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Israeli military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of 226 Palestinians and the destruction of 57 homes over a seven-day period ending February 3, 2025, according to a report by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Media Observatory.
The findings, part of a broader documentation of alleged Israeli violations, underscore a sharp escalation in violence amid stalled peace efforts and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Casualties from January 28 to February 3 included 25 fatalities in the West Bank and 12 in Gaza, with recovery teams uncovering 188 additional bodies in the Strip—victims of ongoing hostilities despite a fragile ceasefire. Since October 2023, the OIC estimates 48,426 Palestinians have been killed and 118,299 wounded, though these figures remain contested by Israeli authorities, who claim operations target militant groups.
In the West Bank, raids targeted Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Hebron, with infrastructure strikes leveling streets and damaging utilities. Palestinian health services faced severe disruptions: Israeli forces besieged multiple hospitals, including Tulkarm’s Red Crescent Hospital and Al-Maqased Charitable Hospital in East Jerusalem, detaining medical staff and blocking ambulances. “These actions cripple our ability to treat the wounded,” said a spokesperson for Thabet Thabet Hospital, which saw its emergency department raided.
Religious and cultural sites also bore the brunt of attacks. Settlers stormed Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque 2,433 times in one week, while Israeli forces demolished Jenin’s Hamza Mosque and a prayer hall in Sur Baher. A mosque in Jericho was burned, and schools in East Jerusalem were raided, with textbooks confiscated and teachers arrested.
Mass arrests saw 246 Palestinians detained, including minors, as bulldozers razed homes and businesses. Agricultural lands in Salfit and olive groves in Takwira were destroyed, compounding economic devastation in rural communities. Settler violence surged, with 27 documented attacks ranging from livestock theft to flooding Palestinian farmland with polluted water.
In Gaza, despite a nominal ceasefire, Israeli forces admitted to opening fire on civilians “approaching military zones,” while aid groups warned of collapsing healthcare systems due to blocked medical supplies. “Gaza is being strangled,” said a UN relief coordinator, citing “deliberate delays” in humanitarian access.
Settlement expansion further inflamed tensions, with new roads carved near Rotem and Yatta, and mobile outposts erected in Adh Dhahiriya and Bardala. Analysts describe these moves as part of a systematic effort to fragment Palestinian territories ahead of potential annexation—a violation of international law, according to the United Nations.
The OIC’s report, tallying 1,737 alleged Israeli violations in one week, has drawn condemnation from Arab states and calls for ICC intervention. Critics accuse Israel of leveraging military dominance to entrench occupation, while Israeli officials defend operations as counterterrorism measures. “We act only to protect our citizens,” stated a military spokesperson, denying allegations of collective punishment.
For journalists, the crisis presents a fraught reporting landscape. Balancing on-the-ground testimonies with official narratives remains challenging, particularly under strict Israeli media restrictions in conflict zones. The surge in violence also raises questions about the efficacy of international diplomacy, with EU envoys privately acknowledging “no viable roadmap” to de-escalation.
As casualties mount and settlements expand, the human cost of the conflict grows increasingly irreversible. For Palestinians in besieged cities like Jenin and Gaza’s Rafah, the week’s events underscore a bleak reality: without urgent international pressure, cycles of retaliation and displacement risk becoming permanent.
News Ghana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://newsghana.com.gh/escalating-violence-in-west-bank-and-gaza-leaves-226-dead-sparks-international-concern/
