News roundup for Monday, May 4, 2026, Day 941 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
Israeli airstrikes continued across the Gaza Strip on Monday, killing two Palestinians and wounding several others, as the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave remains dire months after the declared “ceasefire.”
Rebuilding Gaza: No progress amid mounting costs, Israeli curbs, say experts: Cost to rebuild Gaza estimated at $71.4 billion over next decade, but progress is largely stalled. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to restrict the entry of cement, steel and other essential materials, forcing residents and aid agencies to rely on debris from destroyed buildings.
Gaza’s hospitals struggle to diagnose as labs shut down amid Israeli siege: The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza warned that laboratory and blood bank services are nearing systemic failure, with around 86 per cent of essential needs now unmet due to severe restrictions on the entry of medical supplies. According to Doctors Without Borders, around 90% of Gaza’s health infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged during Israel’s genocidal war.
In Gaza, more than 6,600 people need prosthetic and rehabilitation care. A UN spokesperson stressed that “international prosthetic technicians are urgently needed, as well as the unimpeded entry of prosthetic materials, which remain restricted by the Israeli authorities.”
RELATED: 1 in 5 amputees in Gaza is a child, UN warns amid prosthetic care crisis
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 832 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- 72,612 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
GAZA FLOTILLA – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Read about the Gaza Flotilla 2025 missions here and here, and the deadly 2010 mission here; find out about the global flotilla movement here.
Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla says Israeli forces attempting to intercept boats off coast of Greece: Global Sumud Flotilla reports drones, a military helicopter and unidentified vessels approaching fleet in Mediterranean.
Gaza flotilla activists say they needed hospital care after Israeli forces’ abuse: One activist said he had been shot in the leg with a rubber bullet, beaten, punched, kicked, spat on, and called a terrorist. A total of 180 were detained in international waters; 34 were taken to hospital upon their release, three of whom had needed ambulances.
2 Gaza aid flotilla activists face death threats in Israel’s prisons, says Israeli advocacy group: Global Sumud Flotilla activists Thiago De Avila, Saif Abu Keshek are facing psychological torture, death threats, or 100-year sentences in Israeli prisons, according to Adalah rights center.
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
Nablus: son born hours after father killed by Israeli forces: A newborn was delivered in Nablus less than 24 hours after his father, Naif Samaro, was killed by Israeli forces, according to local sources. Medical staff said the child’s mother gave birth by caesarean section on Monday, confirming that both mother and baby are in stable condition following the delivery at a city hospital.
25-year-old Nayef Firas Ziyad Samaro, was killed on Sunday in Israeli attacks in Nablus.
ISRAELI MEDIA: “We’re killing [Palestinians] like we haven’t since 1967′: West Bank IDF Chief Declares: IDF general Avi Bluth says troops avoid shooting Jewish stone-throwers while enforcing looser rules for shooting Palestinians. ‘The Arabs understand that if someone comes to kill you, kill them first is the norm,’ he added. ‘So we’re killing like we haven’t since 1967.’ He added, ‘In 2025, we killed 42 stone-throwers* on the roads.’
*NOTE: Each year, hundreds of Palestinians (many of them minors) are imprisoned for throwing stones, which can carry a sentence of up to 20 years (for Palestinians, not Israeli Jews). Arguably, these are the lucky ones. Israel regularly labels Palestinians they have killed as “terrorists” or “stone-throwers” to rationalize their deaths, whether they did anything threatening or not.
Israeli settlers, who also regularly throw stones, regularly face little or no consequences for the same act.
Israeli forces demolish two-story Palestinian home in southern West Bank: The house belonged to Radi al-Jabbarin and his son, Munir al-Jabbarin, and housed 15 family members. Israeli forces also uprooted trees around the property using bulldozers and damaged nearby agricultural land during the operation.
Israeli Colonizers Attack Farmers, Uproot Trees, in Turmus Ayya
Colonizer Attempts to Ram Palestinian Woman Near Bethlehem
Israeli Colonizers Steal Equipment, Attack International Volunteers
Israeli Invasions In West Bank Escalate
DEATH TOLL – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel news accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.
An Israeli lawmaker has called for the occupation of Gaza and the expulsion of its residents*, describing it as the only way to achieve security in Israel. “Regrettably, the State of Israel is still captive to a flawed conception. There is no alternative to conquest, expulsion, and settlement,” she wrote, adding: “Any other solution is unfeasible and will bring upon us the next massacre.”
*NOTE: The road to peace through military dominance has proven a dead end for Israel, for one simple and obvious reason: Israel refuses to address the core issue behind the unrest. Israel’s adversaries are demanding an end to the persecution of Palestinians and a reinstatement of their rights under international law. Human rights bodies around the world are calling for justice as the only way to peace and security.
Israel’s ‘bloated, unstable’ gov’t harms public service, wastes millions each year, report finds: State Comptroller Englman recommends limiting ministries, ending duplication, and requiring full staffing and budget groundwork before government powers are reshuffled.
Israel approves $270M budget for settlement roads in occupied West Bank: Plan aims to link illegal settlements in occupied territory.
Israeli minister says discussions underway on possible early elections: Religious parties push for Sept. 1 vote, while Netanyahu prefers Oct. 27, Channel 12 reports.
ISRAEL-US WAR/CEASEFIRE ON IRAN – NEWS & HEADLINES:
It can not be overemphasized that Israel is the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades, using lies and deception. Under President Trump, he got his wish.
The American people have made clear that they do not want the US embroiled in a war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List.“
Iran confirms it is reviewing US proposal to end war
Latest in US-Iran standoff:
- President Donald Trump on Sunday evening had announced “Project Freedom,” a plan for the U.S. Navy to “guide” vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
- US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that around 15,000 troops would be deployed as part of ‘Project Freedom,’ alongside guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, and multi-domain unmanned platforms.
- Responsible Statecraft described US Navy assistance: “the Navy is merely going to let merchant vessels “phone a friend” and get advice for how to get through” (based on reporting from Axios).
- The US Navy on Monday directed vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz to route through Oman’s territorial waters, warning that the main shipping lane remained extremely hazardous due to sea mines that had not been fully surveyed or cleared.
- Iran said in response that any foreign armed forces attempting to enter the strait without coordination with Tehran would be attacked.
- CENTCOM later told reporters in a phone call that six “small boats” that tried to interfere with commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz were eliminated. Iran denied this claim.
- Later on Monday, Iran said it stopped a US warship from entering the Strait of Hormuz by firing two missiles at the warship after it ignored Iranian warnings.
- CENTCOM has denied that any Navy ships were struck.
Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait of Hormuz.
Most Strait of Hormuz shipping at a standstill despite latest US pledge: There were no signs of increased vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a day after President Donald Trump said the US would begin efforts to free up shipping. One shipping group said transit for its vessels remained impossible due to a lack of clarity over secure passage procedures.
UAE accuses Iran of attacks as ‘large fire’ breaks out at oil refinery: Authorities say an Iranian drone sparked a fire at the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone, wounding three people. Iran denies the UAE accusations.
UN reports growing support for Strait of Hormuz humanitarian corridor to avert food crisis
Israeli army ‘on high alert’ for possible resumption of Iran war
US Central Command Says It Destroyed Six Iranian Boats; Iran Denies Naval Losses
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON IRAN (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more)
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians, 254 children)
- Israel: 35 (16 Israeli soldiers, and 1 friendly fire – including both Iran and Lebanon-related deaths; another count shows 20 Israeli civilian deaths)
- Arab states (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon), at least 154
ISRAEL’S WAR/CEASEFIRE ON LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Israel has invaded Lebanon seven times in the last half century. Between 1978 and 2000, Israel maintained an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon — Hezbollah was formed to fight that occupation.
Although Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024, Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since, committing over 10,000 air and ground violations – the most violated ceasefire deal in recorded history – and killing at least 397. (Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
Israeli attacks killed 17 people in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, in further violations of a temporary ceasefire that has been in place since April 17.
Experiences of Displacement in Lebanon Can’t Be Captured by Numbers Alone: In Gaza, we have lost a sense of safety and our suffering persists despite the ceasefire. I see the same in Lebanon.
Lebanon Melkite Catholic bishops express ‘concern’ over Israeli building demolitions in south: The Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops have accused Israeli soldiers of destroying a Melkite convent in Yaroun amid attacks on Lebanon.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- Lebanon: at least 2,696 people have been killed (including 260 women, 177 children, possibly 1,000+ military)
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM SYRIA:
Although Israel is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025. Israel has demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria, allegedly to prevent any “potential threat” from post-war Syria – but has vowed to stay permanently in what seems to be an informal border expansion.
Israelis with dual nationality behind ‘large-scale’ acquisition of Syrian agricultural lands: Report: Extensive purchases of agricultural land are reportedly underway, orchestrated by individuals linked to Jewish agencies and holding passports from various countries. According to these sources, the total land area involved in these transactions amounts to approximately 200,000 dunams (200 square kilometers).
Jewish settler groups in Israel say it is their goal to occupy land in southern Syria and southern Lebanon in a bid to expand the borders of Greater Israel through military conquest and Jewish settlement.
Smart borders, military gates and land seizures: How Israel is encroaching in southern Syria: Report by Sijil Centre reveals Israel’s systematic violations in the territory and how security is used as a guise to grab land and resources.
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Dems push Trump to acknowledge Israeli nukes: Some on the right have also expressed support for recognizing Israel’s nukes. “We’ve fought two wars in this century to maintain Israel’s nuclear monopoly,” argued Scott McConnell, a co-founder of the American Conservative. “Maybe that monopoly is a good and necessary thing, but maybe we can at least talk about it.”
How Dr. Adam Hamawy’s experience as a surgeon in Gaza inspired him to run for Congress: A combat surgeon who volunteered in Gaza during the genocide is one of the surprise leaders in the Democratic Party race to replace Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in New Jersey’s 12th district.
Palestinian photographer Saher Alghorra secured the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography on Monday for his poignant documentation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “This is always a day of celebration in our communities, but perhaps never more so than today,” Pulitzer Prizes Administrator Marjorie Miller said as she underscored the importance of independent journalism amid escalating political and economic obstacles.
Alghorra, a contributor to the New York Times, won for a photography series that Miller described as “haunting” and “sensitive.” The images illustrated the starvation and destruction in Gaza resulting from Israel’s attacks since October 2023.
Obama warns US risking catastrophic global damage as he implicitly criticizes Trump’s Iran policy: Barack Obama tells New Yorker magazine that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ‘gotten what he wanted.’ Obama added that although Netanyahu ultimately achieved his aim, he remains highly doubtful that such a war would serve the interests of either Israeli or American citizens.
Criminal complaint filed against Norwegian politicians over complicity in Gaza genocide
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Global Sumud Flotilla says Israel subjected abducted activist to ‘systematic torture’
25-year-old Palestinian killed in West Bank
Israel approves plan to spend “tens of billions of dollars” on new fighter jets
On World Press Freedom Day, Palestinian press union reports 300 Israeli violations in 2026
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MAY 4, 2026*:
- At least 73,764 Palestinians killed, 184,145 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,612 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,457 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,156 killed (~240 children), 11,700 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 8,000 more are still buried under rubble (some sources put the number of missing as high as 14,000); 3,000 more are reportedly missing. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count. Additionally, the numbers of injured are very conservative estimates.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – May 4, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel (these numbers do not include deaths from the conflicts with Lebanon or Iran).
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 282 Palestinian journalists and media workers (most recent March 9, 2026; other groups have tallied between 215 and 356 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used). Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (all on October 7, 2023).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- As in Gaza, Israel is targeting rescue workers in South Lebanon, killing more than 100 since March
- Israel’s Obliteration Ecocide from Gaza to Lebanon and Beyond
- Israel Said It’s Applying the Gaza Model in Lebanon. This Is What the Devastation Looks Like.
- New Member of Trump’s Iran Negotiating Team Comes From Notoriously Pro-Israel Think Tank
- Israeli army demolishes Christian monastery, nuns’ school in southern Lebanon
- Tokenizing Christians In Israel
- Israel’s New Ambassador to the ‘Christian World’ Served as Envoy to Azerbaijan During the Ethnic Cleansing of Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh
- Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 32 Across S Lebanon, Including Children – Amid “Ceasefire”
- Israel to pour $730m into propaganda arm amid reputational crisis
- Real Cost of Iran War Likely Double the $25 Billion Figure the Pentagon Gave to Congress
- Israel conducts farthest-ever strike in long history of attacks on Gaza humanitarian aid flotillas
- US ships 6,500 tons of munitions, equipment to Israel in 24 hours
- A New Library in Gaza Rises From the Ashes of Destruction
- Israel’s top Jewish religious body ‘refuses to condemn’ smashing of Jesus statue
