Above photo: Palestinians inspect the heavily damaged vehicle after the Israeli attack targeting the international and local officials with the World Central Kitchen, Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza, April 2, 2024. Omar ashtawy/APA Images.
Passes Law Banning Al Jazeera.
The World Central Kitchen called the attack that killed seven of its aid workers “unforgivable” as Israeli forces killed 71 people across the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the Israeli government voted to approve a bill banning Al Jazeera.
Casualties
- 32,916 + killed* and at least 75,494 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 451+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.**
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,139.
- 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and at least 3,302 injured.***
*Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed this figure on its Telegram channel. Some rights groups estimate the death toll to be much higher when accounting for those presumed dead.
** The death toll in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to the PA’s Ministry of Health on March 17, this is the latest figure.
*** This figure is released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.”
Key Developments
- Israel kills 71 Palestinians and wounds 102 in the Gaza Strip in 7 different massacres, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
- Israeli army kills seven aid workers of British, Polish, and Australian nationalities belonging to the World Central Kitchen in Deir al-Balah. WCK announces halt of operations in light of attack.
- Israeli government votes on a bill to ban Aljazeera and other media outlets, Netanyahu accuses Aljazeera of incitement against Israel.
- Gaza’s health ministry calls upon Palestinians to evacuate hospitals unless they are patients or wounded.
- In West Bank, one PAlestinian dies of wounds sustianed during Israeli army raid in Jenin.
- Israeli army raids Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem, arresting seven people.
Israeli Forces Kill 71 Palestinians, Wound 102 Across Gaza
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said in a statement on Tuesday that Israeli forces committed seven massacres against families in the Gaza Strip since Monday, killing 71 Palestinians and wounding 102, bringing the death toll of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip since October 7 to 32,916.
The ministry pointed out that medical teams haven’t been able to recover many more bodies buried under the rubble.
In Gaza City, Israel’s withdrawal from al-Shifa Hospital revealed the total destruction of the medical complex and its facilities. Accounts from residents in the area describe dead bodies with tied hands, indicating potential cases of execution.
In a statement, Gaza’s Government Media Office said that at least 400 Palestinians were killed and 900 were wounded during the two-week-long Israeli raid on Gaza’s largest hospital.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli forces bombed the al-Bashir mosque, killing one child and wounding 20 more people. Israeli artillery also bombed the village of al-Mighraqa north of the Nuseirat refugee camp.
In the southern Gaza Strip, two separate Israeli bombings killed 12 Palestinians in Rafah, including six people, in a bombing of the Zuurub family home. Meanwhile, Israeli artillery continued bombing the western neighborhoods of Khan Younis.
Israeli Strike Kills Seven International Aid Workers In Deir Al-Balah
Seven international aid workers were killed by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Bala, in the central Gaza Strip on Monday. The aid workers belonged to the US-based international humanitarian organization, the World Central Kitchen
The victims were of British, Canadian, Polish, and Australian, nationalities, and some of them had dual U.S. and Palestinian citizenship.
The World Central Kitchen said in a statement that its workers were leaving the organization’s warehouse in Deir al-Balah, moving through a “deconflicted zone” in three vehicles when the Israeli strike occurred, “despite coordinating movements” with the Israeli army.
“This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war, this is unforgivable,” said the WCK statement. The organization also announced the suspension of its operations in the Gaza Strip.
The World Central Kitchen had been engaged in delivering meals to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip, where the UN has warned of famine induced by Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid from entering the Strip. At least 31 people have died of starvation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of a 44-year-old Australian citizen among the team, calling the killing “completely unacceptable.” Albanese also said that his cabinet will call in Israel’s ambassador.
Israeli media quoted the Israeli army as saying that it will open an investigation into the incident.
Since October 7, Israeli strikes have killed at least 170 international humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip, according to Human Rights Watch.
Israeli Government Votes Bill Into Law Banning Al Jazeera
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to shut down the Qatari media network Aljazeera’s operations in Palestine soon. Netanyahu’s declaration after the ISralei Knesset passed a law that gives the government powers to
The law, dubbed the “Al Jazeera law,” was introduced after the Israeli army claimed that it found one Al Jazeera worker to be a member of Hamas, without providing more details.
The law sets the ground for the Israeli war cabinet to put a ban on the Qatari media network into effect. However, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom, Netanyahu and his cabinet “are not in a rush” to ban Al Jazeera from broadcasting, given Qatar’s role in mediating negotiations with Hamas.
On Monday, Netanyahu accused Al Jazeera of incitement against Israel and “actively taking part in the October 7 attack.”
Since October 7, Israeli strikes have killed 139 journalists in the Gaza Strip, including Aljazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqa. Back in December, only two months into Israel’s assault on Gaza, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists said that the Strip was the most dangerous place for journalists in the world.
One Palestinian Killed In Jenin As Israel Continues Raids Across The West Bank
A Palestinian was pronounced dead in Jenin on Tuesday after succumbing to his wounds caused earlier by Israeli forces during a military raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.
The martyr was identified as 20-year-old Rabea Faisal Zakarna, who was wounded on Saturday by Israeli forces that raided his town.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem late on Monday, where they were confronted by local youth throwing stones as well as armed clashes with Palestinian fighters. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported several injuries in Qalandia by Israeli fire.
Across the West Bank, Israeli forces raided several towns in the Nablus, Hebron, and Jericho governorates, arresting at least 40 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
Since October 7, Israel has arrested more than 7,600 Palestinians. Currently, Israel continues to hold 9,100 Palestinians in its jails, including 50 women, 200 children, and at least 3,500 detainees without charge or trial as part of its policy of administrative detention.
With the death of Rabea Zakarneh, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank rose to 456 since October 7 and 139 since the beginning of the year.