Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza, West Bank/East Jerusalem, Yemen, Syria - May 17, 2025
ACTION ITEMS FOR THE WEEK
1. Boycott Chevron! On the May 21 Anti-Chevron Day of Action, join the BDS campaign to target Chevron’s profiteering from genocide. Learn more at: here
2. Kill the non-profit killer bill. Incorporated into the Republican budget proposal (buried on page 380) is a section that enables the Secretary of the Treasury to denounce any nonprofit as a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip it of its tax-exempt status - like JVP and our allies in the struggle for Palestine liberation. Make sure your Senators are aware of how dangerous it is. They can strip it from the bill during “reconciliation”—if they are pressured to. Find and contact your senator here
Webinars
***The Crisis of UNRWA in Gaza: A Report from Sam Rose, Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs, Gaza. Presented by JVP Health Advisory Council & JVP Academic Council. Sunday, May 18, 2025, 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern. Register here.
Echoes of Resilience: Mental Health Under Occupation, presented by Eyewitness Palestine, will share experiences and learnings from their recent trip to Palestine and meetings with organizers, activists, academics, and medical professionals. Tuesday, May 20, 7:30pm EST, 4:30 Pacific. Register here.
Reports
Strike on Hospital Highlights Israeli Attacks on Gaza Health System. Aid groups and UN investigations have accused Israel of aiming to destroy Gaza’s health infrastructure. Israel says it is forced to strike hospitals it says are used by Hamas for military purposes. [Edit. Note: there is little to no credible evidence for this repeated claim] here
Hospitals in Ruins. A doctor witnesses what remains of a ravaged health-care system. here
In the heart of the Gaza Strip lie vast expanses where no signs of life remain — cities, villages, and refugee camps have all been completely erased. Governmental, service, economic, and medical facilities have vanished without a trace, and hundreds of kilometers of agricultural land have been bulldozed. This is how the Israeli occupation army has turned the areas that make up the “Netzarim Corridor” into desolation. This corridor was established on the ruins of Al-Zahra city, the village of Al-Mughraqa, the village of Juhr al-Dik in central Gaza, and the southern neighborhoods of Gaza City, such as Sheikh Ajlin, Al-Nabulsi, and parts of Al-Zeitoun and Tel Al-Hawa neighborhoods. here
Israeli Strikes Kill Dozens in Gaza, Health Ministry Says. Israel intensified its military campaign against Hamas. here
Video
Powerful interview: “They Want to Silence Me”: Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi on ICE Jail, Palestine, Activism, Buddhism. here
United Nations
The humanitarian situation and protection of aid workers in Gaza
5/13, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed the Security Council. “What action will we tell future generations we each took to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza… maybe we will use those empty words: ‘We did all we could.’”
He went on to describe Israels “deliberate and unashamed” imposition of inhumane conditions on civilians in the OPT: the blockades, displacements, famine and starvation, destruction of the medical system, attacks on humanitarian workers, and violations of international law.
He critiqued the Israeli aid distribution proposal which: excludes people with disabilities, women, children, the elderly, the wounded; forces further displacement, exposes thousands to harm, sets an unacceptable precedent internationally, restricts aid to only one part of Gaza, makes aid conditional on political and military aims, and uses starvation as a bargaining chip. “It is cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement.”
He acknowledged the increasing violence in the West Bank: the use of heavy weaponry, military methods of war, excessive force, forcible displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, illegal settlement expansion, and alarming levels of settler violence.
Noting that the Security Council has been repeatedly briefed in great detail on the violations of rights and deliberate obstruction of aid, he asked: “What more evidence do you need now? Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead that ‘we did all we could?’”
See the complete statement here. here
UN has raised concerns that Israel is using aid in Gaza as a means to force Palestinians to flee, particularly from the northern areas to the south, while stressing that there has been no failure in aid distribution.
GAZA
Israel’s siege of Gaza continues; no food or supplies since 3/2/25. Escalated air, land, and sea bombardment and expanded ground operations have increased the toll of genocide as Israel targets remaining buildings, tent camps, and hospitals. 436,000 people have been displaced with no safe place to go. Israel has declared 71% of the Gaza Strip “off-limits” to Palestinians.
· This week: 275 Palestinians killed, 949 injured
· Since the breaking of the ceasefire: 2,799 Palestinians killed, 7,805 injured
· Killed since 10/23/2023: 52,928+
· Injured since 10/23/2023: 119,846+
· Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: 414 (2 this week)
· Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza: 2,663
· Hostages in Gaza: 58
For more detail on Gaza: here
Israeli attacks
· 5/7-12, 3 schools sheltering IDPs in Gaza City were hit 5 times, killing 39 (6 children) and injuring many others. An assessment by the Education Cluster found 62% of schools used as IDP shelters have been hit.
· In 8 attacks this week on residences in Beit Lahiya, Deir al Balah, Jabalya, and Khan Younis, Israel killed 62 people (28 children).
· The entire city of Rafah has been wiped out. A fifth of Gaza’s territory, which used to house 200,000 people, has been turned into a buffer zone by Israel. Nothing remains of it, not even tents. And there are still people justifying this. here
Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war
· 5/12, The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot for Gaza projects 2.1 million people – the entire population – to face high levels of acute food insecurity and 20% to face starvation. “With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible- It is increasingly likely.”
· To prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine, the IPC Global Initiative calls for: an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities; unhindered and sustained humanitarian access; the protection of civilians, aid workers and civilian infrastructure; the provision of life-saving aid through multi-sectoral integrated interventions - including food, nutrition, health, WASH, and livelihood assistance; and the at-scale restoration of commercial supply, essential services, markets, and local food production systems.
· UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell: “The risk of famine does not arrive suddenly. It unfolds in places where access to food is blocked, where health systems are decimated, and where children are left without the bare minimum to survive. Hunger and acute malnutrition are a daily reality for children across the Gaza Strip.”
· WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border. We can’t get it to them because of the renewed conflict and the total ban on humanitarian aid imposed in early March,” urging the international community to act to bring aid into Gaza because if “we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.”
· WHO underlined how the long-term impact of malnutrition “can last a lifetime in the form of stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and poor health,” warning that “[w]ithout enough nutritious food, clean water, and access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected.”
· FAO (UN Food & Agriculture organization) urged: “The international community must act now. The immediate restoration of access to humanitarian and commercial supplies at scale is critical. Every delay deepens hunger and accelerates starvation, bringing us closer to famine.”
· For many in Gaza, the psychological toll of seeing their children go hungry is far worse than the physical exhaustion they feel from malnutrition and scavenging for food. here
Food & Nutrition
· As of 5/14, 249,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 16 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners in 65 kitchens, a 75% reduction since 3/25 due to the shutdown of 115 kitchens for lack of supplies. The number of shuttered kitchens is rising by the day.
· In April, Nutrition Cluster partners screened 60,000 children and identified 2,500 cases of acute malnutrition, including 169 with severe acute malnutrition, double the proportion in February. Only 3 malnutrition stabilization centers are operative (Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir al Balah), leaving thousands of children in North Gaza and Rafah without access. In April, the number of detection screenings decreased by about 26% for children and 20% for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) compared to March. Nutrition cluster partners are out of stock of nutrition supplements to prevent malnutrition, critical when 92% of children 6- 23 months and PBW are not meeting their nutrient requirements due to the lack of minimum dietary diversity.
· The Israeli blockade has led to dwindling stocks in local markets and rising prices for the few supplies still available. In the 1st week of May, a 25-kilo bag of wheat flour sold for 1,500 ILS (US$ 415) in Gaza City.
· People are coping by reducing the size and frequency of meals, saving bread for children. Families are eating an average of just 1½ meals per day, with adults skipping meals to prioritize children or sending children to eat with relatives or neighbors. Many families mix crushed macaroni with flour to bake bread.
· More than 3,500 children under the age of five are now staring down death by starvation, Gaza’s Government Media Office warns. Another 70,000 children lie in hospital beds, their small bodies wasted by severe malnutrition. Across Gaza, famine isn’t just in the empty kitchens. It’s in thinning arms, swollen bellies, and sunken cheeks everywhere. People walk doubled over from cramps. Children’s skin cracks from dehydration. Eyes lose their light. Above it all: the constant hum of drones, the sharp crack of artillery, the scream of jets. here
· Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises. Nearly a half million Palestinians are at “catastrophic” levels of hunger, meaning they face possible starvation, the report said, while another million are at “emergency” levels of hunger.
Health & Hospitals
· 5/4, a volunteer pharmacist with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund was killed along with her entire family in Gaza City. 5/7, a midwife working for Al Awda Health and Community Association was killed, along with her family, when their home was struck in North Gaza. Since October 2023, at least 430 aid workers, including 305 UN staff, have been killed. More than 1,400 healthcare workers have been killed. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said: “Gaza’s health system is being systematically dismantled, making it impossible to sustain Palestinian life in Gaza.” A surgeon said: “Nowhere is safe… My message is the same one we’ve been repeating for more than a year and a half: medical teams who continue to care for patients and remain at their posts under these devastating conditions must be protected.”
· 5/13, Israeli forces hit Nasser European hospital in Khan Younis, (for the second time). The MoH director of field hospitals, Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, reported this is the 2nd attack on Nasser Hospital in 2 months, taking 40 inpatient and 10 ICU beds out of service. WHO noted 2 were killed and 12 injured, both patients and staff. The attack targeted and killed a journalist receiving treatment for an injury he sustained when the journalists’ tent in the hospital yard was hit.
· 5/13, in Khan Younis, Israeli forces targeted the European Hospital with a series of airstrikes, killing 19 and injuring more than 40, including 4 journalists. The Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) reported retrieving 28 fatalities. Two members of their team were injured when they were targeted while trying to rescue people from a house near the hospital. The attack forced MSF to suspend outpatient consultations and reduce staff.
· 5/14 Israeli strikes hit the European Hospital complex near Khan Younis and left large craters and cracks in the courtyard outside the European Hospital complex. “Everyone inside the hospital – patients and wounded alike – was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children, while others were being dragged on beds.”
· Israeli Forces Bombed Two Gaza Hospitals in One Day. By targeting European Hospital and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the Israeli military is further decimating Gaza’s already devastated medical system. here
1· 10/7/2023-5/7/2025, WHO documented 686 health attacks on 122 health facilities and 180 ambulances including destruction of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, damage to the surgical ward at Nasser hospital, damage to the ICU dept. and solar panels at Al-Durrah Hospital that put it out of service, and destruction of the ER and other facilities at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Since 3/18, the number of public trauma hospitals has decreased from 7 to 5. At least 38 health service points are located within designated evacuation zones, with 110 more in a 1km radius, denying access to care. There are no functioning primary or secondary health care services in Rafah, only limited services provided by the ICRC and UAE field hospitals and 2 medical points. As of 5/12, there were 22 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) in Gaza: 6 in Gaza governorate, 7 in Deir al Balah, 8 in Khan Younis and 1in Rafah. They include 2 Palestinian and 20 international EMTs.
· UNFPA opened a new Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Center in Khan Younis.
· An elderly man was the only patient medically evacuated outside Gaza since 4/22. More than 10,500 patients (4,000 children) remain in urgent need of medical evacuation.
· MoH issued urgent warnings about a catastrophic collapse in the healthcare system, particularly affecting eye services. Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, Director of Gaza’s Ophthalmology Hospital, noted that 1,500 people have lost eyesight to war-related injuries, and another 4,000 are at imminent risk of blindness due to shortages of essential medicines and surgical equipment, and surgical services for retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding are becoming impossible. Israel’s siege has crippled Gaza’s last functioning eye surgery unit.
· According to MoH, 43% of essential drugs are out of stock, 64% of medical supplies are depleted, and there are only 1,000 blood units available. Emergency, surgical, and intensive care departments are operating with severely depleted supplies, amid rising numbers of critically injured patients. Patients with chronic and severe conditions-- kidney failure, cancer, blood disorders, heart disease-- are the most affected by shortages. MoH warned healthcare services might come to a halt due to denied entry of urgent pharmaceutical supplies.
· MoH reported that hospitals are struggling to cope with critical shortages of medical equipment, such as X-ray machines, anesthesia devices, and surgical instruments needed for orthopedics, vascular care, ophthalmology and general surgery. Wards are overwhelmed by a shortage of medical beds, assistive devices, and space to accommodate the growing number of patients. Stocks of vital medical gases like carbon dioxide, ethylene, and oxides are fully depleted, and essential surgical fabrics, bed linens, and burial shrouds are unavailable. Infection control measures are severely compromised by shortages of hygiene supplies, such as concentrated chlorine and cleaning enzymes. Medical teams working around the clock also face shortages of food and nutritional support, undermining their capacity to provide care.
Education
· New satellite imagery shows 88.8% of school buildings (501 out of 564) have been directly hit or damaged and are estimated to require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to regain functionality. Of the affected schools, 50% are government schools, 29% are UNRWA, and 11% are private.
· Some Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) that had closed following the end of the ceasefire and the deterioration in security, have reopened, bringing the number of functional TLS from 140 to 219. Mostly in Khan Younis (96) and Deir al Balah (58), Gaza City now has 54 and North Gaza 11. Together they serve more than 117,000 kids, providing in-person learning opportunities. In addition to literacy and numeracy, TLS help deliver mental health, structured recreational activities, and social and emotional learning to help children cope with the trauma caused by the escalation of hostilities since October 2023.
Aid
· 5/7-13, of 53 aid movements coordinated with Israeli authorities, 31 were denied outright, 1 was accepted but impeded, 20 were facilitated, and 1 was withdrawn for logistical, operational, or security reasons.
· Partners have positioned 171,000 metric tons of food on the border, ready to deliver upon lifting blockade. This amount could sustain the population of 2.1 million for 3-4 months. In Jordan, warehouses are full, preventing the storage of additional cargo. In Egypt, 1,223 UN/INGO trucks are waiting to be dispatched, according to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
· Staff across all organizations face personal loss, insecurity, and resource shortages, and many report that they or their families have been impacted by starvation, putting a significant emotional and operational strain on field staff. Staff report they are increasingly avoiding public places, such as coffee shops to access internet, due to the high risk of Israeli attacks.
Displacement & Evacuation
· 5/13, an Israeli military displacement order was issued for North Gaza governorate covering 5.2 sq.km. and affecting 38 displacement sites, of which 25 were previously displaced. The area includes 4 wells, 2 wastewater pumping stations, 1 desalination plant, 1 stormwater basin, 6 temporary learning spaces (TLS) serving 700 children, and 2 hospitals.
· Site Management partners are re-establishing static and mobile reception points to track displacement. Where feasible, these staff also provide limited food, water and other essential services to support people during displacement.
Water & Sanitation
· 3/25-5/8, water production dropped 7%. 32% was produced by seawater desalination plants and the 3 Mekorot pipelines from Israel; 67% from municipal groundwater wells with high levels of salinity. 50-65% of water is lost due to leaks in the damaged distribution network.
· Since Israel destroyed 30 waste collection vehicles and other heavy equipment on 4/21-22, collection capacity has declined. 8 of 20 dump sites have become inaccessible due to their location in Israeli-militarized zones.
· Sewage network repair is allowing the pumping of wastewater to seawater outlets; not an optimal solution. To carry out these repairs, WASH partners are recovering sewage pipes from currently unpopulated areas; this is time-consuming and costly but necessary due to the ongoing blockade on Gaza. Lack of access to materials also prevents the rehabilitation of pumping stations. In April, severe damage stopped all treatment plant operations and left only a few pumping stations partially functional. Sewage is often diverted into lagoons which now face frequent overflow, heightening the risk of disease outbreaks.
· The blockade has created a shortage of water treatment chemicals and supplies, elevating public health risks. Soap is increasingly difficult to find.
· 90% of households experienced water insecurity in April, 75% with drinking water insecurity. People are forced to rely on unsafe water for cooking and handwashing. About 25% of medical consults are linked to acute watery diarrhea, a sign of the deterioration in public health.
WEST BANK, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM
In the past week, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinians and injured 104 (16 children).
For more West Bank information: here
Israeli attacks
· 5/7, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian who attempted a ramming and stabbing attack, injuring 1 soldier, near the southern entrance to Hebron, which they then closed. They raided his house in Dura (Hebron), damaging property and injuring 15 family members and neighbors (1 child) offering condolences to the family. 4 people arrested.
· 5/8, undercover Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a man and injured 43 in a raid in the Old City of Nablus. They shot live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians responding with stones. 8 were shot and 35 were treated for tear gas inhalation.
· 5/9, Israeli forces in Nablus fired a missile and an explosive drone to kill 2 men in an exchange of fire with people in a surrounded house.
Demolitions & Displacement
This week, Israeli authorities demolished 17 Palestinian-owned structures for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 7 households (38 Palestinians, 18 children), and affecting the livelihoods of at least 40 people. Demolitions have soared this year: Between 1/1-5/12, 592 structures were destroyed by Israeli authorities in Area C – more than double the number of structures demolished (272) during the same period in 2024.
· 5/11, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a new land registration and settlement process. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) expressed alarm: “The process of land registration or settlement of land title, under which Israel purportedly seeks to definitively establish land ownership registration in favor of Israeli settlers, represents an exercise of sovereignty prohibited in occupied territory.” They raise concerns the process will be used “to acquire Palestinian land and consolidate the unlawful annexation of the West Bank.” The Oslo Accords made 60% of the West Bank “Area C,” under Israeli control, with land registration suspended. Less than 1% of Area C is covered by Israeli approved plans for Palestinian communities.
Settler violence, settlement expansion, movement restrictions
In the past week, settlers carried out 14 attacks that included arson, damage to water and electric networks, and destruction of 240 olive, apricot and fig trees.
· 6 incidents took place in Ramallah governorate, including a 5/9 settler raid on the outskirts of Al Mughayyir village, where settlers broke into the residential tent of a herding family, damaging kitchen equipment and furniture. 5/7, a group of settlers set fire to a structure protecting bales of hay for a herder’s farm outside Khirbet Abu Falah village.
· 5/6, settlers prevented 4 children walking home from school from walking on a road leading to their houses on eastern outskirts of the village. Israeli forces installed a gate denying vehicular access and settlers tried to force the children to take the same lengthy detour (5k rather than 1k) to reach their homes. This is the latest in a series of nearly daily harassing incidents by settlers from an outpost established in September 2024. OCHA has documented 16 attacks by these settlers against Palestinians resulting in casualties, property damage, trespass, harassment, and access restrictions, compared with 2 incidents between 2020 and 2024.
· In 2025, at least 13% of damage-related incidents by settlers have targeted domestic or agricultural water-related structures. The nature and scope of the damage reflect a pattern of settler vandalism targeting essential service infrastructure.
· 5/8, Israeli forces raided 3 UNRWA schools in Shu’fat refugee camp (East Jerusalem), demanding their closure. UNRWA evacuated 550 girls and boys from their classrooms, and Israeli forces detained an UNRWA staff member. This follows the closure of 6 East Jerusalem UNRWA schools on 4/8, affecting 800 students. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated: “UNRWA was forced to evacuate all children across the 6 schools it runs in East Jerusalem. These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations. By enforcing closure orders issued last month, the Israeli authorities are denying Palestinian children their basic right to learn.” He stressed: “Israel’s actions today are a grave violation of its obligations as a UN member state under international law.” According to the Education Cluster, the “fear that similar closures could expand to other UNRWA schools in the West Bank and beyond raises serious concerns about the erosion of access to education for an entire generation of children. Such disruptions would not only affect learning, but also undermine children’s wellbeing, development, and long-term prospects.” There are over 47,000 Palestinian refugee children enrolled in 96 UNRWA schools across the West Bank, which “serve as critical spaces for protection and stability amid protracted crises.”
Developments in the northern West Bank
· Demolitions and displacement continue in Tulkarm city and Nur Shams camp. 5/11, Israeli forces demolished 3 residential structures in Nur Shams and ordered 10 households residing in 3 residential structures in Tulkarm to evacuate within a time window ranging from 30 minutes to 2 days. Several homes were demolished before their residents were allowed to retrieve their belongings. 5/1, Israeli forces issued 2 military orders to demolish 106 Palestinian-owned structures in Tulkarm (58) and Nur Shams (48) refugee camps. A legal petition to stop the demolition of homes by an NGO was rejected by the Israeli military, citing that these demolitions were done out of military necessity. Lack of access has prevented a systematic assessment of the demolitions.
· 5/13, 2 Palestinian men were shot and killed and a woman wounded during operations by Palestinian Authority forces in El Fara’a refugee camp (Tubas) and in Jenin.
· 5/9, Israeli forces informed the Palestinian District Coordination Liaison office in Jenin that area residents adjacent to the Jenin refugee camp would be allowed to return to their homes the next day. Some 20 families (100 people) had been forced to leave the week before.
· Over 90% of the 124 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces across the West Bank between 1/1-5/12 were in the 6 northern West Bank governorates of Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Nablus, Qalqilya and Salfit. 7 Israelis, including 5 Israeli military, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank during the same period, all of them in the northern West Bank.
East Jerusalem
· Israel shut down six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem ahead of the Nakba’s 77th anniversary, The Israeli government’s closure of six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem has left over 800 Palestinian students without school, and has thrown an entire community into limbo. Residents say it's all part of a larger attack on Palestinian refugees. here
ISRAEL
· Exterminating Gaza was always Israel’s plan, but now it’s official. Israel carried out its plan to erase Gaza over the course of 18 months. Now that the plan has clearly fallen into place, the Netanyahu government is openly discussing ethnic cleansing. And still, Israel enjoys complete international impunity. here
· Israel’s Interior Ministry is expected to deport a British human rights activist who entered the country as a tourist, after police said she violated a military closure order in the West Bank.
· Some Israeli military officials have privately concluded that Palestinians in Gaza face widespread starvation unless aid deliveries are restored within weeks, according to three Israeli defense officials familiar with conditions in the enclave.
· 21-year-old Israeli-American Edan Alexander, who had been in Hamas captivity since the 10/7/23 attack, was released.
· Netanyahu addressed the Israeli longstanding reliance on American security assistance. “We receive close to $4 billion for weapons…I think we’ll reach a point where we wean ourselves off it, just as we weaned ourselves off economic aid.”
· Study: One in 8 Israeli Soldiers Who Fought in Gaza Is Mentally Unfit to Return for Duty. The Tel Aviv University study comes just as Israel issues a major call-up of reserve soldiers in order to expand fighting in the Strip here
· Blackstone President Donates $125 Million to Israeli Medical School. The gift is the largest in Tel Aviv University’s history, and is expected to help relieve Israel’s shortage of doctors. here
SYRIA
· Israel is blocking medical care for Syrians in newly occupied area of Golan Heights. The Israeli military is heavily restricting access to hospitals, medical centers, pharmacies, and ambulance crews in Syrian villages. here
YEMEN
· The release of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, following direct negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas, comes after the Trump administration had already caught Israel off guard by agreeing to halt hostilities with Yemen’s Ansar Allah. here
UNITED STATES
· Real Important: Trump's Extremely Dangerous and Dystopian Gaza Aid Plan The plan, rejected by the UN and other aid groups, is nothing more than a 'sinister' mechanism of control masquerading as aid. Under the American-Israeli plan, aid would be managed and distributed solely through an unknown and newly created private organization called “The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), which was recently registered in Switzerland. A senior Swiss diplomat told me that GHF was registered by an Armenian businessman and two Americans. The entire structure of the organization does not appear to include any Palestinians or Arabs and does not involve any of the organizations already working in Gaza with ample experience and long track records, prompting Hellyer to call it “a very shady setup.”
GHF would open only four “Secure Distribution Sites” in southern Gaza, replacing the more than 400 UN aid distribution points already in the Strip. Each GHF “hub” would provide food, water, hygienic kits, and medicines “based solely on need” to 300,000 Palestinians in Gaza (1.2 million in total), which means only a little over a half of Gaza’s population would benefit from this mechanism, while the fate of the rest remains unknown as Israel would allow aid through GHF only.
The distribution sites would be run by armed American “mercenaries who previously served in this mission in Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to Israeli media. They would be “monitored and guarded by Israeli forces or private military-security companies,” according to the private memo.
Individual beneficiaries of this plan are expected to first pass through biometric screening at Israeli checkpoints and corridors equipped with facial recognition technology on their way to and back from the heavily securitized GHF hubs, where additional ID checks would be conducted. here
· Massive JVP member meeting vows to fight Zionism, fascism, and the weaponization of antisemitism On May 1-4, over 2,000 activists met in Baltimore for Jewish Voice for Peace's four-day National Members Meeting. The gathering highlighted the massive growth in the Palestine movement and the work ahead to build a united front toward liberation. here
· Israel will not be involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza but will be part of “providing security,” US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said. “The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security because it is a war zone, but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food or bringing the food into Gaza.” The aid mechanism will be run by a new private foundation, effectively ending the UN-led aid system that has long been in place in Gaza and replacing it with a tightly controlled process designed to only give much-needed assistance to around 60% of the enclave’s population. The aid distribution plan has been rejected by the United Nations, criticizing it for contravening “fundamental humanitarian principles.” here
· Bernie Sanders; With Israel having cut off all aid, what we are seeing now is a slow, brutal process of mass starvation and death by the denial of basic necessities. This is methodical, it is intentional, it is the stated policy of the Netanyahu government. here, here (video)
· US Administration Pressuring Israel to Sign Gaza Truce Deal Ahead of Trump's Mideast Trip. Trump's administration has communicated to Jerusalem that if Israel does not move forward together with the US toward an agreement with Hamas, it will be left on its own. [edit note: Since no agreement has happened, we are left to discern what T. means, if indeed he means anything.] here
· Google’s acquisition of Israeli software company, Wiz, for $32 billion shows just how much Silicon Valley is invested in Israeli tech. The problem is, almost all of Israeli tech is first developed by a genocidal army. here
US universities
· 25 students across 4 California State campuses have launched hunger strikes in solidarity with Palestine, including students and faculty at Stanford. They join a wave of protests demanding an immediate end to US support for the genocide in Gaza. here. here
· Courts forced the release of detained students as Palestine activism reignites on campus. Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia University student who was kidnapped by agents during a citizenship interview, was released from a Vermont correctional facility on 4/30. Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk is back in Massachusetts after a Vermont judge ordered her release from the Louisiana detention facility where she was being held. here, here, here
· Indian Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri is set to be released from ICE detention in Texas after a federal judge ordered him to be freed on bail. As with the Trump administration’s other targets like Rumeysa Ozturk, Mahmoud Khalil, and Mohsen Mahdawi, Khan Suri has committed no crime; the Trump administration is attempting to deport Khan Suri on spurious charges of compromising US foreign policy. The news follows the release of Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student, and Ozturk, a Tufts University student, from ICE detention. here
· Roughly 80 pro-Palestine protesters were arrested after occupying a library on Columbia University’s campus. Demonstrators rushed through Butler Library’s security gate at about 3:00 p.m., hanging banners, tagging shelves with graffiti, chanting pro-Palestine slogans, and renaming it the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University,” a reference to the Palestinian writer who was killed by the Israeli army in 2017. here
· An Israeli professor explains how she ended up on Harvard’s antisemitism report. Harvard is conflating Jewish identity with political loyalty to Israel. That’s a dangerous mistake. here
· UCLA Is Now Nearly Unrecognizable as a University. A police attack on a documentary film screening is just one of the assaults on student freedoms that have turned UCLA into more of a fortress than a place of higher learning. here
· Trump Administration Escalates Harvard Feud With New Justice Dept. Investigation. The Trump administration is targeting Harvard under a law typically used to go after government contractors for swindling, focusing (this time) on DEI, affirmative action, and admissions. here
INTERNATIONAL
· Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, said it had sold all of its shares in Israel’s Paz Retail and Energy (PAZ.TA), because the company owns and operates infrastructure supplying fuel to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The divestment was the second of its kind by the fund after its ethics watchdog in August adopted a tougher interpretation of standards for businesses that aid Israel’s operations in the oPt. here
· UK: Instro Precision: The UK arms firm sending targeting gear to Israel. Shipping documents expose how Instro Precision has been sending military items to Israel amid the Gaza genocide. Last June, activists from Palestine Action stormed a weapons factory in Kent, breaking through the security perimeter and allegedly causing over £1 million worth of damage. Instro Precision, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms firm Elbit Systems, had been hit hard. The company produces equipment which helps troops and vehicles to select targets. It has received scores of export licences to Israel, leading activists to believe its products have been used in ground operations in Gaza. here
SOURCES
OCHA-OPT, Palestine Chronicle, Mondoweiss, Common Dreams, Haaretz, Reuters, Democracy Now, New York Times, Zeteo, The Guardian, substack, Common Dreams, declassified UK, NPR