Latest News Headlines of Palestine
BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes this afternoon targeting several towns and areas in southern Lebanon, according to local sources.
The airstrikes hit multiple locations in the towns of Marjayoun, Marwahin, Odaisseh, Meiss El Jabal, Tayr Harfa, and Jabal Balat.
Meanwhile, Israeli artillery targeted the towns of Houla, Al-Wazzani, and Markaba.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
HEBRON: A Palestinian young man succumbed to his injuries this evening after he had been shot and critically injured earlier today by Israeli occupation forces in the Old City of Hebron, according to medical sources.
WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces had heavily fired towards the young man, identified as Mahmoud Abdul Hafiz Nofal (42 years old), the Imam of Al-Qasim Mosque in the city, while he was present in the Islamic cemetery of Hebron.
He said Israeli soldiers prevented ambulance crews from reaching him, leading to him dying of his wounds a few hours later. His body was taken away by the Israeli occupation military.
Israeli occupation forces also intensified their presence in the Old City of Hebron, especially around the vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque, preventing journalists from accessing the area and obstructing the movement of local Palestinian citizens. Simultaneously, the Israeli army closed several streets in the city and erected military checkpoints on main roads leadi
ng to Hebron.
Later on, Israeli forces raided Nofal’s house in the Shu’abah neighborhood of Hebron, causing extensive damage to its contents, and detaining his family members for interrogation.
With the killing of Mahmoud Nofal, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation in the West Bank since the start of the all-out Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people on October 7th has risen to 435 martyrs, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
GAZA: Sorrow and misery linger over the tents of displaced individuals in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the city of Rafah, where over 1.5 million Palestinian citizens are crowded due to the ongoing Israeli war of genocide. They find themselves prey to hunger and thirst even during the holy month of Ramadan.
Maysaa Al-Balbisi, a 39-year-old woman from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, stood tearfully, holding her infant daughter in her arms, in front of a simple tent. Inside, she resides with her husband and two children in a makeshift shelter set up in the playground of the Shaboura market in Rafah.
Clad in black, mourning the loss of her relatives and the destruction of their homes, she expressed her despair about what to prepare for iftar on the first day of Ramadan. Speaking to France Presse, she said, “God is sufficient for us, there is nothing in the tent except one tomato and a small cheese tin without any bread.”
She added, “Everything is expensive; we can’t afford to buy vegetables, and even
fruits are unavailable… For suhoor, we had a few pieces of canned meat. We cannot afford to buy anything. Even the simplest things have skyrocketed in price.”
“This is not life; there is no water to drink or to wash our hands or cook food… Until now, we don’t know what we will have for iftar. We used to buy Ramadan supplies days before. But now, even cheese is exorbitantly priced,” she continued.
Her husband, Zaki Hussein Abu Mansour, 63, recounted how Israeli forces invaded Khan Younis near Rafah, where they were displaced initially, “without warning. Tanks bombarded homes, and the shelling continued above us for seven hours. Then we left with whatever clothes we had… Life here is very difficult. I’ve lost 20 kilograms, and I suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems. We cannot even afford a kilo of tomatoes…”
He lamented, “We are tired of food and life, martyrdom is better. I wish planes would bomb us and I die; that would be better than this life.”
The Gaza Strip, under cont
inuous Israeli aggression by land, sea, and air, is facing extremely dire humanitarian conditions, reaching the brink of famine, amidst severe shortages in food, water, medicine, and fuel.
The Israeli authorities continue to block and hinder the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, especially into northern areas. The aid reaching the southern part of the strip does not meet the needs of the residents, especially in Rafah, considered the last refuge for displaced individuals. Despite its limited area of approximately 65 square kilometers, Rafah hosts over 1.4 million Palestinians.
On the first night of Ramadan, around 500 worshippers managed to perform Taraweeh prayers at the Al-Awda Mosque, the largest in Rafah. However, they did not receive the usual distribution of water and dates, and Ramadan lanterns were not lit due to power outages. The worshippers relied on their phones amidst the darkness.
Aside from the rubble of the Al-Farouq Mosque in Rafah, targeted by Israeli airstrikes two weeks ear
lier, volunteers laid mats in preparation for Taraweeh prayers.
However, hundreds of thousands of worshippers will not be able to perform these prayers in mosques across the strip, as hundreds of them have been reduced to rubble or damaged due to Israeli bombardment.
In a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has resulted in nearly 32,000 Palestinians killed, the majority of whom are children and women, with injuries reaching 73,000 since October 7th of last year.
The specter of famine looms over the besieged enclave, where most of its inhabitants suffer from shortages of water, food, medicine, and fuel, according to the United Nations and testimonies of residents.
Rafah’s market has been stripped of its Ramadan decorations, with most food items, vegetables, and sweets unavailable. Only a few stalls display some kunafa stuffed with nuts or cheese, priced at up to 80 shekels ($22) per kilogram, beyond the means of most people.
In the Al-Awda Square in central Rafah, some stall
s exhibit small lanterns, while young men sell canned tuna, beans, chickpeas, cheese, peanut butter, and Egyptian dates they acquired as aid from displaced individuals. Others offer a few loaves of flatbread baked on wood stoves.
Displaced individuals speak with one voice expressing their pain and sorrow. Jamal Al-Khatib says, “There is no food at all, so how will we break our fast in Ramadan? How can we rejoice when there is no shelter, electricity, or water?”
Ahmed Khamees, 40, says, “There is no taste to Ramadan in this dirty and bloody war, a war of extermination, with no food or drink.”
Aouni Al-Kayyal, 50, describes Ramadan as “beginning sadly, shrouded in darkness, with the taste of death, blood, explosions, and bombardments. I heard the sound of the dawn caller… I woke up in my simple tent and found myself crying for our situation.”
Al-Kayyal adds, “The occupation does not want us to enjoy Ramadan. We have no food for iftar. My wife served the children some cheese and beans from the scarce aid w
e receive, along with old bread for suhoor. We couldn’t even find tea to make for them.”
Aya Abu Toha, 16, misses the “sweet life during Ramadan and its beautiful atmosphere… Everything was available, food, salads, vegetables, and fruits… Today, there is only destruction… They stole our lives.”
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
NABLUS: Israeli colonists launched an attack this evening on the outskirts of the village of Duma, located southeast of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
Suleiman Dawabsheh, the head of the village council of Duma, reported to WAFA that a group of colonists stormed the community of Ein Duma on the outskirts of the village, threatening local Palestinian residents with forcible eviction.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
NABLUS: This evening, Israeli colonist militias attacked homes of Palestinian citizens in the village of Burin, located south of Nablus, according to local sources.
The sources informed WAFA that a group of colonists attacked homes of Palestinians on the outskirts of the village, pelting them with stones and firing live ammunition into the air. No injuries were reported.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
RAMALLAH: President Mahmoud Abbas engaged in a phone conversation this evening with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The conversation discussed the urgent measures needed to cease the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
Both leaders stressed the imperative for Israel to completely withdraw from Gaza and cease all unilateral actions in the West Bank and Jerusalem. They underscored the critical need for Palestinian worshippers to access Al-Aqsa Mosque without hindrance.
Furthermore, President Abbas and Sheikh Tamim reaffirmed their dedication to delivering essential humanitarian aid through various channels and ensuring its prompt distribution to those in need. Additionally, they reiterated their commitment to preventing further displacement of the Palestinian people.
President Abbas extended sincere appreciation to Sheikh Tamim and the Qatari people for their unswerving support for the Palestinian cause on global platforms.
He applaude
d Qatar’s substantial contributions in providing both humanitarian and economic assistance to the Palestinian populace.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA