Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem, and Yemen - April 26, 2025

Written By Alice Rothchild

ACTION ITEMS FOR THE WEEK

1. Award the Nobel Peace Prize to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Palestinian pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. He remained with his patients while the hospital was under attack until he was abducted by the Israeli military. He is currently being held without trial in Israel and, according to his lawyer, enduring torture. Sign this petition of nomination Dr. Safiya to the Nobel Prize committee: here

2. Attend the JVP National Meeting in Baltimore, May 1-4. Join us for a Health Advisory Council panel presenting 3 doctors recently returned from Gaza (5/2, 9:30-11am in Room BCC 328/329). Lunchtime meetup sessions 5/2 & 5/3 can help you connect with other health workers. (Registration closed 4/4/25.)

UN Statements

4/19, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jonathan Whittall, marked 50 days of total blockade: people in Gaza are being starved, bombed, strangled and “deprived of the basic necessities for human survival,” calling it “deprivation by design” and the “deliberate dismantling of Palestinian life.” He called for lifting the blockade, entry of humanitarian aid, and ceasefire.

Journal articles & Reports

The healthcare community has a responsibility to highlight the ongoing destruction in Gaza. BMJ 2025; 389 doi: here, here 

In a cross-sectional survey of displaced adults (n=952) residing in the Gaza Strip in 11/24, the prevalence of symptomatic PTSD was 67.8%, and moderate or high levels of anxiety and depression were reported by 79.3% and 84.5% of participants, respectively. here

A narrative review of children’s health in Gaza identified life-threatening challenges related to all aspects of health including catastrophic levels of food insecurity, high rates of malnutrition, widespread destruction of WASH facilities, and high rates of infectious disease. The review describes increased vulnerability among children with chronic medical conditions and disabilities and notes that the full extent of harm is unknown due to challenges associated with data collection. here  

An article in Native American and Indigenous Studies discusses how Palestinian women’s voices offer critical insights into the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The author describes historical and continued violence in Gaza as a “reproductive genocide” or a systematic assault on Palestinian reproductive health and an attempt to prevent the reproduction of future generations of Palestinian lives. The article draws on the voices and words of Palestinian women to illustrate their collective survival and resistance to amidst ongoing violence. 

A commentary in Aporia: The Nursing Journal titled “The Paradox of Anonymity in Justice: A Palestinian Occupational Therapist’s Response to the AnonymOT Collective” offers a critique of the anonymous commentary “Occupational Therapists Speaking for Justice and Human Rights: From Complicit Silencing to Collective Resistance” published in the same journal last year. Critique: here Original commentary: here

Clayton Dalton, an emergency room physician in western New Mexico, wrote in The New Yorker about his observations as part of a medical mission of 12 volunteers in Gaza. Because they arrived on 1/29, near the beginning of the ceasefire, his group had unusual mobility and an unprecedented window into Gaza’s devastated medical facilities. here

By 10/24, Israel’s military had already carried out over 40,000 air strikes on the Strip. The U.N. Mine Action Service estimates that between one in 10 to 20 20 bombs fired into Gaza did not go off. “Uninhabitable” according to the U.S. government, the Gaza Strip is strewn with undetonated explosives. Clean-up efforts have stalled. here

Palestine-Global Mental Health Network: Misinformation, McCarthyism, and the Weaponization of Antisemitism: A Response to “Psychologists Against Antisemitism” here  

GAZA

Israel’s siege of Gaza continues; no food or supplies have entered for 8 weeks (since 3/2/25). Malnutrition is the norm, starvation is imminent. Escalated air, land, and sea bombardment and expanded ground operations have increased the toll of genocide as Israel targets remaining buildings and tent camps, and has attacked the facilities and staff of 14 aid organizations. 420,000 people have been displaced with no safe place to go. Israel has declared 69% of the Gaza Strip “off-limits” to Palestinians. 

This week: 266 Palestinians killed, 648 injured

--Among the dead: 595 children, 308 women, 105 elderly and 683 men. 

--Among the injured: 1,610 children, 842 women, 225 elderly and 1,787 men

Since the breaking of the ceasefire: 1,890 Palestinians killed, 4,950 injured

Killed since 10/23/2023: 51,266+

Injured since 10/23/2023: 116,911+

418 aid workers, including 295 UN staff, killed in Gaza.

Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: 408 (1 this week)

Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza: 2,612 (13 this week)

Hostages in Gaza: 59

  • 3/25 Israel Prison Service (IPS) data lists: 9,406 Palestinians in Israeli custody, including 1,486 sentenced prisoners, 2,960 remand detainees, 3,405 administrative detainees (held without trial), and 1,555 “unlawful combatants.” These figures do not include Palestinians from Gaza still detained by the Israeli military since 10/2023. 4/15 & 21, Israeli forces released 20 detainees who were transferred to European Hospital (Khan Younis) and Al Aqsa Hospital (Deir al Balah) for examination.

  • Palestinian Red Crescent had been told by the International Confederation of the Red Cross that paramedic Asaad al-Nsasrah, missing since the killing of 15 aid workers in Rafah, is being held in detention in Israel, and called on the international community to pressure Israel to release Nsasrah. here

  • A month before Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, a doctor who worked with Médecins Sans Frontières at Gaza's Al-Awda hospital, was killed by an Israeli airstrike along with his colleagues, he wrote on a hospital whiteboard: “Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.”  

For more detail on Gaza, here

Israeli attacks

This week, Isarel attacked IDP tent shelters at least 23 times, killing 78 and injuring dozens. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated: “Airstrikes on tents in Gaza reportedly killed 15 children, including a child with disabilities who burned to death,” noting that “Images of children burning while sheltering in makeshift tents should shake us all to our core.”

  • Two journalists were killed this week: 4/16, 10 Palestinians, including a female photojournalist, were killed in a residential building in Gaza City. 4/18, a journalist and 12 others (8 children) were killed in residential buildings in Tal Az Za'atar, North Gaza governorate. The Palestinian Journalists Protection Center (PJPC) condemned the continued targeting of journalists, reporting 8 have been killed since the breaking of the ceasefire and that at least 17 Gaza journalists are detained in Israeli prisons. Since 10/7/2023, 210 journalists and media workers have been killed (PJS). UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini stated:  “time is long overdue to get international media into Gaza.”

  • 4/16, 4 children under 10 killed in a residence in Jabalya Al Nazla, in North Gaza.

  • 4/17, 6 killed and many injured in a school hosting IDPs in Jabalya camp.

  • 4/18, 9 killed and many injured in a residential building in Gaza City.

  • 4/18, 10 killed and others injured in a residential building in Bani Suheila, Khan Younis.

  • 4/19, 3 killed (1 infant) and 20 injured (15 children)in a residential building in Khan Younis.

  • Recent Israeli attacks hit the coastal area of Mawasi near Khan Younis, an area largely designated by the Israeli military as a “humanitarian zone” where tens of thousands of displaced people have been sheltering in tents. Video distributed by wire agencies shows the strike appearing to ignite a fire that burns some tents and rescue workers attempting to douse the flames before driving off with the dead and wounded. Atef al-Hout, director of the Nasser hospital, said the bodies of at least 14 people — among them 7 children — had arrived at the medical facility overnight. Most were believed to have been killed in the strike on Mawasi. here

  • Paramedics and rescue workers killed in an Israeli shooting in Gaza last month died mainly from gunshots to the head or chest, while others had shrapnel injuries or other wounds, according to autopsy reports obtained by The New York Times. Israeli troops had fired on ambulances and a fire truck sent by the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the Civil Defense, according to witness accounts, video and audio of the 3/23 attack. here

  • 4/21, Israeli military has stopped designating humanitarian zones in Gaza since resuming strikes last month. The Mawasi area, which was previously designated as a safe zone, has been struck 23 times. here

Health & Hospitals

  • The health system faces severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies, a lack of medical equipment and an overwhelming caseload. Lack of security and the displacement orders have decreased health service functionality and accessibility, with 146 health service points (57%) in areas under displacement orders. WHO currently supports 21 EMTs (2 in Gaza, 2 in North Gaza, 8 in Deir al Balah, 8 in Khan Younis, and 1 in Rafah).

  • IOF said it struck a building in northern Gaza's Al-Ahli Hospital, saying it was being used as a command center, a claim denied by Hamas. The attack caused a power outage throughout the hospital. Al Jazeera reported that fires broke out in several hospital departments as a result of the attack. Local sources said the airstrike destroyed the hospital’s emergency and reception departments. It was the only facility in Gaza City with a CT scanner.

  • Following the strike, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "Israel's attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza... These deplorable attacks must end. Diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we will achieve a lasting peace." The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem said it was "appalled" by the strike on the hospital, noting it was the fifth time since the war began that the hospital had been targeted. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem owns and operates the Al-Ahli Hospital, Gaza's only Christian hospital.

Food & Nutrition

  • A food security analysis in April shows that the blockade has led to significant shortages of essential commodities and a sharp increase in food prices (150-700% over 10/2023 and 29-1400% since the end of the ceasefire). Several key food items, such as dairy products, eggs, fruits and meat, have disappeared from the market; potatoes and onions have surged in price. As food stocks further dwindle and food aid continues to be blocked, WFP warned that “hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are at risk.”

  • In the 1st 2 weeks of April, nearly 21,000 children were screened for malnutrition; 641 were diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition and 64 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Insecurity and access constraints have disrupted or forced the closure of nutrition sites. 

  • Fishers in Gaza continue to face significant risks at sea, exacerbated by restricted access, limited equipment, and ongoing insecurity. In April, fishing boats came under fire near shore, resulting in 4 fishers injured this week in multiple incidents in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

Evacuation, Displacement & Destruction

  • Among 40,000 households in 256 IDP sites in early March: 68% of sites reported no assistance for 30 days, while 32% of sites reported 50% of people received assistance. Food, water, mental health and psychosocial support were the most frequently reported types of assistance. 71% of people reported that nobody or only a few had access to sufficient food; 60% of people reported that nobody or only a few had access to sufficient drinking water; 78% of people reported that nobody or only a few had access to handwashing facilities, and 85% reported that nobody or only few had access to sufficient hygiene items. 93%reported environmental hazards (rodents and pests, solid waste, sewage, etc.). 42% reported shelters were damaged or destroyed, with a great need for cooking items, lighting, and bedding.

  • 4/21-22, Israel bombed Gaza City, North Gaza and Khan Younis to destroy over 30 bulldozers and heavy equipment vehicles, including a sewage suction truck and a mobile water tanker. The municipality of Jabalya announced that all services, including street clearance, waste removal, sewage line maintenance, and water services, have been completely suspended, exacerbating the already dire situation and heightening the risk of disease.

  • Destruction of homes and critical infrastructure has created an estimated 50 million tons of debris, severely impeding the movement of people and exposing people with disabilities to more risk during displacement. Since 3/18, 20 displacement orders have forced residents to flee under extreme pressure. Meanwhile, constraints on humanitarian partners limits their access to displaced populations, heightening risks that the most vulnerable are left behind.

  • UNDP and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) have been implementing an initiative on debris removal in priority areas—main roads, access points to hospitals, and school facilities—to enable humanitarian movements and operations. This work is coupled with efforts to recycle debris for potential use in future infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction. Between 12/2024-3/2025, prior to collapse of the ceasefire, UNDP removed 35,275 tons of debris, using heavy machinery to clear and recycle materials efficiently. Recycling efforts have repurposed 1,075 tons of material for infrastructure repairs, including road rehabilitation, solid waste dumpsite improvements, and access routes to water tanks, in collaboration with municipalities and other partners. UNDP has visited 180 of 386 sites designated for Explosive Ordnance (EO) risk assessment by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS). Yet fuel shortages hamper the use of heavy machinery; many large machines have been destroyed; damaged roads and EO contamination delay removal and transport operations; insecurity negatively impacts workers’ safety and restricts community engagement; and Israeli imposed land limitations complicate the establishment of temporary debris storage and processing sites.

  • Mine Action (MA) activities were suspended post-ceasefire due to the deteriorating security. Coupled with import restrictions by Israeli authorities on the entry of essential safety and demining equipment since 10/23, ongoing hostilities are exacerbating existing explosive ordnance contamination across Gaza, increasing risks for both civilians and humanitarian responders. Between 1/ 2025-4/22, MA partners reported 21 incidents involving unexploded ordnance (UXO), resulting in 3 deaths (2 children) and 45 injured (20 children). 

  • Israel has completely wiped out Rafah, turning a fifth of Gaza's territory into a giant buffer zone. This is part of Israel's plan to permanently remain in Gaza and facilitate the ethnic cleansing of its people. here

  • Israeli evacuation orders force an agonizing choice on Gazans. A new declaration targeted eastern Gaza City, including several areas that had been declared evacuation zones. The UN said 390,000 people had been displaced in recent weeks.

Aid 

  • 4/15-21, of 42 aid movements coordinated with Israel: 20 were denied, 2 impeded, 19 facilitated, and 1 cancelled. In the North, of 14 movements: 8 were facilitated, 4 denied, and 2 impeded. In the South, of 28 movements, 11 were facilitated, 16 denied and 1 cancelled.

  • A survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organizations found 95% had to suspend or drastically cut services since Israel ended the ceasefire on 3/18. Widespread bombing makes it too dangerous to move around and the Israeli blockade prevents all aid from entering. 

  • 4/16, Red Cross (ICRC) facilities were struck and damaged. The 2nd attack in 3 weeks, ICRC emphasized: “These incidents impact the ability of the ICRC to provide essential protection and assistance to hundreds of thousands of people who need assistance to survive and contribute to an ever-shrinking humanitarian space. We condemn in the strongest terms any action that inhibits our ability to do our work and risks the lives of humanitarian workers.”

  • 4/25: Gazans are facing a critical food shortage 8 weeks after Israel stopped allowing aid into Gaza. Experts continue to warn of a sudden and rapid decline in health due to shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. here

Water & Sanitation

  • 4/16, the Al Muntar water pipeline from Israel was successfully repaired. 2 of the 3 Mekorot pipelines are now operational. The Gaza City municipality underscored that water shortages persist where further repairs are needed to deliver water. Fuel shortages pose an additional challenge, since in the absence of electricity, water production and distribution are mainly reliant on fuel to pump water from wells, pump water through networks, desalinate drinking water and truck water. Stocks of critical chemicals, such as chlorine, are nearly depleted.

  • Extensive damage to sewage infrastructure is leading to the accumulation of untreated wastewater in stormwater ponds, posing significant public health and environmental risks. The Al Saftawi stormwater basin in Jabalya is at imminent risk of flooding. Under normal conditions, stormwater is discharged into the sea through a pump station and pressurized line. However, due to significant damage to both the sewage network and the discharge infrastructure, the basin is now also receiving large volumes of untreated sewage and is unable to release its contents. The basin's water level is just below its 6.2-meter flood threshold and poses a severe threat to public health in an already vulnerable area.

THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM

In the past week, Israeli forces killed 6 Palestinians (1 child) and injured 32 (12 children). Also, 2 West Bank Palestinians died in Israeli custody under unclear circumstances.

Killed since October 2023: 1,081 (228 children) and injured: 16,955 (2,643 children).

So far in 2025, 7 Israelis, including 5 members of Israeli armed forces, were killed by Palestinians, all in the northern West Bank.

For more West Bank information, see: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/west-bank-monthly-snapshot-casualties-property-damage-and-displacement-february-2025

Israeli Attacks

  • 4/16, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the bodies of 2 Palestinians at a cave near Qabatiya, south of Jenin.

  • 4/17, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the bodies of 2 Palestinians (1 child) and injured another. They were throwing stones at Israeli vehicles on Road 90 south of Nablus. Another Palestinian was injured. 

  • 4/20, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man near Homesh settlement (north of Nablus) who had fired at Israeli forces at the Homesh checkpoint, but caused no injuries. Following the incident, Israeli forces closed the road between Nablus and Jenin for a few hours. Homesh is 1 of 4 settlements that were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s disengagement plan; however, it was later re-established as a religious school. 5/2023, the Israeli military allocated land to a settlement regional council after which settlers began building new structures to “regularize” the settlement, built on privately-owned Palestinian land. Palestinian landowners have been denied access to their land ever since.

  • 4/17-21, 2 Palestinian detainees died in unclear circumstances after being transferred from Israeli prisons to hospitals. One man, from Osarin (Nablus), had been detained since 3/22/24. The other, from Al 'Ubediya (Bethlehem), had been detained and hospitalized since 9/18/23. 65 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since 10/7/23.

Demolitions & Displacement

This week, Israeli authorities demolished 9 Palestinian-owned structures for lack of Israeli-issued building permits. 

  • 4/16, Israeli forces punitively demolished an under-construction, semi-finished 2-story house in Jenin belonging to the family of 2 brothers killed on 7/5/24 when Israeli shoulder-fired missiles destroyed the house and took their lives. The family of 4 was set to return when rebuilding was completed.

Settler violence, settlement expansion, movement restrictions

In the past week, settlers carried out 23 attacks that killed 1 Palestinian and injured 24. 3 families (9 people, 3 children) were displaced. 

  • 4/17, settlers shot a 60-year-old man in the leg in Masafer Yatta (Hebron) as he and his 15-year-old son were working on their land. Israeli forces arrived and detained the Palestinians for 3 days. Taken to Soroka Hospital in Israel, his leg was amputated.

  • 4/17, armed settlers wearing military-style uniforms in Kobar (Ramallah) stopped a Palestinian-owned vehicle at gunpoint and stole their mobile phones. When the Palestinians refused to hand over the vehicle and the 5 sheep it carried, the settlers called Israeli forces, claiming that 1 of the sheep had been stolen from them. The military confiscated the vehicle and the sheep and gave them to the settlers, detaining the 2 Palestinians at a nearby settlement, where they were blindfolded and handcuffed before being released later that evening. Following the incident, a Palestinian family of 2 decided to leave the village due to the violence (6 attacks) that began with the establishment of a new settlement outpost in March. 

  • 4/21, 48-year-old Palestinian man died of a heart attack. Settlers set fire to his home and the Israeli military struck him in the chest with an M16 and threw a stun grenade and tear gas at him.  They were raiding Sinjil (Ramallah). Israeli forces injured 17 others (4 children). Palestinians had gathered to access their lands and demonstrate against the establishment of a settlement outpost on privately-owned Palestinian land in Area B the day before. Israeli settlers also gathered and attacked with stones and metal poles, injuring 3 and burning 4 tents, 3 vehicles and an agricultural property as well as killing and stealing livestock. This displaced 2 Bedouin households (7 people, 3 children). The displaced families had previously (2023) been displaced from Wadi As Seeq Bedouin community (Ramallah) by settler violence and access restrictions. here

  • 4/24: In the West Bank village of Bardala, Israeli settlers set fire to homes and a goat pen and opened fire on residents. At least four Palestinians were wounded, including some injuries from gunfire. Israeli soldiers entered the village with the settlers and arrested five Palestinians “suspected of throwing rocks.” here

  • Israeli authorities are set to approve over 3,400 settlement housing units to expand Nofey Rachel and Gilo settlements in East Jerusalem (2,550 units), Givat Ze’ev settlement in Area C, Jerusalem (16 units), Talmon and Ma’ale Amos settlements, Ramallah (734 units), and Kfar Tapuah settlement, Salfit (105 units). According to Peace Now, “since the beginning of 2025, including the plans slated for approval next week [4/27], the [Israeli Higher Planning] Council has advanced a total of 15,190 housing units in less than 4 months,” an all-time record. Settlements are illegal under international law. The settlements and settler violence have deprived Palestinians of their property and sources of livelihood, restricted access to services, triggered displacement, and contributed to sustaining a coercive environment that places many Palestinians in Area C, East Jerusalem and the H2 area of Hebron at risk of forcible transfer.

  • In East Jerusalem, the Israeli NGO Ir Amim reported that 2 plans for the expansion of Nofey Rachel and Gilo Southeast settlements will cover lands on the southern boundary of East Jerusalem, which will decrease geographic contiguity of the built-up areas and agricultural lands of Palestinian communities. The Nofey Rachel plan enclose, disconnect, and isolate the community from other Palestinian areas. The Gilo Southeast plan will establish 1,900 housing units on 176 dunums (43.50 acres) of land between Route 60 and the existing Gilo settlement, land now filled with Palestinian-owned olive groves.

  • During Easter, Israeli forces deployed dozens of flying checkpoints in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, including at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, restricting access to the church. According to the Orthodox Patriarchate, Israeli forces erected barriers and assaulted worshippers attempting to access the holy site. Father Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, reported that only 6,000 permits were issued by Israeli authorities this year to West Bank Christians, denied hundreds access to the church.

Developments in the northern West Bank

  • 4/23, Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old throwing stones during a raid in Al Yamun, west of Jenin. Over 90% of the 116 West Bank Palestinians killed by Israeli forces between 1/1-4/24 were in the 6 governorates of Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Nablus, Qalqilya and Salfit; as were the 7 Israelis (5 members of the armed forces) killed by Palestinians so far in 2025.

  • 4/19, Israeli forces raided homes and vandalized property in Tulkarm, arresting a 15-year-old and assaulting a photojournalist, confiscating his press pass and phone. 4/20, they fired tear gas at 2 journalists covering the operation at the entrance of Jenin camp, entry to which continues to be denied by Israeli forces.

  • Tens of thousands of displaced people continue to be prevented from returning home in Tulkarm and Jenin, as displacement expands to neighborhoods surrounding Tulkarm’s refugee camps. Between 4/20-21, Israeli forces ordered 14 non-refugee families to leave their homes outside Tulkarm. 

  • Israeli forces continue to impose access restrictions in and around the northern West Bank cities. 4/17, the Tulkarm Municipality began fixing the Nablus-Tulkarm Road as agreed with the Palestinian and Israeli authorities, and completed work 4/21. However, Israeli forces have prevented Palestinians from using the repaved road. 4/23, Israeli forces installed 4 gates at all the main entrances to Jenin refugee camp. Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps remain largely empty. In February, the Israeli Defense Minister instructed Israeli forces to remain in the camps for an extended period, with military posts already being established within camps alongside major bulldozing of infrastructure.

ISRAEL

  • The Israeli army is facing its biggest refusal crisis in decades. Over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty. While their reasons differ, the scale demonstrates the war’s waning legitimacy.  It is becoming increasingly legitimate to refuse to report for military service in Israel — and not only among the radical left. here

  • ‘They told my brother I was dead’: inside Israel’s psychological warfare against Palestinian prisoners. here

  • 4/24 After initially denying fault, the IDF confirmed that the UN staff member killed in Deir al-Balah on March 19 was killed by tank fire from IDF soldiers. here

  • 4/24: Asaad al-Nassasra, a Palestinian paramedic who survived last month’s killing of 15 aid workers in Rafah has been detained by Israel and barred from meeting with a lawyer since the killings. His family has petitioned the High Court of Justice demanding information about where he is being held. here

  • Israel’s Military Cites ‘Professional Failures’ in Killings of Gaza Medics. In a statement and a briefing summarizing its investigation into the deadly episode, the military said a deputy commander would be dismissed. here

  • Israel’s A.I. Experiments in Gaza War Raise Ethical Concerns. Israel developed new artificial intelligence tools to gain an advantage in the war. The technologies have sometimes led to fatal consequences. here

  • Israel Acknowledges Second Deadly Attack on Aid Workers in Gaza. In a rare apology to the United Nations, Israel said its forces had struck a UN compound in Gaza with tank fire. A Bulgarian aid worker was killed. here

US

·       A sweeping crackdown on posts on Instagram and Facebook that are critical of Israel—or even vaguely supportive of Palestinians [including health-related posts, of course] —was directly orchestrated by the government of Israel, according to internal Meta data obtained by Drop Site News. The data show that Meta has complied with 94% of takedown requests issued by Israel since 10/7/23.

·       Ben-Gvir: US Republicans support bombing Gaza ‘food and aid depots’. Israel’s national security minister says he met with ‘senior Republican Party’ officials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. here

US universities

·       Hundreds of college students, faculty members and others took to the streets of New York City and to the campus of Columbia University to protest the federal detention of organizers of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and what they regard as an assault on higher education. The protesters demanded answers about the fate of Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, Palestinians who had been involved in campus demonstrations over the war in Gaza. here

·       Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard. An official on the administration’s antisemitism task force told the university that a letter of demands had been sent without authorization. here

·       Universities Told Students to Leave the Country. ICE Just Said They Didn’t Actually Have To. In their haste to comply with apparent directives from Trump, universities became unwitting handmaidens of the deportation machine. here

·       Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Threats to Cut Funding, fighting back against its threats to slash billions of dollars from the school’s research funding as part of a crusade against the nation’s top colleges. Trump administration has claimed that Harvard and other schools have allowed antisemitic language and harassment to remain unchecked on their campuses.  here
·       The FBI and other law enforcement agencies raided multiple homes in Michigan, reportedly targeting a number of student activists connected to Gaza solidarity protests at the University of Michigan. here, here

·       A linguistics course I proposed to teach at MIT on decolonization in Haiti and Palestine was censored and attacked by the university. My story is just one small window into the broader crisis and repression unfolding in higher education: rising fascism. here

·       US Texts Barnard Employees and Asks if They Are Jewish. A questionnaire from a federal commission also inquired about whether professors and other college staff members had been harassed. here

 YEMEN

·       US airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 33 people and wounded 80 others, Houthi-run media said early today, which if confirmed would mark one of the deadliest days of a campaign launched under Trump.

INTERNATIONAL

·       International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced an extension to the deadline for Israel to file its defense in the ongoing genocide case brought before the court concerning its ongoing war, setting the new date for January 12, 2026.

SOURCES

OCHAOPT, Al-Jazeera, Democracy Now, DropSiteNews, The Guardian, Haaretz, Harvard Crimson, Mondoweiss, The New Yorker, Palestine Chronicle, Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Portside, New York Times, British Medical Journal

 There will be no report next week due to the JVP National Member Meeting

Alice Rothchild
Next

Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Yemen - April 19, 2025