Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
(While a “ceasefire” is ostensibly in place, Israel has continued its assault on Gaza without interruption. If Americans Knew considers the war to be ongoing, and in its 823rd day.)
Israel killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip in the latest ceasefire violation; two children died of hypothermia.
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 447 Palestinians. At least 1,246 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative.
Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 1,193 times (as of Jan. 9, 2026). More statistics below.
GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(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.)
Two more children die of exposure*
Two more children died on Monday in Gaza – a four-year-old and a newborn baby aged seven days. A two-month-old baby died on Sunday.
The Palestinian health ministry said at least six children have died from the cold since the start of this winter season; at least 21 people, including 18 children, have died from the cold since October 2023. All were living in makeshift displacement camps.
*NOTE: As a de facto occupier of Gaza, Israel is obligated under the law of armed conflict to ensure that the occupied civilian population is provided with supplies essential to the survival to the fullest extent that it can, including basic food and medical supplies as well as clothing, bedding and means of shelter. In cold climates, fuel for heating may take priority.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly stated that they have large quantities of sheltering materials, food, and medical supplies waiting just outside the border, but Israel does not allow them into the Strip.
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‘Absolute destruction’: Israel demolishes 2,500 buildings in Gaza after October ceasefire
Israel has demolished more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the start of the so-called ceasefire with Hamas two months ago, the New York Times (NYT) reported on 12 January, citing analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs.
According to NYT, the majority of the demolitions have occurred in territory on the Israeli-controlled side of the so-called ‘Yellow Line,’ which separated Gaza into two parts, east and west, after the October ceasefire took effect (continue reading here).
🚨New horrifying footage from Gaza: Israeli demolition units continue to level schools, homes, and what remains of the Strip’s infrastructure , all under a “ceasefire” that exists in name only. pic.twitter.com/tpybeXoiUW
— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) January 10, 2026
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Gazan man replaces oxygen machine with bicycle pump to help mother breathe
OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM NEWS & HEADLINES:
(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.)
As genocide continues in Gaza, the West Bank is pushed into a new Nakba
Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people has never been confined to Gaza alone.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the shattered, bomb-scarred, ghostlike refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm, destroyed and emptied by Israel as a stark warning to Palestinians of the consequences of resisting occupation and genocide.
During a recent visit to the northern West Bank, I witnessed the physical destruction of refugee camps and was struck by how closely the lives of Palestinians there mirror the devastation faced by refugees in Gaza (continue reading here).
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Widespread Invasions, Abductions and Demolitions, in West Bank
Israeli Soldiers Shoot 3 Palestinians Near Jerusalem
ISRAEL NEWS & HEADLINES:
(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 accurately. IAK passes along only factual reporting.)
Senior Israeli officials on Monday publicly advocated for a permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip, defying a US-backed plan that explicitly rules out Israel’s military presence or annexation of the territory.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin said Israel must maintain control over Gaza as part of what he described as its broader territorial claims: “We need to be present in Gaza and across the entire Land of Israel,” Levin said. “This is, first and foremost, our country” (continue reading here).
*NOTE: Those Israelis (and Americans) bent on taking over Gaza and/or making it part of Israel do not take into account the humanity of the 2 million people already living there, or their right to self-determination. Israeli leaders have been actively seeking ways to relocate the people of Gaza since the beginning of the war, without any input from the people themselves. Notably, the vast majority of Israelis support the forced relocation of all Gazans.
Forced population transfer is a crime against humanity, and a form of ethnic cleansing. If world leaders truly want to offer Gazans a good life outside Gaza, the just solution would be to return them to their homes in historic Palestine.
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Israeli coalition moves to erase fraud charges as Netanyahu’s trial* grinds on
*NOTE: Read about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s corruption trial here and here.
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Revenues of Israel’s Eilat Port ‘drop to zero’ due to Yemen’s pro-Palestine operations
“Every morning, workers arrive at empty docks, ready and waiting, and the ships do not arrive,” Yediot Ahronoth reported. “The port’s revenues, which previously reached about $74 million a year, have dropped to almost zero.”
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Israel to privatize its two largest weapons firms amid ‘high-value’* following Gaza genocide
*NOTE: Read about Israel’s highly profitable weapons and surveillance industry, thanks to their marketability as “battle-tested” here and here.
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Man injured in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon* despite ceasefire
*NOTE: Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since the ceasefire was reached on 27 November 2024. committing over 10,000 air and ground violations.
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Israeli forces raid Syria’s* Quneitra after UN visit, detain young man
*NOTE: The Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 cross-border raids on Syria since December 2024.
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Report: Argentina halts plan to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem
Argentina has suspended plans to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem following recent tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Argentine President Javier Milei, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
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Leaked documents reveal UAE proposal to back Israel’s genocide in Gaza ‘by all means necessary’
The Emirati proposal calls for ‘strengthening’ the ‘sister state’ of Israel in its war on ‘terrorists*’ in the Gaza Strip.
*NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for an individual or group that resists occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance.
On October 7th, Hamas was exercising – albeit imperfectly – its internationally recognized right to resist the oppressor and occupier of its people. Hamas fighters attacked Israel after years of oppression and many nonviolent attempts to call attention to the injustice. The UN has passed hundreds of resolutions demanding justice – to no avail.
NEWS & HEADLINES (WITH NOTES) FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:
(You can learn a lot about a country from its headlines. Get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions that receives $63 million a day from America.)
U.S. May Bankroll New Israeli Armored Vehicles With Billions of Dollars*, Internal Files Reveal
Israel’s Defense Ministry announced a massive project to expand the production of IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers. Two lines in U.S. Army documents reveal the possibility that the plant in Israel would be built with American funding.
*NOTE: In 2024 alone, the United States gave Israel $23 billion in military aid – paid for with US taxpayer dollars – two thirds of Israel’s entire 2026 military budget. A majority of American voters now oppose sending additional economic and military aid to Israel, a stunning reversal in public opinion since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks; meanwhile, overall support for Palestine has been on the rise.
RELATED: Israel’s Netanyahu hopes to ‘taper’ Israel off US military aid in next decade
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Facing an expiring aid agreement and shifting American politics, Netanyahu is recasting the likely U.S. move away from Israeli military support as a win for Israel.
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AI, robots, space, and defensive ‘beepers’: IDF chief advances five-year plan for Israel’s military
The IDF’s new five-year plan, spearheaded by Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir includes groundbreaking advances in AI, robotics, and space defense, aiming to revolutionize Israel’s military capabilities.
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Knesset’s ‘Death Penalty for Terrorists*’ Bill Mandates Execution by Hanging
The proposed law sets strict execution rules, including isolation for prisoners, meetings with lawyers only via video conferencing calls, and immunity for officers. It allows death sentences without a prosecutor’s request and mandates completion within 90 days under military court oversight.
*NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for an individual or group that resists occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance.
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Israeli President expresses concern over exodus of Christian* families from Israel
President Herzog expresses concern over the exodus of young Christian families from Israel, stressing the importance of security and peace for all communities in the Holy Land.
*NOTE: Christians in the Holy Land have been facing increased persecution from Israeli Jews and the Israel government. A Palestinian church leader recently stated that Israeli policies are “part of a systematic policy aimed at dismantling the authentic Christian presence in Palestine.”
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How Can Jerusalem’s Mayor Sleep While 2,000 Palestinians Face Homelessness in His City?
Just a few kilometers from the mayor’s office at Jerusalem’s city hall, more than 2,000 residents of Silwan are about to lose their homes due to a campaign of destruction and expulsion. Mayor Moshe Leon, your duty is to protect them.
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Has Birthright* Become a Toxic Brand?
Once the crown jewel of Israel travel programs, Birthright recently launched a $900 million fundraising campaign. But after the Gaza war, will young Jews make the trip for the sugar-coated version of Israel?
*NOTE: Read about the controversial, politicized Birthright program here.
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Legalizing Corruption to Save Netanyahu: Israeli Knesset Marks a New Low for Brazenness
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
Trump advances plan for Gaza Board of Peace to address conflicts around the world instead of the UN [i.e. Trump wants to rule the world]
The White House is promoting a broad mandate for the Board of Peace that will govern the Gaza Strip in a way that will allow it to, in due course, also engage in resolving other conflicts around the world, according to three sources who spoke to Haaretz.
One of the sources clarified that the American officials promoting the issue “think that it will be an organization very reminiscent of a new UN, in which selected countries will sit and make decisions about the world.”
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Trump says ‘Board of Peace for Gaza’* being formed
“The Board of Peace is being formed,” Trump told the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “Essentially, it’s the most important leaders of the most important nations … You take the most important leaders and nations, that’s who the Board of Peace is going to be. Everybody wants to be on it.”
The board, which is expected to be chaired by Trump and include around 15 world leaders, will supervise a yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government and oversee the reconstruction process in Gaza.
Countries expected to join the board include the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, and former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov could act as the Board of Peace’s representative on the ground.
*NOTE: The so-called Peace Council is deeply problematic. Trump’s proposal (passed by the UN Security Council) to establish a Peace Council headed by a political figure, Trump himself, constitutes an unprecedented arrangement that undermines the principle of neutrality.
The US is not considered a neutral party by Palestinians, but a strong ally of Israel. The resolution was crafted in coordination with Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, to impose an administration on occupied territory without the consent of the Palestinian people and without a UN mandate, introduced instead under the guise of a resolution to end the war (continue reading the critique here).
RELATED: Gaza ‘board of peace’ will hold first meeting at Davos, Palestinian American intermediary says
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Trump ‘has an interest’ in exploring diplomacy with Iran: White House
Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt maintains airstrikes are ‘on the table,’ but says US president’s ‘first option’ is diplomatic outreach.
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An urgent appeal to save the lives of Palestine Action hunger strikers*
Former hunger strikers from Ireland, Palestine and Guantanamo Bay call on the UK government to take immediate action (*NOTE: read about the Palestine Action hunger strikers here).
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Dozens of artists, including Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo and Ilana Glazer, have joined with doctors, human rights leaders and humanitarian organizations to call for the immediate restoration of medical care in Gaza in a letter addressed to the state of Israel and world leaders.
“Israel’s systematic attacks on hospitals and unlawful blockade have collapsed Gaza’s healthcare system,” says the letter. “Through its policies and military activities, the government of Israel has deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza and then denied the very help that could save them” (continue reading here; read the open letter here).
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International law died in Gaza. Why is the world mourning it in Greenland?
We have entered the age of open thuggery, as the brutality Israel tested on Palestinians is now being normalized elsewhere.
Can Mayor Mamdani be as good as Candidate Mamdani on Palestine?
California’s Palestine Exception to 1st Amendment is Fought in Courts by Progressives
After facing backlash, California congressional hopeful Scott Wiener says Israel is committing ‘genocide’
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Two-Month-Old Baby Dies from Cold in Gaza
Israeli Soldiers Kill A Palestinian Man In Hebron
Palestinian detainee from Gaza dies in Israeli custody
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 12, 2026*:
- At least 72,527 Palestinians killed, 182,324 injured – including:
- At least 71,424 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,103 killed in the West Bank (~229 children)
- At least 171,324 injured in Gaza
- About 11,000 injured in the West Bank
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 10,000 more are still buried under rubble. Additionally, the numbers of injured and starved are very conservative estimates. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 12, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 471 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.
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 275 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 328 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).
**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)
- The Israeli Influence Operation Aiming to Install Reza Pahlavi as Shah of Iran
- Israel is quietly erasing Palestinian refugee camps from existence in the West Bank
- The “Zionist tint” to the Maduro abduction, if not operational, then normative
- Press association condemns Israel’s continued ban on media access to Gaza
- Israeli Indifference to Palestinian Suffering Is Fertile Ground for the Growth of Sadism
- Israel Targeted Churches, Mosques, and Markets during the Genocide.
- ‘We Saved the Child From Drowning’: In Gaza, Winter Storm Makes Displacement Even Deadlier
- Palestinian church committee urges churches worldwide to protect aid work in Gaza
- BlackNest: Inside Canary Mission’s Secret Web of Unlisted Sites
- Israel’s role in Trump’s attacks on Venezuela
- This is how Israeli settlers, backed by the military, erased a Palestinian village from existence last week
- Israel is waging a reproductive genocide against Palestinian mothers in Gaza
- With Their Breadwinners Killed, Gaza’s Children Turn to Begging to Survive
- Israel And Its Supporters Deliberately Foment Hate And Division In Our Society
