Urgent Health Update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem - September 6, 2025
ACTION ITEMS
1. Stop Starving Gaza and Block the Bombs. Join with the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights by calling your genocidal Congresspeople and telling them to change their votes, stop starving Gaza. here
2. Attend the Doctors Against Genocide 2nd Annual Conference, 9/20-21, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Genocide and mass atrocities inflict devastating public health consequences: destruction of healthcare systems, starvation, denial of care, and the resurgence of preventable disease. This conference will bring together medical professionals, academics, advocates, and humanitarian leaders to confront these urgent challenges. Register Now: here
3. Physicians for Human Rights Israel has produced the attached briefing on the unwillingness of the Israeli Medical Association to take any meaningful steps to protect Gazan health workers, prevent torture in Israeli detention or speak out on the destruction of the Gazan Health System
The documented pattern of complicity, silence, and active endorsement of violations by the Israeli Medical Association constitutes a grave breach of the fundamental ethical principles of the medical profession.
Medical associations worldwide should demand that the IMA –
· Publicly condemn and independently investigate abuses committed by its members.
· Affirm and enforce the principle of non-discrimination in medical treatment.
· Oppose attacks on medical facilities and personnel.
· Support independent investigations into war crimes and medical ethics violations.
· Act to protect Palestinian medical staff—its own members, and in Gaza—through pressure on the Israeli government, institutional partnerships, advocacy and protection measures.
WEBINARS
JVP HAC webinar: Fast and Slow Genocide: Gaza and the West Bank, 9/7, 1 pm EDT, with PHR I’s Aseel Aburass and Mark Perlmutter. This is our first webinar to be available bilingually, in English and Spanish! Please share with your Spanish-speaking compañeros so we can continue this practice. Register: here
2nd PALESTINIAN HEALTH ALLIANCE Symposium, titled “The Gaza Strip in the Grip of Genocide: Death, Starvation and Trauma”. Remotely via Zoom 9/30, 9/30, 2-4pm Palestine, noon GMT, 4am Eastern, 1am Pacific To register use the link no later than 9/26. here
EVENT
Voices for Gaza, sponsored by Inara, 9/21/25, 7:30 pm, The Town Hall, NYC, with Viet Thanh Nguyen, Mosab Abu Toha, Hala Alyan, Hannah Lillith Assadi, & Seema Jilani, in conversation with John Freeman, for tix: here
RADIO
Ahmed Alnaouq discusses his new book, co-edited with Pam Bailey, We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza's Youth. here
PHOTO GALLERY
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is the source of much of the information in these updates. They just published a moving collection of 27 photos from 16 photojournalists, including Mariam Abu Dagga, killed in the Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital 8/24. View it here:
REPORTS
International Association of Genocide Scholars: Declares that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948); Declares that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; Calls upon the government of Israel to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attacks against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population; Calls upon the government of Israel to comply with the Provisional Measures orders of the International Court of Justice. See full report: here
Palestine Center for Human Rights Report on the targeted killing of journalists and media institutions during the Gaza genocide. here
JOURNALS
Commentaries
Lancet: Calls out the World Medical Association’s selective silence and failure to condemn Israel’s systematic destruction of Gaza’s health care infrastructure, in contrast to its denunciation of other recent attacks on health systems and workers such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Iran missile strike on Soroka Medical Centre in Israel. They conclude that “selective accountability weakens not only the right to health in Gaza, but the credibility of international medical ethics.” here
Lancet: The authors describe how the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is used as a “deliberate system of control for the purposes of forced displacement and collective punishment” which, since 5/27/25, has killed nearly 900 people and wounded thousands more. The authors question the oversight and legitimacy of “privatized aid regimes in conflict zones” and emphasize that “GHF’s actions might constitute violations of international humanitarian and criminal law—including complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.” here
BMJ Global Health: Dr. Yousef Barakat, a critical care physician at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza discusses how Israel’s systematic attacks on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure have “led to the collapse of critical care services, forced extreme triage decisions, and driven staff to psychological burnout.” Dr. Barakat discusses the “urgent need for international protection of healthcare in war zones, development of wartime critical care protocols and long-term investment in critical care under war conditions.” here
Lancet: Members of the international medical community call on the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) to support independent international investigation of medical practices in Israeli detention facilities. The authors state, “allegations regarding physicians’ complicity in torture, medical neglect, and denial of life-saving treatment to detainees at facilities such as Assuta Hospital and the Sde Teiman detention facility raise serious concerns about potential violations of (IMA) standards” and emphasize that “the credibility of medical ethics depends on implementation, not articulation.” here
Lancet Global Health: How the genocide in Gaza has exposed key shortcomings in WHO’s emergency medical teams (EMT) initiative. Specifically, how “WHO’s EMT 2030 Strategy does not acknowledge the role of EMTs as advocates or that EMTs could be witnesses to human rights violations and therefore does not reference the wider responsibilities associated with such witnessing.” The author emphasizes that this role is particularly important in contexts like Gaza where Israel has systematically obstructed humanitarian access and healthcare workers may be some of the only witnesses to human rights violations. Author concludes that “If WHO seeks to promote its EMT initiative as a leading crisis-related surge mechanism globally, it is imperative that EMTs are aware of their moral, political, and legal obligations beyond the direct provision of medically competent care.” here
Affilia: Members of the Affilia Editorial Board and governing board, acknowledge the feminist journal’s “prolonged silence” on the genocide in Gaza and its complicity “with acts of genocidal violence, as well as the historical harms perpetrated against the Palestinian people.” Authors are committing “to ongoing political (personal) engagement with Palestine as a critical feminist issue for social work scholars. We are refusing to be silenced by weaponized conflations of Zionism and Judaism. We are insisting that feminist scholars whose lived experiences and/or areas of work do not include Palestine or Palestinian struggle do, in fact, know enough about power and violence to recognize settler colonialism, epistemic injustice, and genocide. Our responsibility…is to name and make these connections explicit and to act from that recognition.” here
Medicine, Conflict, and Survival: A discussion of the unique challenges to medical research ethics in active war and conflict zones and describe potential adaptations that can ensure the continuation of important research. The authors emphasize that “This is the reality in Gaza: where bombs fall as often as the need arises for granular medical data to inform humanitarian responses, traditional safeguards, particularly for pediatric research, have become impossible. Informed consent and IRBs have become roadblocks. In such situations, there must be a willingness to temporarily waive or reconfigure adherence to traditional, Western-based, research ethical norms. Alternative, non-Western ethical frameworks exist including those grounded in Islamic bioethics, Confucian ethics in parts of East Asia, and community-based consent practices common in many parts of the world including regions of sub-Saharan Africa may be relevant. These emphasize variations on communal welfare, verbal consent processes, and contextually relevant safeguards that may be tailored to local cultural and religious contexts.” here
Medicine, Conflict, and Survival: The destruction of Gaza’s health care infrastructure and workforce has impacted the management of scoliosis. The authors describe how “the unrestricted movement of aid would…enable the delivery of radiography and MRI machines, enhancing the standard of care for scoliosis and other congenital diseases” and emphasize that “a ceasefire would alleviate the burdens on scoliosis patients by improving both diagnosis and management of the condition.” here
Research Articles
Clinical Microbiology and Infection: An observational cohort study compared the rates and molecular characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) between Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip and a local pediatric population both receiving treatment at Sidra Medicine in Doha, Qatar. The Gaza cohort showed a nearly 42-fold higher crude incidence rate ratio of colonization. Moreover, nearly 89% of isolates from the Gaza cohort displayed difficult-to-treat resistance phenotype, compared to 38% among the local pediatric population in Doha. The authors conclude that their study “highlights the potential risk posed by conflict-related health emergencies in the silent spread of multidrug-resistant organisms, particularly high-risk global lineages exhibiting DTR, within the healthcare systems of host countries.” here
Lancet eClinicalMedicine: A retrospective chart review of pediatric oncology patients treated at August Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem between January 2018 and June 2024, found significant regional differences among children from Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Most of the patients lost to follow up were living in Gaza (71.4%) and Gaza patients had the lowest 3-year overall survival and event-free survival compared to patients living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The authors also emphasize that “only one patient was received from Gaza in the first six months of 2024…suggesting that the true survival rate may be even lower than reported…Patients from Gaza also accounted for 92% of those unaccompanied by parents likely due to being denied permits, exacerbating the emotional and logistical burdens of care.” here
Digital Health: A qualitative case study examined the use of digital health technology using observational data and testimonies from 20 healthcare workers in Gaza and the West Bank between April-October 2024. “In the West Bank, restricted EMR access and training for visiting healthcare workers resulted in medical students serving as scribes, while EMR crashes caused delays in healthcare delivery. In Gaza, the devastated healthcare infrastructure has resulted in the use of paper records and cell phone photos to store patient data.” The authors conclude that “high-income country actors and NGOs should resist the allure of short-cycle deployments and instead invest in capacity-building pipelines that cultivate Palestinian expertise and codify shared data-stewardship frameworks” and emphasize that “re-establishing a Palestinian-governed, interoperable health-information network is therefore more than a technical upgrade: it is a humanitarian imperative that underwrites the population’s right to health and the credibility of global relief efforts.” here
Frontiers in Psychology: A participatory qualitative research study conducted with Palestinian youth living in occupied East Jerusalem examined experiences of, and responses to, continuous traumatic stress in the context of intensified political violence. Interviews conducted with 24 Palestinian youth between the ages of 12-19 and eight adult parents and professionals found that “structural violence is internalized, embodied, and transmitted across generations, creating a persistent emotional climate of fear and insecurity.” The authors call for policies that “prioritize rights-based interventions, including accessible psychosocial support and protective legal frameworks that counter systemic oppression, surveillance, and discrimination.” here
UNITED NATIONS
UN reported it cannot confirm that any shelter supplies have reached Gaza since 3/2, despite Israel’s pledge to allow aid amid orders to forcibly displace nearly a million Palestinians from Gaza City. There has been no change since last week’s report, which also recorded zero deliveries. Even before this latest displacement wave, 1.4 million Palestinians were in urgent need of shelter assistance. …8/14–31, over 82,000 people in Gaza were newly displaced, including 30,000 from the north to the south, facing overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. UN-coordinated humanitarian missions faced significant obstacles, with nearly half delayed or unsuccessful. (Drop Site 9/4)
GAZA
Israeli forces continue air, land and sea bombardment of homes, schools and IDP tents, and intensified the offensive against the ~1 million people crowded into northern Gaza, especially Gaza City. Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, 856,000 people have been displaced, 23,000 last week. Since 5/27, Israeli targeting (with US mercenary support) of Palestinians seeking food has killed 2,339 and injured 17,070. 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: 367 (54 this week), including 131 children
This week: 571 Palestinians killed, 2,318 injured
Since 10/07/2023: 63,746+ killed, 161,245+ injured.
Israeli soldiers in Gaza: 456 killed (1 this week), 2,888 injured (5 this week)
Hostages in Gaza: 48
For more information: here
· To mark 700 days of genocide, Gaza’s health ministry released an updated breakdown of the death toll in Gaza: more than 19,000 children have been killed—among them over 4,800 under the age of five and more than 1,000 infants. For nearly two years, on average, a child has been killed every 52 minutes. (Drop Site 9/5)
· As of 9/2025, data from the Israel Prison Service (IPS) reports 11,040 Palestinians in Israeli custody: 1,540 sentenced prisoners, 3,351 remand detainees, 3,577 administrative detainees (held without trial), and 2,662 “unlawful combatants.” Not included: Palestinians from Gaza detained by Israel since 10/7/2023 (see next item).
· A joint investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian found that Israel is holding roughly 4,500 Palestinians from Gaza as “unlawful combatants,” with only 1 in 4 listed as military operatives. Most detainees—elderly patients, doctors, children, and other civilians—are being held without charge or trial, and subjected to abuse, torture, and overcrowding. Israeli courts approve these mass arrest detentions on secret evidence. Cases include an 82-year-old Alzheimer’s patient and a mother of 3 detained due to mistaken identity, highlighting the arbitrary nature of the detentions.
· Middle East Children’s Alliance: Here are a few key facts you need to know:
-132,000 children under five in Gaza are at risk of dying from acute malnutrition.
-More than 1/3 of households in Gaza face severe hunger. These households often go a whole day and night without eating or go to bed hungry at night.
-90% of children under two consume fewer than two food groups per day. High-protein foods and micronutrient-rich items are extremely scarce, compromising children’s immunity and growth.
-55,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 25,000 infants urgently require nutrition support.
Israeli attacks
· As starvation persists, leading cause of death in Gaza remains airstrikes. 9/1, Israeli strikes on hospital in Khan Yunis killed 22 people. In the 9 minutes between the 1st and 2nd strikes, medical staff and journalists gathered at the site of the 1st strike - the hospital's emergency stairwell – only to be hit by the 2nd deadly strike. The same day, a few km north of the hospital, an Israeli missile struck an IDP tent killing 5 people, including 3 young children; another missile struck a different tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 4 children and 1 adult. During August, the MoH added ~100 people per day to its death toll, most killed by Israeli airstrikes or shelling of displaced persons' tents, homes, and people in the streets. About 30% were killed by gunfire near food distribution centers or aid convoys. here
· Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) reports 2 deaths last week: 8/31, a journalist killed with her husband and children in an Israeli airstrike on their apartment, and 9/2, a photojournalist killed in a strike, both in Gaza City. Since October 2023, 247 media workers have been killed.
· Israeli military has prevented international journalists from entering and reporting on the war, and has decimated Gaza’s own media community. Under international law, journalists should be protected civilians, yet the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says that Israel is “engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented.” (The Guardian 9/1)
· 9/1, a rooftop tent at Al Aqsa Hospital (Deir al Balah) was hit, injuring 2, one of whom died the next day. This marked the 14th time the hospital has been hit.
· 8/28-29, 5 killed in 2 strikes on IDP tents in Khan Younis.
· 8/28 & 31, 12 killed and others injured in 2 strikes on a school and a home in North Gaza.
· 8/28-9, 12 killed (4 children) in IDP tents and homes in Deir al Balah.
· 8/30, 5 killed in Ash Shati’ (Beach) Camp near Gaza City.
· 8/31-9/2, 20 killed (3 children) and others injured in 3 strikes on homes, markets, and IDP tents in Gaza City.
· While seeking food: 8/28 & 31 & 9/2, 24 killed and 20+ injured near the militarized distribution site in Wadi Gaza; 8/29, 3 farmers killed and 1 injured in Deir al Balah; 8/29, a 1 killed fishing off Al Qarara, near Khan Younis; 8/29, 9 killed and others injured at the Zikim crossing area; 8/30, 12 killed (5 children) and others injured in a Gaza City bakery; 8/31, 14 killed waiting for aid near the Morag axis; 8/31, 7 killed seeking aid in As Sudaniya, near Beit Lahiya; 9/2, 10 killed at the militarized distribution site near Khan Younis; 9/2, 9 killed (6 children) killed and others injured while collecting water in the Al Attar area, Al Mawasi.
· Khan Younis (Al-Mawasi): Drone strike killed 11 people queuing for water, including seven children. Around the same time, the Israeli army spokesman was on X urging Palestinians to relocate there, pitching it as “safer” and with “better humanitarian services, particularly food and water.” (Drop Site 9/3)
· Israeli army is destroying about 300 residential units daily in Gaza City and Jabalia, using around 15 robots carrying nearly 100 tons of explosives, according to the latest report from the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. Most are homes and infrastructure in Jabaliya while the army advances with comprehensive destruction toward the heart of Gaza City from the south, east, and north. (Palestine Chronicle 9/1)
Israeli Invasion of Gaza City and Forced Displacement
· 8/29, the Israeli military announced that its (mostly fictional) 10-hour pauses in military activity would no longer apply to Gaza City, now a “dangerous combat zone.” 9/2, they announced that the Al Mawasi area “will witness the provision of better humanitarian services, particularly those related to health care, water, and food;” this pitching it as “safer” appears to be fiction as well. As the Israeli army spokesman was on X urging Palestinians to relocate there, a drone strike killed 11 people (7 children) lining up for water. (Drop Site 9/3) Similar to the 8/17 fictional announcement lifting the ban on entry of tents and emergency housing supplies: only 208 tents have been allowed to enter while more than 86,000 tents, 1 million tarpaulins and sealing-off kits, and 5 million non-food items still await clearance and entry.
· ICRC (Red Cross) President Mirjana Spoljaric warned that a mass evacuation of Gaza City cannot be done safely under current conditions: “Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care. The order would be imposed on civilians who are already traumatized by months of fighting and terrified by what could come next. Many are unable to comply with evacuation orders because they are starving, sick, injured or suffering from physical disabilities. All civilians are protected by international humanitarian law, whether they leave or stay behind, and must be allowed to return home.”
· Government Media Office in Gaza reports that since the launch of Israel’s offensive on Gaza City on August 13, Israel has detonated at least 100 robotic vehicles laden with explosives in the streets and conducted more than 70 airstrikes killing 1,100 Palestinians and wounding 6,008. (Drop Site 9/3)
· Israeli army claims to control 40% of Gaza City and signaled that its offensive will grow even more ferocious in the coming days. UNICEF warned that “the unthinkable” is unfolding as Israel intensified its assault on homes and displacement camps. (Drop Site 9/5)
· Israeli military destroyed the 12-story Mushtaha Tower in densely populated Gaza City. The attack came shortly after IOF Minister Israel Katz posted on social media: "Now the bolt must be removed from the gates of hell in Gaza.” Al Jazeera reported the attack on the building came just 15 minutes after the forced evacuation was ordered. (Drop Site 9/5)
· Israeli quadcopters fired incendiary bombs at two ambulances parked at Sheikh Radwan Clinic, the Civil Defense chief in North Gaza told Drop Site. (9/3)
· Gaza City displacement will affect 7 critical WASH facilities: 3 water wells, 3 wastewater pumping stations, and the Sheikh Radwan Pond, Gaza City’s main rainwater-collection basin. The WASH Cluster has reported that due to ongoing displacement, limited fuel supplies needed to operate water and sanitation facilities, massive destruction or inaccessibility to water and sanitation infrastructure, and the inability to carry out needed repairs, most people receive less than the emergency standard of 15 liters per person per day. Wastewater treatment and pumping as also affected, significantly increasing the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks and groundwater contamination.
· Site Management Cluster statement noted deplorable conditions at displacement sites (severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, lack of water) and highlighted concerns that land in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis is already sheltering thousands of displaced families and cannot adequately accommodate displaced people from Gaza City.
· Military operations in Gaza City threaten the complete disruption of nutrition services; all 12 nutrition sites in North Gaza have already closed.
Famine, Malnutrition & Starvation
· All children <5 in Gaza (about 320,000 children) are at risk for acute malnourishment. With most food items essential for dietary diversity either non-existent or prohibitively expensive, malnutrition among children continues. WFP’s Blanket and Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programs remain on hold due to the lack of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements, leaving approximately 150,000 PBW and 290,000 children without essential nutrition support.
· Nutrition Cluster partners screened 58,617 children in the 1st 2 weeks of August: 5,894 were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 1,840 severe. This year, 42,306 children were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 8,141 severe. 8/22-30, MoH reported 65 deaths due to malnutrition, including 12 children, all but one <5 years old.
· UN data shows 33,000 metric tons (MT) of food supplies collected from the crossings in August; most was taken by hungry crowds or looted by armed gangs. The food entering is about 40% of the 2,000 MT required daily to meet basic food needs. Scarcity and prices remain too high for most families to meet their food needs.
· Cooking gas is still barred from entering Gaza and is not available in markets; firewood is increasingly unaffordable. Many people use scrap wood and waste as alternative cooking sources, exacerbating health and environmental risks.
· 8/25, entry of some animal feed helped sustain the few surviving animals, contributed to water and solid waste transportation, and supported local production of fresh, nutritious food –meat and dairy products –essential for a healthy diet and currently scarce. The IPC Famine Review Committee noted the destruction of domestic food production systems as a key compounding factor. Prior to 10/2023, Gaza was largely self-sufficient in nutritious food.
Health Care and Hospitals
· 8/30, airstrike hit the Al Aqsa Hospital (Deir al Balah), injuring 1 and killing 1. As of 8/6, WHO has recorded 772 health attacks since 10/2023, killing 929 and injuring 1,000.
· Israeli quadcopters fired incendiary bombs at 2 ambulances parked at Sheikh Radwan Clinic, said the Civil Defense chief in North Gaza. (Drop Site, 9/3)
· As of 8/30, the 236 still partially functioning health facilities include: 18 hospitals, 10 field hospitals, 68 PHCs, and 117 medical points. Displacement orders have left only 1 hospital, 1 ambulance and 1 medical point in North Gaza.
· Report on Gaza’s Last Functioning Children’s Hospital, Al Rantisi, Gaza City. here
· UNRWA continues to serve around 132,000 patients with non-communicable diseases despite supply shortages. For instance: Insulin stocks will be exhausted within 1-2 weeks, affecting 16,000 diabetic patients.
· Acute Watery Diarrhea remains the 2nd most reported (37%) health condition. Shortages and entry restrictions of chlorination supplies, including chlorine tablets, prevent household-level water treatment and system-level disinfection (wells, trucking, desalination), reducing water safety and contributing to the surge in diarrheal infections.
· UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reports 40,500 children suffered “new war-related injuries”, leaving more than half—at least 21,000—disabled. (Drop Site 9/3)
· A new viral strain is spreading rapidly, with children the most affected. Symptoms resemble COVID, but the disease is proving deadly as malnutrition and the medical blockade leaves the population with severely weakened immunity. Infections are rising daily, overwhelming hospitals already incapable of handling the surge due to medicine, fuel, and equipment shortages. (Palestine Chronicle 8/31) here
· Dr. Ahmad al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital and a representative of the MoH, said: “Usually, we see about 10 people per day complaining of a viral infection during flu season. But today (9/2), Nasser Hospital received over 140 patients in the pediatrics department, all of them with viral infections.” (Mondoweiss 9/4)
· Gaza mental health workers warn of widespread trauma: "At first, the psychological reactions were acute but predictable — fear, panic, anxiety. Today, we have entered a stage of chronic trauma fatigue, where people live in a state of emotional numbness, loss of meaning, and internal fragmentation. People don’t cry as they did in the early days; instead, they look at you with empty eyes, as if saying goodbye to life without leaving it. There is no expression of emotion. People unconsciously use defense mechanisms such as repression and isolation." here
· The war and blockade of food and aid have made pregnancy dangerous, not only for mothers-to-be, but also for the midwives struggling to serve them. “I work to support pregnant women in this makeshift hospital,” said Renad Salem, a 24-year-old midwife working at a UK-Med facility. “But it feels like I’m the one in desperate need of support.” here
· Lack of medical care and higher cancer rates will not only continue to disproportionately affect Gazans compared to Israelis, but conditions will undoubtedly deteriorate further. And such predictions don’t even take into account the fact that war itself causes cancer. here
· Red Crescent announced the opening of the Cardiac Catheterization Department at Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City.
· UNDP gave 10 hemodialysis machines/ beds to Nasser hospital (Khan Younis), improving patient-to-machine ratios, allowing more patients to achieve 3 dialysis treatments weekly.
· WHO evacuated 82 patients (55 children) alongside their 154 companions.
Aid
· 8/27-9/2, of 86 movements coordinated with Israeli authorities: 50 were facilitated (58%), 22 impeded (26%), 5 (6%) denied, and 9 (10%) withdrawn. Facilitated movements included missions to transfer fuel, collect medical, nutrition and WASH supplies, staff movements and rotations. Denied movements included missions to retrieve nutrition supplies, inspect a solid waste dump site, and repair roads for safe supply truck passage.
· Since the limited aid resumed 5/19, Israel has authorized only 10 organizations to manifest their trucks. This remains a fundamental impediment to mobilize aid to Gaza. A high number of loaded trucks are returned daily to Egypt without clear explanation except congestion at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. The scanning capacity in Ashdod is severely affected by the Israeli requirement to physically inspect all aid cargo containers. The Israeli suspension of B2B convoys from Jordan and subsequent restrictions allowed only 1 to clear during August. The West Bank route remains restricted, and only 3 organizations were permitted to send 59 truckloads of food and health items in August.
· Jordanian officials report all humanitarian airdrops have been suspended due to unspecified “Israeli obstacles”; the last delivery was 8/26. AP reported an Israeli official confirmed plans to halt airdrops and block aid trucks to northern Gaza, part of a strategy to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians south. (Drop Site 9/4)
· 8/29, the United Arab Emirates inaugurated a 6.7km pipeline to deliver desalinated water from the UAE desalination plant in Egypt (built in early 2024) to Khan Younis. Completed by the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) and Khan Younis Municipality, it has capacity to provide 10,000 cubic m. of clean water to one million people daily. The system is still in trial operation, not yet delivering at full capacity. The pipeline already was damaged on 8/31 (repaired within a day), underscoring its vulnerability.
WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM
In the past week, 210 Palestinians (53 children) were injured: 198 by Israeli military and 12 by settlers. This year, at least 2,787 West Bank Palestinians (541 children) were injured: 2,287 (82%) by Israeli forces, 494 (18%) by settlers, with 6 cases unclear. Compared to the same period last year, the number of injured people increased 39%, with people injured by settlers doubling.
For more West Bank information: here
Israeli Attacks
· 8/26, Israeli forces raided downtown Ramallah, arresting 8 Palestinians, confiscating cash from a Money Exchange, and attacking people with live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. 58 people (2 children) were injured: 8 were shot, 5 hit by shrapnel, 14 by rubber bullets, and 31 by tear gas inhalation.
Land Theft
· 8/26-9/1, the Israeli military issued 2 requisition orders for Palestinian land in Qalqiliya and Nablus governorates, to facilitate settlement expansion and restrict farmers’ access to their lands. These add to recent land requisitions in both areas: -- in Jinsafut village, east of Qalqilya, 16 dunums (3.95 acres) were requisitioned on top of the 7/21 requisition of 7,737 dunums (1,911 acres) for “military purposes.” These lands mostly contain olive trees, an important source of livelihood for 65 village farmers. – in 3 villages, Far’ata and Jit (Qalqiliya) and Tell (Nablus), 456 dunums (112 acres) were requisitioned on top of the 5/27 requisition of 14,917 dunums (3,686 acres) of land from these same villages.
Demolitions, displacement & movement restrictions
· So far this year, Israel forced the demolition of 1,151 West Bank structures for lacking impossible to obtain building permits. These included 274 inhabited homes, 60 uninhabited residential structures, 607 agricultural or livelihood structures, 138 water and sanitation structures, and 70 other structures. 85% were in Area C, 14% in East Jerusalem, and 1% (mainly water wells) in Areas A or B. Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were displaced and 37,000 otherwise affected. Compared with the corresponding 2024 period, this marks a 44% increase in demolitions and a 31% increase in displacements.
· 8/28, Israeli forces raided 20 schools in Hebron, confiscating books, pictures, and educational materials. 8/31, they closed a road gate (installed 7/13) between the H1 and H2 areas of the city. The gate closure affects home access for about 100 people and will hinder school access for 641 schoolgirls and 35 teachers at the start of the academic year. 8/30, the Palestinian Ministry of Education postponed the start of the 2025/26 school year in the West Bank to 9/8, citing financial constraints.
Intensification of Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities
Last week, 24 settler attacks caused casualties, property damage, or both, in 20 communities, displacing 3 families (17 people, 9 children), and injuring 12 people.
· 8/26, an armed settler from a nearby outpost, broke into the yard of a Palestinian Bedouin family in East Tayba Bedouin community (Ramallah) and, after an argument, dozens of armed settlers raided the community. Israeli forces dispersed the settlers, but they returned later that night and threatened violence if residents did not leave within hours. 3 families (17 people, 9 children), who had lived in the area for over 20 years, fled the following day, leaving behind homes and belongings. When they attempted to retrieve their things, settlers chased them and stole some of their property. The outpost has been a source of sustained settler intimidation, grazing livestock around homes, invading the area at night, throwing stones at houses, and attacking nearby Tayba town. In October 2023, settlers displaced 6 community families.
· In southern Hebron, settlers carried out 3 attacks:
-- 8/26, armed settlers raided Qawawis community, injuring 3 Palestinians and 3 foreign activists, and throwing stones at homes, breaking into a house, damaging windows and belongings, and destroying 16 solar panels and 6 surveillance cameras.
--8/31, settlers raided Khallet Athaba’ herding community and tried to break into a residential cave, injuring the owners, vandalizing property, destroying 2 surveillance cameras, and stealing animal fodder. Israeli forces arrived and detained 3 Palestinians for 12 hours.
--9/1, armed settlers stoned at a Palestinian home in Susiya village, smashing windows and destroying surveillance cameras.
· 8/28 in Ein Samiya (Ramallah), settlers destroyed critical water infrastructure and stole equipment belonging to the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, disrupting supply to some 100,000 Palestinians in 20 villages. A maintenance crew restored water, but settlers punctured their tires. 8/31, settlers again destroyed equipment and shut off water. Repeated assaults have significantly increased risks for Jerusalem Water Undertaking staff and harmed water provision.
· 8/28-29, in Kafr Malik village (Ramallah), Israeli settlers carried out 2 attacks on herders and farmers, injuring 3 herders, stealing tools and livestock and moving them to their outposts, and damaging dozens of saplings and trees, stone walls, water tanks, metal fences, and doors.
· 8/28 & 31, armed settlers carried out 2 separate attacks injuring a foreign activist and damaging property In Mikhmas Bedouin community (Jerusalem). They broke into the yard of a home, grazed sheep, damaged 3 trees and then broke into the house, harassed and photographed the woman occupant, and fled to their nearby outpost. Armed and masked, they returned 3 days later at midnight to raid the community, breaking into homes, shattering windows, and damaging a car, a water tank, and other property. Israeli and foreign activists filmed them, after which settlers stoned them, injuring 1.
Northern West Bank Military Operations
· Israeli authorities provided maps to the Palestinian District Coordination Liaison (DCL) outlining boundaries of a newly designated military zone encompassing parts of Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps and surrounding neighborhoods. 9/1, Israeli forces ordered 15 families to evacuate their homes in neighborhoods on the northern edge of Tulkarm Camp, now in the new military zone. As of 9/4, the families have not left. Also on 9/1, Israeli forces ordered 21 Palestinian families in the Jabal an Naser neighborhood of Nur Shams Camp, to evacuate.
· Israeli military maps suggest that some buildings and shops on the camps' edges may lie outside the military area and that residents may eventually be able to return to them. Tulkarm municipality has begun clearing debris and reopening roads to prepare for that potential return.
· 8/27, Israeli forces raided the Old City of Nablus, evacuated 15 households and claimed some houses as military posts. Palestinians threw stones at Israeli forces who responded with tear gas and live ammunition, injuring at least 117 people (47 children). The Red Crescent provided emergency medical response.
· 9/1, undercover Israeli forces raided Tammun (Tubas), shooting and injuring 6 people, including a 15-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy sitting in their family’s car. The Israeli military claimed they attempted to detain a man and shot him as he tried to escape. Israeli forces fired on and hindered access for medical support, damaging an ambulance.
· West Bank Palestinians are still displaced more than six months after Israel forced them to flee. The Israeli military's operation in Jenin, Tulkarm, and other cities, have displaced more than 40,000 people – the largest mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank in decades. (Zeteo 8/31)
ISRAEL
· A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute 8/24 & 28 found 64.5% of Israelis (even the country’s right-wing) believe that Israel should make a deal that would end the Gaza war, release all hostages, and withdraw IDF troops from the Gaza Strip. 62% of Jews and 81% of Arabs say they are “certain that Israel should” or “think that Israel should.” (Haaretz 9/4)
· Israeli protesters took to the streets for what has been dubbed a “day of disruption,” denouncing the call up of tens of thousands of reservists for the invasion of Gaza City and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet of failing to secure a ceasefire deal. Israel’s Army Radio reported the arrest of 13 protesters who climbed onto the roof of the National Library in Jerusalem. (Drop Site 9/3)
· Four Israeli human rights groups that petitioned the High Court of Justice to demand the state send sufficient aid to alleviate hunger in Gaza withdrew their petition as pointless: a "futile process that only benefits the state" and allows starvation to continue. They stressed, "the starvation in Gaza is wholly manmade and can be stopped." Here
· Google is in the middle of a 6-month/ $45 million contract with Netanyahu’s office to amplify propaganda. Publicly available government contracts show that Israel’s advertising bureau, which reports to the prime minister’s office, has embarked on a mass advertising and public messaging effort to conceal the hunger crisis. Israel’s paid advertising spending spree has also yielded tens of millions for YouTube, X, Meta, and other tech platforms. here, here
· Vast majority of Israelis believe there are 'no innocents' in Gaza, says poll. here
· Israel plans to open two additional Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) “aid” centers. Critics warn the militarized hubs force civilians to risk their lives for minimal food, with over 2,000 killed seeking aid since the program began. (Drop site 9/28)
· Since 3/2, Israel has been blocking essential foods from reaching Palestinian civilians, including eggs, meat, fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and nutritional supplements. Dozens of other items, such as nuts and supplements for pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses, have also been prohibited. (Drop Site 8/28
· Israel is preparing a two-phase offensive to capture Gaza’s biggest city. The cabinet’s decision grants Palestinians until 10/7 attack’s second anniversary to evacuate the area, after which the Israeli army will mount a siege and ground assault geared toward flushing out remaining Hamas operatives before advancing into the rest of Gaza. The Israeli army says civilians would be relocated to “safe zones”, but areas designated as such have been repeatedly bombed during the war. … Israel believes Hamas has 40,000 fighters in Gaza, with a substantial portion likely concentrated within Gaza City. Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, an international diplomacy expert specializing in the Arab-Israeli peace process, places the number in the city between 5,000 and 10,000. here
· Channel 12 reports that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is preparing to warn Netanyahu’s government that proceeding with the assault to seize Gaza City could force Israel to impose direct military rule over the entire Strip starting in November. Zamir has reportedly told the Security Cabinet that the current plan leaves no alternative for the post-war period and has urged acceptance of a ceasefire tied to the release of captives. While he says he would carry out orders if given, he cautions that the operation could have severe military and diplomatic consequences. (Drop Site 9/4) here
· Proposal to establish the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust, was developed by some of the same Israelis who created the deadly, US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which was used as a pretext to block the delivery of food aid by the UN. This confiscated public land would be used as collateral to finance the real estate development. That is "the biggest and easiest. No need to ask anyone," wrote Tancman as a note in the planning document. here
· Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported today on dire conditions in Israeli prisons, describing starvation, disease outbreaks, medical neglect, and systematic repression. Weekly raids, inadequate food, and denial of medication for chronically ill detainees have led the group to warn of a looming “health disaster.” With over 10,800 prisoners, including 450 children, the group called these conditions war crimes requiring urgent international action. Drop Site 9/3
UNITED STATES
· US Treasury Department announced sanctions against three prominent Palestinian human rights groups operating in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, citing their support for an International Criminal Court investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in Gaza, including genocide. The Center for Constitutional Rights condemned the US government’s sanctions against Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. CCR wrote, “At the height of Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide against the Palestinian people, the Trump administration has cynically chosen to punish the advocates leading the charge for accountability. This attack cements the United States government’s complicity in Israel’s crimes.” (Democracy 9/5)
· American voters’ opposition to additional military aid to Israel is the highest it’s been since late 2023, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
In the poll, 32% of respondents said they are for “the United States sending more military aid to Israel for their efforts in the war with Hamas,” while 60 percent said they were against additional aid. here, here
· Anthony Aguilar, a retired Green Beret, recalls his harrowing experiences in Gaza serving as a subcontractor for UG Solutions — from witnessing high tech surveillance to indiscriminate murder. here
· Leaked documents detail Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza. A leaked document details the Trump administration’s plan to forcibly relocate the population of Gaza. Included in a "relocation package" would be $5,000, four years of rent subsidies, and a year of food subsidies. here
· Source citing two Israeli officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has privately indicated he does not oppose West Bank annexations and that the Trump administration “won’t stand in the way.” This follows US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reiterating his longstanding rejection of Palestinian statehood and previous support for annexation, including comments suggesting Palestinians could be “relocated” elsewhere. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed plans to annex 82% of the West Bank—a move the UAE said would constitute a “red line” and end Israel’s regional integration. (Drop Site 9/4)
· ICE Gains Access to Israeli Spyware Maker Paragon's Tool. After the deal between Paragon and Homeland Security's investigations unit was frozen, the first signs that Trump wants spyware emerged, sparking concerns amid a growing arsenal of digital tools. here
US Universities
· The Academic Council of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) condemns the cancellation of the Harvard Educational Review’s (HER) special issue on Palestinian education. We know that the cancellation occurred after (i) HER’s editorial board solicited the articles from scholars of unquestioned expertise, (ii) the HER editorial board accepted the completed manuscripts using its established and extensive internal review process, and (iii) contracts had, in most cases, been signed. We also understand that this is the first time since 1945 that the decisions of the independent editorial board, comprised of graduate students, has been overruled by the publisher. here
· The Silence of the Scholars: How leading Academics gave Cover to Genocide in Gaza. The true measure of a scholar is not the number of books they publish or the titles they hold. It is whether they speak when human beings are starved, bombed, and erased as a people. By that measure, some of America’s most visible academics have failed. here
· In a victory for student activists, the NY Supreme Court ruled CUNY must disclose its financial portfolio, specifically contracts with businesses connected to the genocide in Gaza. (Mondoweiss 9/2)
· A federal judge agreed with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and with the Harvard administration that the Trump administration violated the Constitution, the Civil Rights Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act by demanding that Harvard restrict speech and restructure core operations or else face the cancellation of billions in federal funding for the university and its affiliated hospital. here
INTERNATIONAL
· Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday denounced the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, describing acceptance of the situation as “anti-human.” “Anyone who accepts this genocide is anti-human; not even beasts would do such a thing,” Petro wrote on X, sharing video footage of Palestinians desperately running toward humanitarian aid convoys. He added that those who condone the atrocities are “simply accomplices” to genocide and “spiritual outcasts from the earth.” (Palestine Chronicle 8/31)
· Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney announced new measures to distance the nation from Israel, declaring to MSPs that “a genocide is unfolding in Gaza as a result of Israel’s actions.” The package includes a freeze on public funding for defense companies tied to Israel, calls for London to withdraw from the UK–Israel Free Trade Agreement, and a £1 million humanitarian aid pledge to support Gaza, including a field hospital and UN relief funds. (Drop Site 9/4)
· A pro-Palestinian demonstration during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on Saturday diverted attention from the starry event and turned it instead toward the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Thousands gathered on the Lido barrier island for a march from the Piazza Santa Maria Elisabetta toward the Palazzo del Cinema. “Today in the Lido di Venezia, there is one of the most important global events in cinema, where the richest people in the world are here to distract the masses from something we think is really much more important,” said Emilia d’Agnano, a Venice student holding a banner at the front of the march. (NYT 8/30)
· Global Sumud Flotilla is continuing on its way to Gaza, trying to break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave, where a famine has been declared. Vessels departed Barcelona on 10/31, turning back as a result of bad weather, and then departing again on 9/1. (Al Jazeera 9/4)
· Italian dockworkers have threatened to “shut down all of Europe” and block all shipments to Israel if communication with the latest aid flotilla bound for Gaza is lost. The threat marks a significant escalation in dockworkers’ long history of industrial action in solidarity with Palestine. (Novara Media 9/4)
· Apart from the US, every UN Security Council member said the famine in Gaza is a “man-made crisis.” In a joint statement, 14 out of 15 member states of the council called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery. (Drop site 8/28)
· Former UN speechwriter Mark Seddon urges member states at the United Nations General Assembly to invoke the Uniting for Peace resolution and establish a protective international force to defend Gaza. here
SOURCES
OCHAOPT, Zeteo, Palestine Chronicle, MECA, The Guardian, Drop Site, +972, Local Call, The Guardian, Tom Dispatch, Aljazeera, Novara Media, Mondoweiss, Affilia, British Medical Journal, Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Democracy Now, Digital Health, Frontiers in Psychology, Haaretz, The Lancet, Medicine, Conflict and Survival, New York Times, Novara Media, Truth Out, UNFPA, The New Arab, The Cradle