News roundup for Thursday, July 9, 2026, Day 1,007 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.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza is lower since the October 2025 “ceasefire” began, about 270 days ago – about 4 per day, vs. over 100 per day during the 733 days of the “war.” But Israel is actively working (with Trump’s “Board of Peace“) to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinian population, even as the low-level killing continues. Genocide experts, along organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International, maintain that the genocide is ongoing.
Eight Palestinians were killed, and many others were injured, in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn Thursday, as Israeli occupation forces expanded field operations, targeted civilian vehicles, and struck tents sheltering displaced families. Among those killed was the bodyguard of Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem survived the Israeli attack on his car.
Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire: Two Palestinian parents recount the killing of their children by the Israeli military. One was 3, the other 9. A UN report in June showing that nearly 30% of those killed in Gaza since the so-called ceasefire began in October 2025 were children. Another report from Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem found that Israel is killing Palestinian children in the West Bank at the highest rate since 1967.
RELATED: ‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza
IDF accused of ‘field execution’ of Palestinian driver bringing aid into Gaza: A Palestinian driver bringing food aid from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) into Gaza was killed by an Israeli soldier Wednesday. Ahmad Esleem was killed when an aid convoy had a breakdown soon after entering Gaza. Israeli soldiers ordered the drivers to dismount and one of them shot Esleem in the head when his hands were raised.
Hossam Abu Safiya: when a hostage sounds the alarm on behalf of thousands of detainees
Trump’s Gaza Plan Falters as 20,000-Troop Force Shrinks to Just 20
Chickenpox, scabies and infection: Gaza’s children battle against their skin in camp: “Every morning begins the same way. Yahya wakes with a fever, crying as he struggles to resist scratching the blisters covering his face, chest and limbs.”
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,092 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began – one by friendly fire, and four others incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 73,118 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.)
ISRAELI MEDIA: Palestinians in East Jerusalem Left Without Sewage After Israel Forces UNRWA* Shutdown: Residents say they have been forced to pay private contractors to pump sewage, clear blockages and repair infrastructure. ‘Leaving tens of thousands of people without sewage services severely harms their fundamental rights,’ the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said.
*NOTE: UNRWA, the United Nations body with a mandate to help Palestinian refugees, has been serving the refugees in exile in the region for decades as they wait for their internationally recognized right of return to be activated – a job that Israel as the occupying power should in most cases be doing and paying for.
After a years-long campaign to dismantle UNRWA, Israel outlawed the organization following an unsubstantiated accusation that 12 employees (out of a staff of 13,000) were part of the October 2023 attack. Israel’s brief dossier, allegedly proving their guilt, offered no compelling evidence. As of June 2026, Israel has still failed to provide evidence to back up its accusations against UNRWA.
To learn the real reason why UNRWA was banned from Gaza and the West Bank, read this.
Israeli occupiers (i.e. settlers*) demolish Palestinian school in occupied West Bank: Palestinian Education Ministry describes school demolition as ‘a new crime against Palestinian children.’
*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. It is noteworthy that settlers are only rarely prosecuted for their crimes.
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.
Israel announces theft of Palestinian land in West Bank to expand road for settlers: Route 60 connects a number of settlements near Ramallah and Nablus and its expansion will further fragment Palestinian communities in the occupied territory.
Women of Atara: How Settler Expansion is Erasing a Generations-Old Way of Life: For generations, the women of Atara, a Palestinian village northwest of Ramallah, have known the surrounding hills by scent, as they relied on wild herbs for income and tradition. Today, settler expansion has turned their harvest into a risk.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel Shortened Hours at Palestinians’ Only Exit Crossing, Now a Black Market Is Thriving: For West Bank Palestinians, traveling abroad through the only international border crossing available to them involves hours of waiting and overcrowding. During busy periods, many are forced to turn back, pay brokers or cancel trips altogether.
Abbas sets Nov. 28 for 1st Palestinian legislative elections in more than 20 years
Israeli Forces Abduct Dozens in Widespread West Bank Invasions
Colonizer (i.e. Settler) Attacks Escalate Across Occupied West Bank
Israeli Forces Uproot Hundreds of Trees East of Tubas
Army Demolishes Two Homes in Salfit and Hebron Districts
Israeli Soldiers Shoot Three Palestinians Near Ramallah
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.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel Denies Hussam Abu Safiya’s Life Is at Risk* While Held in Isolation: The state said Abu Safiya “is under continuous medical supervision… and at no stage was there any indication of danger to his life.” Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Odeh, said he found Abu Safiya with severe bruising to his head, around his eyes and on his ears and neck, adding that he initially had difficulty recognizing him. According to the affidavit, Abu Safiya said he is subjected to daily beatings while being held in solitary confinement. Odeh added that Abu Safiya told him he feared “this might be the last visit before I am killed.” (Original story here.)
*NOTE: Imprisonment in Israel routinely includes torture, starvation, sexual abuse, and systematic denial of basic rights, alongside degrading and inhumane detention conditions. At least 90 Palestinian detainees, and likely over 100, have died in Israeli prisons since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza; 327 have died since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967.
ISRAELI MEDIA: From Iran to Turkey, Netanyahu Is on the Hunt for New Fronts to Ignite: The prime minister turned a deaf ear before Hamas’ attack and is doing so again now. Meanwhile, his government is looking for theaters for military confrontation ahead of the elections: Iran, Gaza – or perhaps even Turkey?
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – 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.
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 is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025, and demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria – but also vowed to permanently occupy some areas.
IRAN
US strikes on five Iranian provinces over the past two days killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others, the Iranian Health Ministry said Thursday.
RELATED: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Says US Strikes on Railway Bridges are a ‘Blatant War Crime’
U.S. Bombs Iran For Second Night, Iran retaliates: Although CENTCOM said that the US struck “military” sites, the Financial Times reported that targets included civilian infrastructure, such as railroad bridges and electricity infrastructure, disrupting travel and cutting off power to parts of the country. Iran retaliated with drone attacks on several US military sites in the region.
Israeli prime minister says Iran war ‘has not ended’: Israeli army chief also says military campaign against Iran ‘not over.’ Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced, “On the drawing board are new plans. Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared.”
Iran’s late supreme leader Khamenei buried in Mashhad after week-long funeral
LEBANON
Israel carries out demolitions, explosions in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire framework
According to Lebanese and US officials, the United States will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces next week from “pilot zones” in the south. Lebanon demanded an Israeli pullout from the zones before taking part in new talks scheduled for next week. Israel will (supposedly) gradually withdraw* from areas of southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese military will take full control of two small areas dubbed pilot zones.
*NOTE: Israel also signed an agreement to “gradually withdraw” from Gaza. Here is the text from the Gaza ceasefire agreement, October 2025 that Israel and Hamas signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 9, 2025:
“The IDF will withdraw to lines agreed upon as per map X attached herewith, and this will be completed after President Trump’s announcement and within 24 hours of Israeli government approval. The IDF will not return to areas that have been withdrawn from, as long as Hamas fully implements the agreement.”
Today, Israel has not only not withdrawn, it is holding more of Gaza than before – going from 53% to approaching 70% (with possible plans for 100%). Will Israel will actually withdraw from Lebanon? After failing in Gaza despite the clear wording of the agreement, It seems unlikely. Israeli leaders have explicitly said as much:
Trump claimed on Wednesday that he and Israeli PM Netanyahu had discussed a withdrawal from southern Lebanon: “Yeah, I think they’re going to [withdraw]. I think they want to,” Trump said. “Yeah, they’ll leave. And I think it’s going to work out very well.” But Israel continues to insist they intend to stay – with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stating, “We didn’t ask for anyone’s approval to enter Lebanon and we don’t need approval to stay in Lebanon. It is our right and duty to defend the residents of the Galilee and Israeli citizens.”
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated on Thursday that the security situation in southern Lebanon remains “fragile” despite a decline in “violence” since late June.
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more) since Feb. 28, 2026
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians) since Feb. 28, 2026 (another source puts the number at 3,499)
- Lebanon: at least 4,321 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 60 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 36 soldiers, 4 civilians)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
RELATED: Who are the candidates seeking to replace Graham Platner, and where do they stand on Israel? Candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Maine are largely pledging to oppose arms sales to Israel and reject AIPAC — but several have yet to say where they stand.
MUST WATCH: Commentary: Bombshell Graham Platner Report Has Big Problems:
Andy Burnham, UK prime minister-in-waiting, apologizes for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s war on Gaza, saying the party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership. “We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government … let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach.” He did not use the word “genocide,” saying that it was for the international courts to make that ruling.
British Zionists call to block Church of England discussion of Palestinian Christian genocide report: Leading UK Zionists have come out in force to suppress discussion within the Church of England over a report by Palestinian Christian groups about genocide in Gaza.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has warned the Church of England that it risks damaging Christian-Jewish relations if it proceeds with a motion encouraging engagement with A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, from Kairos Palestine. The motion does not ask the Church to endorse the document, but to receive and engage with it as part of its understanding of Palestinian Christian experience amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
In the UK, the move to ban NHS staff from displaying political symbols in the workplace and wearing medical scrubs in protests has been widely condemned by politicians and healthcare workers, who say it is using fears of antisemitism to crack down on expressions of solidarity with Palestine.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Inside the German pro-Israel Lobby’s Campaign to Defund UNRWA: A new report maps a network of Israel advocacy groups that work to influence Berlin to discredit the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. ‘The debate over UNRWA was definitely not evidence-based.’
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Photo of bound Palestinian detainee corroborates Israeli torture reports
Israel Is Holding Palestinian Detainees’ Bodies for Bargaining Chips
How Israel and American Zionists are canceling First Amendment
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – July 9, 2026*:
- At least 74,297 Palestinians killed, 186,534 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,118 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 173,615 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,179 killed (~244 children), 12,919 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and thousands more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – July 9, 2026: ~1,663 – 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)
- These Palestinian families in the West Bank have barricaded themselves inside their homes to survive Israeli settler attacks
- How Israel and American Zionists are canceling First Amendment
- Israel is murdering Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. The U.S. media is covering up the crime: 2 Articles
- Inside the growing religious revolt against Christian Zionism
- Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens on the debate stage
- Far-Left Dem Says 9/11 Was Blowback. So Did Pat Buchanan
- Congress Aims to Give Israel Leverage Over America
- Annus Mirabilis – Actions by the Israeli Government to Annex the West Bank
- AP-NORC poll: About 3 in 10 US adults believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians
- Who Should You Believe About What’s Happening in Gaza? Mehdi Names Them All in 60 Seconds
- Why Gaza is the world’s most dangerous place for children
- CPJ votes to maintain current definition of ‘journalist’ despite Israeli pressure campaign
- Israel is an apartheid state – and its weird marriage laws show us how
- A new ‘strategic’ plan being pushed by the Israeli settler movement would establish 100 outposts in the heart of Palestinian cities
