The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics stated that the area of land seized by the Israeli occupation in 2024 amounted to 46,000 dunams.
In a statement issued on Thursday in conjunction with Land Day, the statistics explained that during the year 2024, 35 orders were issued to seize approximately 1,073 dunams, five expropriation orders for around 803 dunams, and nine land declaration orders for approximately 24,597 dunams, in addition to six orders for modifying the boundaries of nature reserves.
اضافة اعلان
Through these orders, the occupation seized approximately 20,000 dunams, as part of its ongoing and systematic policy to control Palestinian lands and deprive them of utilizing their natural resources, in line with Israel's annexation policy in the West Bank.
According to figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 50,700 Palestinians were martyred in the Gaza Strip, including about 18,000 children, around 12,300 women, and approximately 11,000 missing persons. Around 120,000 others were injured as of March 24, 2024.
Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, approximately 100,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza.
In the West Bank, the Israeli occupation continued its aggression, resulting in 943 Palestinian martyrs and 6,700 injuries due to attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.
Uninhabitable Areas -
The statistics pointed out that the Israeli occupation destroyed more than 60,368 buildings, with around 110,000 buildings suffering significant damage. It is estimated that no less than 330,000 housing units were completely or partially destroyed, representing more than 70% of the housing units in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, churches, government headquarters, and thousands of economic facilities were destroyed, along with all aspects of infrastructure, including roads, water, electricity, sewage lines, and agricultural lands, rendering Gaza uninhabitable.
In the West Bank, the occupation demolished or destroyed more than 903 buildings and facilities, either completely or partially, in 2024, including 242 buildings in Jerusalem (24 self-demolition operations in Jerusalem, according to Jerusalem Governorate data). Furthermore, 939 demolition orders were issued for Palestinian facilities under the pretext of lacking permits. Since the beginning of 2025, Israeli authorities have been demolishing dozens of buildings in Palestinian camps, displacing tens of thousands of their residents as part of the ongoing displacement policy.
Population Decrease in Gaza by 6% -
The statistics also noted that the estimated population of the State of Palestine at the end of 2024 reached 5.5 million Palestinians (3.4 million in the West Bank), while the estimated population of the Gaza Strip declined by around 160,000 Palestinians, reaching 2.1 million, which is a 6% decrease compared to the Gaza Strip population estimate for 2023.
According to revised population estimates by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the global Palestinian population at the end of 2024 is about 14.9 million, of whom 7.6 million are outside historic Palestine, 5.5 million are in the State of Palestine, and 1.8 million are in the territories of 1948.
Preliminary damage assessments, as of the ceasefire, revealed that more than 85% of water and sewage facilities and assets were completely or partially out of service and require rehabilitation, with damages exceeding 1.5 billion dollars for the areas where damage has been assessed. This includes wastewater treatment plants, desalination plants, pumping stations, wells, water tanks, main transport lines, water and sewage networks, rainwater drainage systems, water monitoring laboratories, and more.
Due to the extensive damage to water and sewage infrastructure, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 liters per person per day, which varies significantly by location, water supply, and the destruction of infrastructure. This rate is below the minimum required for survival in emergency situations, as per the World Health Organization's standards, which is 15 liters per person per day.
This decline is primarily due to damage to infrastructure, complete power outages necessary for pumping water from wells, operation of related water facilities such as tanks and pumping stations, and restrictions on fuel and materials required to operate these facilities.
Expansion of Settlements Continues -
By the end of 2024, the number of Israeli settlement sites and military bases in the West Bank reached 551, including 151 settlements and 256 outposts. These included 29 inhabited outposts considered as neighborhoods belonging to existing settlements, and 144 other classified sites, including industrial, tourist, and service areas, as well as military camps.
The year 2024 witnessed a significant increase in the pace of settlement construction and expansion, with Israeli authorities approving numerous settlement plans for building over 13,000 settlement units across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, through the seizure of nearly 11,888 dunams of Palestinian land.
Regarding the number of settlers in the West Bank, the figure reached 770,420 settlers by the end of 2023.
Data indicates that most settlers reside in the Jerusalem Governorate, with 336,304 settlers (43.7% of the total settlers), including 240,516 in the J1 area (which includes part of Jerusalem annexed by Israel after the 1967 occupation of the West Bank), followed by the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate with 154,224 settlers, 107,068 settlers in the Bethlehem Governorate, and 56,777 settlers in the Salfit Governorate. The least number of settlers is in the Tubas and Northern Jordan Valley Governorate with 3,004 settlers.
The ratio of settlers to Palestinians in the West Bank is about 23.4 settlers for every 100 Palestinians, with the highest ratio in Jerusalem at approximately 67.6 settlers for every 100 Palestinians.
