Counting the cost of another year of genocide in Gaza – Not a ceasefire Day 83

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Counting the cost of another year of genocide in Gaza – Not a ceasefire Day 83
Palestinians living in the rubble of the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza, don't know what 2026 has in store, on December 22, 2025. (Adem Bilal – Anadolu Agency)

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 812th day.)

A child was killed in al-Mawasi, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.

Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 418 Palestinians. At least 1,142 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative. 

Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 969 times in 83 days. More statistics below.

GAZA NEWS:

(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.)

Gaza’s population drops by over 10 percent in 2 years

The Gaza Strip has seen its population fall by 10.6 percent in the last two years, representing a “severe demographic hemorrhage”, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

In its year-end update, PCBS said the Strip experienced a “sharp and unprecedented population decline of approximately 254,000 people” since Israel’s full-scale war on Gaza began in October 2023.

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Gaza prisoner statistics for 2025

According to the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies, hundreds of civilians were arrested in Gaza in 2025, including young people and minors on their way to obtain humanitarian aid.

The center said more than 14,000 Palestinians have been detained from Gaza since October 2023, and about 1,800 prisoners are still in detention or forcibly disappeared (continue reading here).

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Gaza’s losses counted: 2025 statistics

  • At least 29,117 Palestinians were killed or remain missing in 2025.
  • About half of those killed were children, women, and the elderly.
  • At least 475 people died from starvation and malnutrition, including 165 children.
  • At least 62,853 wounded people were admitted to hospitals.
  • Half of Gaza’s 1,244 kidney patients died.
  • More than 4,441 miscarriages occurred, from malnutrition and lack of healthcare.
  • At least 7,488 students were killed and 10,557 injured in Israeli attacks on the enclave.
  • More than 112,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped on the Strip.
  • More than 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, along with 80 percent of agricultural land.
  • Gaza experienced 220 days of complete border closures in 2025.
  • More than 132,000 aid and fuel trucks were prevented from entering.
  • At least 500 aid workers and volunteers were killed.
  • 2,605 Palestinians were killed – and another 19,124 wounded – in “aid traps”.
  • The initial direct losses in 15 vital sectors are estimated to exceed $33 billion.
  • Agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors have been completely devastated.
  • Vegetable cultivation areas declined from 93,000 dunams (22,980 acres) to 4,000 dunams (988 acres).
  • 1,000 agricultural wells, and 500 cattle, sheep, and poultry farms were destroyed.
  • More than 700 water wells, 3,080 kilometers (1.914 miles) of electricity lines, and 400 kilometers (249 miles) of water and sewage networks were destroyed in Israeli attacks.
  • Israel destroyed 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) of roads in Gaza, razed 150 government buildings, 250 sports and cultural facilities, and targeted archaeological and historical sites (continue reading here).

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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.)

Israel settler violence forces closure of only primary school in occupied West Bank village

The only primary school in the village of Yanoun, in the northern occupied West Bank, has been forced to close after escalating threats and attacks by Israeli settlers against residents and their property. It is considered one of the smallest schools in the world in terms of both size and number of students.

The school building now stands empty of pupils and teachers, a closure residents say goes beyond an interruption to education and represents a serious blow to children’s right to safety and stability. 

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In occupied West Bank, Israel is seizing Palestinian homes and transforming them into military outposts

Ali Kilani never imagined he would be evicted from his home in the middle of the night, leaving him and his family homeless within moments.

Citing security reasons, the Israeli army forcibly kicked out Ali and the owners of eight other homes in the town of Ya’bad, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, without prior warning. Promptly, the Israelis converted the homes into military outposts and have been occupying them for nearly two months.

The Israeli army’s policy of seizing Palestinian homes occurs almost daily, coinciding with the militarized raids into the occupied West Bank. Most seizures are temporary, lasting hours or days, but sometimes they extend for months or even become permanent ( continue reading here).

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Israel made 7,500 arrests in West Bank in 2025, group says

Israeli forces arrested 7,500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2025, according to the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies.

At least 600 children, some under the age of 10, and more than 200 women and girls were arrested, most of them under the pretext of “incitement” on social media platforms.

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More than 500 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

At least 524 Israeli settlers have reportedly descended upon Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli forces, performing Talmudic rituals and “provocative” tours.

The site is Islam’s third-holiest – and a symbol of Palestinian national identity – but it is also holy to Judaism. However, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site, but not to pray there.

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WEST BANK HEADLINES:

Palestinian teenager in ‘critical condition’ after beating by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Shoot 3 Palestinians – 2 of them Children – Near Ramallah, Hebron

Israeli forces start demolishing 100 homes in Nur Shams camp

Israeli Colonizers Plow Jericho Lands for Seizure

Israeli Forces Invade West Bank; Colonizers Escalate Attacks

Tulkarem Governor Urges Action Over Nur Shams Demolitions

Israeli troops arrest Palestinians during a raid on Halhul, Hebron, occupied West Bank, in July
Israeli troops arrest Palestinians during a raid on Halhul, Hebron, occupied West Bank, in July (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu)

OTHER 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.)

Katz tells IDF to be ready for Oct. 7-style attacks in Judea and Samaria [i.e. West Bank]

The military’s operations in northern Samaria over the past year led to a drop of more than 80% in terrorism*, the defense minister said. [*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. Additionally, Israel regularly labels Palestinians they have killed as “terrorists” to rationalize their deaths, whether they did anything threatening or not.]

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Disputes deepen inside Israel as supreme court president hits back at Smotrich

The latest tensions follow a sharp attack by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich against Supreme Court President Judge Isaac Amit. and the judge’s retort.

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Israel preparing to displace Palestinians to breakaway Somaliland, Somalia President warns

In exchange for Israel’s recognition of the breakaway state, Somaliland reportedly agreed to take in Gazans, establish an Israeli military base, and join the Abraham Accords.

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Knesset passes law cutting power, water to UNRWA offices in Jerusalem

The move escalates Israel’s campaign to dismantle the UN agency, immediately threatening essential aid services for 110,000 Palestinian refugees.

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Israeli army blows up last standing house in Lebanon* border town

An Israeli force moved 1,600 meters into the Lebanese territory after midnight and blew up a house. [*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 conduct new raids into southern Syrian* villages

The Israeli army raided several Syrian towns in the southwestern province of Quneitra on Wednesday. [*NOTE: The Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 cross-border raids on Syria since December 2024.]

Israeli soldiers surround the Kefr Saba neighborhood in Qalqilya, West Bank on December 4, 2025.
Israeli soldiers surround the Kefr Saba neighborhood in Qalqilya, West Bank on December 4, 2025. (Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency)

HEADLINES 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.)

Israel Blocked 37 Aid Groups From Gaza – and Then Claimed Credit for Their Work

Israel’s political decision to block international aid groups from Gaza continues its cruel and amateurish treatment of Gaza’s civilian population over the past two years.

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Palestinian Prisoners Say Drinking Water Was Withheld From Them as ‘Collective Punishment’

The Justice Ministry publicized reports previously kept from the public due to security concerns, including potential harm to hostages in Gaza. Prisoner testimonies included severe hunger, routine violence from guards and the denial of both medical attention and access to courts.

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IDF says it killed Palestinian who threw stones in West Bank, shot two others

Israeli special forces shot 3 Palestinians in the West Bank, killing one, the IDF said in a statement. The military says were throwing rocks at a nearby highway.

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How the Return of Piped Water to Gaza Poses New Risks for Disease and Pollution – Which Could Flood Into Israel

With Gaza’s wastewater plants still crippled [by Israel], restored water flow and winter rains are sending raw sewage into the Mediterranean. ‘Pollution has no geographical boundaries,’ warned one expert, as Israel fears damage to desalination plants, drinking water security and epidemic outbreaks.

Palestinians crowd around to fill their jerry cans from a UNICEF water tanker that just arrived, on August 18, 2025 in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Palestinians crowd around to fill their jerry cans from a UNICEF water tanker that just arrived, on August 18, 2025 in Khan Younis, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency)

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An Entire Generation Is Being Erased and Ben-Gvir Is Celebrating

The Israeli government has lost control over the most basic right, the right to live, as it allows crime to flourish. In Negev Bedouin society there’s no longer a routine: there’s life between a shooting and a funeral.

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Ben-Gvir and His ‘Price Tag Police’ Are Making Life in the Negev Unbearable – for Arabs [Palestinians] and Jews

This isn’t law enforcement, but revenge on behalf of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s executive branch against all the residents of the village.

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Trump Gave Israel and Netanyahu Immunity When It Comes to Gaza. That’s Not What Best Friends Do

How is it at all possible to receive someone wanted as a war criminal, and how is it possible to glorify him at a time when his hands are sullied by so much blood?

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Israel is losing its best, and the cost is irreversible

Around 150,000 Israelis have left the country over the past two and a half years. These are strong, talented people, the kind of people countries seek to import, not export. Ignoring the flight of human capital is a strategic choice, and it carries an irreversible price.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) visits the peak of Hermon Mount (Jabal al-Sheikh) on the Syrian side of the border after the fall of the Baath regime in Syria on December 17, 2024.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) visits the peak of Hermon Mount (Jabal al-Sheikh) on the Syrian side of the border after the fall of the Baath regime in Syria on December 17, 2024. (Ma’yan Toaf / Israel GPO – Anadolu Agency)

OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:

World Council of Churches calls for sanctions on Israel

The World Council of Churches has called on the European Union to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel over what it described as a war of genocide in the Gaza Strip and violations against Palestinians in the West Bank.

A spokesperson said the council was “deeply shocked by the cycle of violence and the immense suffering” in the region, adding that the world is witnessing an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster” in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that the “tragic cycle of violence” in Gaza did not begin in October 2023*, but is the result of decades of occupation, the blockade imposed on Gaza, and systematic inequality.

*NOTE: This recognition of the historical context of October 7th is a breath of fresh air to Palestinians and their allies. Israel supporters ignore the background, and imply that history began on October 7th, as though the Hamas fighters attacked Israel for no reason. In fact, Israel has been oppressing Palestinians since its creation in 1948, and even before that.

The aftermath of an Israeli attack on the premises of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. The attack occurred on October 20, 2023
The aftermath of an Israeli attack on the premises of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. The attack occurred on October 20, 2023 (Bilal Salem – Anadolu Agency)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:

“Palestinians do not negotiate their own extinction”

Israeli Forces Kill a Palestinian Near Nablus

Netanyahu whitewashes settler violence on Fox interview

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