Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem November 1, 2025
Please note: Starting today, the Urgent health report will be posted every 2 weeks.
ACTION ITEMS
1. Stop starvation, fund UNRWA. Accepting Israeli lies, Congress cut funding to UNRWA, the agency with the most experience and best suited to deliver aid in Gaza. Tell your Congressperson to sign the bill restoring funding to UNRWA. Here
2. Block the Bombs. The US has given $30 billion in weapons to Israel in the past 2 years but can’t authorize food for people here by funding SNAP? If rationality can’t move your recalcitrant Congressperson, maybe this will. Stop arming Israel. Here
3. LETTER FROM JEWISH HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. Thank you for signing the “End the Genocide in Gaza: A Public Letter from Jewish Health Professionals.” We have now 1,043 signatories. The letter was covered by Haaretz and Zeteo, was sent to the leadership of the World Medical Association and to medical associations in multiple countries, including the U.S. and Israel, and was the topic of a viral clip on e.Instagram. Please sign and share with colleagues. Sign here. We plan to continue, educating and pressuring our colleagues, professional organizations, and journals to speak out about the realities in Gaza and the need for changes in US and Israeli policies. You can reach us anytime at JewishHealthcareAction@gmail.com. Naftali Kaminski, Zachary Sholem Berger, Joseph Dov Bruch, Josh Hollman, Akiva Leibovitz, Brandon Libby, Mark Perlmutter, Alice Rothchild, Peter Sporn, Jacob I. Sznajder
4. Demand Israel immediately lift its ban on foreign journalists. For more than two years, Israel has maintained a complete blockade on foreign press access to Gaza—the longest and most complete media ban of any modern conflict. We call on the Israeli government to:
Grant immediate, independent access to Gaza for all foreign journalists without military escorts, pre-broadcast censorship, or restrictions on movement and reporting.
End the deliberate targeting and killing of journalists covering this conflict and allow humanitarian organizations to protect and support press workers.
5. HELP SAVE UMM AL KHAIR AGAIN. Calls to Congress, Israeli Embassies Urgently Needed. Yesterday, the Village of Umm Al Khair received a broad demolition order for most of the communities homes. It is ESSENTIAL that folks make some calls to demand that Umm Al Khair be protected from settler terrorism and Israel’s efforts to ethnically cleanse Palestine. When Awdah Al Hathaleen was murdered by a settler trying to steal the village’s land we hoped for some respite from the ethnic cleansing, but that clearly is over. So PLEASE make a few calls to demand that Israel protect Umm Al Khair. We have only 3 days to stop this outrage.
Israeli Consulate in San Francisco (415) 844-7500
Israeli Embassy in Washington DC (202) 364-5500
Find and call your Congressperson and Senator congress.gov/members/find-your-member (link in bio).
Umm al-Khair is one of the most repeatedly targeted Bedouin communities in Masafer Yatta, having endured more than 20 demolition operations since 2007, during which over 100 residential, agricultural, and public structures were destroyed — the most recent occurring in February 2025
Webinar
Starvation as the Tool of the Colonizer: Palestine, Haiti, Western Sahara, Congo, Sudan and Ireland. Forced starvation has always been a tool of elimination. What will it take for us to globally interrupt this genocidal strategy? How to build broader coalitions of health workers? Join Highlander, Doctors Against Genocide, Christians for A Free Palestine, Equal Health and our global partners in dialogue. 11/11/25, 11:00 AM Pacific, 2PM Eastern. Register here:
Hold the date: next Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council webinar, November 23, 10 AM pacific, 1 PM eastern. Reprocide and the weaponization of starvation. With Dr. Alice Rothchild & Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguilar,
ARTICLES
After more than two decades as a member — serving as editorial board chair of the American Journal of Public Health, as an elected section chair, and as a governing councilor — APHA revoked my membership in September, stripped me of my elected leadership position, and banned me from attending meetings for two years. Amy Hagopian reviews her banning from APHA and warns: “as authoritarian norms take hold in government, they’re metastasizing into civil society institutions that should be resisting them.” here
"Former Mossad officer, Avner Avraham, said recently that Israel’s 'creative idea' to collapse the ceasefire could be “our people send missiles from inside [Gaza] and they we say ‘oh, there’s a missile from Gaza’ so now we can [retaliate].” He added, “We are going to erase Gaza”. Israel is not just waging war, it is staging a performance for the world, where collaborators pose as community leaders and ghost towns are dressed up as 'reconstruction'." --Muhammad Shehada; Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
The Israeli army had refused to allow these criminal gangs to seek refuge inside Israel itself, and wanted to abandon them, until Netanyahu managed to change the withdrawal lines in the Trump plan and keep over 58% of Gaza in Israel's hands. Abu Shabab then continued to receive protection, with Israel finding good use for the militia to continue the war by other means. So far, this has entailed provoking civil conflict, engineering societal collapse, carrying out assassinations, espionage, abductions, and hit-and-run operations on the ground, with Israel bombing from the air. here
What ‘Day After’ for Gaza? by Gaza scholar Sara Roy. The most influential plans for rebuilding Gaza start from the premise that Palestinians have no right to determine their future. here
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese Gaza Genocide: a collective crime Summary The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a collective crime, sustained by the complicity of influential Third States that have enabled longstanding systemic violations of international law by Israel. Framed by colonial narratives that dehumanize the Palestinians, this livestreamed atrocity has been facilitated through Third States’ direct support, material aid, diplomatic protection and, in some cases, active participation. It has exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest. The world now stands on a knife-edge between the collapse of the international rule of law and hope for renewal. Renewal is only possible if complicity is confronted, responsibilities are met and justice is upheld. here
Editorials & Commentaries
The BMJ: T the authors assert that “accountability for human rights must guide every collaboration in medicine and science.” The articles specifies that this “means disengaging from institutions implicated in genocide” and “refusing collaborations that sustain impunity…. Ethical engagement should begin with human rights statements that disclose links to institutions or states implicated in atrocity across all research, grants, ethics reviews, and publications.” In practice, these standards are applied selectively: while UK Research and Innovation suspended grants and universities severed partnerships with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, no UK universities have severed ties with Israel and the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership is linked to Israeli institutions involved in weapons-related research. The authors conclude that “Beginning with genocide, medical and academic leaders have a duty to implement reforms to safeguard the line between valuable collaboration and toxic complicity, break institutional silence, and declare medicine’s commitment to the right to existence and life for all peoples, in all states.” here
Research Articles
The BMJ: The BMJ used the Attacks on Health Care in Countries in Conflict dataset (2020-2024) to demonstrate how “the number of military and other hostile attacks on healthcare infrastructure and staff in many of the world’s major conflict zones has risen markedly in the past five years.” The data indicate that prior to 2010, non-state armed groups were principal or equal perpetrators of attacks on healthcare. However, “the vast majority of deaths and injuries among health workers over the past five years have been caused by three state actors: Israel, Russia, and Myanmar.” With regard to Gaza, Professor Len Rubenstein summarizes: “In my work [on human rights and healthcare attacks] over decades, I have not seen anything like the almost daily attacks on hospitals, the relentlessness of the repeated attacks, the indifference to the consequences of the attacks for patients and staff.” here
An accompanying Editor’s Choice piece asks “…What would work as a deterrent when there’s no consequence? Criminal prosecutions are slow and rare. But governments can still act by ending the supply of weapons to perpetrators who strike healthcare, upholding the principle that it should never become a target.” here
The Malaysian Journal of Nursing: A quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention program on anxiety and resilience among Palestinian nursing students (n=100) at Al-Quds University during the 2024 academic year. Students who received the intervention demonstrated significant improvements in resilience and significant reductions in anxiety at post-test and 3-month follow-up. Increased resilience was associated with decreased anxiety. The authors recommend “incorporating mindfulness-based approaches into nursing curricula” especially in places like Palestine “where students deal with both academic pressure and sociopolitical stress.” here
Authorea Pre-Print: This study used data from the WHO, verified local sources, and media reports to model the effectiveness of various strategies for rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare system and related infrastructure including water, sanitation, energy, and transportation. Using Success Tree Analysis and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, the author found that integrated recovery of energy, water, and workforce could restore up to 89% of hospital functionality within five months, and identified rapid infrastructure repair, renewable energy integration, and water network rehabilitation as top strategies. The author concludes that “Gaza’s healthcare system requires coordinated, multi-sectoral interventions and spatially targeted strategies to ensure equitable access, strengthen resilience, and improve population health in conflict-affected settings.” here
Book Chapter
Leveraging Industry 4.0 to Promote Peace, Justice, and Inclusion in the Food Sector (chapter in Food Industry 4.0 and Food Sustainability): This chapter explores the use – and misuse – of Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g., AI, Internet of Things, big data, etc.) to increase transparency, equity, and resilience in food systems. The authors present Gaza as an example of misuse “where advanced technologies have contributed to the destruction of food systems and the erosion of justice.” Specifically, the authors describe how “Israel has deployed AI-powered targeting systems and surveillance drones not only to track and kill individuals but also to devastate critical food production and distribution facilities, including farms, bakeries, food warehouses, and water infrastructure” and how “satellite-guided munitions and predictive analytics have been used to deliberately target and destroy agricultural zones, fisheries, and humanitarian food convoys.” The authors conclude that these technologies can be used to build more equitable food systems “if and only if they are embedded within participatory, rights- based governance models that center the needs and voices of the most vulnerable.” here
BMJ and Lancet News Articles & Reports
The BMJ: Israel continues to block lifesaving supplies from entering Gaza despite committing to allowing aid in as part of the ceasefire agreement. Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead for the occupied Palestinian territories, said that while “we’re told that conditions are improving, improvement from near zero is not how we measure progress in a humanitarian response. Progress is measured by whether people’s needs are met, whether families have enough food, whether they have clean water, whether they have shelter, whether they have access to medical care, whether they have safety to live with dignity. By that measure, Gaza’s nowhere close.” In an October 23 letter, 41 humanitarian and aid agencies said that since the ceasefire agreement, Israel has arbitrarily rejected 99 requests by established international NGOs, which has resulted in the blockage of tents and tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, food and nutrition supplies, hygiene kits, sanitation materials, assistive devices, and children’s clothing. The letter also noted that almost $50 million worth of essential goods, including medical supplies, are stuck at crossings and in warehouses. here
The Lancet: While the ceasefire agreement includes “important provisions for health in Gaza, including terms to enhance the flow of aid, rehabilitate health infrastructure, open border crossings and allow for the resumption of medical evacuations, and make provisions for transitional governance,” Israel continues to limit the type and amount of supplies that can enter Gaza. A UNFPA spokesperson told The Lancet: “We have 170 trucks at border crossings loaded with incubators, fetal heart monitors, beds, and other supplies for safe births, as well as much-needed hygiene items. More shipments are enroute. We need all crossings for humanitarian aid to open; for red tape and impediments to be removed.” The lack of border crossings is also affecting the more than 15,000 people on medical evaluation priority waiting lists. WHO emphasized the need for more countries to accept patients, for the Rafah crossing to be reopened, and for West Bank medical referral pathways to be restored. here
GAZA
In violation of the ceasefire signed 10/10, Israel continues to severely limit aid entry into Gaza, and to kill and destroy at will, this week detonating residential buildings in Khan Younis and Gaza City (10/24-27 and 31) and bombing vehicles, IDP tents and homes in all 5 governates (10/28-29), killing 104 (46 children) and injuring 253 (78 children). UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk stated, “laws of war are very clear on the paramount importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” that Israel must comply with international law, and all parties must implement the ceasefire.
Israel maintains military control of 56% of Gaza and has killed at least 211 Palestinians and wounded 597 since the 10/10 “ceasefire.”
· This week, Israel killed 110 people and injured 282
· Since 10/07/2023: 68,643+ killed, 170,655+ injured.
· Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 471 killed (1 this week), 2,978 injured (11 this week)
· Israeli Hostages in Gaza: 0. All live hostages have been released; 11 bodies have yet to be recovered/ returned
· Palestinian bodies returned since 10/10: 225, mostly unidentified and mutilated, handcuffed, blind-folded, run over by military vehicles, or disfigured beyond recognition.
· Gaza’s Government Media Office said that bodies of 120 Palestinians returned to Gaza by Israel under the ceasefire deal were missing eyes, corneas, and internal organs, alleging systematic organ theft and calling for an international investigation. Director Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta said the corpses also bore signs of torture and execution. Israel denies the claims, though Novara Media and rights groups note that similar allegations date back decades, including admissions by Israeli pathologists of non-consensual organ removal from the 1990s. (Drop Site 10/30)
· As people in Gaza seek to return to their homes, many are searching for the bodies of their loved ones under the rubble. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over the past two weeks, the bodies of 472 people have been removed from excavated ruins; there are at least 10,000 people still buried under the rubble. Families are hoping to provide their loved ones with proper burials. As one Palestinian man shared “During the time of the war, the members of the family would bury the bodies that were found, but Israeli military bulldozers excavated in the improvised cemeteries and we reburied them. We waited for the war to end so that we could honor them with proper identification and burial.” here
· 10/29, Save the Children’s Ahmad Alhendawi stated that 1/3 of the 104 deaths overnight on 10/28 were children: “After some weeks of cautious optimism and hopes of rebuilding Gaza, children and families are once again reliving scenes of fear and loss. This cannot become the new normal under a ceasefire. A lasting ceasefire must mean safety, relief, and recovery for children not continued suffering. It must be fully respected and upheld." here
For more information: here
Israeli attacks & violations of ceasefire
· Israel launched major airstrikes on Gaza, killing at least 104 people, including 46 children, in the deadliest attacks since the US-brokered ceasefire was announced. Netanyahu ordered “powerful strikes” on Gaza after Israeli officials accused Hamas of killing an Israeli soldier in Rafah — which Hamas has denied. Netanyahu is trying “to do everything possible to resume the genocide in Gaza,” says Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza. “The only condition is that he needs to maintain the facade of the ceasefire.” (Democracy Now 10/29)
· UN human rights chief Volker Turk denounced Israel’s attack saying, “Reports that over 100 Palestinians were killed overnight in a wave of Israeli air strikes—mainly on residential buildings, IDP tents and schools across the Gaza Strip following the death of an Israeli soldier—are appalling. “It is distressing that these killings occurred just as the long-suffering population of Gaza started to feel there was hope that the unrelenting barrage of violence may be at an end.” Before daybreak in Nuseirat, people used flashlights to dig through the debris—some of it still smoldering—to pull the dead and wounded out and carry them in blankets to ambulances waiting nearby. Jabr, a doctor who usually works at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, was unable to go on shift despite the casualties pouring in. “I could barely walk or do anything. Yesterday…I barely survived,” he said. “Every time we wake up in this nightmare—they surprise us with the nightmare of returning to war.”
· 10/31 Israel attacked the Shujaiya and Tuffah neighborhoods of eastern Gaza City and bombed areas of Khan Younis, according to Al Jazeera. At least one Palestinian was killed and his brother wounded by Israeli gunfire in Shujaiya, Al Jazeera reported. (Drop Site 10/31)
· Thousands of unexploded bombs dropped by Israel have turned Gaza into a minefield. Across Gaza, underneath the millions of tons of torn concrete and twisted rebar, lie not only thousands of bodies, but also thousands of unexploded munitions. Five children were recently wounded by unexploded ordnance as they were searching for firewood in the rubble of Gaza City. (Drop Site 10/31)
Aid
· As of 10/28, about 212,000 metric tons (MT) of aid (73% food) are in the pipeline, approved and cleared by Israeli authorities, and positioned across the region ready for dispatch. 10/22- 28, 14 cargo requests (472 MT) submitted by 3 NGOs were denied as unauthorized. Since 10/10, 67 requests from 27 NGOs (3,200 MT) have been denied. Aid to the devastated territory has increased since the cease-fire took effect and prices have fallen. But many trucks going into Gaza are bringing food and commercial goods to sell that most people cannot afford. here
· 41 NGOs urged Israel to uphold ceasefire commitments and international law and allow the free flow of aid: ‘’10/10-21, 17 [international] NGOs have had urgent shipments of aid, including water, food, tents and medical supplies denied entry into Gaza. 94% of all rejections by Israeli authorities were given to [international] NGOs. Three-quarters of these denials were issued on the grounds that organizations are ‘not authorized’ to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza.” $50 million in supplies are stuck at crossings and warehouses, leaving Palestinians without adequate shelter, clean water, or essential supplies for the coming winter. They urged Israel’s new (3/25) registration system be rescinded so aid could move unrestricted.
· 10/26, Israeli forces ruled that all humanitarian and commercial truck movements through Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem Crossing would be rerouted via the Philadelphi Corridor and Ar Rasheed (Coastal) Road, replacing previous routes. Unused for cargo collection since May, the road is narrow, heavily congested, and passes through densely populated areas. NGOs are forced to limit truck and cargo movement and risk looting. A holding point, unsuitable for large convoys, has also been positioned in a narrow area of the Coastal Road. A request to re-position it south was rejected by Israeli authorities.
· 10/23-29, 823 UN and partner trucks offloaded at Gaza’s southern crossings, for a total of 1,917 trucks offloaded since the onset of the ceasefire. During the same week, 842 were collected into the Strip. Palestinian trucks loading aid from the crossings have a smaller cargo capacity compared to trucks offloaded on the Israeli side, so the collection ratio is not 1:1. In any case, this is far below the 600 trucks daily contemplated in the ceasefire agreement.
· Israel has kept all crossings directly into northern Gaza closed since 9/12.
· 10/22-28, of 64 missions coordinated with Israeli authorities: 42 were facilitated, 8 were cancelled, 12 were impeded, and 2 were denied. Since the ceasefire, the UN 2720 Mechanism reports a reduction in the interception of UN-collected supplies from about 80% (5/19-10/9) to 5% (10/10-28).
· At the end of October, UNOPS distributed over 500,000 liter of fuel to support partners activities in WASH, telecommunications, health, food security, logistics, education, rubble removal and protection operations.
Water & Sanitation
· Improvements to water availability: 66% (258 of 392) water wells are now accessible; 28 new water trucks help reach more communities; 39 partners operate 1,885 water points, delivering up to 17,000 m³ of water daily.
· Improvements to sanitation: 50 of 70 wastewater pumping stations are accessible (up from 18 in September). WASH partners are transferring nearly 2,500 cubic meters of solid waste daily to temporary dump sites. The 2 main dump sites remain inaccessible.
· 1,440 handwashing stations are being installed in shelters, child-friendly spaces, and temporary learning spaces (TLSs) to promote hygiene and reduce the spread of disease.
· A water quality laboratory has resumed operations in Gaza City.
Food & Nutrition
· As of 10/28, 21 partners are producing 1,047,000 daily meals in 172 kitchens. Partners are distributing more than 130,000 2-kilo bread bundles produced daily by 15 UN-supported bakeries (9 in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, 6 in Gaza City) to 400 locations. Food parcel distributions continue at 44 points, compared to 26 points just last week. Parcel distributions have reached 187,000 households (935,000 people).
· In the first half of October, 53,000 children (6-59 months) were screened at over 110 sites in central and southern Gaza and 8 sites in northern Gaza. 5,100 children were identified with acute malnutrition, including 1,120 with the severe form. The rate of child malnutrition decreased from 14% in September to 10% in the first two weeks of October.
· Nutrition partners reached over 150,000 children (6-59 months) and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) in October with blanket supplementary feeding for the prevention of malnutrition, including small quantity lipid-based nutrition supplements and high-energy biscuits, about 1/3 of the need. Nutrition partners have deployed 20 mobile health and nutrition teams in hard-to-reach areas, 10 in northern Gaza.
· 10/22, the Nutrition Cluster issued a note highlighting the critical role of breastfeeding in providing infants with safe, nutritious and immune-boosting food that protects against malnutrition and infection. This is essential in Gaza as access to clean water, electricity and fuel remains limited. The Cluster estimates about 32,000 children aged 0-6 months need breast-feeding support; of these, 30% are not breastfed and need ready-to-use infant formula support, and 97,000 caregivers of children aged 6-23 months require feeding support.
· There are now 133 Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding (OTP) sites, an increase of 13 post ceasefire.
· Zakaria Bakar, head of the Gaza Fishermen’s Union, said Israeli forces have arrested more than 40 fishermen over recent months, most of whom were freed under the latest prisoner exchange deal. Eleven remain in Israeli detention, he added, as Gaza’s fishing industry continues to face heavy losses and restrictions amid the ongoing blockade. (Drop Site 10/30)
Displacement & Shelter
· Since the ceasefire, 611,000+ people moved, mostly north. Thousands continue to move daily. The Site Management Cluster has a presence in 245 of 800 displacement sites hosting 1 million people throughout Gaza, including 81 of 106 sites in Khan Yunis and Deir Al Balah, now hosting approximately 140,000 people. Shelter needs remain acute, as assistance remains severely limited and services largely unavailable.
· Shelter needs remain largely unmet, as the Shelter Cluster faces significant blockages from Israel in allowing in supplies waiting outside Gaza. This week, 3 partners distributed only 2,300 tents, about 1,480 blankets and 1,480 tarpaulins to IDPs in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. People are repurposing flour and rice into sandbags to reinforce IDP shelters and provide protection against the coming winter’s wind and rain. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC’s) Economic Security Coordinator in Gaza, Amila Suriyarathne, notes: “the limited access to shelter, hygiene and warm clothing are raising grave concerns...[a] drastic increase in supplies” is desperately needed. Shelter Cluster partners received 40,000 tarps and 7,400 thermal blankets on 10/26-27, a fraction of what is needed.
· Many people shelter in severely damaged and unsafe buildings. 10/24, the Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD) rescued people from a house that suddenly collapsed in Gaza City. Many buildings are at risk of collapse, especially as the winter rains will heighten risk soil erosion and further damage already unstable structures. 10/25, a 9-year-old girl was killed and 3 injured when a damaged house sheltering IDPs collapsed in Gaza City.
· Returning families also face risk from unexploded ordnance. Mine Action recorded 2 post-ceasefire explosive incidents, both in Khan Younis, causing 6 injuries. Since the ceasefire, Mine Action partners carried out 48 explosive hazard assessments of facilities, including hospitals and NGO offices, and provided explosive ordnance disposal support to 54 inter-agency missions. Their ability to do more is hindered by Israeli refusal to allow supplies and equipment into Gaza.
· 10/22, Andrew Saberton, Deputy Executive Director for Management of the UNFPA, said “people are taking shelter anywhere they can, in destroyed buildings, [and] in rag tag tents by the side of the road.” The impact is especially acute for 700,000 menstruating women and girls due to limited access to basic hygiene supplies, overcrowded shelters, lack of privacy, and inadequate access to health care and water and sanitation services. Over one million baby diapers and several hundred thousand sanitary pads have been distributed. However, the distribution of full hygiene kits has been severely limited since the ceasefire, but the limited approvals linked to NGO registration makes hygiene items difficult to access.
· People returning to heavily damaged buildings, with no privacy or lighting, heightens their vulnerability to physical and environmental hazards as well as the risk of exploitation, abuse, and exposure to gender-based violence. Partners are working to mitigate the impact of these risks through debris clearance and lighting, winterization support, expanded mental health and psycho-social support, and community-based education and referral mechanisms.
Health & Hospitals
· So far this month, 1,600 injuries/trauma cases were reported compared to 8,100 in September and 13,000 in August.
· Since the ceasefire, WHO delivered 840 pallets of medical supplies, including insulin, assistive devices, essential medicines, cholera kits and surgical materials. WHO is developing nutrition guidelines for children aged 5-10, aiming to treat 2,500 children through outpatient therapeutic programs and stabilization centers to ensure their nutrition needs. The Health Cluster distributed 800 post-partum kits to the Al Amal, Al Khair and UK MED hospitals to support October and November deliveries.
· The director of the Medical Relief Association in Gaza said roughly 350,000 diabetic patients are receiving no medical follow-up as a result of the collapse of the enclave’s health system in the war. He added that the sector has lost 40% of kidney patients due to severe shortages of treatment and dialysis supplies. The official called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow patients to leave Gaza for lifesaving care. (Drop Site 10/30)
· 34% of health service points (223 of 649) are functional, including 14 of 36 hospitals, 10 of 16 field hospitals, 65 of 182 PHCs, and 134 of 408 medical points and ambulance centers. As of 10/7, 1,700 health workers have been killed, about 7% of the health workforce prior to the war.
· MSF warns that the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure, the health system, and displacement and poor living conditions create “the perfect storm” for the spread of disease as winter approaches. It is “utterly unacceptable…crammed into makeshift tents, packed into the few remaining schools, or sleeping in the open amid rubble, piles of garbage, animal waste, and overflowing sewage.” MSF data shows that diseases directly linked to poor living conditions (skin, eye, respiratory, and gastrointestinal infections, as well as generalized aches and pains) account for 70% of all their outpatient consults in southern Gaza. The collapse of water and sanitation systems has triggered a surge in waterborne disease, particularly diarrheal illnesses. In the past 2 years, MSF teams treated more than 78,000 cases of diarrhea, 24,000 cases since 4/2025. “We see many people with large open wounds, burns, or external fixators who are living in tents without proper hygiene, waste management, or climate control […] Infections that would normally be preventable are now common, leading to worsening health conditions and repeated hospitalizations.”
· Since October 2023, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) have provided surgical, trauma, and emergency services to support Palestinian health workers working under extremely adverse conditions. As of 10/29, 21 EMT partners (2 national and 19 international), including 73 international staff, are delivering specialized care. This month, EMTs conducted 142,959 consults, 880 emergency surgeries, and 450 trauma referrals, helping to fill critical service shortfalls. EMT deployment is constrained by the denial of entry to some international health personnel: a 30% denial rate this week.
· UNICEF, UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) are evaluating Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, where none its 6 hospitals are currently functional. Kamal Adwan, out of service since 12/27/24, was the main pediatric and maternal facility in the north. Pending debris removal, installation of temporary infrastructure, and provision of medical supplies and equipment, reactivation of essential health services at Kamal Adwan is a feasible way to provide critical health services to 20,000-30,000 people.
· This week, WHO facilitated the medical evacuation of 107 patients and 214 companions. WHO stated: “Medevac is a flagship, priority program of WHO. We are ready to scale up to a minimum of 50 patients per day plus companions, in line with the previous ceasefire,” emphasizing that the most important and cost-effective is the corridor to the West Bank.
· A doctor at the Al-Aqsa hospital said the situation was “desperate” and there was “no doubt” that civilians are being attacked, due to the high number of children killed and injured in the latest onslaught. French medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that the recent “overwhelming” level of deaths and injuries in Gaza is the consequence of repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire, perpetuating the genocide. (Palestine Chronicle 10/30)
· Dr. Ahmed Mahana, a Palestinian physician seized by Israeli troops from Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza, said in an interview that he was blindfolded, shackled, and mauled by dogs before being beaten and interrogated for hours at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention camp. He said interrogators accused him of refusing Israeli military evacuation orders and “defaming” Israel in international media. Mahana is among more than 400 Gaza healthcare workers detained by Israeli forces since the war began, roughly 80 of whom remain in custody. (Drop Site 10/31)
Education
· Education partners are working to restore education for over 637,000 school-aged children who have been without formal, in-person classes for 2 years. 97% of school buildings were damaged, 92% requiring clearance of explosive contamination and either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation. Many continue to be used as IDP shelters. Israeli restrictions on the entry of educational supplies also hinder schooling.
· Despite the challenges, partners in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis are repairing 97 classrooms in 10 schools, and running 253 temporary learning spaces (TLS) serving about 138,331 children. In North Gaza, only 3 TLS serve about 833 children. UNRWA launched the new school year on 10/18 via e-learning, aiming to reach over 290,000 children in addition to the 250,000 students in the MoE’s distance learning program.
· Education partners are working to provide children with access to fortified nutrition products (healthy snacks), protection services, hygiene and sanitation awareness, and Explosive Ordnance Risk Education messages. For example, hygiene items were given to 7,600 school-aged children in 2 PA schools and 16 TLS in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM
· In the past week, Israeli forces killed 5 West Bank Palestinians, and military and settlers injured 52 (8 children).
For more West Bank information, see OCHA West Bank September 2025 Snapshot
Israeli attacks
· 10/21-22, Israeli forces carried out two consecutive raids on Burin village (Nablus), forcibly evacuating 2 residential buildings and converting them into military posts for 24 hours, displacing 2 families (6 people) for a day. They closed the village’s entrance, forcing residents to take a 12-15 km detour. School classes were cancelled, and many people were unable to reach their workplaces. Then Israeli forces raided Ras al Ein area of Nablus, firing live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians throwing stones. 21 people were injured (1 child): 11 were shot and transferred to hospital, 10 suffered tear gas inhalation.
· 10/24, Israeli forces raiding Askar Camp, Nablus, shot at people throwing stones at Israeli army jeeps, injuring a bystander. Israeli forces stopped the ambulance for about 12 minutes before they were able to take him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
· 10/26, Israeli forces shot a man trying to cross the Barrier near Ar Ramadin village, south of Hebron. Also this week, 7 Palestinians were injured attempting to cross the Barrier to reach East Jerusalem and Israel. Since October 2023, 14 Palestinians have been killed and 197 injured by Israeli forces while attempting to access workplaces by crossing the Barrier.
· 10/26, Israeli forces shot 2 people (1 child) while raiding Qabatiya (Jenin).
· 10/28, Israeli forces killed and withheld the bodies of 3 men after surrounding a cave on the outskirts of Kafr Qud (Jenin). After an exchange of gunfire, an Israeli airstrike was called in. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) emphasized that the use of airstrikes in the occupied West Bank is unlawful: “1. The use of weapons and tactics developed for the conduct of warfare, such as airstrikes, is inconsistent with the standards of international human rights law applicable to civilian law enforcement. 2. Israeli security forces’ use of firearms and similarly lethal weapons must be restricted to situations where as a last resort it is strictly necessary for protection against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. 3. Extrajudicial executions, regardless of the target, are unlawful at all times.” here
· Israeli soldiers and settlers are continuing to intensify raids and attacks across the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian state news agency Wafa, including in the town of Qabatiya and the village of Anza, south of Jenin; storming the town of Turmus’ayyer, north of Ramallah; cutting down olive trees belonging to three villages south of Nablus; and storming a Bedouin village in the al-Hathroura area, east of Jerusalem. (Drop Site 10/30)
· Israeli forces shot and killed 15-year-old Yamin Samed Hamed in the West Bank village of Silwad. Eyewitnesses reported that Hamed was seriously wounded, but that soldiers did not allow an ambulance to evacuate him for an extended period of time. He was left on the ground, and when he was finally allowed to receive treatment, was declared dead at the hospital. here
Demolitions, Displacement and Movement Restrictions
· Last week, Israel demolished 11 structures: 10 due to the lack of impossible to attain Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 19 (8 child) and 1 on punitive grounds.
· Since Israel’s war on Gaza began, Israel has erected nearly 1,000 barriers in cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, further stifling movement for Palestinians and hindering daily lives, according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, an official Palestinian governmental body. The 916 new gates, barriers, and walls that have been installed are at village and town entrances and between cities, and the gates have erratic opening hours, with some staying shut for days. (Drop Site 10/30)
· 10/28, Israel’s Civil Administration issued a demolition notice for homes in the
· West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir; residents have two weeks to appeal. The notice was issued the same day the Israeli army was summoned to explain to the Jerusalem District Court why it did not enforce court orders barring settlers from moving into a nearby illegal settlement and prohibiting further construction at the site. Lawyers for Umm al-Kheir described the notices as a “clear act of retaliation by the authorities in response to the ‘audacity’ of Palestinians who dared to demand the rule of law be applied to settlers.” Beloved activist Awdah Hathaleen was murdered by an Israeli settler in Umm al-Kheir in July. here
Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities
· 60 settler attacks last week injured 17 Palestinians, 5 settlers, and 2 international activists, damaged 680+ olive trees and 19 vehicles.
· 10/22, a 5-year-old girl fleeing settlers harassing her school bus and the children it dropped off, fell and injured her hand in Tuwani (Hebron).
· 10/24, dozens of armed and masked Israeli settlers raided the village of Al Mughayyir (Ramallah), burning 4 vehicles at a repair shop and attempting to set fire to an adjacent house. Palestinians threw stones at the settlers to drive them off, injuring 2, according to Israeli media. Al Mughayyir village is surrounded by 7 settlement outposts, that so far this year have attacked villagers 43 times (on average 4 times/month), causing casualties, property damage, or both.
· 10/23, settlers from a nearby outpost cut the water pipes of the Mikhmas Bedouin community (Jerusalem). 2 days later, they violently attacked, burning down 6 structures. Residents fled and 2 female activists providing protective presence were violently assaulted, sustaining head and hand injuries. Israeli forces arrived to close all entrances to the community and transfer the injured to hospital. Recurring attacks by settlers from the 5 outposts now encircling Mikhamas community have forced them to gradually relocate children, women, elders and livestock. Since October 2023, settlers have attacked 30 times, burning shelters, damaging structures and solar panels, and injuring residents and activists accompanying the community, as well as just generally harassing residents and livestock, intimidating schoolchildren, blocking community entrances, and cutting waterlines.
· Two weeks ago, Afaf Abu Alia, a 53-year-old Palestinian mother and grandmother was brutally beaten by Israeli settlers while harvesting olives with her family. She was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage and continues to suffer from severe pain and is unable to sleep. Although the attack was caught on video, the settler who perpetrated the attack has not been arrested and the Israeli Police have started to blame Afaf saying “Several attempts have been made to allow the Palestinian lady to arrive and give testimony and additional details that will help us move toward his arrest, but she didn’t come in.” here
2025 Olive Harvest Season
· So far this month, 126 olive-harvest-related settler attacks in 70 villages and towns have involved farmers inside or on their way to olive groves, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, vandalism of 4,000 olive trees, and injuries to 112 Palestinians.
· Half of this month’s incidents occurred in the central West Bank (40% in Ramallah). 38% were in the northern West Bank (17% in Nablus). 14% were in the southern governorates (Bethlehem and Hebron).
· Palestinian access to their lands located in or near Israeli settlements and those isolated by the Barrier remain highly restrictive. 50 Palestinian families from Awarta (Nablus) coordinated with Israeli authorities to access their olive groves on 10/22- 23, but settlers from nearby outposts blocked their passage. Israeli forces redirected farmers to a 15 km detour. Only 5 families managed to reach their groves and harvest olives; the distance and fear of harassment prevented the rest.
· Israeli NGOs Peace Now and Kerem Navot reported that settlers in shepherding outposts control approximately 786,000 dunums of land, nearly 14% of the West Bank. These new settlement outposts further undermine and deny Palestinian access to their lands.
· 10/20, armed settlers from 4 new outposts and Israeli forces prevented farmers from Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya and the nearby villages of Sinjil, Silwad, and Kafr Malik (Ramallah) from reaching their lands, and stole the harvested olives from those who were able to reach their groves. 10/27, settlers from one of the outposts launched another attack, seizing crops and damaging agricultural equipment.
· Palestinian farmers from Kobar (Ramallah) have been denied access to their agricultural lands following the establishment of a new Israeli settlement outpost in March and the settler installation of a metal gate on the road leading to the agricultural area. The settlement’s guards repeatedly intimidated farmers attempting to reach their groves. Settlers, some in military uniforms, expelled farmers trying to reach their olive groves and refused to open the gate. They fired live ammunition, drawing Israeli forces who fired rubber bullets and tear gas, injuring a 55-year-old man. Last week, settlers stole harvesting equipment from Palestinian-owned vehicles. Repeated attacks and restrictions displaced 4 herding families (29 people, 19 children) in June.
· In Kafr Ra’i and Ya’bad (Jenin), Palestinian farmers have increasingly been denied access to their agricultural lands following the establishment of a new Israeli settlement outpost near Mevo Dotan earlier this year. The affected areas, previously fully accessible without coordination, have become sites of repeated settler attacks and intimidation. Despite coordinated access, settlers assaulted farmers while harvesting olives and stole crops and agricultural tools. 10/20, settlers shot at families harvesting olives, causing panic and forcing them to flee. 10/21, settlers injured a 78-year-old man after he refused to give them his harvested olives. Israeli forces then arrested 20 Palestinian farmers, after settlers claimed that they posed a threat. They were released the nest day.
Operations in the Northern West Bank
· Israeli forces continue the large-scale operations in cities, towns, and villages that began in early 2025. 10/26, Israeli forces blew up 2 residential buildings of 2 units each in Nur Shams refugee camp (Tulkarm). The buildings had been vacant since the military displaced residents from the camp earlier this year.
ISRAEL
· According to Haaretz, the Israeli army has been dumping vast quantities of waste, rubble, and construction debris inside the Gaza Strip, only a few hundred meters from the border. Footage published by Haaretz shows trucks crossing from Israel into Gaza through the Kissufim crossing, loaded with construction waste. The vehicles reportedly drive 200 to 300 meters into the Strip, unload their cargo along the roadside, and return empty to Israel, only to be refilled and sent again. (Palestine Chronicle 10/26) here
· All three Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement died while demolishing homes in Rafah, Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Alsaafin points out. Among them was Efraim Feldbaum, a founding member of the Uriah Unit – a formation accused by rights groups of flattening neighborhoods and using Palestinians as human shields. (Drop Site 10/31)
· Israeli army has launched a criminal investigation into the leak of surveillance footage from the Sde Teiman detention camp showing a Palestinian detainee—blindfolded, handcuffed, and restrained—being raped for roughly 15 minutes by Israeli reservists. The probe targets alleged whistleblowers within the Military Advocate General’s office who may have provided the video to Channel 12, rather than the perpetrators themselves. Israel’s chief military prosecutor, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has taken leave amid the fallout. Prosecutors had previously indicted five reservists for “severe abuse” at Sde Teiman that left one detainee with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a torn rectum, sparking protests outside military bases as civilians rallied in defense of the accused soldiers. (Drop Site 10/30)
· In an extraordinary display of cynicism, the United States now blesses the idea that Israel can “defend itself” and even “seek revenge” for the death of one of its soldiers in Rafah, a southern Gaza city already flattened by months of occupation. The phrase “seek revenge” has no place in the language of diplomacy or international law; it belongs to vendetta, not justice. Yet Trump used it casually, offering a green light to a military that has already destroyed most of Gaza’s infrastructure and killed tens of thousands. His words amounted to a presidential license to kill. here
· The Israeli Defense Ministry renewed its ban on Red Cross visits to thousands of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons and detention facilities under the Law on the Imprisonment of Unlawful Combatants. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the visits “constitute a serious harm to state security.” In response, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel stated that “for two years, the state has been violating Israeli and international law and not allowing Red Cross representatives to enter prisons.” here
UNITED STATES
· A photojournalist and Palestine activist in Dallas is being detained by ICE over his social media posts. Yaakub Vijandre is a DACA recipient who has lived in the US legally since 2001. Earlier this month, six ICE vehicles showed up at his apartment, where agents arrested him at gunpoint before bringing him to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas. Vijandre’s DACA status was supposed to remain active until May 2026, but the Trump administration revoked it, admitting that he was targeted because of his social media presence. (Mondoweiss 10/28)
· 10/25, Sami Hamdi, a British Muslim, addressed a crowded audience in Sacramento during a speaking tour in the US, beseeching US politicians to take an “America First” approach, rather than “Israel First.” Hours later, US agents arrested Hamdi at an airport. Hamdi was visiting the US for a speaking tour, something he had done in the past. Hamdi spoke at the annual gala of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. After the event, he went to the San Francisco International Airport, on his way to another CAIR event in Florida. Upon arriving at the airport and heading through securityimmigration officials detained him and informed him his visitor visa had been revoked. The legal rationale for the arrest was unclear, but two unelected, far-right, Islamophobic figures quickly took credit: Laura Loomer and Amy Mekelburg. (Zeteo 10/29)
· A classified report by the State Department’s inspector general found “many hundreds” of possible Israeli human rights violations in Gaza that could take “multiple years” to review, The Washington Poast reported. The findings mark the first time a US government report has acknowledged the scale of Israeli actions in Gaza under the Leahy Laws, legislation that bars U.S. military assistance to foreign military personnel accused of human rights abuses. (Drop Site 10/31)
· When Google and Amazon negotiated a major $1.2bnProject Nimbus cloud-computing deal in 2021, their customer – the Israeli government – had an unusual demand: agree to use a secret code as part of an arrangement that would become known as the “winking mechanism”. The demand, which would require Google and Amazon to effectively sidestep legal obligations in countries around the world, was born out of Israel’s concerns that data it moves into the global corporations’ cloud platforms could end up in the hands of foreign law enforcement authorities. To clinch the lucrative contract, Google and Amazon agreed to the so-called winking mechanism, according to leaked documents seen by the Guardian, as part of a joint investigation with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. The seven-year deal grants Israel unrestricted use of AI and cloud services, including during its war in Gaza, while preventing the firms from suspending service even in cases of human-rights violations. Legal experts told reporters the covert “winking mechanism” could breach U.S. law and reflects how both corporations surrendered oversight for profit. Read +972 Mag’s full report here & here
US Universities
· MIT LAWSUIT: A First Circuit court dismissed a discrimination lawsuit alleging that MIT made Jewish students feel unsafe by failing to quell pro-Palestine protests on campus, affirming a lower court’s ruling that also dismissed the effort. Plaintiffs claimed that Jewish students were blocked from portions of the campus, intimidated, and doxed. They also alleged that speakers on campus fomented hostility toward Jews. The three-judge panel ruled that the allegations didn’t “plausibly rise to the level of actionable harassment.” (Mondoweiss 10/28)
· Academic Council of JVP joins a wide range of associations and individuals in objecting to the termination of Dr. Tamar Shirinian’s appointment as faculty at the University of Tennessee. Her remarks on her personal Facebook account regarding the surviving family members of Charlie Kirk may have caused offense and for this she has amply apologized. To use those remarks, however, as the basis for her termination not only violates her First Amendment Rights to express such positions freely but degrades faculty rights of employment under the current contractual conditions of your university. here
INTERNATIONAL
· French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France is dispatching a joint civilian-military team with the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) to plan Gaza’s post-war phase. The CMCC includes about 200 U.S. troops and personnel from France, Australia, Spain, the UAE, and elsewhere, coordinating humanitarian aid, logistics, ceasefire monitoring, and security. Barrot said France’s forces will not enter Gaza but will assist from Israel’s territory, adding that Paris and Washington are working at the UN in New York to secure a mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza. (Drop Site 10/30)
· The Elders, a group of former world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, called for the immediate release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison, describing him as “the Palestinians’ Mandela” and a unifying figure essential to restarting the two-state process. In their 10/29 statement, the group urged President Donald Trump to use the Gaza ceasefire as an “opportunity” to press for Barghouti’s freedom, while condemning Israel’s renewed airstrikes on Gaza City as a “flagrant violation” of the deal and its obstruction of humanitarian aid. The Elders also denounced Israel’s torture and arbitrary detention of prisoners, endorsed President Mahmoud Abbas’s pledge to hold free elections within a year, and noted that even former Israeli security officials have supported Barghouti’s release. (Drop Site 10/30)
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, Palestine Chronicle, Mondoweiss, Democracy Now, Zeteo, Drop Site, Jewish Voice for Peace, The Guardian, Haaretz, New York Times, New York Review of Books, New Arab, OHCHR