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News roundup for Wednesday, July 8, 2026, Day 1,006 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.
At least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, in the latest violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement, medical sources said. Three of the dead were children.
An Israeli strike in Gaza just before the kickoff of the Egypt-Argentina World Cup match killed a top Palestinian aid official who helped organize public screenings of the game across the enclave, according to local health officials.
Photo of bound Palestinian detainee corroborates Israeli torture* reports, say rights groups: The image below was shared on a now-deleted personal social media account; the Israeli military later confirmed the authenticity of the photo. Rights groups, including Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), say the photo corroborates extensive reporting on Israeli torture of Palestinians in detention and itself may constitute a war crime.
The photo “confirms what thousands of testimonies from Palestinian detainees have exposed, and what we and other organizations have been reporting for nearly three years now,” a spokesperson from PHRI said. “Israeli detention facilities are torture camps for Palestinians.”
*NOTE: Israeli torture of Palestinians has been widespread and well-documented since October 7th and long before – including torture of children. The Israeli NGO B’Tselem investigated allegations of torture in Israeli prisons and published their findings in a report called, Welcome to Hell: the Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps. Torture is a war crime.
RELATED: Israel’s widespread use of torture is a core element of its genocide against the Palestinian people
Palestinian survivor of the Gaza genocide wins gold at São Paulo Math Olympiad
Timeline: 20 years of Hamas rule in Gaza, from election to political exit: With the dissolution of its emergency government, the Palestinian group ends a two-decade era defined by a crippling blockade, successive wars, and shifting administrative bodies.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,084 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.
- 73,110 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
Prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, captured by Israeli forces in Gaza in late 2024 and held in detention ever since, appeared via video link at Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, still handcuffed, shackled and in solitary confinement, his lawyer said.
“Dr. Hussam… pic.twitter.com/SmGUJtbdoS
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 10, 2026
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.)
These Palestinian families in the West Bank have barricaded themselves inside their homes to survive Israeli settler attacks: Twelve Palestinian families in the northern West Bank have barricaded themselves in their homes to protect against ongoing settler attacks as Israel moves to assert total control over the occupied territory. “For the past year and a half, every step we take outside our homes has been calculated,” the head of one household tells us. “We don’t leave except out of necessity. We take turns keeping watch.”
Occupation Forces Demolish Palestinian Homes in Jerusalem, Hebron
Israeli Colonizers (i.e. Settlers) Attack Communities Across West Bank
Israeli Forces Continue West Bank Invasions, Violations
Israel Issues Demolition Orders for Eight Structures Near Jenin
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.
Rights group says Israel tried to kill Palestinian detainee* in Negev prison: Detainee Ghassan Zawahreh suffered severe wounds and heavy bleeding after Israeli prison forces shot him three times with rubber bullets, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says.
*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: Israel Is Holding Palestinian Detainees’ Bodies for Bargaining Despite No Hostages in Gaza: The state said it is conducting a review regarding the need to continue holding detainees’ bodies: according to Gisha, continuing to hold the bodies ‘lacks legal basis and constitutes arbitrary punishment of bereaved families.’
RELATED: Dying to leave Gaza – and to get back in
The divestment drive that could shake Israel’s economic foundations: To fund perpetual war, Israel has grown ever more reliant on issuing bonds. Relinquishing these holdings, often invested passively, disrupts that equation.
Israeli Knesset approves freezing more Palestinian clearance funds*: Under the proposal, Israel would freeze each year an amount equal to the funds transferred by the Palestinian Authority to Gaza during the previous year. The frozen money would reportedly be used to pay compensation to people affected by what the bill describes as terrorist** acts originating from Gaza.
*NOTE: Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, Israel collects import/export taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to be handed over for the PA’s operating budget. Israel regularly keeps back some of this revenue (an amount now totaling over $5 billion), claiming it is being used illegally for the so-called Pay-For-Slay program (Palestinians often call it the Martyr’s Fund) – a social safety net for the Palestinian families that have lost their breadwinner due to the conflict with Israel.
Many Palestinian “martyrs” were not killers or attackers, but were themselves killed while walking to school, participating in a peaceful demonstration, or sleeping in their beds – but Israel does not differentiate, claiming the program encourages Palestinians to volunteer for suicide missions.
Notably, Israel has its own compensation program for families of IDF soldiers killed or injured in the line of duty, as does the US. For a deep dive into the topic, read The Legitimacy of Family Compensation for Palestinians Killed, Injured, and Imprisoned.
**NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for groups – like Hamas – that resist occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance. Calling Hamas “terrorist” is an attempt to delegitimize the struggle of a people seeking freedom, justice, and self-determination.
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
Trump comments on Iran (or maybe Japan?) ceasefire: After another night of strikes between the U.S. and Iran, President Trump on Wednesday morning said, “for me, the memorandum of understanding is over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore… they’re scum… In my eyes, it’s a waste of time to continue talking to them. They’re crazy. For me, it’s over. They’re cuckoo!” At one point in his remarks, Trump claimed that a US warship was attacked by the “the Islamic Republic of Japan.” One official said, “He must be trying for the record of how many times you can lose the same war.”
US launches new strikes on Iran hours after warning from Trump: US forces conducting ‘additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,’ CENTCOM says. The strikes came hours after Trump said the MOU was “over,” and that the US would “probably” hit Iran again Wednesday night.
Iranian Military Says US Strikes Killed Eight Iranian Soldiers
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran wants to make a deal “so badly” and had called him “a little while ago” to pursue negotiations after repeated American strikes. “I just don’t know if they’re worthy of making it. I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal. That’s the problem.”
Iran strikes US bases across Persian Gulf after Washington’s newest escalation
Iran threatens to completely close Hormuz strait in response to renewed attacks
Israel murdered Khamenei, yet the West fails to respect a nation in mourning
LEBANON
Two people were killed Wednesday evening in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, in a new violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, according to Lebanese media.
Amnesty International calls for investigation into Israeli air strikes on Lebanon as ‘war crimes’
ISRAELI MEDIA: Lebanon is demanding that Israel fulfill its pledge* to withdraw from two “pilot zones” in the nation’s south and hand them over to the Lebanese military before it agrees to participate in the next round of direct talks, scheduled for next week in Rome, a Lebanese diplomatic source told AFP Wednesday.
*NOTE: As IAK reported more than a week ago, Israel broke its ceasefire promise to withdraw from parts of southern Lebanon almost before the ink was dry. Israel is often quick to make promises – but notoriously neglects to keep them. It has famously violated ceasefire agreements for decades, including currently in Gaza and Lebanon.
Israel’s leaders have perpetrated countless lies to cover for war crimes and aggression (and consistently pass along to Western mainstream media). Previously, Israel has been caught in many lies – for examples, see this and this. Many of Israel’s lies have been debunked even by traditionally pro-Israel mainstream media.
SYRIA
Israeli forces raided an area in the western Daraa countryside in southern Syria on Wednesday, opening fire before withdrawing from the area, Syrian state media reported, just one day after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa condemned continued Israeli violations and called on Israel to withdraw from areas it has occupied in southern Syria.
Trump expresses support for Syrian President al-Sharaa Wednesday that he is likely to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. “I think I will. Why wouldn’t I?” Trump said, adding that al-Sharaa has done “a great job.” Syria has become “very stable,” said Trump. “It’s really been stabilized, and we’re proud of that.”
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli settler group crosses Syria border again, spends night on Mount Hermon: A group of Jewish activists once again climbed into the Mount Hermon area, in the newly controlled areas under IDF authority beyond the official border line.
Trump lavishes praise on ‘fantastic’ and ‘highly respected’ Sharaa
‘Earth shifting’: Trump begins process to remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list
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 4,319 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)
![A view of military vehicles patrolling the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams area of the Golan Heights, as the Israeli army reinforces its ground forces amid ongoing military mobilization in the region on December 15, 2024. [Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency]](https://israelpalestinenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-9-a.jpeg)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Wesley Bell sees surge of outside spending* ahead of rematch with Cori Bush: As of this week, United Democracy Project super PAC (UDP) has reserved $865,000 in ad time for the race, and New Democrat Majority (NDM) has reserved $500,000, ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.
*NOTE: This massive “outside spending” happens to be two super PACs focused on Israel. UDP is affiliated with AIPAC, while NDM has aligned its campaign spending with organizations like Democratic Majority for Israel. It was with similar financial backing that Wesley Bell beat Cori Bush in 2024.
American Jews favor Mamdani over Netanyahu as 30% say Israel committed genocide
How Israel and American Zionists are canceling First Amendment: Zionist influence over social media is not a conspiracy theory; it is an openly declared strategy.
CPJ reconsidering removal of killed Gaza journalists from database: Whistleblowers charge that the Committee To Protect Journalists’ CEO, Jodie Ginsberg, is allowing Israel, which they call “the world’s top killer of journalists,” to “dictate the research agenda of our organization: what questions to ask, which areas of the world we focus on, and what type of evidence we track down.”
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
What is the new Gaza administration as Hamas dissolves government?
Israel is drowning the West Bank in hazardous waste. Palestinians are paying the price with their health
Netanyahu Tells CNN: Settler Violence in the West Bank Caused by ‘150 or So Juvenile Delinquents’
Netanyahu’s Christian comments “completely fabricated, “aimed at sowing strife”
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – July 8, 2026*:
- At least 74,289 Palestinians killed, 186,518 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,110 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 173,599 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 8, 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)
- 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
- Netanyahu claims Israel protects Christians after Israeli attacks hit churches in Lebanon
- Prominent Palestinian Surgeon Reported ‘Near Death’ in Israeli Prison Camp: 2 Articles
- Is America Truly Becoming a “Zionocracy?”
- INTERVIEW – 1,000 days of Israeli genocide, 1,500 Gaza patients died waiting for treatment abroad: Hospital director
- Archive of Israeli War Crimes Contains Over 64,000 Videos
