Gaza, West Bank Continue To Suffer Amid Blockade, Ongoing Violence

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) --   Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank continue to endure severe hardship due to Israel’s ongoing blockade on humanitarian aid, the spread of disease, acute shortages of basic supplies, and escalating attacks.

In its weekly situation report, the Government Communication Centre under the Palestinian Prime Minister’s Office stated that air strikes, shelling and gunfire persist in residential areas, particularly in northern and central Gaza, complicating efforts to clear unexploded ordnance.

“The United Nations (UN) reported that attacks in Gaza have increased by 46 per cent within a week, marking the highest level of violence since the ceasefire agreement was reached,” the report said.

The report also revealed that the prolonged conflict has set human development in Gaza back by 77 years, with more than 1.9 million people displaced and over 60 per cent of them having lost their homes entirely.

The housing, healthcare, education and agricultural sectors have been severely affected, with more than 371,000 housing units damaged or destroyed, while over half of the hospitals are no longer operational.

Meanwhile, the number of Palestinian women detainees in Israeli prisons and military camps has risen to 90, contributing to a total of 700 detainees, most of whom are held at “Damon Prison”.

Those detained include minors, a pregnant woman, administrative detainees held without charge or trial, journalists, as well as individuals suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, who face medical neglect, starvation, abuse and solitary confinement.

In the occupied West Bank, the situation remains tense with rising violence by Israeli settlers, the report added. Israeli forces and settlers have also allegedly employed gender-based violence, including sexual assault and harassment, as a tactic to force Palestinians from their homes.

The report concluded that these violations contribute to forced displacement, with more than two-thirds of surveyed families reporting increased violence against women and children, including sexual harassment targeting girls.

Many families described sexual harassment as a tipping point that made continued fear unbearable; some have married off their daughters as young as 15 to 17 in response to these threats.

As of April 27, 811 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, bringing the total death toll to 72,587, including at least 21,283 children, with 172,381 injured since October 7, 2023, in the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, 832,865 people have been displaced since the start of the ceasefire until February 14, 11,200 remain missing, more than 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed, along with 262 journalists and media personnel. Only 19 out of 37 hospitals in the Gaza Strip remain operational.

In the West Bank, 1,149 people have been killed, including 237 children (as of April 12), 12,245 injured (as of March 28), more than 9,600 detained, and at least 33,000 Palestinians displaced in Jenin and Tulkarem.

-- BERNAMA