News roundup for Monday, May 25, 2026, Day 962 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.
The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed that six Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, including five killed in new attacks and one who died of earlier wounds. Among the dead was a 6-year-old girl.
The attack marked at least the third day in a row that the Israeli military killed a child in Gaza. A six-month-old baby was “cut into pieces” by an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Sunday, along with his father and mother. The Israeli military claimed on Monday that the father of the six-month-old baby was involved in weapons production for Hamas, but it provided no evidence. The family was killed as they slept.
Rights group* says complaint filed in Poland against Israeli officials over alleged crimes in Gaza: The filing from the Hind Rajab Foundation alleges that the officials “created and maintained a humanitarian crisis designed to physically destroy the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza” following the Oct. 7 events.
*NOTE: Read about the Hind Rajab Foundation and its efforts to hold Israeli soldiers accountable here; find out who Hind Rajab was here.]
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 904 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- 72,797 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
FLOTILLA NEWS & HEADLINES:
Go here to read about the most recent flotilla; go here to read about the history of flotillas to Gaza.
Australians returning from Gaza flotilla recount torture, sexual abuse during Israeli detention
Protest held at Australia’s parliament house over Israel’s treatment of Gaza flotilla activists
Malaysia prepared to take Israel to ICJ over treatment of Gaza flotilla activists
Two Italian activists who were part of a Gaza-bound aid convoy traveling overland through Libya were transferred to Benghazi and are being treated as potential illegal immigrants, Italian media reported Monday.
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.)
US and Israel ‘actively working’ to strip Jordan of Al-Aqsa custodianship, sources say: Under the plan, championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no official role in the administration, and the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf would abruptly end and a new body created by the Israeli government would declare the Al-Aqsa Mosque a “multi-faith center.” The “new arrangement” would grant Jews “equal access” to the Muslim site and formally allow large-group Jewish prayer.
Colonizer Desecrates Armenian Monastery in Occupied Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Governorate said Monday that a video filmed four days earlier near the Armenian Monastery in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem captures an Israeli colonizer violating the sanctity of the site, provoking widespread anger among Christian residents and church institutions.
Army Demolishes Homes, Facilities in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Qalqilia
West Bank: Israeli Forces Abduct 7 Palestinians, Seize Dozens of Vehicles
Army Demolishes Commercial Structures Near Qalqilia
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.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Netanyahu Injected Deadly Poison Into Israel’s Body: Even if Prime Minister Netanyahu is defeated and resigns, his successors will have to operate in the shadow of the lethal injections he left behind – ongoing killing and destruction in Gaza and Lebanon, hilltop militias in the West Bank, and plans to execute hundreds of October 7 participants.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Deflect, Attack, Play the Victim: Inside Netanyahu’s Campaign to Stay in Power: The first official election campaign video from Netanyahu’s Likud party treads familiar territory: incitement and division. But it also signals how the prime minister, behind in the polls, intends to distract voters from his plentiful failures
Ben Gvir’s war of words with Israel’s president: Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned Monday that a “terrible process of brutalization” was spreading from the margins of Israeli society and risked becoming normalized. Among the examples of growing violence, he pointed out attacks carried out by a “lawless mob” in the occupied West Bank, referring to settler violence*. Herzog’s remarks triggered immediate criticism from Itamar Ben-Gvir, who supports settlers’ actions: “A president who calls hundreds of thousands of citizens of the State of Israel beasts is not fit to be president. Period.”
*NOTE: Israeli settlers – many fueled by extremism – have carried out a number of mass attacks or “pogroms.” These well-organized groups aim to destroy the West Bank economy and/or drive out the indigenous Palestinians (including Palestinian Christians).
ISRAELI MEDIA: ‘I Lost My Grandmother’s Story’: Eesa Hayek’s Race to Collect Nakba Testimonies from Palestinians in Israel
‘We have been abandoned’: Hundreds of Israelis permanently leave Kiryat Shmona: The Jewish residents in Israel’s north are angered that Hezbollah has not been disarmed or defeated amid President Trump’s negotiations to end the war with Iran.
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 US has launched strikes on targets in southern Iran, even as negotiations for a peace deal are in progress. CENTCOM called the strikes “self-defense” to protect US troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. A CENTCOM spokesperson said, “Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines…US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.” CENTCOM did not provide further details on the strikes.
Unconfirmed reports say that four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in one attack. The US strikes on Iran were said to be “over for now,” but it’s unclear how Iran will respond, and the US attack could mean the resumption of full-blown war in the region, something President Trump has repeatedly threatened.
More Iran war? There goes the neighborhood, and global economy: US energy exporters might benefit from higher global oil prices, but American consumers do not and they, along the rest of the world, are paying.
Trump claims deal with Tehran nearing ‘final stages’
Iranian negotiators meet with Qatari officials amid push to end US war: Trump says it will be ‘mandatory’ for the Gulf states to normalize ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords if a peace deal with Iran is reached.
‘If Iran gets a bomb it will be Bibi’s’: The deal that Trump’s team is negotiating with Iran may put some constraints on Iran’s nuclear program, but most believe they would be less restrictive than the JCPOA agreement reached by Obama in 2015. Netanyahu criticized that deal at the time. Now Iran could accelerate its nuclear program, rather than destroying it as Netanyahu had promised. “If they [Iran] do come to possess a nuclear bomb, it will be Bibi’s bomb.”
ISRAELI MEDIA: Trump’s Iran Deal: Netanyahu’s 2018 Dream Is The World’s 2026 Nightmare
Trump calls for ‘mandatory’ adherence to Abraham Accords in Iran ceasefire talks: President Trump on Monday threw a new wrench into any deal to end the war on Iran, demanding Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, and Jordan “normalize” relations with Israel, possibly as a “lubricant” to ensure Israeli buy-in for any deal with Iran.
“After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote in a lengthy social media post.
Unabashed, Trump used social media to claim: “Who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!”
Lindsey Graham puts Israel first, threatening US allies:
If in fact as a result of these negotiations to end the Iranian conflict, our Arab and Muslim allies in the region agreed to join the Abraham Accords, it would make this agreement one of the most consequential in the history of the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 24, 2026
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON IRAN (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more)
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians, 254 children)
- Israel: about 40 (19 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. (Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
At least 17 people were reportedly killed and several others injured Monday in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, marking new violations of an ongoing ceasefire. The attacks came hours after an Israeli aircraft dropped incendiary phosphorus munitions on the forests of the southern municipality of Qalila, igniting fires in citrus groves and agricultural lands.
US Backs Israel’s Escalation in Lebanon: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he ordered the Israeli military to intensify its attacks on Lebanon, which came as US officials speaking to media outlets made clear Washington would support an Israeli escalation despite Iran maintaining that a real ceasefire in Lebanon is required for any deal with the US.
2 Israeli ministers call for power cuts, home demolitions in Lebanon (the 2 ministers are Ben Gvir and Smotrich)
Israeli finance minister demands carpet bombing of Beirut in response to Hezbollah’s deadly FPV drones: Israeli media and officials have criticized the army’s inability to effectively respond to the FPV threat, especially as losses near the Lebanese border continue to rise.
Israeli Withdrawal ‘Non-Negotiable,’ Says Lebanon President
Lebanese cling to memories of Liberation Day as Israel reoccupies the south: Israel’s war on Lebanon has displaced more than a million people and razed half the towns in the south, but residents nurture hope of the day 26 years ago when occupation forces were forced out.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 3,089 people have been killed since war began on March 2, 2026
Netanyahu:
We are at war with Hezbollah.
In recent weeks alone, our heroic fighters have eliminated more than 600 terrorists. I want you to know this: more than 600 terrorists.
But we are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more.…
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) May 25, 2026
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Van Hollen Says Democratic Party Must End Whitewashing, Admit ‘Complicity’ in Gaza Genocide: “Primary voters won’t trust any Democratic presidential candidate who does not have a record of moral and strategic clarity on these issues.”
UN peacekeeping efforts on verge of collapse amid global funding crisis: Report: In contrast, global military spending climbed to nearly $3 trillion in 2025, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth.
Former ICC prosecutor says Mossad chief pressured her to stop investigating Israel war crimes: Fatou Bensouda says she ‘felt left alone’ and ‘unsupported’ as the Dutch government failed to protect her during intimidation campaign over Palestine case.
RELATED: Spying & threats: Israel spent 9 years trying to keep the ICC off the trail of Israel’s war crimes.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
World Central Kitchen halves Gaza meal aid as Iran war drives up costs
Trump said, “ negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner
Israel must strike Beirut buildings in response to Hezbollah drones, IDF chief tells cabinet
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MAY 24, 2026*:
- At least 73,949 Palestinians killed, 184,479 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,797 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,821 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,166 killed (~244 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 24, 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)
- How AIPAC channels millions through shell PACs ahead of US midterms
- Israel’s long record of using banned incendiary weapons on civilians
- How Jeffrey Goldberg weaponized Jewish trauma to pave the way for war with Iran
- They Were Children During the Nakba. This Is What They Remember 78 Years Later
- Pro-Israel commentator warns critics face ‘buzzsaw’ of ‘Jewish money’ after Massie defeat
- How Dumb Does Ted Cruz Think Americans Are?
- Autopsies of Gaza Medics Killed by Israeli Troops Show Some Were Shot in the Head
- U.S.: New Data Highlights AIPAC Ties to the U.S., Israeli Governments
- Joe Kent: Trump can’t end war until Israel taken out of the loop
- ‘Over the Border It Was Okay to Be Crazy’: IDF Soldiers Tell About the Army’s Moral Decay in Lebanon
- In Response To ICC Arrest Warrant, Israel’s Smotrich Orders the Destruction of a Palestinian Village
- Student protest silencing goes to new extremes on US campuses
- Has Trump torpedoed the ICC’s Gaza probe?
- The Numbers Behind the ‘Sacred Work’ of Cleansing West Bank Palestinians for Future Jewish Villas
