Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem - June 7, 2025
ACTIONS ITEM FOR THE WEEK
1. Tell your Representative to join the Block the Bombs Act now. here Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL), with Reps. Sara Jacobs (CA), Pramila Jayapal (WA), and Mark Pocan (WI) introduced the Block the Bombs Act to prevent Trump from sending worst-offender weapons to Israel to continue the genocide.
2. Demand your Representative protect the Freedom Flotilla and humanitarian aid to Gaza. here Nobody should be targeted for delivering OR seeking food.
3. Support the Diplomatic Humanitarian Convoys to Gaza. [link to: here Over 900 organizations have signed the UNIFIED CALL TO CONFRONT FAMINE IN GAZA. Watch Law4Palestine’s webinar on Starvation as a weapon of war here:
4. In the face of unimaginable suffering in GAZA is a lifeline for millions of Palestinians. Right now UNRWA urgently needs our help. Once UNRWA’s largest donor, the US remains the only UN member state still withholding support. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor legislation to restore U.S. funding to UNRWA. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
JOURNAL ARTICLES & ANALYSIS
An edited volume, War on Gaza: Consequences on Sustainability and Global Security, was recently released as part of Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals series. The book describes how the war on Gaza has “reversed progress toward achieving all SDGs” and details disastrous impacts on food security, public health, gender, energy, water and sanitation, the environment, and more. here
The World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal devoted a full issue to the war on Gaza’s catastrophic impacts on all aspects of public health and health care. The articles explore a variety of topics including the healthcare workforce, trauma, disability, kidney failure, diabetes, nutrition, and more. here
Whither Medical Ethics? The failure of the US medical establishment on Gaza. (quotes Alice Rothchild of JVP HAC) here
In Emaciated Children, Gaza’s Hunger Is Laid Bare, Aid: began to trickle into the territory this week. But there is never enough. here
The ‘chaos’ of aid distribution in Gaza is not a system failure. The system is designed to fail. Israel is using the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to condense Palestinians into increasingly narrow enclaves, forcing displacement through need. We are witnessing the rise of a new humanitarianism where aid sites double as kill zones. here
WEBINAR
“From the Frontlines to Our Hearts: An Evening For Gaza,” 6/8/25, 6:30pm Pacific. Sandra Adler Killen, pediatric trauma nurse and lactation consultant, speaks about her 3rd month-long medical mission in Gaza with Nora Barrows-Friedman (Electronic Intifada). here In person: First Presbyterian Church, 72 Kensington Road, San Anselmo CA
End the American Genocide in Gaza, 6/8/25, 12 pm Eastern, presented by Doctors Against Genocide, Live Updates from Gaza
Dr. Yusef Abu Alrish: Deputy Director of Gaza Health System
Dr. Ahmad Al Farra: Head of Pediatric Department in Khan Younis-Gaza
Dr Victoria Rose, Renowned British Plastic Surgeon who just came back from a medical mission to Gaza last week
Dr. James Smith, U.K. Emergency Doctor who has been to gaza on multiple missions
Mr Eyad Amawi, A Jounslist and Gaza Middle Area Community Humanitarian Coordinator
Dr. Shahd Hammouri, is a Lecturer in International Law at the University of Kent and a Senior Legal Consultant at Law for Palestine.
Mohammed Alazzami, Teacher and Program Coordinator of Nabqa Huna, Jabalia Camp, Gaza Strip.
Hamza Nabhan: Medical Student Training at the Indonesian hospital
Hold the date! Next JVP Health Advisory Council webinar, 7/13, 9 am Pacific, Human rights lawyer, Diana Buttu, speaking on the Gazafication of the West Bank
VIDEO
Greta Thunberg shares a video message aboard the “Madleen,” part of the second freedom flotilla attempting to deliver aid to occupied Gaza. attempting to sail and deliver aid to occupied Gaza. here
“The Shame of Israeli Medicine”: How Israeli Doctors Turned on Palestinian Colleagues & Patients here, here
Videos Show Chaos Around Israeli-Backed Gaza Food Sites. Danger and desperation are clear in imagery near the aid sites. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in at least two instances after Israeli troops opened fire near the sites. here
United Nations
6/4 Statement on Gaza aid distribution by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
“The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat… Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire…
“This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived 2 million people of the essentials they need to survive. These are not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable…
“Open the crossings – all of them. Let in lifesaving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in. Ensure our convoys aren’t held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire. here
GAZA
Israel’s war and siege of Gaza continues. The militarized US/Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “aid” scheme, with 2 distribution points set up in Rafa and Deir al Balah, proved deadly for 82 people killed and 506 injured since 5/27 while trying to retrieve food. Wounded survivors told MSF, “They were shot from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and Israeli soldiers on the ground.” At the same time, Israeli forces have further escalated air, land and sea bombardment, killing hundreds, targeting hospitals, housing and water, and displacing more people: 640,000 since they broke the ceasefire. Now 82% of the Gaza Strip is off-limits to Palestinians.
· This week: 425 Palestinians killed, 2,033 injured
· Since the breaking of the ceasefire: 4,335 Palestinians killed, 13,300 injured
· Killed since 10/23/2023: 54,607+
· Injured since 10/23/2023: 125,341+
· Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: 420 (4 this week)
· Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza: 2,692
· Hostages in Gaza: 58
For more detail on Gaza: here
· Dr. Ahmad Nabhan, head of the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT in the Indonesian Hospital is confirmed dead by Aljazeera-Palestine Arabic. He was martyred by a drone in Jabalia.
UN demands investigations into casualties linked to aid distributions
· 6/2, the UN Secretary-General called “for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.” UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, described these conditions as “a death trap” and a “humiliating system [that] has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli Army.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasized that the International Court of Justice “issued binding orders on Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the UN, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza.”
Israeli attacks
· 5/28-6/3, Israel targeted a journalist, killing 9 family members and injuring 15 in North Gaza; bombed 8 residential buildings in Al Bureij refugee camp, injuring dozens, killing 23, including 2 who went to search for survivors; another attack on the camp killed 6 and injured 20; killed 37 in 4 strikes in Gaza City; killed a woman in a kindergarten housing IDPs and 15 in a house in Jabalya al Balad, 6 in IDP tents in Deir al Balah, and 32 in 2 attacks on IDP tents in Al Mawasi area.
Health care & hospitals
· Gaza Municipality called for urgent international intervention to avoid a catastrophic breakdown of essential services. Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza accused Israeli forces of systematically dismantling Gaza’s health system by ordering evacuations in areas housing hospitals and clinics. (Palestine Chronicle 6/3)
· 5/28-6/1, displacement orders and military strikes decimated the health system: only 38% (212 of 564) of health facilities remain partly functional. This includes 17 (of 36) hospitals, 7 (of 15) field hospitals, 61 (of 160) Primary Health Care Centers, and 127 (of 353) medical points/mobile clinics.
· 5/29, Al Awda Hospital, the last (minimally) functional hospital in North Gaza, was forcibly evacuated (82 medical staff, 13 patients) and put out of service. Hospital Director, Mohammad Salha, reported Israeli forces “informed us that either we evacuate the hospital immediately or they will forcibly evacuate it.” With all roads leading to the hospital blocked or destroyed, ambulances could not reach the hospital and patients had to be carried for over 200 meters before MoH ambulances transferred them to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
· 6/1, Israeli forces destroyed Noura al-Kaabi Specialist Dialysis Centre, in North Gaza. WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu: the center “was serving 40 patients per week in North Gaza” and its destruction “directly endangers the lives of patients with kidney failure.” The week prior, WHO moved 20 of 23 dialysis machines out to keep them safe.
· 6/4, the administration building of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah was hit by 3 strikes damaging its water tanks and solar panels. The medical staff continue to work.
· No medical evacuations have taken place since 5/20, despite 10-12,500 patients (4,000 children) requiring medical evacuation. 477 patients have died awaiting evacuation; 41% of kidney patients have died since 10/23 due to restricted access to dialysis services.
· 6/1, Hamdi al-Najjar, the physician who lost 9 of his 10 children when an Israeli strike hit his home in Khan Yunis, died from wounds caused by the attack. Only two members of the al-Najjar family survived: his wife, Alaa al-Najjar, also a physician, and their 11-year-old son, Adam. An Israeli human rights organization has requested that Adam be allowed to leave Gaza for urgent medical treatment of his life-threatening injuries. here, here
· 6/4, Asaad al-Nasasra, one of the two first responders to survive Israel’s 3/23 attack on a convoy of emergency vehicles that killed 15 medics and rescue workers, shared an account of his experiences with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. al-Nasasra described how he was detained and tortured by Israeli forces for 37 days following the attack. He also shared how some paramedics—traveling in clearly marked ambulances—survived the initial attack on the convoy only to be shot by Israeli forces while yelling for help. here, here
· Hours after a 14-1 UN Security Council vote demanding a ceasefire, vetoed by the US, Israel attacked the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. Three Palestinian journalists were killed, and a fourth was seriously wounded. This marks the eighth time Israel has targeted the hospital. (Democracy Now 6/5)
Food & Nutrition
· OHCHR report documents Israeli targeting of Gaza’s fishers and fishing infrastructure. Blocking sea access, combined with the destruction of agricultural land, food production infrastructure, and denial of entry for humanitarian aid and commercial products, contribute to the risk of famine and the survival of Gaza’s population. 10/7/2023-12/31/2024, OHCHR recorded 28 attacks on fishers and fishing sites, killing 200. So far this year, another “28 incidents against Gaza’s fishers, resulting in the killing of 11 fishers, the injury of 34 others.”
· 10/2023-04/2024, Gaza's daily catch fell to 7.3% of 2022 levels and 70% of fishing assets/ infrastructure were damaged. “In 5/2024, fishers attempted to protect their boats by burying them in the sand in Rafah, but [Israeli forces’] bulldozers unearthed and destroyed them. Remaining boats and equipment at the Rafah landing site were largely destroyed in 1/2025 when the Israeli military razed the site in the week prior to the temporary ceasefire.”
· As of 6/4, daily meal production is 259,000 (down from 279,000 last week) from 14 partners/ 62 kitchens. All bakeries (closed since 5/25) and food parcel distribution remains suspended due to insecurity driven by hunger and acute food shortages. 5/19-6/3, 4,000 tons of wheat flour entered, most taken from open trucks by desperate people before reaching designated distribution or storage points.
· WFP’s market monitor observes that food consumption and dietary diversity has collapsed to critical levels. Key items like meat, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, and fruit are nearly absent from diets. Price drops were observed near convoys on 5/31, but the fluctuations underscore the urgent need for sustained, large-scale deliveries, especially to the north, to stabilize supply, availability and affordability. 90% of households face severe financial hardship, with 2/3 of households unable to afford food or basic necessities. Cooking gas remains largely unavailable, forcing people to burn waste to cook. Only 1% of households used cooking gas in April; none reported using it in May.
· Of 46,738 children <5 years old screened for malnutrition in the second half of May, 2,733 (5.8%) were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, up from 4.7% in the first half of May, and triple the percentage of February. In May, 7.5% of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases needed hospitalization, compared with 3-4% in the preceding 2 months. There are only 4 stabilization centers: 2 in Deir al Balah, 1 in Khan Younis, and 1 in Gaza City; North Gaza and Rafah centers were forced to close. Regarding pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), acute malnutrition was detected in 17% of screened PBW in Gaza governorate and 18% in Deir al Balah, compared with <10% in these areas in Feb. and March.
· Nutrition Cluster partners reached 81,235 children <5 (28% of the target group) with recently received Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS-SQ). However, these supplements cannot replace food for the children and only cover about 10% of their daily calorie needs. Several shipments of LNS were looted, forcing some facilities to stop delivering services. In the absence of sufficient food distributions, supplementary programs are bound to fail. The resumption of large-scale food distribution is urgently needed to prevent a further deterioration of the nutrition situation and starvation.
Aid
· After 80 days of complete blockade on aid entry, Israeli authorities have allowed the entry of only very limited amounts of certain food items, nutrition and health supplies, and water purification items. No shelter materials, hygiene products, or medical equipment have been admitted. The ongoing fuel blockade, now entering its 4th month, is putting health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities at severe risk.
· Israel has made humanitarian aid deliveries to and across Gaza unsafe, unpredictable and inefficient. It has refused UN monitors at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel reported a 6/2 fire at the Kerem Shalom crossing damaged 400 pallets of humanitarian cargo. Roads to the crossing have been destroyed or damaged, and reaching the crossing requires passing through militarized zones under active bombardment. Israeli authorities force prolonged delays, aggravated by constant changes in authorizations and restrictions, worsened by unprecedented levels of insecurity and the very high risk of looting.
· Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing between 5/31-6/2 for religious holidays. [Note: Shavuot: the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments are read in synagogues, including Thou Shalt Not Kill, Steal, Lie, or Covet]
· Between 5/19-6/4, over 1,100 truckloads reached the Israeli side, where 60% (673) were cleared by the UN. Of these, Israel allowed slightly over 400 truckloads to continue for distribution.
· 5/27, Israel reauthorized transport from Jordan, but only for international NGOs registered with Israel, severely limiting aid through the Jordan corridor.
· 5/28-6/3, of 75 aid movements coordinated with Israel, 59% (44) were denied, 15% (11) faced impediments, 24% (18) were facilitated, and 3% (2) were withdrawn.
· 46 international and Palestinian NGOs working in the OPT released their humanitarian access snapshot on 5/30: 93% had exhausted their aid stocks; 67% were unable to reach communities and deliver services; 90% reported heightened protection concerns; and 89% said communities had lost access to essential services. The military attacks and displacement orders have left people, including aid workers, “unable to move, due to exhaustion, injury, illness, infirmity, disability, contamination with unexploded ordnance, or lack of alternatives.” 33% reported staff injuries or deaths due to military attacks; more than 1/3 said their facilities had been hit.
· 6/2, Another US-run aid center was the site of an attack in southern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians. “The Israelis and Americans set a huge trap for us to lure us here and kill us,” an eyewitness told Mondoweiss. (6/2) here, here, here
· Officials in Gaza said over 100 Palestinian civilians have been killed during Israeli attacks on people waiting at aid sites and another 500 wounded. Following the series of deadly attacks, the shadowy US-Israeli aid scheme was shut down for a day and the Israeli military warned Palestinians that all roads leading to the aid distribution sites would be considered “combat zones.” (Democracy Now 6/4)
· 6/5, Testimonials from Gazan civilians, health care workers, and IDF officers affirm that the IDF was responsible for the lethal shootings at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid sites over the course of the past week. An IDF officer with direct knowledge of the operations told Haaretz that senior commanders discussed using live fire to manage crowds and that “the army treated it as a standard combat situation involving suspects entering a war zone.” A paramedic who was present at 2 incidents shared that “most injuries were direct shots to the head and chest. The gunfire came from ships, drones and tanks. The army wasn’t prepared for so many people, and the area couldn’t accommodate them. Most of the victims were women and children.” here, here
· Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US-backed aid group, closed all distribution sites after 10 Palestinians were killed by Israeli tank fire in Jabalia on 6/6. GHF urged residents to stay away from aid distribution sites “for their safety.” here
· Yasser Abu Shabab is the leader of a Palestinian militia in southern Gaza that Israeli officials say they have armed as part of an effort to undermine Hamas. Mr. Abu Shabab, whose group has denied receiving weapons from Israel, is a Bedouin man in his 30s. He holds sway in eastern Rafah, an area close to a key border crossing between Israel and Gaza.
For months, Palestinians and international humanitarian officials have accused him of looting aid trucks that made their way to distribution sites across Gaza, where hunger has been widespread. here
Displacement
· 5/30-6/4, the Israeli military issued 3 displacement orders for North Gaza, Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates that combined cover 189 sq.km. (over half of the Gaza Strip).
· Extreme overcrowding in Gaza City is forcing many to flee west to the seaport area or sleep on sidewalks, streets, or anywhere in the open, often without access to WASH services. Families have taken refuge in abandoned or damaged buildings, roofs, and unfinished structures, clearing rubble to create makeshift living spaces. In the south, limited space has resulted in a large influx of people into Al -Mawasi area, already overwhelmed and overcrowded. An NGO managing 69 displacement sites in Al Mawasi estimates a 40% population increase.
· There is a sharp rise increase in child-headed households, with children taking responsibility to care for their younger siblings after losing parents to violence, separation, severe illness, or neglect. These children carry overwhelming emotional and physical burdens, often with little or no support. Children are working on the streets, looting, or gathering within large crowds in search of food supplies at insecure distribution points. Children with disabilities face especially acute risks as they often lack assistive devices to move safely.
· SOS Children’s Villages runs a home for children without parental care. The children suffer from constant respiratory issues and severe flu, especially those under one year old, which they identify as acute respiratory infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pneumonia, partly due to the dust and debris of surrounding bombardments. They highlight the lack of community awareness regarding asbestos, as many families live amidst the rubble of destroyed homes.
WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM
· In the past week, 4 Palestinians were killed (1 child)and 73 (15 children) were injured.
For more West Bank information: here
Israeli attacks
· 5/27, Israeli forces raided homes in Jericho and businesses in Nablus, shooting live ammunition at Palestinians who threw stones at them. They killed a man in each operation, injuring 1 in Jericho and 24 in Nablus.
· 5/28, Israeli forces raided Jit village (Qalqiliya), searching several houses and vandalizing furniture and personal belongings. In one of the houses, where a father and his son were present, they entered the son’s room and shot him in bed, preventing anyone from assisting him for an hour before their withdrawal and his death.
· 6/2, Israeli military shot, killed and withheld the body of a 14-year-old boy in Sinjil (Ramallah) for throwing stones at Israeli-plated vehicles and bottles at them. Afterwards, they raided a nearby home and confiscated videos documenting the incident.
Demolitions, displacement and movement restrictions
This week, Israeli authorities demolished 23 Palestinian-owned structures for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 21 (10 children) and affecting the livelihoods of 100 people.
· 5/29, Israeli forces punitively blew up a Nablus residential building that belonged to a man killed while attempting to set off explosives in Tel Aviv (8/18/24). The demolition made a nearby house uninhabitable and damaged 5 others. So far this year, 19 structures (16 homes) have been destroyed on punitive grounds, displacing 90 people (30 children).
· OCHA’s May 2025 West Bank Movement and Access Update highlights how road closures, checkpoints, and the Barrier undermine Palestinian access to essential services, such as health care and education. Recently, Israeli forces closed the main entrance to Turmus’ayya (Ramallah), disrupting movement for 2,800 residents first for 6 days (5/19-25) and again for 3 days (5/30-6/1), forcing 20 km detours to access surrounding areas and essential services. Palestinian patients from the north were unable to reach the eye hospital in town by vehicle and were forced to walk.
Developments in the northern West Bank
· 5/27, Israeli forces raided Madama village (Nablus), imposing a 24-hour curfew confining residents to their homes, closing all village entrances and shops, and expelling 6 families from a residential building to use as a military post. Simultaneously, Israeli settlers began bulldozing and uprooting village trees. 5/27, following the same plan, Israeli forces raided Zeita (Tulkarm), closing shops and schools, disrupting services, setting up checkpoints, and turning 2 houses into military posts, displacing 2 families. They detained 8 men and assaulted 1, who was taken to hospital.
· 6/4, Israeli forces launched an 11-hour operation in Tammun (Tubas), bulldozing 4 roads and disrupting access to water, electricity, and internet. They raided 20 homes, forcibly evacuating and displacing residents. 4 homes were converted into interrogation centers, and 20 people were detained. 1 km of waterlines was destroyed, cutting off supply to agricultural lands, greenhouses, and farms where over 4,000 farmers cultivate a variety of crops. The military injured 7 Palestinians, 5 by physical assault and 2 from tear gas inhalation. The raid closed all schools in town (4,200 students). Simultaneously, Israeli forces conducted an 11-hour operation in El Fara’a refugee camp (Tubas), again bulldozing roads in and around the camp, raiding a dozen homes, and interrogating residents, injuring 1. The raid closed 3 schools (2,000 students), the 2nd invasion of El Fara’a camp this year, the 1st was 2/2-12.
· 5/27, Israeli forces ordered land seizures for military purposes in 5 Nablus towns and 1 village in Qalqilya. These orders will hamper the Palestinian residents’ ability to access their remaining land, negatively affecting their livelihoods.
· Demolitions in Nur Shams refugee camp (Tulkarm) continue, but assessments cannot be made since Israel restricts all movement into the camp. Residents had a last chance to retrieve what they could carry during a 3-hour window on 5/29 before demolitions would begin.
· NGOs are providing WASH assistance to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Jenin and Tulkarm, in response to the ongoing operations since February. Israeli northern West Bank operations in Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas damaged over 40 km of waterlines, 1 water well, 11 km of sewage lines, 1.5 km of stormwater network, 873 solid waste containers and 1 trash truck, effectively cutting off water and sanitation services for tens of thousands of people.
Intensification of Israeli Settler Attacks
Last week, 32 settler attacks caused casualties, property damage, or both, injuring 30 Palestinians (3 children)– 16 by settlers and 14 by Israeli forces. 24 vehicles and 145 fruit and olive trees and saplings were vandalized.
· In June, Israeli media reported that the Israeli security cabinet had approved the establishment of 22 new West Bank settlements, legalizing existing outposts as new settlements. While outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law, Peace Now highlighted that the Israeli government had already “legalized” 12 of the 22 outposts and that 9 will be established as new settlements, bringing the total of settlements approved by the Israeli government since 10/7/23 to 49. All Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Territories are illegal under international law. These government actions are emboldening settler attacks on Palestinians and further expansion onto Palestinian land.
· 5/27, 20 Palestinians were injured during a settler raid in the village of Qaryut (Nablus). They damaged 14 vehicles and 7 homes. Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas to disperse Palestinians scuffling with the settlers.
· 5/27 and 5/30, settlers assaulted a pregnant woman and an elderly woman in separate attacks on two herding communities in Masafer Yatta (Hebron).
· 5/31 May, settlers injured 3 children and damaged solar panels and a solar heater in Deir Dibwan (Ramallah). Israeli forces intervened by dispersing both Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
· 5/28 & 6/1, in East Jerusalem, settlers in properties taken from Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, attacked a neighboring family, first breaking a window and spraying pepper gas at the family inside, and later vandalizing the rooftop solar system, furniture, and other property.
· Settlement expansion is especially affecting Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities. Increased intimidation and violence near new outposts is threatening forcible transfer of the Ma’azi Jaba’ Bedouin community (Jerusalem), where 35 settler-related incidents have caused casualties or property damage; in Mikhmas Bedouin community (Jerusalem), where 55 settler-related incidents have caused property damage, have regularly intimidated residents, entered homes, obstructed access to grazing land, destroyed fodders supplies, and damaged animal shelters; in the villages of Al Mughayyir and Khirbet Abu Falah (Ramallah), where 86 incidents caused casualties or property damage, including a large-scale arson attack, destroying hundreds of dunums of farmland and injuring a Palestinian journalist; and in the Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja Bedouin community (Jericho), where more than 120 settler-related incidents caused casualties or property damage such as cut electricity wires, severed water pipes, and blocked access roads.
· 6/4, Seven Palestinians were wounded when Israeli settlers set fire to homes and cars in the West Bank village of Deir Dibwan. here
ISRAEL
· 5/31/25: Anonymous IDF reservist wrote opinion piece in Haaretz detailing
the horrific abuse and torture of Palestinians he witnessed while serving at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility. The reservist describes seeing “people arrive at the facility from the Gaza Strip wounded, then starved for weeks without medical care…just regular Palestinian civilians from Gaza detained for investigation and, after enduring brutal abuse, released when it turned out they were innocent.” The reservist also describes the Israeli media’s complicity in suppressing information about the systematic nature of these abuses. here
· There are currently more than 10,100 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention according to the prisoners’ rights group Addameer. This is nearly twice the number from before October 7 and does not include detainees held in internment camps run by the Israeli military. Some 3,500 people are held in administrative detention, including 119 children. Prisoners’ conditions and abuse inside all Israeli detention centers have rapidly deteriorated since 10/7, resulting in at least 70 deaths. (Drop Site News 6/1)
· Israel reportedly decided on 6/3 to deport an Irish and a Swedish tourist due to their solidarity with Palestinians. Police said the two women were banned from the occupied West Bank for 15 days and that a decision was issued to deport them. (Palestine Chronicle 6/3)
· Israel’s rampant use of Palestinian civilians as human shields in Gaza and the West Bank is well documented. Reportedly known as the ‘mosquito protocol,’ Israeli soldiers force Palestinians to enter buildings, tunnels, and other sites. Israel denies the practice despite growing evidence, some from IOF soldiers themselves, who say that the practice is used in part to spare combat dogs from injury and death. (Drop Site News 6/5)
· Netanyahu defends arming Palestinian clans accused of ties with jihadist groups. here
· Each of the 22 illegal settlements approved by Israel last week is another nail in the coffin of the peace process, hammered in by the complicity of western governments and corporations. Israeli settlements are not benign civilian neighborhoods – they are primary instruments of dispossession, control and apartheid. here
· Israel sees the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as a tool in its war of annihilation. On May 19, Smotrich said the goal was to force Palestinians in northern Gaza to the south for eventual deportation to third countries. Netanyahu consistently refers to accomplishing this objective as “Trump’s plan.” here
US
· 6/4/25, Phil Brewer and Alice Rothchild joined others from Doctors Against Genocide for an Advocacy Day in Washington DC targeting Republic senators. We discussed the realities of the genocide and starvation in Gaza and the role of the US and presented the congressperson or their staff with a prescription for ending genocide. 7 health workers were arrested. check out events on this website, Democracy Now 5/5, here
· 6/5, US vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire and unhindered aid access in Gaza. All 14 of the remaining council members voted in favor of the draft resolution. here
· Maine Coalition for Palestine joined Veterans for Peace on 5/28 to begin a 40-day hunger strike, joining a national and international wave of similar actions protesting Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the skyrocketing levels of hunger in the territory. The Coalition announced that 25 people would strike to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (The Guardian)
· Jewish Voice for Peace national members meeting in Baltimore, attended by more then 2,000 people, was a show of force at a moment of alarming vulnerability to repression. (Jewish Currents 6/2)
· Boston Consulting Group, which helped design and operate the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s business operations, withdrew its team from the aid delivery program. here
· Former State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says Israel has “without doubt” committed war crimes in Gaza. During his tenure under Biden, Miller had become representative of the administration’s defense of the genocide in Gaza. (Mondoweiss 6/3)
US UNIVERSITIES & COLLEGES
· Two significant campus divestment victories were hard-won by students and community activists in San Francisco and Cambridge, MA. The Industrial Liaison Program at MIT officially cut its ties with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems after a sustained six-month campaign. Meanwhile, the University of San Francisco (USF) announced plans to divest from four U.S. weapons companies that contract with Israel. (Electronic Intifada 6/3)
· MIT Class President Megha Vemuri’s Viral Graduation Speech on Israel’s Genocide in Gaza. here
· MIT Class President Barred From Graduation Ceremony After Pro-Palestinian Speech. According to the school, the student delivered a speech, which denounced M.I.T.’s ties to Israel, that had not been preapproved. here
· Letter from JVP Academic Council to leadership at MIT: here
· We are going on hunger strike at the City University of New York. Here’s why. We are the eight students, staff, and faculty from across the City University of New York system who started an indefinite hunger strike. We have one demand: that CUNY divest from Israel and companies aiding the genocide in Gaza. here
· A Doctor Said Israel’s War Is Fueling Health Crises in Gaza. UCSF Fired Her. Dr. Rupa Marya of San Francisco is suing for discrimination after her university punished her for speaking out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. here
INTERNATIONAL
· 6/4, Twelve countries, including Canada, Germany, France, and the UK, issued a joint statement warning that tens of thousands of Palestinians are at high risk of “forcible transfer” due to escalating Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. The statement called on Israel to “respect its obligations under international law, including the prohibition of forcible transfer.” here
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, Haaretz, Jewish Currents, The Guardian, JVP Health Advisory Council, Mondoweiss, Electronic Intifada, Washington Post, Palestine Chronicle, Drop Site News, Democracy Now, Reuters, The Guardian, Springer, WHO