Ramallah – As 2023 comes to a close, Palestine bids farewell to a year burdened with bloodshed and ruin. Occupying forces carried out the cruellest of massacres and destroyed the foundations of life in the Gaza Strip, not to mention the ongoing killing and field executions in the West Bank.
The battle of "Al-Aqsa Flood" on October 7 was the highlight of this year, followed by the Israeli aggression, as well as the Israeli incursions in northern West Bank areas, especially Jenin, Tulkarm, and the Old City in Nablus, which left dozens of martyrs.
In the face of field tensions, the political level faced numerous complications; including failure to open a political path and financial difficulties due to Israeli deductions that led to a series of strikes that paralyzed vital sectors in the West Bank for months.
The martyrdom of Khader Adnan, who ignited solitary hunger strikes in Israeli prisons, in 2023 (Reuters)
Major Issues
Here we present the main files and events of 2023 in Palestine:
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Karim Younis
On January 5th, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, Karim Younis, from the village of Ara in the '48 territories, was released by Israeli authorities after 40 years of imprisonment. -
The Martyrdom of Khader Adnan
On May 2nd, the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Authority announced the martyrdom of Khader Adnan, who led solitary hunger strikes in Israeli prisons, on the 86th day of his fast. -
The Battle of Thaar Al-Ahrar
On May 9th, Israeli aircraft launched a series of raids on the Gaza Strip, lasting 5 days and resulting in the martyrdom of 34 Palestinians, while Palestinian factions announced rocket barrages into deep Israeli territory.
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Hawara Town
This year, the Palestinian town of Hawara near Nablus was known for repeated settler attacks against it. On February 26th, the town witnessed unprecedented assaults by settlers, which left one Palestinian martyr, dozens injured, and numerous homes and vehicles torched and destroyed. -
Jenin and its camp
Throughout 2023, the city of Jenin and its camp remained a hotspot due to repeated Israeli incursions, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 150 Palestinians from Jenin and its camp (as of December 20th), including numerous targets via drone strikes and shelling of homes in the area.
Field Escalation
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Nablus and Tulkarm
Throughout 2023, Nablus and Tulkarm experienced escalated military activities due to Israeli incursions pursuing members of the "Lion's Den" battalion, based in the Old City, and pursuing the "Tulkarm battalion" situated in the Nour Shams camp. These incursions resulted in about 90 Palestinian martyrs in Nablus and 65 in Tulkarm (as of December 20th), with several targeted by drones. Meanwhile, daily Israeli military and settler attacks in the 1967-occupied territories (West Bank and East Jerusalem) led to the martyrdom of more than 500 Palestinians. -
First Saudi Ambassador to Palestine
On August 12th, the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi, presented his credentials as a non-resident ambassador to the State of Palestine and as a Consul General to Jerusalem.
On October 7th, the Palestinian resistance in Gaza launched an operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which included ground, naval, and air attacks, and saw the infiltration of combatants into several settlements in the "Gaza Envelope". The operation resulted in the death of about 1200 Israeli soldiers and settlers, injuries to approximately 5431, and the capture of about 239, many of whom were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. In turn, the ensuing Israeli offensive on Gaza from October 7th until December 20th led to the martyrdom of 20,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian Statistics Authority data, with 70% women and children, and more than 55,000 injured, mostly children and women as well.
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Siege and storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Since October 7th, the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been under its most severe siege for a long time, with entry for prayer restricted for those outside the Old City of Jerusalem and restricted for those inside the Old City. Meanwhile, settler incursions increased more than any preceding year, with 41,000 settlers raiding the mosque in the first nine months of the year, close to the total number of the previous year. -
Targeting Journalists
In 2023, journalists faced over 224 assaults, with more than 90 journalists and media workers martyred, including Al Jazeera's cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa targeted south of the Gaza Strip. Homes of 50 journalists were destroyed, and 48 were arrested, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Gaza Government Media Office.
Escalating Aggressions
Since early 2023, settlers have committed over 2270 attacks against Palestinians and their properties, resulting in at least 17 Palestinian martyrs, the demolition of over 600 homes and Palestinian facilities, and the displacement of over a thousand Palestinians, as documented by the Palestinian Authority's Wall and Settlement Affairs Commission.
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The Financial Crisis of the Authority
The financial crisis of the Palestinian Authority persisted for another year, continuing to pay reduced salaries to its employees due to Israeli deductions from "clearance" funds – tax revenues for goods entering Palestinian Authority territories collected by Israel at crossings and ports. In 2022 alone, these amounted to about 650 million dollars. -
Demanding Strikes
Due to the financial crisis, 2023 witnessed a series of union and demand strikes, notably by teachers, doctors, and lawyers, which disrupted various sectors for several months without achieving some demands such as the teachers' strike that led to the removal of the Minister of Education and Higher Education Marwan Awartani.
- What About 2024?
Given the intense events of 2023, what awaits the West Bank in 2024? Academic and political analyst Dr. Taysir Amro suggests that most files of 2023 are subtitles to the central issue of the occupation's aggression, predicting an increase in escalation and attacks in 2024.
Amro told Al Jazeera Net, "The 'Al-Aqsa Flood' battle is notable for being the first direct battle with the 'Israeli people,' causing a shock that could potentially shake the foundations of Israel's existence, birthing internal debate between those who recognize Palestinian rights and choose to leave and those who become more extreme."
He also expects 2024 to be a tense year, with "the majority of the files still inflamed and prone to further ignition, from the prisoners' issue to settlement and hotspots like Jenin and Nablus, leaving little room for calm and pointing towards escalation."
