Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem, and Lebanon - April 18, 2026
Action alerts
If you live in California, tell the State Assembly’s judiciary committee to Say NO to AB 2664—the California bill to fine and Jail anyone protesting or leafletting at a synagogue or church. AB2664 is expected to pass out of committee without objection or amendments on 4/21. Please email or call the committee members ASAP here
From Rep. Rashida Tlaib: We are witnessing the same genocidal playbook used against Palestinians in Gaza, now in Lebanon. In less than a month of escalated U.S.-backed Israeli attacks, entire generations of families are gone, from grandparents to toddlers to days-old infants. High-ranking Israeli government and military officials have announced their plans to use “the Gaza model, but in Lebanon.” They’ve ordered the forced displacement of more than 1.2 million people (20% of Lebanon’s population) and are telling the refugees that they won’t be allowed to return to their homes. They’re also openly planning to indefinitely occupy Lebanese territory. Their genocidal intent to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon is clear. We must act now to stop these crimes against humanity, which are only possible because of U.S. support and U.S. taxpayer dollars. Will you demand Congress end this ethnic cleansing? Please sign our petition to support new policies I introduced to stop the U.S.-backed Israeli military’s illegal invasion of Lebanon.
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, 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.
SAVE THE DATE: JVP Health Advisory Council webinar: 5/17 10 am pacific, 1 pm eastern with Dr. Zeena Salman. Fragile Crossings: The Pathways, Barriers, and Cost of Pediatric Medical Evacuations From Gaza. More info coming.
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. Since the ceasefire, Israeli border closures and limitations have reduced aid into Gaza by 37%, exacerbating the food, shelter, sanitation and health crises, especially increasing illnesses caused by insects and rats.
· 4/2-15: Israel killed 49 and injured 202.
· Since the 10/10 “ceasefire,” Israel has killed at least 765 Palestinians and injured 2,140.
· Palestinians killed in Gaza since 10/07/2023: 72,344+ killed, 172,242+ injured.
· For more information on Gaza: here
Israeli attacks
· 4/4, two people working with WHO were injured on 4/6 when Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying them north of Khan Yunis. This coincided with an Israeli tank blocking the main road in the area outside the so-called yellow line. Following the attack, the WHO decided to suspend the travel of Gaza patients and wounded through the Rafah crossing, after the occupation army fired on a vehicle belonging to the organization on Salah al-Din Road in the southern Gaza Strip. (Palestine Chronicle (4/6)
· 4/6, Israeli strike killed a child on a bicycle in Gaza City. In Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot and killed a man in a vehicle.
· 4/6, Israeli air strike near a school housing displaced Palestinians killed at least 10 people. On the same day, Israeli forces opened fire on a private vehicle in central Gaza; the driver, a WHO employee, was killed in the attack. here
· 4/6-7,at least 13 were killed and many wounded in Al-Maghazi refugee camp after an armed militia attacked the camp under Israeli air cover. “Whenever anyone tried to approach to provide aid to the injured, they were immediately targeted by the aircraft.” (DropSite, here)
· 4/9, Israeli drone strike on his car killed Al Jazeera correspondentMohammed Samir Washah near Gaza City. The Israeli military bragged about it, calling him a “Hamas terrorist.” According to paramedics, after his car was hit, a 2nd strike injured others who gathered to help. The next day, Palestinian journalist Mohammad Sayed was among 6 killed in an Israeli strike on a police checkpoint in Al-Bureij refugee camp. 262 Palestinian journalists have been killed. (OCHAOPT & here & Democracy Now 4/8)
· 4/9, Israeli forces shot and killed 3rd-grader Ritaj Rihan inside a tent classroom in Beit Lahia in front of her classmates. (OCHAOPT, Electronic Intifada 4/10)
· 4/10-11, Israeli airstrikes in Bureij camp, Beit Lahia, and Deir al-Balah killed at least 15 people in a 24-hour period. Since the so-called “ceasefire” in October, Israeli strikes have killed at least 700 people, including Palestinian journalist Mohammad Sayed . here
· 4/15, Israeli air, drone, and artillery strikes killed at least 8 people and wounded 29 more in a 24-hour period. Among those killed were a 3-year-old boy, Yahya Al-Malahi, and a 14-year-old boy, Adam Ahmed Halaa. here
· 4/16, 2 were killed in a drone strike on a school in Beit Lahia, and 2 were injured in a drone strike near Khan Younis. Israeli forces shot and killed a 9-year-old boy in Gaza City.
· 4/17, 2 brothers were killed and 2 others injured when Israeli forces targeted a water desalination station near Gaza City.
Health & Hospitals
· Palestinian Ministry of Health stated: “the health crisis in Gaza has transcended traditional definitions of emergency, reaching a catastrophic level where the most basic human rights are violated.” A surge in diseases caused by insects, rodents, and contaminated water, coupled with Israel’s continuing restrictions on critical medical supplies and decimation of Gaza’s hospitals, has led to dire conditions for the 1.2 million Palestinians living across more than 1,600 displacement camps. here
· New report by UN Women indicates that Israel killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and December 2025 – an average of at least 47 women and girls each day. The agency's humanitarian action head emphasized that "Extensive damage to infrastructure has made it almost impossible for women and girls in Gaza to access their basic needs like healthcare.” here
· As people in Gaza try to find some comfort in the ruins of what remains of their land, they are also mindful that Israel’s egregious crimes not be forgotten. Palestinian women, in particular, have suffered. The UN estimates that more than 28,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza up until May 2025. Dr. Hussein Hammad, a human rights researcher in Gaza, told The Electronic Intifada that it was clear that Israel had “carried out genocide against all segments of Palestinian society, including women,” in total disregard of international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. here
· Amid Gaza's rubble, families are trying to protect their children from suicide. "We are not talking about individual cases of depression or anxiety; we are talking about an entire society living a continuous collective trauma." One study indicates that about 67.8% of the population suffers from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 79.3% suffer from anxiety and 84.5% from depression—extremely high rates compared to any other society in the world. here
· 4/1-8, a single medical evacuation of 17 patients with 33 caregivers was allowed through the Rafah Crossing and 50 Palestinians were allowed to return that same day. 4/6, a WHO contractor was killed by Israeli military, witnessed by 2 WHO staff who were not injured. WHO suspended medical evacuations for a week, which then resumed on 3/12-15, for 103 patients and 190 caregivers, 292 Palestinian returnees into Gaza.
· In April, the MoH and WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, and partners launched the 3rd and final round of the catch-up vaccination campaign through 146 teams in health facilities and mobile outreach.
· As of 4/6, 269 health service points (43% of facilities functional prior to October 2023) were operational, mostly only partially: 19 hospitals, 13 field hospitals, 114 PHCs, 123 medical points, and 22 ambulance centers. They are run by national NGOs (118), international NGOs (85), UN agencies (38), MoH (23), and a few other partners. Geographically, they are spread among Deir al Balah (92), Gaza governorate (84), Khan Younis (78), North Gaza (9), and Rafah (6).
· 4/10, WHO statement clarified its supportive role in medical evacuation from Gaza via the Rafah crossing in Egypt: “Under difficult circumstances, WHO continues to work for the health of the people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including supporting the Ministry of Health (MoH) with medical evacuations. These may resume on 4/12, after WHO had to suspend its support to medical evacuations, following a security incident in which a person contracted to provide services to WHO in Gaza was killed. With commitments now received from relevant parties to ensure the safety of patients and staff, WHO stands ready to resume its support to the operation. …” here
· Emergency medical teams (EMT): 23 partner organizations involve 310 national and 72 international personnel. Rotation schedules continue to constrain the deployment of specialized staff.
· Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that since the “ceasefire” began, they have applied over 40,000 dressings for patients with traumatic injuries from gunshots, blasts or other weapons. “Six months on, the ceasefire has failed to end the genocide…Israeli authorities [continue] to impose conditions intended to destroy conditions of life… Despite the reduction of the intensity of violence, Israeli attacks are continuous and the situation remains catastrophic.”
· An NGO partner supported a 120-bed expansion at Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, along with delivery of surgical equipment, including orthopedic and neurotome drills, the first such delivery since October 2023.
· Dialysis services support 676 patients on 108 machines across 4 facilities – the Al-Shifa, Al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals and the Az Zawaida Field Unit – but face increased blood transfusion needs due to the lack of erythropoietin.
· Severe shortages of essential medicines, laboratory supplies, consumables and specialized equipment continue to constrain service delivery. Cardiology services are severely constrained, with cardiac catheterization largely suspended and limited to life-saving cases only, due to lack of supplies and consumables.
· Persistent shortages of generator fuel and spare parts disrupt operations, while Israeli restrictions on the entry of supplies – including dental materials – further limit capacity. High caseloads, limited-service availability and strained referral pathways continue to hinder access to care.
· For more information, see the online Heath Cluster Dashboard.
Pests, rodents and public health
· A proliferation of rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other pests are contributing to a high prevalence of scabies, lice, and skin infections. These are caused by overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and limited access to hygiene services.
· 4/7-4/13, rodents or pests were found in 81% of displacement sites, affecting about 1.45 million people. Sanitation-related risks include sewage in streets (61% of sites), accumulated solid waste (56%), and flooding or stagnant water (24%). Only 3% of sites reported no visible environmental health hazards.
· 1,322 sites (81%) reported skin infections or rashes, including scabies, lice, bedbugs, or other ectoparasitic infestations. Health partners reported over 70,000 cases of rodent and ectoparasitic infestations so far in 2026.
· Many public health measures rely on items unavailable in Gaza and disallowed entry by Israel. The decongestion of waste disposal sites is similarly constrained. Approvals are needed for pest-control chemicals, hygiene supplies and the engine oils and spare parts required for pumping, rubble removal, and other operations.
Water & Sanitation
· 3/31-4/4, the Gaza Electricity Distribution Corp. repaired the electricity supply line for the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, which was hit by an airstrike. It is now producing 15,000 cubic meters of drinking water daily, resolving shortages for over 500,000 people in Deir Al Balah and Al Mawasi (Khan Younis).
· Water production: 58% from groundwater wells, 27% from Israel through the 3 Mekorot pipelines, and 15% from desalination plants. Water production is constrained by limited access to energy, and severe shortages of oil lubricants, consumables, and spare parts for the generators that enable water and sanitation. 3/27, this forced CMWU to reduce the working hours of generators and reduce domestic and drinking water production.
· 4/7-13, 500 household latrine units entered Gaza and were distributed. Solid waste collection currently covers approximately 85% of daily waste generated in Gaza.
Food and Nutrition
· 4/1-13, household general food assistance was provided to 102,000 families (412,000 people). Each family received 2 parcels, a 25-kilogram flour bag and 2.5 kilograms of high energy biscuits, covering 75% of minimum caloric needs.
· As of 4/9, partners serve 1.25 million meals daily through 129 kitchens.
· In the second half of March, 50,250 children <5 were screened for acute malnutrition; 1,937 (4%) were admitted for treatment, 269 (0.5%) with severe acute malnutrition. 21 infants <6 months admitted for inpatient care at stabilization centers for acute malnutrition, and 5 others were enrolled to receive ready-to-use infant formula to ensure appropriate feeding. 6 children >5 years were diagnosed with severe wasting and admitted for inpatient treatment.
· Partners screened 38,100 pregnant and breastfeeding women; 919 (2 %) were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment.
· The latest World Food Program (WFP) Gaza Market Monitor revealed that while consumption improved in March, it remains well below pre-October 2023 levels. The recent slowing of aid has resulted in declining dietary diversity and higher prices. Vegetable and protein consumption dropped considerably. High prices for cooking gas leave 55% of the population still burning waste as an alternative.
Aid
· 10/25 agreement promised, “Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference,” but since then, Israel has continuously denied and restricted the access of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, cutting the agreed number of trucks going into the strip by half just four days after the “ceasefire” went into effect. Israel was still restricting items like baby formula, medical supplies, and materials for stronger shelters as Palestinians faced the harsh winter months. The number of trucks was further slashed by 80% in the first two weeks of the US-Israeli war in Iran, and Israel has repeatedly prioritized the entry of commercial trucks over trucks carrying humanitarian aid. (Drop Site 4/10)
· Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s agricultural sector has left residents entirely dependent on aid for nutrition. Because of Israeli restrictions on aid, 77% of Gaza’s population experiences crisis or emergency-level food insecurity, according to the U.N.-backed Global Hunger Monitor. At least 70% of babies in Gaza are born underweight. The past two months saw a 50% drop in food rations entering Gaza, leaving over 60,000 children under 5 in need of life-saving acute malnutrition treatment. (Drop Site 4/10, here
· 2/28-4/10, Israel refused to open the Zikim Crossing into northern Gaza, forcing all aid to pass through the congested southern Kerem Shalom Crossing, which they also closed during Passover, which, combined with cargo scanning problems in Ashod, resulted in a decline of 37% in aid entering Gaza. Zikim finally reopened on 4/12. For information on incoming supplies, see the online UN 2720 Mechanism Dashboard.
· 4/12, Israeli authorities authorized an increase in the volumes of supplies sent by the UN and partners through the Jordan B2B route, (B2B refers to back to back transport modality, transferring aid from one truck to another at a checkpoint) – from 50 to 60 trucks, twice a week.
· 4/6-12, commercial trucks with increasing amounts of non-essential commodities entered. Of 403 truckloads, 52% carried food, 5% cooking gas, 3% shelter materials and 3% hygiene items; 37% were classified as “other,” non-essential goods.
Mine Action
· 3/30-4/5, partners did 68 explosive hazard assessments in support of debris removal activities, as well as 7 emergency response missions.
· So far this year, there have been 16 accidents involving explosive ordnance, killing 4 and injuring 32. Mine Action partners are still waiting for critical equipment which Israeli authorities deem “dual-use” and restrict entry.
Children
· 584 temporary learning spaces (TLSs) are now operational, with capacity for 357,476 pre-school and school-aged children. Access to learning materials remains highly constrained. Only 392 school-in-a-carton kits were allowed in on 3/31, sufficient for 15,680 learners, and no additional supplies have been received to date. Further, the continued lack of teacher remuneration is significantly affecting the quality and continuity of education, undermining learning, consistency of instruction, and the education-in-emergency response in Gaza. For more information, see the online Education Cluster page.
· After 35 years,Defense for Children International–Palestine, the primary reporting agency to the UN Security Council on the treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention, announced it was “not able to overcome operational challenges resulting from Israel’s targeted criminalization of Palestinian human rights organizations” and was closing. Israel designated DCI a “terrorist” organization in 2021; in 2022, Israeli forces raided its headquarters, welded its doors shut, and declared it illegal. As of 12/31/25, a record 351 Palestinian children were held in Israeli prisons, 51% under administrative detention (ie no charges, no trial). here
West Bank, including East Jerusalem
· 3/31-4/13, Israeli forces or settlers killed 9 Palestinians (1 child) and injured 50 (10 children). During the same period, 87 settler attacks caused injuries or property damage or both.
· So far this year, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 35 (7 children) and injured 880. Settlers in March injured more people (170) than in any month in the past 20 years. Since January, 580 settler attacks have been documented across more than 190 communities.
· Since 1/2023, 61 Palestinians have been killed in settler attacks, including 34 by Israeli settlers, 17 by Israeli forces, and 10 by Israeli settlers or forces.
· For West Bank casualty and displacement information: here
Israeli Military and Settler Attacks
· 4/1, in Qusra village (Nablus), home to 6,000 people, settlers attacked Palestinian houses, stole 5 sheep and a water tank, and damaged vehicles. 4/5, they damaged surveillance cameras and 2 houses under construction, triggering confrontations with Palestinian residents resulting in injuries to a Palestinian and a settler. When they military arrived, they injured 10 Palestinians (7 children) with tear gas. 4/5, in the nearby village of Jalud, settlers set fire to a workers’ residence, poultry facilities and vehicles, and physically assaulted and injured a Palestinian worker, injuring him and leaving him unconscious. So far this year, 27 settler attacks have been documented, the highest number of attacks in a single community during this period, during which one Palestinian was killed and 8 were injured.
· 4/5, near Al Lubban ash Sharqiya village, settlers set fire to 2 vehicles and 1 guest tent for Bedouins, injuring a man. 4/6 in Tell (6,000 people) and Asira al Qibliya (3,000 people), settlers set fire to an agricultural structure and damaged water infrastructure and equipment.
· 3/31, in Al Mughayyir (Ramallah) home to 3,000 people, settlers destroyed a greenhouse, agricultural equipment, fences and 3 water tanks. 4/5, in Beitillu (4,000 people), settlers damaged agricultural facilities, cut waterlines and stole a water pump serving 8 plots of land, affecting 8 households. 4/6, in Yabrud (600 people), settlers assaulted and injured 4 Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, damaged 4 houses, and stole 10 sheep and other items from an animal shelter.
· 4/3, in Beit Ula (Hebron) home to 18,000 people, a settler shot 2 members of Palestinian family working their land in the area. 4/6, in Khirbet al Fakheit (400 people), Israeli settlers broke into a residence, damaging the home and displacing a family (10 people).
· The recent military raid and eviction of 11 Palestinian homes in Silwan are part of Israel’s coordinated assault on the conditions that make psychological life possible: home, continuity, and the right to remain. here
· 4/5, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian herder near Khirbet Tell al Himma (Tubas), damaged his personal property and cut waterlines connected to the community’s main water source, denying the entire community domestic and agricultural water.
· 4/5, Israeli settlers cut electric lines in Far’ata village (Qalqiliya), disrupting power to 10 houses. The village council repaired them the same day.
· 4/8, settlers from a new outpost near Tayasir (Tubas) shot and killed a Palestinian man. This followed a series of settler attacks that began around noon and continued throughout the day. Israeli settlers raided agricultural land, damaged greenhouses, stole crops, assaulted farmers, injured a 49-year-old man, and forced farmers to leave. In the evening, when settlers returned, Palestinians and settlers threw stones at each other. Palestinians injured a settler with a stone so the settler shot and injured a Palestinian. When Israeli forces arrived, they evacuated the settler and prevented an ambulance from reaching the Palestinian, who died of his injuries. His body was withheld by Israeli forces. 4/9, Israeli forces raided the village and arrested 7 Palestinians. The Israeli military stated the Israeli gunman was an off-duty soldier.
· 4/8, a Bedouin family (12 people, 9 children) were displaced from Ni’lin village (Ramallah) by repeated settler attacks from a nearby outpost. 4/9, 5 Bedouin households (35 people, 26 children) were forcibly displaced from Area C and Area A in Al ‘Auja (Jericho) by Israeli settler violence. The families reported that settlers stole some of their belongings during relocation.
· 4/11, uniformed settlers shot and killed a Palestinian in Deir Jarir (Ramallah). When Israeli settlers began grazing livestock on Palestinian land, Palestinians gathered and each began throwing stones. Then 2 uniformed settlers arrived and shot a man to death.(OCHAOPT, Drop Site 4/13)
Demolitions and Displacement
· So far this year, 79 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished in East Jerusalem, displacing 30 households (142 people, 72 children). 36 of the 79 were demolished by their owners, to avoid paying the fines and fees for the demolition of their own homes.
· 3/31, Israeli forces ordered a 2-month extension to the military order that prolongs the displacement of 33,360 Palestinians from the Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps which began in January 2025. The order designates “closure areas,” where entry and exit are prohibited without a permit from the Israeli military commander. These restrictions are part of a protracted military operation in the northern West Bank that has created the longest and largest displacement crisis in the West Bank since 1967. UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) imagery identifies 1,500+ structures in the 3 camps as destroyed or damaged.
· 4/1, 7 Bedouin families (47 people, 28 children) were forced to leave their homes in Safeh Tayasir (Tubas) by repeated settler attacks from a nearby outpost. Incidents included trespassing, prevention of livestock grazing, and threats of physical assault. 3/27-3/31, settlers attacked residents on multiple occasions, injuring an elderly man, setting tents and vehicles on fire, and damaging property. 3/27, an 8th family was similarly displaced.
· 3/1, Israeli forces displaced 3 families (13 people, 5 children) from their homes in Arraba (Jenin) and used them as military observation points. When a homeowner attempted to return following a temporary withdrawal of Israeli forces, the forces returned, assaulted him, and forced the family to leave.
· 10 structures (8 homes) were demolished for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. These included 3 structures in Area C, displacing 1 person, and 7 homes in East Jerusalem’s Al Bustan area of Silwan, Ath Thuri, Jabal al Mukabbir and the Old City, displacing 9 families (37 people, 11 children). These families were forced to demolish their homes to avoid the payment of additional fines and fees.
· So far in 2026, more than 2,500 Palestinians (1,100 children) have been displaced by administrative and punitive demolitions, settler attacks, and evictions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Also in Area C, about 340 Palestinians have been displaced by lack-of-permit demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities, nearly 60% in Hebron and Nablus governorates. In East Jerusalem, over 250 Palestinians have been displaced by administrative demolitions and evictions, 60% in the Silwan area, both from lack-of-permit demolitions and from legal cases filed by Israeli settler organizations.
· 4/9, Israel’s “Security Cabinet secretly approved the construction of 34 new settlements in the West Bank, a record number passed in a single move during the campaign against Iran,” Israeli media reported. They did not specify the date of the decision but said it was during the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began 2/28. About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the West Bank, including 250,000 in 15 illegal settlements in East Jerusalem. here
Economic desperation
· Approximately 70 Palestinian men were found in the back of a garbage truck attempting to cross from the occupied West Bank into Israel in search of work. Since October 2023, Israel has revoked tens of thousands of Palestinian work permits leaving families unable to meet their basic needs. here
· After Israel revoked the work permits of over 200,000 Palestinian laborers following 10/7, West Bank families are burning through savings, skipping meals, and losing hope for any kind of future. (Mondoweiss 4/17)
LEBANON
· The toll of Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 2,200+ dead (172 children) and 4,040+ wounded since 3/2, with Israel bombing up to the very last minute before the “ceasefire”.
· Since 3/2, over 90 medical workers have been killed and more than 190 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. More than 1.1 million people in Lebanon—one fifth of the country’s population—have been displaced since March 2. (Democracy Now, Drop Site 4/17)
· 4/4, 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. here
· 4/4, 2 Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured by Israeli shelling targeting their unit in Adaisseh, southern Lebanon. Indonesia called for a UN investigation into the earlier deaths of 3 of its peacekeepers in Lebanon: “We demand a direct investigation from the UN, not just Israel’s excuses.”
· 4/4, Israeli strike near the coastal city of Tyre, approximately 50 miles south of Beirut, damaged a hospital and wounded 18 people, including three paramedics. (Drop Site 4/6)
· The use of phosphorus shells by the Israeli military was reported in Ainata, and Israeli forces also reportedly opened fire on farmers in the Marjayoun plain, wounding a Syrian national.
· An Israeli airstrike killed a family of 7, including a 5-year-old girl, in Kfar Hatta near Sidon. The strike was in an area where Israel ordered civilians to flee, mirroring a pattern documented in Gaza in which displaced families were targeted in “safe zones.”
· 4/5, Israeli airstrike directly targeted a medical crew in the town of Haris, in the Bint Jbeil district, killing two medics, according to the state-run National News Agency. Over 50 Lebanese medical workers have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2. (Drop Site 4/6)
· 4/7, UN says the number of people displaced in Lebanon has grown to over 1.1 million, as Israeli forces continue to invade Lebanon’s south while bombing Beirut and other sites across the country. 4/6, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports one Israeli airstrike targeted a civilian car in southern Lebanon, killing four civilians, while another strike on the town of Haris killed two civilians. This follows a bloody Easter Sunday that saw Israel kill more than three dozen people, among them Lebanese politician Pierre Mouawad, his wife and another woman, killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment building east of Beirut. Mouawad was an official in the Lebanese Forces, a longtime adversary of Hezbollah. (Democracy Now 4/7)
· 4/8, Israel targeted a medical center in Chaqra, killing several paramedics. An Israeli strike on an ambulance killed 4 paramedics in the southern town of Al-Qaliila.
· 4/8, Israel conducted a massive wave of airstrikes in Lebanon, hitting over 100 targets in 10 minutes in Beirut, Beqaa, and southern Lebanon. A targeted Israeli strike on an ambulance killed four paramedics in the southern town of Al-Qaliila. Lebanon’s Health Minister reported, “Hospitals are overcrowded with martyrs and the wounded.” Drop Site contributor Lylla Younes said, “Ambulances nonstop and people screaming. Warplanes are back in the sky. That’s the soundscape in Beirut.” While Israel has denied Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement, Pakistan, France and Egypt, have all have confirmed Lebanon’s inclusion in the deal. President Trump reportedly said “Everyone knows” Lebanon isn’t part of the Iran cease-fire. here
· Lebanon declared a day of mourning after massive Israeli bombardment killed 200+ people and injured 1,000+ on 4/8, the highest single day toll since 3/2.
· 4/10, WHO warned that 450 patients in 2 major Beirut hospitals—including 40 in intensive care—faced serious risk following an Israeli evacuation order covering the capital’s southern suburbs. Rafik Hariri University Hospital and Al Zahraa Hospital are both operating at full capacity with no alternative facilities available to receive patients. The WHO called the evacuation order “operationally unfeasible” and urged Israel to reverse its directive. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a statement that it received international assurances the hospitals wouldn’t be targeted.
· 4/10, WHO received a new Israeli threat, indicating that ambulances and medical infrastructure could be targeted as the escalation in Lebanon intensifies. UN says strikes triggered mass displacement and widespread destruction across Lebanon. Food insecurity surges as markets collapse and prices spike amid ongoing attacks. (Palestine Chronicle 4/10)
· 4/10, Israel bombed several ambulances and firetrucks in the town of Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain, southern Lebanon. Israel’s military spokesperson reiterated a threat to target ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon claiming without evidence that they were being used by Hezbollah for military activities.
· 4/12, Israeli Defense Forces soldiers rammed United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon vehicles with a Merkava tank on two occasions, as Israeli forces blocked a road in Bayada used to access UNIFIL positions. The peacekeeping force reported a broader pattern of obstruction, including shots fired at and striking UNIFIL vehicles and the destruction of UN force protection cameras at six separate locations in southern Lebanon.
· 4/11-12, Israeli forces carried out a surge of strikes targeting first responders across Lebanon, including a direct drone attack 4/12 on a Lebanese Red Cross unit conducting a humanitarian mission on the road to Beit Yahoun, killing paramedic Hassan Badawi and wounding another, according to Lebanon’s Red Cross. At least 3 double-tap strikes—in which a 2nd strike hits rescuers responding to an initial attack—were reported. 4/13, Lebanese Red Cross Tyre office was hit by a drone strike. The strike killed a wounded person being transported and damaged Red Cross vehicles. (OCHAOPT, Palestine Chronicle 4/13)
· 4/12, hundreds of Lebanese families, mostly Shias, are risking their lives to stay in the area. In safer parts up north, rental prices have reached $3,000 for a small unfurnished apartments, with landlords demanding a full year of rent upfront. Some have decided to stay to help their communities, and others have simply determined that dying at home is better than the misery of displacement. (Zeteo 4/12)
· 4/12, rights groups fear tactic of ‘domicide’ trialed in Gaza, where entire areas are made uninhabitable, is being used again in Lebanon. The Israeli military has demolished entire villages as part of its invasion of south Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in massive remote detonations. (Guardian 4/12)
· 4/16, IOF airstrike destroyed the last bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. The IOF also issued fresh evacuation orders for residents of the country’s south to move north as the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 29 people had been killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. (Haaretz 4/16)
· 4/16, WHO’s Tedros Ghebreyesus called for “the immediate protection of health care facilities, health workers, ambulances, and patients” across Lebanon amid Israeli attacks. He stated that Lebanon’s “Tebnine Government Hospital, one of the busiest trauma management hospitals in the south, was damaged due to two consecutive strikes close by on 4/12 and 4/14,” injuring at least 11 workers and destroying the hospital’s emergency department and equipment, and damaging the hospital’s pharmacy and outpatient clinics.
· 4/15,Israeli forces carried out 4 waves of airstrikes outside Nabatieh, deliberately targeting emergency responders in sequence—first striking the area, then hitting ambulances dispatched to aid the wounded, followed by strikes on a 2nd and 3rd wave of responders, killing 3 medical workers and wounding 6.
· 4/16,A 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon announced by Trump went into effect at midnight local time. Israel bombed Lebanon heavily right up until the ceasefire went into effect with some its heaviest strikes of the past six weeks. Lebanese media reported 60 different towns were struck in hours leading up to the ceasefire. The Israeli military violated the ceasefire hours after it went into place when it struck an ambulance in the town of Kounine close to the border with Israel on Friday, according to the National News Agency, with reported casualties among the targeted medical workers. (Drop Site 4/17)
· 4/17,the Israeli military immediately violated the ceasefire striking an ambulance in Kounine, with reported casualties among the targeted medical workers. The Lebanese army also reported “a number of violations of the agreement, with several Israeli attacks recorded, in addition to intermittent shelling targeting a number of villages” and renewed its call for citizens to “exercise caution” in returning to their homes in southern Lebanon.
ISRAEL
· Approximately 350 Palestinian students are currently held in Israeli jails under conditions that violate international law, Palestine’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education said on 4/15 in a statement marking Palestinian Prisoners Day. The ministry said detainees are subjected to nighttime arrests, harsh interrogations, solitary confinement, medical neglect, and denial of education, calling the widespread detention of children “a direct attack on the Palestinian education system and a systematic attempt to undermine the future of generations,” and urged international human rights organizations—particularly those focused on children’s rights – to hold Israel accountable (Drop Site 4/16)
· On Palestinian Prisoners Day, rights groups reported a surge in Palestinian prisoner population since start of Gaza genocide:Thenumber of Palestinian and Arab political prisoners held in Israeli prisons now exceeds 9,600, an 83% increase from the roughly 5,250 held before the war on Gaza began. (Drop Site 4/17)
· Ben Marmarelli, a lawyer for Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti, reported three violent assaults by Israeli prison guards against his client in the span of two weeks, including a severe beating on 4/8 at Ganot Prison during which Barghouti was left bleeding for more than two hours and denied medical care following an earlier attack during a prison transfer and a dog attack at Megiddo Prison. He said the attacks “form a pattern of rapidly escalating abuse” that places Barghouti “at immediate risk of severe harm or death,” and called for his immediate release. here
· 4/9, Israeli government secretly approved 34 new settlements, a record for a single cabinet session. The new illegal settlements add to the 68 approved by Netanyau’s far-right government since taking power in 2022. (Palestine Chronicle 4/11)
· IOF will present Israel's political leadership a plan to establish a "security zone" in southern Lebanon, about 2-3 kilometers (1-2 miles) from the Israeli border, IOF officials said, adding that the plan does not include building military outposts, and that most civilians living in the villages within the zone would be evacuated to prevent contact with Israeli troops. (Haaretz 4/5)
UNITED STATES
· Twenty-three years after Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a Caterpillar bulldozer in Gaza, two divestment successes in her home state of Washington have brought her some measure of justice. Last month, the Office of the Washington State Treasurer divested its $62 million in Caterpillar bonds, and on 3/24 the Olympia, Washington City Council voted unanimously to include a strongly worded statement in its ethical investment policy, which bans investment in entities that engage in apartheid or illegal occupation. (Mondoweiss 4/6)
· 4/15, the US Senate rejected a pair of resolutions that would have blocked the sale of bombs and bulldozers to Israel. Although the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders failed to pass, a record number of Senators backed the effort. 40 Senators backed a resolution would have blocked the sale of $295 million in D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers to Israel and 36 members voted for a resolution that would have stopped a $151.8 million sale of 1,000-pound bombs to Israel. (Mondoweiss 4/16)
· 9/25/25, David McIntosh filed a report to his bosses at Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) detailing an account of Israeli soldiers gunning down a young Palestinian boy as he was getting food at a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). “There’s no way he survived,” McIntosh told Drop Site News and Middle East Eye in his first interview since returning from Gaza five months ago. “He was murdered. He was straight up murdered.” here
· Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who dismissed high-profile deportation cases against international students who had advocated for Palestinians. The firings of the judges, Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, marked the latest efforts by the Trump administration to reshape the country’s immigration courts. The two judges, who were terminated alongside four colleagues on Friday, oversaw two high-profile cases filed by the government against the students, Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi. (NYT 4/12)
INTERNATIONAL
· France refused to grant a visa to Shawan Jabarin, director of Al-Haq—one of the oldest human rights organizations documenting abuses in Palestine—blocking his attendance at planned briefings with French lawmakers, the foreign ministry, and European officials in Paris and Brussels. (Drop Site 4/17)
· The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF)has launched. Land mobilizations in solidarity with the sea mission are planned across Europe and the US, including potential strike actions by trade unions in Italy’s ports to ensure the mission’s safe passage to Gaza. The ships are not only sailing to break the siege. They are sailing against the US and Israel’s war on Iran and Lebanon, to open a humanitarian sea corridor to help with Palestinian-led reconstruction efforts, to put pressure on the international community with parallel actions on land, and to demand that states act to end these wars of impunity and the genocide in Palestine. (Zeteo 4/15)
· A Palestinian child who lost her arm during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza arrived in the UK for specialist treatment on 4/7, amid ongoing pressure on the British government to step up efforts to help evacuate critically ill and injured children from the territory. When Mariam Sabbah arrived at Heathrow airport with her mother, Fatma Salman, and two brothers, they were met by a small crowd bearing gifts, balloons and bouquets. Since Trump halted visitor visas for Palestinians, such humanitarian efforts are banned in the U.S. (The Guardian 4/8)
· At least 326 aid workers were killed in the line of duty across 21 countries in 2025, bringing the three-year death toll to more than 1,000. That’s according to the U.N.’s top aid coordinator Tom Fletcher, who briefed the Security Council Wednesday. More than 560 of those deaths occurred in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. (Democracy Now 4/9)
· An unnamed source said Iran would withdraw from the cease-fire if Israel continued attacking Lebanon, and a top IRGC commander vowed a "severe" response to the IDF's strikes.Hezbollah, for its part, halted fire on northern Israel and on IDF troops in Lebanon 4/8 as part of the Iran cease-fire. The group later said that it has a right to respond to Israel's massive attacks labeled “Operation Eternal Darkness.” According to Lebanon’s Civil Defense on 4/8, at least 254 people were killed and over 1,100 wounded in the attacks. The vast majority of the casualties were in the capital and its southern suburbs, with over 150 killed. here
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, Middle East Monitor, Democracy Now, Drop Site, Haaretz, Mondoweiss, Zeteo, Aljazeera, Electronic Intifada, Palestine Chronicle, substack, New York Times, The Guardian, WHO, news.antiwar.com, BBC, The New Arab, Middle East Eye