Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
(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 813th day.)
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 418 Palestinians. At least 1,142 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative.
Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 969 times in 84 days. More statistics below.
GAZA NEWS:
(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.)
Deaths on New Year’s Day in Gaza – mostly children
In central Gaza, the three‑week‑old infant Malak Rami Ghneim died inside her family’s tent in the Nuseirat camp. Medical staff attributed her death to extreme cold as a powerful winter storm continues to batter the Strip.
In Gaza City, a woman and her young daughter died when a fire broke out inside a displacement tent in the Yarmouk Stadium camp. Field reporters said the blaze spread rapidly through the makeshift shelter, injuring five others with severe burns.
A boy, Youssef Ahmed al-Shandaghli, was also killed by Israeli forces in the north of Gaza on Thursday; the exact circumstances surrounding his killing were not immediately clear. In central Gaza, a young girl died due to extreme cold.
Several Palestinians were killed in the West Bank as well (see below).
RELATED: Gaza’s new year begins with a struggle for survival and dignity
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Israel faces widespread condemnation as Gaza NGO ban comes into effect
Israel faces mounting global condemnation as a ban on dozens of international aid organizations working to provide life-saving assistance to Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip has come into effect.
On Thursday, a group of 17 human rights and advocacy organizations in Israel condemned the prohibition, saying it “undermines principled humanitarian action, endangers staff and communities, and compromises effective aid delivery”.
“Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation to ensure adequate supplies to Palestinian civilians. Not only is it failing to fulfill that obligation, but it is also preventing others from filling the gap,” the groups said (continue reading here).
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Critical context: The real reason for the NGO ban, and Israel’s lies*
While the Israeli government initially framed the suspension of aid groups as being linked to their failure to comply with new registration requirements, it later noted in a statement that the process was “intended to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas, which in the past operated under the cover of certain international aid organizations, knowingly or unknowingly” (continue reading here).
*NOTE: UN agencies and investigations by The Washington Post, Israeli news site Ha’aretz and other outlets have documented widespread, months-long aid theft by criminal gangs under Israeli watch and with Israeli government support. Reports in Israeli media based on internal army documents detail at least 110 cases of aid looting — none of which were carried out by Hamas, but rather by “armed gangs and organized clans” – the most prominent of which is, as reported by the Jerusalem Post itself, affiliated with ISIS.
Perhaps most significantly, an analysis by the US government found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies.
The bottom line: Israel is withholding food, shelter hygiene,, and medical aid (that under international law Israel itself should be providing) under false pretenses that are well-researched and well-known by the US government and mainstream media. This will cause deepening suffering and death in Gaza, already ravaged by politically-motivated genocide at the hands of Israel and supported by American tax dollars.
RELATED: Which aid groups is Israel banning from Gaza now – and what will it mean?
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GAZA HEADLINES:
Report: Systematic Repression of Palestinian Journalists
OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM NEWS & 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.)
Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank amid widespread raids and detentions
Israeli forces shot dead a young Palestinian man in the early hours of Thursday morning in the village of Luban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, amid a widespread campaign of raids which saw the detention of at least 50 people.
26-year-old Khattab Mohammad Daraghmeh was killed after Israeli forces set up an ambush near the main road adjacent to the village, positioning soldiers among the trees and opening fire on him and another young man passing through the area. They confiscated his body. The other man was wounded, but managed to escape the scene.
The Israeli army claimed that Daraghmeh and his companion were “militants” and said that the incident took place while its soldiers were targeted by stone throwing.
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Palestinian Detainee from Rahat Dies in Israeli Prison
A Palestinian detainee from the city of Rahat in the Negev, Hassan Issa al‑Qasha’la, 26, died on Thursday evening inside Israel’s Be’er Sheva prison, which is operated by the Israeli military. Al‑Qasha’la had been held for more than 13 months, and his release was scheduled in six months.
His death comes amid a sharp rise in reported fatalities among Palestinian detainees, particularly since October 7, 2023.
Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, the number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody has surpassed one hundred.
RELATED: Freed Palestinian prisoners tell of horrific rape, torture in Israeli detention
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Israel usurps powers over occupied Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque
The Israeli military has seized municipal powers over Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque from Palestinians in a move widely seen as undermining Islamic administration of the site, under an agreement almost 30 years old.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Civil Administration, a military body overseeing the occupied West Bank, announced it had taken over planning powers and granted permission for the construction of a roof over the mosque’s internal courtyard, despite fierce Palestinian opposition.
The Palestinian-run Hebron Municipality condemned the decision, calling it “a clear violation of international law and existing agreements,” and part of a systemic attack on the status quo at the mosque and the powers of Palestinian authorities tasked with its management (continue reading here; read more about Hebron here and the Ibrahimi Mosque here).
WEST BANK HEADLINES:
Settlers destroy farm structures, chase residents in Hebron area
More than 200 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
Palestinian Prisoners Society: 50 Palestinians Abducted Overnight
Israeli forces demolish two homes near occupied West Bank’s Jericho
ISRAEL HEADLINES:
(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 passes along only factual reporting.)
Israeli security circles: Iranian missiles threaten Israel’s ability to defend itself
Ben-Gvir Pushes Crocodile-Surrounded Prison as Israel Escalates Punitive Policies
HEADLINES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:
(You can learn a lot about a country from its headlines. Get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions that receives $63 million a day from America.)
Culture minister says Gaza belongs to Israel, Palestinians merely ‘there as guests’
The Likud lawmaker makes claim when asked about his response to the award-winning film ‘The Sea,’ which led him to establish alternative award ceremony and threaten funding cuts.
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Israeli Ambulance Refuses to Transport East Jerusalem [Palestinian] Patient in Cardiac Distress Over Permit Concerns
The patient has legally resided in Jerusalem for about 20 years, is covered under an Israeli health insurance provider and receives regular treatment at an Israeli hospital for heart muscle problems.
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Following U.S. Visit, Netanyahu Pressed to Advance Into Second Phase of Gaza Deal
Members of the Israeli delegation said the pressure from the United States would force Israel to open the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for traffic in both directions, a move that might endanger Netanyahu’s coalition.
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Trump: U.S. ‘Locked and Loaded and Ready’ to Protect Iran Protesters From Regime
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader responded to Trump’s threat, said that U.S. interference in protests would lead to chaos across the region.
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War Ethicist Michael Walzer, a Zionist to His Core, Cautiously Joins Israel’s Critics
Michael Walzer supported Israel after October 7. Now he says its “crazed response of revenge” threatens its future and urges Israelis to face the injustices done in their name.
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AG to Top Court: Netanyahu Must Explain Why He Hasn’t Fired Ben-Gvir Over Abuse of Office
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote that it is currently ‘impossible to protect the public from his systematic efforts to undermine the police’s independence.’
IDF Chief unveils multi-year plan to prepare for future wars
The plan, which is expected to remain in effect through 2030, is intended to prepare the IDF for the challenges of the years ahead in light of the lessons of the war in Gaza and beyond, with a focus on personnel and outer space.
OTHER NEWS:
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Gaza’s population drops by over 10 percent in 2 years
In occupied West Bank, Israel is seizing Palestinian homes and transforming them into military outposts
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 1, 2026*:
- At least 72,367 Palestinians killed, 182,222 injured – including:
- At least 71,271 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,103 killed in the West Bank (~229 children)
- At least 171,233 injured in Gaza
- About11,000 injured in the West Bank
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 10,000 more are still buried under rubble. Additionally, the numbers of injured and starved are very conservative estimates. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – January 1, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 471 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 275 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 328 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
- Tikvah Fund Secures $10.4M Grant From Trump, Pushes for Censorship to Advance Zionism
- Did Netanyahu just ask Trump for another war — and get it?
- Israel suspends operations of multiple humanitarian organizations in Gaza, including Doctors Without Borders
- Cold kills another Palestinian baby in Gaza as Israel continues to block shelter aid
- AIPAC Is Retreating From Endorsements and Election Spending. It Won’t Give Up Its Influence.
- TCN Warns – “ISRAEL FIRST: U.S. May Attack Iran Again”
- Hamas calls on Israel to allow impartial investigation into 7 October attacks
- Indiegogo Withholds $51K In Donations From MintPress in Financial Censorship Crackdown
- Gaza races to preserve what remains of its 5,000-year-old archaeological legacy
- Gaza health official says miscarriages surge as births fall by 40%
- Leahy Law Requires Ban on Aid to Israeli Police Unit for Killing Two Palestinians Who Surrendered
- Israel blocks entry of eye drops for blind people in Gaza
- I did not understand I grew up in a concentration camp until I left Gaza
- One excavator, 10,000 bodies, a sea of rubble: inside Gaza’s effort to retrieve and bury its dead
