During this peak period of hostilities, significant military actions included aerial assaults near Al-Farouq Mosque in Jabalia and Deir al-Balah, targeted strikes on civilian infrastructures in the Tuffah neighborhood, and the siege of the Indonesian Hospital. Additionally, Israeli occupation forces destroyed residential structures in Rafah, assassinated journalists Ahmed Abu Ar-Rus and Ahlam At-Taluli, and injured reporter Bashir Abu Shaar.
Severe weather exacerbated the plight of the displaced, with torrential rains flooding their tents in the Gaza Strip. Khan Yunis Municipality raised alarms regarding imminent public health and environmental crises due to these conditions.
Just hours before the ceasefire became effective, the Israeli authorities ordered evacuations in "Block D5 in Jabalia Al-Balad," an area that housed approximately 200,000 Palestinians prior to the military offensive.
In the West Bank and occupied Al-Quds, combative operations resulted in the arrests of 169 Palestinians within one week. At the same time, 15 were killed, homes were demolished, and numerous structures were destroyed in Jenin and Qalqilya.
The impact on the Palestinian economy was stark. Key facilities, including carpentry and aluminum shops, were demolished in Al-Quds, alongside four commercial outlets in Jenin and Qalqilya. Four facilities in Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Bethlehem were also demolished and burned. Agricultural land was bulldozed in Tubas, Nablus, and Salfit, and artesian wells were filled in Jenin.
Significant confiscations included 7.5 dunums of land in Al-Haraiq, adjacent to the "Beitar Illit" settlement, and a cement mixer in Salfit.
Over the past week, there have been three significant settlement expansion activities. Settlers engaged in land clearance operations in the Khirbet Humsa area of the northern Jordan Valley and in the village of Naqoura in Nablus, aimed at establishing new settlement outposts and a recreational park. Additionally, occupation forces commenced the construction of a 5 km settlement access road that traverses Palestinian agricultural land in the village of Al-Jab’a, extending connectivity to the neighboring villages of Wadi Fukin and Husan.
In recent incidents affecting educational institutions, occupation forces deployed tear gas canisters at Al-Khader Girls' Elementary School while conducting an operation in Al-Khader town. This aggressive action resulted in the besiegement of the school, compelling the administration to evacuate the students for their safety. Additionally, there was a breach of security at Al-Kaabneh Elementary School, located in the Al-Ma'arjat area northwest of Jericho, where settlers infiltrated the premises and traversed the school grounds.
During the specified period, the Observatory recorded a total of 72 settler-related assaults, which escalated notably on the eve of and following the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Most of these incidents were characterized as retaliatory actions, exemplified by the torching of vehicles and the physical assault and vandalism of property along the Ramallah-Nablus corridor and in the town of Sinjil. In the villages encompassing Nablus and Ramallah, settlers set ablaze a vehicle, a residential structure, and agricultural land. In Tulkarm, they also incinerated a bulldozer. Numerous assaults on Palestinians occurred throughout various villages in the West Bank, destroying approximately 300 olive trees and seedlings, alongside the damage of 50 additional trees, primarily in regions such as Bethlehem, Salfit, and Nablus. Additionally, there were reports of bulldozing agricultural plots under the guise of vandalism in Ramallah and Jericho. Settlers also released livestock to graze on Palestinian agricultural lands in Ramallah and set fire to farmland in Qalqilya, exacerbating the situation for local farmers.
Recent reports highlight an uptick in criminal activity attributed to settlers, as evidenced by several thefts in Palestinian territories. Notably, three donkeys were taken from the village of Al-Minya, alongside the theft of 53 sheep from the Arab Al-Malihat community in Jericho. Additionally, a locomotive was pilfered in the village of Jourat Al-Sham’a, located in Bethlehem. Over a span of just seven days, these incidents contribute to a staggering total of 3,063 reported crimes across various Palestinian regions.
21 January 2025