Urgent health update: Consequences of War on Gaza and the West Bank/Jerusalem - February 8, 2026
Action Items
1. Another $6 billion in weapons to Israel? No way! Compel your Congresspeople in DC to sign onto a resolution of disapproval. Here.
2. Boycott TEVA pharmaceuticals! If you’re a clinician searching for guidance, look here.
3. Tell Congress: Block ICE from using Palantir’s spying tools. The weapons of mass surveillance Palantir developed to repress Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank must not be used in the US. Here.
Members of Congress are taking millions in donations from Palantir.
And Palantir has gotten more than 2.5 billion in taxpayer funded federal contracts since 2009.
See if your Congressperson is on Palantir’s payroll with this tracker. Then tell Congress to stop selling themselves! Here.
4. Boycott Israeli dates! American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP's) 13-year boycott has decimated Israel’s share of the US market. Notoriously difficult to make effective, this is a boycott that is working! Read more here.
American Public Health Association
If you are a member of the APHA, please consider changing its horrible record on Israel/ Palestine and internal democracy by RUNNING FOR GOVERNING COUNCIL in upcoming spring elections. Join with others to create a progressive presence in the Governing Council to: a) revise bylaws, b) adopt stronger peace and justice resolutions; and c) elect accountable Executive Board members who, in turn, can name a new Executive Director. The Executive Board is responsible for steering the organization on these matters, but it will take some years to fully reform its composition, culture and practices.
Start in your own section by sending expressions of concern to the Executive Board and Executive Director. This will reduce the isolation of the International Health Section, which has already been targeted for taking progressive positions. Letters should call for reforms to the Code of Conduct to include transparency and fair processes for those accused.
As background on repression in the APHA, here is Amy Hagopian’s report on her expulsion from APHA and activities at the 2025 annual meeting in Washington DC: here
Two strong pieces of evidence have emerged that indicate external forces coerced unfortunately compliant APHA decision-making:
1) The Anti-Defamation League report: 2025 ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION INTEGRITY INDEX: THE STATE OF ANTISEMITISM IN PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC ASSOCIATIONS ,” where APHA is the ONLY organization credited with “meaningfully acting” on alleged antisemitism, explicitly with its suspension of Hagopian.
2) A December 12 letter from the US House Of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Workforce to the American Psychological Association (APA) regarding “investigating antisemitism at the APA” and “considering…legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination among associations and accreditors...” This is the same Committee that attacked university presidents at hearings with false and exaggerated charges of antisemitism, to devastating effect.
For more information, please contact: aphademocracy@gmail.com
Webinars
How to Provide Urgent Medical Care to Gaza. A CUGH (Consortium of Universities for Global Health) webinar with: Dr. Michael Feldon, Tel Aviv University; Dr Ahmed Alfarrah, Nasser Hospital, Gaza; Dr. Firoze Sidhwa, trauma surgeon; Tirza Liebowitz, PHR-Israel; Dr. Eyad Amawi, Gaza Relief Committee; Dr. Thaer Ahmad, emergency medicine physician. 2/13 1:30pm Eastern, 10:30am Pacific. Register here.
CONFERENCE ON THE JEWISH LEFT. This annual Boston University gathering of scholars, students, and global partners provides an academic-community bridge to explore the Jewish values, institutions, and impact, aiming to empower the next generation of leaders to make a real-world difference. In-person and live-stream on 2/12/26. Register here
Peer-reviewed literature: Commentaries & Editorials
The Lancet Infectious Diseases: This article profiles Palestinian scientist, Dr. Reem Abu Shomar, an expert in water safety and public health. Dr. Shomar spent more than two decades working in the sector in Gaza. “There were huge water safety problems in Gaza before the genocide began…97% of water resources were unfit for human use due to salinity and nitrate contamination, possibly due to sewage contamination, and this was detected in residential areas, not agricultural…continued bombing and attacks meant even beginning to address these issues was impossible, and they became worse.” Dr. Shomar was granted safe passage to Canada where she now resides with her family. “I hope there will be a stable floor for reconstruction and development, and our people can live in peace and safety.” here
mSystems: Authors offer commentary on a May 2025 article that warned of severe antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Palestine. The authors write that, in Gaza, “beyond the direct clinical threat…system fragility has eliminated the capacity to measure the problem: with the loss of lab capacity, pharmaceutical supply chains, and operational tools, the data required to locate and quantify outbreaks have vanished. Without measurement, stewardship and outbreak control become conjectural, a de facto surrender to AMR and other communicable threats.” However, the authors emphasize that “even under such conditions, minimal functional capacity can and should be preserved” and offer examples of minimal, lab-independent options for AMR-relevant surveillance in the context of protracted emergencies.
Letter: here
Original article: here
A reply to the recently published letter, offers specific examples of the severity of infectious disease in Gaza including “the rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the reappearance of diseases, such as polio, previously eradicated with comprehensive vaccination programs, as well as a significant rise in skin infections directly attributed to the severe lack of hygiene and sanitation supplies facing hospitals and the entire population.” here
BMJ: A neurologist in training discusses the dire state of neurological care in Gaza noting that “the destruction of ongoing infrastructure and restrictions imposed on the entry of aid into Gaza have led to a severe depletion of epilepsy drugs, immunosuppressants, antispasmodics, and critical Parkinson’s disease medications. Patients face life threatening emergencies such as status epilepticus, parkinsonism-hyperpyrexia syndrome, and baclofen withdrawal…[neurologists have] had to treat status epilepticus and meningoencephalitis using oral medications, and acute myasthenic crisis with a markedly reduced dose of intravenous immunoglobulin.” here
BMJ: Letter discusses the short- and long-term impacts of environmental toxicity on child health in Gaza: “What is unfolding in Gaza reflects a predictable convergence of biochemical, nutritional, and psychological insults that threaten the neurodevelopment of an entire generation. Although systematic epidemiological studies correlating current environmental exposures in Gaza with neonatal outcomes are not yet available, it is scientifically plausible that Gaza’s newborns will manifest the same spectrum of congenital disabilities documented in other war affected populations. Toxic residues of modern warfare, particularly heavy metals dispersed by bombardments, are known to cross the placental barrier and impair fetal development.” here
The Lancet: A recent correspondence criticized Roberto De Vogli and colleagues’ piece Break the selective silence on the genocide in Gaza, asserting that it “presents claims that merit critical scrutiny.” In response, De Vogli et al. issued a reply asserting that the criticism “represents a textbook case of genocide denial and selective moral disengagement” and noting that their piece was “based on peer-reviewed publications and reports from respected international organisations, such as WHO and the UN.” “As we wrote in our Correspondence, the genocide in Gaza has become a defining moral litmus test for the global public health community, social scientists, and academic associations. It is a test that some have miserably failed.”
Original article: here
Criticism: here
Author’s reply: here
Additional article by De Vogli et al. Selective empathy and the genocide in Gaza: the silence of health and academic associations: here
Peer-reviewed literature: Research Articles
Journal of Health Psychology: This qualitative study explored the physical, social, and psychological impacts of limb loss in Gaza. Thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 30 male amputees in Rafah’s displaced camps (January – March 2025), revealed six key themes: “Initial shock and pain; medical neglect; hunger and malnutrition; displacement and mobility barriers; loss of economic and social roles; and psychological trauma. Participants described how limited access to medical care, prosthetics, and proper nutrition, worsened by repeated displacement, exacerbated physical complications, and disrupted personal identity. Despite adversity, accounts of peer support and community solidarity highlighted resilience.” here
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: A cross-sectional study conducted between July-August 2025, assessed whether: 1) posttraumatic stress mediates the association between cumulative trauma exposure and emotional-behavioral difficulties, and 2) prosocial behavior moderates the association between cumulative trauma exposure and emotional-behavioral difficulties among displaced adolescents in Gaza (n=717; ages 12-17). More than three-quarters of adolescents (~78%) met the cutoff for probably PTSD and nearly half (~49%) met the full DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. PTSD symptoms explained approximately two-thirds of the association between cumulative trauma and emotional-behavioral difficulties and higher pro-social behavior buffered the association between cumulative trauma exposure and emotional-behavioral difficulties. “Trauma-informed, family-centered, and strength-based interventions are urgently warranted to address both psychological distress and the social capacities that foster recovery and resilience.” here
Culture, Health & Sexuality: In-depth interviews conducted with 18 Gazan women living in displacement camps in Khan Younis explored “how structural violence, poverty and displacement intersect to shape menstrual health experiences.” Six main themes emerged from the analysis: changes in the menstrual cycle; problems of access to hygiene products; toilet and cleaning problems; psychosocial effects; health problems; and social solidarity and support. “Women reported limited access to safe menstrual products, inadequate sanitation facilities and deep-rooted stigma that intensified both physical discomfort and emotional distress.” “Findings underscore the need for integrated social work responses that combine the provision of menstrual materials, psychosocial support and advocacy for menstrual justice within war-affected settings.” here
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health: A cross-sectional study conducted In May 2025, assessed the prevalence and correlates of PTSD among displaced children aged 3-12 (n=933) residing in shelters and tented communities in Gaza. More than half of children (58%) met criteria for probable PTSD. In regression analyses, greater psychosocial difficulties, higher trauma exposure, and more severe parental PTSD symptoms were associated with increased odds of child PTSD. “Displaced children in Gaza are experiencing extraordinarily high levels of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and psychosocial difficulties. The findings highlight both the acute and generational mental health burden of war on children and underscore the urgent need for scalable, context-sensitive psychosocial interventions.” here
International Journal of Social Psychiatry: A cross-sectional study conducted between February – April 2025, assessed the prevalence of mental health conditions and coping strategies among Palestinian adults (n=558) displaced to Egypt after October 2023. The prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were 37.5%, 94.1%, and 94.8%, respectively. Emotion disengagement was the most commonly reported coping strategy. “Context-sensitive psychosocial interventions that strengthen coping strategies are essential to alleviate the psychological burden among this vulnerable population.” here
Frontiers in Oncology: This retrospective study assessed changing patterns in presentation, treatment, and prognosis for retinoblastoma among children (n=12) in Gaza pre- and post-October 2023. In the post-October 2023 period, lag time between signs of disease and start of treatment was longer, disease severity was worse, and eye salvage was lower. Notably, while no patients in the pre-October 2023 group developed metastasis or died, 40% of children in the post-October 2023 group developed metastasis and 20% died. “Outcomes were dictated not by medical limitations but by political and humanitarian barriers. Urgent international action is essential to secure humanitarian corridors, safeguard children’s right to timely cancer treatment, and ensure healthcare is protected from the effects of war.” here
International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services: This article builds on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s report (A/HRC/59/23) – which emphasized how corporations directly and indirectly contribute to the unprecedented human suffering in Gaza – by using a commercial determinants of health framework to illustrate how “corporate practices—such as supplying goods and services, maintaining operations or financing actors implicated in international crimes to actors implicated in international crimes through military operations in occupied territories—can constitute complicity in serious human rights violations.” “The article advocates identifying and including complicity as a fundamental practice used by commercial entities primarily for profit. It also emphasizes the need to expand research, advocacy, and regulatory oversight to address the intersection of corporate power, armed conflict, and population health.” here
Global Public Health: Interrogating the role of sociopolitical determinants of health in Palestine: A qualitative study with key informants. We identified 5 main themes: 1) tools of state violence that degrade Palestinian health; 2) health systems and barriers to care, such as movement restrictions; 3) the role of humanitarianism in Palestinian health, which hinders Palestinian sovereignty; 4) the temporalities of erasure throughout history and present; and 5) Palestinian resistance to elimination and erasure. This study underscores the importance of considering the historical and political factors that have shaped Palestinian health in future research, practice, and advocacy efforts. here
Health and Human Rights Journal: Authors reflect on the findings of the PHR Israel Report titled A Destruction of Conditions of Life: A Health Analysis of the Gaza Genocide. (see Reports, below) here
Reports
Destroying Hope for the Future: Reproductive Violence in Gaza. Israel’s attacks on facilities providing reproductive health care and restrictions on food and medical supplies were intentional and systematic and resulted in devastating harm to the reproductive capacity of people in Gaza. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Global Human Rights Clinic (GHRC) at the University of Chicago Law School assess the foreseeable risks to pregnancy and neonatal health posed by these developments and examine their impact on women of reproductive age, including those trying-to-conceive as well as pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women, and newborns from January to October 2025. here
Destruction of the Conditions of Life: A Health Analysis of the Gaza Genocide. Israel’s military campaign is deliberately and systematically dismantling Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems, says Physicians for Human Rights Israel, in a new report. PHRI’s health-centered legal analysis examines Israel’s conduct in Gaza over the last 22 months, following Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023, presenting a chronology of Israeli actions in Gaza that have “destroyed Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure in a manner that is both calculated and systematic,” and detailing its determination that these acts constitute genocide under international humanitarian law. The paper presents evidence to demonstrate Israel’s deliberate policy of targeting and eliminating Palestinians as a group, and concludes that Israel is committing, at a minimum, 3 acts enumerated by Article II of the Genocide Convention: a) killing members of the group, b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, and c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its destruction. here
Exporting Genocide: An Interview with Basil Farraj on Israel’s Carceral Logics. A growing number of human rights organizations describe Israeli prisons as torture camps. With 70% of Palestinian families having had at least 1 member in Israeli custody, prison has come to exemplify what is being done to Palestine. There are news reports of Israel’s “iron coffins,” where Palestinians are held for days in small cages, unable to speak or move; “disco rooms” blasting music during savage interrogations; and sexual violence. News of guards gang-raping a Palestinian man last year at the Sde Teiman detention camp found its way into the mainstream. Recently, Ibrahim Salem, a Palestinian who described Sde Teiman guards breaking a chair over his chest and applying electricity to his genitals, was lucky to be released alive in August. here
GAZA
Israel continues to violate the 10/10 ceasefire with daily demolitions of residential buildings, farmland and public infrastructure, as well as military strikes on tent camps, homes, agricultural lands and public gathering places. Palestinian sea access and fishing remain prohibited. Over 50% of Gaza remains behind the mostly unmarked “yellow line” in which Palestinians are not allowed. Israel continues to limit entry of food, medical & shelter supplies, repair equipment, etc. A surge in communicable diseases driven by winter conditions, poor shelter, and unsafe water strains Gaza’s health system. 11 children have died from hypothermia.
· In the 2nd half of January, Israel killed 43 people and injured 110.
· Since the 10/10 “ceasefire,” Israel has killed at least 492 Palestinians and injured 1,356.
· Since 10/07/2023: 71,667 + killed, 171,343+ injured.
· Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 471 killed, 2,995 injured (0 deaths, 0 injured in the past 2 weeks).
· Israeli Hostages: 0. All hostages have been released or their remains returned.*
* Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said the Israeli government knew the location of the last Israeli captive’s remains for more than a month. The coordinates had already been provided through mediators. Netanyahu delayed acting to prolong the 1st phase of the ceasefire for electoral reasons and avoided searching behind the “yellow line” to delay the 2nd phase of the ceasefire, that includes reconstruction and opening crossings. (Drop Site 1/26/26)
For more information: here
Rafah
· 2/1, Israeli authorities reopened the Rafah Crossing in both directions – sort of. Coordinated with Egypt and under EU supervision, returns to Gaza from Egypt will be allowed only for residents who left Gaza during the war, have prior Israeli security clearance, endure EU screening at the Rafah Crossing, and a 2nd Israeli military screening process in an area under Israeli military control, for which they have reportedly sought US private security contractors. Crossing will operate 6 hours a day, with a daily cap of 50 medical evacuees and 2 people escorting them. 50 Palestinians can return to Gaza per day. Egypt insisted on 2-way movement to prevent a 1-sided exodus—there are currently 80,000 Gazans in Egypt. Journalists remain barred from Gaza. here, here
· 2/3, only 5 medical evacuees were allowed to leave, and only 12 Palestinians were allowed to reenter Gaza from Egypt. 2/4, the Red Crescent reported that Israeli canceled the evacuation of patients and wounded Palestinians via the Rafah crossing. (Democracy Now 2/4)
· Overnight on 2/4-5, only 13 Palestinians were transferred out of Gaza for treatment abroad, along with their family members. While the agreement allows for 50 patient evacuations daily, only ~30 patients have been evacuated all week. (DropSite, 2/5)
· Three Palestinian women returning through the Rafah crossing told AP that Israeli troops blindfolded, handcuffed, interrogated, and threatened them for hours at a military screening point, subjecting them to humiliating treatment. Israeli officers pressured one to become an informant, threatening that she would be detained and unable to return to her children. Over 30,000 Palestinians have registered with the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt to go back to Gaza. here
Israeli attacks
· 1/21, 3 journalists were among 11 Palestinians killed, bringing the number of Gaza journalists killed to 258.
· 1/25, Israeli shelling of a UNRWA medical clinic in the Jabalia refugee camp injured two people, including a pregnant woman and a young man (Shehab News Agency).
· 1/31, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes and artillery fire, killing 32 and wounding 30. The attacks included a strike on a family tent west of Khan Younis and a bombing of an apartment in Gaza City, while additional strikes hit eastern Al-Bureij and areas near Jabaliya.
· 1/31, an Israeli airstrike on the Sheikh Radwan police station in Gaza City killed 13 (6 Palestinian police officers, 4 of them women) and wounded 15 police personnel. Detainees and others at the station were among the casualties. More people are missing under the rubble.
· 2/2, Israeli attacks killed 3, including a 3-year-old in Al-Mawasi killed by machine gun fire from an Israeli gunboat. (Drop Site 2/2/26)
· Hamas said it held intensive discussions with mediators and international parties to condemn Israel’s continued ceasefire violations and attacks in Gaza, warning that the ceasefire agreement cannot hold unless Israel is compelled to comply, stressing that “the resistance’s commitment to and respect for the agreement requires obligating the occupation to abide by it and preventing it from continuing its crimes.” (Drop Site 2/2/26)
Health & Hospitals
· 1/18, 2nd round of immunization catch-up, led by UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO, PRCS in collaboration with NGOs and the MoH, launched. According to WHO and UNICEF, vaccinations were delivered by 170 teams at 129 health facilities, with 7 mobile teams reaching hard-to-reach areas. By 1/27, 13,000 of 18,000 children were vaccinated. A 3rd round is planned for April 2026 to complete the full schedule and reach a total of 44,000 children.
· Dr. Munir al-Bursh of Gaza’s MoH refuted Israeli reports claiming an increase in births in 2025 over 2023, as a blatant attempt to deny the genocide and its targeting of children (Quds News Network-QNN). Israel claimed there were 60,000 births in 2025 compared to 50,000 in 2023, but: “The truth is not written with propaganda, nor is it built on fabricated figures. Rather, it is read in documented health data that reveals the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.” He stressed that the while live births in 2025 reached only about 50,000, an 11% decrease from pre-war rates, “genocide is not measured solely by the number of those born, but also by the number of those who were not born, those born prematurely, and those who died before they even made their first cry.” (Palestine Chronicle 1/30
· Since the ceasefire, Health Cluster partners established or restored services at 16 health service points, 13 in Gaza City (including Al Rantisi Hospital, out of service since September). MSF reported that, following debris clearance and rehabilitation of the emergency department, Al Rantisi is now treating more than 300 children daily. A new MSF clinic in Az Zaytoun receives 300 patients per day, many requiring wound care and follow-up amid inadequate shelter conditions that increase the risk of infection. The health system remains severely constrained, with 60% of health service points still non-functional, compared to 65% pre-ceasefire.
· 2/4, doctor and pharmacist Intisar Nizar Salah Al-Rubaie was killed when Israel fired on her home in Gaza City. She worked with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society. In southern Gaza, Red Crescent paramedic Hussain Al-Sumairi was killed when Israel struck his ambulance on its way to tend to casualties in the Al-Mawasi area. (Drop Site 2/4)
· Bacterial meningitis is spreading among children in Gaza, including those who are vaccinated. Conditions in displacement camps, widespread malnutrition, and Israeli bans on the entry of medicines are increasing the deadly risk. (Mondoweiss 2/5)
· PRCS upgraded the Emergency Department at Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, and resumed pacemaker implantation at Al Quds Hospital. 1/23, the MoH announced 3 successful open-heart surgeries there. With ~ 45,000 patients estimated to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, surgeries are now performed daily in the sole cardiac surgery room operational, leaving hundreds of patients in need of cardiac operations. Medical imaging services have been partially restored at Ad Daraj Health Center in Gaza City, though there are no functional MRI machines and only 6 CT scanners available across the Strip.
· As of 1/28, approximately 31 emergency medical teams (EMTs) are deployed, including 98 international and 270 national staff. WHO has coordinated EMTs since December 2023 to provide surge capacity amid hostilities, staff shortages and supply constraints.
· 1/4-17, health partners carried out 497,000 consultations: 25% were for communicable disease, mostly acute respiratory infection (70%) and acute watery diarrhea, especially among children. According to the IRC: “exposure to cold, damp environments sharply increases the risk of respiratory infections and water-borne diseases, while the lack of adequate shelter leaves families with no protection from further storms.”
· Dr. Abdul Raouf Al-Manama, professor of microbiology at the Islamic University of Gaza, said “Wet tent syndrome” is killing Gaza’s infants. The 11 hypothermia deaths of infants living in tents, in freezing winter temperatures, were caused by Israeli restrictions on shelter and medicine, leaving newborns to succumb to exposure and preventable disease. Primarily vulnerable to respiratory illnesses (recurrent respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, and worsening asthma), the lack of sanitary conditions in tents — along with limited access to showers, dry clothing, and hand washing — also bring on skin diseases (fungal infections, impetigo, rashes, and itching). These risks are heightened further by the immune deficiency associated with extreme cold and chronic malnutrition, which increases susceptibility to infections. These conditions also have psychological effects, including sleep deprivation, severe anxiety, and depression. here
· 1/26, WHO facilitated medical evacuation of 24 children and 36 companions to Jordan. Over 18,500 people (4,000 children) still require urgent evacuation for care unavailable in Gaza. 1/27, the MoH said 1,268 patients had died while waiting to leave Gaza for urgent medical care; 4,000 cancer patients are registered on critical waiting lists for evacuation.
· Israel told its High Court of Justice it will continue to prevent the evacuation of Gaza patients needing treatment to West Bank and East Jerusalem hospitals, claiming patient transfers pose “security risks,” including potential recruitment to, or information sharing with, resistance groups (Haaretz). Human rights groups say the policy violates Israeli and international law, arguing that denying life-saving care to Palestinians in Gaza amounts to a death sentence for thousands. (Drop Site 1/28)
Aid
· The UN 2720 Mechanism reports 37,000 metric tons (MT) of humanitarian aid collected by the UN and its partners from Gaza’s crossings in January, compared with 62,300 MT of aid in December. 75% was collected from the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
· 1/13- 26, of 95 missions coordinated with Israeli authorities: 60 were facilitated, 10 impeded, 13 denied and 12 cancelled.
· Oxfam will not give information about its Palestinian employees to Israel as it would “breach humanitarian principles.” This despite Israel’s withdrawal of 37 international NGOs’ licenses, including Oxfam, MSF, and Defense for Children International, to operate in Gaza and the West Bank after they failed to comply with a “security and transparency standards” deadline. The 1/1 suspension requires organizations to cease operations by 3/1. (Palestine Chronicle 1/28)
· 1/30, MSF reversed its decision to submit lists of its Palestinian workers to Israeli military authorities after “months of unsuccessful engagement with Israeli authorities and in the absence of securing assurances to ensure the safety of our staff or the independent management of our operations.” (Electronic Intifada 2/3) MSF runs 15 clinics and medical centers in Gaza, supports about 20% of hospital beds, and has assisted in 1/3 of all births. here
· Bezalel Zini, brother of the Shin Bet chief, was indicted for his role in smuggling cigarettes and tobacco into Gaza. This has exposed a larger smuggling industry funneling cigarettes and other products into Gaza, while Israel allows only a trickle of medical supplies, food, and basic necessities. Yigal Wynne of the Federation for Intellectual Property, says smuggling involves dozens of trucks each month, mostly entering from the West Bank, and is driven by enormous profit margins: cigarettes bought for a few shekels in Egypt sell for 40–100 shekels in Gaza. here
Children
· Education Cluster reports 4,400 recreational kits and 240 school-in-a-carton kits entered Gaza in January after 2 years of Israeli prohibition on the entry of educational materials. 60% of school-aged children currently lack access to in-person learning; over 335,000 children <5 face severe developmental delays due to the destruction of early childhood services.
Shelter and Displacement
· According to the MoH, as of 1/27, 11 children (7 boys and 4 girls) have died of hypothermia. 1/22, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) warned that harsh weather conditions could lead to a further collapse of damaged buildings.
· Site Management Cluster (SMC) reports 100 displacement sites have been established since the ceasefire, 55 in North Gaza. As of 1/26, 1.3 million people are living at 970 displacement sites, including 598 makeshift sites and 76 collective centers, compared with 862 sites prior to the October ceasefire. 72% (674 sites) are in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis and the rest in northern Gaza. About 40% of sites are “actively managed,” meaning food, water, and sanitation are available, as well as some shelter support; however, those sites are currently full and cannot accommodate newly displaced families. UNRWA manages 85 sites, including schools and installations converted into emergency shelters, hosting over 75,000 people and serving over 1 million in surrounding areas.
· Over 100,000 tents have entered Gaza since October, benefiting 560,000 people. However, winter conditions destroy tents, increasing replacement needs and reinforcing reliance on repeated distributions. The Shelter Cluster reiterates the urgent need to accelerate durable transitional shelter solutions that limit dependency on tents and address the enormous need.
· With 81% of structures damaged (11/08/25), hundreds of thousands of Gazans remain displaced while housing, land and property rights are compromised by widespread documentation loss and legal barriers. A Palestinian Housing Council assessment found 83% of women and 72% of men in Khan Younis and Rafah, and 70% of people in Gaza City, had lost ownership documents. Inheritance laws and social norms create discrimination in claiming or retaining property for 48-80% of women, as 57-87% report unresolved inheritance disputes. To address insecurity, prevent evictions and enable equitable recovery, particularly for female-headed and displaced households, the Housing, Land and Property Technical Working Group (HLP TWG) supports documentation retrieval, legal aid, and gender-responsive interventions.
Food & Nutrition
· Since the ceasefire, market conditions have improved gradually: open markets are functioning in most governorates, with availability of fresh produce, dry goods and hygiene supplies, although access remains limited in North Gaza and Rafah.
· Between 1/1-25, Food Security partners delivered household food assistance to 1.2 million people via 52 distribution points. Each family received a full ration (50 kilos) of wheat flour and 2 food boxes. UNICEF reports some households plant small-scale gardens near shelters to supplement food consumption with vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes and herbs.
· WFP reports that after peaking at $3,594 in July, the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) cost has stabilized at $623 in November, but is still 16% above the pre-10/2023 baseline.
· Cash assistance has improved food consumption and diversity, but 97% of children 6-23 months old do not achieve Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), indicating micronutrient deficiencies.
· Nutrition Cluster screened 317,000 children for acute malnutrition from Oct.-Dec. 2025, enrolling 22,400 in treatment (4,515 with severe acute malnutrition). No child deaths from acute malnutrition have been reported since early October. In 2025, 94,000 children aged 6-59 months were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment, compared to under 40,000 in 2024.
· With more than 100,000 <5s in Gaza facing acute malnutrition and requiring long-term care in 2026, since the ceasefire, UNICEF has supported 72 new nutrition facilities, bringing Gaza’s total to 196. However, 11 Nutrition Cluster partners at risk of deregistration conducted approximately 25% of malnutrition screenings in 2025, provided treatment, and supported stabilization centers, blanket feeding, and infant formula. Their closure will affect the children relying on these services, while poor living conditions and winter illnesses heighten malnutrition risks and threaten improvements.
Water & Sanitation
· Gaza City faces a severe water shortage after Israeli operations damaged the Mekorot line, cutting 70% of supply, while roughly 85% of municipal wells have been destroyed, leaving available water at 10% of prewar levels. The destruction of 150,000 meters of pipelines and a key desalination plant has left large areas without water. Urgent repairs, fuel, pumps, pipes, and heavy equipment are needed to avert a total collapse of water services. (Drop Site 1/26)
· 60 million tons of toxic war debris are buried under rubble. As Gazans struggle to recover from the war, trash, sewage, and toxic debris create an environmental catastrophe. here
· In the last week of January, 5 explosive ordnance accidents in Gaza City and Deir al Balah resulted in 1 death and 4 injuries.
Prisons
· Israel released 5 Palestinian captives to Gaza, months after their seizure during ground assaults. They arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in poor health following physical torture and prolonged malnutrition. The release follows the October ceasefire that freed 1,700 Gaza detainees, many of whom described torture and starvation by their Israeli captors. More than 9,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israeli torture camps.
· Gaza nurse Tasnim al-Hams shared an update on her father, senior Gaza physician Marwan al-Hams, director of Gaza’s field hospitals. She was brought in handcuffs into an interrogation room to see her father, seized during a July 2025 raid, and that Israeli officers used her presence to pressure him for information. She described her father as gravely ill and emaciated, having lost nearly 24 kilos (53 pounds), and said interrogators sought information about the remains of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body has since been transferred to Israel. Tasnim was abducted in October 2025 from a medical point in Rafah and released in late November. Dr. al-Hams remains imprisoned alongside Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and dozens of other doctors and health workers. Human rights groups have documented Israel’s systematic torture of detainees. Drop Site 1/30/26
· 2/2, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club announced the death of Khalid al-Saifi, former Palestinian detainee from Dheisheh refugee camp, 1 week after his release from the Israeli Ramleh Prison. When released, Al-Saifi was unable to walk unassisted and required intensive medical care. Medical reports confirmed he was suffering from severe pulmonary fibrosis, extreme physical exhaustion and systemic weakness. His case exemplifies a growing pattern in which Palestinian prisoners are released only after reaching irreversible stages of illness. “This is not a humanitarian release,” the organization said, stressing that freeing detainees in critical condition does not end the crime but merely transfers its consequences outside prison walls. here
· 1/31, activists marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and Their Prisoners, calling for the release of the approximately 9,200 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons, the lifting of the siege on Gaza, the entry of humanitarian aid, and an end to arms supplies to Israel. Under the banner of the World Rises Up for Palestine campaign, mass demonstrations, protest vigils, marches in major cities, and digital campaigns were held in cooperation with the Red Ribbons Campaign, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and international solidarity networks. (Palestine Chronicle 1/31)
THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM
In the past 2 weeks, Israeli forces killed 3 West Bank Palestinians (1 child) and, together with settlers, injured 111 (12 children). So far this year, Israeli forces killed 8 West Bank Palestinians.
For West Bank casualty and displacement information: here
For West Bank humanitarian access information: here
Israeli attacks
· 1/23, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a farmer working his land in Madama village (Nablus). The Red Crescent reported Israeli forces obstructed medical access.
· 1/27, Israeli forces raided Adh Dhahiriya town, south of Hebron, and shot and killed a 17-year-old and injured another. The Israeli military claimed the boys threw a Molotov cocktail and stones at soldiers. No soldiers were injured. Eyewitnesses report there were no clashes, that the boys were walking together when Israeli forces opened fire.
· 1/28, Israeli forces report they killed a man attempting to stab soldiers at the Tunnels checkpoint near Beit Jala (Bethlehem). They withheld his body. His family reports he had special needs.
· 2/3, Israeli forces shot and killed a man near Ras at Tira village in Qalqiliya, reportedly after he crossed the Barrier towards Israel. He was 1 of 4 Palestinians shot in separate attempts to cross the Barrier to reach East Jerusalem or Israel in the past 2 weeks.
· 2/3, Israeli forces shot and killed a man during a raid on Jericho.
Demolitions and Evictions
Between 1/20-2/2, Israel demolished 69 structures (22 residences, 32 agricultural and livelihood structures, and 15 water and sanitation structures) due to the lack of impossible to attain Israeli-issued building permits. In addition, Israeli forces demolished 35 mainly livelihood structures in Kafr Aqab on the West Bank side of the Barrier on 2/26. 131 Palestinians (74 children) were displaced--32 in East Jerusalem and 99 in Area C.
So far this year, 101 structures (33 homes) were demolished, displacing 184 people (98 children). In 2025, more than 1,700 Palestinians were displaced by lack-of-permit demolitions – the highest total on record since documentation began in 2009.
· 2/2, Israeli authorities blew up an apartment in a 4-story building in Area A of Halhul town (Hebron). The demolition was to punish the family of a man killed while attacking a security guard in Gush Etzion settlement last July. 6 people (2 children) were displaced.
· 1/27-28, electricity and water were cut to UNRWA facilities, including Shu’fat refugee camp, in East Jerusalem. The cuts affect UNRWA schools, health centers, and other refugee services.
· 2/1, Israeli forces extended for 2 more months the “Restriction of Movement and Traffic” order for Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps and surrounding neighborhoods. Entry and exit are prohibited without an Israeli military permit. For example, Israeli forces have repeatedly and temporarily displaced 11 families (41 people) from the Az Zahra neighborhood adjacent to Jenin refugee camp. They are forced to leave their homes almost daily from 6am to 8pm. Families are forced to rely on relatives and friends for shelter as Israeli forces occupy their homes and use their food, health and hygiene supplies. Raids, repeated displacement and uncertainty heighten psychosocial distress, creating needs for mental health support.
· Israel has stepped up its campaign of home demolitions in East Jerusalem to drive out Palestinians. The government claims buildings lack permits while also ensuring that permits are impossible to get. here
· November, Mahmud Azem, the mayor of Sebastia, received a notice from Israeli authorities announcing the seizure of the whole of the sprawling hilltop archaeological site next to the town. Sebastia residents say the project is a pretext for massive land grabs and expansions of Jewish settlements. here
Displacement due to Settler Violence
· So far in 2026, 700 Palestinians in 9 communities have been displaced by settler attacks, including 600 displaced from Ras Ein Al Auja Bedouin community in Jericho governorate. January is the 2nd highest displacement since the October 2023 peak.
· 1/20-2/2, 24 herding families (134 people, 76 children) were displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions in the Jordan Valley.
· 1/24, 19 people (17 children) were forced from the Al Hadidiya herding community (Tubas) by repeated settler attacks from an outpost established nearby in November that cut off electricity, stole water tanks, broke into houses and forced shepherds from the grazing areas.
· UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) stated that settler violence has become a key driver of forced displacement in the West Bank, particularly in Area C and parts of Area B, including the Jordan Valley. OHCHR noted that recurrent settler attacks, intimidation, destruction of property, and restrictions on access to land, water and grazing areas, often near newly established settlement outposts, have created a coercive environment that compels Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities to leave their homes. The “[f]orcible transfer of Palestinians within the occupied West Bank is a war crime and may amount to a crime against humanity.”
· UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that Israeli assaults on refugee camps and the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians is driving an unprecedented collapse of humanitarian conditions in the occupied West Bank. (Palestine Chronicle 1/25)
Israeli Settler Attacks
1/20-2/2, 52 settler attacks, some with military support, injured 42 Palestinians (4 children) and displaced 134 people, mostly in Nablus and Ramallah governorates. Almost half of those injured were in southern Hebron communities, particularly Masafer Yatta, reflecting a sustained escalation in settler-related violence there.
· 1/24, settlers from a newly established outpost broke into homes in Qusra village (Nablus). They opened fire, while Palestinians threw stones. Israeli forces then raided the village, fired tear gas, searched houses, and assaulted and injured a Palestinian. On the same day in Beit Furik, armed settlers broke into a home and assaulted 6 Palestinians, including a woman. Israeli forces later raided the town and fired tear gas, injuring 6. The family has been repeatedly threatened by Israeli settlers to leave their home.
· 1/24, in 1 of 4 settler attacks in Birzeit (Ramallah), 4 people, including an elderly woman, were injured and hospitalized, and their home damaged. Settlers grazed livestock adjacent to the home and, when the elderly woman asked them to leave, settlers pushed her and injured her head throwing stones. Her son intervened and threw stones that injured a settler. The settlers then assaulted him and both he and his mother were taken to hospital. Israeli forces and settlers later raided and damaged the home, and assaulted and detained male family members, 2 needing hospitalization with fractures and bruises.
· This attack is one of many since the August establishment of a new settlement outpost in Area B outside Atara village (Ramallah). In the past 6 months, 30 settler attacks resulted in 12 injuries, the forced displacement of 31 Palestinian herders, theft of water tanks and agricultural equipment, and property and agricultural damage across Atara, Birzeit and Ein Siniya.
· 1/24, settlers raided a Palestinian home in Masafer Bani Na’im (Hebron), assaulting residents, injuring 3, and vandalizing the home. 1/25, armed settlers attacked herders grazing sheep in an area near Khallet al Maiyya, injuring 3 children, including a 17-year-old girl. The settlers ran over 2 children with a vehicle, pepper-sprayed the girl, and threatened them with weapons. 1/27, about 100 settlers raided 4 communities in Masafer Yatta located in Firing Zone 918: Khirbet al Fakhiet, Halaweh, Mirkez and At Taban. Settlers attacked residents with sticks and knives, stole 300 sheep, burned 3 tons of firewood, and vandalized 2 homes and 2 vehicles. Six Palestinians were assaulted and injured, including a child.
· Inside a Coordinated, Multi-Village Settler-Soldier Pogrom in West Bamk – Masafer Yatta. As settlers set homes ablaze and looted livestock across 3 villages for over 5 hours, Israeli soldiers blocked ambulances, arrested victims, and took part in beatings. here also +972, 2/5
· 1/25 and 26, settlers repeatedly attacked the water infrastructure in Ein Samiya, which supplies water to communities in eastern Ramallah. For the 3rd time in a month, they broke into the Ein Samiya wells site and destroyed components of the water network, including the control panel and connecting cables belonging to the Jerusalem Water Undertaking (JWU), forcing maintenance staff to leave and cutting off the water supply. 1/26, following coordination with the Palestinian DCL, a repair team returned but was attacked by settlers, injuring 1. Settlers blocked the road leading to the wells and shut off water for at least 3 days for about 20 villages, impacting 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Ramallah.
Raids and Operations by Israeli Forces
· Large-scale Israeli operations during 2025 have continued and expanded beyond the northern West Bank to include the central and southern areas. 1/20-2/2, 130 raids have brought mass detentions, temporary home evacuations, and movement restrictions, including large-scale operations in Qalandiya refugee camp and Kafr Aqab.
· In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces took over 16 homes for military use, temporarily evacuating 100 people and disrupting life in 5 communities:
· 1/20-21, Israeli military operations in Ajja and Ya’bad towns (Jenin) included searches of 40 houses, detention of 30 people, conversion of a home into an interrogation site, and extensive damage of vacated homes.
· 1/26, Israeli forces took over 5 houses in Seida village and Illar town (Tulkarm) as interrogation sites, evacuating 5 families, detaining 70 Palestinians and injuring 7, suspending municipal services and schools, affecting 1,900 students.
· 1/27, Israeli forces carried out an 8-hour overnight operation in Madama village (Nablus), using a house to interrogate dozens of detained Palestinians.
· 1/29, Israeli forces raided Nablus ahead of an Israeli settler visit to Joseph’s Tomb, evacuating a dozen families before allowing their return at the end of the settlers’ tour.
· 1/30 and again on 2/2, Israeli forces ordered large-scale evacuations of Tulkarm areas near Nur Shams refugee camp ahead of planned detonations, temporarily displacing 80 families.
· Since 1/26, Israeli forces have deployed operation “Capital Shield” in Qalandiya refugee camp and Kafr Aqab (Jerusalem) to reinforce control over the “seam line” areas, strengthen the Barrier and increase security measures. They disrupted access to livelihoods and basic services, demolished 35 livelihood structures, suspended schooling and imposed movement restrictions.
· 1/27-29, Israeli forces in Hizma village (Jerusalem) closed the 2 town entrances, blocked roads, and restricted movement for 8,000 residents. They raided homes, interrogated residents, closed schools, and paralyzed daily life. Although they withdrew after 2 days, they then re-entered the town firing stun grenades, forcing businesses to close.
· 1/27, Israeli forces raided a residential building in Jabal Johar, in the H2 area of Hebron city, and converted it into a military post, forcibly evacuating 3 families (17 people). Israeli forces continue to control the building, restricting residents’ movement and allowing exits only intermittently for food purchases or medical care, affecting a total of 47 people (23 children).
United Nations
· The decision to terminate the contracts of UNRWA staff who fled Gaza under life-threatening conditions is more than a labor dispute — it is a moral crisis. here
· UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese: “Israel has no legal authority to bar humanitarian workers from Gaza and the rest of the oPt. The occupation is illegal and must end, completely and unconditionally (ICJH 2024). States must suspend ties until Israel complies with international law. That is the starting point for peace.” (Palestine Chronicle 1/30)
Israel
· Israel has now confirmed that the Gaza Ministry of Health’s data is not only reliable but more credible and accurate than its own. Israel thus verifies that its own consistent campaign to discredit the MoH and its data was nothing but an exercise in propaganda. here
· The Israeli military has accepted the Gaza MoH figures on the number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Haaretz. Gaza’s health ministry puts the confirmed toll at 71,667 and acknowledges it as an undercount with many more missing under the rubble. Over the course of the war, Israeli authorities have publicly blasted Gaza’s health ministry as misleading and unreliable. Drop site 1/29/26
· Netanyahu Government Ban on Haaretz Is Unlawful, Attorney General Tells Israel’s Top Court: The attorney general wrote that the directives must be rescinded, adding that the government's instructions “do not exist in a vacuum,” but are part of a “series of governmental moves aimed at curtailing criticism that does not find favor with the author.” here
· To retrieve one body, the Israeli military mobilized a fleet of tanks, drones, and what locals described as “explosive robots.” They turned a neighborhood into a “kill zone,” dug up approximately 200 Palestinian graves, and left 4 civilians dead. The focus of this overwhelming force was Ran Gvili, an Israeli policeman killed more than 2 years ago, the last Israeli captive in Gaza after more than 2 years of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave. His successful recovery was hailed by Netanyahu as a triumph of commitment. But just yards away from where Gvili’s remains were carefully extracted, a very different, gruesome reality persists: mass graves and lost identities. Gaza’s unequal dead: 10,000 Palestinians under rubble, one Israeli captive. here
· Israel told its High Court of Justice it will continue preventing the evacuation of medical patients in Gaza in need of treatment to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, claiming patient transfers pose unspecified “security risks,” including potential recruitment to, or information sharing with, resistance groups. Five rights groups, including Gisha and Adalah, said the policy violates Israeli and international law, arguing that denying life-saving care to Palestinians in Gaza amounts to a death sentence for thousands. Drop site 1/28/26
· Israel 'exploring opportunities' to benefit economically from rebuilding Gaza. Finance and army officials suggested countries seeking access to Gaza would pay for Israeli highway construction. UN has said that reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will cost $70bn over the coming decades. The plan has been described by analysts as a deliberate attempt to wipe away Palestinian heritage and culture in Gaza, and an example of corporations and individuals seeking to profit from genocide. here
· Israel’s Knesset approves law banning employment of Palestinian university graduates in Israel’s education system. here
United States
· Canary Mission-affiliated website, BlackNest, reveals the group's internal operations, expansion plans, and how they celebrate deportations and firings. More than 60 civil rights, faith-based, academic, and advocacy organizations sent a letter to the Justice Department’s National Security Division requesting a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) investigation into Canary Mission for possible violations, citing investigative reporting by Drop Site News that revealed evidence of Israel-based coordination and a covert political influence operation targeting people in the US. here
· A measure advanced in the Florida legislature will officially recognize the term “Judea and Samaria” and ban “West Bank” in official state documents. here
· Trump administration moved to push more than $6 billion in new arms sales to Israel, bypassing long-standing congressional oversight and notifying Congress 1 hour in advance of the transfer. House Foreign Affairs Committee member Gregory Meeks said the administration has repeatedly isolated Congress from its Gaza policy and criticized Sec. of State Marco Rubio for providing no documentation to justify bypassing the review process. Drop Site 2/2/26
· Former Biden White House assistant to the president and national security adviser to the VP, Phil Gordon, acknowledged the US violated US law to continue funding Israel’s war effort. Gordon was part of a small inner circle shaping major foreign policy decisions at the highest levels of the Biden administration. Drop Site 2/2/26
· US plan for Gaza envisions a Gaza for investors, not Palestinians. After 2 years of genocide, the future being laid out for the people of Gaza — and Palestinians as a whole — is the creation of a dystopian reality that will build luxury resorts on top of their destroyed homes and communities. The only role for Palestinians is to be managed — controlled, “concentrated,” confined, and later possibly expelled. This is all masked as a “historic” humanitarian effort. here
· Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) employees, the organization’s entire Israel and Palestine team, have resigned their positions after leadership blocked their report finding Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return to be a “crime against humanity.” here
Universities
· Mahmoud Khalil and his legal team vow to fight Trump administration plans to deport the Palestinian activist to Algeria, calling the move "extreme punishment" for his pro-Palestinian speech. here
Europe
· 1/25, British police arrested 86 people “on suspicion of aggravated trespass” after a demonstration in support of a Palestine Action activist on a hunger strike breached the grounds of a west London prison. Umer Khalid, had “days left to live,” according to Prisoners for Palestine. Khalid “suffers from limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that makes him more vulnerable to the effects of the hunger strike.” (Palestine Chronicle 1/26)
· A London jury cleared 6 members of Palestine Action of aggravated burglary, even after they admitted to breaking into and vandalizing a subsidiary of the Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. They had been imprisoned for 17 months. (Palestine Chronicle 2/5)
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, 972 magazine, Al Jazeera, CounterPunch, Democracy Now!,Drop Site, Electronic Intifada, The Guardian, Haaretz, Jacobin, Jerusalem Post, Middle East Monitor, Mondoweiss, New York Times, Palestine Chronicle, Portside