News roundup for Thursday, May 14, 2026, Day 951 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.
What Fuels My Revolutionary Optimism This Nakba* Day: It’s hard to think liberation is near when faced with so much death and destruction. But it’s even harder to ignore the cracks in the facade of the US and Israeli machine.
*NOTE: Start learning about the Nakba, the official beginning of the Palestinian “catastrophe,” here.
Gaza elders who survived the Nakba reflect on being displaced by Israel again, 78 years later: “Every moment I connect my life now to those years after the Nakba,” says 85-year-old Fatima Ibrahim Khalfallah. “This Nakba is more terrifying, more deadly, more destructive. . . The same hunger, thirst, and fear — but multiplied many times over.”
“I believed the pain of displacement and exile had ended with those days and would never return,” says Ismail Atiya Nasir al-Din, 91 years old, grandfather to roughly 150 grandchildren from twelve sons and daughters. “But this has been the occupation’s plan since before the establishment of what they call Israel: to kill us, displace us, and seize our homeland. The same goals, the same tragedies — separated by 78 years.”
Four Palestinians were killed and several others were injured, including children, in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday in the latest ceasefire violations, medical sources said.
With No Equipment Allowed Into Gaza, Palestinians Are Digging With Their Hands to Retrieve the Dead: “There was no warning strike, no call, no prior warning,” Khilla told Drop Site News. “There were 24 children in the house under the age of 17. They killed them all.” Eighteen of the bodies were pulled out in the immediate aftermath, but 21 remained buried, including his wife, children, father, brother, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
‘As doctors, we are effectively blinded’: Inside Gaza’s MRI crisis: With all machines destroyed or rendered useless by Israel’s siege, we cannot diagnose our patients, forced instead to practice a desperate form of triage.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Netanyahu Says Israel Is Currently Holding 60 Percent of Gaza Territory: Speaking at a Jerusalem Day event, the Israeli prime minister confirmed that Israel is now occupying more of the Gaza Strip than it was supposed to according to the U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 857 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- 72,744 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.)
JERUSALEM DAY MARCH:
Israeli nationalists chant ‘death to Arabs’ in violent Jerusalem Day march: Far-right Jewish marchers call for Palestinian villages to ‘burn’ as they storm through Muslim quarter of Old City. Thursday’s event culminated with the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, unfurling an Israeli flag in front of the al-Aqsa mosque, the holiest Islamic site in the city.
*NOTE: The Jerusalem Day parade, long marked by Israeli violence, extreme racism, and hate songs directed against the Palestinian residents of the Old City, is being held the day before Palestinians commemorate the Nakba (or Catastrophe) when pre-state Zionist militias killed some 13,000 Palestinians and violently expelled 750,000 from their homes and lands in 1948, in what historians have described as the ethnic cleansing of Palestine during the creation of Israel.enabling the creation of the State of Israel. Read more about Jerusalem Day here.
READ ABOUT JERUSALEM DAY 2025: Jerusalem Day Flag March Reached a New Low: Mocking the Dead Children of Gaza
ISRAELI MEDIA: Trapped by Mobs on Jerusalem Day: Far-right Jewish Rage Didn’t Spare Journalists: I thought I was just caught in the crossfire, but hadn’t realized that I, wearing my press card, was also a target. When police finally arrived, it was to push reporters away rather than defend us. ‘Go, get out of here!’ shouted a border policeman as he shoved me.
Israeli MP calls for Al-Aqsa’s destruction to build Jewish temple during mass raid: Ministers and lawmakers lead large settler incursions into the Jerusalem site ahead of the provocative Flag March, as Israeli forces restrict Palestinians access.
OTHER WEST BANK NEWS:
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian youth, 16-year-old Fadi Zaydan Oweiss, on Thursday night, for allegedly throwing stones near the village of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army reported that soldiers opened fire “three (people) who were throwing stones at Israeli vehicles” which resulted in the death of what it called a “masked man” while they continued to search for two others. They also prevented ambulance crews from approaching the area.
UNICEF has reported a “sharp rise” in the arrest and detention* of Palestinian children by Israeli occupation forces. Some 347 Palestinian children are currently being held in Israeli military detention “for alleged security-related offenses” — the highest figure in eight years, Elder said, adding, “alarmingly, more than half of these children, 180, are held under administrative detention and without the procedural safeguards, including detention without regular access to legal counsel and the right to challenge detention.”
*NOTE: Thousands of the Palestinians currently in Israeli prisons are administrative detainees, being kept indefinitely behind bars without charge, trial, or access to a lawyer, on the basis of “secret evidence.” A growing number of detainees are children. Administrative detention is intended to be used only in “exceptional” circumstances, but Israel uses it widely. (Read more here.)
Israel begins illegal settlement* construction atop historic Hebron municipality building in West Bank: The Hebron Municipality said Israeli authorities have begun to build on the roof of its old headquarters in the Ein Al-Askar area in Hebron’s Old City – which is in Palestinian territory. The building has been closed for years under an Israeli military order and is a major historical and national landmark in the Old City, which dates back to the 13th century, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tampering with such a site is a violation of international conventions and norms.
*NOTE: More than 700,000 settlers live illegally on Palestinian land in over 500 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.
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.
‘It’s like stealing’: Palestinian family’s seized property listed on Booking.com: West Bank home described as ‘ideal for outdoor gatherings’ is among 41 listed rentals in illegal Israeli settlements.
Israeli army shuts down charity organization in West Bank
Israeli Forces Intensify West Bank Invasions
Colonizers (i.e. settlers) Escalate Attacks 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.
Israelis accuse army of tampering with October 2023 events surveillance footage: Report: Israelis living near Gaza accused army of confiscating private surveillance records from Oct. 7, 2023 events and later returning edited and incomplete footage.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Released Gaza Flotilla* Leader to Israelis: ‘It’s Your Responsibility to End the Genocide: Saif Abu Keshek, who was detained by Israel, in his first interview with an Israeli outlet: ‘One of the interrogators told me they tried very hard in Gaza, but ran out of bombs and only managed to kill 100,000.’
*NOTE: Read about the first Gaza Flotilla of 2026 here; 2025 missions here and here, and the deadly 2010 mission here; find out about the history of the global flotilla movement here.
PM tells court he’s at ‘top of health scale,’ says now-treated cancer diagnosed late 2025 (original story here)
Israel says it inks $35 million deal ‘to extend F-35 fighter jet range’ amid Iran war: Agreement with Elbit subsidiary aims to enhance long-range operational capabilities, Defense Ministry says.
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.“
US military still probing deadly attack on Iranian girls’ school 11 weeks later: ‘We have executed every operation consistent with the law of armed conflict,’ says CENTCOM chief. (Original story here.)
‘Have You Investigated Those Claims’ of Civilians Killed by US in Iran? CENTCOM Chief: ‘We Have Not’: With more than 1,700 civilians, including hundreds of children, reportedly killed during US-Israeli bombarding of Iran, one advocacy group said that “more pressure and oversight on these war crimes is urgently needed.”
Israel pushing for return to Iran war, weighing options with US: Report: Israel conveyed a message to Washington expressing its interest in resuming military action, arguing that the war with Iran had ended “earlier than it should have,” Israeli broadcaster KAN said.
Trump says he’s ‘not going to be much more patient’ with Iran: ‘They should make a deal,’ US president tells Fox News.
Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk: It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind these incidents.
No military solution to issues involving Iran, Tehran will not yield to threats: Iran’s top diplomat
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.)
Israeli attacks kill 200 children in Lebanon since March 2: UNICEF: UN agency says ongoing Israeli attacks wounded more than 800 others, warning that hundreds of thousands of children are suffering severe psychological trauma.
Doctors Without Borders condemns Israeli attacks on paramedics in Lebanon
The Rubble Doctrine: Inside Israel’s new security policy in southern Lebanon
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 2,846 people have been killed since war began on March 2, 2026
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM SYRIA:
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. Israel has demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria, allegedly to prevent any “potential threat” from post-war Syria – but has vowed to stay permanently in what seems to be an informal border expansion
Israeli army shells Syria’s Quneitra countryside, raids village: Israeli forces detain 2 men during overnight incursions in southern Quneitra.
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
US lawmaker reintroduces resolution recognizing Palestinian Nakba: ‘Today, the Israeli apartheid regime is committing genocide in Gaza, violently erasing entire communities across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem,’ says Rashida Tlaib.
The secret mission to rescue the UN’s vital Palestinian refugee archive: The UNRWA archives, detailing Palestinians’ experiences as they fled or were forced from their homes during the wars that led to the foundation of Israel in 1948, are an irreplaceable part of history. “Their destruction would have been catastrophic … If there is ever a just and durable solution to this conflict, then this is the only evidence people can use to show there were once Palestinians living in a particular place.”
Italy jails Palestinian over videos on his phone
Belgian university to withdraw from 5 EU education projects involving Israeli partners
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
There’s an app for that: Gaza’s developers use tech to solve war problems
Palestinian Child Killed By Israeli Fire In Sinjil
Israel is now perceived more negatively than any other country in the world
Why Israel bombs Iranian universities and silences American ones
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MAY 14, 2026*:
- At least 73,921 Palestinians killed, 184,235 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,761 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,588 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,160 killed (~240 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 14, 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)
- 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
- How Israel Turned Eurovision’s Stage Into a Soft Power Tool
- Palestinians in Jerusalem receive only 7% of housing units
- If not stopped, Israel will wipe out Christians from Palestine by 2050: Bethlehem pastor
- Hidden Deep in an NPR Story About a Man Who Threatened to Kill Jews at Cornell… He Admits He Did It to Make People Love Israel
- Peter Mandelson: the untold Israel connection
- Epstein Advised U.S. Treasury on Crypto During Obama’s Iran Sanctions Push
- Pro-Israel neocon who promoted Iran war describes its disastrous results, By Arnaud Bertrand, reposted from X
- War on Iran: Senior royal says Saudi Arabia avoided Israeli plan to ‘plunge region into ruin’
- The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians
- Motherhood in Gaza Looks Like Caregiving Even When There’s Nothing Left to Give
