“Let’s be clear: Denial of humanitarian access means denial of humanitarian relief for civilians,” the Secretary-General stressed, and continued to express deep concerns over reports that the Israeli military intends to focus next on Rafah. He continued: “Half of Gaza’s population is now crammed into Rafah. They have nowhere to go. They have no homes – and they have no hope.” 

During the month of February, Israel announced its plans to attack the last remaining city in Gaza, Rafah (south). Rafah housed an estimate of 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza taking refuge (estimates varied from 1.7 to 1.9 million Palestinians). Attacking Rafah would translate into an extensive massacre, jeopardizing the lives of the innocent, and adding to the extremely high number of Palestinian causalities. By the end of February, the number of killed Palestinians exceeded 30,000, while the number of injured surpassed 70,000, bringing the total to more than 100,000 in only five months. This number does not include the hundreds or thousands still under the rubble (the count is undetermined due to the intense bombings and inability to clear the rubbles). While this also doesn’t account for the fact that the entire population of 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza is now bereft of shelter, safety, and basic order, food, water, and medical care.

Israel’s relentlessly violent attacks included a violent two-week ground incursion into Nasser Medical hospital, which is one of the largest functioning hospitals in the Gaza Strip, at this point in time, which Israel continues to destroy. The hospital was declared completely dysfunctional on the 18th of February. Israel flagrantly disregarded the Geneva Convention which obliges the protection of the wounded and sick. The end of February also revealed the serious number of sexual assaults, murders, and deliberate targeting of women and girls. While the end of February witnessed the “Flour Massacre” where Israel intentionally killed at least 112 people gathered to collect flour due to the starvation facing the Strip based on the scarcity of any food after five months of continuous bombardment and full fledge aggression – including the shelling of bakeries. Israel claimed numerous times that Hamas is stealing the aid, but there was no evidence presented, and furthermore, the massacre was a deliberate act of aggression against starving citizens. With that, the unemployment rate reached 89%. While on the education side, the Ministry of Education announced that 4,895 students have been murdered and 8,514 injured since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank on October 7th.

As for the West Bank, the Israeli forces continued its policy of settlement expansion, deliberate killings, and mass arrests of Palestinians throughout. The daily arrest rate in the West Bank reached 31 detainees, with various reports indicating cases of torture in Israeli prisons. In the field of settlement and land control, the Minister of Finance and Minister of Security in the Israeli government, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the construction of thousands of new settlement units in the West Bank, in addition to the approval of the Planning and Building Committee for approximately 7,000 settlement units to be built in the West Bank. While Israeli politicians also made it clear their lack of intention in maintaining the two State solution, in addition to the clear intention of re-settling Gaza with Israelis. The Knesset voted on a declaration rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state with an extraordinary and historic consensus of 99 out of 120 members in favor of a proposal submitted by the government to reject any imposition of a political solution or recognition of a state.

Intent - Politicians and Striking Statements:

During this month, Israeli politicians continued to express their refusal of a Palestinian state and their clear determination to re-settle and annex Gaza – further extending the statements to the West Bank.  Israeli politicians continue to re-iterate their intent to carry out this inhumane aggression which was deemed as a plausible case of Genocide by the International Court of Justice.

• “Settlement alone will bring security”: On February 2nd, the head of the West Bank Settlements Council, Yossi Dagan, wrote an article in Hebrew, titled: Settlements Alone Will Bring Security, and You Will Not Shut Our Mouths. The article stated that the withdrawal from Gaza was the first and fundamental mistake, and that correcting this mistake through return and re-settling in Gaza is the only solution to bring security to Israel after October 7th.

• “We’re going to do it”: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on February 11th that Israel must have security control in the Gaza Strip. He said, "We want, in effect, to bring about the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. This requires our security control and our comprehensive security responsibility over all territory west of the Jordan River, including the Gaza Strip. There is no alternative to this in the foreseeable future." There is a need to stay inside the Strip and enter all territories, and the army can do that; this will continue in the future."

• “We will not agree to the US imposing a Palestinians State on us”: On February 18 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will not agree to a Palestinian state being imposed on us," in response to reports that some Western countries, including the United States, are seeking recognition of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu also said in a speech that "Israel completely rejects the imposing of a political solution with the Palestinians."

• “There will never be a Palestinian State”: On February 19, Israeli Settlements Minister Orit Strook denied the existence of the Palestinian people and asserted that Israel should not allow the Palestinian State during a Knesset session

• "There will not be a Palestinian state": On February 26 Israeli Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Eli Cohen re-iterated the determination not to have a Palestinians State. He added, "If the price of expanding the Abraham Accords is a Palestinian state, then I oppose expanding the Abraham Accords. This is our land and our security, and there will not be a Palestinian state."

Legislation - Proposed Israeli Laws and Draft Laws:

In this period, there were actions taken by Israeli politicians to impose restrictions based on race – depriving Palestinians of basic rights. Furthermore, a proposal was approved by the Knesset to reject the recognition of a Palestinian State – further denying Palestinian self-determination. Below is a list from February:

• Rejecting unilaterally the recognition of a Palestinian State: The Knesset approved on February 21st, with a majority vote of 99 lawmakers out of 120, a proposal presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. This vote is exceptionally significant due to the majority obtained from both the opposition and the coalition.

• Preventing the promotion of Judge Joya Scapa Shapira based on allegations of being lenient against Palestinian citizens of Israel: On February 29th, Haaretz newspaper indicated that Israeli Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strook, and Member of Knesset Yitzhak Kroizer barred the promotion of Judge Joya Scapa Shapira based on the claim that she issued lenient judgments against Arab citizens in Israel and was not decisive enough in cases involving expression of opinion by Arab citizens. This decision is further politicizing the judiciary system to align with the right-wing direction of the government and the political persecution of Palestinians.

• Restricting Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from entering Al-Aqsa: On February 20th, the Israeli government discussed barring most Palestinians from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers during the month of Ramadan. Minister of Public Security Itamar Ben-Gvir called for age-related restrictions on worshippers, allowing only those over the age of 40 to enter the mosque. Although the government did not ultimately adopt the minister's position, this discussion itself constitutes a violation of the principle of freedom of worship.

Expropriation of Landed Property:

During this month, there were various settlement projects revealed. The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Security, Bezalel Smotrich, issued a statement on February 23, stating that he had reached an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to build 2,402 new settlement units in Ma'ale Adumim, 330 units in Kedar, and 694 units in Efrat. The Israeli government will push the project to the Planning and Building Unit responsible for the final approval. It's important to note that Smotrich announced the plan in retaliation to a Palestinian attack on a military checkpoint separating Ma'ale Adumim from Jerusalem, to get the Israeli public’s approval and blessing. This constitutes collective punishment against Palestinians, subjecting them to loss and expropriation of their lands. According to Peace Now Foundation, this plan is considered very significant and will pose major obstacles to achieving a "two-state solution" as it imposes new facts on the ground.

According to Peace Now Foundation, the Israeli Settlement Committee approved the construction of 7,157 new settlement units in the West Bank. This committee is affiliated with the Planning and Building Authority and is responsible for construction in the West Bank. This came through the approval of 43 plans distributed among 37 settlements and settlement outposts spread across all areas of the West Bank, including four plans to legitimize existing outposts that were considered "illegal." The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that plan led by Israeli Finance Minister.

There was a clear focus in seizing land around Jerusalem and further expanding the settlements, during this month, but also seizing land in other areas that include Hebron, Salfit and Nablus.

• February 5: the Israeli army erected a military tower and caravans in the area of Dhahr Fatimah in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, placing the tower and caravans near vast lands estimated at hundreds of acres planted with grapes and almonds.

• February 7: Israeli forces prevented farmers from cultivating their lands and accessing pastures in Masaffer Yatta, south of Hebron. The Israeli forces also erected a tower on those lands. Furthermore, Israeli forces closed and bulldozed the area of Friday Market in Jerusalem – demolishing it, as the Israeli court issued a temporary closure order for the parking lot near the northeastern corner of the Jerusalem Wall. The Israeli municipality crew and the Nature Authority invaded the site before the excavation operations and attempted to install the monument of the unknown soldier at the entrance to the adjacent Yusifiya cemetery near the eastern wall.

• February 10: Israeli forces demolished an agricultural room, stone chains, and destroyed an electric meter in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan west of Salfit.

• February 15: Israeli authorities confiscated 2 acres (8 dunums) of land from the village of Deir Dibwan east of Ramallah. Israeli forces also erected an iron gate at the entrance to the village of Burin south of Nablus.

• February 16: Israeli forces closed the Wadi al-Laban road east of Bethlehem, which is the alternative route Palestinians take when the checkpoint separating the southern West Bank from its center and north is closed – known as the Container Checkpoint.

• February 25: Israeli forces carved out a settler road and uprooted more than 50 trees from the lands of the village of Sarta, west of Salfit. Israeli forces installed surveillance cameras on the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque and placed three cement blocks atop the western wall.

• February 28: Israeli forces bulldozed and destroyed three houses in the village of Al-Walaja northwest of Bethlehem.

• February 29: Israeli forces seized 2,640 dunams of land from the towns of Abu Dis, Al-Eizariya, and Arab Al-Sawahreh east of Jerusalem.

Crimes and Violations

During the month of February, the Israeli army carried out 1,235 invasions, raids and military operations in the West Bank, averaging 42 per day. The attacks were distributed across the West Bank, including Jerusalem killing several children, but also women and men.  Additionally, 49 schools in the West Bank were invaded and damaged. In parallel, settler activity in the West Bank intensified targeting Palestinians, their property, and land. Settlers attacked Palestinians more than 138 times in the month of February, averaging 5 attacks per day.  There was a significant and recognizable focus on Hebron, and in specific Masafer Yatta, in addition to Jerusalem, targeting Palestinian shepherds, residents, and their property: trees, homes, vehicles, farms, and more. The violations are in violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and various other international laws. Furthermore, they are designed to drive people out of their places of residence seeking safety as an Israeli approach to ensure continued expropriation of land and hence further ethnic cleansing – practices that are in violation with the Apartheid Convention. Below is a daily breakdown of the attacks, which is not totally comprehensive, as there are other unaccounted for attacks. 

• February 1: settlers uprooted 450 olive and almond seedlings in the village of Deir Sharaf west of Nablus. They also attacked the Arab al-Mleihat gathering northwest of Jericho, attempting to run over the livestock of the residents. Settlers uprooted 300 vines in the village of Bittir, west of Bethlehem.

• February 2: settlers attacked the village of Al-Sawiya south of Nablus, setting a vehicle on fire and assaulting some homes of the villagers. A settler ran over livestock in the village of Kisan east of Bethlehem, resulting in the death of one head of livestock and the injury of another.

• February 3: settlers prevented Palestinian shepherds from herding their livestock in the Arab al-Mleihat area northwest of Jericho. They assaulted farmers in the Ein al-Auja gathering north of Jericho, stealing 10 sheep from the farmers. Settlers attacked a German monk in Jerusalem. Witnesses stated that the head of the Benedictine monks in the Holy Land, Father Nikodemus Schnabel, was subjected to an assault and spitting by a settler, while another settler insulted Jesus Christ with obscene words. While Israeli forces raided the towns of Qiffin and Kafr Al-Labad north of Tulkarem. Simultaneously, with the field invasion, an Israeli reconnaissance plane flew at low altitude, and the Israeli forces fired intensively.

• February 4: Israeli forces invaded the Balata refugee camp east of Nablus, firing heavily, and a bulldozer demolished the market street.

• February 5: Israeli forces raided several houses in the town of Beit Furik east of Nablus, conducting searches and sabotaging the interiors of people’s home – while also investigating with their residents. While in Jerusalem area, the Israeli soldiers executed a child near the entrance of Al-Eizariya village east of Jerusalem. The child, Wadee' Oweisat, 14 years old from Jabal Al-Mukaber in Jerusalem, was shot and left bleeding to death. While in Hebron, Israeli forces also demolished a house in the village of Al-Burj southwest of Hebron.

• February 6: Israeli forces invaded the Jabara and Ein Sultan refugee camps and raided the homes of several killed people. The Israeli forces also demolished a house and issued demolition orders for six others in the village of Al-Nuweima north of Jericho.

• February 7: Israeli forces launched an aggression on the city of Tulkarem and the Nur Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarem, causing extensive damage to infrastructure, including the destruction of main streets, alleys, sewage networks, and water networks, in addition to the destruction of residents’ property. The Israeli forces raided the homes of the residents and arrested some young men. In parallel, settlers attacked residents and prevented them from accessing pastures in southern Hebron. Settlers chased shepherds in the Wadi al-Jawayah area in the vicinity of Masafer Yatta and destroyed nearly 100 dunams of agricultural crops belonging to the locals. Settlers also conducted provocative tours around the homes of the locals and prevented them from leaving their homes.

• February 8: the Israeli forces blew up the house of Hassan Qafisha in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, causing significant damage to the apartments, houses, and properties of the neighboring residents of the victim's apartment that was blown up. The Israeli army also demolished a livestock shack in the town of Yatma south of Nablus. Illegal Israeli settlers, on the other hand, attacked vehicles belonging to residents northwest of Nablus near the town of Bizzariya.

• February 9: Israeli forces invaded the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, searched dozens of houses, arrested 14 Palestinians from the town, stole money and gold, confiscated 20 vehicles from the town, and closed all entrances to the town. In parallel, a shepherd and his son were injured with bruises and wounds due to settler attacks in the village of Berqah east of Ramallah. Settlers installed lighting poles on the lands of locals in the Khallet al-Nahlah area near the village of Wadi Rahhal south of Bethlehem to provide electricity to a settlement outpost established on the lands of the locals in Khallet al-Nahlah.

• February 10: Israeli soldiers chased shepherds in the Al-Farisiya area in the northern Jordan Valley and subjecting them to detention. While settlers placed inciting stickers on the killed people' monument in the Yousifia Cemetery near Al-Aqsa Mosque. Settlers attacked shepherds and farmers in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron.

• February 11: settlers attacked the Arab al-Mleihat gathering near the Ma'arajat Road west of Jericho. Settlers demolished a dwelling, while also destroying and razing agricultural structures in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

• February 12: Israeli forces attacked participants in a funeral procession of a killed person in the city of Jerusalem, arresting some of them at the Gate of Mercy. Settlers, on the other hand, attacked homes of locals in the village of Madama and set a vehicle on fire in the village of Al-Sawiya south of Nablus. Additionally, a young man and a child were shot by settlers during an attack on the village of Asira al-Qibliya south of Nablus. Settlers targeted farmers in Masafer Yatta again – demolishing two tents, barn, uprooting trees, chasing shepherds, and more. Settlers also burned a truck in the town of Hawara south of Nablus.

• February 13: Israeli forces demolished two houses and a retaining wall in the village of Al-Walaja northwest of Bethlehem. The Israeli undercover forces shelled a house with tear gas canisters at the Jenin refugee camp, while in Sir, they attacked the house and demanded from a young man inside the house to surrender. In Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorates, the army also raided several localities including an architect’s office which the soldiers filmed themselves while destroying. In Hebron, settlers uprooted and destroyed dozens of trees on the lands of residents of Beit Amr village north of Hebron. They also attacked a family in the wilderness of Kisan east of Bethlehem, seizing 40 sheep, a vehicle, and an agricultural tractor. Settlers also attacked Palestinian vehicles at the junction near Bizzariya northwest of Nablus.

• February 14: the Israeli army seized construction equipment and detained four youths from the village of Deir Ballout, west of Salfit. In the Bethlehem area, around 50 settlers attacked four families in the village of Kisan east of Bethlehem, forcing them at gunpoint to leave their mobile homes and tents.

• February 15: Israeli forces destroyed the interior of two printing houses in the center of Ramallah and a lathe in the town of Beituniya west of Ramallah, raided a lathe and sabotaged its interior – seizing some machinery and equipment in the town of Beituniya, west of Ramallah. While in Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities invaded the land used for the Friday Market near the northeast corner of the Jerusalem wall and began excavation work, destroying the public parking lot so that Jerusalemites could not park their cars there. Masafer Yatta on the other hand was subjected to another attack by armed group of settlers attacked the residents, smashing mature olive trees, killing livestock sheep, while also conducting firearms training near the homes of Palestinian residents, subjecting them to continuous horror. Settlers also erected mobile homes on the lands of Khallet al-Nahla near the village of Wadi Rahhal south of Bethlehem.

• February 16: settlers set a house, a vehicle, and two livestock shacks on fire in the wilderness of Kisan east of Bethlehem. A shepherd was injured as settlers attacked him while he was herding sheep northeast of the city of Al-Bireh.

• February 17: the Israeli authorities forced a resident of Silwan town in Jerusalem to self-demolish his house on the pretext that the house was built without a permit. Additionally, settlers set up a checkpoint and assaulted three young men from the village of Asira al-Qibliya south of Nablus. While settlers also attacked Masafer Yatta again targeting two children.

• February 18: Israeli forces invaded the city of Tulkarem and its refugee camp, initiated by Israeli special forces, supported by a large number of military vehicles and bulldozers, and imposing a military siege on the camp, resulting in several injuries inside the camp and the murder of a Palestinian. Settlers attacked a house in the town of Turmus'ayya and burned a vehicle, drawing racist slogans on the walls of houses in the village. The illegal settlers also opened fire on shepherds in the village of Al-Minya southeast of Bethlehem, forcing them to leave pastures, and threatened to burn the tents inhabited by the village's residents.

• February 19: settlers attacked residents of Burqa northwest of Nablus, burning two houses and two vehicles.

• February 20: Israeli soldiers attacked shepherds in Masafer Yatta and detained them, and destroyed the main water line feeding the village of Susiya. In Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities forced the Jerusalemite Hasan Shweiki to demolish his residential building in Wadi Yasul neighborhood in Silwan town south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and handed demolition notices to other families in the town. Settlers also performed Talmudic dances and rituals near the Umayyad palaces adjacent to the southern wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. While in Bethlehem, settlers attacked shepherds in the village of Al-Minya in an attempt to force them to leave their lands for settlement expansion. While in Nablus, settlers assaulted youths from the village of Duma under the protection of the Israeli army.

• February 21: a large Israeli army force invaded the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, besieging two houses in the camp. The Israeli forces destroyed the infrastructure in several streets, resulting in a death, several injuries, and several arrests.

• February 22: settlers opened fire at a shop and an electricity transformer in the village of Al-Naqura northwest of Nablus.

• February 23: Israeli forces assaulted worshippers near the Asbat Gate, beating and tormenting them, and preventing them from entering to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. While in Nablus area, settlers fired at a vehicle near the Yanoun ruins. While Masafer Yatta continued to be the target of settlers whom assaulted shepherds and farmers in addition to two young men, beating them and seizing their vehicle.

• February 24: Israeli forces invaded several villages in Jenin governorate, including Jalbun, Arrabeh, Jalamah, Beit Qad, Deir Abu Da'if, and Fqoua, conducting search and raid campaigns and killing several including the child Said Jaradat. While settlers attacked the town of Huwarra, south of Nablus.

• February 25: settlers stole 30 sheep from the Arab al-Mleihat gathering northwest of Jericho. Statistics indicate that during the past year of 2023, Israeli forces and settlers seized 43 tractors, 293 vehicles, and 296 heads of livestock.

• February 26: settlers demolished destroyed vineyard, trees and other farmlands in the Khallet al-Nahla area south of Bethlehem.

• February 27: the Israeli forces raided the village of Beit Rima northwest of Ramallah, storming several houses, searching them, and vandalizing their contents.

• February 28: Israeli forces invaded the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, initiating the destruction of infrastructure.

Killed and Wounded

One of the main pillars of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, but also an important pillar of most international conventions and laws, but specifically the Apartheid Convention. According to OCHA, since 7 October 2023, 409 Palestinians have been killed, including 103 children, while 4,611 Palestinians have been injured, including 709 children. While in February alone, there were 39 innocent Palestinians killed including 9 children.

• February 4: a young man was injured by rubber-coated metal bullets in Shuafat Refugee Camp north of occupied Jerusalem. Two young men were shot with live ammunition during the Israeli special forces' raid on Balata Refugee Camp east of Nablus.

• February 6: the young man Mohammad Soud Titi, 18 years old, was murdered by the Israeli army’s bullets at the Beit Furik checkpoint.

• February 7: three young men were murdered, and nine others were injured by the bullets of the Israeli army during their raid on the Nour Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarem.

• February 8: the young man Mohammad Khalil al-Barghouti from Kafr Ein, northwest of Ramallah, died of his previous injuries. With the death of Mohammad al-Barghouti, the number of killed people in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, due to the bullets and attacks of the Israeli forces and settlers, rose to 387 killed people. The young man Mansour Jalal Jaber, 27 years old, also died of his injuries sustained at the Deir Sharaf checkpoint west of Nablus. The administrative detainee Mohammad Ahmad Rateb Sabbar, 21 years old, from the town of Al-Dhahiriya south of Hebron, was murdered, bringing the number of killed prisoners since 1967 to 245 killed Palestinians, while Al-Sabbar was the eighth Palestinian prisoner to be murdered in Israeli jails since the aggression on Gaza on October 7th.

• February 9: six Palestinians were injured by the bullets of the Israeli forces during clashes in Beit Furik town east of Nablus. In Beita south of Nablus, the child Muath Bani Shamsa, 17 years old, was murdered due to his injury by the bullets of the Israeli army.

• February 10: the young man Mohammad Khudour, 19 years old, from Badu, northwest of Jerusalem, was murdered after being shot by the Israeli army.

• February 11: the young man Rami Al-Batha, 35 years old, was murdered after the Israeli soldiers fired more than 20 bullets that settled in his body, in an execution operation carried out by the soldiers against the young man al-Batsh.

• February 13: the young man Mohammad Shareef Salami, 20 years old, was murdered by the bullets of the Israeli army in Qalqilya city. One person was injured in the settlers' attack on the village of Yasuf east of Salfit.

• February 14: the young man Ziyad Mohammad Bregheeth, 18 years old, was murdered, and 10 others were injured by live bullets in their lower and upper limbs during the Israeli army's raid on Beit Ummar town north of Hebron.

• February 16: a young man was shot with a rubber bullet in the head during the Israeli forces' raid on Shuafat Refugee Camp north of Jerusalem.

• February 18: Nabil Atta Amer, 19 years old, was killed during the incursion of the Israeli forces into the Tulkarem refugee camp, and two others were injured by gunfire. Later, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Oufi, 36 years old, was murdered in the Tulkarem camp after his house was besieged.

• February 21: the child Fadi Sa'id Suleiman, 14 years old, was murdered in the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya.

• February 22: the Israeli forces targeted a vehicle in the Jenin camp, resulting in the death of a young man and the injury of 15 others.

• February 23: a prisoner from Gaza was murdered in the clinic of Ramle prison, bringing the total number of killed people in Israeli prisons after October 7th, 2023, to 10 killed people.

• February 26: the young man Majd Awad Nibhan from the Jenin camp succumbed to his injuries after being targeted by the Israeli forces, who shelled a vehicle in the camp.

• February 27: three people were murdered and three others were injured in the city of Tubas and the Far'a camp south of the city. The three young men killed are: Ahmed Darghameh (26 years old) from Tubas, Osama Jaber Al-Zalat (31 years old), and Mohammed Sameeh Bayadsa (32 years old) from the Far'a camp. They were murdered during the incursion of the Israeli army into the city and the camp.

• February 29: the detainee Aasif Al-Rifai, 22 years old, from the village of Kafr Ein northwest of Ramallah, died, bringing the total number of killed Palestinian prisoners since October 7th to 11. On the same day, the young man Najmeddine Al-Shawamreh, 25 years old, was murdered, and his two brothers were injured by the bullets of the Israeli army south of Hebron.

Prisoners and Detainees

Right to liberty, arbitrary arrest, and illegal imprisonment of the ethnic Palestinian group is one of the main pillars indicating a case of apartheid.  During the month of February, 902 Palestinians were arrested, at an average of 31 arrests per day. There were several arrest campaigns conducted by Israel across the West Bank – storming many Palestinian homes, arresting and abusing residents. Most of those arrests are at the hours between midnight and dawn.

An investigation published by Haaretz on February 8th revealed that since the outbreak of the aggression on Gaza, Israeli police and army have been detaining Palestinians for up to 8 days without presenting them to judges, based on what is called "combat detention," which is an emergency provision exploited during wartime, depriving Palestinians of the right to stand trial before judges. It is essential to note that Palestinians from the West Bank are brought before military courts, not civilian Israeli courts. Furthermore, Israeli officers ordered soldiers to kill any Palestinian resisting arrest.

Below is a breakdown of the daily violations of arrests, in some cases, the names of Palestinians arrested are noted.

• February 1: the Israeli forces arrested 41 Palestinians from the West Bank, including 28 from Bethlehem governorate.

• February 2: the Israeli forces arrested 25 Palestinians from various areas of the West Bank.

• February 5: the Israeli army arrested 22 Palestinians from different areas of the West Bank. Undercover Israeli Special Forces also arrested a young man from the town of Jaba, south of Jenin.

• February 7: Israeli forces arrested a 46-year-old Palestinian-American woman after breaking into her home and pulling her from her bed in the occupied West Bank, her family said Tuesday, saying they had no idea where she was nearly two days after she was detained.

• February 8: the number of detainees since October 7th, 2023, rose to more than 6920 detainees, including arrests of children, women, the elderly, the sick, and others. The Israeli army arrested 10 Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque, including six girls, during the events commemorating the Isra and Mi'raj inside the mosque's courtyards. Another clear limitation and violation of the religious freedom of Palestinians.

• February 9: the Israeli forces arrested 19 Palestinians from various areas of the West Bank.

• February 11: Undercover Israeli Special Forces arrested two former prisoners, Majd and Salim Nazal, from Qalqilya. The Israeli forces also arrested the former prisoner Aseed Jadallah Nasan from the village of Al-Mughayir after assaulting him during his work in the town of Turmus'ayya north of Ramallah.

• February 12: the Israeli forces arrested 27 Palestinians from the West Bank through extensive raid and arrest operations in the provinces, towns, and camps, accompanied by brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, in addition to field interrogation operations for dozens of citizens as happened in the town of Tel/Nablus, along with sabotage and destruction of homes, direct shooting with the aim of killing, and confiscation of money and vehicles.

• February 14: the Israeli army arrested the child Tayim William Rizq, 13 years old, after demolishing his family's house in the town of Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem. The Israeli forces also arrested the girl Yusra Khalil Abu Alfa, 30 years old, from the town of Al-Auja north of Jericho.

• February 15: the Israeli forces arrested Muhammad Al-Jaafari, the coordinator of the Factions' Committee in Bethlehem governorate. While Marwan Barghouthi, a Fateh leader imprisoned by Israel was moved to solitary confinement. Israeli authorities regularly move Barghouthi to solitary confinement every time they launch intensive field operations in the West Bank – accusing him of potentially organizing resistance without any evidence.

• February 17: Israel arrested about 20 workers from Gaza who were residing in a building in the town of Barta’a, Jenin. Palestinians from Gaza have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, certainly in the Gaza Strip, but also in the West Bank, denying them of any rights to life and freedom.

• February 18: the Israeli forces arrested at least 20 Palestinians from the West Bank in the past 24 hours, including a woman from Nablus, former prisoners, and members of the family of a Jerusalem martyr. The arrests mostly took place in Hebron, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jenin and Salfit. Among those, three shepherds were detained in Masafer Yatta, while many were attacked and chased out in Hebron and Bethlehem area. While two shepherds in the village of Al-Jab'ah, southwest of Bethlehem were arrested.

• February 19: the Israeli forces arrested 25 Palestinians primarily from Hebron (15 Palestinians), with additional arrests launched in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jericho, and Jerusalem. The arrests included former prisoners, denying them their right to freedom throughout their lives.

• February 20: Israeli forces launched overnight large-scale raid and arrest campaign across the West Bank particularly in Jerusalem, Tubas, Tulkarem, Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron areas. In the Jerusalem area, the Israeli army stormed the villages of Beddo and Beit Sourik northwest of Jerusalem and arrested five individuals from the two towns. The Israeli forces also arrested 6 children from the village of Aboud, and the head of the village council of Rantis.

• February 22: Undercover Israeli Special Forces kidnapped Saleh Majid Hassan, the head of the Student Council at Birzeit University, and student Amro Zalloum, from the western entrance of Birzeit University. The kidnap is another Israeli approach to violate the right to freedom of speech and expression for Palestinians – including students.

• February 25: the Israeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians from the West Bank, including journalist Sami Al-Shami and former prisoners.

• February 26: Israeli forces arrested 6 Palestinians from Hizma and Al-Issawiya, including a child.

• February 28: Israeli forces arrested 20 Palestinians from the city of Yatta south of Hebron, and summoned others for interrogation by the intelligence services of the Israeli forces. The detainees included children and former prisoners.

Aggression on Gaza

“In just over four months in Gaza there have been more children, more journalists, more medical personnel, and more UN staff killed than anywhere in the world during a conflict” - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General.

The number of people killed due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip until the end of the month, reached 30,228 Palestinians, while the number of Palestinians injured reached 71,377 since October 7th. While in the month of February alone, approximately 3,163 Palestinians were killed and deprived of their right to life, at an average of 110 Palestinians per day. As for the injured, there are more than 4,527 Palestinians wounded, averaging 156 injuries per day.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, 1.9 million residents of the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes since October 7th and have not been allowed to return. According to the Israeli "Gisha" Foundation, 89% of Gaza's population lost their jobs and became unemployed due to the aggression. The foundation also indicated that the reconstruction of the Strip will take decades. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 10 children died due to malnutrition and dehydration, including 4 children on February 29th at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern part of the Strip.

The Ministry of Education announced that more than 4,851 students were killed and 8,227 injured. The ministry also pointed out that 239 teachers and administrators were murdered and 836 were injured in Gaza. The ministry highlighted that 620,000 students have been deprived of attending their schools since October 7th. It added that 286 government schools and 65 UNRWA schools were targeted and damaged in Gaza, 83 of them with severe damage and seven being completely destroyed. Education authorities confirmed that Israeli targeting of schools affected 90% of government school buildings and infrastructure, with 29% of school buildings rendered unusable due to direct or indirect damage, and 133 government schools were used as shelters in Gaza.

However, the most shocking piece of news from the month of February is the alarming number of sexual assaults, murder, and deliberate targeting of women and girls. Reports on the number of Palestinian women and children being deliberately targeted and extrajudicially killed in places of refuge or while fleeing or in their homes – including those holding were extremely high. While other women and girls were reported to have been subjected to inhuman treatment, denied menstrual pads, food and medicine and also suffering severe beatings, according to OHCHR. Furthermore, on at least one occasion, Palestinian women detained in Gaza were allegedly kept in a cage in the rain and cold, without food.

“We are particularly distressed by reports that Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers. At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and sexual violence,” UN experts said.

Since 7 October, 161 UN staff have been killed in Gaza. Between 7 October and 12 February, there were 378 attacks on health care across Gaza, affecting 98 health facilities and 98 ambulances, according to WHO, at least three of which were under severe siege, shelling, in addition to attacks on and arrests of staff and patients alike during the month of February. These attacks are in grave violation of international law, and in specific, the Geneva Convention.

The daily violations, assaults, killings are obscene, but below is a snapshot of those aggressions:

• February 1: the aggression on Gaza continued for the 118th day with 118 Palestinians killed, and 190 Palestinians injured from the ongoing shelling by the Israeli forces, which intensified in the neighborhoods of Al-Rimal, Tel Al-Hawa, Al-Zaytoun, and the New Camp west of Nuseirat, with ambulances unable to reach the sites of the shelling. The Israeli army stormed Al-Amal Hospital for the third consecutive time, while also continuing to shell Al-Amal’s neighborhood and around the Palestinian Red Crescent Society compound west of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza for the 11th day. Attacks from the sea intensified as Israeli naval vessels fired machine guns at the beaches of Gaza, the central region, and Rafah. Separately, Israeli authorities released 114 detainees, including women from Gaza, through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, who were arrested from various areas during ground incursions

• February 2: the aggression on Gaza continued for the 119th day, with warplanes conducting airstrikes concentrated on the Khan Yunis and Rafah governorates in the southern part of the Strip, along with artillery shelling and naval bombardment by the Israeli army resulting in 112 Palestinians killed and 148 Palestinians injured. The bombardment also revealed several bodies from under the rubble and others buried and decomposing. Furthermore, the harsh winter conditions exacerbated the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza whom lost their homes and means of livelihood, facing severe shortages of food, water, and medicine.

Displaced Palestinians inside Al-Amal Hospital were also injured when the roof collapsed due to intense Israeli shelling. The hospital continues to be under siege and suffers fuel shortages and oxygen supply disruptions, posing a significant risk to kidney patients.

• February 3: the aggression on Gaza continued for the 120th day, with Israeli forces committing 12 massacres, resulting in 107 Palestinians killed and 165 injured.  The Israeli army shelled two houses in Rafah city in the southern part of the Strip, resulting in the death of 26 residents and injuring dozens, in addition to the shelling of a nursery sheltering displaced Palestinians, east of Rafah.

Israeli forces turned the Nasser Medical Complex into a military barracks. Only 25 medical staff members remained at the Nasser Medical Complex, unable to handle cases requiring intensive care. Despite the limited number of staff still able to operate, the Israeli army still detained the medical staff for long hours tying their hands, beating them, and stripping them of their clothes. Furthermore, the intensive care physician was arrested, leaving no doctor to monitor critical cases. Not only were the staff arrested but also immobile patients lying on treatment beds. They were loaded onto army trucks and taken to unknown locations.

Medical sources reported that electricity had been cut off from the Nasser Medical Complex for three days, leading to oxygen deprivation for patients. Seven patients died due to oxygen deprivation, while three women, including their pediatrician, were placed in dire and unsafe conditions at the hospital, deprived of water, food, electricity, and cleanliness, with generators failing for the third day. Furthermore, sewage water flooded the emergency departments in the surgery building at the Nasser Medical Complex, with the Israeli army refusing requests for repairs for several days.

• February 24: the aggression on Gaza continued for the 141st day, conducting 8 massacres, resulting in the killing of 92 and the injury of 123 Palestinians. Israeli airstrikes targeted homes in the Zaytoun neighborhood, Sabra, Tel al-Hawa, and Daraj neighborhoods in Gaza City through heavy shelling. Six citizens were murdered and others injured as Israeli warplanes targeted several homes in Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Artillery shelling on the eastern and western areas of Khan Yunis resulted in the death of two and the injury of several others. In Rafah, Israeli warplanes bombed two houses, leading to the death of five Palestinians and the injury of others. Additionally, Israeli artillery fired shells near shelters and tents of displaced Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, west of Rafah.  The situation in Rafah is becoming so dire that International organizations' field hospitals are no longer able to accommodate displaced persons and residents.

The Nasser Medical Complex remained besieged, with the army blocking the evacuation of patients for treatment. Doctors Without Borders reported that the army is deployed around hospitals in Gaza and preventing access for the injured and sick.  Furthermore the organization expressing deep concern over the continued detention of medical teams.

Furthermore, Doctors without Borders confirmed that residents and displaced persons in northern Gaza were suffering from severe famine and a catastrophic health situation due to the prevention of aid delivery.

• February 26: the aggression on Gaza continued for the 144th day, with 76 Palestinians killed and 110 injured through 10 massacres. Israeli warplanes, artillery, and naval vessels launched a series of airstrikes on various areas in the Strip, focusing on Gaza City (north) and the Rafah (south) governorates. Israeli naval vessels shelled coastal areas in southern Gaza, while the Daraj, Zaytoun, and Sabra neighborhoods in Gaza City (north) were targeted by Israeli airstrikes, resulting in the death and injury of many citizens, including children and women. Israeli artillery also targeted Tel al-Hawa (north) and Deir al-Balah (center) in Gaza. Furthermore, four citizens were murdered, and dozens were injured by Israeli gunfire and tank shells west of Gaza City yesterday evening. Additionally, several citizens were murdered and others injured by Israeli drone strikes in the New Camp west of Nuseirat (center).

Shelling of residential homes also continued, one of which was in Deir al-Balah (center) according to medical sources. While another residential home belonging to Zatma family near the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah (south) was targeted, resulting in nine residents killed. Civil defense teams and citizens retrieved the bodies of five killed people from under the rubble of a house in al-Qarara (center) after it was bombed by the Israeli army. Finally, Khan Yunis (south), also witnessed clashes and intense gunfire with heavy machine guns. 

• February 29: The tragic massacre known as the ‘flour massacre’ caused the death of 104 Palestinians and the injury of 700 in a massacre near the Al-Nabulsi roundabout in northern Gaza. The Israeli army bombed a gathering of Palestinians waiting for flour and humanitarian aid – a clear targeting of Palestinian citizens, and intentional harm. The act is another blatant violation of international law, and specifically the fourth Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocols, and can even be considered a crime against humanity.