Tenth Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli custody since October 7
A Palestinian man from Gaza has died in the clinic of Ramleh Prison in central Israel, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. The man, whose identity has yet to be revealed, was detained after Israel’s war on Gaza erupted and becomes the 10th Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli custody since October 7.
At least 248 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli prisons since the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967.
German lawyers sue politicians over ‘complicity in Gaza genocide’
A group of lawyers has filed a criminal complaint with the German federal prosecutor against senior German politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, accusing them of “aiding and abetting” the genocide they say is being committed by Israel in Gaza.
In addition to Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Economics Minister Robert Habeck, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and others stand accused. The lawyers behind the case represent families of two Palestinians with roots in the Gaza Strip, including that of Palestinian-German migration scholar Nora Ragab.
“We, Palestinians in the diaspora, will not stand by and watch a genocide being committed against our families and our people,” Ragab said in a statement. “We will use all means at our disposal .. today we aim to hold the German government accountable for its complicity in the genocide in Gaza.”
‘Even in tents, we are not safe’
On Thursday, at least 40 people were killed and scores wounded by Israeli attacks in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah that flattened houses. One attack on a tent by an Apache attack aircraft killed two and injured many members of the al-Ramlawi family who were seeking shelter in the west of Deir el-Balah.
“My cousin, who lost his daughter, [woke up to the] horrors, with the sound of the Apache warplane getting louder and louder,” said Hassan al-Ramlawi, 33, one of the family members. “It’s just a tent. They are displaced and evacuated from the north here to seek refuge. They were sleeping. Why were they attacked? Even in tents, we are not safe.”
Tens of thousands facing health complications, famine: Gaza ministry
At least 350,000 chronic patients, 60,000 pregnant women, and about 700,000 children in Gaza are exposed to serious health complications as a result of malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of medical facilities, according to the enclave’s health ministry. Half a million people in northern Gaza suffer from famine that is silently killing them, the ministry added.
UN report: ‘Gross rights violations’ by all parties in Israel, Gaza, West Bank
An annual UN report has identified “gross human rights violations” committed by all parties in Israel and the Palestinian territories and demands accountability and justice to foster peace. “The entrenched impunity … cannot be permitted to continue. There must be accountability on all sides for violations seen over 56 years of occupation and the 16 years of blockade of Gaza, and up to today,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in an accompanying statement.
PRCS says its staff member killed in Rafah bombing
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says one of its staff members has been killed in the southern city of Rafah after Israeli raids hit the house where he was sheltering with his family. Fayez As’ad Mohammad Muammar was a volunteer paramedic for the humanitarian organisation in Gaza, the charity said.
More than one million internally displaced Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, once designated by Israel as a “safe zone” for civilians.
This morning, our colleague and volunteer, Fayez As'ad Mohammad Muammar, a paramedic at the Rafah ambulance center, was killed after his family's house was bombed in the eastern part of #Rafah governorate.
RIP Fayez 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jsOXr0URBy
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 23, 2024
Palestinian children struggle to support families
More provocations
Video footage authenticated by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit shows Palestinian worshippers being turned away or forcibly removed as they attempt to head to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinians are routinely prevented from reaching Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in the world for Muslims.
Israeli prime minister’s office said earlier this week Israel will impose some restrictions on accessing the Old City site during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
قوات الاحتلال تعتدي على فلسطينيين وتعيق وصول المصلين للمسجد الأقصى#حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/Na8Ra6QUBB
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) February 23, 2024
