Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem - October 11,2025
We are facing a fluid and unpredictable situation. The ceasefire offers a “window of hope” and the lack of bombing and increase in humanitarian aid is a welcome relief to those who have survived the genocide. Going forward, there is much that is unresolved, reminiscent of the post-Oslo reality of delaying all major decisions to forever and not addressing the historic needs of Palestinians. Trump’s proposal is a dangerous set-up for ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This deal grants Israel continued, ongoing military control over millions of Palestinians across all of historic Palestine. It allows Israel to carry out a genocide without being held to account for its atrocities, while continuing to deny Palestinians self-determination, freedom, or justice.
The plan also puts self-determination for Palestinians out of reach. Under Trump’s plan, Gaza won’t be run by Palestinians for the benefit of the Palestinian people. Instead, it would be placed under international control, led by a board of directors, including Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in pursuit of Trump’s criminal plans to exploit Gaza to enrich himself and his billionaire real estate cronies. here
ACTION ITEMS
· Professor Amy Hagopian, longtime APHA member and pro-Palestine activist, has been banned from this year’s APHA conference in Washington DC, falsely charged with anti-semitism, had her membership canceled, and was removed as the elected chair of the International Health Section. APHA staff have censored news of her secret trial and blocked communications to APHA members. For background and to sign a letter of support, click HERE. Invite friends in the APHA to sign as well.
· FLOTILLA The last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Marinette, was intercepted by the Israeli military on 10/3 at 10:29 a.m. local time, according to organizers. The 450 participants from the flotilla were initially held at the port of Ashdod before being taken to the maximum-security Ketziot Prison in southern Israel. Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed visiting the site where flotilla participants were being held and accused them of supporting “terrorism” as hundreds were seated on the floor. US lawmakers, however, have completely stonewalled attempts to free the GSF activists, even citing the government shutdown. This is unacceptable. Take action for the Global Sumud Flotilla. here
· From AI to Project Nimbus cloud services to propaganda videos, Big Tech is fueling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Google Photos is reportedly being used for its facial recognition technology to target Palestinians in Gaza. Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was used to collect and store millions of cellphone communications going in and out of Gaza and the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has a $45 million deal to spread propaganda on YouTube denying that the Israeli government’s blockades on humanitarian aid and food have caused a famine in Gaza. Send a message today to Big Tech CEOs demanding they cancel all contracts with Israel’s government. >>
· Thanks to reports uncovering that the Azure technology being used by the Israeli military to identify bombing targets in Gaza, Microsoft has cut off access to some services, including some AI products. That’s a great start, but Microsoft continues to provide other services to Israel’s government even as the assault on Gaza continues unrelentingly. Google and Microsoft workers have been fired for voicing their concerns over how their employers are supporting genocide. Google fired 28 employees who had joined a No Tech for Apartheid group and organized an employee sit-in at Google offices in Silicon Valley, New York, and Seattle. Microsoft recently fired workers involved in protests at its Seattle offices. It’s time for Big Tech to feel pressure from the American people. Send a message to the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon demanding they cancel all contracts with Israel’s government now. >>
· Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's so-called “aid distribution sites.” GHF is registered in Delaware, but the Delaware Attorney General has so far failed to take action to investigate its abuses. Write to the Delaware AG now to demand she investigate and act to dissolve GHF's corporate charter. here
Videos & Recordings
· EXCLUSIVE: Noura Erakat Speaks to Zeteo After Confronting the UN Security Council. The renowned Palestinian-American scholar talked to Prem about the plight of women and girls in Gaza, Trump’s ‘peace deal,’ her UN address, and much more. here
· The Art of the Deal. A definition of antisemitism, canceled classes, and angry professors at Columbia University. here
Webinars
Severed: film screening and discussion with filmmaker Jen Marlowe and Dr Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay, a volunteer doctor returned from Gaza in June. Film subtitled in Spanish and Spanish interpretation of discussion. Sponsor: JVP Health Advisory Council. Sunday 10/19, 10am Pacific/ 1 pm Eastern. Register here: https://www.jvphealth.org/events
Research Articles
Scientific Reports: A cross-sectional survey conducted between January and March 2025, assessed the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and quality of life among nurses working in the West Bank (n=350). The results indicated high levels of PTSS across all subscales (intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal). Nearly half of the participants had experienced violence at Israeli checkpoints, which was associated with higher PTSS and lower quality of life. The authors conclude that “the Gaza War has had a marked psychological impact on nurses in the West Bank, particularly for those exposed to checkpoint violence. Targeted, trauma-informed mental health interventions, resilience training, and systemic reforms to improve safety and working conditions are urgently needed to protect and support the nursing workforce in conflict settings.” here
Journal of Craniofacial Surgery: A retrospective analysis of data from a surgeon’s notebook, partial hospital records, and photographs described 74 soft tissue facial injuries treated at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital between 11/2023 and 4/2024. Blast mechanisms accounted for the majority of presentations (88%), more than half of patients sustained additional systemic injuries, and polytrauma was significantly more frequent among females. Almost all patients who needed higher-level care (97%) were referred for medical evacuation but only 54% were ultimately able to leave Gaza. The authors emphasize the “disproportionate pediatric burden, high resource intensity, and evacuation bottlenecks characterizing facial trauma and treatment pathways amid theongoing military attack” and underscore “the urgency of safeguarding surgical infrastructure and reopening humanitarian corridors.” here
BMC Health Services Research: A cross-sectional survey conducted in November-December 2024 examined quality of life among healthcare workers (n=403) in sevenGaza hospitals. Results indicated that war-related trauma was widespread with 57.6% reporting having lost a friend, 56.3% a coworker, and 46.9% reporting the loss of family livelihood. The loss of family livelihood was associated with lower quality of life across psychological, social, and environmental domains. The authors “underscore the urgent need for comprehensive support strategies to protect HCWs; “well-being as a cornerstone of healthcare system resilience in conflict zones.” here
Editorials and Opinions
BMJ: Authors discuss a JAMA commentary published in 2000 that, in response to the Rwandan genocide, called for the recognition of the public health impact of genocide. The authors reflect on how the vision espoused in the commentary is “nowhere to be seen” as the public health and medical communities remain largely silent on the genocide in Gaza, and call on these communities to: 1) bear witness by documenting abuse, offering testimony, speaking out, and issuing clear public statements that condemn violence and call for its cessation, and 2) coupling medical and public health expertise with alliances with human rights organizations, legal experts, grassroots activists, and affected communities. here
Health Education & Behavior: Author discusses the significant health challenges faced by Palestinians who were forced from their homes during the Nakba in 1948. “Those that live in the occupied territories face a taxed and fragmented health system along with ongoing Israeli restrictions and violence, and those that settled in other countries face discrimination in their host countries, all with varying access to humanitarian services. Some may not have consistent access to care at all. This means that this population engages with a wide variety of health actors—public, private, and humanitarian—and suffers a different health burden depending on where they are and what their legal status is, making broad health interventions impossible.” here
New England Journal of Medicine: In this perspective, the author, a surgeon who has been to Gaza six times since 12/2023, offers a harrowing account of the catastrophic injuries, maiming, and deaths he witnessed, and the profound anguish endured by surviving family members. The author reflects on the deep psychological scars these experiences have left him, yet emphasizes the importance of bearing witness to the suffering of others. He concludes: “nurses and doctors in Gaza taught me this lesson: I can at least show up and do what I’m good at. I can serve a community, bear witness to its suffering, and then make some noise about it. It’s not much, but it sure beats the hatred, violence, and madness of angry men with their fingers pulling triggers and pushing buttons that could one day blow us all up.” here
BMJ News Articles
Two Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers, Abed El Hameed Qaradaya and Omar Hayek, were killed by Israeli attacks this past week. MSF released a statement saying that “Abed and Omar left Gaza City following evacuation orders and relentless attacks by Israeli forces, only to be killed by those same forces in what was described as a ‘safer zone.’ There is no safe place in Gaza.” Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) released figures showing that Israel has killed at least 1,722 healthcare workers in Gaza since October 2023, an average of two per day. here
Analysis
· Famine’s Long Shadow. Even if food is surged into Gaza today, the history of weaponized mass starvation shows that the social aftershocks will reverberate for generations. here, here
· Two years of intense warfare in Gaza has left its people with a dismembered and disordered society. The destruction is vast and many Gazans have mental and physical wounds that could scar a generation. here
United Nations
UN Relief Chief calls Trump's plan a “window of opportunity” for aid and hostage release
10/3, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher recognized the Gaza initiative as an opportunity to deliver the 170,000 metric tons of food, medicines, shelter materials, and other desperately needed supplies stopped by Israel at the Gaza borders. Based on their experience from the previous ceasefire, “Our plan is not a theory – we know it works… We need: open crossings; safe movement for civilians and aid workers; unrestricted entry of goods; visas for staff; the space for humanitarians to operate; and the private sector to be revived.”
See the complete statement here
10/7, Fletcher recognized the 2nd anniversary, the intensification of the conflict, and called for action to sustain “the glimmer of hope” of the current moment.
See the complete statement here
UN Relief Chief outlines 60-day plan to deliver vital aid after Gaza ceasefire
10/9, Fletcher outlined a comprehensive plan to deliver aid to Gaza, covering food, nutrition and malnutrition management, water and sanitation, health supplies and services, shelter, fuel, and child protection and educational services.
Fletcher: “There must be no backsliding on the agreements that have been made… This cannot be a false dawn for civilians in Gaza and Israel who are so desperate for peace, to see again their loved ones and their families after so long waiting, and to live lives free from fear.”
Fletcher underlined the necessity of: adequate fuel, cooking gas, reopening of secure supply corridors and functional border crossings, restoration and protection of NGO operations, and funding. In the Q&A session that followed, he made it clear that clarity was lacking on the US/Israeli support of many of these conditions.
Read the entire remarks and Q&A here
UN Commissioner Navi Pillay has criticized Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza plan for its exclusion of Palestinians from transitional governance, and said a ceasefire proposal does not alter the UN's finding that Israel is responsible for genocide. (Middle East Eye 10/7)
GAZA
Israeli forces continued air, land and sea bombardment of homes, schools, high-rises, and IDP tents, especially in Gaza governate until 10/10 when ceasefire reportedly began. Since 5/27, Israeli targeting (with US mercenary support) of Palestinians seeking food has killed 2,613 and injured 19,164.
· Starved to death: 461 (6 this week), including 157 children
· This week: 315 Palestinians killed, 1,125 injured
· Since 10/07/2023: 67,183+ killed, 169,841+ injured.
· Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 466 killed (none this week), 2,956 injured (17 this week)
· Hostages in Gaza: 48
· On its 2nd anniversary, of those Gazans killed in the genocide: 30% are children (20,179), 16% women (10,427), 47% men (31,754), and 7% elderly (4,813. Among the wounded: 26% children (44,143), 14% women (23,769), 53% men (89,983), and 7% elderly (11,855).
· 1,029 infants under one year old were killed, as were 5,031 under five.
· Nearly 42,000 Palestinians (1 in 4 are children) suffered life-changing injuries, including more than 5,000 amputations.
· Israel Prison data provided to the Israeli NGO Hamoked in October show 11,056 Palestinians in Israeli custody, including: 1,461 sentenced prisoners, 3,378 remand detainees, 3,544 administrative detainees held without trial, and 2,673 “unlawful combatants.” These figures do not include Palestinians from Gaza detained by the Israeli military since October 2023. Note: The release of only 2,000 Palestinians is contemplated in the “Trump peace plan.” According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), between 10/07/23 and 08/31/25, 75 Palestinians, including a 17-year-old child, died in Israeli detention, including 49 from Gaza, 24 from the West Bank, and 2 Palestinian citizens of Israel. For more information: here
Israeli Attacks
· 10/1, 4 & 5, 4 attacks killed 33 (7children) and injured 40+ in residential buildings, restaurants and on streets in Gaza City. 15 bodies were estimated to be under the rubble.
· 10/1-2, 4 attacks killed 24 (3 children) and injured others collecting firewood, in IDP tents, buildings, and vehicles in Deir al Balah.
· 10/2, 10 killed in a community kitchen in the Al Mawasi “safe area”, Khan Younis.
· 10/3, 6 killed and others injured in a strike south of Gaza City.
· Israel has reportedly been destroying up to 300 residential units a day in Gaza City using remote operated explosive laden armored personnel carriers, also known as robotic vehicles, according to Channel 4. The Israeli military has dramatically increased the use of robotic vehicles since last month, the report said. (Drop Site 10/9)
· Israel is continuing its attacks on Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours have killed 10 people, including two aid seekers, while injuring nearly 50 others. Despite the continuing assault, Palestinians across Gaza erupted in celebrations overnight as news of a ceasefire deal spread by word of mouth, due to an internet and communications blackout. (Democracy Now 10/9)
· 10/7 Over the past two years, since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, Gaza has suffered daily attacks by Israel, according to the Government Media Office, resulting in an average of 92 Palestinians killed every single day, including 27 children and 14 women. An average of 53 families have been attacked each day, four completely wiped out, and eight reduced to a single survivor. Dropsite (10/7)
· 10/8/25, Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli fire had killed 10 Palestinians and wounded 61 in Gaza within the past 24 hours. According to the ministry, additional bodies remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Airstrikes in several areas across the Gaza Strip, primarily in Gaza City. Local sources told Haaretz of explosions in the city’s north, east, and center, particularly in the Tel al-Hawa and Shejaiya neighborhoods. Although the daily death toll was declining amid cease-fire negotiations, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza continued. here
· Killed while seeking aid: 10/6, 2 shot in Khan Younis; 10/7, 1 shot in Khan Younis; 10/7, 7 shot at militarized supply site in Rafah.
· Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) notes 252 media workers killed since October 2023, and over 150 media offices destroyed. Secretary-General Bellanger of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said: “For 24 long months now, Gaza has become the most dangerous place in the world to practise [sic] our profession. Israel prohibits foreign journalists from entering the territory, so the truth relies exclusively on Palestinian reporters – almost all of whom are members of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, affiliated to the IFJ. Too often they work without protection and without refuge for their families.”
· Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) notes 140 staff killed, 355 injured, and 31 detained (11 released) since October 2023. 14 PCD facilities and over 40 vehicles were destroyed, and PCD teams were hit 50 times. Of over 635,000 emergency calls, only 52,000 could not be reached.
· 10/10, A cease-fire began in Gaza at 12:00 P.M. local time after Israel announced that it had completed its withdrawal to the deployment lines set out in the truce agreement. Under the agreement, 600 humanitarian aid trucks will now be allowed to enter Gaza daily, coordinated by the UN, approved international organizations, the private sector, and donor countries. The shipments will primarily include food, medical supplies, shelter materials, fuel for essential services, and cooking gas. Critical equipment for repairing infrastructure, including water and sewage systems and bakeries, will also be permitted. For Gaza residents, the agreement allows the free movement of aid trucks between the northern and southern parts of the strip via the Al-Rashid and Salah al-Din roads. For the first time, Gazans who previously left the territory will be able to return through the Rafah crossing, although they will be subject to Israeli approval and a separate coordination mechanism to be agreed upon with Egypt. Travel in the opposite direction will also be allowed via Rafah, under Egyptian coordination, Israeli security clearance, and EU monitoring, following the model used in the 1/2025 cease-fire. here
· 10/10, About a day after the declaration of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Gazans began to return to their homes, visit the graves of their loved ones and find shelter from the rain that threatens the tents set up along the seashore. Two roads were opened for displaced Palestinians to return north, where they discovered the extent of destruction in the Gaza City area. Many residents expressed excitement about returning to their neighborhoods, even if they will have to live in tents for the foreseeable future. At the same time, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 17 Palestinians were killed and 71 wounded in the last 24 hours, including five who were waiting for humanitarian aid. This brings the confirmed number of Palestinian deaths since 10/2023 to 67,211 and the number of wounded to 169,961. here, here
Health and hospitals
· 10/7, a security officer wounded the previous week at Al Awda Hospital died.
· 10/2, MSF reported an Israeli attack killed 1 staff member (an occupational therapist) and injured 4 others, all wearing MSF vests, while awaiting transport to the MSF field hospital in Deir al Balah. Injured included a physiotherapist, an orthopaedic surgeon, a supply officer, and a finance assistant, one of whom died on 10/5, the 3rd MSF staff killed in less than 20 days: “While hundreds of thousands of people continue to be pushed from north Gaza to the south, for their so-called safety, they continue to be attacked and killed everywhere across the Strip. Nowhere in Gaza is safe. People have been starved and besieged for almost two years.”
· Only 8 hospitals, 1 field hospital and 22 medical points remain partially functional in northern Gaza, operating in extreme insecurity and strained resources.
· 10/3, the WHO transferred 3 newborns from Al Helou Hospital (Gaza City) to Al Aqsa Hospital (Deir al Balah) for care no longer available at Al Helou. A fourth baby, scheduled for transfer, died that morning. “Al Aqsa itself is overwhelmed and facing severe shortages of medical supplies, as more people flee south from the north,” noted WHO’s Director-General, calling for the protection of health care and unhindered access to aid into Gaza.
· Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics, originally in the north, has relocated to Deir al Balah and re-established rehab and hearing services. St. John Hospital, also relocated from the north, salvaged some equipment and began providing primary-level eye services on 9/30.
· Dr. Ahmed Al Farra, Director of the Children's and Maternity Centre at Nasser Medical Complex (Khan Younis), described the overwhelming, catastrophic burden on the health system following the influx of IDPs to the south. He said 3 newborns now sharing a single incubator and if even one has sepsis or a bloodstream infection, it could threaten the lives of the others.
· WHO report highlights the urgent need for trauma and rehab services. Nearly 42,000 people in Gaza have sustained potentially life-changing injuries, 25% of the 167,000 people who have suffered conflict-related injuries as of 9/24/2025. About a quarter of those with life-changing injuries are children. Of the life-changing injuries, 22,000+ are extremity injuries, 5,000+ are amputations, 3,300 are major burns, 2,000+ are spinal cord injuries, and 1,300+ are traumatic brain injuries. Gaza’s rehabilitation system is under immense strain, without sufficient specialized staff, equipment or supplies and unable to deal with current demands. In the first year of the genocide, 42 physiotherapists and occupational therapists were killed; the current figure is unknown. Less than 1/3 of rehab services are providing any services, and none are fully functional due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of essential supplies and assistive devices. Lack of assistive devices (wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, glasses, crutches, prosthetic limbs, and toilet chairs) can lead to significant loss of independence and can create a cascade of protection concerns, including neglect, exploitation and abuse, reduced access to critical information including on the evolving security situation, and significant barriers to accessing aid and services. WHO notes that the immediate strengthening of the rehabilitation system requires protection of health care, access to fuel and supplies, and removal of restrictions on the entry of assistive devices. Failing to “address the gap in rehabilitation services will have devasting consequences for individuals, families, and Gazan society as a whole.”
· The only hospital specialized in cancer, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, became non-operational in November 2023 after its fuel supply was depleted and it sustained heavy damage. The European Gaza Hospital, the main referral center for oncology patients in the south, closed 5/2024. With over 11,000 cancer patients, according to WHO data, only 564 were medically evacuated for care this year. Dr. Mohammad Abu Nada, Medical Director of the Gaza Cancer Center, reports over 70% of cancer medications are out of stock.
· MoH states 30% of all cancers among women are breast cancer, with an incidence rate of 29 per 100,000 women. They noted that women in Gaza have been deprived of access to early detection protocols and programs for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer for 2 years. Radiotherapy is currently unavailable in Gaza due to Israeli destruction of hospitals. MoH added that poor nutrition and lack of a balanced diet have had catastrophic consequences on women’s health.
· WHO reports 15,600 patients (3,800 children) require medical evacuation. For more patients to be able to be medically evacuated, WHO notes the need to restore the medical corridor to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (the most cost-effective route); increase receiving-country offers; increase use of corridors through Egypt and Jordan; and overcome security challenges, fuel shortages, crossing closures and daily exit limits.
· Gaza MOH calls the past two years in Gaza a “health genocide” due to the attacks on health services and infrastructure across Gaza. Since 10/7/23, 1,701 medical personnel have been killed, and 362 have been arrested, the ministry reports. Twenty-five of 38 hospitals are “out of service,” with the remaining 13 hospitals are partially operating. The ministry also reported that “55% of medicines are currently out of stock, 66% of medical supplies are out of stock, and 68% of laboratory supplies are out of stock” and that 18,000 patients prevented from traveling abroad for treatment, including 5,580 children. (Dropsite 10/7)
Aid
· At least 565 aid workers have been killed since 10/23, 557 Palestinians and 8 internationals. These include 376 UN staff, 131 from NGOs, 54 Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) staff and 4 ICRC staff.
· ICRC stated: “For 2 years, the civilian population has endured death, forced displacement, and the denial of dignity on a devastating level. We have seen humanity hollowed out in Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians have been separated from their families, and many remain missing. The toll of the past 2 years is visible on the exhausted faces of people trying to make it hour by hour. Remaining essential services cannot adequately meet the needs of civilians. Many people do not have regular access or safe access to water, hygiene facilities or medical services.”
· Physical and bureaucratic impediments including complex authorization and inspection procedures, limited clearance capacity, unpredictable rejection of entry of pre-cleared cargo, and denials and impediments to humanitarian movements by Israeli authorities hinder operations and prevent aid from entering Gaza. The 9/12 Zikim crossing closure and looting, including by armed groups, make the situation worse.
· 10/1-6, of 99 coordinated movements with Israel: 35 were facilitated (36%), 16 were impeded (16%), 34 were denied (34%) and 14 withdrawn (14%). Of the denied movements, 27 involved fuel transfer and retrieval of critical medical equipment in Gaza City. The denial rate of movements for northern Gaza increased to 55% (up from 11% in Aug/Sept). Of over 2,700 movements coordinated with Israeli authorities in the first 9 months of 2025, 36% were denied.
Water and Sanitation
· 10/3, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) announced the completion of repairs and the resumption of water from the Israeli Mekorot pipeline, suppling a million people in Deir al Balah governate after 9 months of shutdown.
Children
· Children under 18 are about half of the population. Thousands have been maimed and an entire generation is traumatized. At least 18,000 children have protection concerns, including those without parental care and unaccompanied or separated children. Thousands more have lost family members essential to their emotional well-being and sense of security. They are victims of displacement, family separation, and airstrikes, and suffer from overcrowding, poor living conditions, a lack of food, clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities. A recent survey reflects the ongoing erosion of a protective environment for children; with 43% reporting sending children to work and look for food, an increase from 13% in 2024.
· 98 child-friendly spaces in Gaza City and north Gaza are now closed or inaccessible. As of 10/7, only 74 child-friendly spaces remain functional across the entire Gaza Strip.
· A group of activists headed by American Neurosurgeon David Hasan established Gaza’s Academy of Hope; to provide education, healthcare, and hot meals to thousands of orphans in Gaza. Last August, the Academy of Hope, a village supporting 600 children who lost their parents, was established in the city of Deir al-Balah. There the children receive two hot meals a day in addition to medical treatment and ongoing psychological support. In addition to providing a safe space for the orphans, it also places a talented team of teachers at their disposal, who create a learning routine in the classroom. The team consists of 24 Gazan women: nurses, teachers and mental health workers. At the beginning of October, another branch opened in Khan Yunis, in Gaza’s south. It will provide a home for 1,500 orphans and will have a staff of 50 women. The Academy of Hope is likely the largest orphan village in Gaza, and its capacity will increase significantly in the near future, with plans to open two more branches. By December, the Academy intends to meet the needs of some 5,000 orphans. here
Women
· UNFPA reported incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) in Gaza City rose 26% between July and August: “the crisis is not only worsening but also becoming more dangerous for those already at greatest risk. The escalation highlights the urgent need for sustained funding, strengthened protection mechanisms, and immediate access to life-saving services to safeguard the rights, safety, and dignity of women and girls.’’ The renewed offensive in Gaza City has led to the collapse of referral systems for GBV in the area, leaving women and girls without safe access to life-saving protection and support.
Shelter
· North-south displacement movements have slowed significantly, with 6,700 movements recorded 10/1 declining to under 200 by 10/6. Those remaining in Gaza City are either unable to afford the journey or too vulnerable to move, reports the WFP. Estimates are more than 31,000 people are sheltering in 49 informal settlements and collective centers in Gaza City.
· UNICEF claims: “The south – the so-called ‘safe zones’ – are also places of death. Al Mawasi, now one of the most densely populated places on earth, is grotesquely overcrowded and stripped of the essentials of survival. 85% of families live within 10 meters of open sewage, animal waste, piles of garbage, stagnant water or rodent infestations. 2/3s have no access to soap. I spoke with dozens of people in Gaza City who all said the same thing: they have no money to move; no space nor tent to move into, and the south too is dangerous.’’
· SARI Global forecasts a wet, windy winter, which will expose people to “overflowing sewage ponds, half a million tons of waste (including hazardous medical waste) lie uncollected, and fragile tents are pitched on bare, flood-prone ground.” Most people in Gaza now reside in a range of inadequate shelter types that fail to meet basic emergency standards and offer minimal protection from extreme weather and its health and safety risks.
· In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, at least 904,000 people live in primarily informal displacement sites, severely overcrowded and with scant sanitation services, including flood-prone areas such as the beach. 10/7, a pregnant woman and a girl were killed and others injured when sand dunes collapsed on IDP tents near Al Qarara Port (Khan Younis). Multiple displaced families, including pregnant women and children, are sheltering for weeks in the parking lot of Al Shifa hospital, without access to any services.
· Shelter Cluster decries the Israeli authorities allowance of entry, as of 10/6, of only 16,000 tents, 16,000 tarps, and 75,000 bedding items, amounts that fall short of meeting the needs of the 1.5 million people. As winter approaches, heating will be another confounding factor, as Israel bans bringing cooking gas, adequate fuel, and heaters.
· Some 400,000 Palestinians have reportedly fled Gaza City as the military intensifies its targeting of tents, residential buildings, and other infrastructure. Al-Rashid Street, the only evacuation route currently permitted by the Israeli military, is jammed with cars, trucks, and donkeys carrying families and their most essential belongings. (+972) 10/10, NYT reported that thousands are now heading north. here
Food and Malnutrition
· Food access remains a challenge, but recent increases in food entering Gaza have lowered the households with poor food from 88% (July) to 46% (Sept.), according to WFP. As of 10/7, partners prepared 903,000 meals at 173 kitchens, the highest number since the end of April. Bakeries in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis received wheat flour from WFP this week and are operating 22 hours/day, producing and distributing about 100,000 bundles (two kilos each) of bread daily through community kitchens, shelters, community points, and retailers. But production still lags behind the needs of the population.
· Famine was declared in the north 2 months ago; the situation there remains catastrophic. They remain cut off from food aid since the closure of the Zikim crossing on 9/12; only 11 kitchens are preparing about 53,000 meals/ day and no UN bakeries have operated since April.
· People continue to face imbalanced and nutrient-deficient diets, with limited availability of meat, vegetables, fruits and dairy products, WFP notes. Children under 4 years old are “facing extreme and life-threatening food deprivation,” the Nutrition Cluster cautioned, consuming 1.3-1.4 food groups on average compared with the recommended 8. UNICEF considers children who consume, at most, 2 of 8 food groups to be in severe food poverty, up to 50% more likely to experience severe malnutrition.
· Since January, the monthly average of malnutrition screening steadily increased from 33% of all children <5 to 73% in June, before dropping again to 36% in August, according to the Nutrition Cluster. During the same period, 43% of about 50,000 admissions of children into malnutrition management programs were reported in Gaza governorate; of these, 40,000 were cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 10,000 were cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Of the severe cases, 5% (500 cases) required inpatient care.
· Israeli military offensive and displacement orders disrupted screening and detection of malnutrition during September as partners were forced to flee. Of 44 sites in Gaza City (9/1), only 7 remain (10/8). Services in southern Gaza have expanded to compensate.
· WFP Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program, suspended since mid-July due to Israeli denial of entry to nutrition supplements, restarted following deliveries in late Sept/ early Oct. According to the Nutrition Cluster, an uninterrupted supply pipeline of both preventative nutrition commodities (LNS, and micronutrient supplements) and treatment (ready-to-eat therapeutic food, therapeutic milks or LNS) are needed to address the needs of about 290,000 children <4 and 150,000 Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women who are at greatest risk.
· Palestinians are still being systematically starved in Gaza even as ceasefire talks are underway this week. “It is a choice that Israel has, whether to feed the people or whether to starve them,” says Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University. “The children who have been through this will suffer physical and cognitive harm for the rest of their lives, and there is an obligation on those who perpetrated the crime, and indeed on the rest of us, to give them the support.” (Democracy Now 10/6)
WEST BANK, including EAST JERUSALEM
In the past week, Israeli military killed 1 West Bank Palestinian and injured 38 (5 children), including 8 men trying to cross the Barrier to work in Israel. Since 10/2023, 13 Palestinians were killed and 170 injured trying to cross the Barrier.
· Since 10/2023, 999 West Bank Palestinians were killed, 967 by Israeli forces, half in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates; 20 were killed by Israeli settlers; and 12 where the responsible party remains unknown. During this period, 201 West Bank Palestinian bodies were withheld by Israeli authorities; 7 were eventually handed over, while 194 remain withheld.
· Since 10/7/23, 22 Israelis (18 settlers, 4 soldiers) were killed and 98 Israelis (84 settlers, 14 soldiers) injured in attacks by Palestinians against Israeli settlers.
· For more West Bank information: here
Attacks
· 10/2, 2 Palestinians allegedly tried to ram their vehicle into Israeli soldiers stationed at Beit ‘Ur al Fauqa checkpoint (Ramallah). Israeli forces opened fire, injuring 1 and killing the other, withholding his body. Later that day, Israeli forces raided Kafr Ni’ma village, the man’s hometown, and arrested his mother and brother, later released.
· 9/30, a Palestinian man injured 2 settler children in a ramming attack near Husan junction (Bethlehem). Israeli forces shot and injured the driver as he exited his vehicle. Israeli forces then raided his home, searched others and restricted movement in nearby villages for 2 hours.
Demolitions, Displacement and Movement Restrictions
Last week, Israel demolished 13 structures for lacking impossible-to-obtain building permits, displacing 14 people (6 children) and affecting at least 30 others. Since 10/2023, Israeli authorities destroyed, confiscated, sealed or forced the demolition of 3,590 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 7,100 Palestinians (3,000 children).
· 10/6, a family was forced to demolish its home in the Old City of Jerusalem, to avoid fines, displacing 5 people (1 child).
· 9/30, Israeli authorities demolished 3 houses in Bruqin (Salfit), displacing 9 people (5 children). Also in Area C, Israeli authorities demolished 5 structures (2 animal shelters and 3 residences under-construction) in An Nabi Musa Bedouin community (Jericho).
· 10/6, Israeli authorities punitively blew up an apartment belonging to the family of a man, still in custody, accused of supporting others in an attack in Jaffa City last year. Located in a 5-story building, the military evacuated at least 20 families from surrounding buildings, displaced a family of 3 (1 child), and damaging other apartments in the same building.
Intensification of Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities
25 settler attacks last week injured 8 Palestinians, displaced 3 families (10 people, 3 children), and damaged 400 olive trees and 4 vehicles.
· 9/29 and 10/5, settlers were filmed breaking into livestock shelters and stealing 58 sheep in Al Muntar and stealing a water tank in Mikhamas, both Bedouin communities (Jerusalem)
· 10/4, armed settlers raided Deir Jarir village (Ramallah),threatening residents, damaging trees and plants, throwing stones, and breaking a vehicle’s windshield. When Palestinians gathered to defend themselves, Israeli forces intervened and opened fire, injuring 2 and damaging 2 houses, a vehicle and a water tank.
· 10/4 and 10/6, settlers raided Umm al Kheir herding community (Hebron) and Ibziq herding community (Nablus), injuring 2 elderly Palestinian women.
· 10/1, settlers raided wells in the spring area of Ein Samiya, damaging the surveillance system of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking (JWU), cutting the primary water supply to about 20 villages (100,000 Palestinians) for a day until repairs restored services. This is the 9th settler attack on the spring area in Ein Samiya this year.
· 3 days last week, armed settlers from a new outpost raided the herding communities of Ejwar/Shajara and Shakara (Nablus), emptying water tanks, cutting waterlines, and vandalizing a gate, fencing, and water meters.
· So far this year, 1,200 settler attacks in 246 West Bank communities killed 13 and injured 785, and caused property damage. 60% of these incidents occurred in the Ramallah, Nablus, and Hebron governorates. June and July 2025 recorded the highest monthly injuries documentation began in 2005, about 100 Palestinians injured monthly.
· There have been 3,112 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians since 10/2023, of which 311 caused casualties, 2,474 caused property damage, 327 caused both. These attacks displaced 3,095 people (1,544 children), mostly from Bedouin and herding communities.
2025 Olive Harvest
· Over the past 5 Olive Harvest seasons (2020–2024), settler-related attacks have steadily increased. In 2024, 200 attacks doubled the number for 2023 and tripled that for 2022. Over 80 villages and towns were affected in 2024, compared to 40 between 2020 and 2023. Most affected are in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, and Salfit governorates, which experience recurrent settler raids, vandalism, crop theft, intimidation and movement restrictions.
· 10/8, Protection Cluster issued a warning that settler violence has already reached unprecedented levels ahead of the 2025 Olive Harvest. It urged Israel, as the occupying power, to protect Palestinians from settler attacks and ensure safe humanitarian access, while calling for diplomatic pressure and the provision of international presence in at-risk communities.
· This past week, at least 13 settler attacks included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and olive harvesting equipment, and chopping trees.
--In Nablus: settlers vandalized 15 saplings and 15 trees in Asira al Qibliya (10/1); settlers assaulted 2 Palestinian harvesters, injuring 1, and stole collection sheets, olive-harvesting tools, and 200 kilos of crops in Madama village (10/4).
--In Salfit: settlers expelled harvesters in Farkha and Qarawat Bani Hassan villages.
--In Qalqiliya: settlers damaged 50 olive trees in Kafr Qaddum; setters assaulted a harvester and stole his 2 donkeys in Jinsafut village.
--In Ramallah: settlers accompanied by Israeli forces expelled harvesters Rantis and Beit ‘Ur at Tahta villages and stole their crops; settlers chopped down hundreds of olive trees belonging to residents of Turmus’ayya, Al Mughayyir, and Khirbet Abu Falah villages.
--10/6, In Hebron: armed, uniformed settlers raided Umm al Khair community, destroyed about 150 olive trees, and dismantled a 150-metre fence surrounding the property.
Operations in the Northern West Bank
· Israeli operations have intensified since 9/25 in Jenin city. Israeli forces carried out daytime patrols in the city center and adjacent to Jenin refugee camp, repeatedly raiding shops, pharmacies and residences. 10/2, Israeli forces shot 2 Palestinians (1 child) during a raid and 10/6 detained a Palestine TV crew, blindfolding and handcuffing the reporter, cameraperson, and driver before later releasing them.
· 10/1 & 2, Israeli forces raided Al Yamun village, west of Jenin, turning a house into a military post without evacuating its residents. The Red Crescent sent an ambulance to evacuate the homeowner, who has heart problems. Israeli forces assaulted the ambulance crew and seized the ambulance. The patient was transferred to a hospital the following day. 10/2, Israeli forces took over another residential building, confined its occupants to 1 room, and stationed sniper units on the roof, withdrawing after 14 hours.
· WHO reports more than 200 attacks on West Bank health care this year, 22% in Jenin governorate, and 30% in Nablus.
ISRAEL
· As part of the Gaza ceasefire-prisoner exchange deal, 250 Palestinian detainees with life sentences will be freed and some 1,700 Gazans who were seized after October 7, 2023. These Palestinians from Gaza are not held in official Israeli prisons, but in torture detention facilities where they are subjected to round-the-clock torture and sexual violence at the hands of soldiers. The number of Palestinians seized from Gaza in the last two years is unknown, although the estimated figure is set at around 15,000 in total. Palestinian hostages have been subjected to gang rape, all kinds of sexual violence, torture, the amputation of limbs, humiliation rituals, starvation, the deprivation of water, and at least 78 Palestinian detainees have been murdered while under Israeli detention since 10/7/23. (Palestine Chronicle 10/9)
· Israel has allocated over $145 million in its 2025 budget to weaponize social media and AI, including ChatGPT, in its largest US propaganda effort since the start of its Gaza campaign, according to new FARA filings. The initiative, run through US firm Clock Tower led by Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale, targets 50 million monthly impressions, focusing 80% on Gen Z via TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. A parallel program, Project Esther, pays US influencers up to $900,000 to post frequently, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling social media Israel’s “eighth front” and its “most important weapon today.” (Dropsite 10/7)
US
· See Trump’s ceasefire plan and repercussions above.
INTERNATIONAL
· 10/6 Palestinian-American legal scholar Noura Erakat became only the second Palestinian woman to brief the United Nations Security Council since 10/7/23—and the first to present a legal argument that Israel’s war on Gaza constitutes genocide. In her 10-minute address, Erakat detailed a four-part framework showing how Israel’s campaign targets Palestinian reproductive capacity, citing the destruction of homes and clinics, sexual violence in captivity, soaring miscarriage rates, and the deaths of newborns under siege conditions. She urged the Council to ensure any ceasefire includes accountability, protection of International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice investigations, and a central role for Palestinian women in Gaza’s reconstruction. here
· Board of Directors of The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has resolved to immediately suspend all professional and bilateral relations with the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) and calls for the suspension of the IMA from the World Medical Association. here
· FLOTILLA
10/6, an additional 171 participants from the Global Sumud Flotilla were deported, according to the Israeli foreign ministry. Around 138 of the original 449 remained in Israeli custody. Lawyers report detainees faced overcrowding, denial of life-saving medication, scarce food and water, beatings, blindfolding, and restricted religious practice, conditions that the legal group Adalah links to Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s approval of treating flotilla participants “as terrorists.”42 volunteers from the Global Sumud Flotilla launched a collective hunger strike inside Israeli prisons, refusing food from the authorities responsible for what organizers call a “genocidal starvation campaign” against Palestinians in Gaza. The confirmed list of hunger strikers includes participants from over a dozen countries. (Drop Site 10/6)
· FLOTILLA One of the flotilla activists detained by Israel was Jewish American writer and activist David Adler. In an exclusive interview with Zeteo’s Prem Thakker just hours after his release, he detailed his experience in Israeli prison, where activists were left to “rot” without access to basic necessities like food, water, and medication. He recalls being “strip-searched, zip-tied, and blindfolded” as he was intercepted by Israeli forces. At one point, he was singled out for being Jewish, ripped away by his ear, and forced to get on his knees to take a photo op with the Israeli flag, as Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir yelled into his face, calling him a terrorist. “Any form of disloyalty or speaking out or speaking up about basic things like medical treatment, they would come and basically throw your head to the ground, shackle your hands behind your back, and then take you to either sit in the hot sun or sit in total isolation and shackle your ankles as well and just leave you there for the day. (Zeteo 10/7)
· FLOTILLA 10/7, Israeli forces intercepted another Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza are operating a new fleet of 11 vessels with 150 people on board, including doctors, and initially said three boats were attacked 120 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza. Soon after, all boats were intercepted by Israel. “Sources so far indicate that the unarmed crew aboard, including doctors, journalists, and elected officials, have been abducted, as well as the vital aid worth over $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals. Their whereabouts remain unknown.” (Zeteo 10/8)
· Channel 4 investigation found that UK arms exports to Israel hit record highs this year, with June 2025 the largest monthly total since 2022 and September close behind. Though officials insist Britain does not send bombs or ammunition for use in Gaza, export licenses cover targeting systems, radar, and software—components campaigners say make the UK complicit in Israel’s genocide despite claims of restraint. (Dropsite 10/7)
· Thousands have taken to the streets around the world, including in Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Argentina, Belgium, and Germany to protest Israel’s interception of the flotilla and to call for an end to the war in Gaza. In Italy, workers and students demonstrated after the country’s largest unions called for a one-day general strike. Hundreds of trains were cancelled or delayed, some flights were cancelled, and many schools were closed.
· In London, police arrested over 440 protesters for supporting Palestine Action, a group that was designated as a terror organization in July, making it illegal for anyone to show support for the group. (Democracy Now 10/6)
· 10/6, General strike in Italy paralyzed transport and brought two million people into the streets. Even after years of setbacks for organized labor, it staged a historic protest in solidarity with Palestine. here
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, JVP Wire, Dropsite News, Zeteo, +972, Democracy Now, Middle East Eye, Palestine Chronicle, Zeteo, Haaretz , South African Medical Association, NYT