Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
ISRAEL-US WAR ON IRAN – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Why is If Americans Knew covering the war on Iran? It can not be overemphasized that Israel has been the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran for years. This is especially true right now, under Donald Trump. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades.
The American people have made clear that they do not want to go to 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.”
Trump’s 15-point peace plan falls flat: Iran’s response to the 15-point plan, the specifics of which have not been fully revealed, appeared to be a resounding no.
Iran lays out five conditions for ending imposed war: An Iranian official told Iran’s Press TV, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.” He outlined five specific conditions under which Iran would agree to end the war:
- A complete halt to “aggression and assassinations” by the enemy.
- The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic.
- Guaranteed and clearly defined payment of war damages and reparations.
- The end of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region [Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon).
- Iran’s exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is and will remain Iran’s natural and legal right.
Iran fortifies key oil-rich Kharg island amid heightened risk of US ground assault: Report: ‘Iran has also been laying traps including anti-personnel and anti-armor mines around the island.’
Tensions flare during Iran briefing on Capitol Hill: Tensions flared behind closed doors Wednesday during a briefing for the House Armed Services Committee, with Republicans and Democrats reportedly expressing frustration about a lack of clarity and information about President Donald Trump’s strategy, especially the prospect of ground troops in Iran, including what the troops could be used for and whether the U.S. can adequately protect them once they were deployed.
US Arms Control Official Refuses To Comment When Asked If Israel Has Nuclear Weapons*: “I can’t comment on that specific question. I’d have to refer you to the Israelis on that,” Thomas DiNanno, the US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, maintaining the US government’s ambiguity over Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal.
*NOTE: Israel is well-known to possess nuclear weapons, although it has never admitted it outright.
US House Democrat moves to subpoena Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner for Iran war hearing: “The American people deserve transparency and accountability on a conflict of this magnitude, and this committee has the responsibility to provide it,” US Rep. Gregory Meeks said.
Pete Hegseth, at today’s Christian Prayer & Worship Service at the Pentagon, prays for Almighty God to “pour out your wrath” and “break the teeth of the ungodly.” He begs the Almighty to sanction “overwhelming violence” against “those who deserve no mercy” pic.twitter.com/eJyDeTANot
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) March 25, 2026
DEATH TOLL (tentative):
- United States: 13
- Israel: 19
- Iran, over 1,937 (240 children)
- Other Arab states (including Palestine), at least 121
ISRAEL’S WAR ON LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES:
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 – and killing over 300. 80,000 residents remain displaced and unable to return home.
Additionally, Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, and other Lebanese areas it has held for decades. (Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
Israel plans to expand military presence up to 8 km inside Lebanon: Report: Israeli media reported on Wednesday that the Israeli army has begun establishing 18 new military sites inside Lebanon, some located deep inside Lebanese territory, following a decision to maintain full control of Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, “and even beyond it in some areas” (for background on Israel’s actions – including possible war crimes – in this region, go here).
Netanyahu vows to seize new areas of Lebanon as annexation* fears grow: “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in Lebanon,” the Israeli PM said. The Israeli military has forcibly displaced more than one million Lebanese civilians, and launched a ground invasion of the country’s south after Hezbollah intervened in the Iran war more than three weeks ago. Defense minister Katz said earlier this month that he had ordered the destruction of civilian homes in depopulated areas and vowed to ethnically cleanse Shia communities from the region.
*NOTE: Annexation of land – that is, the proclamation of sovereignty over the territory of another State – is a violation of international law.
Israel used white phosphorus* to scorch earth in south Lebanon, researcher says: Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers said they were able to verify that Israel was again using the notorious white phosphorus over south Lebanon, reigniting accusations that it is breaking the laws of war. Since then, more videos have emerged purporting to show white phosphorus munitions exploding over south Lebanon, and researchers say that with 800,000 Lebanese people displaced from the region after Israeli forces ordered them to leave, many more uses may have gone undocumented.
*NOTE: Use of white phosphorus in civilian areas is considered a war crime due to its extremely dangerous effects on the human body. White phosphorus ignites instantly when in contact with oxygen. It can burn through the human body, including through bone, causing severe, excruciating damage. It can also cause extreme harm when inhaled, with risks of suffocation, cardiovascular failure, coma, death, and other lifelong effects. The substance burns at temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
DEATH TOLL (tentative):
- In Lebanon, at least 1,094 people have been killed (at least 118 of them children, 79 women, and 40 healthcare workers).
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.
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 889th day.
The Israeli army on Wednesday killed one Palestinian and injured eight others in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, in what Palestinian sources described as a new violation of the ceasefire.
32 Outposts, 10 Miles of Ground Barrier: IDF Builds New Border Line Inside Gaza. Here’s How It Looks: The Yellow Line was intended to be temporary, but more than five months have passed since Trump published his plan to end the war and start IDF withdrawal. No such withdrawal is in sight.
Israel holds 54 percent of the Strip, and the IDF has further reduced the Palestinian-controlled area by several percentage points by placing yellow concrete blocks beyond the official line, demolishing structures, and displacing residents. Some 2.1 million Gazans are now crowded into less than half the area they lived in before the war, and hundreds have been killed near the Yellow Line.
DEATH TOLL (tentative):
- At least 691 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- At least 72,267 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since Oct. 7, 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.)
Two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, settlers: Palestinian 21‑year‑old Qasem Amjad Shqeirat was killed on Wednesday after Israeli forces invaded the town of Jabal al‑Mukabber in occupied Jerusalem, breaking into homes and abducting three young men during a nighttime operation. Residents reported that the invasion included breaking into homes, and conducting searches that lasted for hours.
Also on Wednesday, a Palestinian worker, 31‑year‑old Yosri Majed Abu Qbeita, was killed, and eight others were injured, one seriously, after Israeli forces and illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers pursued workers’ vehicles and opened live fire at them in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, causing several vehicles to overturn.
‘No Innocent Children’: Far-right Israeli Lawmaker Defends Killing of Palestinian Family: MK Yitzhak Kroizer of Ben-Gvir’s far-right party made the remarks in the Knesset after a Palestinian family was gunned down in the West Bank – “I stand behind IDF soldiers in every situation. Even if the collateral damage includes children or women, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Israeli occupiers seize 13 Palestinian apartments in occupied East Jerusalem, bringing the total to 15 homes taken over the past four days, according to witnesses and rights groups. Authorities cleared Palestinians’ belongings out then handed the apartments over to settler organizations, citing claims that the land belongs to Jews of Yemeni origin. Israeli rights group B’Tselem called the incident “ethnic cleansing”; video footage showed settlers throwing furniture from Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces turn Palestinian homes into military bases: “We were asleep. It was 2.42am. The door was forced open. I woke up to find the house surrounded.” In two different communities in the occupied West Bank, residents tell MEE the Israeli army has taken over their homes for days.
Palestinian Shot, Several Abducted in West Bank Invasions
Five Injured in Colonizer Attacks Across West Bank
Democrats Urge Trump to Pressure Israel Over West Bank Policies They Call ‘De Facto Annexation’: Democrat lawmakers argued the recent moves ‘erode the viability’ of a future Palestinian state and harm U.S. national security interests. New York Rep. Dan Goldman urged Trump to ‘use every tool at his disposal to pressure Netanyahu to roll back’ decisions.
DEATH TOLL (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 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 Knesset advances death penalty bill for Palestinian prisoners: One of the sponsors of the bill, said “the law sets out a clear and unequivocal message: Those who choose to murder Jews because they are Jews* lose their right to live,” while calling it “a moral and necessary step.” The final two readings to approve the hanging of Palestinian prisoners is set to take place next week.
*NOTE: This bill was specifically designed for the perpetrators of October 7th, framing them as antisemites, killing people that day because they were Jews. There is no indication that the events of October 7th were antisemitic. In fact, Hamas has explained in no uncertain terms why it carried out its attack.
Iran strikes Israeli chemical complex linked to white phosphorus production (read about the dangers of white phosphorus here).
The Iron Dome is intercepting our chances of a normal future: Israel’s missile defense systems have radically reduced the cost of going to war — and a society that does not fear war is doomed to live with it forever. Israel, in the Iron Dome era, no longer presents itself as a vibrant civilian society that also maintains a military; instead, it takes pride in essentially being a massive military base around which civilian life is organized.
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Palestine Action hunger strikers to sue prisons over alleged mistreatment: A month after being released on bail, pro-Palestine activists who participated in a months-long hunger strike in prison are planning on taking legal action over their alleged mistreatment. Due to medical neglect while in jail, several of the activists have lasting medical conditions – for which they are prepared to sue the UK prisons (read Palestine Action’s backstory here).
US and Israel vote against UN resolution recognizing slavery as a crime against humanity
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
US Troops Are Being Told to ‘Get Ready’ to Invade Iran (Zeteo video)
Iran says 114 cultural and historic sites damaged in Israeli-US attacks
Israel using ‘Gaza playbook’ in Lebanon, destroying water infrastructure
In interview, Gavin Newsom backpedals on his use of the word “apartheid”
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MARCH 25, 2026*:
- At least 73,400 Palestinians killed, 183,676 injured – including:
- At least 72,267 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 171,976 injured in Gaza
- At least 1,133 killed (~232 children), 11,700 injured in the West Bank
*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 – March 25, 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 conflict with Lebanon or the war with Iran).
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 282 Palestinian journalists and media workers (most recent March 9, 2026); Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 351 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.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- In the West Bank, life is a constant battle – 3 articles
- Jacob Reses, one of the most powerful pro-Israel operatives in Trump’s Washington
- ‘Forever live by the sword’: Understanding Israelis’ massive support for Iran war
- UN’s special rapporteur on human rights says Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians
- Trump White House plagiarized Iran war manifesto from Israel-aligned think tank
- Gaza says 6–10 patients die daily waiting for treatment abroad as Israel blocks medical evacuations
- ‘Substantial evidence’ of double-tap strike in killing of Gaza’s Hind Rajab
- ‘Do Not Want To Die For Israel’: Doubts About Trump’s Iran Strategy Spread Among Troops
- Instead of taking Joe Kent’s claims seriously, the media is disregarding him as an antisemite
- Joe Kent’s Explosive Interviews about his Resignation over the Iran War
- From Sde Teiman, the truth about Israel’s military justice system has been set free
- Child denied life-saving bone marrow transplant by Israel ‘because he is from Gaza’
- Raffi Berg: BBC Middle East Editor Exposed as CIA, Mossad Collaborator
- Jerusalem Archbishop Rebukes Netanyahu’s Statements on Christianity
