Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza and the West Bank/East Jerusalem - October 25, 2025
ACTION ITEMS
1. Tell Delaware’s Attorney General: Investigate the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, responsible for massacring hundreds of Palestinians at their “aid distribution sites.” Registered in Delaware, their AG must investigate and dissolve GHF's corporate charter. Here
2. Free Mohammed Ibrahim, the 15-year-old Palestinian from Florida kidnapped on the West Bank, beaten and thrown into an Isreali prison. Tell your Congresspeople to sign on to the letter demanding his freedom. Here
3. Stop starvation by funding 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
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.
Sign letter here.
Research Articles
Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work: A cross-sectional survey (May-June 2024), examined the prevalence of postpartum depression among 18–45-year-old Palestinian women in Gaza (n=209). More than 85% of participants” exhibited symptoms of probable postpartum depression, with key predictors including younger age, economic hardship, family loss due to ongoing genocide, and exposure to trauma.” The authors conclude that “achieving social justice and equitable health care in Gaza is not possible without ending Israel’s illegal occupation and systemic violence. Any initiative to improve maternal health must be paired with political advocacy for structural change, formal recognition of health care as a right under international law, and the removal of barriers imposed by colonial systems of control.” here
Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry: This qualitative study examines the psychological and social impact of ongoing colonial violence in Gaza on the local population and distant witnesses. Analyses of 30 testimonials (n=15 Palestinians living in Gaza; n=15 mental health professionals based in Europe), “reveal the profound effects of genocidal violence on mental health, emotional resilience, and meaning-making processes. For Palestinians, daily exposure of bombardment, displacement, and systemic dehumanization undermines personal and collective agency, resulting in emotional numbness, anger, and alienation. Witnesses from European contexts reported helplessness, disorientation, and moral injury, often struggling with their perceived complicity in global systems of oppression.” The authors call for “collective healing and solidarity, aimed at dismantling the structural foundations of violence and dehumanization.” here
BMC Public Health: This study uses human rights reports, national legislation, and international conventions to examine the associations between political occupation, economic marginalization, and human trafficking in the occupied Palestinian territory. “The findings indicate that state fragility, fragmented governance, extreme poverty, and the impacts of occupation create fertile ground for labor exploitation, forced displacement, and survival trafficking. The article critiques international anti-trafficking and counterterrorism policies for their decontextualized, criminalized approach, which often ignores the political and colonial histories of occupied lands.” here
Discover Psychology: A cross-sectional survey (December 2023 – January 2024) examined the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Palestinian mental health professionals in the West Bank and Jerusalem (n=514). Nearly 40% of participants had depression and nearly 37% had anxiety. In multivariate analyses, participants who reported that their psychological status was negatively impacted by the war in Gaza, or that their psychological state had gotten worse during the war, had higher odds of depression, while participants who treated patients affected by armed conflicts in Gaza or the West Bank had lower odds of depression. The authors hypothesize that “seeing their clients’ resilience, coping methods, and recovery processes helps professionals increase their optimism, hope, personal strength, and respect for life.” here
Editorials & Commentaries
Maternal & Child Nutrition: In this commentary, the authors emphasize that “maximising infant survival relies upon as many women as possible being supported to exclusively breastfeed” and warn against focusing on “donations and untargeted distribution of infant formula.” The authors share six messages for responders and communicators to support child survival when speaking about infant feeding in Gaza: 1) Breastfeeding is lifesaving. Mothers: keep going, start or restart breastfeeding. Healthcare workers: support mothers to breastfeed; 2) Infant formula is dangerous. Public donors: do not donate powdered infant formula. Healthcare workers: do not provide powdered infant formula; 3) Feed and support mothers so they can feed and care for their babies; 4) If breastfeeding is not possible: use ready-to-use infant formula (not powdered infant formula), fed by cup or spoon, not bottles; 5) Very malnourished babies need specialised care and feeding. They cannot necessarily tolerate infant formula; 6) In emergencies: breastfeeding is the only guaranteed source of food and water for babies. Supply of infant formula cannot be guaranteed, so breastfeeding must be supported. here [editorial note: While there is much to agree with in this commentary, as an obstetrician, I fear the authors are too rigid and the harsh tone implies that mothers are not trying hard enough to breastfeed. Many Gaza mothers are so malnourished and have had a number of pregnancy related complications, they cannot breastfeed their babies and are in urgent need of formula from donors if their newborns are to have a chance at survival. AR]
BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health: Using Gaza as a lens to examine the colonial roots of violence, conflict, and their impact on food sovereignty and health, the authors call on global health academics to “positively influence public opinion so that we can shift discourse within the field toward unequal relationships of power. We can do this through research and teaching but also by calling on multilateral institutions to recognise the historicity of violent conflict, its broader impacts on supply chains and food sovereignty, and to commit to embedding decolonial understandings, addressing deep and historical causes of inequality in real-time so that contemporary conflicts do not become historical injustices.” here
Book Chapter
Mental Health Care in Palestine (chapter in Mental Health Care in the Middle East): This book chapter discusses mental health disorders in Palestine as “a growing public health concern, compounded by the protracted political conflict, socioeconomic instability, and systemic barriers to care.” The authors emphasize that the availability of mental health services in Palestine have been severely limited by Israel’s destruction of the healthcare infrastructure and ongoing military attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, which has exacerbated conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The article calls for ensuring a “the continuous supply of psychiatric medications to ensure consistent access for patients; training of mental health professionals to handle mental health issues, working with the community to reduce stigma, offering psychoeducation, and focusing on the establishment of networking with patients and their families.” here
BMJ News Articles
In interviews with The BMJ, researchers compared the crisis in Gaza to historical famines and discussed the likelihood of intergenerational health consequences. The interviews covered the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, the immediate- and longterm effects of starvation on children’s health, learnings from historical famines, important nutritional factors beyond energy intake, and immediate needs. A humanitarian response adviser at Oxfam emphasized that the response must match the scale of devastation: “It really needs to be an awareness among the funders and the responders: the level of intervention and resource capacity and the devastation that will be faced once there is access. Some months ago, we were in a wait and see mode . . . hoping the blockade would be lifted. Now that bubble has burst. There are no reserve stocks anymore, people are starving, there’s nobody that’s not affected.” here
“Bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal show signs of torture, execution, and being run over by tanks, hospital workers have said. Sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the remains, told Middle East Eye that several bodies bore strangulation marks, broken bones, and mutilation, while others were missing limbs. The news comes as UN leaders called for a “massive surge” in aid as doctors in Gaza report that “nothing has changed on the ground” and there is still a huge shortage of aid and medical supplies. Speaking to MEE, the source said that some 45 bodies returned on 10/14 were recently killed, while others arrived in a decomposed state or as partial remains.” here
UNITED NATIONS
· UN Mine Action chief Luke David Irving warned that Gaza is “littered” with unexploded ordnance posing an “incredibly high” risk as displaced families begin returning under the ceasefire. He said at least 328 people have been killed or injured by explosive remnants since October 2023 and that up to 60 million tons of debris may be contaminated, obstructing reconstruction. Irving urged donor support for a $15 million expansion of demining operations and equipment imports, saying the danger will intensify as civilians and aid workers reenter devastated areas. (Drop Site 10/23)
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Deputy Executive Director Andrew Saberton said premature births in Gaza have risen from 20% to 70% since October 2023, with one in three pregnancies now high-risk and widespread trauma expected among youth and adults. Returning from his first visit, Saberton described Gaza as “flattened—mile upon mile of rubble and dust,” saying what he saw “was not collateral damage.” He added that every UNFPA staff member in Gaza has lost family and nearly all their homes and many women now lack even basic hygiene supplies. (Drop Site 10/23)
GAZA
Israel has broken the 10/10 ceasefire 80 times, most notably on 10/17 when they bombed a bus filled with IDPs, killing 11 (7 children) in Gaza City. Again on 10/19, after 2 Israeli soldiers were killed by unexploded ordnance in Rafah, they killed 21 by shelling an UNRWA school sheltering IDPS in An Nuseirat refugee camp, a coffeeshop, the Palestinian Media Production offices, and IDP tents and houses. Increased but insufficient amounts of food, shelter, and other forms of aid are slowly entering Gaza, another violation of the ceasefire agreement. Israel maintains military control of 56% of Gaza and has killed at least 88 Palestinians and wounded 315 since 10/10.
· Since 10/07/2023: 68,234+ killed, 170,373+ injured. 10/23 MOH 68,280 killed, 170,375 injured
· Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 470 killed (2 this week), 2,967 injured
· Israeli Hostages in Gaza: 0. All live hostages have been released; 13 bodies have yet to be recovered/ returned
· Palestinian bodies returned since 10/10: 195, of which only 57 were identified. Many bodies were mutilated, handcuffed, blind-folded, had been run over by military vehicles, or disfigured beyond recognition.
· For more information, here
· At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians had been held at notorious Israeli jail, say Gaza officials. here
· Documents indicate they came from Sde Teiman, which already faces allegations of torture and unlawful deaths
· An estimated 10,000 Palestinians killed by Israel remain buried under the rubble, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense, with Israel preventing the resources and equipment required to retrieve them. Among those bodies are a handful of Israeli captives killed in the war that have been the focus of the international media and U.S. and Israeli officials as part of the ceasefire agreement. here
· Staggering data reveal that more than 270,000 Palestinians, around 12 percent of Gaza’s population, have been killed, injured, or detained by Israel since its military assault on the enclave began in October 2023, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. “The comprehensive statistics lay bare the far-reaching consequences of more than two years of genocide: mass killings, injuries, arbitrary arrests, large-scale destruction, dispossession, and forced displacement,” the Geneva-based rights group said in its latest report on Wednesday. “Entire families have been wiped out, neighborhoods erased, and livelihoods obliterated.” (Palestine Chronicle 10/23)
· What Happened in Gaza Might Be Even Worse Than We Think here
Aid
· 10/20 The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has suspended its aid operations because of the cease-fire, but it is also running low on funds and faces logistical obstacles to resuming its work. here
· As of 10/21, 199,000 metric tons (MT) of aid (73% food) are positioned across the region and cleared by Israeli authorities. 10/10-21, 43 aid cargo requests (2,712 MT) from 12 NGOs were denied on grounds that the NGOs were unauthorized by Israel.
· The ceasefire agreement stipulated that 600 trucks full of aid would enter Gaza daily. Israel has allowed only an average of 94 trucks per day to enter since 10/10, with the busiest day being 10/16 with 206 trucks. here
· Post ceasefire, permission for movements within Gaza are no longer required; however, collection of cargo at the only 2 operational crossings continue to limit the entry of aid. This week of 59 missions: 31 were facilitated, 10 cancelled, 15 impeded, and 3 denied. Interception of collected supplies has decreased to 9%, compared to 80% previously.
The UN said humanitarian access to Gaza remains severely limited, with just 145 aid trucks entering Monday—mostly food—and northern areas still largely unreachable due to closed crossings at Zikim and Erez. UN teams accessed Jabaliya and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza for the first time since the ceasefire, finding over 200 families in dire need of essentials, while 425,000 people have moved north since 10/10. (Drop Site 10/23)
· Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports that no aid trucks have reached northern Gaza in 10 days. (Drop Site 10/24)
· UN is urging Israel to open the Rafah border crossing to allow urgently needed aid into the Gaza Strip. This comes as 41 aid organizations, including Oxfam and the Norwegian Refugee Council, have published an open letter accusing Israel of “arbitrarily” rejecting aid deliveries into Gaza. The letter says, “Aid denied by Israeli authorities includes tents and tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, food and nutrition supplies, hygiene kits, sanitation materials, assistive devices, and children’s clothing, all of which should be unrestricted during the ceasefire.” The World Food Program warned it was falling short of its target of sending 2,000 tons of food into Gaza. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization described Gaza’s starvation crisis as “catastrophic.” (Democracy Now 10/24)
Health and Hospitals
· Last week, following the UN 60-day response plan, 5 health service points were established in Deir al Balah, 2 in Khan Younis, and 1 in Gaza City. An international emergency medical team was deployed to Al Shifa Hospital (Gaza City) to support orthopedic surgery and trauma care and set up 2 new ORs. Construction of a new 100-bed field hospital began in Al-Kateeba. A new Red Crescent field hospital in Gaza City will include out-patient and in-patient departments, an ER, ICU, and OR.
· In southern Gaza, 10 neonatal ventilators were installed in 3 hospitals. However, shortages forced one partner to suspend rehab outreach activities due to a lack of supplies for dressing wounds, including gauze. Elective surgeries were suspended at St John’s Hospital and the Kuwaiti Specialist Hospital amidst shortages of essential drugs, disposables, and IV solutions.
· 10/22, WHO facilitated the medical evacuation of 41 patients with 145 companions via the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. 15,600 patients (3,800 children) urgently require care unavailable in Gaza and are awaiting medical evacuation. MSF stressed: “Today, a patient with complex trauma-related injuries, or life-threatening and chronic conditions, such as cancer or kidney failure, faces the same impossible reality as before the ceasefire. For these patients, medical evacuation is their only chance of survival.”
· Mental health care needs are immense, according to both WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP). Repeated exposure to trauma, displacement, loss, and the destruction of essential infrastructure have deepened the crisis, affecting children, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, IDPs, frontline workers, and survivors of detention and torture. The prevalence of mental health disorders has sharply increased, with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma-related symptoms. Children and adolescents show widespread distress such as nightmares, aggression, and fear. Over 80% of IDPs report anxiety, despair, and helplessness, while vulnerable groups are psychologically harmed by the loss of social networks, disruption of routines, and lack of specialized care.
· 10/22, Forty-one critical patients evacuated from Gaza—the first medical evacuations since the ceasefire went into effect on 10/10. (Drop Site 10/24)
· 10/13, one of the operating facilities in Gaza City for the Gaza Community Mental Health Program was raided and taken over by an armed gang at gunpoint, staff was expelled and the gang moved in their families. No response from relevant officials. here
Displacement and Shelter
· In northern Gaza, 12 displacement sites (10,000 people) have been established, mostly in Gaza City’s partially or completely damaged buildings, despite lack of drinking water, adequate sanitation, shelter and food. Extensive destruction and massive rubble obstruct access to homes and limit the amount of land available for setting up displacement sites.
· In southern Gaza, 6 displacement sites (6,500 people) have been established in Al Mawasi area of Rafah. With strong self-organization, informal committees and solidarity networks, their conditions remain fragile, with limited water delivery, poor sanitation, high flood risk, and limited access to healthcare.
· As of 10/21, 1 million people are living in 800 displacement sites across Gaza. The vast majority are overcrowded, makeshift, scattered sites in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, spontaneously set up along roads, in open areas, agricultural lands, or on the coast, some in hazardous areas. Only about 10% live in collective centers (former schools, markets, health facilities). According to UNRWA, 70,000 people reside in 70 of their designated shelters.
· 1.5 million people require emergency shelter items. While tents and other shelter items have begun to enter, only 4 of 18 NGO partners are approved by Israel to bring in shelter items.
· People are under serious stress from the prolonged loss of income and lack of food, resulting in negative coping mechanisms, especially for female-headed households, forcing families to sell their belongings and depend on scarce humanitarian aid. Many families live in overcrowded makeshift shelters that offer little protection from weather or privacy, causing heightened anxiety and risks of harassment for women and girls. Limited access to safe and dignified WASH facilities increases risk of GBV and harassment, disease, and psychological distress. Elders and people with disabilities struggle to access basic services, depending heavily on caregiver support due to mobility and infrastructure barriers. Men, traditionally the family providers, report severe psychological distress as displacement and loss of livelihood undermines their ability to care for their families, eroding their sense of dignity and purpose. Children are exposed to unsafe environments, poor hygiene, and disrupted education, with growing risks of child labor and early marriage. Currently, 7 Women and Girls Safe Spaces are functional in Gaza City, 12 in Deir al-Balah, and 14 in Khan Younis.
· Protection Cluster is working to mainstream awareness on explosive remnants of war and the risk of explosive ordnance as people return to previously inaccessible areas.
Food and Nutrition
· As of 10/21, 945,000 meals are produced daily. 165 kitchens in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates provide 872,000, and 14 kitchens in Gaza Governorate provide 73,000. The WFP restarted 9 bakeries, now producing more than 100,000 2-kilo bundles. Food parcel distribution resumed on 10/13 and now reaches 30,000 households via 27 distribution points in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, and 7 in Gaza City.
· Since the ceasefire, 20 nutrition sites have opened, bringing the total number of functional sites to 150. 20 mobile health and nutrition teams (twice the pre-ceasefire number) have deployed to deliver life-saving nutrition interventions to hard-to-reach areas. A 2nd Stabilization Center (SC) for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition with medical complications opened, so there are now 6 SCs in Gaza, 2 per governorate in Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
· The closed crossings mean no food convoys have directly entered north Gaza for 40 days, according to WFP, despite famine there. The next IPC analysis is planned for November.
· This week, 150 MT of animal fodder (mostly for sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys supporting humanitarian service delivery) was collected from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing for distribution to animal herders in Deir al Balah.
· Almost 55,000 preschool children in Gaza are acutely malnourished. That’s according to a study published in the Lancet, which shows a clear link between Israel’s aid blockade and malnutrition. Even if a ceasefire holds and adequate food is allowed into the strip, these kids will probably have serious poor long-term outcomes from being starved in their critical years. It is hard to defend deliberately starving babies – which is why Israel is spending hundreds of millions on propaganda efforts including, according to Drop Site News, $45m on a Google advertising campaign promoting Israeli government talking points. (Guardian 10/18)
· What comes after starvation in Gaza? For the severely malnourished, simply starting to eat normal meals again can cause sickness – even death. here
· An August assessment, based on satellite data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and UN Satellite Centre, found that 98.5% of cropland in the Gaza Strip is either damaged, inaccessible, or both. “This means that only 1.5% of cropland in Gaza is currently available for cultivation, down from 4.6% as of 4/2025, in a territory with over 2 million people,” the report said. “Most of the trees are gone,” Mohammed Abu Odeh, an agricultural expert in the horticulture sector, told Drop Site. “But some farmers are risking their lives to pick what remains.”
Water and Sanitation
· WASH partners are working to repair widespread damage to WASH infrastructure. This week, they replaced 500m. of pipes at Al Samer Sewage Pumping Station (Gaza City); rehabbed Al Rawda water wells (Deir al Balah); and repaired one of the lines connected to the Mekorot water pipeline, making an additional water filling station operational. Partners are trucking water to 1,870 collection points.
· Gaza Municipality reported Israeli military damage to the Ash Sheikh Radwan stormwater collection pond and to its drainage pipelines, pumping systems and power generators, resulting in a complete halt in drainage operations. Failure to drain the accumulated water could pose serious flooding risks to nearby residents as the winter approaches. They also reported the extensive damage to the B7 wastewater pumping station in Az Zaytoun (Gaza City) has caused sewage overflows and environmental contamination.
Ceasefire
· Jewish Voice for Peace produced a good summary of the ceasefire. Here:
· Here's the Truth About Trump's 'Peace Plan' for Gaza. The US allowed Netanyahu to create four key loopholes in the deal to ensure Israel can continue its Gaza genocide – regardless of the 'ceasefire' agreement. here
· 10/19 ‘Everything Is Gone’: Gazans Return Home to Find Devastation and Little Hope. Residents who have gone back to the battered north of the territory after the cease-fire say it is a wasteland that will take years to rebuild. here
· Israeli has violated the ceasefire over 80 times and has killed over 97 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreement took effect on 10/10. here
· 10/19 Israel launched its heaviest wave of attacks on Gaza since a fragile cease-fire took hold a week ago and said it was suspending humanitarian aid to the territory after accusing Hamas of firing on its forces and violating the truce. Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza. Gaza’s health ministry initially reported 14 Palestinian deaths across Gaza. The transfer of aid into Gaza has been halted until further notice, according to two Israeli officials who requested anonymity. (NYT 10/19)
· Israel killed several Palestinians in Gaza City after claiming to begin “the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” following a wave of attacks on 10/19 (Drop Site 10/20)
· Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said Israeli troops opened fire on residents inspecting their homes in the Al-Shaaf area on 10/20, killing two in the morning and two more in a later attack. Hamas said it remains committed to the ceasefire and is in contact with U.S. and regional mediators over what it described as continued Israeli violations against civilians returning to their homes. (Drop. Site 10/21)
Since 10/11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 89 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 317, while 449 bodies have been recovered, according to the Ministry of Health. (Drop Site 10/23)
· Israel's Abu Shabab gang backfires in its face; IDF soldiers attacked in the heart of Rafah today Hamas infiltrated Israel's proxy Abu Shabab gang & recruited double agents whose job is to provide intel & ambush the gang's leaders. . Israel is keeping the Abu Shabab gang well protected & deeply hidden inside the depopulated "Yellow Line" (58% of Gaza) that the IDF controls. Israel has been shooting & bombing anyone who tries to approach its proxy gangs or anyone that gets nearby the invisible "yellow line."
Missions: 1- Loot aid systematically to create famine while outsourcing blame.
2- Carrying out Black Ops (i.e. kidnapping, interrogating, & murdering Palestinians, collecting intelligence, going into areas that are too dangerous for the IDF).
3- Run a concentration camp in Rafah that Israel wanted to push Gaza's population
4- Destabilise Gaza & brew a civil war; carry out hit & run attacks, recruit clans, carry out assassinations
5- Run the only area where Israel is planning symbolic & limited "reconstruction" for PR purposes (in South East Rafah) while the rest of Gaza remains uninhabitable. The gangs, however, are now unraveling, especially that the IDF refused to allow gang members refuge inside Israel itself in the case of full withdrawal from Gaza. here
THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM
In the past week, Israeli military and/or settlers killed 3 West Bank Palestinians (1 child) and injured 81 (10 children). So far this year, Israeli forces have killed 40 West Bank children.
· For more West Bank information, see here
Israeli attacks
· 10/16, Israeli forces raided Ar Rihiya village (Hebron), firing live ammunition and tear gas, and killed a 9-year-old playing football, according to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). Israeli media sources claim the Israeli military has opened an investigation.
· 10/16, Israeli forces shot a man during a raid in Qabatiya, south of Jenin. Treated on site, he was transported to the town’s clinic where he was pronounced dead. Israeli military claims he threw an explosive device at them. No casualties were reported among Israeli forces.
· 10/19, undercover Israeli forces raided Ein Beit al-Ma’ refugee camp in Nablus, surrounded a residential building, and opened fire, killing a father of 4 inside his home in another building. Israeli forces delayed medical teams trying to reach him and assaulted a paramedic as well as one of his female relatives. Yet another man was shot, injured and arrested by Israeli forces.
· 10/19, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs reported that a Palestinian prisoner from Jenin refugee camp, detained since 2/2025, died in Israeli custody. According to OHCHR, between 10/7/23-10/17/25, 77 Palestinians (1 child), died in Israeli detention: 49 from Gaza, 26 from the West Bank and 2 Palestinian citizens of Israel.
· 10/15, a man from Az Zababdeh (Jenin), died after being detained while attempting to cross the Barrier near Ar Ram town, East Jerusalem. This week, 9 Palestinians were injured attempting to cross the Barrier: 1 in Hebron, 7 in Jerusalem, and 1 in Qalqiliya.
· 10/19 Masked Israeli settlers targeted Palestinians in Turmus’ayya, a village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, injuring a woman and an international activist, setting cars on fire, and attacking olive pickers. The attackers then attempted to harvest olives from the village lands themselves. (Drop Site 10/20)
· OHCHR reports that since 10/2023, 1,001 Palestinians (including 206 boys, 7 girls, 20 women, and 7 persons with disabilities) have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank. Most of these fatalities are due to “the systematic and excessive use of lethal force by Israeli forces, often involving live fire, airstrikes, and shoulder-fired missiles in densely populated areas, resulting in numerous civilian deaths, including children.” 331 of these killings raise serious concerns of extrajudicial executions, and in at least 244 cases, Israeli forces delayed or obstructed medical assistance. The report highlights that settler attacks have reached unprecedented levels, with 33 Palestinians (3 children) killed by settlers or by settlers and Israeli forces acting together. Israeli authorities rarely initiate or conclude investigations into the use of lethal force or settler violence, perpetuating a pattern of impunity and lack of protection of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
· In the West Bank, Israel’s war on Palestinians continues with the same intensity as in the immediate aftermath of 10/7/23. The intensification of Israeli raids into Palestinian towns and cities hasn’t reversed, and nor has the expansion of Israeli settlements or the restrictions on Palestinian movement. 10/19, the Israeli army killed Majed Daoud, 42, during a raid on the al-Ain refugee camp in Nablus, adding to the death toll of over 1,000 Palestinians killed by settlers and the Israeli army as of 10/ 2023. In the same raid, Israeli forces wounded two other Palestinians, aged 22 and 38. Meanwhile, more than 40,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their homes in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank in January and February continue to be banned from returning. (Mondoweiss 10/22)
Demolitions, Displacement and Movement Restrictions
Last week, Israel demolished 5 structures due to the lack of impossible to attain Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 5 (1 child). So far this year, Israeli has demolished over 1,300 structures (300 homes) in the West Bank.
· Authorities demolished an under-construction 2-story residential building and 3 agricultural structures in Area C. 1 home was demolished by its owners in East Jerusalem.
Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities
49 settler attacks last week injured 49 Palestinians and 2 international activists, damaged 200+ olive trees and 18 vehicles.
· Interactive maps and images show how dozens of Palestinian communities across the West Bank have been wiped off the landscape by illegal Israeli settler outposts. This displacement and dispossession have dramatically increased since 10/7 and the Israeli government has distributed large quantities of weapons to settlers who carry out raids and enact violence on Palestinian communities as Israeli authorities stand by doing absolutely nothing. In just three months, between October and December 2023, settlers forced out 50 herding communities. here
· 10/18, settlers assaulted and injured a Palestinian couple (aged 64 and 58 years) working on their land near Susiya village, (Hebron).
· 10/18, settlers raided a Bedouin community near Deir Nidham village (Ramallah), stoning houses and breaking windows. Since a settlement outpost was established nearby in July, settler attacks have escalated, including frequent raids, nighttime stone throwing, and restricting access to agricultural lands and pastures.
· 10/20, settlers from an outpost set up the previous day, broke into homes and structures in Furush Beit Dajan (Area C, Nablus), stealing goods and breaking solar lights. The structures belonged to 4 of 29 herding families (139 people, 66 children) displaced on 10/8 by settler attacks and intimidation. When the 4 families returned to dismantle what remained of their structures and collect belongings, settlers drove them out. Since 10/2023, more than 3,200 Palestinians (1,600 children) have been forcibly displaced by settler violence and access restrictions, mainly affecting Bedouin and herding communities in Area C of the West Bank.
· 10/20 Palestinian officials and local media reported that Israeli settlers attacked the Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, blocking its main entrance and preventing residents from entering or leaving. (Drop Site 10/20)
2025 Olive Harvest Season
· So far this month, 86 olive-harvest-related settler and Israeli military attacks in 50 villages and towns have involved farmers inside or on their way to olive groves, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, vandalism of 3,000 olive trees, and injuries to 112 Palestinians.
· Although properly requesting access, Israeli authorities have diminished access of Palestinian farmers to their olive groves in the so-called “Seam Zone” areas located between the Barrier and the 1949 Armistice Line, and lands near Israeli settlements. Farmers report limited opening days and hours of Barrier gates, long wait times, extensive searches, and denials of access at the gates by Israeli forces. In the northern West Bank, as in the previous 2 years, no requests for inside or within 100-200 meters of settlement boundaries have been approved. In the southern West Bank, no requests have been approved to date.
· This week saw 17 incidents in 14 villages and towns (mostly Ramallah governorate). 10/19, masked settlers in the area between the villages of Turmusa’yya, Al Mughayyir and Khirbet Abu Falah attacked harvesting families with stones and sticks, set 2 olive trees and 4 vehicles on fire, and stole 3 bags of harvested olives. They chased and attacked 2 men, injuring one in the head, then set their vehicle on fire. Another group of settlers hit a 71-year-old woman on the head with a club, knocking her out. A foreign activist attempting to assist her was also assaulted.
· In the northern West Bank, 12 incidents in 10 villages (Salfit, Tulkarm, Nablus, Jenin and Qalqiliya) injured 19, 11 from tear gas and others from physical assault. 10 olive trees were damaged.10/17, dozens of armed settlers raided Qabalan village (Nablus), where 12 families were harvesting olives. They opened fire, assaulting and injuring 3 people (1 child) and vandalizing 4 vehicles.
· Israeli settlers have carried out at least 41 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since the olive harvest season began earlier this month, despite an order from the Civil Administration requiring soldiers to protect Palestinian farmers. Maher, a Palestinian landowner from Beita, told Haaretz: "Settlers came and started to steal the ladders and the tarps that are placed on the ground to collect the olives. I told a soldier, but he did nothing while settlers set fire to vehicles." He says at least 15 settlers, some with face coverings, chased him and others and threw stones at them. However, Maher says, soldiers then fired tear gas at the Palestinians. “The military is simply protecting the settlers. They did not do anything to them," he added. "That day, the military announced a curfew and that nobody was going to go near their groves. Olives are important for our livelihood. Our situation is down and out." here
Health and Health Access
· October is globally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, In the oPt, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for over 32% of all female cancer diagnoses (Palestinian Ministry of Health, 2022). Many of these women are diagnosed in late stages due to the fragmented health system, lack of early screening, movement restrictions, and the ongoing trauma of conflict and occupation (UNFPA, 2023). Beyond the medical crisis lies a deeper psychological one: fear, shame, and isolation that often prevent women from seeking help until it is too late. here
Attacks on Education
· As of 10/20, 85 West Bank schools are under demolition or stop-work orders, with 55 facing complete demolition and 30 partial, threatening education for 13,000 students, supported by 1,089 teachers. Many other schools are at risk of displacement due to their location in Area C.
· 7-9/2025, the Education Cluster documented 93 education-related incidents: access impediments (40%) and military invasion of schools (38%). Access incidents include 68 where Israeli forces have forced school closures and shifts to remote learning, affecting 12,020 students. Hebron governorate accounted for more than half of all incidents. The Education Cluster notes: “reporting from East Jerusalem remains limited due to access restrictions, security concerns, and threats faced by schools from Israeli authorities, which continue to hinder comprehensive data collection in the area.”
· Access to education this year has been interrupted for more than 4,000 students at 10 UNRWA schools in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, which remain closed since Israeli forces invaded in January 2025. The students are forced to rely on remote learning, self-study materials, and temporary learning spaces. Of 4 government schools near Jenin camp, 2 remain closed, forcing the relocation of 1,130 students. In Tulkarm, all government schools near Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps have re-opened.
Operations in the Northern West Bank
· 10/14, Israeli forces shot a woman during a raid in Qabatiya and transferred her to a hospital. Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians throwing stones.
· 10/20, Israeli forces detained 6 youths between Birqin village and Jenin refugee camp. They were held overnight and released the following evening to a hospital for medical treatment.
· 10/16, Israeli forces raid Kafr Qaddum town (Qalqiliya) for 17 hours, closing its entrances, searching homes, and turning 2 into military posts without evacuating their residents. Movement was restricted, several people were assaulted (2 requiring medical treatment), and 5 were arrested. The same day, Israeli forces raided Qalqiliya city, searching homes and interrogating residents. The military fired live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians throwing stones. One man was treated for tear gas inhalation, and 4 others were arrested.
· 10/18, an explosion in Tubas city injured two Israeli soldiers during a raid. Afterwards, Israeli forces using 2 military bulldozers raided the city for 11 hours, searching homes, damaging roads, water infrastructure and other property, blowing up an apartment, arresting 1 man, and blocking two roads linking Tubas and Tammun with earth mounds. The closures disrupted movement and water supply for 24 hours, affecting 10,000 residents.
· 10/19, 35 families from 3 residential buildings in Tulkarm city were allowed to return home after being displaced by Israeli forces since 3/2025. Since then, the buildings had been used by Israeli forces as a military base.
ISRAEL
· Israeli Knesset approved preliminary reading of bill to annex the West Bank. The bill will now go to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further deliberations. (Palestine Chronicle 10/22)
· An Israeli official told Kan public broadcaster that UNRWA “will not step foot in Gaza again,” rejecting the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel must allow the agency to deliver humanitarian aid. The official claimed past UN operations in Gaza “either failed in their mission or allowed themselves to be controlled by Hamas” and said Israel has communicated this stance to Washington in hopes the U.S. will align with it.
· Israeli ministers are clashing over rules of engagement at the so-called “Yellow Line,” with influential far-right figures demanding the right to “shoot the children and the donkey.” (Drop Site 10/24)
· Israel, having banned the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from sending aid and staff to Gaza, is now taking unprecedented steps to de-register major nongovernmental aid groups for ideological reasons, according to several officials of humanitarian organizations. here
· Israel’s Knesset has passed preliminary legislation to extend Israeli civil law to all West Bank settlements, including Ma’ale Adumim, effectively codifying de facto annexation. The move contradicts previous U.S. assurances to Arab governments and has prompted bipartisan calls in Congress to pressure Israel to preserve a path toward Palestinian statehood. The vote coincided with Vance’s visit and, before departing Israel, Vance said that if the Knesset vote was a “political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt.” He added, “I personally take some insult to it. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.” (Drop Site 10/23/25)
UNITED STATES
US Universities
· Film professor Thomas Hayes returned from his detainment by the Israeli military after participating in flotilla to find Ohio University had removed him as the instructor of his only in-person class. here
· Indiana University Chancellor David Reingold replaced Mark Roseman, former director of the Borns Jewish Studies program, in August. He tapped Günther Jikeli, a Germanic and Jewish Studies professor and Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism associate director, to fill the role as interim director. The sudden change without faculty input was “unprecedented.” here
· First Circuit (the federal court of appeals that covers Boston) issued a FANTASTIC ruling yesterday in a case in which Stand with Us sued MIT for failing to adequately address the antisemitic environment (Title VI violation) created by pro-Palestinian protesters at MIT. The decision reaffirms the fundamental importance of robust debate in university settings, even when it makes some people uncomfortable, and also includes a pretty rad approach to the First Amendment's Free Speech protections (which normally don't apply to private universities).
1. The Court found that the students' pro-Palestinian speech and protest (including encampments) did NOT create a hostile environment for Jewish students at MIT in violation of Title VI.
2. The Court found that critiques of Zionist are not necessarily antisemitic
3. Arguing that Israel is committing a Genocide in Gaza is not antisemitic
4. "From the River to the Sea" is not necessarily antisemitic
5. Encampments, protests, and disruption by student protesters is not necessarily antisemitic, even if some students regarded it as such.
6. The fact that the student protesters focused on Israeli policy and not that of other countries is not necessarily antisemitic, thus rejecting one of the key elements of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
· In a landslide vote, McGill University professors and librarians endorse the academic and cultural boycott of Israel. In a 114-8 vote, the McGill Association of University Teachers endorsed the academic and cultural boycott of Israel. The win came after years of organizing, demonstrating the collective power of professors, librarians, and students against genocide. here
INTERNATIONAL
· The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to restore access to the United Nations to deliver food and other basic necessities into the Gaza Strip. The advisory opinion from the U.N.’s top court also found Israel had not provided evidence to back its claims that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, lacked neutrality or that a significant number of its staff were members of Hamas. (Democracy Now 10/23)
· 10/22, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must allow UNRWA to deliver aid to Gaza and that it cannot block its operations. The court also found that Israel had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that infiltration of Hamas into the agency had compromised its neutrality. Both Israel and the US criticized the decision. The ICJ’s advisory opinions are not legally binding but carry political and public significance. here
· “There is no peace and no plan” for Gaza, health workers warn. Palestinian health workers and members of flotilla missions condemn Israel’s ongoing crimes in Gaza and the false promises of Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan. (People’s Health Dispatch 10/24) here
· Israel Still Fires on Lebanon Almost a Year After a Ceasefire. Some Predict the Same for Gaza. here, Drop Site 10/23/25)
· List of protest letters regarding Israel and health care in the oPt, some actual letters are listed under Gaza letters. here
· More than 460 prominent Jewish figures, including former Israeli officials, artists, and intellectuals, have signed an open letter urging the UN and world leaders to impose sanctions on Israel for what they describe as “atrocities” in Gaza amounting to genocide. Signatories include former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, author Naomi Klein, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, actor Wallace Shawn, and poet Michael Rosen. The letter calls for enforcement of International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court rulings, a halt to arms transfers, and full humanitarian access, declaring, “Our solidarity with Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, but a fulfillment of it… Not in our name.” Drop Site 10/23)
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, Democracy Now, Palestine Chronicle, Mondoweiss, Drop Site, New York Times, Aljazeera, New Yorker, Jewish Voice for Peace, The Guardian, Al Monitor, JVP Academic Council, IMEU, People’s Health Dispatch, Haaretz, Asharq Alawsat, NPR, Holy Land Trust, Zeteo, X, facebook