Urgent health update: Consequences of the war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem, Lebanon and Iran - March 21, 2026

‍ ‍

Action alert

Leqaa Kordia, Palestinian Columbia University student activist, has been released by ICE after a year in detention. Your emails to Congress helped!

Join Doctors Against Genocide for their Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to tell our representatives: Our tax dollars should fund care, not killing. 4/15 in Washington, DC. Register here:

Stop Microsoft from providing AI to war machines that kill people in Iran, Palestine, and beyond. AI vastly increases the scale of violence and makes attacks more deadly and destructive. In Gaza, the Israeli military has used AI with little human oversight to slaughter over 72,000 Palestinians. Demand that Microsoft cease providing AI support for military applications and adopt a policy against providing technology that facilitates warfare. Here‍ ‍

Use this tool from JVP Action to email Congress now and demand they support Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's legislation to recognize Israel’s genocide in Gaza, end U.S. complicity in these atrocities, and demand accountability. Here‍ ‍

UCLA public health students spent the past year creating a course on Palestinian public health, and it’s now online. In the aftermath of the attacks on the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment in May 2024, public health graduate students organized to develop a class where fellow students with interest in antiracism, anticolonialism, and health justice in Palestine could learn and process together in a productive and respectful manner. The course explores the pathways linking colonization and occupation as a “fundamental cause of health” to a range of issues including mental health; environmental and occupational health; communicable, maternal and perinatal conditions; and violence. Applied exercises center the history, stories, and voices of those individuals currently experiencing the most harm and violence in the region and finding solutions against it: Palestinians in Gaza. here  

Bring No Genocide in Gaza! and No War in Iran! to your local No Kings! demonstrations on 3/28. March with a friend and see how much more hopeful and less alone you will feel. 

Webinars‍ ‍

JVP Health Advisory Council presents: Health Under Siege, with Dr. Bilal Irfan, bioethicist at Harvard's Brigham & Women’s Hospital and UMichigan. 3/22, 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern. Register: here  

Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza present: Briefing on UNRWA Restoration Act, with Hani Almadhoun, Dir. of Philanthropy at UNRWA-USA and co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen, and Hassan El-Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. They will speak on conditions in Gaza, describe HR 2411: UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, and how to lobby Congress during Passover. 3/23 at 10am Pacific/ 1pm Eastern. Register 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.

Articles/Reports‍ ‍

PalFest is an online newsletter of Palestinian literature, here‍ ‍

A monthly journal called “The Key” includes a landmark essay from Lama Zuhair Khouri, a Palestinian-Jordanian psychoanalyst, who traces how exile and institutional formation shaped her into a “conscripted container” – a colonized subject conditioned and trained to absorb erasure and call it professionalism. Worth reading – and supporting. 

The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism released new research on Anti-Palestinian Racism in Healthcare Settings. In a national survey of over 1,000 respondents exposed to anti-Palestinian racism, 21% reported having the experience in a healthcare setting. The study identifies a troubling pattern: exposure to anti-Palestinian racism in healthcare settings is associated with elevated negative health impact for both patients and providers and the reported experiences extend beyond the Palestinian community itself. Full report: here‍ ‍

More than half of Palestinian children in Israeli detention—180 out of 351 as of December 31, 2025—are being held without charge or trial, the highest proportion recorded since monitoring began in 2008, according to Defense for Children International–Palestine. The group and lawyers released a new report documenting Israel’s widespread abuse of children in its prison system. The full report is available here.

Torture and genocide - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 - Advance unedited version:  documents how torture has become integral to the domination of and punishment inflicted on men, women and children, both through custodial abuse and through a relentless campaign of forced displacement, mass killings, deprivation and destruction of all means of life to inflict long-term collective pain and suffering. A continuous, territorially pervasive regime of psychological terror is being imposed, designed to break bodies, deprive a people of their dignity and force them from their land. This is not incidental violence. It is the architecture of settler-colonialism, built on a foundation of dehumanization and maintained by a policy of cruelty and collective torture. here ‍ ‍

United Nations‍ ‍

The UN Human Rights Office in Palestine condemned the killing of 2 Palestinian families by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank: 2 fathers, 2 mothers (1 pregnant with twins), and 3 boys, aged 5 to 10, as settlers terrorize communities, killing 1 man in Qusra and sexually assaulting another in Khirbet Humsa. Read the report here:  here

GAZA‍ ‍

The US-Israeli war on Iran has not interrupted the Israeli violations of the 10/10/25 ceasefire, with daily demolitions of residential buildings, farmland and public infrastructure, as well as military strikes on tent camps, homes, agricultural lands and public gathering places on both sides of the “yellow line.” 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 very limited amount of food has entered thru the Kerem Shalom crossing; the Rafah crossing reopened to foot traffic (medical evacuations and returns) on 3/18. ‍ ‍

·       Between 3/6-17, Israel killed 35 and injured 95.‍ ‍

·       Since the 10/10 “ceasefire,” Israel has killed at least 673 Palestinians.‍ ‍

·       Palestinians killed in Gaza since 10/07/2023: 72,253+ killed, 171,912+ injured. ‍ ‍

·       For more information on Gaza: here  

·       3/8, Israeli tank shells hit a tent encampment housing displaced families in the western Nuseirat area, killing at least three people, including two girls, while wounding 10 others, including children. Another strike in western Gaza City killed three men, including 31-year-old paramedic Abdulrahman Hosni Hamdouna. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports about 640 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire was supposed to have taken effect 150 days ago. (Democracy Now 3/9)

·       3/9, Seven Palestinians, including two women and two girls, were killed in Israel strikes in Gaza. Among those killed was journalist Amaal Shamali, and Palestinian groups say hundreds of journalists have died since October 2023. Medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat reported receiving the bodies of three Palestinians, including two children, along with ten wounded, following artillery and air strikes on displacement camps in the Al-Sawarha area and the town of Al-Zawaida. here, Palestine Chronicle 3/9

·       3/11, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City, killing one person and injuring several others. The strike hit a shopping center near Haidar Roundabout. Videos  showed airstrikes igniting tents sheltering displaced families, with fires spreading through an encampment. (Drop Site 3/12)

·       3/15, Eight Palestinian police officers were killed and 14 people injured after Israeli aircraft struck a police vehicle near the entrance to Al-Zawayda in Gaza’s Central Governorate according to Gaza’s Interior Ministry. The dead include Colonel Iyad Abu Yusuf, director of the Central Governorate Intervention Police, along with seven other officers. Drop Site 3/16

·       3/15, Deir al Balah,  airstrike killed a man, his pregnant wife, their son, and another boy; and a drone struck a car, killing 8 Palestinian police personnel (OHCHR). 

·       3/15, At least 13 people were reported killed and 22 wounded in Gaza over a single day, including a family of three—a father, pregnant mother, and child—killed in an Israeli airstrike in Nuseirat. here ‍ ‍

AID‍ ‍

·       3/3, partial reopening of the Kerem Shalom Crossing has severely limited aid into Gaza, including food, medicines, shelter supplies and fuel. Warehouse stocks are being depleted. Restrictions on critical items deemed by Israeli authorities as “dual use” have increased. If allowed at all, they are now let in only once per week, down from twice weekly prior to the Israeli-US war on Iran. For many activities, this forces the use of inadequate materials, increasing costs and hindering progress on repairs. 

·       Israel is exploiting the war with Iran to deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with aid deliveries falling to 30% of required levels and transfers of critically ill patients out of the enclave halted, according to Ultra Palestine. (Drop Site 3/14)

·       3/6-16, of 53 humanitarian movements coordinated with the Israeli authorities: 22 were facilitated, 5 were impeded, 14 were denied, while 12 were cancelled (including 7 medical evacuations via the closed Rafah Crossing).

·       3/6-16, data from the UN 2720 Mechanism registered 19,700 pallets offloaded at Kerem Shalom, the sole cargo crossing, containing: food (71%), shelter items (12%), water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) materials (11%), nutrition supplies (4%), health supplies (1%), and operational supplies (1%). During this period, 16,900 pallets were collected. During the same period, UNOPS imported 1.57 million liters of diesel and 46,000 liters of benzine. 

·       Cargo offloading via the Egypt corridor has improved: 78% of manifested trucks were offloaded at Kerem Shalom, compared to 34% during February.

·       Humanitarian aid entering Gaza has dropped by about 80% since the start of the US/Israeli attacks on Iran, leading to sharp increases in food prices, shortages of basic goods, and growing strain on hospitals facing limited medical supplies and power risks. The Rafah crossing briefly reopened to allow medical evacuations, while aid deliveries have been further disrupted by Israel’s suspension of some shipments amid allegations of smuggling prohibited items. Aid organizations warn that reduced access and restrictions are worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis. here , Drop Site 3/20

Health & Hospitals‍ ‍

·       3/8-15, 284 of 677 health service points (42%) were operational, although only partially, including: 19 hospitals, 12 field hospitals, 109 primary health center, 122 medical points, and 22 ambulance centers, supported by 30 emergency medical teams (EMTs), including 2 national EMTs.  

·       Since June 2025, 158 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome – a rare autoimmune condition usually triggered by a viral or bacterial infection – have been identified, 87 of which require specialized rehabilitation services. Currently, 63 patients are receiving rehabilitation support, while 24 remain on waiting lists due to insufficient capacity. WHO has provided 40 trauma rehabilitation kits to health facilities, each capable of supporting up to 50 patients, to strengthen rehabilitation service delivery. 

·       3/8-15, UNICEF imported 600 wheelchairs for children with injuries and disabilities. 

·       As of 3/16, 572,000 women and girls of reproductive age required sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services across Gaza, including 50,000 pregnancies. 130-160 births occur daily under extremely constrained conditions. SRH partners recently distributed essential supplies to 20 health facilities, reaching approximately 9,000 beneficiaries. 

·       3/17, Palestinian Health Ministry warned that Israeli restrictions on the entry of essential oils and spare parts are pushing the territory’s already collapsing healthcare system toward imminent shutdown. here‍ ‍

·       Israelis stopped medical evacuations 2/28, but has announced their resumption. Since 10/2023, 11,124 patients were evacuated (5,835 children) alongside 13,032 caregivers. More than 18,500 patients (3,800 children) require medical evacuation for treatment unavailable in Gaza. 

·       Health partners continue to face major operational constraints affecting service delivery, including restrictions on the entry of medical supplies and equipment, fuel shortages, movement restrictions for humanitarian access and staff rotations, and shortages of medicines, laboratory reagents, and rehabilitation materials. For more information, see the online Heath Cluster Dashboard.

·       3/19, Rafah Crossing reopened for the first time since the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran. A group of eight patients in need of medical evacuation and 17 companions departed for the Rafah crossing from the Red Crescent in Khan Younis after their documents were processed. More than 20,000 patients require treatment abroad and the number of travellers from Gaza has not exceeded 700 since Israel partially reopened the crossing in February. (Drop Site 3/19)

Food & Nutrition

·       As of 3/15, 120,000 households (600,000 people) received monthly general food assistance. These are only half rations (50% of caloric needs) due to the Israeli closure of crossings and limits on supplies allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The reduction in humanitarian and commercial goods – including cooking gas – has further strained market availability across Gaza, driving up the cost of vegetables and firewood during the month of Ramadan. This has led to the adjustment of cooked-meal menus and suspension of fresh-produce distributions due to shortages and high prices.  

·       As of 3/7, partners delivered 1.5 million meals daily through 170 kitchens. 30 UN-supported bakeries produced daily 130,000 2-kilo bread bundles. 

·       3/3-12, partners distributed 307 metric tons of animal feed to 2,050 herders. The recovery of agricultural production depends on the unrestricted entry of multiple, complementary inputs available in a timely manner.

·       3/9-15, food prices fluctuated sharply, with some (oranges, for example) rising 84% in a week, while others increased 5% to 30%. The prices of staples (chicken, rice, sugar and flour) returned to levels prior to the Iran war. Non-food prices remain stable. Compared with pre-October 2023 levels, price inflation has reached 305%, up from 153% in February. Shortages and high price of cooking gas will affect families’ observation of Eid al Fitr. 

·       In February, 168,700 children <5 were screened for acute malnutrition. 3,125 were identified with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 602 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and enrolled for outpatient treatment. 43 children diagnosed with SAM with medical complications were admitted for in-patient treatment. Compared to January, the treatment enrollment rate increased by 72% for MAM and 167% for SAM, reflecting increased screening, improved detection and service uptake. In addition to the newly enrolled children, 11,571 acutely malnourished children already in treatment continued receiving ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF). 400 health workers were trained on community-based management of acute malnutrition and over 400 on infant and young child feeding in emergencies.

·       61,403 pregnant and breastfeeding women were screened for wasting. 1,540 were enrolled for treatment, and 835 referred for further care, such as counselling on infant and child feeding or cash assistance to prevent acute malnutrition. 6,178 pregnant and breastfeeding women received multiple micronutrient supplements, and 9,064 women received iron and folic acid supplements to prevent anemia and vitamin deficiency. For more information, see the online Nutrition Cluster Dashboard.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene‍ ‍

·       3/15 repairs to the Mekorot pipeline, supplying drinking water to Gaza City, now operating at 65% capacity. In Deir al Balah, the Bani Saeed Mekorot pipeline from Israel is operating at 50% capacity, while in Khan Younis, the Bani Suhaila Mekorot line was newly damaged on 3/15. The 3 Mekorot lines from Israel currently supply about 42% of the water they provided prior to October 2023, and the flow is undependable. Disrupted access to water is exacerbated by fuel and spare parts shortages needed for repairs.

·       As of 3/11, partners provide drinking water to 1,800 distribution points, maintaining coverage despite challenges. Water shortages remain severe in high-density areas, such as Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis. To improve water supply service delivery and to reduce the burden and costs of water trucking, there is an urgent need to bring in materials to repair water distribution networks and transition to more sustainable water sources.

Shelter‍ ‍

·       3/14, a severe sandstorm and high winds, followed by rainfall, caused extensive damage to temporary shelters and infrastructure, further worsening already fragile living conditions in displacement sites. The Site Cluster reported 894 households were affected, with 29 family shelters destroyed and 32 damaged, along with education, nutrition and child protection facilities. In addition, 80 households affected by airstrikes received assistance (tarps, clothing, blankets, and cereals) between 3/8-14.

·       Shelter stock in warehouses continues to decline, with remaining supplies sufficient to meet the needs of only 30,000 households.

·       Since 1/2026, UNDP has brought into Gaza 1,584 Relief Housing Units (RHUs). 353 RHUs have been installed: 303 in Gaza City, where only latrines are still pending completion, and 50 to expand health facilities across the Strip. Another 71 RHUs are being installed in Beit Lahia. 

·       For more information, see the online Shelter Cluster page.

Mine Action

·       3/8-15, 173 hazard assessments (EHAs) were made in support of debris removal, 27 QA visits to verify compliance with operational standards, 5 emergency response missions, and explosive ordnance risk education with 10,000 people in Gaza City, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. During the same period, an explosive ordnance incident killed 2 and injured 6.

Education‍ ‍

·       As of mid-March, 494 temporary learning spaces (TLS) serve 300,243 students (54% girls) in classes taught by 7,854 teachers (73% women). Students enrolled include: 287,500 school-aged, 12,743 kindergarten-aged, and 1,923 children with disabilities. However, these students represent only 39% of children aged 4–17. In many overcrowded neighborhoods, schooling cannot meet the demand, leaving thousands unreached and at risk of falling behind academically, losing critical psychosocial support, and threatening their life preparation. 

·       The challenging operating environment (destruction of education infrastructure, overcrowded displacement sites, restrictions on the entry of supplies and movement of personnel, enduring psychological trauma, etc.) is significantly exacerbated by Israeli deregistration measures targeting the NGOs responsible for so much of the education system in Gaza.

·       For more information, see the online Education Cluster page.

THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM‍ ‍

3/10-16, Israeli forces or settlers killed 8 Palestinians (3 children), bringing the year-to-date total to 26. 37 settler attacks caused casualties, property damage and displacement. The severity of settler violence has increased:  the 2026 monthly average of over 100 Palestinians injured and 600 displaced, compares to last year’s monthly average of 69 injured and 138 displaced. ‍ ‍

·       Over 1,500 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli settler attacks and access restrictions this year. Already in March, displacement has reached 95% of last year’s total. Most displacement has occurred in communities on the outskirts of towns and villages, particularly among Bedouin and herding communities in Area C, where recurrent settler attacks, threats and restrictions on access to land and livelihoods are driving displacement. In East Jerusalem, dozens of families in Silwan face imminent eviction in an increasingly coercive environment. ‍ ‍

·       US-Israeli war on Iran has caused casualties in the West Bank: debris from intercepted missiles has damaged homes and vehicles. 3/18, 3 Palestinian women were killed and others injured in Beit Awwa (Hebron) during an Iranian missile attack.‍ ‍

·       For West Bank casualty and displacement information: here

Israeli settler and military attacks‍ ‍

·       With the world's attention focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Israel is making conditions unlivable for Palestinians in the West Bank. Residents say that every Israeli measure to "strangle" Palestinians feels like it's "irreversible." here ‍ ‍

·       Just over a week after the US and Israel launched their joint war on Iran, Israeli settlers have ramped up their violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and Israeli forces have imposed a near-total closure of municipal centers, shutting gates and restricting crossings without warning or perceptible logic. here ‍ ‍

·       3/8, Four Palestinians were killed in two separate villages, Wadi Al-Rakhim, in the South Hebron Hills, and Khirbet Abu Falah, near Ramallah,  in Area B in the West Bank over the weekend this weekend, as Israeli settlers continue to ramp up their attacks amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Three of the victims were shot dead by settlers, while a fourth died of cardiac arrest after Israeli soldiers fired tear gas in the aftermath of one of the shootings. (+972)

·       3/12, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the bodies of 2 men who had allegedly attempted a ramming and shooting attack at Za’atara checkpoint (Nablus). No Israeli casualties were reported. Following the incident, Israeli forces closed 4 main checkpoints and 6 road gates, blocking access to and from Nablus city, isolating surrounding communities in Nablus and Salfit governorates, and stranding thousands of Palestinians for over 24 hours. Some of these closures remain in effect.

·       3/15, undercover Israeli forces shot and killed 2 children (5 and 6 years old) and their parents, and injured their 2 siblings, while the family was driving in Tammun (Tubas). Claiming that they thought 11-year-old Khaled was someone they were pursuing, the police pumped 50-70 rounds into the family’s Kia killing everyone except Khaled and Mustafa. Israeli forces were reportedly conducting an arrest operation and have opened an investigation. OCHAOPT & here‍ ‍

·       3/16, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a 17-year-old and injured another child on the outskirts of Sinjil (Ramallah). According to Israeli forces, the children were throwing stones at vehicles on Road 60. 

·       3/10-16, 37 Israeli settler attacks in 29 communities caused casualties, property damage, or both. One Palestinian was killed, 19 injured (18 by settlers and 1 by military), and 200 displaced. Settler attacks, threats and harassment predominantly affected communities near Israeli settlement outposts, involving repeated raids, assaults, damage to homes and denial of access to agricultural land.

·       3/14, armed settlers stoned a house and opened fire on Qusra village (Nablus), killing 1 and injuring 2. 

·       3/20, Sheikh Ragheb Harb University Hospital in Toul, near Nabatieh, said in a statement that an Israeli attack on an adjacent building had caused significant damage to a number of the hospital’s facilities, including its intensive care unit. Drop Site 3/20

·       Since the war against Iran began, more than 90 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 10 by the military, bringing the total this year to 260 injured by settlers, a threefold increase in the monthly average since 2023.  

Displacement by Demolitions, Settler Attacks, and the Legal System‍ ‍

·       In the past several years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has entrenched Israeli control of the West Bank, vastly increasing the number of “authorized” settlements and unauthorized outposts there. Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has also increased, and more than a thousand people have been killed since October 7th, per the United Nations. President Donald Trump has half-heartedly warned the Netanyahu government against formally annexing the territory, but Netanyahu appears to believe that he can continue his expansionist policies without American sanction. Indeed, just over two weeks ago, the Trump Administration announced—via its Embassy in Jerusalem—that it would offer temporary passport services at two Israeli settlements in the West Bank to any U.S. citizens there. here‍ ‍

·       So far this year, 1,500 people in 29 communities have been displaced, over 260 since the war on Iran started.

·       3/10-16, 18 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished for lacking impossible to attain building permits, displacing 32 (15 children) and affecting another 18. These included 10 inhabited residences, 6 agricultural and livelihood structures, and 2 WASH structures. 

·       6 households (20 people) were displaced in Qalqas village (Hebron) where Israeli authorities dismantled and confiscated 6 tents provided as assistance after a previous (2/18) demolition. Another Palestinian family (5 people, 4 children) was displaced when they were forced to demolish their home, built in 1993, in in East Jerusalem.

·       3/10-16, 38 Palestinian Bedouin and herding households (199 people, 89 children) were displaced by continued settler attacks and access restrictions communities in Area C,  over 70% in the Jordan Valley area. In Tubas governorate, 28 herding families (144 people, 61 children) were displaced following repeated attacks by settlers in 5 communities: Khirbet Yarza, Einun, Hammamat al Maleh, Khirbet Atuf and Khirbet Samra. In one incident, settlers injured an elderly man and 2 activists providing protection. In Khirbet Atuf, after the families fled on 3/10, Israeli bulldozers closed off the roads to the community and damaged the pipeline supplying water to the remaining 8 families and their 3,000 dunums of agricultural land. Israeli forces broke water meters, destroying irrigated crops. 

·       3/16 in Nablus governorate, 3 households (22 people, 12 children, 2 elders, 2 women with disabilities) were forcibly displaced from Beita, southeast of Nablus, following an attack from the Evyatar outpost. Masked armed settlers broke into homes, damaged fences and windows, and confined residents in a room, threatening to kill them if they did not leave. They cut off water and electricity and occupied the houses. When Israeli forces arrived, they forced the Palestinians to leave without their belongings. 

·       3/16, in Hebron governorate, repeated harassment by Israeli settlers from a new outpost near Adh Dhahiriya forced 7 families (33 people, 16 children) to leave Ar Ramadin village.

·       Since January 2023, 1,028 households (5,500 people) have been displaced from 107 communities, the majority of them Bedouin and herders. In January 2026 alone, 600 Palestinians were displaced from Ras Ein al ‘Auja Bedouin community in the central Jordan Valley, marking the highest single-community displacement due to settler attacks and access restrictions over the past 3 years.

·       In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities ordered 11 Palestinian families (80 people) in the Batn al Hawa area of Silwan to leave their homes by 3/23, when their properties will be given to Israeli settlers. The Protection Cluster and its Legal Task Force reported that all available legal remedies to challenge the eviction cases against these families have been exhausted.

·       At least 243 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem face eviction by Israeli courts on behalf of settler organizations, placing 1,000 people (460 children) at risk of displacement.

Education‍ ‍

·       Education in the West Bank is a daily struggle due to settler and military attacks as well as Israeli military checkpoints and closures around Palestinian villages and cities. University life is particularly affected, not least because of Israeli raids on campuses and because students are of an age often targeted for detention and violence. In such an environment, parents live with constant anxiety for their children. (Electronic Intifada 3/11)

ISRAEL‍ ‍

·       Gaza war created a political environment in which large-scale Israeli military operations were already normalized, and where actions framed under the rubric of existential self-defense faced far less international resistance than they would have before October 2023. That rhetoric had been tested to its limits and held. Striking Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure under that same framework was not a sudden escalation but the continuation of a doctrine whose permissible radius has steadily expanded since 2023. (Nation 3/9)

·       Reports are growing of discrimination against non-Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel attempting to seek shelter from Iranian drone and missile attacks. While Jewish neighborhoods are “well protected” by bomb shelters, shelters are much rarer in Palestinian neighborhoods within the highly segregated country, explains Israeli journalist Orly Noy. (Democracy Now 3/9)

·       Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, announced on 3/9 that the 300,000 residents of all Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem will now be eligible to apply for personal firearm licenses. Ben-Gvir urged residents to obtain firearms, and claimed that “a weapon in the hands of responsible citizens,” is important in responding to “terrorism and crime incidents.” (Drop Site 3/10)

·       Israel dropped charges for all five soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian detainee – a decision praised by Benjamin Netanyahu, who said: “Israel must hunt down its enemies, not its own heroic fighters.” The military claimed it would be difficult to have a fair trial due to senior officials’ actions and that it didn’t have sufficient evidence because the Palestinian victim had been released back to Gaza, despite leaked video evidence and a doctor’s report that found the man arrived at the hospital with “a ruptured bowel, a severe injury to his anus, lung damage and broken ribs.” Zeteo 3/14, Mondoweiss 3/19

·       Israeli authorities extend unprecedented closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque through Eid al-Fitr, tightening restrictions across Jerusalem. here 

UNITED STATES‍ ‍

·       3/13/25, Palestinian Columbia protester Leqaa Kordia was arrested and detained after turning herself into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in New Jersey. 3/13/26, an immigration judge ordered her release for the third time. Kordia was the last remaining Columbia protester in detention and was arrested shortly after fellow protester Mahmoud Khalil. While detained, Kordia’s health took a drastic downturn amidst harsh conditions inside Prairieland Detention Center, which has received numerous complaints related to overcrowding, lack of medical resources, and unsanitary facilities. (Mondoweiss 3/14)

·       State Department has declared the US war of choice against Iran an “emergency,” allowing the Trump administration to bypass congressional approval to sell more than 20,000 bombs to Israel. The weapons are valued at nearly $660 million. Meanwhile, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether he’ll block additional funding for the Pentagon’s war against Iran, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “We’ll walk that bridge when we come to it.” (Democracy Now 3/9)

US Universities‍ ‍

·       Interview with Mahmoud Khalil. here ‍ ‍

·       Following the Trump administration’s unprecedented decision to sustain the baseless, after-the-fact charge related to Mahmoud Khalil’s green card application, Mr. Khalil’s legal team filed an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) today asking that it reverse that decision and terminate the proceedings entirely. This charge was added only after Mr. Khalil challenged his unlawful detention and the use of the foreign policy ground. here  

·       Pro-Israel groups have filed hundreds of lawsuits or legal actions in an effort to silence some of this speech, with the vast majority filed since 2023 in response to the protest movement surrounding Israel’s recent war in Gaza. The most important rulings to have come out of these cases, experts say, have found that speech and slogans at the heart of the controversies are protected by the first amendment. here ‍ ‍

PALANTIR‍ ‍

·       Excellent webinar which clearly describes Palantir and its foray into health care: Briefing launch: The risks of Palantir in the NHS. here

·       New York City's public hospitals are paying millions to Palantir. The company’s AI tools help Israel plan its attacks and fuel ICE’s deportation machine. “It’s unacceptable that the same company that is targeting our neighbors for deportation and providing tools to the Israeli military is also providing software for our hospitals,” says AFSC’s Kenny Morris. Read more in the Intercept. To learn about our campaign to stop Palantir’s surveillance on our communities, visit our Purge Palantir page. (AFSC 3/7)

·       Every hospital in England has been urged to disobey an NHS directive to use software operated by controversial US analytics software company Palantir. A coalition of human rights, health and patient organizations, and unions sent out the plea to NHS trusts by email, out of concern over Palantir’s federated data platform (FDP). They urged hospitals to not follow NHS England’s instructions to sign a memorandum of understanding to use the FDP, as set out in planning guidance issued in October. (BMJ 3/16) ‍ ‍

·       As the US-Israeli war on Iran continues, we look at how the Pentagon is using artificial intelligence in its operations. The system, known as Project Maven, relies on technology by Palantir and also incorporates the AI model Claude built by Anthropic. Israel has used similar AI targeting programs in Iran, as well as in Gaza and Lebanon. (Democracy Now 3/19)

INTERNATIONAL‍ ‍

·       Since 3/2, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 health professionals and wounded 51 others, the Lebanese health ministry said on 3/15. Israel has carried out at least 37 attacks against emergency medical workers. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the W.H.O., the World Health Organization condemned the attacks on health care workers and said it marked “a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis.” here https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/world/middleeast/lebanon-medical-workers-killed.‍ ‍

·       IDF says it has hit over 2,000 targets in Lebanon. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday that at least 1,001 people have been killed and 2,584 wounded since the start of Israeli attacks. Drop Site 3/20

·       At the annual British Medical Association consultants conference on 3/4, consultants overwhelmingly backed a motion (88%) outlining their right to freedom of expression. This included the ability to speak out on matters of public conscience, international conflict, and humanitarian law. Huda Mahmoud, a nephrology consultant, who proposed a motion, highlighted the case of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a British Palestinian plastic surgeon and humanitarian doctor.

·       Thousands of activists from at least 150 countries are set to sail on a new humanitarian mission carrying medical personnel and aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Activists coordinating under the Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced on 2/26 that a fleet of up to 200 boats from over 100 countries will depart on 4/12 from several Mediterranean ports in a renewed bid to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Uncertainty remains about whether it will proceed as planned due to regional tensions and the risk of Israeli intervention.  here & Popular Resistance 3/10

·       Gas prices in the US continue to increase, as Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which sees the passage of about 20% of the world’s oil supply. According to AAA, the national average price for gas reached $3.84 a gallon on Wednesday, rising 5 cents a day. Overall, gas prices have jumped 29% since the war began. This comes as the UN warns that 45 million people around the world are at risk of acute hunger due to rising food prices sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran. (Democracy Now 3/18)

SOURCES‍ ‍

OCHAOPT, Haaretz, Democracy Now, Intercept, American Friends Service Committee, Mondoweiss, Mondoweiss, The Nation, Palestine Chronicle, Drop Site, Popular Resistance, Electronic Intifada, Zeteo, New York Times, British Medical Journal, New Yorker, Middle East Eye, Gaza Herald

‍ ‍