News roundup for Sunday, May 17, 2026, Day 954 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.
Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least eight Palestinians, including three in Deir el-Balah, and others in Khan Younis and Beit Lahiya. The Deir el-Balah attack targeted a community kitchen, and all three victims were community kitchen workers. One Al Jazeera journalist commented, “This shows that Israel is not only targeting people, but also organizations serving the community across Gaza.”
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 871 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- 72,763 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.)
Israel plans to turn UNRWA compound into military facilities: On Sunday, the Israeli government approved plans to establish an office for Defense Minister Israel Katz, an Israeli army museum, and a military recruitment office on the site of the former UNRWA compound in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Governorate described Israeli move as “a dangerous escalation and a serious breach of international law.”
The governorate called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to refer Israel to the International Court of Justice if it does not revoke laws and measures targeting UNRWA. (Background on Israel’s war with UNRWA here.)
Occupation Forces Seriously Injure a Palestinian Near Hebron
Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian Child in Silwad, Ramallah
Israeli Forces Invade Multiple Areas Across West Bank
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.
ICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli Officials: According to a diplomatic source, warrants were also sought for far-right Minister Orit Strock amd two military officials. The International Criminal Court in The Hague previously issued warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Archaeology at the Service of Government Public Relations: According to the government minister in charge, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s purpose is not to reveal the land’s history scientifically, but rather to prove the Jewish people’s right to the land. Like other authoritarian regimes, Israel’s government views science as an enemy.
RELATED: Digging for annexation: How Israel uses archaeology to erase Palestine
‘Shackled, blindfolded and abused’: Palestinian women detail arrests, night raids and inhumane conditions inside Israel’s Damon Prison: For ten months, Hala (not her real name) had been held under administrative detention, a mechanism that allows Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinians without formal charges or trial based on undisclosed ‘secret files’. Like many women detained in recent years, her case was linked to social media activity. She said she was accused of “supporting Gaza” and “incitement”, although she never saw a formal indictment or any evidence against her, adding that the uncertainty itself became part of the punishment.
Israeli military struggles to throttle endless feed of soldiers posting misdeeds on social media: “They’re not even ashamed of what they’re doing*”: Troops keep recording their own misconduct, including smashing a statue of Jesus in Lebanon, but the army claims progress in curbing posts that fuel international criticism and risk operational security.
While the acts caught on photo or video largely fell below the threshold of war crimes, they still provided evidence of soldiers defying the army’s ethical code and acting with callous disregard toward civilians and their property, blackening the reputation of a military already perceived poorly by much of the world.
*NOTE: The Israeli military self-describes as “The Most Moral Army in the World,” boasting of its code of ethics. Even a cursory glance at If Americans Knew headlines exposes the folly of the term “moral army” to describe the IDF. Just a few examples:
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- “Most moral army in the world” added to UN Hall of Shame for child endangerment
- ‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza
- Israel Is the Global Rape, Torture Capital
- Israeli soldiers tell story of savage cruelty in Gaza – one given blessing by the West
- ‘No Civilians’: IDF Soldiers Reveal Killings, Lawlessness in Gaza
- In Israel, raping Palestinian prisoners is justified. Leaking the footage is betrayal
- In Gaza, Almost Every IDF Platoon Keeps a Human Shield, a Sub-army of Palestinian Slaves. The list goes on.
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 American people have made clear that they do not want the US embroiled in a war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List.“
After Offering ‘No Tangible Concessions’ in Iran Peace Talks, Trump Issues Latest Violent Threat: The only realistic path to a diplomatic breakthrough would require Washington to engage more directly with the structure and substance of the Iranian proposal itself,” said a national security expert.
What both sides want:
- US outlines 5 conditions for Iran deal: The United States has outlined five key conditions to reach a deal with Tehran: allowing only one Iranian nuclear facility to remain operational, refusing to pay any compensation or damages, demanding the transfer of 400 kilograms of Iranian uranium to the US, withholding the release of even 25% of Iran’s frozen assets, and conditioning any halt to the war on all fronts on the outcome of negotiations.
- Iran’s current stated conditions to end the conflict include an immediate end to hostilities, non-aggression guarantees, the lifting of U.S. sanctions, Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz, an end to the ongoing U.S. naval blockade, and an end to the war “on all fronts” including in Lebanon.
Iraqi farmer killed to hide evidence of two Israeli bases in country: Report: Locals said shepherd Awad al-Shammari was killed by a helicopter after discovering an Israeli base. (Original story here.)
Trump appears poised to restart the Iran war: Tehran believes fresh attacks will come over next two days. Feeling emboldened, leaders there are ready with new targets for retaliation.
United States President Donald Trump has reiterated his threats against Iran, as negotiations to end the conflict between the two countries continue to flounder: “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote in the short, two-sentence message. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
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 5 people were killed in a series of Israeli air attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 2,988 people have been killed since war began on March 2, 2026
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
As support for Israel declines in the U.S., the ‘Special Relationship 2.0*’ is starting to take shape: It is crucial to support actions like Bernie Sanders’ recent Joint Resolutions of Disapproval: Israel has proven itself to be a country that will use weapons to commit the most heinous of crimes, up to, and including, genocide. There must be no aid, no sales, no cooperation with Israel on military matters whatsoever. Any breach of that principle makes us all complicit in Israel’s crimes.
*NOTE: On April 24, 2024, legislation was signed into law giving $49 million per day in military aid to Israel (For information, go here.) Thanks to US tax dollars providing billions in military aid to Israel, Israel is able to provide its citizens with universal health coverage and heavily subsidized college tuition. Israel’s national debt and unemployment rate are lower than our own.
RELATED: US has given at least $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel since war in Gaza began, report says
It may not feel like it, but hope is on the horizon: Trump, Netanyahu and Putin’s powers appear to be waning: Plummeting approval ratings for these three poisonous comrades-in-arms show voters are demoralized and tiring of forever wars – the west could soon breathe again.
Israel booed at Eurovision final as Bulgaria wins competition
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israeli occupation forces shot and killed a Palestinian teacher
Palestinians forced to demolish own homes to make way for Israeli theme park
Welcome to the Most Shameful Day in the Jewish Calendar
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MAY 17, 2026*:
- At least 73,929 Palestinians killed, 184,364 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,763 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,664 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 17, 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)
- Medicine shortages amid siege leave people in peril
- Gaza’s students face a near impossible test to study abroad
- We Can’t Curb Nuclear Proliferation If We Don’t Acknowledge Israel’s Nukes
- 43,000 people in Gaza suffered life-changing injuries since October 2023: WHO
- Israel’s 7 October narrative under fresh scrutiny after army accused of deleting footage
- Ex-CENTCOM chief headlines lavish Israeli-American Council gala
- Israel’s 7 October rape hoax gets a 300-page reboot
- Chants of ‘death to Arabs,’ calls for destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque in racist Jerusalem Day march
- What Fuels My Revolutionary Optimism This Nakba Day
- Gaza elders who survived the Nakba reflect on being displaced by Israel again, 78 years later
- Microsoft fires head of Israeli subsidiary and other managers over surveillance of Palestinians
- Gaza: ‘Doctors Under Attack’ Wins Top Award After Being Shelved by the BBC
- The Nakba at 78: A statistical snapshot of Palestine
- Israel Expels Father Louis Salman from Palestine
