Urgent Health Update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem - July 26, 2025

ACTION ITEMS

This week is all about stopping starvation in Gaza:

1. Call Congress now. Tell them to immediately demand unrestricted humanitarian aid and to stop all U.S. weapons to the Israeli military. here

2. Israel, with US support, is starving Palestinians in Gaza. People are dropping dead from starvation, medical workers are fainting from hunger, babies are on life support and dying while aid sits in trucks, waiting to bring emergency food, water, and medical supplies to the people of Gaza. Call the White House: Tell Trump to stop the starvation in Gaza. 202-456-1111

3. Call Congress: Stop Starving Gaza and Block the Bombs here

4. Keep speaking up for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all political prisoners. Share this post: here. Keep repeating every action in support of Dr. Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. He has has been imprisoned by Israel since 12/27/24, “enduring starvation, torture, solitary confinement, and total deprivation, buried underground, with no exposure to sunlight.” More info: here, here, here

REPORTS

AIPAC NEWSLETTER: JULY 18, 2025
The House of Representatives yesterday passed the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act, which included funding for several key US-Israel programs:

$500 million for missile defense cooperation.

$55 million for counter-drone and directed energy cooperation.

$47.5 million for counter-tunnel cooperation.

$35 million for emerging technology cooperation.

VIDEOS

·       CNN speaks with co-founder of Gaza soup kitchen 1054 Gazans killed by IOF since May while seeking food. here

·       Dr Mads Gilbert on Aljazeera Media View, OCHA reports all Gazans facing high level severe food insecurity, 470,000 facing starvation, increasing numbers are presenting to hospitals. here

GAZA

Israeli forces continue air, land and sea bombardment, expanded ground attacks, and issued 3 new displacement orders (88% of Gaza is now “off-limits”). The Israeli starvation strategy has caused 101 malnutrition deaths (80 children) as of 7/22. The US/Israeli military project “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” has killed 1,060 and injured 7,207 people seeking food. Gazans have also been killed at the Zikim crossing with Israel where aid was entering Gaza, as well as other killings by airstrikes and quadcopters. The Israeli ban on fuel entry continues to push hospitals and water systems toward total shutdown.

Imagine almost every building in Manhattan’s 22.7 sq. miles turned into rubble and its 1.6 million New Yorkers homeless, stranded, and starving. In Gaza, Israel has forced even more people (2.1 million) into even less space (17.4 sq. miles). 

·       This week: 646 Palestinians killed, 3,438 injured

·       Since Israel broke the ceasefire: 8,363 Palestinians killed, 31,004 injured

·       Killed since 10/07/2023: 59,219+

·       Injured since 10/07/2023: 143,045+

·       Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: 451 (2 this week)

·       Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza: 2,821 (18 this week)

·       Hostages in Gaza: 50  

For more information, here.  (Electronic Intifada 7/18)

United Nations

·       7/20, UN warned that another Israeli military displacement order will devastate the already fragile supply lines keeping people alive in Gaza Strip.

·       The order covers 5.6 sq.km. in Deir al Balah and 50-80,000 people (30,000 in 57 IDP sites), including UN staff in dozens of locations (several warehouses, 4 primary health clinics, 4 medical points, and critical water infrastructure: the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, 3 water wells, 1 reservoir, 1 solid waste site and 1 wastewater pumping station). 

·       This latest order increases the militarized/ displacement areas to 87.8% of Gaza. It will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, choking humanitarian access when it is needed most. See the complete statement here.

·       “We’re in the death phase,” one UNRWA worker said. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it’s bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.” here

UN Secretary-General on humanitarian situation in Gaza, 7/21:

·       The Secretary-General is appalled by the accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing. He deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the ongoing violence, including the shooting, killing, and injuring of people attempting to get food for their families.

·       Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the UN and by other humanitarian organizations…The UN stands ready to significantly scale up our humanitarian operations. The time for a ceasefire is now. See the complete statement here.

Israeli attacks

·       2/17, Israeli military attacked and destroyed large parts of the Holy Family Church (Gaza City), killing 3 and injuring 10. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem stated the church was sheltering 600 IDPs, mostly children, including 54 people with special needs. The Patriarchate evacuated the injured to medical institutions outside Gaza.

·       Casualties among people trying to access food supplies this week include: 18 killed in a stampede near a militarized distribution point in Khan Younis; 9 killed near a militarized distribution point in Rafah; 25 killed and 100+ injured while seeking aid in Khan Younis and taken to Nasser Hospital; while awaiting a WFP food convoy, 73 killed and 150+ injured taken to Al Shifa Hospital: “As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire.” (This appears to be the highest number of fatalities among Palestinians seeking food in a single location and on a single day since 5/27.)

·       There have been many reports of children disappearing after going to access food at militarized distribution points. HaMoked, an Israeli NGO, has been contacted by 9 families this month after their teenage sons went to militarized distribution sites in Gaza for food and did not return. The Israeli military confirmed to HaMoked they detained 5 of the boys, 4 of whom (ages 15 to 17) are being denied access to an attorney; the fate of the other 4 missing boys is unknown. HaMoked expressed grave concern that they may have been killed.

·       Israeli strikes on people sheltering in schools, tents and residential buildings this week: 12 people (5 children) killed and 19+ injured in 3 strikes on IDP tents and residences in Khan Younis; 12 killed (1 child) and 17+ injured in 2 strikes on Al Bureij Camp, Deir al Balah; 8 killed (1 infant) and 3 injured in 2 attacks in and around Gaza City; 8 killed while guarding humanitarian aid, and 15 killed (6 children) and an ambulance destroyed in and around Beit Lahiya; 7/22, at about 01:00, 15 killed and 50 others injured in IDP tents were hit in Ash Shati’ (Beach) Camp, near Gaza City.

·       7/20, 14 killed (1 child) in tents and a Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) facility in Al Mawasi, in Khan Younis. This is the 11th time PCD points and centers were targeted, with a total of 134 PCD staff killed and 336 injured since 10/2023.

·       7/21, 5 killed and others injured while collecting water near Gaza City.

·       Following the intensified hostilities in Deir al Balah after the latest evacuation order issued by the Israeli military, WHO staff residence was attacked three times on 7/21. Staff and their families, including children, were exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes started a fire and caused significant damage. WHO urgently calls on member states to ensure a sustained flow of medical supplies into Gaza.  (WHO 7/22)

·       WHO reported that its main warehouse and staff residence in central Gaza was damaged by Israeli airstrikes and called the destruction “part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities.” The WHO also stated that “"Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint." here

·       Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions - BBC News here 

Aid

·       7/16-22, of 75 aid movements coordinated with Israeli authorities: 23% were denied; 21% were impeded; 31% were facilitated; 25% were withdrawn.

·       Since 3/2, Israeli has allowed no shelter or non-food items to enter Gaza, leaving no means to replenish depleted stocks, and there are no shelter items available in stock. The few shelter materials that are available on the local market are prohibitively expensive and limited in quantity, placing them out of reach for most families. At the same time, overcrowded displacement sites and restricted physical access to affected areas further hinder the ability of shelter cluster partners to deliver aid. An estimated 1.35 million people require emergency shelter items, and 1.4 million need essential household items.

·       Israeli military’s 7/20 displacement order not only pushes  50-80,000 people into overcrowded, unsafe areas with no shelter or services, it “restricts the UNs’ ability to deliver life-saving aid. UN staff remain in Deir al Balah, and 2  UN guesthouses have been struck, despite parties having been informed of the locations of UN premises, which are inviolable,” stated the UN Secretary-General. 

·       The area also includes other humanitarian operations: 9 medical points and PHCs, including: the Solidarity Polyclinic operated by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), which treated 320 people daily; Premiere Urgence International (PUI) evacuated 2 medical points caring for 415 displaced people; 4 of 7 community kitchens were closed; the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant (SGDP) – a critical source of drinking water for displaced people in Al Mawasi, producing 2,500 cubic meters/ day, is operational but no longer accessible, ending all water trucking from this source; 2 solid waste dump sites have become inaccessible; 100 staff providing Psychological First Aid, case management, and gender-based violence services were displaced; 3 Action for Humanity IDP displacement camps were affected and all its activities in the area have been suspended; and a 10 tent Temporary Learning Space (TLS) serving 1,500+ children was destroyed.

·       WHO’s main warehouse in Deir al Balah was attacked on 7/2 and then looted. The WHO staff residence was attacked 3 times, and Israeli military forced women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al Mawasi. “Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. 2 WHO staff and 2 family members were detained. 3 were later released, while 1 staff member remains in detention. 32 people, including women and children, were collected and evacuated to the WHO office in a high-risk mission,” WHO stated. Most WHO staff housing is now inaccessible and 43 staff and their families have been relocated to the WHO office, near the area slated for displacement.

·       7/21, the UNOPS Director stated that the UNOPS central Gaza premises in Deir al Balah were hit: buildings damaged, generator and solar panel power lines cut, and no functioning water supplies. An Israeli tank struck this same location in March, killing a UNOPS staff.

·       Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation and the onset of famine are the subjects of a new report by Davide Piscitelli and Alex de Waal for the organization Forensic Architecture on the “architecture of genocidal starvation.” “I have been working on this field of food crisis, famine, and humanitarian action for over 40 years, and there is no case, over those 4 decades, of such minutely engineered, closely monitored, precisely designed starvation of a population as is happening in Gaza today, says de Waal. (Democracy Now 7/21)

·       The need for money in Gaza is urgent. Farwa, a 34-year-old pregnant woman in Gaza sold her urine to non-pregnant women desperate to qualify for nutritional assistance for their extremely malnourished children. Hesitant at first, Farwa said, “My greatest fear is that my children will die.” (The Guardian 7/19)

·       Israel raided a UN aid facility, part of an expanded offensive in a section of Gaza that had remained relatively unscathed. (NYT 7/22)

Health Care & Hospitals

·       In the past 2 months, the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) recorded 10 strikes killing 10 doctors and 5 nurses, including 7 strikes on residential buildings or tents that killed medical professionals along with their families. OHCHR noted it “has not received any indication that [these medical professionals] or their families were in any way directly participating in hostilities, raising serious concerns regarding possible willful killings or attacks directed at civilians, which would amount to war crimes.” Coupled with the destruction of hospitals and the absence of medicine and equipment, these “killings in this context further limit or negate the availability of life saving treatment for Palestinians.”

·       5/17, WHO organized medical evacuation of 35 patients, mostly children, accompanied by 72 companions. According to WHO, over 10,000 patients require medical evacuation abroad. According to MSF, Israeli authorities delay or deny evacuations regardless of medical urgency: “You don't know what is the reason behind denying cases. Sometimes, when they approve a case, they refuse the companion. You are talking about separation of families, impacting people in need. This has also impacted many countries that were very active and motivated to take cases out of Gaza, but were blocked because of [Israel’s] refusal.”

·       There are currently 199 operating health facilities in Gaza, including 18 hospitals, 10 field hospitals, 62 primary health care centers (PHCs), and 109 medical points. These facilities are dependent on fuel to operate generators that power medical equipment. Al Shifa and other hospitals have begun shutting down services for lack of fuel. Less than 50 ambulances remain operational, all of which rely on fuel for transporting patients and injured people.

·       7/13-19, acute watery diarrhea cases account for 44% of all illnesses (up from 39% the preceding week), with hospital visits confirming a sharp rise in admissions for severe dehydration. Acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhea are increasing due to lack of vaccination, rising malnutrition, water scarcity, accumulation of solid waste, and overburdened or damaged sewage systems.

·       Rehabilitation services have been scaled back due to shortages of consumables and assistive devices, and rehab patients prematurely discharged. For example, Al Amal hospital has only 20 rehab beds, with a 300-person waitlist (an 11-month backlog).

·       Obstetric and newborn facilities and neonatal ICUs are operating far over capacity, particularly in Gaza City. One facility reported a 200% overcapacity in maternity and neonatal ICU beds.

·       Sexual & Reproductive Health partners report increases in acute and severe malnutrition among Pregnant & Breast Feeding women; one clinic reported an increase in acute malnutrition among P&BF women from 20% to 27%.

·       5 new Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases were reported last week, bringing the 2025 total to 28. Environmental samples were collected in July from 3 of 4 designated sites in Gaza City and Deir al Balah; sampling from Khan Younis was not possible due to displacement orders. 

·       Israel’s attack on Gaza’s healthcare is part of a broader strategy to render the territory unlivable for Palestinians. Every Palestinian medical worker faces a grim choice: serve and be targeted or flee and abandon your patients to die. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician from northern Gaza, has been imprisoned without charges since December. He receives two spoonfuls of rice a day and faces severe abuse, but has no access to medical care or medication. (Zeteo 7/24)

·       Deadly diseases are now ripping through Gaza even as millions of dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid piles up in warehouses across the region, says Oxfam. Water-borne diseases that are both preventable and readily treatable have increased by almost 150% inside Gaza over the past three months as Israel continues to deliberately block aid. here

Starvation in Gaza 

·       Mass starvation stalks Gaza as deaths from hunger rise. testimonies from doctors, relief workers and Gazans this week make it clear that a worst-case scenario is finally unfolding: Nearly 1 in 3 people are going multiple days without eating, according to the United Nations, and hospitals are reporting rising deaths from malnutrition and starvation. 111 documented died from starvation, numbers are increasing, especially in children. The social order is descending into anarchy. here, here, here, here

·       For 65+ days, humanitarian organizations have been able to introduce only limited quantities of aid due to Israeli policies, ongoing hostilities, access constraints, and security, as desperate people and criminal gangs gather to offload aid along convoy routes. The little assistance that reaches warehouses, distribution points and humanitarian facilities has been woefully insufficient to curb starvation or sustain lifesaving interventions, particularly amidst displacement orders and civil unrest. Meanwhile, Israel has not allowed tents into Gaza for 140+ days.

·       Prices have skyrocketed for any food items in markets. All UN-supported bakeries remain closed. Community kitchens prepare less than 160,000 cooked meals daily. People risk their lives trying to secure food at militarized distribution points and most survive on a single nutritiously poor meal per day. Nearly 1 person in 3 go entire days without eating, according to WFP. Coping strategies range from fasting to reducing meal size, rationing bread for children, borrowing, begging, and scavenging for food from garbage. The risk of famine persists.

·       Food diversity has plummeted. Dairy products are no longer part of the diet; vegetable consumption dropped dramatically, and fruit is almost absent. Proteins such as meat, poultry and eggs have disappeared from diets, only pulses and bread remain somewhat available. Lack of food diversity leads to multiple nutrient deficiencies and increases the risk of acute malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Hunger and malnutrition increase the risk of illness that weakens the immune system, which leads to risks of excess morbidity and mortality due to disease. The impact of food scarcity on pregnant and lactating women is especially severe; babies are more likely to be born with health complications, and difficulty breastfeeding puts children at increased risk of disease. Over 95% of children consumed 2 or fewer of 8 food groups, an alarming deterioration compared to 60% in February. Similarly vulnerable are the elderly, people with disabilities, and people suffering from chronic diseases.

·       Malnutrition in Gaza is critical. In the first half of July, nearly 5,000 of 56,000 children <5 screened for malnutrition in Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis were acutely malnourished, a rate of 9% (up from 6% in June and 2.4% in February). In Gaza City, 16% of about 15,000 children screened were acutely malnourished (up from 4% in February). Since January, 20 children died from severe acute malnutrition, 13 so far in July. The MoH, as of 7/22, has documented 101 malnutrition deaths (80 children).

·       In May, IPC projected nearly 71,000 cases of child acute malnutrition, including 14,100 severe cases, are expected between April 2025-March 2026. Since April, over 3,600 cases of acute malnutrition (23,760 children screened) show the situation worsening by the day. Beyond the immediate risk to life, the consequences for those who survive can be long-lasting: malnutrition during early childhood can impair brain development, weaken the immune system, reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, and hinder both cognitive and physical growth.

·       While food security and malnutrition can deteriorate rapidly, it can also recover in response to sufficient food supplies entering and being distributed.

·       Children in Gaza have begun to die of severe malnutrition in increasing numbers as Israel continues to starve the people of Gaza. Infants are the most severely affected as hunger devours their body until they reach a “point of no return.” (Mondoweiss 7/22)

·       A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) official has warned that a growing number of patients in Gaza are suffering complications of malnutrition that are delaying recovery and worsening outcomes, as Israel’s aid blockade continues. (Palestine Chronicle 7/22)

·       7/22, AFP journalists’ union issued a warning that its reporters living and working in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of food and humanitarian aid. These reporters are some of the only journalists left in Gaza as international media have been banned from entering for months. Describing the experiences of one of their photographers, the union reported that “"Bashar, 30, lives and works in the same conditions as other Gaza residents, moving from one refugee camp to another according to the pace of Israeli bombing. For more than a year, he has lived in extreme poverty at great risk to his life. Hygiene is a huge challenge for him and he suffers from periods of severe intestinal illness…7/20, he reported that his older brother had 'fallen' as a result of starvation." here

·       Doctors and medical staff in Gaza say their increasing hunger and lack of available food is beginning to make them too weak to provide urgent medical care to patients inside hospitals full of malnourished and injured civilians. Some have fainted from hunger.  (The Guardian 7/23, 7/25) here

·       Palestinians Are Starving to Death: This morning, Reuters is reporting that at least 101 Palestinians, including 80 children, have died of starvation. Doctors and humanitarian workers are also “fainting on duty in Gaza due to hunger and exhaustion.” Not only is food scarce, but Israeli soldiers have killed dozens of people as they attempted to access food stations over the weekend. Yesterday, 25 countries demanded Israel end the war, but Netanyahu says he won’t stop until Hamas is defeated. here, here

·       As Gazans face starvation due to Israel’s blockade, more than 100 humanitarian organizations are demanding action to end Israel’s siege of Gaza. Their warning comes as the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the starvation-related number of deaths in Gaza has climbed to at least 113. (Democracy Now 7/24) here, here

·       7/25, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said a quarter of all young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at its clinics in Gaza last week were malnourished, blaming Israel’s “policy of starvation.” MSF said that “rates of malnutrition among children under five have tripled in the last two weeks.” (Guardian 7/25)

·       Gaza is on the brink of running out of the specialized food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children. A spokesperson for UNICEF in Amman, Jordan told Reuters supplies of Ready-to-Use therapeutic food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed. (Guardian 7/25)

·       Israeli-backed and US-run Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation said that its distribution on 7/23 would only be for Palestinian women. Eyewitnesses say that staff pepper-sprayed them and beat them with batons, while two women were killed.  (Mondoweiss 7/25)

·       Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation touted its recent meal deliveries this week—but figures reveal a grim reality: hunger in Gaza has worsened since the weekend. Although the Foundation claims to have distributed 85 million meals since launching operations, it would have needed to provide at least 353 million to ensure three meals a day for every person in Gaza. The shortfall is only part of the problem. Many of the foods included in the meal packages require cooking—an impossible task for most residents amid widespread shortages of gas and clean water. Vulnerable populations face even greater barriers to accessing food, and the limited supplies available often fail to meet medical dietary needs. here

Women, Girls, & Children

·       Women in Gaza are increasingly subjected to gender-based violence through online platforms. Under the guise of offering humanitarian aid—such as food or money—these men demand sexual favors or explicit images in return. With official aid channels disrupted and reliance on informal, online networks rising, women are being systematically targeted via social media. Many of those affected are widows, single mothers, or displaced young women who have lost their homes, income, and social protection. “I’d rather die than accept help from people like this,” one woman said. “We’re a people with dignity.” here

·       Haaretz report: for many children in Gaza, childhood—once shaped by friendships, school, and dreams for the future—has been replaced by violence, hunger, and fear. One 11-year-old boy shared his story: “My friend from school, Samir, has been killed. We used to play during recess, and sometimes he'd bring snacks and share them with me. He used to love the sandwiches my mother would make, and I would share them with him. I miss school very much, sitting in the classroom, reading and writing…I want to eat a hamburger, to sleep in my own room, to buy new clothes, to buy books. I've been imagining returning to school and life before the war. I want to help my parents rebuild our house." here  

Water & Sanitation

·       As of 7/20, 82% of WASH assets (573 of 696) are within areas denied entry by the Israeli military, leaving only 79 wells accessible (compared to 220 in April) and causing a 69% reduction in water production. The heavily damaged water network, combined with the embargo on energy and spare parts, have triggered an Israeli-made drought. 

·       According to the Gaza City Municipality, the main desalination plant in northern Gaza is completely non-functional and large portions of Gaza City go without water for consecutive days. Daily per capita water share at some IDP sites is now as low as 2 liters, even in areas still served by functioning wells.

WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM

In the past week, 2 Palestinians (1 child) were killed and 45 (5 children) injured. 

159 West Bank Palestinians have been killed so far in 2025. 

For more West Bank information: here

Israeli attacks

·       7/17, undercover Israeli forces encircled a house in Wadi al Far’a (Tubas) and then shot and killed a Palestinian man as he opened the door. Withholding the body, they informed the Palestinian District Coordination Office he died in custody.

·       7/18, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian boy during a raid in Ya'bad town (Jenin). Medical sources and a local human rights organization confirm the boy was shot 7 times (3 in the back), and was denied treatment for about 30 minutes.

·       7/17, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs announced the death in Israeli custody of a man with chronic heart conditions arrested on 7/10 from Rummana village (Jenin). Cause of death remains unknown.

Demolitions, displacement & movement restrictions

This week, Israeli authorities demolished 9 Palestinian-owned structures for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 9 people (3 children) and affecting the livelihoods of 50+ people. 

·       7/17, Israeli forces demolished 4 residential structures in Qabatiya (Jenin, Area B) on punitive grounds, displacing 3 households (27 people, 13 children). The demolitions targeted the homes of 3 Palestinian men accused of involvement in 2 attacks killing of 4 Israelis in 2024 and 2025; all 3 had since been killed by Israeli forces. So far in 2025, Israeli forces punitively demolished 26 structures across the West Bank, displacing 28 households (136 people, 56 children). The International Court of Justice determined Israel's practice of punitive demolitions is contrary to international humanitarian law and amounts to prohibited discrimination under international human rights treaties.

·       7/15, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the past weeks have seen an intensification of killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers and forces in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, noting that Israeli forces “have often used unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force against Palestinians who did not pose an imminent threat to life.” Calling on Israel to “immediately stop these killings, harassment and home demolitions across the occupied Palestinian territory,” he added that “[p]ermanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to unlawful transfer, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and, depending on the circumstances, may also amount to a crime against humanity.”

·       7/23, Knesset approved 71-13 a non-binding motion to annex the West Bank, declaring it “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people,” that “Israel has the natural, historical and legal right to all of the territories of the Land of Israel.” It calls on the government to “apply Israeli sovereignty, law, judgment and administration to all the areas of Jewish settlement of all kinds in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.” Annexation of the West Bank would be a blatant violation of international law. here

Intensification of Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities

Last week, 27 settler attacks caused casualties, property damage, or both, displacing 2 households (10 people, 5 children) and injuring 7 Palestinians (1 child). 560 fruit, nut and olive trees were vandalized. 

·       7/17, settlers raided Hammamat al Maleh–Al Meiteh herding community (Tubas), assaulted residents and injured a man who was denied ambulance access for 3 hours. They stole hundreds of livestock, vandalized a tractor, and damaged homes and animal shelters. Later that night, armed settlers broke into homes and livestock shelters and handcuffed a man and his son. Additional settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, joined the raid and Israeli forces detained, blindfolded, and handcuffed 3 Palestinian men who attempted to retrieve the stolen animals. The settlers turned the handcuffed man and his son over to Israeli forces. Community members tracked the stolen livestock the next day and found dozens of sheep dead or injured, recovering a few while settlers retained the rest. Following the attack, 2 families dismantled their structures and relocated to Al ‘Auja area (Jericho). This is the 3rd displacement in 2 years for these families, all caused by settler attacks and threats. 

·       7/19, armed settlers from a new outpost in Jabal al ‘Alam broke into an under-construction home in Ni’lin and fired live ammunition. They assaulted the Palestinian homeowner with a metal club. Later, additional settlers fired at Palestinians did not cause casualties, threw stones, damaged a nearby house, and set fire to the injured man’s home. 

·       7/21, settlers accompanied by Israeli forces raided Yabrud village, interrogating the village council head regarding missing livestock, restraining and physically assaulting him for an hour. They searched for surveillance cameras and tried to break into the village school. Subsequently, settlers entered his home and hit him, knocking him out. He was treated on site by a medic.

·       7/17, settlers grazed livestock around and inside the Al Khader Church compound, and vandalized nearby Palestinian-owned olive groves, damaging trees, crops, and communal spaces. 7/11,they grazed their cows near homes and the village cemetery, setting fire to cemetery and church land.

·       7/15-21, settlers attacked water tanks and infrastructure, property and homes in Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jerusalem governorates. They interrupted water supply, affected access for domestic and livestock use, vandalized water tanks, broke into homes, stole belongings, and physically assaulted residents.

·       A recent MSF report  underscores an acute psychological crisis among Palestinian communities in the southern Hebron Hills, particularly in Jinba herding community, Masafer Yatta, driven by daily threats of forcible transfer, injury, and death by Israeli settlers and forces. In June, 94% of people admitted to MSF mobile clinics in Hebron for mental health consults were exposed to violence, including beatings, destruction of farmland, repeated incursions, and settler attacks. One resident recounted: “They struck an old man on the head – he needed more than 15 stitches… The violence just keeps going.” Another resident: “They came in 3 cars—about 17 settlers. They beat me, my father, and my brother Ahmad. Later that night, they returned. They destroyed our shelter, the clinic, and the mosque. My father was in critical condition—his heart rate dropped to 35. My brother was unconscious for days. We were surrounded for more than an hour before an ambulance was allowed through.” MSF teams are treating children with symptoms of trauma, including nightmares, panic attacks, and difficulty concentrating in school while facing delays due to insecurity, blocked roads, and escalating needs.

Northern West Bank Operations

·       7/22. Israeli forces began an operation in Nablus city. They encircled 2 hospitals (Arab Specialized Hospital and Rafidia Governmental Hospital) for 5 hours, raiding Rafidia’s emergency department, checking Palestinian IDs in reception, and inspecting ambulances. Troops then relocated to surround and search a residential area. 7/22, in Jenin governorate, Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old boy during a raid in Qabatiya town. Palestinians threw stones, the military responded with tear gas and bullets. 7/21 in Tulkarm, Israeli forces assaulted and injured a woman and two elderly men during house searches.

·       UNOSAT’s satellite imagery-based damage assessment of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps showed widespread destruction and the presence of Israeli military vehicles, roadblocks, bulldozers and excavators. In Jenin Camp, 125 structures were destroyed, 101 severely damaged, and 322 moderately damaged, about 43% of all structures. In Nur Shams Camp, 89 structures were destroyed, 35 severely damaged, and 156 moderately damaged, about 35% of all structures. In Tulkarm Camp, 31 structures were destroyed, 21 severely damaged and 105 moderately damaged, 14% of all structures. Although the camps remain inaccessible, bulldozers have been observed entering and exiting Jenin and Tulkarm camps. In Nur Shams Camp, 7/20-21, 7 houses were burned down.

·       MSF issued a brief based on interviews conducted in May with 300 people displaced from Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps. People have faced severely disrupted access to healthcare following the military operations in the camps, the closure of UNRWA clinics, and movement restrictions. 1/3 of respondents reported being unable to reach a doctor when needed, mainly due to cost and the lack of a nearby facility or transport. “MSF teams on the ground also reported cases of skin conditions, such as scabies, likely resulting from unsanitary living conditions associated with displacement.” The mental health repercussions of displacement, compounded by ongoing violence, have been severe, particularly among women and youth: “This mental strain, coupled with other hardships like loss of income, health problems, and protection risks, is pushing people to the edge and eroding their abilities to cope.” Other key findings include: Half of the respondents were displaced 3 times or more; 70% expressed uncertainty or an inability to remain in their current location, citing economic hardship (41%), poor living conditions (39%), lack of services (20%), and safety concerns (16%); 1/3 report being shot at and ¼ were detained or arrested; Over 100 incidents of indiscriminate violence were reported during attempts to return to the camps to retrieve belongings.

ISRAEL

·       This is BIG. No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole UN Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say.  Israel has long restricted or completely blocked aid to Gaza on the argument that Hamas steals it to use as a weapon of control over the population. here

·       Israeli authorities arrested one of the most senior journalists in Palestine, Nasser Laham, editor-in-chief of Ma’an News Agency. He was held for nine days on suspicion of, “assisting a terrorist organization through media” and then quietly released without charge. (+972 7/20) 

·       7/22, in Tel Aviv, a few hundred people gathered at Habima Square in the city center, holding photos of emaciated children in Gaza and sacks of flour. A young woman shouted into a megaphone and was echoed by the crowd, “You don’t gain victory over the bodies of children.” (Haaretz 7/23) 

·       7/22, chairperson of the Israel Medical Association asked the IOF to ensure that medical aid reaches Gaza stating, “we are aware of security considerations, but as an organization that, among other things, trusts in the principles of medical ethics and concerns for public health, we would like to emphasize the necessity of ensuring medical equipment and basic humanitarian conditions for the civilian population in Gaza." The IMA has thus far refrained from public criticism of the IDF. here

·       The Knesset voted for a non-binding motion in favor of the annexation of the West Bank. The motion was backed by 71 members of the 120-seat assembly against 13 votes. Coinciding with the Knesset vote, Israeli occupation forces shot and killed Ibrahim Nassr and another Palestinian boy near Jenin, in a broader military escalation across the occupied West Bank. (Palestine Chronicle 7/23) here  

·       The Knesset held a conference in which far-right politicians and settlers openly discussed a plan to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians and annex it for Israel. At the conference, called “The Gaza Riviera: From Vision to Reality.” Secretary of Finance Smotrich said, “We will occupy Gaza and make it an inseparable part of Israel. (Haaretz 7/24) here

·       Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, has instructed the Israeli army to draw up plans to force 600,000 Palestinians into a “humanitarian city”, to be constructed on the ruins of Rafah. The remaining 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza will be sent there later and will not be allowed to leave. “It is a concentration camp,” Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert said this week. “If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new ‘humanitarian city’, then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing.” here

·       Amid rising starvation in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli government minister, Amichay Eliyahu, said Israel had no duty to alleviate hunger in the territory and was seeking to expel its population. here

·       Israel seeks US help on deals to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Netanyahu: “I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It's called free choice. You know, if people [Palestinians in Gaza] want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be a prison.” here

·       Israel refuses to renew visas for heads of at least 3 UN agencies in Gaza. "Each time we report on what we see,  we face threats of further reduced access to the civilians we are trying to serve. Nowhere today is the tension between our advocacy mandate and delivering aid greater than in Gaza. … Visas are not renewed or reduced in duration by Israel, explicitly in response to our work on protection of civilians." here

·       As Mental Health Crisis Deepens, Another Israeli Soldier Dies by Suicide on Base, 10/7- to end of 2023 - 7 soldiers committed suicide, in 2024 – 21, 2025 so far – 15.  From 2018-2022 the ranged was 9-14. here

·       “We and our people in Palestine are one.” Over 10,000 people protested in the northern Palestinian/Israeli city of Sakhnin against the war in Gaza and the starvation of their people. (Haaretz 5/25)

·       Gazans Trapped in Sheba Hospital. By showcasing its treatment of a few Palestinian patients, Israel masks its destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system—and its obligations under international law. here

UNITED STATES

·       Nevut, which operates across at least 22 states, is one of at least 20 US-based charities directly supporting programs for “lone soldiers” who sign up for the Israeli military. While the US’s steady supply of weapons to Israel has come under scrutiny, the thousands of US “lone soldiers” receive marginal attention. (The Intercept 7/20)

·       7/18, the NEA Board of Directors voted to ignore a vote by 7,000 NEA members to end ties with the ADL. Still, union members are celebrating the original vote as a major shift among the rank and file toward Palestine and pledge to move forward. (Mondoweiss 7/22)

US Universities

·       6/9, Harvard Education Publishing Group abruptly announced the cancelation of a special issue of the Harvard Educational Review on education in and about Palestine, shocking authors and editors alike. here

·       US university leaders challenge campus antisemitism claims in House hearing. Republican-led committee accused UC Berkeley, City University of New York and Georgetown University of bias, here

·       JVP Academic Council Condemns CUNY’s Firing of Faculty for Supporting Palestinian Freedom. here

·       Columbia Agrees to $200 Million Fine to Settle Fight With Trump.  White House had canceled more than $400 million in research funding to the university, saying it had failed to protect Jewish students from harassment. here

·       Trump administration’s efforts to deport foreign students who espoused pro-Palestinian views under a little-used foreign policy provision have no obvious legal parallel. here

INTERNATIONAL

·       The World Council of Churches (WCC) declared the inalienable human rights of Palestinians to freedom, justice, return [of refugees], and self-determination.” They denounced Israel’s apartheid regime and its crimes in Gaza, “which may constitute genocide.” they called for effective “sanctions and responsibility” measures against Israel. (United Methodists for Kairos Action)

·       Foreign ministers of 25 nations, including much of Europe along with Japan, Canada and Australia, have issued a Joint Statement demanding that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu end its total war on Gaza immediately. But the demand is not backed by any action. here

·       In a joint statement, 115 organizations described the dire food shortage in Gaza as "mass starvation," as the "Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza." here

·       International Rescue Committee in Gaza: The World Is Letting Gaza Starve, here

·       UK is facing legal action for refusing medical evacuations of critically ill children from Gaza, a stance campaigners say breaks with Britain’s past humanitarian responses. (Palestine Chronicle 7/22)

·       7/17, the Freedom Flotilla sent off their latest boat, the Handala, toward Gaza with 21 international activists and journalists on board. Yasemin Acar, a German activist who was aboard the last boat, the Madleen, when it was halted and attacked by Israel, told The Nation, “I’ve gone through house raids, broken ribs, being hospitalized three times by the German police, and every four weeks the cops show up to intimidate me.” (The Nation 7/25)

SOURCES

OCHAOPT, The Guardian, Electronic Intifada, United Methodists for Kairos Action, +972, AP, The Intercept, Democracy Now, New York Times, Mondoweiss, WHO, Palestine Chronicle, Haaretz, Zeteo, The Nation, BBC, Naharet, AIPAC, Axios, inews, The Stranger, Juan Cole, Defense of Children International, Ahram, CNN, Washington Post, ABC News, Common Dreams