Urgent health update: Consequences of the war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem, and Lebanon - April 4, 2026

‍Action alerts‍ ‍

·       Join Doctors Against Genocide for their Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to tell our representatives: Our tax dollars should fund care, not killing. Adalah Justice Project is amplifying that call to get as many healthcare workers and allies to the hill as possible.
4/15 in Washington, DC. Register here: ‍ ‍

·       Use this JVP link to email your Congresspeople to stop sending weapons to Israel and deny funding to the war on Iran. Here:

·       Support Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s call to end US support of ethnic cleansing in Lebanon, here. ‍

·       Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP) has issued an urgent appeal. They are on the front lines, providing essential mental health and psychosocial support in a genocide that demands our immediate attention and solidarity. ‍ ‍

·       Empowering Mental Health Professionals: Strengthening the capacity of local mental health workers to meet overwhelming demand for care.‍ ‍

·       Supporting the Most Vulnerable: Expanding crucial mental health and psychosocial services for people with disabilities, who are disproportionately affected and marginalized.‍ ‍

·       Protecting Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: Offering critical support and safe spaces for those who have endured gender-based violence.‍ ‍

·       Healing Trauma in Communities: Delivering community-based mental health services to children, families, and individuals grappling with profound trauma and the relentless strain of ongoing hardship.‍ ‍

Consider a tax-deductible donation: here

·       We are a collective of psychoanalysts and mental health professionals from twenty‑three nations calling for a mass resignation from the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) in response to its complicity with the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. essay here Sign here   ‍ ‍

Webinars‍ ‍‍

·       If you missed our JVP Health Advisory Council webinar in March: Health Under Siege, with Dr. Bilal Irfan, bioethicist at Harvard's Brigham & Women’s Hospital and UMichigan, it’s not too late to watch the recording, here.

‍ ·       USA-Palestine Mental Health Network presents: Besiege Your Siege with Madness: Collective Liberation and the Psychoanalysis of World-Making, with Dr. Reem Abu Hweij, clinical psychiatrist, Al Quds University and Dar Al Kalima University. 4/19, 8:30am Pacific/ 11:30am Eastern/ 6:30pm Palestine. Register here. ‍ ‍

Podcast & videos‍ ‍

·       WHO’s Frontline Shift, Episode 3: Delivering Primary Healthcare in Gaza, explores how health workers delivered care amid access constraints, power outages, shortages of medical supplies, and hostilities, while working to maintain essential services. It also highlights the challenges they continue to face and the need to rehabilitate and rebuild the health system.‍ ‍

·       MS NOW reporter reporting on settler violence chased by Israeli settlers while reporting on violence. here

·       Israeli forces took what appears to be unprecedented action against the battalion involved in my team's assault & detention. In many ways, that's due to our position as US journalists. In too many cases involving Palestinian journalists & civilians, we've seen a lack of accountability. here

Report‍ ‍

·       In depth report by GISHA on the mental health and therapy crisis in Gaza, with a special focus on women. here ‍

United Nations‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       3/21 Hundreds of UNRWA premises in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The parliament of Israel adopted legislation to end the agency’s presence in occupied East Jerusalem, including by forcibly shutting schools and health clinics, and cutting off the supply of water and electricity to our premises. UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem was seized, looted and set on fire, with senior Israeli officials celebrating the destruction on site and online. A deputy mayor of Jerusalem even threatened to “annihilate and kill all members of UNRWA”. here

·       3/26, the Humanitarian Country Team of the OPT urged Israeli authorities to stop the forced evictions in East Jerusalem, where 15 households in Silwan had their homes handed over to settlers. “These developments mark a dangerous escalation in unlawful forced evictions, which are part of a broader pattern of forcible transfer across the West Bank.”‍ ‍

·       “Over 200 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem – roughly 900 people – face eviction cases…in the Israeli courts, mostly by settlers. They are all at risk of forced displacement,” strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.‍ ‍

Read the full statement here:

·       UN Special Rapporteurs on torture, health, and the occupied Palestinian territories called for the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, citing reports of “severe torture” and denial of medical care despite deteriorating health. Detained since December 2024 under Israel’s “unlawful combatant” law, his detention is arbitrary and violates international law, the experts said, urging states with influence over Israel to act to secure his release and treatment. (Drop Site)  ‍ ‍

·       Philippe Lazzarini, head UNRWA, called for an independent, high-level investigation into the deaths of more than 390 UNRWA staff in Gaza, describing the conflict as the deadliest in UN history, while noting that discussions with Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN, and member states have yet to produce action; at the same time, he warned that humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain extremely dire and could worsen further as delays continue. (Drop Site 4/1 & here)‍ ‍

·       “This month I (Phillippe Lazzarini) will conclude my tenure as the Commissioner-General of UNRWA – the UN agency that has provided essential, public-like services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East for more than 75 years. As the world struggles to emerge from the quagmire of Gaza and the US-Israeli war against Iran threatens to engulf the entire region, I am profoundly concerned about the future of Palestinian refugees and the multilateral system at large. Having endured more than two years of relentless physical, political and legal attacks, most fiercely in Palestine, UNRWA has reached breaking point. The risks to Palestinians’ rights and the stability of the region are immense.” (Guardian 3/21)‍ ‍

GAZA‍ ‍‍ ‍

Although the US-Israeli war on Iran has displaced Gaza from the headlines, it has not interrupted Israeli military strikes on tent camps, homes, agricultural lands, infrastructure and public gathering places. Palestinian sea access and fishing remain prohibited. Israel closed all border crossings into Gaza on 2/28, exacerbating the food, shelter, and health crises. Since then, only a limited amount of food and essential items have entered thru the southern Kerem Shalom crossing; the northern Zikim crossing remains closed; and the Rafah crossing reopened only to limited numbers of medical evacuations and returns on 3/18. ‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       3/26-4/1, Israel killed 20 and injured 81.‍ ‍

·       Since the 10/10 “ceasefire,”Israel has killed at least 713 Palestinians and injured 1,940.‍ ‍

·       Palestinians killed in Gaza since 10/07/2023: 72,289+ killed, 172,043+ injured. ‍ ‍ ‍

For more information on Gaza: here 

Israeli attacks ‍ ‍

·       3/22, An Israeli strike hit a police vehicle in central Gaza, killing three Palestinian officers and wounding eight, according to local reports. The attack comes amid repeated Israeli attacks on police units in recent weeks, in which it has targeted civilian law enforcement to disrupt basic governance and sow chaos. Another person was killed in a separate attack in Gaza City, according to Al-Shifa hospital. (Drop Site 3/23)‍ ‍

·       3/25, airstrike hit the electricity supply line serving the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant in Khan Younis, which forced the plant to operate on back-up generators and reduced its output by 80%, leaving 500,000 people with reduced drinking water in Deir al Balah and the Mawasi area. It was repaired on 3/31.‍ ‍

·       3/23, Israeli forces shot and killed an 82-year-old Palestinian woman in Beit Lahia who ran a small shop. She died a few days later following surgery. (Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       3/24, Israeli forces shot 2 in Beit Lahia and Jabalia al-Balad, and an airstrike killed 4 and injured others in a airstrike on Al-Sawarha cemetery in central Gaza, and a 13-year-old was shot and killed inside his tent in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Israeli naval forces also set a fishing boat on fire off the coast of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. (Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       3/24,the Israeli military tortured a 1 ½ year old by burning him with cigarettes to try to extract a confession from his father. The child, identified as Karim Abu Nassar, was detained near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp after his father, Osama Abu Nassar, was caught in gunfire while attempting to buy supplies. Eyewitnesses told Palestine TV that Israeli occupation soldiers forced the father to leave his 18-month-old son on the ground and approach a nearby military checkpoint, where he was stripped and interrogated. (Drop Site, Anadola Agency)‍ ‍

·       3/25 Israeli drones targeted a facility distributing goods south of Deir al-Balah and injured 5. Also, 3 people (1 child) were injured by Israeli gunfire: the child was critically wounded in Khan Younis, and the other 2 were shot in Gaza City and east of Nuseirat refugee camp. (Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       3/26, Israeli gunfire near al-Maghazi refugee camp killed a woman. (Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       3/28,Israeli attack on a checkpoint near Khan Younis killed 3 police officers.(Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       3/30, 3 Palestinians were killed in 2 Israeli attacks: 1 by an airstrike on a vehicle near Khan Younis; and 2 brothers shot and killed, and others wounded, by Israeli forces in Gaza City. An airstrike on Al-Bureij refugee camp killed 1 and wounded 6; Israeli gunfire in Al-Nuseirat camp killed a 27-year-old woman; and an Israeli strike on Jabalia killed 3 others. (Drop Site)‍ ‍

·       4/2, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 10 Palestinians and wounded 18 over the past day, including eight people who were killed in airstrikes near a camp in Khan Younis. In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy was killed by artillery fire near the Israeli-controlled Yellow Line while returning from collecting aid, according to local reports. here

·       Israeli military has fortified its presence along the Gaza Strip's Yellow Line, establishing new outposts and a ground barrier, effectively controlling over half of the territory. This expansion has led to over 200 Palestinian deaths. Despite a “ceasefire” and plan for phased Israeli withdrawal, the army's entrenchment deepens, with Palestinians facing restricted access to essentials and increased fatalities. here

Aid‍ ‍

·       The Zikim crossing remains closed, forcing all aid to pass through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. This limits the volume of aid able to enter and forces supplies for northern Gaza to cross in the south, a slower, more costly route that wastes scarce fuel.‍ ‍

·       3/25-31, the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard shows 10,559 pallets of were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom crossing. March totals (47,300) are significantly less than February (54,500) and January (58,200). Pallets contain food assistance (50%), shelter materials (29%), nutrition items (11%), health supplies (6%), and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), protection, and education supplies (1% each). ‍ ‍

·       Offloading rates from the Egypt corridor increased last week, with 93% of manifested truckloads successfully offloaded at Kerem Shalom.‍ ‍

·       Fuel entry has decreased: 3/26-31, UNOPS imported just over 836,000 liters of diesel.‍ ‍

·       Palestinians in Gaza are paying between 20 and 30 shekels per kilowatt-hour for generator electricity—nearly ten times the pre-war rate of 2.5 shekels—as Israel has allowed only 14.7% of the fuel shipments required under the ceasefire’s humanitarian protocol. Of the 8,050 fuel trucks expected since the ceasefire began, Israeli authorities have permitted just 1,190 to enter; cooking gas reaches households every 45 to 100 days, compared with 25 days before the war. (Aljazeera)‍ ‍

·       Gaza Chamber of Commerce data suggests that since the US/Israeli war on Iran began, supplies allowed into Gaza have fallen from 900 commercial truckloads weekly (January and February) to less than 400 in March. While many non-essential items (chocolate, soda, etc.) are allowed in, there have been only 13 truckloads of hygiene items and 12 of shelter materials. The limited entry of essential items results in price volatility and critically low stock levels, particularly for shelter and hygiene goods. Since the 10/10 ceasefire, 30% of private sector truckloads carried non-essential items rather than nutritious food or critical supplies. ‍ ‍

·       As Israel wreaks havoc on the humanitarian aid system, residents of tent camps organize to distribute aid and solve daily problems. here

Food Security‍ ‍

·       As of 3/29, 240,000 families received household-level food assistance as part of the monthly distribution cycle. This has declined since January, when 1.6 million people got full rations, and is similar to the March half rations (50% of caloric needs).‍ ‍

·       In March, 1.5 million meals were prepared and delivered daily through 140 kitchens. 130,000 2-kilo bread bundles are produced daily through 30 bakeries. ‍ ‍

·       3/15-29, partners distributed 3 50-kilo bags of animal feed to 1,855 herders.‍ ‍

·       Limited entry of commercial goods, particularly cooking gas, continues to constrain the Food Security response capacity. Shortages have reduced availability and driven up prices for fresh vegetables, flour, and firewood. ‍ ‍

·       Severe shortages of cooking gas force half of the population to rely on unsafe waste burning. Only 42 truckloads of cooking gas were allowed into the Strip between 3/9-22, while 130 metric tons of gas are required daily.‍ ‍

Health & Hospitals‍ ‍

·       Israel continues to deny medical evacuation to the West Bank. In the second half of March, WHO evacuated 82 patients and 160 caregivers through the Rafah crossing. During the same period, 238 returnees re-entered Gaza at Rafah, including 11 children who had been medically evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital as infants – some in incubators – in 11/2023.‍ ‍

·       Facilities at the Rafah Crossing remain insufficient: a single toilet, set up in February, is now broken and dysfunctional, while another was installed in the patient waiting area in March. Israel continues to ignore requests for shades, chairs and a hygiene station.‍ ‍

·       3/23-30, emergency medical teams (EMTs) delivered 23,000 consults. Communicable diseases accounted for 19%, acute respiratory infections 65%, skin diseases 20%, and acute watery diarrhea 15%.‍ ‍

·       Israeli delays in clearance of medical and surgical equipment limit capacity to provide complex care. The equipment situation has worsened since the US/Israeli war on Iran has begun. Partners distributed SRH kits (sexual & reproductive health) supporting clean delivery, STI treatment and IUD insertion sufficient for 2,900 patients and essential medicines and commodities for 12,000 people to 31 facilities across Gaza. Additional supplies await entry outside Gaza.‍ ‍

·       A new suspected acute flaccid paralysis case was reported, bringing the total to 6 in 2026, of which 2 were confirmed positive for non-polio enterovirus, 1 negative, and 3 pending results. ‍ ‍

·       A catch-up vaccination campaign in early April will target 6,000 children <3 years.‍ ‍

·       For more detail, see the Health Cluster Dashboard here:

‍·       Health officials also warned that ongoing violence, rising casualties since the “ceasefire”, and severe shortages of fuel and equipment are pushing Gaza’s healthcare system toward collapse. here

·       Twenty-eight Palestinian infants born prematurely were evacuated to Egypt in November 2023 from the neonatal intensive care unit in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as the Israeli military laid siege and raided the medical complex. Eight children were returned to Gaza to be reunited with their families, or what was left of them. (Drop Site 4/1)‍

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)‍ ‍

·       40 partners truck 20,236 cubic meters of drinking water and 9,341 cubic meters of domestic water daily to 1,945 collection points. Shortages of fuel, equipment, repair items and household-level water containers leave many families underserved and vulnerable to violence and other protection risks. ‍ ‍

·       80% of the daily solid waste is being collected and transported to 8 temporary dump sites, most of which are near full capacity. The Az Zawayda site in Deir al Balah closed this week after reaching full capacity. The waste management fleet is in urgent need of maintenance and consumable materials. Collectors also lack adequate personal protective equipment and tools. ‍ ‍

Shelter & Displacement‍ ‍

·       3/25-26, heavy rains and winds affected 2,396 families (11,634 people) and resulted in 17 injuries and 9 deaths, destroying 731 shelters and damaging 1,582. 123 households who lost their shelters are now sleeping in the open at the same sites, while 85 families moved elsewhere. This added to the misery of 100 households affected by rainstorms and fire the previous week, 3/16-22. This week, partners reached 13,958 households with 10,748 bedding items, 2,460 bedding kits, and 750 kitchen sets delivered through cash and voucher assistance. More information from the Shelter Cluster: here ‍

West Bank, including East Jerusalem‍ ‍

Between 3/24-30, Israeli forces or settlers killed 7 Palestinians (1 child) and injured 76 (6 children). So far this year, they have killed 33 (7 children), 67% since the beginning of the US/Israeli war on Iran, making March the 2nd deadliest period on the West Bank; the most deadly was at beginning of the current genocide in October 2023. During the same period, 211 settler attacks caused injuries or property damage in over 100 communities.‍ ‍

Israel has not prosecuted a single killing of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank since 2020. Although at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed there since 2020—more than a quarter of them children, no Israeli soldier, police officer, or settler has been charged for killing a Palestinian civilian in the  West Bank since the start of this decade. Legal rights group Yesh Din reports that of 1,746 complaints filed against Israeli soldiers, including over 600 related to killings, less than 1% resulted in charges, and only 8 of 368 settler violence cases ended in conviction. (Drop Site, 3/26)‍ ‍

For West Bank casualty and displacement information: here‍ ‍

Israeli Military and Settler Attacks‍ ‍

·       3/22, Dozens of Israeli settlers carried out coordinated attacks across at least 15 Palestinian villages in the West Bank, setting homes and vehicles on fire and assaulting residents. Over 15 Palestinians were detained and no settlers were arrested. An additional 10 Palestinians were injured in attacks by rampaging settlers on four Palestinian villages in the Nablus area. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich used the funeral of the settler killed in the accident to advocate for unimpeded settlement of the West Bank, saying that, “We will erase the lines, the definitions, and the letters, and we will settle our land in all its expanses.” (Guardian 3/25 & here)

·       3/25, Israeli forces raiding a home in Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem, shot and killed a man and arrested 3 others. Police said the man was killed when he tried to grab his weapon. The family was informed of his death by an Israeli police announcement; his body was withheld.

·       3/27, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 men and injured 4 others during 2 raids in Qalandiya refugee camp, (between Jerusalem & Ramallah). During the 1st raid, Palestinians threw stones and Israeli forces responded with gunfire. Later that day, following the funeral, the 2nd raid attacked the house where the wake was being held and killed 1 man and injured another. Snipers were deployed on rooftops and the camp was closed for 4 hours. (OCHAOPT & Drop Site 3/30)

·       3/27, Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old and injured another man in Duheisha refugee camp (Bethlehem). Palestinians threw stones and Israeli forces responded with gunfire. The boy died at the hospital.

·       3/30, Israeli forces shot and killed a man at Einav checkpoint, east of Tulkarm city, and withheld the body. The Israeli military said he was accelerating his vehicle toward troops.

·       3/30, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a man at Khursa junction (Hebron). According to the Israeli military, he was running at them with a knife.

·       3/26, Israeli settlers shot and killed a 37-year-old Palestinian man and injured his father and brother during a protest of settlers’ land takeover near Jannatah, Beit Falouh (Bethlehem). The attack followed a raid by Israeli settlers from a new outpost near Khalet An Nahala village, where settlers had fenced off 6 dunums of Palestinian land. According to Israeli military, the attack is under investigation.

·       3/24-30, 44 settler attacks in 35 communities resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. Most incidents were in Hebron governorate (12), Nablus (12), and Tubas (7). These attacks included arson, stone-throwing, physical assaults, and vandalism, and killed 1 man, injured 48, and damaged 12 vehicles and 7 homes.

·       In 3 separate attacks: in Shi‘b At Tawani (Hebron), settlers set fire to a home, destroying it, and displacing a family of 7 (4 children); in Mantiqat Shi‘b al Butum (Hebron), settlers tried to break into a Palestinian home and physically assaulted and pepper-sprayed a Palestinian woman and a foreign activist, broke into an agricultural structure and assaulted a man, stealing belongings and equipment; and in Burin (Nablus), settlers raided a home, broke windows, pepper-sprayed a family, injuring 2 Palestinians and stealing livestock.

·       3/25, settlers raided a quarry in Sa‘ir (Hebron), burning a bulldozer, backhoe, and other machinery, and stealing 10,000 NIS (about US$2,700) worth of cables. Surveillance cameras notified the owner who extinguished the fire before everything was completely destroyed.

·       4/3, In a Haaretz podcast, journalist Matan Golan said conditions in the West Bank have significantly worsened during the Iran war, citing rising settler violence, new outposts in Palestinian-controlled areas, and frequent attacks on villages. Fellow reporter Yarden Michaeli added that measures previously described as temporary in both the West Bank and Gaza are becoming long-term realities. They described how Israeli military control and infrastructure in Gaza point to a more permanent presence, paralleling developments in the West Bank. here

Demolitions and Displacement ‍ ‍

In the last week in March, 29 structures were demolished (10 homes, 8 livelihood structures, 2 water structures) for lacking impossible to obtain Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 58 people (23 children). So far this year, more than 1,700 Palestinians have been displaced, 2/3s in the Jordan Valley, more than the total number of people displaced from there in the previous 3 years. Since 2023, 1,040 families (5,600 people, 2,600 children) have been displaced from 107 West Bank communities, 38 of which have been completely depopulated.‍ ‍

·       3/30, the demolition of 5 residential structures in Al Bustan, Silwan, East Jerusalem displaced 18 people. Home to over 1,500 Palestinians, Al Bustan is the target of a settlement-related plan to replace dozens of homes with a Biblical Park. Also in Silwan, 15 households (70 people, 29 children), were evicted from homes in Batn al Hawa last week, by court orders in support of the Ateret Cohanim settler organization.

·       In the month since the US/Israeli war on Iran began, the Palestinian Civil Defense documented 396 incidents of falling missile fragments across the West Bank. In 8 cases, fragments hit educational facilities (4 in Ramallah, and 1 each in Nablus, Salfit, Jenin and Hebron governorates). 27 residential structures were damaged, as were 7 vehicles.

·       3/28, Israeli forces blew up a house south of Nablus (Area A) that belonged to a man killed during an alleged vehicle ramming attack. This 8th punitive demolition of 2026, in which 12 households (57 people, 19 children) have been displaced, is a violation of international law.

·       3/24-30, 4 families (30 people, 17 children) were forcibly displaced by settler attacks on 3 communities in Hebron and Tubas governorates. 3/24, settlers raided Shi‘b al Tuwani (Hebron), burning 1 house and attempting to burn another home the following morning. Neighbors extinguished the fire and forced the settlers to leave. In Khallet al Mafteeh, near Ad Dhahiriya (Hebron), settlers attacked the community and seized about 60 sheep.

·       3/27, settlers escorted by Israeli forces erected an outpost on Palestinian land planted in wheat and onions near Tayasir (Tubas), and assaulted the family living nearby. Israeli forces later removed the settlers, but they returned the next day, broke into the family’s house, and stole their belongings while the family was prevented from returning home by Israeli forces. 

·       ‘Erasing the lines’: How settler outposts are seizing new regions of the West Bank. After decades consolidating their control over Area C, Israeli settlers are expanding into Areas B and A — nominally under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction — and displacing communities, a joint investigation reveals. here‍ ‍

Education‍ ‍

·       The Israeli occupation is instigating an economic collapse in the West Bank, forcing public schools to operate only three days a week. Teachers and parents say an entire generation is being denied the right to education. (Mondoweiss 3/25)

ISRAEL‍ ‍

·       Supreme Court of Israel ruled that a five-year-old Palestinian boy with aggressive cancer must be allowed to enter Israel for treatment, overturning a lower court decision because doctors determined he could not receive care elsewhere. The court emphasized that the decision is an exceptional humanitarian case and does not change Israel’s broader policy barring Gaza residents from entering for medical treatment, despite the child having waited six months for care. Human rights groups welcomed the ruling but criticized the policy as harmful to thousands of sick Palestinians. here

·       A report by Tel Aviv University highlights the growing departure of medical professionals as a particularly concerning trend. According to the study, approximately 950 doctors left Israel between 2023 and 2024, or about 510 after accounting for those who later returned. The data also show that two-thirds of doctors who left in 2024 were graduates of Israeli medical schools—indicating that domestically trained professionals are increasingly choosing to emigrate. (Palestine Chronicle 3/23)

·       Of the 11,775 public shelters in Israel, only 37 are based in Palestinian-majority towns, according to a recent government study. That means only 0.3% of Israel’s public shelters are allocated to 20% of the citizens of the state. Even after last year’s June attack on Iran, Israel did nothing to rectify this gross inequality. (Zeteo 3/23)

·       3/24, Israel’s Knesset National Security Committee approved a draft law —advancing toward final readings next week—that would impose the death penalty on prisoners accused of carrying out killings classified as “terrorist acts.” The bill mandates execution—by hanging within 90 days—without requiring unanimous judicial approval and eliminates any possibility of pardon, making sentences final and irreversible. The proposed law, introduced by Limor Son-Harmalk and backed by extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, establishes a geographically differentiated system that makes execution the primary punishment in the occupied West Bank and allows life sentences only in exceptional cases under military authority. The Prisoners’ Media Office labeled it “an unprecedented escalation,” warning it violates international law and could pave the way for systematic executions of prisoners. The bill passed on 3/30  (Drop Site 3/25, NYT 3/30, & here)

·       Ajudge ruled that 17-year-old Walid Ahmad likely starved to death in Israeli military detention, but closed the case anyway. Israel never charged him with a crime and still holds his body. (Drop Site 3/25)

·       A planned visit to Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti was blocked after Israeli authorities transferred Barghouti from Megiddo Prison in northern Israel to Ganot Prison in the south, Attorney Ben Marmarelli described the transfer as an exercise of “arbitrary power,” and said that the move forces him to restart the visitation process entirely. (Drop Site 3/30)

·       Israel’s widespread use of torture is a core element of its genocide against the Palestinian people. Genocide does not require mass graves, it also includes efforts to destroy a people's capacity to bring the next generation into being. Israel’s systematic use of torture and sexual violence against Palestinians meets that definition. here

·       In Israel the expansion of a small but growing anti-war protests appears to have unsettled the Israel Police, which has responded with disproportionate and indiscriminate force. here

LEBANON‍ ‍

·       The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,345—with 4,040 wounded—since 3/2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Drop Site 4/3

·       Lebanese healthcare workers and officials say Israeli bombings have deliberately targeted medical workers and facilities in south Lebanon, including double-tap strikes, in what they describe as a systematic effort to make the area unlivable. here

·       Israel is implementing its Gaza strategy in Lebanon: turning ‘buffer zones’ into permanent borders Israel has stated it does not plan to leave Lebanon even if the current ‘war’ ends. If the Gaza model is any guide, Israel appears to be moving toward expanding its border into Lebanon.

·       Israeli military is set to present to the political leadership its plan to establish a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, which would involve demolishing Lebanese villages near the border and setting up army posts several kilometers inside the country. The military later clarified in a statement that it was still committed to a “long-term objective” of disarming the group. Christian communities would not be demolished, the military said. The military is engaged in an attempt to ethnically cleanse the area of its Shia residents. (Drop Site 4/3)

UNITED STATES‍ ‍

·       Federal law enforcement officers disrupted what was described as a plot to assassinate the leader of one of New York’s most active pro-Palestinian protest groups on the night of 3/26, according to a federal law enforcement official and a lawyer for the activist. Alexander Heifler, 26, was arrested over an alleged plot to firebomb the home of Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani. Heifler was reportedly a member of the extremist group the "JDL 613 Brotherhood" and planned to flee to Israel after the attack. (Mondoweiss 3/27 and 3/28)

·       Prominent New York synagogue hosts presentation on why US Jews should support the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Benjamin Anthony’s speech at New York’s influential Park Avenue Synagogue, where he argued that US Jews need to support ethnic cleansing in Gaza, illustrates how the American Jewish community has embraced Israeli racism and brutality. here‍ ‍

·       Ten Muslim civil rights organizations issued a joint letter denouncing the March 30 arrest of Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a prominent Palestinian American advocate. Sarsour, who was pulled over while driving, is a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for 32 years; his wife and children are U.S. citizens. (Drop Site 4/3)

Universities‍ ‍

·       Cornell University’s president forcefully rejected two anti-Israel resolutions from the student government, citing “political bias” and imperiling academic principals, one of the latest developments on the US campus battlefields. Last week, Cornell’s Student Assembly voted to cut ties with Israel’s Technion University and condemned the university for hosting the center-left Israeli politician Tzipi Livni. here

·       Aria Fani, a University of Washington professor, said he was terminated as director of the university’s Middle East Center after he sent messages on the center’s listserv that criticized the US and Israel’s military action against Iran and called Zionism “cancerous.” He remains a professor, though he’s on medical leave this quarter and not teaching. here

·       Philosophy professor Idris Robinson is suing Texas State University, which terminated his contract after pro-Israel activists attacked Robinson's off-campus talk about Palestine. here  The Guardian

·       A coalition including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR National), CAIR-NY, Dratel & Lewis, Project TAHA, and Main Street Legal Services Inc. housed at CUNY School of Law today welcomed a federal Court’s order greenlighting a lawsuit by Mahmoud Khalil and seven other Columbia University students against the Trump Administration and Columbia University for violating the First Amendment rights of Columbia students. here

SOURCES‍ ‍

OCHAOPT, Drop Site, Haaretz, The Guardian, Palestine Chronicle, Zeteo, Anadola Agency, Mondoweiss, Aljazeera, Electronic Intifada, Times of Israel, Portside, GISHA

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