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes, damage property in the West Bank

Tuesday 18-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

A horde of the illegal Israeli settlers attacked on Tuesday morning two Palestinian homes near the village of Wadi Ra'h-'hal, south of Baid La'hm (Bethlehem) in the occupied West Bank.

According to local sources, a group of settlers stormed Khallet Al-Na'hla area near Wadi Ra'h-'hal village and threw stones and sticks at the houses of Mu'hammed Abu Suri and his son, causing damage to them.

The sources added that the settlers also wreaked havoc on a car belonging to Abu Suri.

In Aree'ha (Jericho), a group of settlers and Israeli soldiers stormed on the same day the Bedouin community of Ras 'Ain Al-'Auja and kidnaped three local residents.

Local sources reported that settlers entered the community and embarked on grazing their sheep near the homes, while the soldiers escorting them subdued and kidnaped three local young men as they tried to fend off the settlers.

In Ramallah, another horde of settlers went on the rampage through an agricultural area in Bitillu village.

Local sources said that settlers infiltrated into swaths of land belonging to Ma'hmoud Radhwan and his son in the natural reserve of Al-'Ain Al-Zarqa village, and set fire to four water pumps used for agricultural purposes, damaged a plastic house and spray-painted hostile graffiti.

In a separate incident, the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs) demolished today seven crude homes, one tent and one sheepfold in Masafir Yatta area, south of Al-Khaleel. A number of Bedouin families were living in those homes.

The IOFs also displaced a Palestinian family after demolishing its two-story house and one small store belonging to them in Kafr Al-Deek town, west of Salfeet.

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The Israeli occupation apartheid regime legalizes an illegal settlement outpost in Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

Tuesday 18-February-2025

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)

The commander of the central region in the Israeli occupation army issued a resolution on Tuesday to officially turn Edorim settlement outpost, built on Dura town lands south of Al-Khaleel (Hebron), into a settlement.

The outpost’s settlers received the decision from the military commander who visited it today, noting that it was built on privately owned Palestinian land in Al-Majnouna area in Doura.

This came in implementation of a decision issued by the Israeli government last June in response to a request by the extremist Israeli minister of finance Bezalel Smotrich, to legalize five random settlement outposts in the West Bank.

The settlement outpost was established in July 2021 by seven Jewish families who were later evacuated by the Israeli occupation forces (IOFs), while it remained under the IOF’s control.

The same plot of land, which belongs to families from Dura, was confiscated by the IOFs in the 1970s and the Edorim military base was built on it.

After the army evacuated it in 2010, the “Hebron Mountain” settlement council established a regional emergency center, and settlers then took control over it.

***

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime police demolish four Palestinian houses in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Tuesday 18-February-2025

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), (PIC)

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime police demolished on Tuesday four Palestinian houses in the town of Jabal Al-Mukabbir, southeast of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem), under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

Witnesses reported that Israeli occupation police and army forces stormed the town, escorted by bulldozers and municipality teams, and demolished the homes of the brothers 'Ali, Ameen, 'Hamid and Mu'hammed Halasa.

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime obliges Palestinian citizens in occupied Jerusalem, to self-demolish their homes under the pretext of unlicensed construction, and whoever refuses this measure will have his house knocked down by Israeli bulldozers for exorbitant prices.

The Israeli occupation municipality in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) refrains from granting Palestinian citizens construction licenses, forcing them to self-demolish their own homes in a measure that is inconsistent with international and humanitarian laws which guarantee the right to housing, within the framework of the systematic occupation practices to forcibly displace the Palestinians from the city of Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) in favor of the illegal Israeli settlement expansion.

According to data published by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority, the Israeli occupation authorities carried out 76 demolitions in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) last month that affected 126 facilities, including 74 inhabited and 4 uninhabited houses, as well as 29 agricultural and other structures.

***

***

News Related to the Israeli Genocidal War on the Palestinian People

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'Hamas: Israel’s crimes in the West Bank will not stop our people’s resistance

Tuesday 18-February-2025

WEST BANK, (PIC)

The Palestinian Resistance Movement, 'Hamas, has affirmed that Israel’s crimes of destruction and displacement in the occupied West Bank, particularly in Toulkarm City and its refugee camps, “will not dissuade the Palestinian people from upholding the resistance option and confronting the occupation’s criminal plots.”

“The scenes of demolition, destruction and forced displacement in Toulkarm and its refugee camp unveil the fascist nature of the occupation and vindicate further its persistence in its policy of genocide, displacement and ethnic cleansing against our people in all areas of their presence,” Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday.

'Hamas stressed that the resistance’s escalation of its confrontation with the Israeli occupation and its forces is the only way to curb its crimes and stop its aggression against the Palestinian people, their land and holy sites.

“The West Bank is going through a critical phase that entails closing ranks, strengthening the resistance action and intensifying our people’s efforts to thwart the occupation’s plots,” 'Hamas underlined.

The Movement urged the Palestinian masses everywhere to provide every support for their compatriot in Toulkarm, Jineen, and other areas of the West Bank.

***

UNRWA pledges to continue providing services despite Israeli raids

RAMALLAH, February 18, 2025 (WAFA) –

The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Tuesday evening pledged to continue providing services despite the raids conducted by the Israeli occupation forces into the Agency’s schools in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem).

These remarks were made as part of a press statement by the UNRWA West Bank Public Information Office.

The Israeli occupying forces and personnel from the Jerusalem Municipality stormed the UNRWA Qalandya Training Centre. They forced its administration to close its doors after evacuating 350 trainees and 70 staff members.

They also barged their way into UNRWA schools in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Sour Bahir, Silwan, and Wadi Al-Joaz, and ordered their closure, affecting 250 students.

The UNRWA West Bank Public Information Office added that despite the raids, the school day continued as usual in its schools in Sour Bahir and Silwan, while students were evacuated from the school in Wadi Al-Joaz to ensure their safety.

It slammed the raids as an unacceptable violation of UNRWA’s privileges and immunities as well as a deprivation of the right to education for students and trainees.

The raids came as an Israeli decision to ban UNRWA's activities took effect on Jan. 30, forcing the UN agency to shut down all its operations in East Jerusalem.

K.F.

***

Lazzarini condemns Israeli forces’ closure of UNRWA schools in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) a violation of basic right to education and UN privileges and immunities

NEW YORK, February 18, 2025 (WAFA) -

UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the storming of the UNRWA Kalandya Training Centre by Israeli forces and staff from the West Jerusalem Municipality, as well as the closure of UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem, calling such actions a violation of the basic right to education and United Nations privileges and immunities.

“Today, Israeli forces and personnel from the Jerusalem Municipality forcefully entered the UNRWA Kalandya Training Centre and ordered its immediate evacuation,” Lazzarini stated in a post on X. “At least 350 students and 30 staff members were present and affected. Tear gas and sound bombs were fired.”

Additionally, this morning, Israeli police officers, accompanied by staff from the Jerusalem Municipality, went to UNRWA schools and ordered their closure, he added.

“Today’s incidents have affected 250 children in three UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem and 350 trainees at the Qalandya Training Centre, a large United Nations compound,” he said.

He concluded by emphasizing that children's access to education must be preserved and that United Nations facilities must be protected and respected at all times, wherever they are.

T.R.

***

EU affirms need for international community to make collective efforts to support just and lasting peace in Palestine

Al-Quds (occupation Jerusalem), February 18, 2025 (WAFA) –

The European Union (EU) Tuesday affirmed the need for the international community to make collective efforts to support a just and lasting peace in Palestine.

“The international community must make collective efforts to support a just and lasting peace that leads to the realization of the two-State solution – Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side-by-side in peace and security, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law, with Al-Quds (occupation Jerusalem) as the capital of both States,” the EU said in a press statement.

It added that it would “continue to support all efforts towards that goal.”

Commenting on the recently published Interim Damage and Needs Assessment for the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, it said that the assessment reveals that $53.2 billion is needed for recovery and reconstruction over the next decade, with Gaza sustaining the vast majority of the destruction.

“This overall figure reflects total estimated physical infrastructure damage around US$29.9 billion and economic and social losses around US$19.1 billion,” it elaborated.

The EU pointed out that this joint assessment conducted by the European Union, United Nations and World Bank, found that housing requires the largest share of recovery needs, with an estimated $15.2 billion, accounting for around 30% of total recovery needs.

“The health sector ($6.9 billion), commerce and industry ($6.9 billion), and agriculture and food systems ($4.2 billion), also require a large share of recovery needs due to their extensive damage and socioeconomic importance. The education sector requires $3.8 billion for recovery and reconstruction,” it said.

“Over the next three years, an estimated $20 billion will be required to stabilize essential services and lay the groundwork for long-term recovery,” it added.

It affirmed that “From the perspective of the European Union any viable recovery and reconstruction process must be firmly rooted in a broader political and security framework.”

It expressed its belief that “large-scale recovery requires clear political and operational conditions to be met. These include effective security and governance frameworks, significantly improved access for goods and people into Gaza, and Palestinian leadership in reconstruction.”

K.F.

***

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Editorial Notes about terms & names of people and places:

1. Names of people and places have been standardized to match standard Arabic grammatical rules.

2. Underlined letters and letters preceded by an apostrophe are references to Arabic letter sounds, which does not exist in the English alphabet.

3. The English letter i is equivalent to the Arabic short vowel known as kasra, as in Ibraheem and Qasim as well as in the English words sit and bit. So, it is incorrect to use it as a long vowel for such Arabic names as Jameel and Jibreel.

4. The English letter e is equivalent to the Arabi short vowel known as fat'ha, as in A'hmed and Mu'hammed.

5. It is more accurate to refer to the land-grabbing Israelis, who establish illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, as illegal Israeli settlers, than referring to them as colonists.

The term colony is a reference to a large entity or a country, such as American states before independence. It was also a reference to Egypt, and India, when they were British colonies.

In addition, the term "colony" represents a positive nostalgic theme, in the minds of native speakers of English, particularly in America and Britain.

6. It is more accurate to use the verbs "abduct" and "kidnap" than the verbs "detain" and "arrest," in reference to taking Palestinian citizens by force to prisons and interrogation centers, by Israeli occupation regime soldiers. This is because the presence of the Israeli occupation regime forces is illegal in the Palestinian territories, and they have no jurisdiction over the Palestinian people.

Click here for more about using the apostrophe and the underlining of letters in the transliteration of Arabic names. 

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Names of some of the Palestinian cities, as pronounced in standard Arabic, and their foreign names in parentheses: 

Al-Khaleel (Hebron)

Al-Nusayrat

Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem)

Aree'ha (Jericho)

Al-Zaytoun (al-Zeitoun)

Bait (Beit)

Bait La'hm (Bethlehem)

Dair El-Bala'h

Jineen (Jenin)

Khan Younus (Khan Younis)

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Person's names as pronounced in standard Arabic:

A'hmed, 'Hasan, Mu'hammed, Younus, Yousuf,  

'Hasan Mulai'hat,

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Conflict terminology

The Israeli occupation apartheid regime (the Israeli government)

Illegal Israeli settlers (instead of settlers, colonists)

A group of the illegal Israeli settlers

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