News roundup for Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Day 1,041 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.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza is lower since the October 2025 “ceasefire” began, over 300 days ago – about 4 per day, vs. over 100 per day during the 733 days of the “war.” But Israel is actively working (with Trump’s “Board of Peace“) to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinian population, even as the low-level killing continues. Genocide experts, along with organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International, maintain that the genocide is ongoing.
An Israeli air strike has killed one person and wounded five others in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, authorities said.
More than 1.3 million people in Gaza, or more than half of the enclave’s population, have access to less than 6 liters (1.6 gallons) of water per person per day for drinking and cooking. Another 700,000 people in Gaza, representing more than one third of the population, have access to less than 9 liters (2.4 gallons) of water per person per day. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 liters (4 gallons) per day for drinking, washing and cooking.
Gaza’s Civil Defense is working to recover Palestinians buried beneath buildings* destroyed during the early days of the Israeli war. The current phase, expected to take 800 hours, covers 147 destroyed homes across Gaza City and the northern and central Gaza Strip, where 1,072 bodies are believed to remain beneath the rubble. The team is working without pay and without adequate machinery or protective equipment for handling human remains and debris, at times with their bare hands.
*NOTE: The ceasefire agreement that Israel signed with Hamas over 300 days ago included a provision for Israel to allow the entry of heavy equipment into Gaza – for use in clearing the 60+ million tons of rubble. Until now, this has not happened. In fact, Israel has violated most or all of the terms of the ceasefire: All military operations were supposed to be suspended, but Israel has continued them, killing over 1,250 Palestinians since the ceasefire began; Gaza was supposed to be flooded with food, medical, and sheltering aid; rehabilitation of infrastructure, hospitals, and bakeries was supposed to begin – none of these commitments have been fulfilled.
Autism and war: Gaza families grapple with destruction and loss: Continuous bombing disrupts routines, causing sensory shocks and behavioral relapses in Gaza’s autistic children.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,259 since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025 (270 children). Children, women, and the elderly account for 35.3% of those killed and 49.1% of those wounded.
- 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began – one by friendly fire, and four others in incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 73,388 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
A father in Gaza finds his missing children two years after he was told they were killed by the israelis and under the rubble #Alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/1jkDnnr0Kt
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) August 12, 2026
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.)
NOTE: AS IS OFTEN THE CASE, today’s West Bank headlines revolve entirely around settlers (aka colonizers, occupiers).
More than 700,000 settlers live illegally on Palestinian land in over 500 Jewish-only settlements and settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some settler groups have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces. Learn more about Israeli settler violence here and here. It is noteworthy that settlers are only rarely prosecuted for their crimes.
In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements.
Many analysts believe the word “colonizer” is a better descriptor than “settler.” Zionism has been described by several scholars as a form of settler colonialism. Zionism’s founders and early leaders were aware and outspoken about their status as colonizers; early leading Zionists such as Theodor Herzl, Max Nordau, and Ze’ev Jabotinsky described Zionism as colonization.
Israeli soldiers clash with settlers in Qusra. But was it for show? A rare confrontation between Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday has raised questions among Palestinians over whether the clash marked a genuine attempt to restrain settler violence or a carefully staged show of enforcement amid mounting international pressure.
MUST-READ background, eyewitness reports on Qusra incident: B’Tselem Warns of Escalating Colonizer Seizures in Qusra
ISRAELI MEDIA: In Qusra and beyond, settlers are chasing Palestinians out and taking over their homes: While previous displacements targeted relatively mobile Bedouin communities, extremists have begun forcing occupants out of permanent structures on village outskirts, and then moving in themselves.
Israel begins demolition of 26 Palestinian buildings near Jenin to pave way for illegal settlement: During the first half of 2026, Israel carried out 341 demolitions, destroying 740 structures, affecting 923 Palestinians and issuing 254 demolition or stop-work notices, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
In Christian village of Taybeh, Israeli military order fails to stop settler violence: Palestinian residents and rights activists describe near-daily raids on homes and olive groves, with some saying they’ve been blocked from their own land for years. Taybeh is a predominantly Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank, and its residents rely on agriculture, olive groves and olive oil production, among other sources of income.
‘Burn in hell’: Israeli settlers spread hate through graffiti, attacks: Walls across occupied West Bank have been transformed into canvases for racist slogans, signaling a brazen drive for displacement of Palestinians.
Over 300 Israeli reservists petition army chief to stop settler attacks endangering soldiers: Troops are deployed between settlers and Palestinians during escalating occupier aggression, preventing Palestinians from defending themselves.
Dawn Invasions, Abductions, Demolitions, Colonizer Attacks Across West Bank
West Bank Under Intensifying Military, Colonizer Assaults
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: Israeli youth eager for combat, see IDF as victorious – poll: The survey found that 77% of young Israelis feel “highly motivated” to serve in the IDF, with around 57% saying they were highly motivated to draft into a combat unit; over 60% of participants view the IDF as a “victorious army,” compared to just 13% who disagreed with that statement.
A total of 4,769 young Palestinian men and women are being held in Israeli prisons, the head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs said Wednesday, marking International Youth Day, observed annually on Aug. 12. Israel is incarcerating 4,713 males and 56 females between the ages of 18 and 40; 41 of the 91 Palestinian prisoners killed in Israeli prisons since October 2023 were young people.
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
Trump claims US has ‘total control’ of Strait of Hormuz, says he does not trust Iran: “They’ve lied to me constantly,” Trump said, adding, “We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it.”
In a Wednesday post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump claimed, “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!”
Mental health crisis grips the USS Abraham Lincoln: US military families and members of Congress have raised concerns over worsening mental health conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and marines endure the longest uninterrupted deployment by a modern aircraft carrier. Several sailors have reportedly attempted to jump overboard as difficult conditions and psychological pressure pushed the crew towards breaking point.
Report: US Burned Through $200M of Munitions in 1 Day After Trump Restarted War
LEBANON
Israel blows up school, strikes religious commemoration site in southern Lebanon despite truce
Israeli strikes injure several in Lebanon as Israel Katz vows no withdrawal from occupied areas in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza: Defense chief says Israeli forces will remain in ‘security zones’ despite agreements calling for a gradual withdrawal.
Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say: Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing. Environmental groups said the fires in recent weeks were part of a longstanding Israeli practice of targeting Lebanon’s natural environment.
The United States has warned Israel against turning its occupation of southern Lebanon into a permanent military presence, saying such a move would violate the framework agreement reached with Beirut and undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty. The rebuke came after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Lebanese territory.
A senior US State Department official said that Washington expected Israel to abide by the commitments it made* under the US-brokered framework signed in late June.
*NOTE: Israel is often quick to make promises – but notoriously neglects to keep them. It has famously violated ceasefire agreements for decades, including currently in Gaza and Lebanon. It is a country whose leaders have perpetrated countless lies to cover for war crimes and aggression (and consistently pass along to Western mainstream media).
Previously, Israel has been caught in many lies – for examples, see this and this. Many of Israel’s lies have been debunked even by traditionally pro-Israel mainstream media.
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 18 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 4,335 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:
US intelligence skeptical that Iran threatened to assassinate Trump: WaPo: The Israeli government reportedly passed on information about the threat to the CIA, but the agency’s analysts considering them to be of low credibility,
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israel continues its assault on the occupied West Bank with 504 attacks in one week
Israeli army blows up Palestinian man’s home weeks after his killing
The gospel according to Bibi: How Israel Christ-washes hasbara
Turkey suspects Israel fabricated Trump Air Force One assassination plot to derail US-Iran deal
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – August 12, 2026*:
- At least 74,573 Palestinians killed, 187,259 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,388 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,259 injured. Children, women, and the elderly account for 35.3% of those killed and 49.1% of those wounded during the “ceasefire”
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,185 killed (~251 children) since Oct. 7, 2023, 13,000 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and as many as 15,000 more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 12, 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)
- Two girls shot in Gaza – BBC pieces together what happened and looks at dozens more child shootings
- ‘See. Listen. Speak’: Palestinian Churches Call for Action against Israeli Violations
- Turkey suspects Israel fabricated Trump Air Force One assassination plot to derail US-Iran deal
- Israeli Bulldozing Intensifies Destruction of Farmland, Water Systems in West Bank and Gaza
- “She was shot in the head. She was in the prayer area memorizing the Quran.”
- ‘Is this how our story ends?’ Palestinian refugees live in fear as Israel takes aim at West Bank camps
- ISRAELI MEDIA: International Media Is Failing Palestinian Journalists in Gaza
- Zionism has warped the lexicon, so words are now convenient weapons
- Israel’s siege cripples transport system in Gaza, risking return to famine in Gaza: Rights monitor
- Behind the Strange “Board of Peace” in Charge of Gaza
- Thousands of Jewish extremists intentionally provoke Muslims at Jerusalem’s holiest site
- Netanyahu’s Handpicked Likud Candidate: Trump a ‘Morally Corrupt Piece of Shit’
- Did California DA prosecute students to court pro-Israel donors?
- WSJ: Spitting Attacks Show Rise of Anti-Christian Hate in Israel
