Israel continues to kill in Gaza, weaponize food – “Ceasefire” Day 7

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Israel continues to kill in Gaza, weaponize food – “Ceasefire” Day 7
A general view of the heavily damaged and collapsed buildings in Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza on October 16, 2025. (Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut – Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

(Day 740 of Israel’s Latest War on Gaza)

Israel killed at least 3 Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, in spite of the ceasefire.

About 381 bodies have been recovered since the ceasefire began. Civil defense workers and loved ones continue to dig out bodies of Palestinians that were buried in the rubble during the war. 

Since the ceasefire went into effect on October 11, 23 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks and 122 have been wounded.

NOTE: Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count. At this point, most of the dead being recorded have been recovered from under the rubble. Others have succumbed to earlier injuries.

Additional statistics below. For detail on incidents in Gaza on Thursday, go here.

GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:

(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.)

660,000 Gaza children out of school for 3rd year: UN agency

“In Gaza, children are out of school for a third year in a row,” UNRWA said on X. “For nearly 660,000 girls and boys, returning to learning is not only about education, it’s about starting to heal from deep trauma.”

Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA director for external relations, said a “priority for UNRWA is the education for children and the resumption of learning for children.”

The assaults have partially or completely destroyed 97% of Gaza’s school buildings, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

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Civilians killed in Gaza for crossing no-go line ‘they don’t even know exists’

Breaking the Silence, a rights group formed by veterans of Israel’s armed forces, has blasted Israeli troops for shooting civilians in Gaza for their supposed crossing of the “yellow line”, behind which Israel’s military has redeployed as part of the ceasefire.

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4,200 aid trucks promised, only 653 have entered Gaza under ceasefire deal 

The Gaza Government Media Office said in a Thursday statement that a total of 653 aid trucks were allowed into the territory since the ceasefire deal took effect on Oct. 10, just 15.5% of the promised 600 humanitarian aid trucks a day, including those carrying fuel and cooking gas.

According to truck drivers, aid deliveries are facing significant delays, with Israeli inspections taking much longer than expected (continue reading here).

RELATED: Rafah Crossing May Reopen Sunday amid Gaza’s Catastrophic Humanitarian Crisis

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Israel’s exploding robots still terrorize Gaza neighborhoods

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas brought thousands of people back to their homes in Gaza City, to assess the damage, see what can be salvaged, and start to rebuild. But in some neighborhoods, among the rubble sit explosive robots, silent and undetonated.

People aren’t sure where all the undetonated robots lurk, nor do they know what to do if they encounter one, adding to the anguish and uncertainty that clouds this homecoming.

The “robots” had become a common fear in northern Gaza since the Israeli army first used them on Jabalia refugee camp in May 2024 (continue reading here).

RELATED: Israel to flood Gaza City with explosive-laden robots, report says

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Palestinian government unveils $67 billion, five-year plan for Gaza reconstruction

GAZA HEADLINES:

Up to 70 million tonnes of rubble, 20,000 unexploded ordnances in Gaza: Media Office

Israel extends detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safia for six months without charges or trial

Hamas is hunting down groups in Gaza that collaborated with the Israeli army, one by one

Infectious diseases ‘spiraling out of control’ in Gaza: WHO

Whitewashing Gas Exploration in Post-Genocide Gaza

HOSTAGE EXCHANGE NEWS:

Bodies of Palestinian prisoners sent by Israel unrecognizable: Gaza hospital director

Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals in Gaza’s Health Ministry, has spoken to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic about the “clear signs of torture” found on the bodies of Palestinians that were returned to the Gaza Strip this week.

“One body shows signs of hanging with a rope still wrapped around the neck, blindfolds around the eyes and bound hands. That martyr was placed as is and sent to us,” Zaqout said from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

“Almost all of them had been blindfolded, and had been bound up, and they had gunshots between the eyes. Almost all of them had been executed,” said one doctor, adding, “there were also scars and discolored patches of skin showing they had been beaten before being killed. There were also signs that their bodies had been abused after they were killed.”

The ministry has received a total of 120 bodies – 90 Wednesday, and 30 Thursday.

 

Israeli bodies are seven floors underground near unexploded bombs, Hamas says

Hamas has reportedly told mediators there are bodies of Israeli hostages located seven floors underground, close to unexploded bombs. The specific equipment needed to locate and extract them them is currently unavailable because the Israeli army is preventing it from entering the Gaza Strip.

The movement added that some of the bodies were buried in tunnels destroyed by the Israeli army, while others remain under the rubble of buildings bombed and demolished by Israeli forces.

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Fourth body delivered to Israel revealed to be Palestinian used as human shield*

The body of a captive released by Hamas, which Israel said was not one of its own, belonged to a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank who was used by the Israeli military as a human shield during battles with the resistance in Gaza last year. 

*NOTE: Israel has long accused Hamas of using the Palestinian population as human shields, an allegation that has been debunked.

Israel’s use of Palestinians as human shields has been widely reported for many months, for example: the Guardian, Al Jazeera, and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Years earlier, reports were filed by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International; Defense for Children International also revealed the Israeli military’s use of a child as a human shield.

As far back as 2005, the Israeli supreme court ruled that the use of the human shield procedure in raids is illegal and a violation of international law – this ruling followed at least 1,200 incidents in the previous five years. 

RELATED: Every accusation a confession: Israel and the double lie of ‘human shields’

According to EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli army’s use of Palestinian civilians as human shields has been documented on a large scale
According to a report by EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli army’s use of Palestinian civilians as human shields has been documented on a large scale. (EuroMed Monitor)

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US officials say Hamas ‘honoring agreement’, urge Israel to drop demand for return of all bodies

Israeli officials have claimed that  because Hamas has not returned the remains of all Israeli captives, Hamas is violating the ceasefire – but a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump denied the Israeli claim.

“We’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘Hamas violated the deal, because not all the bodies have been returned.’ The understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostages out, which they honor[ed],” the advisor said Wednesday.

A second Trump advisor stated that Hamas could only begin retrieving bodies once the ceasefire went into effect and Israeli bombing ended. “On top of all that debris is a lot of unexploded ordinance, and presumably, under that … there are many bodies,” the advisor stated (continue reading here).

NOTE: A week ago, CNN reported that Israel and the US have known for months that “Hamas may not know the location of, or is unable to retrieve, the remains of some of the 28 remaining deceased hostages.”

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HOSTAGE EXCHANGE HEADLINES:

Released Israeli soldier says Hamas gave him the Torah and prayer tools during his captivity

Sde Teiman Detention Center, near Be'er Sheva Israel, where many cases of rape and torture of Palestinian prisoners has been documented (Breaking the Silence)
Sde Teiman Detention Center, near Be’er Sheva Israel, where many cases of rape and torture of Palestinian prisoners has been documented (Breaking the Silence) (Breaking the Silence)

NOTABLE QUOTE: “This was not a war”

Arwa Mahdawi, Guardian journalist and Palestinian, on the ceasefire:

I am not celebrating the end of the “war” because this was not a war. Children and toddlers are not systematically shot in the head by snipers during a war. IVF centers and maternity patients don’t tend to be targeted in wars. A place is not deliberately rendered uninhabitable during a war.

No, this was not a war. It was, as scores of human rights experts and international organizations have concluded, a genocide.

I am thankful that the killing has slowed down. But let us not be naive here. Gaza has been rendered uninhabitable for a reason; settler attacks and home demolitions in the West Bank have ramped up for a reason.

When people like the Israeli prime minister talk about “peace” in the region, the peace they appear to be referencing is the peace of finally being able to ignore the existence of Palestinians. A peace in which Palestinians have been expelled from their homeland.

OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM 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.)

11-year-old Palestinian child shot dead by Israeli forces while playing football

An 11-year-old Palestinian child, Mohammad Bahjat Al-Hallaq, was pronounced dead on Thursday evening after succumbing to wounds sustained earlier in the day when Israeli occupation forces opened fire in the village of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron.

WAFA correspondent reported that Israeli soldiers fired live bullets toward a group of children who were playing football in the yard of Al-Rihiya Girls Secondary School. The child was struck by a bullet that penetrated his pelvis and was transferred to a nearby hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead.

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Palestinian young man killed by Israeli occupation forces in Qabatiya, near Jenin

A Palestinian young man was killed by Israeli occupation forces on Thursday evening during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said that 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil was fatally shot after Israeli soldiers opened fire while storming the town. Troops had earlier deployed infantry units in the streets, searched several homes, and detained another resident.

11-year-old Palestinian child, Mohammad Bahjat Al-Hallaq, and 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil, both killed by Israeli forces on Oct. 16, 2025
11-year-old Palestinian child, Mohammad Bahjat Al-Hallaq, and 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil, both killed by Israeli forces on Oct. 16, 2025 (WAFA)

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Settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque as Israeli police block worshippers

Dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa mosque under the protection of the Israeli police, according to the Islamic Endowments Department. 

The report said that at least 93 settlers stormed the mosque during the morning hours and performed Talmudic rituals and prayers* while the Israeli police stationed at the gates prevented worshippers from entering the mosque. 

*NOTE: Anyone can visit the Al Aqsa Mosque grounds, but only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to an understanding known as the ‘status quo agreement,’ which has existed since Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967.

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While the eyes of the world are on Gaza, Israeli settlers in the West Bank still behave with impunity

More than 30 occurrences of settler violence against Palestinians have been documented since the announcement of Trump’s 20-point plan at the end of September. The timing is not coincidental.

 

This period marks the start of the harvest seasons, a vital economic event and an important social and national moment that exhibits endurance under occupation. Precisely for these reasons, year after year settlers target Palestinians during this precious time.

During the 2024 harvest period, Yesh Din (an Israeli human rights group) documented 113 separate incidents of violence. In about 70% of forceful prevention of access to lands, soldiers, border police officers and settlement civilian security coordinators (CSCs) either personally prevented Palestinians from accessing their own lands, or failed to stop settlers who harassed or assaulted them (continue reading here).

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WEST BANK HEADLINES:

Army Demolishes a Palestinian Home Near Ramallah

Palestinian farmers start to harvest olives on agricultural field despite the Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the village of Madama, south of the city of Nablus, West Bank on October 03, 2024.
Palestinian farmers start to harvest olives on agricultural field despite the Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the village of Madama, south of the city of Nablus, West Bank on October 03, 2024. (Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency])

NOTABLE QUOTE: States of statelessness

An anonymous Palestinian author writes, in “Stateless: Memory, Identity, and the Palestinian Experience“:

For us Palestinians, the labels blur, overlap, and fracture into absurdities that say less about us and more about the colonial world that produced them.

We live across every category, often several at once; stateless but documented, citizens without equality, residents without permanence, refugees in perpetuity. These labels are supposed to give meaning to our legal position, but in reality, they strip meaning from our history.

I have been asked before, by researchers, acquaintances, well-meaning colleagues, “Do you identify as stateless?” And every time, I pause. Not because I am unsure of the answer, but because the question itself feels too shallow for the truth. The reality of being Palestinian cannot be captured by a simple “yes” or “no.”

What does “stateless” mean when you are Palestinian? (continue reading here)

ISRAEL HEADLINES

(Get a glimpse inside Israel and the turmoil and contradictions within the country. Often, our news items and headlines are taken from Israeli media.)

Israeli warplanes launch 5 airstrikes in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israeli attacks on Lebanon aim to destroy productive sectors, hinder recovery: Lebanese president

Mandela’s grandson: Israeli forces ‘singled out and humiliated’ South Africans on Gaza Flotilla

HEADLINES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:

How Israel’s ‘Hasbara Paradigm’ Collapsed in Gaza

Israel hopes Gaza ceasefire will bring end to wartime international isolation

REMINDER: Israeli PM Netanyahu remains wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:

Centrist US Democrat says he returned AIPAC donations

A prominent Congressman Seth Moulton has announced he will return donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), highlighting the powerful pro-Israel lobby group’s waning appeal among Democrats.

The move by Moulton, a centrist and strong supporter of Israel, shows that backing from AIPAC is increasingly becoming a political liability for Democrats after the horrors Israel has unleashed on Gaza (continue reading here).

RELATED: How Does AIPAC Shape Washington? We Tracked Every Dollar.

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US activists detained by Israel urge Washington to halt arms transfers

Ten US citizens who were detained by Israel while on board the Global Sumud Flotilla earlier this month gathered outside the US State Department on Thursday, urging an end to military assistance to Tel Aviv and demanding accountability.

Tor Stumo, one of the activists, said he “did not feel like a US citizen in Israel,” despite the close alliance between the two countries.

“As soon as I stepped foot off that boat, I was beaten, punched in the stomach, and clubbed on the back of the neck. I was handcuffed so tightly I passed out,” he said. “The Israelis have nothing but contempt for humanitarian activists and US citizens and our government” (continue reading here).

RELATED: Freedom Flotillas: A history of attempts to break Israel’s siege of Gaza

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Hamas offered to cede Gaza control long before ceasefire: Backchannel mediator

Hamas had agreed to cede administration of the Gaza Strip long before the current ceasefire agreement came into effect, a key unofficial backchannel mediator between the Palestinian movement and the United States said.

Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American, reportedly delivered messages between US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas during the latest war in Gaza.

Bahbah said, “Earlier this year, Hamas expressed readiness to hand over all its resources in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza,” claiming that “Israel refused,” saying it “only wanted a partial deal.” However, when a partial deal was arranged – twice, in May and August of this year – he purported that “Israel changed its mind again, saying it no longer wanted a partial deal; it demanded a comprehensive deal.”

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MORE HEADLINES:

Houthi chief of staff killed in US-Israeli strikes, Yemeni group confirms

1 killed, 7 injured as Israeli warplanes launch 12 airstrikes in Lebanon despite ceasefire

Warner Bros Discovery says Israeli film boycott ‘violates our policies’

Pakistan: Military crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters leaves scores dead

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

Palestinian bodies returned by Israel show signs of torture and execution, say doctors

Palestinian man beaten to death by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank

(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza receives 45 bodies from Israel for identification, on October 15, 2025.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza receives 45 bodies from Israel for identification, on October 15, 2025. (Doaa Albaz – Anadolu Agency)

TAKE ACTION FOR GAZA

If Americans Knew has prepared a whole set of resources for educating and informing the public on the situation in Gaza: short videos, statistics, links, and downloadable flyers that you can print and hand out.

Watch this introductory video, and visit the website. Then pitch in to make a difference!

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 16, 2025*:

  • At least 69,019 Palestinians killed, 180,179 injured – including:
  • at least 67,967 killed in Gaza (~20,000 children, 23,000 women) 
  • at least 1,052 killed in the West Bank (~212 children)
  • at least 170,179 injured in Gaza
  • more than 10,000 injured in the West Bank
  • at least 463 have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including 157 children

*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 9,500 more are still buried under rubble. Additionally, the numbers of injured and starved are very conservative estimates.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 16, 2025: ~1,658 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 468 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. 

By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 271 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 205 and 323 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

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