On Monday, Israel released 55 Palestinians it had detained from Gaza, including Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa Hospital.
Abu Selmia was detained in November during an Israeli raid on the hospital, where Israeli forces alleged Hamas was using the facility for military purposes. Abu Selmia, in comments aired by Palestinian media, accused Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian detainees to “daily physical and psychological humiliation,” although Israeli authorities have denied these allegations.
In Jerusalem — Early Monday, around 20 projectiles were fired from Gaza at communities near the border, according to the Israeli military. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The military stated that some projectiles were intercepted while others fell inside southern Israel. They were reportedly launched from the vicinity of Khan Younis. Israeli forces are currently striking the sources of the fire.
In RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian health officials reported that a woman and a teenager were shot and killed by Israeli forces during a raid in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem on Monday. Another four people were wounded. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, over 550 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then.
The conflict started after Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of about 250. Since then, Israeli offensives have killed more than 37,700 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
The ongoing war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine, and basic goods to Gaza, leaving the population entirely dependent on aid. The United Nations has warned of a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza, a charge that Israel strongly denies. However, the United Nations has resumed moving aid from a United States-built pier after security concerns had previously suspended the operation, while the United States and Europe have warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel to avoid a wider Middle East war.
In recent developments, thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday night during a protest against a Supreme Court order for them to begin enlisting in the military. This order could potentially destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government amidst the ongoing conflict.
