Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem, Lebanon - 2/1/25

REPORTS & JOURNALS

The Lancet estimates life expectancy in the Gaza Strip has been cut in half (-46.3%), dropping from a pre-war average of 75.5 years to 40.5 years. The authors note this is a conservative estimation as it does not consider the indirect effects of the war on mortality, such as lack of access to health care and malnutrition, so actual losses are likely higher. Using estimates from the United Nations’ World Population Prospects 2024, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and Global South Insights analyzed the decline in Palestinian life expectancy caused by the Israeli bombardment in Gaza and found that Palestinian life expectancy at birth fell by 11.5 years between 2022 and 2023, from a respectable 76.7 years in 2022 to just 65.2 years in 2023. A Palestinian life is now more than seventeen years shorter than an Israeli one. here, here

A City of Ghosts” — Returning to Rafah to Find Death and Destruction. Over 80 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since the ceasefire took hold, 49 of them in Rafah alone. here

In the year since the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take immediate steps to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, the situation on the ground has only deteriorated, highlighting Israel’s “colossal failure” in implementing the measures, a group of aid organizations said in a report just released. At the same time, the surge in aid Gaza has seen since Israel’s fragile ceasefire with Hamas took effect a little more than a week ago underscores how “simple it would have been for the government of Israel to have decided to provide the bare minimum needed for Palestinians to survive at any point.” here & here

Destruction of life and homes leaves people unable to return safely to Rafah, here

Israel Escalates West Bank Military Assault, Invading Areas Across the North, Israel’s defense minister says troops will remain in Jenin refugee camp indefinitely. here

‘People Will Die’: Trump’s Ban on Humanitarian Aid here

The Cost Of Action & Impunity – Médecins du Monde: One year has passed since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures, demanding that Israel take immediate action in guaranteeing the protection of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza from acts of genocide and that there is a real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice to these rights. Despite this clear legal directive, over the past year up to the ceasefire agreement, no meaningful actions to address Gaza's dire humanitarian conditions were observed, allowing the crisis to spiral further in blatant violation of the provisional measures. here

PODCAST & VIDEOS

Gaza post ceasefire – Aljazeera here

GAZA

The ceasefire in Gaza began on 1/19. UN and other aid organizations immediately began dispatching critically needed goods, distributing fuel, and repairing infrastructure. To date, 3 groups of hostages were released by armed Palestinian groups and 3 groups of Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons, with another pair of releases scheduled for 2/1.

For more Gaza data, here

Killed: 47,354 + (193 this week, 171 of whom were corpses unearthed in the rubble)

Injured: 111,563+ (397 this week)

Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: 405 (0 this week)

Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza: 2,570

Hostages in Gaza: 82

1/29 As the “ceasefire” in Gaza extends into its second week, the confirmed Palestinian death toll continues to climb every day. This is for two reasons. The daily bulletin published by the ministry of health in Gaza shows the number of bodies recovered from under the rubble as Palestinians return to their neighborhoods to search for the remains of their families and loved ones. Today’s report shows 59 bodies were recovered over the preceding 24 hours; the day before that it was 37. The second reason the official death toll continues to climb is because Israel continues to kill Palestinians every day in Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire. Two were killed in the last 24 hours, 11 the day before that. The majority of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19 have been in Rafah.

1/1/25, there were 10,221 Palestinians in Israeli custody: 2,025 sentenced;, 2,934 remand detainees; 3,376 administrative detainees (held without trial); and 1,886 “unlawful combatants.” It remains unknown how many additional Palestinians from Gaza were detained by Israeli military since October 2023.

Israeli attacks

• Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue to cause casualties among Palestinians.

• 1/22, 1 killed and 2 injured by an unexploded ordnance near Jabalya.

• 1/27, girl killed and others injured when their animal-driven cart was hit on Al Rashid Road, northwest of An Nuseirat.

• 1/27, 1 killed and others injured when their bulldozer was hit near An Nuseirat.

The current situation

• Since the ceasefire, a surge in aid supplies has expanded delivery of lifesaving assistance and services across Gaza, including areas previously under siege. The bulk of supplies now consist of food, with an increase in shelter, medical, water and sanitation supplies planned. The WFP said it brought more food to people in Gaza in the first 4 days of the ceasefire than what was previously allowable by Israel in a month.

• 1/28, 13 WFP-supported bakeries resumed full capacity operations: 8 in Deir al Balah, 5 in Khan Younis. Free bread distribution at community kitchens has resumed, WFP, UNRWA and partners are providing 2 food parcels and one 25-kilo to families, sufficient for 1½ months.

• 1/22, fuel was delivered to north Gaza for the first time post-ceasefire, providing electricity for humanitarian facilities and services. Cooking gas is still needed. WHO delivered 70,000 liters of fuel to Gaza City to support 20 partially functional health facilities and ambulances. Fuel from UNICEF supports the operation of sewage pumps and 13 wells in north Gaza for the first time in more than 3 months, urgently needed given the complete collapse of the water supply system.

• UNRWA scaled up its operations to bring 550,000 people food parcels in 9 days. Nearly 370 pallets of essential medications – including an 8-month supply of insulin syringes for over 17,000 people with diabetes – and laboratory and dental supplies have been dispatched to UNRWA-run health facilities, temporary clinics and medical points. UNRWA Mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) teams provided 12,500 sessions, over 5,500 children (200 with disabilities) participated in basic literacy, numeracy and recreational activities.

• Highlighting the immense challenges ahead, UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said: “UNICEF teams continue to encounter children in desperate need. The ceasefire has provided some relief, but families are returning to areas completely destroyed. Physical and emotional scars run deep.”

• 1/27, as part of the ceasefire, Israeli forces withdrew from parts of the Netzarim corridor, allowing tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and reunite with their families in the north. People returned both on foot via Ar Rasheed Road and in vehicles after undergoing a security inspection conducted by private foreign companies. NGOs provided people with emergency medical services, high-energy biscuits, bread and hot meals along with psychological first aid and information on unexploded ordnance. 25 ambulances were deployed. As of 1/28 over 376,000 people had crossed northward. Pregnant or lactating women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, people suffering from chronic illnesses or in need of urgent medical support and unaccompanied minors were key vulnerable groups observed among the returnees making the arduous journey by foot. 250 displaced people were hospitalized for exhaustion; an elderly Palestinian man reportedly died along the journey.

• Palestine Water Authority has found 70% of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in North Gaza are damaged, rendering water availability at just 3 liters per person per day. In Gaza City, destruction of the seawater desalination plant will cost US$5 million to repair and take a year to complete.

• Damage is overwhelming. For example, prior to October 2023, Rafah was home to about 275,000 people, but neighborhoods are unrecognizable due to enormous destruction. Healthcare and other basic services are largely unavailable, and many areas are too dangerous to return to due to unexploded ordnance and remnants of war.

• UN Environment Program estimates the war debris in Gaza at 50,773,496 tons; on average, 365 kilos (800 pounds) of debris per sq.km. Removal is expected to take 20 years and cost US$909 million. The UN Development Program (UNDP) chief Achim Steiner highlights that: “the level of destruction in the Gaza Strip is without precedent… Not only are there potentially bodies that have never been evacuated, there are also unexploded ordnance, landmines. It's a highly toxic environment."

• Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza released new statistics revealing that there are more than 38,000 newly-orphaned children since the genocide began. Ismail al-Thawabta, the director general of the Gaza government media office, said that more than 40% of families across Gaza are caring for orphaned children.

• Only days into Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas, 11 American doctors and nurses say the Israeli government is blocking them from leaving Gaza and returning to the US. The doctors, who entered Gaza on 1/9 with authorization and clearance from the Israeli government, were set to leave the enclave on 1/29. But Israel denied their planned exit, telling the group they couldn’t leave due to an unspecified “incident” at a security checkpoint.

• Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi says Palestinians will be allowed to leave through Rafah Crossing, but they will not be permitted to return. The Rafah Crossing is expected to open at the start of February. A European civil mission will be deployed to facilitate the evacuation of 300 wounded and sick individuals from Gaza each day, allowing them to access urgently needed medical care. Israel has been denying most medical evacuations since it took control of the crossing in May 2024.

WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM

The signing of the ceasefire in Gaza has sent the already high levels of Israeli violence against West Bank Palestinians into overdrive. Israeli military is not just protecting but often joining rampaging Israeli settlers in their pogroms against Palestinians. The internal strife in Jenin was compounded by Israeli military attacks displacing practically nearly all 20,000 residents.

This week, Israeli forces killed 20 Palestinians (2 children) and injured 81 (11 children).

Since 1/1, Israeli forces have killed 53 (8 children).

Killed since October 2023: 1019 (218 children) and injured: 16,332 (2,513 children).

Israeli deaths: 0 this week; 4 soldiers injured. For more detail: here

Israeli attacks

• 1/21, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 (1 child) in Ti'innik, north of Jenin.

• 1/22, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 in Birqin, west of Jenin. Israeli forces surrounded the house, then demolished it with air and ground strikes and bulldozer; shot the 60-year-old owner of the building.

• 1/24, Israeli airstrike killed 2 in Qabatiya, south of Jenin, damaging a residence and cars.

• 1/25, Israeli forces raided Ash Shuhada, south of Jenin, shooting and killing a baby and wounding her mother sheltering inside a relative's house.

• 1/25, Israeli forces raided Balata refugee camp, Nablus, firing tear gas and live ammunition at crowds celebrating the ceasefire release of a Palestinian detainee and killing one.

• 1/26, Palestinians threw stones and fireworks towards soldiers in a military tower near Qalandiya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem. The Israeli forces responded with gunfire, killing an 18-year-old and injuring 2 children.

• 1/26 two-year-old child, Layla al-Khatib, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli sniper near Al-Shuhada Triangle, south of Jenin.

• 1/27 two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle near Nur Shams refugee camp. The strike was followed by an Israeli military raid into the city and the siege of Thabet Thabet Hospital amid reports of a second strike, the details of which remain unclear.

• 1/28-29, Israeli forces killed 1 in Jenin, 1 in Tulkarm and 10 in Tammun (Tubas). Operations in Tulkarm damaged infrastructure, including water and electricity, and displaced 1,000 people. UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR); “several Palestinian families were already forced to leave their homes by the Israeli military for the duration of the operation, despite the fact they have nowhere to go in the middle of the winter.”

Settler Attacks

This week, settlers carried out 17 attacks against Palestinians, injuring 9 and damaging property (8 vehicles, 120+ mostly olive trees).

• 1/22, armed settlers with pepper spray and iron rods assaulted and injuring 5 Palestinians grazing sheep in Qawawis (Hebron). Israeli forces eventually dispersed the settlers.

• 1/26, masked settlers assaulted and injured a man in his home in ‘Ein al Hilwa – Um al Jmal herding community (Tubas), hospitalizing him.

• 1/27, settlers broke into the Bedouin community of Ras 'Ein al 'Auja community (Jericho) governorate and grazed livestock between houses, part of ongoing efforts to mix their livestock with the community’s and then claim ownership. They also harass Palestinians at the community’s water source, chasing and threatening anyone approaching the spring.

Demolitions

This week, Israeli authorities demolished 9 Palestinian-owned structures for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 11 people (5 children) and affecting 30 people (13 children).

• 1/26, the Jerusalem Municipality issued 32 stop work orders on all 42 homes (150 residents) and structures in Khallet an Nu’man village (Bethlehem), located within the Israeli-defined East Jerusalem boundaries, but whose residents hold West Bank identification. The construction of the Barrier has physically separated the village from other parts of the West Bank, which residents can only access via Mazmouriya checkpoint through which the transport of construction materials is not allowed.

Developments in Jenin

• 1/21, Israeli forces invaded Jenin with ground forces, helicopter gunfire and airstrikes killing 17 people, destroying homes and infrastructure, and displacing thousands. As Israel’s bombing of Gaza halted last week, it redirected its violence to the occupied West Bank. Israel’s military, police and domestic spy agency, the Shin Bet, jointly launched a large-scale, open-ended military operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, mere days after the Palestinian Authority concluded a deadly operation that lasted more than a month. In its latest invasion of Jenin, Israel killed at least 14 Palestinians, including a child, and injured at least 50 as it entered its fifth day on 1/25

• 1/27, the operation expanded beyond nearby villages and towns to Tulkarm city and its 2 refugee camps. Israeli forces bulldozed 3 km. of roads inside and near the camp, including those leading to Jenin Hospital, damaging water, sewage, and telecommunication infrastructure.

• Over the past 2 months, 120 houses in Jenin camp have been destroyed by Israeli forces and 50 by the Palestinian Authority. Access is restricted and dangerous, leading to the suspension of education and health services, solid waste collection and management, and infrastructure repair, all compromising hygiene conditions in the camp.

• UNRWA reports that Jenin refugee camp’s 3,200 families (20,000 people) have been displaced, mostly to Jenin city and 17 surrounding villages and towns.

• Between 1/2023 and 12/2024, Jenin governorate had the West Bank’s 2nd highest displacement rate (1,500 people). Tulkarm governorate had the highest: 2,050 Palestinians displaced by Israeli military operations. Another 3,600 Palestinians (1,400 children) were displaced across the West Bank due to home demolitions. As such, Israeli military operations are now the primary cause of displacement in the West Bank, accounting for 42% of all displacements. This is a huge increase compared to the 2 prior years (1/2021-12/2022), when Israeli military operations accounted for less than 2% of total displacement.

• Per Mariam Barghouti on X: Israel is doing what it has done in Gaza in the West Bank. But for the West Bank these practices are also paving the way for more settler annexation.

Access and Movement Restrictions

• Since mid-January, Israel has intensified access restrictions across the West Bank, impeding access to services and workplaces, causing long delays at checkpoints, 12 new entrance gates to towns and villages, and new roadblocks on secondary roads. OHCHR said: “suffocating restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement across the West Bank …[have been] practically tearing communities apart and largely paralyzing daily life.”

• According to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, there are currently 898 military checkpoints in the West Bank, including 18 that were installed since the beginning of this year. In response to these obstructions, some mosques and community centers have opened their doors to stranded travelers, allowing them to spend the night in nearby villages. Palestinians have also organized initiatives to provide food to those stuck at checkpoints.

UNRWA

• 1/26 UNRWA statement: The Government of Israel orders UNRWA to vacate its premises in occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations in them. here

• Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon told UN chief Antonio Guterres in a letter that the UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, must "cease its operations in Jerusalem, and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city" by 1/30, when an Israeli law banning the agency's operations there takes effect. Rumors are that Israel plans to build a settlement at the site.

• One rightwing deputy mayor, Aryeh King, called for protests outside on 1/30, adding “the countdown continues, three more days until UNRWA is expelled from Jerusalem”. The UNRWA commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, told the UN security council earlier this week that the closure would affect 70,000 patients and more than 1,000 students in East Jerusalem alone.

• Israel has insisted it will not back down over its plan to close down the Gaza operations of UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, even though critics say the move will jeopardize urgent humanitarian aid efforts. The move comes as UNRWA and other aid groups have been able, as part of the ceasefire agreement, to pour aid into the Gaza Strip after months of Israeli obstruction, amid warnings of imminent famine in some areas.

• Israel’s UNRWA ban will fuel chaos in Gaza and the West Bank just when stability is needed. Israeli authorities remain unsure how to enforce laws against UNRWA, with legal hurdles ahead. While accusations stem from its role in Palestinian society, Netanyahu is blocking globally backed efforts to transfer its duties to the Palestinian Authority.

• International staff working for UNRWA have been forced to leave their posts after Israel's ban on the agency came into effect earlier today. UNRWA spokesperson said Israel’s decision could trigger a collapse of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

• As Israel’s UNRWA Ban Kicks In, the UN Boss Must Be Ready for Day After, thoughts on the day after. here

• 1/16/25, Adalah petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court against the two laws targeting UNRWA. The petition was filed on behalf of Palestinian refugees who will be severely affected by the laws, along with Gisha - The Legal Center for Freedom of Movement. here

Israel Bans UNRWA as Trump Throttles Foreign Aid. UNRWA delivered the majority of food aid during the war and sheltered more than 1 million people. What happens when it’s banned? here

ISRAEL

• In Haaretz, 'In Gaza, they're amputating limbs without painkillers. Imagine your child going through that.' Dr. Guy Shalev, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, describes the country's deliberate destruction of Gaza's health system.

• Israel has further extended the ban on access to legal counsel for the detained director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, to 2/6, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has said. Detained on 12/27 by Israeli occupation forces during a raid on the hospital, Dr Abu Safiya “is being held without charges,” under laws that “have been systematically applied to detain Palestinian residents of Gaza, denying them basic human rights and legal safeguards.” here

LEBANON

• As the Lebanese people triumphantly returned to their recently occupied villages, putting an end to two months of perceived acquiescence and Israeli ambitions to extend its occupation of the country beyond the truce, the Lebanese presidency’s X account posted: “There is no truth to the news about Israel informing Lebanon that it will remain at five border points for 15 days.”

US

• Gaza checkpoint to be staffed by scores of armed American contractors. A small U.S. security firm is hiring nearly 100 U.S. special forces veterans to help run a checkpoint in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas truce, according to a company spokesperson and a recruitment email seen by Reuters, introducing armed American contractors into the heart of one of the world's most violent conflict zones. UG Solutions - a low-profile company founded in 2023 and based in Davidson, North Carolina - is offering a daily rate starting at $1,100 with a $10,000 advance to veterans it hires. here

• UC Berkeley is moving ahead with an event disputing 10/7 rapes, citing academic freedom. A university investigation into complaints that the panel discussion focused on how 'Zionism weaponizes feminism' found no evidence that students were forced to attend the event.

• Jewish Voice for Peace calls out Trump’s call “that Israel should ‘clean out the whole thing” as “Ethnic cleansing by another name.” JVP also notes the Senate blocked the ICC sanctions bill. here

• “Operation Wrath of Zion” aims to dox and deport pro-Palestinian protestors in NYC. Trump signed an executive order to cancel the visas of college students who protest in support of Palestine, opening the path to their deportation. A small company called Stellar Defense and Cyber Intelligence is ready to help by deploying AI for facial recognition to intimidate and expose activists.

• Trump has suggested large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “just clean out” the whole strip, after ordering the US military to restart shipments of 2,000lb bombs to Israel. He wants Gaza residents to move to neighboring nations, and that they could be displaced “temporarily or could be long-term”, after a phone call with Jordan’s King Abdullah.

• Scholar Raz Segal recounts the strange experience of being attacked as an antisemite, despite being Jewish himself and studying the Holocaust and other genocides, for the high crime of opposing Israel’s slaughter in Gaza. here

INTERNATIONAL

• Electronic Intifada’s executive director Ali Abunimah was arrested by Swiss police ahead of a speaking event in Zurich on 1/25. He was detained and had access to legal counsel. The arrest came one day after Abunimah arrived in Zurich for a speaking tour. He was deported on 1/27. Euro-Med Monitor, a Geneva-based human rights group, condemned Abunimah’s arrest. They said it was a “dangerous development that reflects a growing trend in Western governments to censor free speech and target journalists and activists who document the suffering of victims and stand up for Palestinian rights.”

• Ali Abunimah was deported by Switzerland after spending 2 nights in jail. He described his experience upon arrival to Istanbul airport. He said that he was “cut off from communication with the outside world” and “not even permitted to contact my family.” He said that police accused him of “offending against Swiss law” but was not presented with any charges. Abunimah refused food and accepted only water during his detention until he was informed he would be going home. Abunimah said he was unaware of the global outpouring of outrage and solidarity after his arrest while he was in detention, and said “I’m deeply grateful to each and every person who stood up for me.”

• New Zealand will now require every Israeli to provide details of their military service to receive a visitor visa. A 'genocide hotline' has also been set up by a local pro-Palestinian group, and Kiwis can now report on IDF troops visiting the country.

• Allowing Israel’s indicted Prime Minister Netanyahu safe passage to a Holocaust memorial service in Poland would “make a mockery” of Europe’s commitment to the International Criminal Court, according to Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief until last month Yet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk last week waived his country’s legal obligations as an ICC signatory to arrest Netanyahu, instead offering the Israeli leader unhindered travel to the 80th Auschwitz memorial service on 1/27. here

• Nine countries launch legal action against Israel over Gaza war. The Hague Group, made up of nine countries including South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia and Colombia, aims to hold Israel to account over its actions in Gaza here

SOURCES

OCHAOPT, Haaretz, Zeteo, Al Mezan, Palestine Chronicle, Electronic Intifada, The Guardian, Drop Site News, Democracy Now, Jewish Voice for Peace, Defend Democracy Press, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, Pass Blue, X Mariam Barghouti, Aljazeera, X Dropsite, New Arab, Reuters, Jacobin