Urgent Health Update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem - September 20, 2025
ACTION ITEMS
1. Sign: A Public Letter from Jewish Health Professionals: End the Genocide in Gaza As Jewish professionals in medicine, public health, and related fields, we cannot remain silent in the face of genocide of Palestinians in Gaza carried out by the state of Israel. Our tradition and training bind us to the defense of life and dignity. Too many of our colleagues and institutions have yet to dissent while an entire population, half of them children, has been starved, bombed, denied care, and displaced. To be silent is to be complicit. If you are a Jewish health professional, please sign this letter. here (701 signatures to date) report in Zeteo
2. Protect the Gaza Humanitarian Flotilla: Ships from 44 countries are sailing toward Gaza carrying food, medicine, and baby formula despite drone attacks and Israeli threats of interception and attack. Every state that has signed the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions has an obligation to guarantee global respect for humanitarian law, which means an end to the Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Sign here to tell U.S. and European leaders to demand safe passage for the life-saving Sumud Flotilla.
WEBINARS
Palestinian Health Alliance (PHA) Symposium: 2nd PHA Symposium, “The Gaza Strip in the Grip of Genocide: Death, Starvation and Trauma” will take place via Zoom on 9/30, 2-4 PM, Palestine/Lebanon time; 7 am Eastern US time. Register before Friday, 9/26: here
Fast and Slow Genocide: Gaza and the West Bank. If you missed the webinar, watch the recording! with Aseel Aburass, Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Dr. Mark Perlmutter, veteran of 3 missions to Gaza post-October 7, 2023. Available in English or Spanish. Here:
REPORTS
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. According to Doctors Against Genocide:
A First in History: For the first time, a UN body has officially determined Israel is perpetrating genocide. Gaza now stands alongside Rwanda, Srebrenica, and other atrocities recognized under the Genocide Convention.
Binding Legal Obligations: The 1948 Genocide Convention obligates every State to prevent and punish genocide and prohibits complicity. Any government supplying weapons, funds, or political protection is now in breach of international law. Neutrality is no longer possible.
The “Never Again” Test: The world vowed “Never Again.” That promise is on trial in Gaza. Will the international community stop the destruction of a people or repeat the failures of Rwanda and Bosnia?
Accountability of Leaders: The Commission named Israeli leaders, including the President, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister, as responsible for inciting genocide. This opens the path to prosecution at the International Criminal Court or through national courts under universal jurisdiction.
Ending Denial: Genocide is always denied as it happens. The UN’s judgment removes all cover. To deny Gaza’s genocide now is to reject truth and law alike.
Read the full text here
Read news coverage of it here, here, here, here
This Is What Malnutrition Does to Children’s Bodies: Why Gaza’s young are especially vulnerable. here
Journal Articles: Commentaries
Lancet Psychiatry: Dr. Ahmed Alhaj, one of the few psychiatrists practicing in Gaza, documents the “prescribing crisis that exemplifies the broader humanitarian catastrophe.” The correspondence describes how first-generation antipsychotics—often the only available option—cause severe side effects and poor adherence, while disruptions in clozapine supply have triggered widespread relapse among patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Clinicians are forced into unstable polypharmacy with inadequate trial periods, compounded by displacement, trauma, and rotating staff. Prescribing authority has expanded out of necessity, often without specialist oversight, and coordination among health agencies is virtually nonexistent. Dr. Alhaj concludes: “the psychiatric crisis in Gaza demands not just humanitarian aid but accountability for the conditions that make ethical psychiatric practice impossible.” here
Health Policy: Describes how Israel’s “prolonged war” in Gaza has decimated the healthcare system, leaving over 2 million people without access to medical care, clean water, electricity, or sanitation. Hospitals are bombed or barely operational, medical staff are overwhelmed or injured, and essential medicines and vaccines are critically scarce. These conditions have created a high risk of infectious disease outbreaks—such as cholera, hepatitis A, measles, and typhoid—especially among displaced populations living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. The author emphasizes the need for immediate international action to protect remaining health infrastructure, restore disease surveillance, and ensure humanitarian access, concluding: “protecting public health during war is not optional—it is a binding duty under international law, and a pressing moral imperative for the global community.” here
Lancet: This statement from the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) denounces the systematic destruction of Gaza’s health system as a genocide-related public health crisis, marked by bombed hospitals, targeted health workers, and the weaponization of starvation and disease. With life expectancy plummeting and infrastructure decimated, the WFPHA calls for immediate, coordinated global action—including a monitored ceasefire, legal accountability, and a comprehensive health emergency response. The authors conclude that “this crisis goes beyond Gaza. It is about the integrity of our profession. Neutrality in the face of atrocity is complicity. Health requires peace and public health requires action. The time is now.” here
Lancet: 113 UK-based academics and higher education professionals condemn the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as a genocide and public health emergency. The authors discuss how, since October 2023, Israel has killed over 63,000 Palestinians and injured more than 161,000 through the deliberate targeting of civilians, healthcare infrastructure, and essential services. The blockade and bombardment have rendered Gaza’s health system nearly non-functional, with famine officially declared. Despite international legal measures, the UK Government continues arms sales to Israel without imposing sanctions. The statement calls on the UK government to immediately suspend all arms sales to Israel, protect the operation of UNRWA, and commit to reconstructing Gaza’s health care and public health infrastructure. The statement also calls on institutes of higher education to condemn attacks on Gaza’s health system; disclose ties to potential war crimes; protect academic freedom on Palestine; and support Palestinian-led health and education initiatives. here
Lancet: The Lancet’s Editor-in-Chief, Richard Horton, reflects on Gaza’s escalating health crisis, underscoring the collapse of humanitarian norms and the complicity of silence. With famine officially declared and medical evacuations blocked, the systematic targeting of hospitals, health workers, and civilians is described as genocide. The piece condemns the failure of medical institutions to demand accountability and critiques Western indifference, arguing that ethical principles and global health governance have been abandoned. Drawing on Omar El Akkad’s writing, it calls for moral clarity and warns that future generations will judge those who turned away from this atrocity. “When the realities of the crimes committed against Gazans emerge—and those realities will emerge, because journalists cannot be denied entry forever—please do not pretend to be appalled, please do not say you did not understand, and please do not say you were misled.” here
Journal Articles: Research Articles
PLOS Global Public Health: A 2024 survey of 28 medical points (MPs) in Gaza revealed severe shortages in critical medications like insulin, antiepileptics, and cancer treatments, alongside limited access to antibiotics, psychiatric drugs, oxygen, and diagnostic tools. Most MPs operate in unstable conditions with inadequate staffing, poor infrastructure, and minimal access to maternity, vaccination, or mental health services. Yet, each unit manages an average of 117 patients daily. The findings underscore the urgent need for reliable medical supplies, equipment, and support systems such as telemedicine to sustain these life-saving operations. here
International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services: Drawing on interviews with 30 healthcare professionals and community members, the analysis reveals five main themes: (a) collapse of health care infrastructure; (b) loss of medical personnel and resources; (c) maternal and infant health; (d) the spread of preventable and contagious diseases; and (e) mental health challenges for health care providers and patients. The findings underscore that the health emergency is inseparable from broader political violence and structural oppression, calling urgently for accountability, the dismantling of apartheid systems, and the restoration of Palestinian sovereignty to safeguard public health and human dignity. here
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care: This qualitative study investigates how war-related trauma and forced displacement affect sleep disturbances among displaced women and children in Gaza. Based on interviews with 30 refugee women in Rafah, research reveals chronic hyperarousal from ongoing violence exacerbates PTSD, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, while displacement compounds psychological stress and hinders recovery. The authors conclude by emphasizing the “necessity for mental health and healthcare interventions to address the challenging conditions and prolonged trauma within the Palestinian context.” here
Journals: Special Issues
Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work special issue: “Thinking and Practicing Abolition Through Palestine.” Guest editors Stéphanie Wahab and Rupaleem Bhuyan introduce the issue: “This special issue emerges from grief and resistance to confront both social work’s complicity with Zionism and the accelerated genocide, and social work possibilities for transformation. We hope to offer a space for communal holding of grief and rage, while insisting on love, possibility, and resistance. We also write with what Wahab has elsewhere called critical hope: the insistence that even amid devastation, abolition requires us to imagine possibility, to nurture collective care, and to orient toward liberatory futures (Wahab, 2024). The contributions gathered here do not offer a single narrative but instead illuminate multiple entry points for thinking and practicing abolition through Palestine. Collectively, they expose the carcerality of Zionism and settler colonialism, trace social work’s silences and investments in domination, and foreground practices of sumud, collective care, and abolitionist worldmaking.” here
UNITED NATIONS
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’s Olga Cherevko told Reuters that conditions since the 8/22 famine declaration remain dire, with starvation deaths occurring daily. About 1 million people remain in northern Gaza, many unable or unwilling to leave, while aid convoys face 12+ hour delays for Israeli approval and leave the most vulnerable unreached. The risk of famine spreading south is “extremely worrisome.” (9/15/2025)
GAZA
Israeli forces continue air, land and sea bombardment of homes, schools, highrises, and IDP tents, and ordered the complete evacuation of Gaza City as their controlled detonations destroy entire neighborhoods. Since 5/27, Israeli targeting (with US mercenary support) of Palestinians seeking food has killed 2,504 and injured 18,381. Famine, officially declared on 8/22 in Gaza governorate, is projected to expand to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates in September.
Starved to death: 432 (28 this week), including 146 children
This week: 416 Palestinians killed, 2,194 injured
Since 10/07/2023: 65,062+ killed, 165,697+ injured.
Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 460 killed (none this week), 2,898 injured (6 this week)
Hostages in Gaza: 48
For more information: here
Israeli Attacks
Having warned against attacks on residential buildings and other civilian necessities on 9/10, the UN Office of Human Rights (OHCHR) reiterated on 9/16 its call for Israel’s military to immediately end its wanton destruction of Gaza City, apparently “focused on causing a permanent demographic shift, which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing... [T] he ongoing bombings of residential buildings in Gaza City are destroying the last viable element of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, negating any prospect for the survival of civilians.”
After the UN concluded that genocide is being committed in Gaza, over 20 aid agencies called on world leaders to uphold international law and “use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene.”
3 aid workers were killed this week. Tamer Institute for Community Education reported a case management officer killed; MSF reported a 9/16 staff death from shrapnel when an Israeli airstrike hit his tent; and a Maan Development Center staff was killed while collecting his belongings prior to evacuation. Since 10/7/2023, 543 aid workers have been killed: 373 UN staff and team members, 54 Palestine Red Crescent staff, 4 ICRC staff, and 112 NGO aid workers.
9/10, 12-13, 4 strikes killed 2 people collecting firewood, and 4 killed and 19 injured at a market, 6 killed (3 children) in an IDP tent in and around An Nuseirat Camp, Deir al Balah.
9/12, 14 killed and others missing under a residential building hit in Jabalya.
9/12, 17 people injured in an IDP tent hit in the “safe area,” Al Mawasi.
9/13, 14, 16, 5+ strikes killed 22+ (2 children), injured 67+, with many trapped under the rubble, including IDPs in schools and Islamic University buildings, in residential buildings, and the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, in Gaza City. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) condemned the attack and called for accountability for this and other attacks on journalism in Gaza.
Israel claimed without evidence that the strikes had targeted Hamas surveillance posts. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reports 114 children in Gaza were treated by 15 international doctors and a nurse for single gunshot wounds to the head or chest, indicating deliberate targeting. Many were shot in Israeli-declared “humanitarian zones,” with forensic analysis showing bullets consistent with snipers or armed drones. The report details amputations without anesthesia, maggot-infested wounds, and hospitals bombed mid-operation, with some medical staff smuggling evidence to the ICC despite personal risk. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
9/13, Israel struck near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing 1 and injuring others after a civilian vehicle was hit. Drones also fired at the hospital, wounding civilians. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
9/15, a water truck was hit in Gaza City.
34 killed while seeking aid: 9/11, 4 killed and 49 injured at the Wadi Gaza militarized distribution site, Deir al Balah; 9/11, 9 killed at As Sudaniya militarized distribution site, North Gaza; 9/11, 17 killed and others injured waiting for trucks in Beit Lahiya; 9/14, 4 killed and 25 injured at the Ash Shakosh militarized distribution site, Rafah.
AID
While most casualties seeking food at militarized supply sites are caused by gunshots, at least 9 were killed 9/11in an airstrike near As Sudaniya, North Gaza.
The Zikim crossing, used for aid supplies for northern Gaza, was closed 9/12, allowing no food aid to enter northern Gaza, including Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people remain and where famine was confirmed on 8/22. On 9/12, the Israeli military announced an expansion of Crossing 147 (Kissufim), with the aim of a 3-fold increase of aid into Al Mawasi.
9/10-16, of 117 movements coordinated with Israel: 52 were facilitated (44%), 24 impeded (21%), 23 denied (20%) and 18 withdrawn (15%). Denied movements included WASH-related missions and emergency medical team and staff movements, which prohibited medical personnel from reaching Gaza City clinics.
9/1-15, convoys moved 12,500 metric tons (MT) of wheat flour, food parcels, and bulk supplies into Gaza through the UN-coordinated aid mechanism. However, 77% of this aid was offloaded by hungry crowds or looted by organized groups, preventing targeted distributions to households and partner warehouses. Since 7/20, when some food entry through the crossings resumed, less than 35% of the 2,000 MT of food supplies required daily to meet basic needs has been allowed entry. Israel still prohibits entry of cooking gas.
9/17, the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) reported significant disruption to internet and landline services in Gaza City and North Gaza following damage to fiber-optic cables They warned that further damage or repair delays could cause a full communications collapse, threatening public safety and ending coordination.
Health Care & Hospitals
The MoH reported that blood bags, blood transfusion tools, and testing equipment have reached zero levels. The Health Cluster reported there are only 1,793 in-patient hospital beds in all of Gaza, causing occupancy rates of 180-300% in the 17 (of 36) hospitals remaining (partially) functional. Lack of fuel threatens the operation of facilities and ambulances in Gaza City.
UNFPA warned that maternal healthcare for 23,000 pregnant women in Gaza City is at risk of imminent shutdown. Every week, at least 15 women deliver outside a hospital or health facility, without a skilled birth attendant, risking the lives of both mothers and newborns.
As of 9/13, 88 Health Cluster partners support 207 of 236 partially functioning health facilities: 17 hospitals, 10 field hospitals, 66 PHCs, and 113 medical points.
Both WHO and MSF called for the medical evacuation of over 15,600 critically ill patients. While over 7,640 patients have been evacuated since 10/2023, WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus said that more than 700 people (140 children) have died waiting for evacuation. This week, 30 patients along with 98 accompaniers were evacuated.
According to WHO, a total of 793 attacks on health care were recorded as of 9/11, 125 of which affected health facilities, damaging 34 hospitals. On 9/14, PRCS reported Israeli forces targeted a residential building only 50 meters from Al Quds Hospital (Gaza City), damaging to the hospital, administrative offices, and neighboring buildings. WHO decried the 9/16 attack on Al Rantisi Children's Hospital (Gaza City) which damaged rooftop water tanks, electrical and communication systems, and medical equipment. Forty patients fled and 40 remained, including 4 children in the pediatric ICU and 8 newborns.
7 children died this week at Nasser Medical Complex, including premature infants in incubators, due to power outages, maternal malnutrition, and the ongoing impacts of war. One infant died after a delayed delivery caused by the killing of the attending doctor. (Dropsite 9/16)
Gaza MoH is accusing the Israeli military of deliberately thwarting attempts by WHO to bring fuel to hospitals. The ministry said Israeli forces have prevented WHO from using alternative routes for deliveries to Gaza City and other northern hospitals: “Preventing the supply of fuel needed to operate generators in Gaza’s hospitals means a complete halt to health services… The shutdown of the central oxygen station and ambulances in Gaza Governorate means we are facing a serious health and humanitarian disaster.” (Dropsite 9/17)
Dr. Mohammed Saqr, director of nursing at Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis, says medical workers are starving like the rest of the population and have nothing left to give amid hundreds of deaths and injuries each day. “We are psychologically unstable, because we see [the] execution of civilians on a daily basis… We have no beds. We have to put patients on the ground — no supplies, no instruments. And things will go worse when the Israeli evacuation orders [displace] the Gaza City [residents] to come here to Khan Younis concentration camp.” here
Displacement and the Struggle to Survive
The Site Management Cluster (SMC), reports that most of the 246,800+ displacement movements recorded since 8/14 came from Gaza City. Yet, most areas in southern Gaza are already overcrowded, lacking dignified shelters and safe sanitation, and services are insufficient to accommodate the needs of people already there. “Deciding whether to stay or leave is an almost impossible choice for people exhausted by war, with no guarantee of shelter or safety in the south,” said CARE.
Gaza officials dispute Israel’s claim that 350,000 have fled Gaza City and the north, saying about 190,000 were displaced south — 15,000 of whom have since returned due to the lack of basic necessities. They report that the Mawasi “safe zone” in the south holds 800,000 people under repeated airstrikes, with no hospitals or clean water. They accuse Israel, the US, and allies of forcing 1.7 million people into 12% of the territory, calling it a plan to empty Gaza City and the north, and demand urgent UN action to protect civilians. (Dropsite 9/17)
At least 2 people were killed and others injured moving along the Israeli-mandated “safe” route south. UNOSAT shows 77% of Gaza’s roads are damaged. Transportation costs are prohibitively expensive (from 950 ILS/US$256 to 5,600 ILS/$1,500), forcing many to flee on foot, including people with mobility challenges. Displaced families undertake 12-hour journeys in extreme heat, with limited access to basic services, creating additional hardship and risks, particularly for injured persons, children, and elders.
Once arrived, many find no available shelter, limited water supply, and a lack of services. Displacement sites and tent areas continue to be targets of Israeli attacks. Despite stocks at the border, very limited quantities of tents and materials have been allowed into Gaza, less than 1% of what is needed. No shelter aid has been permitted to enter northern Gaza. The overcrowding makes distribution of aid even more difficult, as trucks are hindered in getting to distribution points and crowd control becomes a concern.
The so-called “evacuation of civilians” is a trail of bombs and death. Gaza is being wiped off the map, stone by stone. "Words are losing their meaning and can no longer convey what is happening." Every person in Gaza today – whether displaced, injured, or burying their children; searching for a free patch of ground to pitch a tent – is a survivor of previous invasions, strikes and wars. Every person in Gaza has known every kind of fear. What Israel euphemistically calls the "evacuation of civilians from Gaza City" is accompanied by a relentless barrage of airstrikes, shellings, and explosions. Residents provide a first-hand account of the horrors in Gaza. here
Israeli attacks on 10 PHC clinics in the past 2 weeks limited care in Gaza City, as did the destruction of 5 Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces. 11 UNRWA facilities, including 9 schools and 2 health centers sheltering 11,000 people in Gaza City, were struck between 9/11-16. The UNRWA Gaza Field Office was hit and UNRWA’s only functioning health center north of Wadi Gaza was forced due to attacks on 9/13. As of 9/16, UNRWA still operates 29 shelters (4,500 families) in Gaza City and 3 medical points.
Nutrition screening and treatment services have been reduced amid insecurity, the closure of 2 UNRWA-managed health facilities, and the inability of staff to report to duty. Water trucking and solid waste management has also been interrupted.
With over 1 million women and girls being repeatedly displaced, safety has become an illusion. UN Women notes: “each move has meant searching for a small piece of land, often at unbearable rental costs, and many families end up building makeshift tents.” Escalating hostilities, the destruction of safe spaces, overcrowded shelters, and shortages of dignity kits and menstrual hygiene items leave women and girls without basic support. UN Women underscores the scale of this deprivation: “Hygiene is another daily indignity. With sanitary pads largely unavailable or unaffordable, and no privacy, nearly 700,000 women and girls of reproductive age struggle to manage menstruation, often in overcrowded or unsafe facilities.” Since 10/2023, nearly 89% of women-led organizations in Gaza have had offices destroyed and aid workers killed. here
Children
UNICEF’s Edouard Beigbeder stated that the Israeli military offensive in Gaza City is “already resulting in disproportionate civilian casualties and driving the near total collapse of the remaining lifelines children need to survive.” Estimating that 450,000 children in Gaza City will suffer “devastating, compounding harms – killing and maiming of civilians, including children, destruction of homes, schools and vital water systems – running the risk of effectively rendering the city uninhabitable.” With nowhere safe to go to, children “could starve to death” along with preterm babies in incubators, injured children in ICUs, and children with disabilities. Child protection services have been forced out of Gaza City and Deir al Balah.
UNICEF notes acutely malnourishment increased from 8.3% (July) to 13.5% (August); in Gaza city, where famine was confirmed last month, the increase was even higher, at 19%, up from 16% in July. As of 9/17, 28,000 cases of acute malnutrition among <5s were identified by Nutrition Cluster partners in July and August, exceeding the combined total of malnutrition cases identified in the first 6 months of 2025 (23,000 cases). The severity of cases also increased: 23% (6,400 of 28,000) suffered severe acute malnutrition, up from 15% (3,400 of 23,000) between Jan-June 2025. Ongoing military operations and displacement further derails efforts to detect, treat and care for acute malnutrition. As of 9/16, 18 of 50 treatment centers in Gaza City were closed. The WFP’s Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program has been on hold due to lack of supplements (LNS-MQ). UNICEF supplies were sufficient for only 13% of the 290,000 children and 14% of the 150,000 PBW in need of nutrition support.
Water & Sanitation
As of 9/9, 69% (520 of 756) of northern WASH facilities are in areas under displacement or militarized. Since 9/11, all coordinated requests for water trucking have been denied, and access to Mekorot filling stations is blocked, further limiting availability. Additionally, 1 of 3 Mekorot pipelines is operating below capacity due to a leak, resulting in a 25% reduction in supply. Fuel delivery has been blocked since 9/11, making future supply precarious.
9/13, the Bani Suhaila Mekorot waterline to Khan Younis was repaired, and the new UAE-funded desalination plant from Egypt to Rafah is now operating, though only at 20% of intended capacity. The Bani Said Mekorot waterline to Deir al Balah remains non-functional after Israeli damage in January. 6 desalination plants in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah now generate trucked water for 400,000 people.
9 field labs are now providing water quality testing and public health protection.
Israeli bombardments and military activity in Gaza City severely damaged the sewers, causing overflow in the streets and increasing the threat from the Sheikh Radwan lagoon.
Solid waste accumulation in northern residential and shelter areas is exacerbating public health risks, worsened by Israeli denial of entry to rodenticides and treatment chemicals. In the south, solid waste management efforts continue with 5 temporary dump sites, presently at 80-95% capacity. Al Bureij and An Nuseirat face significant health and environmental risk due to military blocked waste sites and unsafe disposal practices. Only 20% of waste collection vehicles are functional due to the lack of preventive maintenance, spare tires, and batteries.
WEST BANK, including EAST JERUSALEM
In the past week, 2 West Bank Palestinians were killed and 39 (5 children) injured, as were 4 Israelis. So far this year, 186 Palestinians were killed, as were 16 Israelis (6 soldiers).
For more West Bank information: here
Israeli Attacks
Between 9/9-15, 36 search and arrest operations were carried out across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
9/10, Israeli forces encircled a residential area in Jenin while reportedly arresting a Palestinian man. The 4-hour raid shut 33 schools and a kindergarten, affecting 12,000 students. An Israeli sniper shot a 14-year-old riding a bicycle; he remains in critical condition.
After Palestinians damaged a jeep and injured 2 Israeli soldiers with an improvised explosive device (IED), Israeli forces fired on Palestinians, injuring 1, and launched a 24-hour, large-scale operation in Tulkarm on 9/11. Israeli forces closed the city, arrested about 1,000 Palestinians from streets, homes and businesses, and converted several houses into military posts. They continue to maintain a heavy presence in Tulkarm.
9/12, Israeli police claim a Shu’fat Camp (East Jerusalem) resident, working in an Israeli hotel near Jerusalem, stabbed 2 Israelis in the hotel restaurant. Immediately arrested, Israeli forces later ransacked his home, interrogated his family, and opened fire on passing vehicles, injuring 2 people.
9/13, a man died from wounds sustained the day before when Israeli forces and settlers fired on Palestinians at the entrance to Deir Jarir village (Ramallah), also wounding 2 others.
9/15, Israeli forces shot and killed a man from Silat adh Dhahr village (Jenin) attempting to cross the Barrier to East Jerusalem. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 others in the same area on 9/11 & 9/13, also trying to enter East Jerusalem. Due to the withdrawal of most Israeli-issued work permits after 10/2023, there have been more than 160 such incidents, resulting in the killing of 13 Palestinians and the injury of 150. This year, 78 incidents have led to 4 fatalities and 74 injuries.
9/16, undercover Israeli forces raided Qalqiliya and surrounded the homes of two Palestinians, who were both shot, arrested, and died in custody. A 14-year-old boy was also shot in the head and taken to hospital. The bodies of the 2 men were withheld, as 3 others detained were released the next day.
Demolitions & Displacement
In the first 2 weeks of September, Israel displaced 133 West Bank Palestinians: 59 whose homes were demolished for lacking impossible-to-obtain building permits, 38 whose homes were destroyed on punitive grounds, and 36 due to settler violence and access restrictions.
9/9-10, 3 houses were punitively demolished in Tubas governorate; on 9/9 and 9/14, 3 houses were punitively demolished in Tulkarm, Hebron and Salfit, governates; on 9/12, 2 houses were sealed and a wall demolished in Jerusalem governate. Punitive demolitions are prohibited under international law. Since 2009, over 1,000 Palestinians have been displaced due to the demolition or sealing of 211 structures on punitive grounds across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Nearly 40% of these incidents happened since October 2023. So far in 2025, Israeli authorities punitively demolished or sealed 38 structures across the West Bank, compared with 23 structures in 2024 and 17 structures in 2023 for the same parallel periods.
Access restrictions
During the first 2 weeks of September, Israeli forces installed 27 new closures across the West Bank, including 18 road gates (currently open), 8 earth mounds, and concrete blocks, mostly at the entrances of towns and villages. These obstacles restrict Palestinian freedom of movement, hinder access to livelihoods, healthcare, education, and other essential services, entrench territorial and social fragmentation, and contribute to worsening humanitarian conditions, and disrupt access to key transportation routes. Of the 27 closures, 7 mounds were installed across 6 villages in the Biddu Barrier enclave in Jerusalem governorate following a shooting attack in East Jerusalem on 9/8.
5 gates in Bethlehem governorate threaten to isolate 2 villages of 10,500 residents and block access to Bethlehem and the route connecting the southern and northern West Bank.
5 gates in Hebron governorate threaten to further isolate Yatta town and surrounding herding communities in Masafer Yatta from Hebron and from each other, as well as from their main north–south artery. Gates also risk cutting Al ‘Arrub refugee camp from nearby villages and from Hebron city and its services.
9 earth barriers in Jerusalem governorate cut off 6 villages in the Biddu Barrier enclave from key internal routes and access to agricultural land. 2 new road gates threaten to isolate 3 villages and prevent access to the main road.
6 new gates in Ramallah governorate can prevent 20,000 residents in 5 villages from connecting with each other and with Ramallah city.
In Salfit governorate, Israeli forces installed concrete blocks that stop Deir Istiya residents from reaching Zeita Jamma’in town. In Tubas governorate, Israeli forces built an earth mound preventing the Al Hadidiya herding community from accessing agricultural and grazing lands.
Intensification of Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities
25 settler attacks last week killed 1 and injured 13, displaced 4 families, and damaged property.
Setters injured 5 people in Hebron governorate, including a man whose leg was amputated after being shot by settlers in April during their attack on his land in Ar Rakeez village in the Masafer Yatta area. A woman was assaulted in her house in At Tuwani village. Three others were injured by settlers in the H2 area of Hebron city and in Masafer Bani Na’im.
Of the 25 incidents, 4 were arson attacks on 9/11 & 13, damaging 2 residential structures and 2 vehicles, and displacing a family. In Al Maniya village (Bethlehem), settlers attempted burn down a house with the residents inside. They did burn a vehicle. In 2 incidents in Ramallah governorate, settlers set an under-constructions house in Deir Dibwan village on fire and poured gas on a parked vehicle near Atara village. On the outskirts of Ma'azi Jaba' Bedouin community (Jerusalem), 10 settlers were caught on camera setting a residential structure on fire, completely destroying the house and its contents. The 5 family members (3 children) were rescued and relocated by community members.
3 consecutive days of raids by settlers threatened families in Wadi Abu Ayyash in Arab ar Rashayida al Barriya community (Bethlehem) to leave their homes or face death. 3 families (28 people, 22 children) fled, taking only their herds and a few belongings. Since October 2023, over 3,000 Palestinians, including more than 1,500 children, have been displaced across the West Bank by settler attacks and access restrictions.
Education-related Incidents
9/13, Israeli forces raided 2 secondary schools over the weekend in As Samu’ town (Hebron). First they raided the town, arrested 2 school principals, took them to the schools and forced them to open the schools. Soldiers detained them for 2 hours as they broke doors, damaged the buildings, and confiscated educational materials. An Education Cluster report documented 72 incidents during the 2024–2025 academic year when Israeli forces attacked West Bank schools in Hebron (14 incidents), Salfit (11), Bethlehem (8), Tulkarm and Nablus (7 each), and Jenin and Tubas (6 each). “These repeated intrusions disrupted educational activities and significantly undermined the safety and well-being of both students and staff. The presence of armed forces within school premises instils fear among students and educators, often leading to early dismissals or complete shutdowns. Over time, such disruptions erode trust in the learning environment and contribute to long-term psychological distress.”
9/14, Israeli forces raided several Hebron homes around midnight and arrested 30 students along with the 2 deans of Hebron University and the Palestine Polytechnic University. Handcuffed and blindfolded, the detainees were held for 3 hours in the yards of the 2 universities as the Israeli forces searched the premises, and warned them against “incitement” activities, threatening prolonged detention.
9/11, Israeli forces issued a demolition order against Zweidin Secondary Boys School in the Bedouin community of Umm ad Daraj (Hebron), for lacking an Israeli-issued building permit in Area C, placing the education of 150 students from 3 Bedouin communities at risk and affecting 13 teachers. 85 schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are under demolition orders for lacking permits: 55 face full demolition, while 30 are subject to partial demolition orders. The 1,089 teachers at these schools serve 13,005 students.
9/14, Israeli forces broke into Al Jalazun Refugee Camp (Ramallah) during school hours, disrupting classes for 2,000 students to install an additional metal fence on top of the barrier separating the camp from the adjacent Israeli settlement of Beit El.
ISRAEL
Mahmoud Hassan Al-Wardian, 61, was released from Israeli detention on 9/12 in critical condition after 3 weeks in interrogation cells. Prisoners’ groups say he suffered severe torture and video shows him rushed to a hospital immediately after release. Rights groups warn his case reflects a broader crackdown, with 20,000 Palestinians detained in the West Bank since 10/2023, many held without charge and subjected to systematic abuse. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
Israeli warplanes carried out 12 airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port, damaging several ports. (Dropsite 9/17)
17 young Israelis have been jailed for publicly refusing the draft since the war started, including Tal Mitnick, imprisoned for 185 days and Itamar Greenberg, held for 200 days, the longest sentence for a conscientious objector in over a decade. Their cases signal a hardening of the army’s stance; according to Mesarvot, the military appears to have abandoned its previous policy of releasing refusers after 120 days, making extended prison terms the new norm. (+972)
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) calls for respectful, dignified, independent, systematic, and long-term aid campaign that addresses immediate needs and rebuilds Gaza’s healthcare system. Asks include the demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire,
the essential precondition for any meaningful humanitarian response.
1. Lift the siege and guarantee Free Movement
2. Establish a humanitarian corridor between Gaza and the West Bank
3. Restore water, sanitation, fuel supply, and safe food preparation
4. Reinstate UN-led food distribution with full population-wide coverage
5. Protect humanitarian infrastructure and staff
6. Establish independent accountability
7. Commit to long-term rehabilitation
Former Israeli army commander Herzi Halevi confirmed that more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured in the war in Gaza, and that “not once” in the course of the conflict were military operations inhibited by legal advice. The retired general told a community meeting that more than 10% of Gaza’s 2.2 million population had been killed or injured – “more than 200,000 people.” That estimate is notable as it is close to the current figures provided by Gaza’s health ministry, which Israeli officials have frequently dismissed as Hamas propaganda, though the ministry figures have been deemed reliable by international humanitarian agencies. (The Guardian, Portside)
Israel launched a new series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday including on Mais al-Jabal, Debbine, Kfar Tebnit, Shehabieh, and Bint Jbeil, with footage showing a strike hitting Debbine in Marjayoun district. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon denounced the Israeli attacks, calling them violations of Security Council resolutions that "further undermine civilians’ confidence that a non-violent solution is possible.” (Drop Site 9/19)
UNITED STATES
A 13-member delegation of New York–area police chiefs and commissioners visited Israel under a Ministry for Diaspora Affairs program, “Birthright for American police chiefs.” They toured Kfar Aza and 10/7 attack sites, experienced air-raid sirens, met with Israeli security officials, and were briefed on new policing tech. Officials said they’ll bring lessons home to “protect Jewish communities,” raising concern that militarized tactics honed under occupation could be applied in New York. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
The House passed an $848 billion defense bill loaded with anti-BDS and pro-Israel measures, including amendments barring Pentagon contractors that boycott Israel, an expansion of billions in joint weapons programs, and plans to further militarize Gaza’s border with Egypt. Lawmakers folded in provisions to shield Israeli officials from ICC warrants, boost US–Israel missile defense and arms integration, and condition federal funds on campus crackdowns against pro-Palestine advocacy. Separately, a bill allowing the State Dept. to revoke passports based on accusations of “terrorism support” is moving forward, raising civil liberties alarms. The measures mark the most sweeping expansions of state power against domestic dissent in years. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
Sludge reports that SKDK, a Democratic PR firm with ties to Biden advisers and Sen. Chuck Schumer, signed a $600K contract with Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The plan, filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, involves a “bot-based program” to amplify pro-Israel content on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, likely using automation. SKDK will also train Israeli spokespeople, test influencer campaigns, and lobby major outlets for favorable coverage. Parent company Stagwell, founded by Likud ally Mark Penn, is deploying GOP affiliate Targeted Victory to support Israel’s messaging. (Dropsite 9/16)
House Oversight Chair James Comer and Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review US businessman and activist Neville Roy Singham and the networks he funds, alleging he acts as a “CCP agent” supporting US left-wing groups. The letter claims nearly $1.8M has gone to organizations including Code Pink, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and BreakThrough Media, which they accuse of spreading disinformation and pro-China narratives. The committee is seeking asset freezes, FARA enforcement, and criminal penalties, framing these groups as threats to national security. (Dropsite 9/17)
United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on 9/18 that called for an immediate unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, the release of captives, and the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid delivery, the 6th time the US has vetoed such a resolution. The resolution was backed by 14 of the Council’s 15 members, including all 10 elected members. The draft also expressed alarm at the deepening civilian suffering, famine, and the intensified assault on Gaza City. (Palestine Chronicle 9/18)
A new report by the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) compares racist Israeli propaganda about a supposed sexual threat from Palestinian men to the Jim Crow era South. Israel is “falsifying claims” of Palestinian rape against Israelis on October 7, 2023 to “to justify a further genocide” in Gaza, a groundbreaking new report says. Published by SVPA this week, the report documents how Israel is deploying “wartime rape propaganda” and the “weaponization of sexual violence as a tool of war” in Palestine. The report deploys a framework the group has dubbed SORVO – Systemic Oppression, Reverse Victim and Offender: “a tactic employed by oppressive groups to weaponize sexual violence, and accusations thereof, to justify their oppression.” (Electronic Intifada 9/19)
As Israel mounts a major Gaza offensive, President Trump has neither publicly urged restraint nor endorsed the action, which the New York Times suggests is an an implicit green light for Netanyahu to proceed. (NYT 9/17)
Bernie Sanders in the Nation: Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people. The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. I recognize that many people may disagree with this conclusion. The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear. We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people -- no more U.S. military aid to the extremist Netanyahu government.
An immigration judge in Louisiana on 9/17 ordered the deportation of Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application. Khalil’s lawyers say they plan to challenge the order. Khalil remains free after a federal district court ordered the government not to deport him as his federal court case proceeds. (Democracy Now 9/18)
US Universities
University of California, Berkeley, disclosed it provided the federal government with names of 160 students, faculty, and staff connected to alleged antisemitic incidents, complying with a Trump investigation into how universities handle such complaints. Prominent professor (and JVP member) Judith Butler received a letter about the disclosure. They called the move a “breach of trust” and likened it to McCarthy-era blacklists, warning the move could threaten jobs, academic freedom, and visa status for international students. (Dropsite 9/15/25)
University of California: A coalition filed suit to stop "the unlawful threat of federal funding cuts not authorized by law to illegally coerce the UC into suppressing free speech and academic freedom rights, implementing harmful federal policies on the Trump administration’s behalf, and otherwise violating the constitutional and state law rights of UC faculty, students, academic employees, and staff employees." (Read complaint here). here
A Statement From US Jews Opposing Trump’s Attacks on Colleges and Students. As the new academic year begins, more than 100 prominent Jewish Americans have signed a statement r voicing strong opposition to the Trump administration’s policy of “disingenuously” using accusations of antisemitism to facilitate attacks on colleges and the detention and deportation of campus activists. “We write, specifically, as Jewish Americans who condemn the charge of antisemitism being leveled against student activists—many of whom are Jewish—for their legitimate criticisms of Israel’s violence in Gaza and their universities’ connections to the Israeli occupation.” here
INTERNATIONAL
A coalition of 84 humanitarian and human rights groups launched a campaign particularly calling on members of the EU and the UK to ban all commercial or investment activities related to Israeli settlements in Palestine. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner. They also call for a ban on financial institutions providing loans to companies involved in projects within the settlements. The report highlights "how foreign states and corporations, through ongoing trade with illegal settlements, directly enable the humanitarian crisis driven by Israel’s prolonged occupation. With a focus on the EU and its member states and the UK, it addresses the urgent need for a ban on settlement trade as a mechanism to uphold international law, protect Palestinian livelihoods, and halt and reverse Israel’s settlement expansion and end its unlawful occupation." (Dropsite 9/15/25)
Britain will bar all Israelis, civilian and military, from enrolling at the Royal College of Defense Studies starting next year, citing Israel’s escalating war on Gaza and the UK’s commitment to international humanitarian law. The move is the first in the school’s 100-year history and comes as criticism grows over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It drew criticism from a former Israeli defense official, who called it “discriminatory” and “a betrayal of an ally at war.” (Dropsite 9/15/25)
Spain canceled a €700M arms deal with Israel’s Elbit Systems for 12 rocket launchers, after already suspending a €287M missile contract. Officials say Madrid is moving to phase out Israeli weapons entirely, citing Gaza war concerns. The decision comes as Spain rolls out wider sanctions, including an arms embargo, transport bans, and new Gaza aid; the Spanish PM also called for Israel to be banned from all international sporting contests . The University of Valencia student union also reached an agreement with the university administration to sever all ties with Israel. (Dropsite 9/16)
European Commission proposed suspending some of the free-trade arrangements on Israeli goods due to the war on Gaza. In a statement, EU said the proposal came as a result of Israel's “blockade of humanitarian aid, the intensifying of military operations, and the decision of the Israeli authorities to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank." If passed, tariffs will be put on 37% of the €15.9 billion of Israeli goods imported to the EU, amounting to about €230 million ($166 million). The EU, Israel’s largest trading partner, currently levies no tariffs on that set of Israeli goods due to an EU-Israel Association Agreement. (Dropsite 9/17)
Gaza Flotilla: The Barcelona and Tunisian convoy now numbers 24 ships sailing in international waters through the Malta channel off Sicily. They are moving steadily to join a group of 18 Italian ships. (Dropsite 9/17)
SOURCES
OCHAOPT OHCHR,, +972, Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work, British Medical Journal, Democracy Now, Doctors Against Genocide, Drop Site News, Electronic Intifada, The Guardian, Haaretz, Health Policy, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, the Lancet, Mondoweiss, the Nation, New Arab, New York Times, Palestine Chronicle, PLOS, Portside, Sludge