News roundup for Friday, June 5, 2026, Day 973 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 forces carried out several attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday, including the shooting of a Palestinian child east of Gaza City with live rounds from a drone, along with continued shelling and gunfire in multiple areas, further compounding the already severe humanitarian crisis.
Israel Puts Gaza Hospital Director in Solitary Confinement Without Explanation: Physicians for Human Rights Israel said it was not informed of the reasons for his transfer or solitary confinement. Abu Safiya was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 and has been held without charge since.
Hamas official discusses what the group is willing to do to reach a ceasefire: Israeli officials and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on Trump’s “Board of Peace,” are conditioning the transition to phase two on Hamas’ disarmament. This was not part of the original agreement – Israeli and the US are in essence demanding disarmament without offering a clear political horizon for “the day after,” and with a track record in which Israel has not come close to fulfilling its obligations from phase one.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 947 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 72,945 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
Israel killed his mother and father.
Because of Israel, his leg was amputated.
Because of Israel, his left hand is now also at risk of amputation.
Don’t stop talking about Gaza. pic.twitter.com/63KWoAb5ld
— The Saviour (@TheSaviour) June 5, 2026
🎥🇵🇸 “The war is not over. This is a trick, my friend. They’re laughing at people by saying the war has ended.”
Drop Site contributor Mohamed Ahmed speaks with Ibrahim Labad, whose daughter, son-in-law, and two young grandchildren were burned to death after an Israeli strike set… pic.twitter.com/COEqd18A73
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 4, 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.)
Israeli Soldiers Kill Infant, Injure Parents In Hebron: The seven‑month‑old infant, Sam Fahed Abu Haikal, was slain on Friday after Israeli soldiers opened fire at his family’s vehicle, injuring both parents, in the Tel Romeida area of Hebron city, in the occupied West Bank’s southern region.
The soldiers reportedly opened fire from a distance of about ten meters. The father said that the sun was still out and that the soldier who fired at his car clearly saw that it was a family.
Responding to a request for comment, the IDF said soldiers “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them,” after which troops fired “single shots toward the vehicle… The IDF expresses deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals.”
The Jerusalem Post referred to the baby as a “Palestinian civilian.”
Israeli forces shoot two Palestinians in Hebron: Israeli forces shot two Palestinians—injuring one seriously—when they attempted to access their land near Hebron, as armed settlers ploughed the property for a second consecutive day, raised Israeli flags, and blocked roads with earth mounds and stones to prevent residents from reaching their fields, Wafa reported. Settlers also assaulted a third Palestinian in the area, leaving him wounded.
ISRAELI MEDIA: 85 House Democrats Demand U.S. Pressure Israel to Halt Construction in West Bank: ‘As recently as February of this year, the White House reiterated that “President Trump has clearly stated that he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank,'” the members wrote, adding that the Israeli plan would be ‘annexation in its clearest form.’
Friday: Invasions, Abductions, and Colonizer Attacks in West Bank
Colonizers Assault Two Palestinians, Sabotage Well in Atouf
Israel Forces Notify Tel Arad Families to Demolish Homes
Soldiers, Colonizers Attack Palestinians in Deir Dibwan
Israeli Army, Colonizers Injure Two Palestinians in Ethna
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.
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.
Tehran said it fired “warning missiles” and drones at U.S. navy vessels in the Gulf of Oman on Friday; U.S. Central Command called reports that Iranian forces attacked or fired at U.S. Navy warships “false,” adding that “doing so would be a gross violation of the ceasefire.”
5 Reasons Trump Still Hasn’t Made a Deal to End His War in Iran: The U.S. president is in no rush to get an agreement because he doesn’t understand how badly he’s lost the war, writes former defense intel analyst Harrison Mann.
The US is reportedly preparing a draft resolution to condemn Iran at an upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a move that could sabotage negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. The UN nuclear watchdog is holding the quarterly meeting of its 35-nation board next week. According to diplomats accredited to the agency, Washington is preparing a text that would condemn Iran’s nuclear activities.
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.
Israeli attacks kill 20 in Lebanon despite ceasefire: Many others wounded early Friday despite diplomatic efforts to shore up fragile ceasefire.
Netanyahu says no agreement currently in place with Lebanon: “Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore, from Israel’s perspective, there is no current agreement,” the Israeli premier said.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 3,558 people have been killed by Israel since war began on March 2, 2026
- Hezbollah attacks have killed at least 29 Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians over that same period
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Pentagon raised threat of Israeli spying on U.S. to highest level, sources say: The designation stems from concerns within the Pentagon that Israel is making a particular effort to surveil top U.S. officials to get information on the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East, the officials said.
One Gaza Flotilla Boat Made It to Gaza—in Pieces: In an allegory to Palestinian history with Palestinian homes bombed into pieces from Israeli government violence, one flotilla boat, the KASR-Sadabad, found its way home to Gaza where it washed ashore at the beach Mawasi Khan Younis… in pieces, where Palestinians lovingly welcomed the boat and pulled large pieces ashore. For the first time since 2008, an international boat, although in pieces, reached the shores of Gaza.
How Secret Pro-Israel Money Flooded the Labour Party and Ended with a Ban of Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur: The ban was one result of a secret, illegally funded project, funneled through a seemingly anodyne think tank called Labour Together. It involved covertly planting unfounded claims of antisemitism against political opponents.
Gaza, Iran, Lebanon: If ceasefires are in place, why do strikes continue? International law sets rules for ceasefires, but who enforces them when violations continue? Three experts explain.
France opens ‘war crimes’ probe into Israel’s treatment of Gaza activists: French activists who took part in a Gaza-bound foreign aid flotilla accuse Israeli forces of abuse and torture.
UK retailer Superdrug drops Ahava products after reports of activity at Israel’s illegal settlements in West Bank: Superdrug removes skincare brand from online marketplace after researchers presented images they say show activity at a site in Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem in occupied West Bank.
Ireland imposes travel ban on 2 Israeli Cabinet ministers, Smotrich and Ben Gvir
Nearly 5,000 Belgian academics and students urge universities to cut Israel ties
Eurovision audience falls by 35M from previous year: 70th edition of song contest attracts 131M television viewers amid boycott over Israel’s participation.
Chilean court reopens case against soldier accused of Gaza war crimes
Hundreds gathered Friday in Milan to commemorate Palestinian children killed in the Gaza Strip, carrying a symbolic shroud, 99 feet long and displaying the names of 18,457 Palestinian children killed in Gaza between Oct. 7, 2023, and July 31, 2025.
Before the shroud was unveiled, protesters stood in silence in the square. Palestinian flags and keffiyehs were visible throughout the gathering.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Gaza is being offered coercion, not reconstruction
Lives of thousands of West Bank patients, including more than 4,000 cancer patients, at risk
Who Will Stop Smotrich, if Not the International Criminal Court?
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – June 4, 2026*:
- At least 77,124 Palestinians killed, 185,709 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,956 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 173,043 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.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – June 4, 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)
- Senate is quietly working on new legislation that includes MANDATORY, expansive intelligence sharing with Israel
- Congress wants to tie the United States to Israel with this new legislation. It’s a trap.
- We Were Ordered to Kill’: The 1967 Nakba That Israelis Don’t Know About
- Pro-Israel voices win out, kill bill to stop US-Israel military integration
- Revealed: Israel’s curriculum for ‘influencing public consciousness’
- Finally: House votes to end Trump’s war with Iran
- Iran Never Threatened to ‘Wipe Israel Off the Map’
- Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon devastates centuries of history
- This Pro-Israel Group Paved the Way for Trump’s Disastrous War in Iran
- Kushner floats cash-for-normalization with Israel to expand ‘Abraham Accords’
- More Mass Displacement: Israel’s Plan to Deepen Gaza Occupation
- The battle for Al-Aqsa: How Israel is reshaping the status quo
- Israeli study finds starvation in Gaza was result of deliberate policy
- US-Israel integration in NDAA is far from ‘America First’ – Joe Kent
