Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, the West Bank/East Jerusalem, and Lebanon - May 30, 2026

‍Action alerts‍‍ ‍

1. Demand Congress pass the Americans Insist on Political Agent Clarity (AIPAC) Act, legislation that requires AIPAC lobbyists to register as foreign agents: here.‍ ‍

2. Urge your Representative and Senators to enforce US laws governing foreign military assistance by cosponsoring 3 pieces of legislation:
--The Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565)
--The Food for Palestinian Children and Families in Gaza Act (H.R. 7565)
--The UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025 (H.R. 2411/S.898).

Click here for all 3.

--To apply the War Powers Act to US support of Israel’s war on Lebanon, click here.

3. Force Microsoft to stop collaborating with Israeli genocide! Your pressure led Microsoft to terminate its contract with Israel’s Unit 8200, but that is not enough – they are still supporting the surveillance and murder of Palestinians. Tell them to end all collaboration with Israeli genocide. And if you’re in the Bay Area, protest at Microsoft Build, 6/2-3, at Fort Mason, SF.‍ ‍

Webinars‍‍ ‍

·       JVP’s Health Advisory Council’s May webinar: Fragile Crossings: Pathways, Barriers, and Cost of Pediatric Medical Evacuations from Gaza with Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Zeena Salman, Cofounder HEAL Palestine, was excellent. We were asked not to record. Find out more about HEAL Palestine’s urgent work: here

·       If you missed our March webinar: Health Under Siege, with Dr. Bilal Irfan, bioethicist at Harvard's Brigham & Women’s Hospital and UMichigan, watch the recording, here.‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       SAVE THE DATE: July 12, 2026, 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, Health Advisory Council webinar on Palantir and its encroaching influence on health care. Official info and registration coming.

United Nations‍ ‍

·       UN Human Rights Office issued a new report documenting violations of international law by both Israeli and Palestinian actors from 10/7/23 to 5/31/25, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. It warns that impunity, settlement expansion, mass displacement and continued attacks on civilians are entrenching a cycle of violence with generational consequences. UN Human Rights representative in the OPT, Ajith Sunghay, said: “As long as there is no accountability and as long as there is impunity, violations will unfortunately continue… accountability is urgent.” Evaluating 20 months of evidence, the report’s staggering conclusion: “Overall, there has been no significant improvement in living or humanitarian conditions since the ceasefire.”

·       Millions of documents chronicling generations of trauma were saved from Gaza and East Jerusalem in a 10-month UNRWA operation that was difficult and sometimes dangerous. The significance of the archives, much of which detailed Palestinians’ experiences as they fled or were forced from their homes during the wars that led to the foundation of Israel in 1948, was clear. “Their destruction would have been catastrophic … If there is ever a just and durable solution to this conflict, then this is the only evidence people can use to show there were once Palestinians living in a particular place,” said Roger Hearn, a senior UNRWA official who oversaw the operation. here

·       UN called for independent investigations after verifying the deaths of at least 90 Palestinian prisoners since 10/2023. UN officials cited torture, starvation, and sexual violence allegations, including those against child detainees. (Palestine Chronicle 5/17 & & Drop Site 5/18)

·       UN has reportedly added Israeli entities, including the Israeli Prison Service, to its blacklist of parties accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones. According to an exclusive report published by the Jerusalem Post, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decided to include the Israeli Prison Service on the 2026 blacklist despite extensive Israeli pressure aimed at preventing the move. The report stated that additional Israeli authorities have also been placed under monitoring for possible future inclusion as evidence and testimonies continue to emerge regarding sexual crimes committed against Palestinians. (Palestine Chronicle 5/28)

‍GAZA‍ ‍ ‍

As the UN finds that conditions have not improved since the “ceasefire,” Israel announces it will continue breaking ceasefire provisions by increasing its occupation to 70% of Gaza; attacking tent camps, homes, agricultural lands, infrastructure and public gathering places; refusing to allow the formation of a Palestinian security force (instead, targeting and murdering local police); keeping border entry points closed; and refusing to allow urgently needed food, shelter, medicine, fuel, and repair items into Gaza. The water and sanitation crises are reaching a breaking point. ‍ ‍

·       5/12-20: Israel killed 24 Palestinians and injured 159. ‍ ‍

·       Since the 10/10 “ceasefire,” 881 Palestinians killed and 2,621 injured.‍ ‍

·       Since 10/07/2023: 72,773+ killed ‍Palestinians killed and 172,723+ injured.‍ ‍

·       For more information on Gaza: here‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       Eid al-Adha in Gaza Is Shrouded in Despair: Gazans observed Eid al-Adha amid widespread poverty, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and uncertainty despite the so-called “ceasefire”. Many families could not afford traditional holiday foods, clothing, or livestock and expressed concern that renewed fighting could occur at any time, making the holiday feel more like a period of survival than celebration. here

‍Israeli attacks‍ ‍ ‍

·       5/15, an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City killed 7 (4 children) and wounded 50 (20 children). The attack killed the commander of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades.

·       Israeli strike suddenly destroyed a charitable food distribution center near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, killing at least three and wounding several others. (Quds News Network 5/17)

·       5/16-17, 19 Palestinians were killed and 76 wounded, including 3 near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

·       5/18, Israeli attacks killed 7. A strike on a Deir al-Balah soup kitchen forced a halt to meal distribution east of Salah al-Din Road. Gaza aid coordinator Eyad Amawi said: “The situation has reached a point where it can’t honestly be described as a ceasefire at all.” (Drop Site, 5/18)

·       5/19, an Israeli drone killed a man near the Friends of the Patient hospital in Gaza City. A waterline serving Khan Younis was targeted and destroyed. 

·       5/20, 5 killed and others injured by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across Gaza, including 2 aid truck drivers shot dead by Israeli forces near Rafah.

·       5/24, 5 killed, including a family of 3, as Israel bombed an apartment in Nuseirat refugee camp. The body of an 8-year-old was recovered inside a tent following Israeli shelling.

·       5/25, 6 were killed and 34 injured. An Israeli strike on a camp in Khan Younis killed 2, including a 6-year-old girl. Among the wounded was a 1-month-old whose foot was severed.

·       5/26, 5 killed in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp after an Israeli-backed militia attempted to enter the camp but was confronted by residents, after which Israel struck the area. An Israeli drone targeting a vehicle near Khan Younis killed 2, and a 15-year-old girl also died from an Israeli strike on the Al-Mawasi area.

·       5/27, Israeli strike on a Gaza City residential tower wounded 20 and killed 6, including the new commander of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades. His predecessor was killed 12 days before.

·       5/27, Israeli strike on a home in Gaza City killed 10 (5 children) and wounded 20.

·       5/28, 16 Palestinians were killed and 39 wounded over two days as Israeli military operations continued across Gaza. The ministry stated that more than 900 people have been killed since the so-called October “ceasefire” began. here

Displacement and Shelter‍ ‍

·       5/16-17, more than 150 families were driven from Khan Younis and Gaza City by tank movements and bombing. Israeli strikes on Jabalya camp on 5/18 damaged 35 families’ tents, displacing dozens.

·       1,600 displacement sites currently host about 1.7 million people (354,480 households). Nearly 88% reside in makeshift sites, the others in collective centers or scattered locations. 

·       Available stocks of essential household items are sufficient for only 3,400 households due to Israeli authority restrictions on them and on shelter items.

·       For more information, see the Shelter Cluster website.

Water & Sanitation‍ ‍

·       Severe shortages of engine oil continue to disrupt critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. 5/11, the Sheikh Radwan stormwater lagoon in Gaza City was shut down. Water and wastewater levels have risen significantly, risking flooding and posing serious public health threats.

·       Solid waste management continues to rely on temporary dump sites located near active displacement sites. Displaced families are increasingly affected by skin infections and other illnesses, as rats and insects enter shelters and contaminate food. Gaza’s sanitary landfills have been shut by Israeli forces, and Israel refuses to allow entry of debris removal machinery, trucks, compactors, loaders, containers or personal protective equipment.

·       5/17, WASH Cluster partners and the UNDP launched a response targeting over 1,700 locations with spraying, rodent control, and awareness-raising. Partners note that a full response to rodents and pests requires the Israeli authorities to reopen Gaza’s landfills for safe waste disposal and importation of debris and explosive ordnance removal. 

·       54 partners provide approximately 24,000 cubic meter of water daily to more than 2,000 locations; 74% of households rely on these deliveries.

·       5/4-17, UNICEF distributed 15,343 hygiene kits, 2,448 dignity kits, and 7,350 jerry cans, benefitting almost 116,000 people.

Aid‍ ‍

·       Humanitarian organizations report worsening conditions in Gaza, including rising child malnutrition, shortages of medical supplies, inadequate sanitation, and limited reconstruction efforts. Aid groups emphasize that while more food is entering Gaza, many families cannot afford it, and essential infrastructure remains severely damaged. They also report that Israeli restrictions on “dual-use” materials and aid organizations have hampered recovery and humanitarian assistance. here

·       Kerem Shalom and Zikim remain the only operational entry points for humanitarian and commercial goods into Gaza.

·       5/11-17, offloading rates were 81% across all corridors, with every other truck from Egypt still unable to offload.

·       Food prices remained elevated but stable, with fresh products showing the greatest volatility.

·       5/7-20, UNOPS brought 2.1 million liters of diesel into Gaza.

·       For information on the entry of supplies, see the online UN 2720 Mechanism Dashboard.

Food & Nutrition‍ ‍

·       Earlier in May, World Central Kitchen (WCK), the biggest provider of hot meals in Gaza, made the decision to cut its distribution in half, from around one million meals a day to 500,000. Abu Ras, a director of the Jinan camp, helped organize a demonstration in response. The founder of WCK, José Andrés, said the cost of supplying food had become unsustainable, citing the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (Drop Site 5/28)

·       Israeli Drone Strike on Gaza Food Distribution Center Kills Three Palestinians: Palestinian health officials reported that three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a food distribution center in central Gaza. In addition, World Central Kitchen announced that it would reduce its activities due to financial difficulties. Meanwhile, Israel moved the Yellow Line for the ninth time in recent months expanding the Israeli-controlled “buffer zone” in Gaza. here

·       As of 5/18, food assistance was distributed to 122,000 households (440,000 people) as part of the May monthly distribution. Each family received 2 parcels, one 25-kilo flour bag and 2.5 kilos of high-energy biscuits, covering 75% of the minimum caloric needs – the same as in April. 

·       As of 5/13, partners serve 1 million meals daily through 103 kitchens to 1,800 locations.

·       Bakeries, community ovens, and partners’ baking facilities produce 300 metric tons of bread daily – about 36% of the estimated need. As of 5/17, 28 bakeries produce 130,000 2-kilo bread bundles daily, with 80% sold at a subsidized price of 3 NIS (US$0.85) through 168 retailers and 20% distributed free of charge to 300 shelters. 

Health & Hospitals‍ ‍

·       Infectious disease specialist Dr. Salman Khan: patients are developing antibiotic resistance. “Due in part to ongoing restrictions on the entry of lifesaving medicines by the Israeli occupation, the antibiotic supply is severely limited in Gaza, often changing week to week based on availability of donations from the World Health Organization. Patients unnecessarily die from often treatable infections because of delays in receiving effective antibiotic therapy.” The  “collapse of the healthcare system, overwhelming overcrowding in and around hospitals, and breakdown of hygiene and sanitation infrastructure all conspired to facilitate the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria and exacerbate Gaza’s antimicrobial resistance burden.” (Mondoweiss)

·       With all machines destroyed or rendered useless by Israel’s siege, physicians and other healthcare workers cannot diagnose their patients, forced instead to practice a desperate form of triage. This technological void has reverted the quality of care in Gaza from the era of evidence-based medicine back to clinical approximation and symptomatic treatment. Gaza’s physicians are forced to rely on their own intuition or CT scans, which image cross-sections of the body but cannot provide the soft tissue or neurological detail needed to diagnose complex conditions. here

·       5/11-17, 59 patients (6 children) were medically evacuated to Egypt via Rafah Crossing, alongside 87 caregivers.

·       21.4% of consults at 181 reporting sites found reportable diseases. Skin diseases, acute watery diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea are increasing, while acute respiratory infections declined.

·       March-April 2026 environmental surveillance found all samples negative for Poliovirus, marking 12 months without detection. A risk assessment for rodent-associated diseases remains active.

·       Hospitals, PHCs, and medical points continue to lack water testing equipment and liquid chlorine supplies due to restrictions by Israeli authorities.

·       MRIs are no longer available following the destruction of all 9 scanners. Only 5 of 18 CT scanners remain functional, and just 33 of 88 x-ray machines remain in use. Israel continues to restrict the entry of medical equipment and repair parts into Gaza. (Drop Site, 5/18)

·       MoH issued a warning that depletion of medicines and supplies threatens the lives of thousands, including: 250 kidney patients at risk of losing dialysis due to a shortage of Bibag solution; 11,000 diabetes patients who lack insulin; and 110 hemophilia patients left in daily pain without VACTOR treatment. The ministry called for an immediate restocking of drugs, as Israel continues to block essential food and medical aid. (Dropsite, 5/25)

·       For more information, see the online Heath Cluster Dashboard.

West Bank, including East Jerusalem‍ ‍‍ ‍‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       5/12-18, Israeli forces or settlers killed 5 Palestinians (1 child) and injured 60 (6 children). ‍ ‍

·       This week, 50 settler attacks against Palestinians resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. So far this year, there have been over 870 settler attacks in more than 220 communities. ‍‍ ‍‍ ‍

·       For more information: here‍ ‍

Israeli attacks ‍ ‍

·       100 students attempting pass through the As Salaymeh (160) checkpoint to go to school in the H2 area of Hebron were subjected to repeated delays and restrictions by Israeli forces, including demands to present a birth certificate or a parent. 5/11, 103 students were prevented from reaching the school. 5/14 & 5/18, similar problems were reported.

·       5/12 and 5/17, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 men attempting to cross the Barrier near Dahiyat al Bareed (Jerusalem) and in Beit Ula (Hebron). Since the 10/7/23 suspension of most permits to Palestinians, 19 have been killed and 290 injured attempting to cross the Barrier.

·       5/13, dozens of settlers raided the villages of Sinjil, Jiljiliya and Abwein villages (Ramallah), stealing Palestinians’ livestock and other property. Israeli forces and settlers fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. They shot and killed 1 and injured 10, claiming that Palestinians had stolen sheep from a settlement. 5/16, 22 Bedouin families (137 people, 81 children) were forcibly displaced from the same area following recurrent settler attacks and intimidation. Settler violence displaced the families from 3 other communities in 2023.

·       5/14, Israeli forces responded to children throwing stones with gunfire, killing a child in Al Lubban ash Sharqiya (Nablus). They withheld his body. 

·       5/14-16, settlers accompanied by Israeli officials and guarded by Israeli forces marched through the Old City of Jerusalem and Palestinian neighborhoods to celebrate “Jerusalem Day” with “Flag March” events. Israeli forces erected barriers and restricted Palestinian movement, including access to Al Aqsa Mosque. Settlers assaulted Palestinians and damaged property, shops and homes, while chanting racist anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans- “death to the Arabs,” “may your villages burn,” and “Gaza is a graveyard”. In Silwan, settlers injured a 16-year-old boy with a metal stick, causing facial fractures. In the Old City, 2 shop owners were injured. At least 20 Palestinians were arrested. OCHAOPT, (Guardian 5/15)

·       As Palestinians marked the Nakba anniversary, illegal settlers set fire to a mosque and several Palestinian-owned vehicles near Ramallah, while Israeli forces killeda Palestinian teenager, Fahd Zeidan Oweis, 16. (Palestine Chronicle 5/15)

·       5/16, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the entrance to Jenin Camp.

·       5/17, Israeli forces closed all entrances to Burin (Nablus) for 19 hours, disrupting movement for 3,000 Palestinians and their access to work and education, and forcing shops to close. Settlers from nearby outposts, often accompanied by Israeli forces, attacked homes and included break-ins, property damage, and assaults on residents. Earlier (5/13), a 13-year-old girl was struck on the head with a stick by a settler as she protected her family’s livestock. She was treated by Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics.

·       The past 2 weeks saw an escalation in arson attacks: settlers set fire to a mosque in Jibiya (Ramallah); settlers burned 10 dunums of land in Al Mughayyir and Burqa (Ramallah), destroying olive trees and crops; settlers burned parts of a home, an external kitchen, and a parked vehicle in Wadi ar Rakhim (Hebron).

·       5/17, a large group of settlers assaulted 4 Palestinians and damaged residential structures and personal property in Umm ad Daraj (Hebron). Settlers from a recently established outpost near Ein ‘Arik (Ramallah) raided homes, assaulted 4 Palestinians, vandalized water tanks and construction materials, and seized electric cables.

Demolitions and Displacement‍ ‍

·       Since January 2023, entire families have packed up their belongings and left the areas where they grew up, places in which they invested their labor and their hopes. Some 2,000 people, including 900 children, have been forced to leave in just the past four and a half months. 45 communities have been dismantled entirely, including nine so far this year. here‍ ‍

·       In the past week, Israeli authorities demolished 4 homes and 20 agricultural and livelihood structures for lacking impossible to obtain Israeli-issued building permits. 19 structures were demolished in Area C and five in East Jerusalem, displacing 5 households (26 people, 9 children).‍ ‍

·       So far in 2026, 71% of the 400 demolished Area C structures were agricultural, livelihood-related, or water and sanitation structures.‍ ‍

·       Hundreds of Palestinians living in Area C of eastern Jerusalem governorate are at risk of forced displacement, with concerns intensifying after the Israeli Finance Minister instructed Israeli authorities to rapidly implement long-standing demolition orders against Khan al Ahmar. Bedouin community leaders reported high levels of fear and uncertainty among residents following the announcement. Khan al Ahmar is among 18 Bedouin and herding communities, comprising about 4,000 people, directly affected by the E1 settlement plan between East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim settlement. The E1 settlement plan will sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and increase forced displacement of Bedouin communities. 

·       18 of the 19 structures demolished in Area C were agricultural or livelihood-related structures, including 12 structures demolished on 5/13 in Al Marwaha, Beit Hanina, on the Jerusalem side of the Barrier. The Israeli Civil Administration, accompanied by Israeli forces, demolished animal shelters, fences, caravans, and storage and sales facilities for construction materials, affecting 7 households (41 people, 23 children) and causing significant financial losses, as families were unable to remove materials and equipment prior to the operation.

ISRAEL‍ ‍

·       Early May, activists stood in front of the Israeli Medical Association, calling on Israeli doctors to honor their medical oaths. The message was simple: the Israeli medical system is not only silent, but complicit in the detention, torture and normalization of violence against Palestinian medical teams. “Stop kidnapping medical teams from Gaza,” protesters demanded, “and torturing them in torture camps. Release Dr. Husam Abu Safiya…” The protesters highlighted the ways that doctors in Israel have taken an active role in the torture of Palestinian prisoners, from approving brutal interrogation techniques to writing false medical reports. (Refusers Solidarity Network 5/17)

·       Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups warned on 5/24 of a worsening health catastrophe inside Israeli prisons following what they described as a dangerous and rapidly spreading outbreak of scabies among Palestinian detainees held in multiple detention facilities. The warnings came after dozens of legal visits conducted during April and May revealed what organizations described as shocking levels of suffering and severe health deterioration inside prisons. (Palestine Chronicle 5/24)

·       A Haifa court found two men guilty of ‘indirect incitement to terrorism’ after they joined an anti-war protest. Lawyers warn it sets a dangerous precedent. (+972 5/24) Israel’s High Court upheld regulations requiring international aid organizations to provide employee information in order to continue operating in Gaza and the West Bank. Aid groups argue that compliance could violate European privacy laws and may force many organizations to reduce or cease operations. Attorneys for the humanitarian aid organizations emphasized that without the NGOs, “a severe and unavoidable deterioration in the situation on the ground will unfold.” here‍ ‍

·       Netanyahu Says Israel Will Control 70% of Gaza, Squeezing Hamas. Israel’s military continues to conduct strikes and seize territory despite a cease-fire with Hamas. Many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters see the war as unfinished business. here‍ ‍

·       Israel’s defense minister has said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel’s long-term plans for the territory. Israel Katz said the government would implement a plan for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza “at the right time and in the right manner”, in a statement marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’s most recent military commander. here‍ ‍

·       Israel's Supreme Court this week upheld the government's draconian new NGO registration rules, paving the way for dozens of international aid agencies to be banned from Gaza and the occupied West Bank. here‍ ‍

LEBANON‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

·       As of 5/25, Israeli attacks have killed 3,213 people and wounded 9,737 since 3/2. (Dropsite, 5/18-29)‍ ‍

·       Despite the 5/15 signing of a 45-day “ceasefire” extension, 5/16-5/17, Israeli strikes in Lebanonkilled 37 and wounded 222, including the killing of 3 Islamic Health Committee paramedics in a strike on the home of the organization’s deputy chief. A rescuer with the Al-Rissala Scouts Association and his mother were killed in a separate strike. The Israeli military reported 105 soldiers wounded the previous week in Lebanon. (OCHAOPT & Palestine Chronicle 5/16)

·       5/15, Israel carried out a double-tap strike on a car in Nabatieh, killing two aid workers identified as Muhammad Ahmad Abu Zeid and Jamal Nour el-Din, who were in the area to deliver food aid. The attack also damaged three Nabatieh Ambulance Service vehicles, destroying one. Nearly 100 villages in Lebanon fall under Israeli forced displacement orders. (Drop Site 5/15)

·       5/16, At least six people were killed, including three paramedics, and 22 wounded in an Israeli strike on a civil defense center in southern Lebanon, a few hours after the US State Department said that the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by 45 days following "two days of highly-productive talks" in D.C. (Haaretz 5/16)

·       Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the IDF used white phosphorus in strikes near watermelon farmers in southern Lebanon. The farmers reportedly fled the area after the munitions landed nearby, and no injuries were reported. Separately, a Lebanese defense source told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces had "kidnapped" three civilians in southern Lebanon.  (Haaretz 5/19)

·       5/18, Israeli guided missile struck an apartment in the eastern Beqaa Valley killing an Islamic Jihad commander and his 17-year-old daughter. 

·       5/19, Israeli strikes killed 11 in Deir Kanoun and 4 at home in Kfar Sir. They bombed a mosque in Nabatieh and used chemical warfare (phosphorus bombs) against farmers harvesting watermelons in Tyre. 

·       5/20, 16 people were killed and 35 injured in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon, including a family of 11, children, parents and grandparents.

·       5/18, Israeli drone strikes killed 4 people and wounded others, including the son of a former president of the Wazzani municipal council. Evening strikes in the Bekaa valley killed 5 and wounded 11, including children. Additional Israeli strikes hit the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp near Tyre, targeting a water well and a solar power system.

·       5/22, at least 10 people had been killed in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah-affiliated medical facilities overnight, with six paramedics and a child among those killed and numerous others wounded. It was not immediately clear whether the casualties referenced by the IDF and the Lebanese Health Ministry were regarding the same incidents. (Haaretz 5/22)

·       Israel has killed over 120 rescue workers, damaged 16 hospitals, and targeted over 130 ambulances in Lebanon since 3/2. (Drop Site 5/22)

·       5/24, Israel greatly increased its attacks on Lebanon, with more than 40 strikes reported. These include a double-tap strike targeted first responders aiding the wounded in Arabsalim, which killed 1 and wounded 10, including 2 paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority and 4 from the Al-Risala Scout Association. In total, more than 120 health care workers have been killed and over 260 wounded in Lebanon. 

·       5/26, 180 Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people (4 children), including 2 paramedics, and wounded 40. 

·       5/27, a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Tyre after Israel issued a displacement order for the city. A strike on the Al-Bass area killed 3 and wounded 37 (8 children) as well as targeted the city’s infrastructure, industrial capacity, and power generators. (OCHAOPT & Drop Site 5/27)             

·       5/27, Israel declared the whole of southern Lebanon to be a combat zone and called on all residents to move north of the Zahrani River, citing Hezbollah’s repeated “cease-fire violations.” As Israeli ground forces pushed further past the so-called Yellow Line that was drawn up in southern Lebanon as part of a US-mediated truce in mid-April, the IOF said it had conducted over 150 strikes against Hezbollah targets across the country. (Haaretz 5/27)           

UNITED STATES‍ ‍

·       “When the American Psychiatric Association invited me [Dr. Mansoor Malik] to deliver the Chester Pierce Human Rights Lecture at its annual meeting this month, I believed the organization was affirming a foundational principle of medicine and psychiatry: that human suffering deserves recognition regardless of politics, nationality, religion, or ideology. The lecture was intended to examine the psychological consequences of mass violence, especially for children and civilians trapped within conditions of war and collective trauma in Gaza. Hours before it was scheduled to begin, the lecture was suddenly canceled. …I was informed that in the days leading up to the lecture, organized outside email campaigns and pressure from advocacy groups intensified against the event, with accusations that discussion of Gaza through the framework of genocide studies or Holocaust scholarship was inherently antisemitic or unsafe.” (Mondo Weiss 5/27)‍ ‍

·       GKN Aerospace, the company, threatening Garden Grove, California with a deadly methyl methacrylate leak, is building Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet canopies for US and Israeli warplanes. here

·       Buried in the House's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released on Tuesday, is section 224, entitled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The provision would arguably do more to intertwine the U.S. military with the Israeli military than the more than $200 billion (inflation adjusted) in military assistance Israel has received from the U.S. since its founding in 1948. here‍ ‍

·       A federal judge in Washington, DC has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sanctioning Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the OPT. 5/13, US District Judge Richard Leon ruled the administration likely violated Albanese’s free speech rights when it barred her from traveling to the US, froze her assets, and prohibited banks and other companies from doing business with her. Sanctions came after she recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war crimes prosecutions against Israeli and U.S. officials. Click here to see our interviews with Francesca Albanese. (Democracy Now 5/14 & NYT 5/27)

·       A US Court of Appeals allowed the reinstatement of sanctions against Albanes. The sanctions sought to financially isolate Albanese and her family by freezing assets, restricting travel, and cutting off access to banking systems. Fueling this vicious smear campaign is UN Watch — a fanatical, AIPAC-linked propaganda outfit. This shadowy group has waged a relentless assault on Albanese, flooding the media with doctored videos, grotesque fabrications, and medieval-style accusations labeling her a “witch” and an antisemite.(Palestine Chronicle 5/25)

·       City official in Miami Beach paid thousands of dollars to hire billboard trucks with text attacking specific members of an anti-Zionist Jewish group, according to a new filing in federal court. City commissioner David Suarez, is accused of hiring the trucks to drive past a Jewish Voice for Peace demonstration outside the Art Basel festival in December. The trucks accused JVP of being an “extremist group” and singled out members Alan Levine and his wife Donna Nevel, with the label “Jew Hater” according to court documents that JVP South Florida filed on 5/13. (Intercept 5/14)

·       Major media outlets are promoting a new report as an evidentiary breakthrough on alleged mass rapes of Israelis by Hamas on 10/7/23. Weighing in at almost 300 pages, “Silenced no more,” published by a supposedly independent “Civil Commission,” is largely a repackaged compilation of old claims, anonymous allegations and speculation. This includes numerous claims from figures whose accounts have already been exposed as contradictory, unreliable or fabricated. here‍ ‍

·       New Jersey, police arrested 10 activists at a port in the city of Elizabeth as they attempted to stop a shipment of weapons components and ammunition bound for Israel. Officers used power tools to separate protesters, who chained themselves together to halt truck traffic along a main road for several hours. One of the activists said, “We blockaded the terminal to stop the US government from violating its own laws by sending weapons to Israel to commit war crimes and genocide.” (Democracy Now 5/26)

Universities‍ ‍

·       Trump Administration Sues UCLA. Again Over Antisemitism. The lawsuit is the second the government has filed this year against the school that has focused on pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. here‍ ‍

·       In light of new evidence of misconduct by the Trump administration, Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team is asking the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to re-open his immigration case and terminate proceedings. The new evidence reveals that the Trump administration secretly engineered the outcome of his immigration case to make an example of him. (Center for Constitutional Rights 5/18)

INTERNATIONAL‍ ‍

Flotilla‍ ‍

·       As of 5/19, 428 civilians from more than 40 countries in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had been abducted and transferred onto Israeli prison ships. Livestream videos documenting the final moments of the attacks on various vessels confirm that Israeli forces opened fire on flotilla boats, used high-pressure water cannons, rammed at least one vessel, and violently boarded the boats. (US Boats to Gaza 5/19)

·       5/19, US Treasury Department sanctioned four activists —two representatives of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad and two from the Palestinian prisoners solidarity network Samidoun, based in Jordan, Spain, and Belgium—alleging without evidence that the Gaza-bound flotilla organizers were acting in support of Hamas, as Israeli forces simultaneously intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the flotilla a “pro-terror” effort, while organizer Huwaida Arraf rejected the characterization as “ridiculous,” and Samidoun called the sanctions “the latest manifestation of the ongoing US genocidal war on the Palestinian people.”

·       Spain followed other nations to summon Israelidiplomats over Israel’s treatment of the detained Gaza flotilla activists. In a post on X, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares said the move is “in response to the monstrous, undignified, and humiliating treatment by an Israeli toward the Spaniards and the rest of the flotilla members.” He also demanded the immediate release of the activists and an apology from the Israeli government. (Guardian 5/20)

·       Attorneys from Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, together with a team of volunteer lawyers, were able to meet with hundreds of detained volunteers on 5/20. Flotilla participants reported extreme violence, sexual humiliation, and serious injuries inflicted by Israeli forces. At least three individuals were hospitalized and later released, while dozens more reported suspected broken ribs and use of tasers against them. In addition to the physical abuse, participants described degrading treatment, sexual harassment, and humiliation. Several women reported that Israeli authorities forcibly ripped off their hijabs. (US Boats to Gaza & here)

·       5/23, French foreign ministry imposed a ban on the Israeli security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, entering France over his “unacceptable actions” toward activists detained on a flotilla. Mr. Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself this week taunting the activists, who were shown handcuffed and pinned to the deck of a ship after Israeli troops apprehended them. The video ignited outrage abroad, particularly in Italy, Germany, and other countries whose citizens had participated in the flotilla. US ambassador in Jerusalem, Mike Huckabee, issued a rare denunciation of Mr. Ben-Gvir’s conduct. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel also condemned his actions. Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, said in a statement announcing the ban that Mr. Ben-Gvir’s actions followed “a long list of shocking statements and actions, incitement to hatred and violence against Palestinians.” (NYT)

·       5/25, Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla were beaten by police officers at Bilbao Airport after they returned home to Spain. At least four people were arrested after members of the autonomous police force for Spain’s Basque Country known as the Ertzaintza used batons to attack activists, family members, and supporters. The police violence drew attention to more than 1.66 million Euros’ (about 1.9 million dollars’) worth of security contracts between Basque police forces and an Israeli firm run by a former Mossad agent to provide body armor, surveillance technology and tactical training courses. (Democracy Now 5/26)

·       Palestinians around the world marked 5/15 as Nakba Day, 78 years after their forced mass displacement led to the establishment of the Jewish-majority state of Israel. Palestinians still face widespread oppression and violence from the Israeli state as it continues its expansionary project. “Israel tried, since 1948 until today to destroy us as a people, as a group, and they failed at it. Our people are still there, resilient,” says Palestinian writer Muhammad Shehada. (Democracy Now 5/15)

·       Peoples Health Movement and other health organizations launched a renewed call to boycott the Israeli Medical Association over its complicity in genocide – while demands for the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and other Palestinian health workers persist. (People’s Health Dispatch 5/22)

·       Britain, France, Germany, and Italy described settler violence as reaching “unprecedented levels.” The four governments urged Israel to halt  settlement expansion and investigate alleged abuses by Israeli forces. European leaders warned that development in the E1 area could effectively split the West Bank in two. (Palestine Chronicle 5/22)

SOURCES

OCHAOPT, Intercept, OHCHR, Democracy Now, The Guardian, US Boats to Gaza, Electronic Intifada, Zeteo, Drop Site News, Palestine Chronicle, Haaretz, Mondoweiss, +972, Refuser Solidarity Network, Quds News Network, Center for Constitutional Rights, US Boats to Gaza, People’s Health Dispatch, New York Times, Responsible Statecraft, The New Arab

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