News roundup for Monday, June 29, 2026, Day 997 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.
A new wave of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Monday killed eight people, including a woman and her young daughter, and injured dozens amid ongoing violations by Tel Aviv of a ceasefire in effect since last October, medical sources said.
3,465 Israeli ceasefire breaches, as killings and detentions in Gaza mount: Since the “ceasefire” took effect on October 11, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that a total of at least 1,045 Palestinians have been killed and 3,380 injured, alongside 786 reported recoveries of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs. The Government Media Office in Gaza reported 3,465 Israeli ceasefire violations during the 260 days since the truce; 113 Palestinians had been detained during this time.
55,539 aid trucks have entered Gaza out of a planned 156,000; 8,016 passengers have been allowed to cross through Rafah out of 21,800 scheduled travelers, both representing roughly 36% of expected movement.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Board of Peace* finalizing plans for Gaza, but implementation timeline up in the air: With disarmament talks** stalled, the committee of Palestinian technocrats – formally known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) – tasked with replacing Hamas remains outside Strip, attending workshops on how they’ll govern if or when they enter. The US-controlled Board of Peace has barred members from speaking to the media.
*NOTE: The so-called Board of Peace is a pay-to-play group of wealthy and powerful Israel supporters, dictators, and authoritarians, as well as Israeli prime minister and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and two Israeli real estate tycoons – but no Palestinians. In fact, the organization’s charter makes no reference to Gaza. BoP is problematic in multiple ways, not the least of which is its tendency to view the world through a real estate lens, rather than human rights, justice, or humanitarianism.
**NOTE: The statement that “disarmament talks are stalled” is disingenuous, and wrongly frames Hamas as the impediment to peace. Hamas has never, at any point, agreed to disarm, and was very clear about that point.
MUST WATCH: Israel’s Best-Kept Secret: Palestinian Resistance Never Agreed to Disarm
ISRAELI MEDIA: ‘We Must Finish Conquering All of Gaza’ – Smotrich: Israel Ready to Build Three Settlements in Gaza ‘Immediately’: Touring the Gaza border, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the settlement plan is awaiting PM Netanyahu’s approval. ‘We must establish a belt of Jewish settlements that will serve as a security buffer for Israeli communities,’ he declared.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,048 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began – one by friendly fire, and four others incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 73,058 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
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.)
Occupation Forces Kill a Palestinian Child in Al-Bireh: The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the death of 15-year-old Amir Ahmad Jawad Jaber, after occupation forces shot him in the head and chest with live rounds in the city of Al-Bireh. Since the beginning of the year, Israeli soldiers and illegal colonizers have killed 73 Palestinians, including 19 children and 5 women in the occupied West Bank, while the Israeli occupation continues to withhold the bodies of at least 22 of those killed.
War on the Poor: Israel Shuts Down Major Charity Serving Orphans in Nablus: Israeli forces posted a military order at the entrance declaring the organization a “terrorist association,” confiscated office equipment and humanitarian aid intended for poor families, and sealed off the premises.
How Israel’s financial strangulation of the West Bank is killing Palestinian public education: Israel is stoking a financial crisis in the West Bank by withholding funds from the PA. Among the sectors most affected is education, where teachers’ salaries have been cut, and classes have been shuttered. The impacts might last a generation.
Israel has arrested 65 Palestinian high school students in the West Bank since the start of 2026, including four detained since final exams began this month, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said on Monday. The arrests were part of “an ongoing Israeli escalation targeting Palestinian students and depriving them of their right to education,” the NGO said in a statement.
Israeli settler* groups have prepared a plan to seize 100 strategic locations in the Palestinian Authority-administered Area A** of the occupied West Bank, according to a media report Monday. The proposal would have Israeli forces deploy to the 100 sites on “execution day,” presumably followed by settlers. Palestinian leaders described the proposal as a dangerous step in Israel’s annexation*** of the occupied West Bank.
*NOTE: Israeli settlers – many fueled by extremism – have carried out a number of mass attacks or “pogroms” against Palestinians. These well-organized groups aim to destroy the West Bank economy and/or drive out the indigenous Palestinians (including Palestinian Christians). Settlers enjoy impunity – even support and assistance from the Israeli government and military – as they attack Palestinians on a daily basis. Meanwhile Palestinians are not allowed to own weapons.
**NOTE: To learn about Areas A, B, and C, go here.
***NOTE: Annexation of land – that is, the proclamation of sovereignty over the territory of another State – is a violation of international law.
DEATH TOLL – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
WATCH: B’Tselem: Unshielded Childhood: Palestinian children and teenagers killed by Israel in the West Bank in 2025
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.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee compares America-Israel alliance to marriage that cannot afford divorce: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Monday there was “not a chance” that the historic relationship between the United States and Israel would break apart. “When I hear people say, ‘Is it possible America and Israel will split apart and no longer enjoy this extraordinary partnership?’ I say, ‘No, you’ve got to understand, we are not that stupid. I hope we’re never going to be that stupid,’” Huckabee said.
MUST-READ: Israel Is Not an Ally—It’s a Liability
How Israel uses water as a weapon of war from Palestine to Lebanon: Israel recently damaged Lebanon’s vital Qaraoun Dam, raising fears of a structural failure. Experts say the attack reflects Israel’s long-standing ambition to control Lebanon’s water — and mirrors the water apartheid it imposes on Palestinians.
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – 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.
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 is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025, and demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria – but also vowed to permanently occupy some areas.
IRAN
Katz Says Israel Could Be Back at War With Iran ‘Tomorrow’: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that the Israeli military was ready to restart the war against Iran and that it could happen as soon as “tomorrow.” Katz vowed that Israel would bomb Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh if Hezbollah rockets were fired into northern Israel and that the IDF was prepared to respond if that prompted Iranian attacks on northern Israel.
LEBANON
Israeli TV channel claims to obtain parts of Lebanon agreement’s secret security annex: According to a report by Israeli Channel 12, the secret annex states that the Israeli army’s withdrawal will not follow a fixed timetable but will instead depend on developments on the ground and assessments of the security situation. The annex also reportedly grants the Israeli army freedom to carry out military operations within the so-called Yellow Line to respond to immediate or emerging threats, and the Lebanese army’s deployment will not be expanded without Israeli approval.
*NOTE: If this annex to the Lebanon agreement is genuine, it would enable Israel to continue attacking southern Lebanon at will (under the guise of “self-defense” against “immediate or emerging threats”), while Lebanon would enjoy no such freedom. Israel has managed to have similar clauses placed in other agreements, enabling their military to operate at will, while the other side was bound by the agreement.
Additionally, the clause about Israel’s withdrawal is troubling: basing withdrawal on “assessments of the security situation” leaves Israel without any commitment. This has led to massive unresolved occupations in the past: the West Bank and East Jerusalem were captured in 1967 and still remain under varying levels of Israeli control; the Syrian Golan Heights is in a similar situation; southern Lebanon was also under Israeli occupation for 18 years.
RELATED: Israel-Lebanon ‘agreement’ evokes the spectre of Oslo capitulation
SYRIA
New Israeli assault in southern Syria forces families to flee their homes: Israeli attacks in southern Syria, which have intensified since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024, included Sunday night the shelling of civilian homes. Israeli troops have advanced inside the buffer zone and beyond, deeper inside Syrian territory. Israel has reportedly carried out nearly 300 operations or violations in the southern provinces Deraa and Quneitra in June alone.
*NOTE: A buffer zone is customarily described as a neutral geographic region, also known as a demilitarized zone (DMZ), positioned between two rival or hostile countries to prevent direct border conflicts and keep armies separated. Israel’s military movements inside and beyond the buffer zone are a violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement as well as a violation of Syria’s sovereign territory. When Israeli forces enter Syria and “come under fire,” that is Syria exercising its right to self-defense.
ISRAELI MEDIA: ‘Trapped in a No Man’s Land’ As the IDF Tightens Its Grip on Southern Syria, Locals Describe an Unbearable Reality: In recent months, residents have reported dozens, and in some areas, hundreds, of incidents involving Israeli troops conducting raids, searches and detentions in rural communities, and “short waves” of military activity: rapid incursions, searches and withdrawals within hours or days.
Israeli Forces Pound Southwest Syria, Claim to Have Killed ‘Armed Men’
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more) since Feb. 28, 2026
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians) since Feb. 28, 2026 (another source puts the number at 3,499)
- Lebanon: at least 4,247 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 60 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 36 soldiers, 4 civilians)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Hind Rajab Foundation Asks US to Arrest Ben-Gvir During NY Visit
AIPAC, Big Tech Back Diana DeGette Over Melat Kiros With $2M Spending Flood: Next week’s Colorado primary is attracting national attention in the wake of the major democratic socialist wins in New York City.
2 Democratic lawmakers to vote for amendment blocking US military aid to Israel: Greg Casar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say they will vote for Republican Thomas Massie’s amendment cutting $3.3B in Israel military aid.
MUST-READ: Massie moves to strike $3.3B in Israel military aid from the budget
Abdul El-Sayed Becomes First Senate Candidate Backed by Pro-Palestine Jewish Group: The political arm of Jewish Voice for Peace, known for protesting the genocide in Gaza, is wading into the race for the open Senate seat in Michigan.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israel is seeking to rebrand its plan for voluntary migration of Gazans out of the Strip
Israel Admits State-religious Schools Are Far Better Subsidized Than Secular Ones
Fresh hostilities in Gulf suggest US-Iran memorandum was too broadly worded
Ms Rachel says world has failed Palestinian children at briefing on Gaza, West Bank
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – June 29, 2026*:
- At least 74,235 Palestinians killed, 186,154 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,058 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 173,488 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,177 killed (~244 children), 12,666 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and thousands more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – June 29, 2026: ~1,663 – 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).
**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)
- Israeli Who Made Thousands of Hoax Bomb Threats Against Americans Arraigned in Florida
- The Antisemitism Command Center Inside Gillette Stadium
- America’s Founders Tried to Prevent Chronic Wars
- Critics of lifting Iran sanctions can’t offer a viable alternative
- We’re Expected To Remember October 7 But Never Ask Questions About It
- Israeli extremists are terrorizing Palestinian Christians and their holy sites
- Ms Rachel says world has failed Palestinian children at briefing on Gaza, West Bank
- Paradise lost: How Israel is making war on West Bank farmers: 2 Articles
- Trump’s Board of Peace plans to grant itself sweeping immunity, documents show
- The Executioner’s Noose, Not the Scales of Justice: Crime and Punishment in Israel and Palestine
- Foreign Agent Brad Parscale Turning World Cup Fans Into Psyop Guinea Pigs
- Four Reasons the Netanyahu-Backed Plan to ‘End’ U.S. Military Aid to Israel Is a Scam
- Archbishop of Canterbury vows to help Palestinians achieve ‘freedom you deserve,’ calls for end to Israeli occupation
- The scars left behind by Israel’s white phosphorus in Lebanon
