News roundup for Monday, June 1, 2026, Day 969 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 assaults on Gaza Monday left two Palestinians dead and several others wounded, while also causing extensive damage to homes and civilian property. In the north, Israeli forces set fire to dozens of homes and structures on the eastern edge of Jabalia refugee camp, accompanied by low‑flying Apache helicopters circling above western Gaza City, adding to the sense of terror.
Palestinian monitoring groups documented 11 new ceasefire violations over the past 24 hours, including live fire from Israeli armored vehicles east of Khan Younis and Gaza City, continued demolition of residential buildings, and persistent drone activity over southern Gaza. Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement at least 3,005 times since October 2025.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 932 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 72,938 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.)
Al-Aqsa preacher warns against Israeli bill to legalize banning Muslim call to prayer: Israel has ‘no right to enact laws that contradict the laws that were in effect in the country before its occupation,’ says Sheikh Ekrima Sabri.
RELATED: Israeli committee approves bill imposing new restrictions on mosque loudspeakers
Israelis sing national anthem inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during raid: Around 200 ultranationalists storm Jerusalem holy site Sunday, raising Israeli flags in front of the Al Aqsa Mosque while under police protection. At the same time, Israeli police restricted Palestinian worshipers access to the mosque. Such incursions constitute a clear violation of international law.
*NOTE: Anyone can visit the Al Aqsa Mosque grounds (known to Jews as the Temple Mount) but only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to an understanding known as the ‘status quo agreement,’ under which, since 1967, Israel has formally pledged to allow Muslims to pray at the site, while Jews pray at the Western Wall below.
In practice, however, restrictions have steadily eroded, particularly since 2023 (after extremist Itamar Ben Gvir became Minister of National Security). Many Palestinians fear this erosion will lead to open conflict.
OPINION: Al-Aqsa: The moment of peril is here. Will the Muslim world act? This is the final act of colonization, writes Ismail Patel. Jerusalem’s Islamic identity will be effaced, its name and meaning repurposed to serve the Israeli colonial order.
Israeli soldiers halt Catholic festival preparations in West Bank Christian village: According to the US-based NGO Vulnerable People Project (VPP), Israeli military vehicles entered Taybeh on Friday morning and ordered organizers preparing for the annual Catholic celebration honoring the Virgin Mary to stop their activities and leave the area.
RELATED: In This Palestinian Christian Village, the Hypocrisy of Christian Zionism Is Unmistakable
Occupied Palestinian Territory: UN experts alarmed by escalating settler terror and displacement: The UN has issued its strongest warning to date, stating that Israel‑backed colonizer violence in the West Bank has reached “unprecedented” levels in 2026 and poses an “existential risk” to Palestinian communities.
Settler council advances plan for 18 settlements in the northern West Bank: The plan reportedly includes the return of settlement activity to four settlements evacuated during the 2005 Israeli disengagement plan*, and the expansion or establishment of 14 additional settlements. A total of 2,721 new colonial units are expected in several colonies throughout the occupied West Bank. (The transfer of an occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory is prohibited, and constitutes a war crime under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.)
*NOTE: The 2005 Gaza disengagement was part of a unilateral plan adopted by Israel without Palestinian input, but with the approval of the US. According to the plan, Israel would withdraw all 8,500 settlers from Gaza and 500 from isolated settlements deep inside the West Bank – relocating about 2% of the total number of settlers. Israeli troops left Gaza, while still controlling its coastline, borders, and airspace, and claiming the right to intervene militarily, including preemptively, in “self-defense.” In a sense, this represents a change in the form of military occupation from direct to indirect control.
Dov Weisglass, a close advisor of PM Ariel Sharon, stated in October 2004 that the plan was intended to postpone the creation of a Palestinian state indefinitely, and to relieve pressure on Israel to make further withdrawals from the West Bank.
Israeli Colonizers Establish New Colonial Outpost near Jericho
Israeli Invasions, Abductions And Demolitions In 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.
Palestinian detainees commission reveals permanent disabilities caused by Israeli torture and medical neglect*: The deterioration of medical conditions in some cases reportedly led to amputations, severe complications, or permanent disabilities.
*NOTE: At least 94 Palestinians died in Israeli custody between Oct. 7, 2023, and August 2025, according to a report by the Israel-based human rights group Physicians for Human Rights — Israel (PHRI), although “the true number is likely significantly higher.” A PHRI spokesperson stated, “The alarming rate at which people are killed in Israeli custody reveals a system that has lost all moral and professional restraint.”
Israel’s defense sales record breaks its record again, reaching USD 19 billion: Israel broke its record for defense sales for yet another year, reaching USD 19.22 billion, compared with USD 14.79 billion in 2024 and USD 13.07 billion in 2023. The more than 30% jump in defense sales between 2024 and 2025 came in part from what defense sources called the unprecedented success of the IDF proving its weapons effectiveness in operations during the ongoing wars.
RELATED:
Israel’s arms industry thrives on genocide and the world keeps buying
Israeli prof: Israel tests weapons on Palestinian kids, tests drugs on prisoners
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.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported Monday that “there will be no dialogue until…the immediate halt of [Israel’s] aggressive and brutal military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, and the necessity of a full withdrawal of [Israel] from occupied areas in Lebanon.” Iran also demands Israel stop escalating in Gaza.
Iran warns Israelis to evacuate northern Israel if bombs drop inside Beirut: Tel Aviv planned to carry out a major strike in the southern suburb of Beirut, but reportedly postponed the operation at the last moment following US intervention.
President Trump said early Monday morning that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” adding “just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!”
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Kuwait after new US attacks
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON IRAN (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more)
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians, 254 children)
- Arab states (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon), at least 154
- At least 26 Israelis have been killed in Iranian attacks
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.
At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured on Monday in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, in the latest deadly violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement.
Trump claims he got a promise: “Israel will not attack [Hezbollah], and they will not attack Israel”: Netanyahu clarified, “I spoke with President Trump tonight, and told him that if Hezbollah doesn’t cease its attacks on our cities and civilians — Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut,” Mr. Netanyahu said. He added that the Israeli military “will continue to operate as planned” in southern Lebanon, where it has been carrying out a scorched earth policy.
“You’re f***ing crazy”: Trump fumes at Netanyahu in call on Lebanon: President Trump reportedly lashed out at Israeli PM Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon in an expletive-laden call on Monday. Summarizing Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu, one U.S. official said: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Israel’s Netanyahu under fire after calling off Beirut attacks under Trump’s pressure: ‘It is time to tell our friend, President Trump – ‘no’,” says extremist and member of Netanyahu’s coalition Ben-Gvir.
Israeli warplanes launch fresh strikes across southern Lebanon despite Trump’s claims
Most UN Security Council members denounce Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon: France, Russia, China and UK condemn Israel’s expanding military actions, while US solely blames Hezbollah.
A ‘Stupid, Futile Waste of Lives’: The Empty Triumph of Israel’s Latest Conquest in Lebanon
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 3,412 people have been killed since war began on March 2, 2026
- 25 Israelis—24 IDF soldiers and one civilian military contractor—have been killed over the same period
Hospitals in flames and children buried beneath rubble in homes, in flagrant violation of international law, with absolutely no consequences.
Israel is committing another genocide in real time in Lebanon with complete impunity. pic.twitter.com/OzZBoIgsFG
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) June 1, 2026
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Khanna Vows Amendment to Kill ‘Insidious’ Effort to Deepen Military Ties Between US, Israel: One analyst noted that Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act would “provide a higher level of military-industrial integration than the US has with any other country in the world.” (Original story here.)
‘Absurd and Cowardly’: Labour Government Slammed for Barring Hasan Piker, Cenk Uygur From UK: The UK government is drawing heavy criticism for barring Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, two prominent critics of Israel, from entering the country. Uygur said the UK banned him due to his criticisms of Israeli influence over US policy. “I didn’t get banned for criticizing the UK, but for criticizing Israel. They broke the irony record by saying it was because I said Israel might control other governments.”
US: Lieutenant criticizes police report on clearing UCLA pro-Palestine encampment: Over two hundred officers were deployed and 57 ‘less lethal’ shots were fired, some illegally, according to footage contradicting report.
New York Comptroller’s Trip to Israel Raised Ethical Concerns, State Commission Said: Tom DiNapoli’s visit was sponsored by a group with financial ties to Israel Bonds, an investment vehicle that has become an issue in his primary.
How activists kicked Israel Bonds out of a Michigan scheme
I, together with ICC judges and Palestinian HR defenders, need your help to counter US admin’s abuses.
Please sign and share the petition.
The EU must not ignore its responsibilities toward us! https://t.co/S0u9i3eyDG
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) May 30, 2026
Note that the UK Government just banned entry of two American citizens — @cenkuygur and @hasanthehun — not because they criticized or worked against the interests of the UK.
It was solely because they criticize and oppose the one country deemed sacred and off-limits in the UK… pic.twitter.com/PeoY3gAfHA
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 31, 2026
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
33 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza during Eid holiday
Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday
Israel damages important historical, cultural sites in southern Lebanon
Israeli ministers who backed ethnic cleansing of Palestinians join New York parade
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – June 1, 2026*:
- At least 77,106 Palestinians killed, 185,585 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,938** killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,919 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,168 killed (~244 children), 12,666 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and thousands more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
**NOTE: The Gaza health ministry noted that 112 additional fatalities were added to the cumulative count after their records were verified and approved by the Committee for the Accreditation of Martyrs earlier this month.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – June 1, 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).
**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)
- A Slow-motion Execution of the West Bank Health System
- The Palestinian journalists held in Israel’s ‘cemeteries for the living’
- Super PAC Network Backing Connie Chan Received Hundreds of Thousands from AIPAC
- Israel’s Solution to the Gaza Problem Is Well Underway
- UK Bans Prominent Commentators Over Their Statements on Israel
- ‘To call it a ceasefire is a joke’: Israeli soldiers share rare accounts from Gaza with AP
- Israeli Espionage: How Israel and its American agents stole US uranium
- From Paul Findley to Thomas Massie: How the Israel Lobby Purges Republican Dissenters
- Israeli US Attorney Drops Charge Against Israeli Connected to Biolab
- Trump wants the Palestinians to pay for the U.S. occupation of Gaza
- I Was Detained by Israel: Here’s What Ben-Gvir Didn’t Want You to See
- Israel Privately Pressing U.S. to Kill Iran’s Lead Negotiator and Launch New Strikes
- This isn’t about a few ‘bad apples.’ Israel is annexing the West Bank
- Congress quietly moves to integrate US and Israeli militaries
- ‘A War Criminal Admitting to His Crimes’: Netanyahu Says He Ordered Military to Seize 70% of Gaza
