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 829th day.)
Three Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including a child and a teenager, marking a new violation of last year’s ceasefire deal.
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 466 Palestinians. At least 1,294 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative.
At least 25 Palestinians in Gaza have died due to the extreme cold, including 21 children, since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023. At least 8 Palestinian children have died of extreme cold this winter.
Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 1,244 times (as of Jan. 15, 2026). More statistics below.
GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(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.
Respiratory virus claims lives in Gaza as health system nears total collapse
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, medical director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, said that hospitals are recording deaths linked to the outbreak, fueled by severe malnutrition, prolonged psychological trauma, and the near absence of vaccinations.
According to Abu Salmiya, patients are experiencing intense and prolonged symptoms lasting up to two weeks, including high fever, severe joint and bone pain, persistent headaches and vomiting. In many cases, the illness progresses into acute pneumonia (continue reading here).
RELATED: Disease risks in Gaza at record highs amid vaccine shortages: UNRWA
‘Dozens of distress calls daily’: Israeli troops continue to fire indiscriminately at civilians in Gaza
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal stated on 19 January that ambulance crews are responding to dozens of distress calls each day, reporting that Israeli forces are firing indiscriminately at Palestinian civilians and the makeshift tents and shelters in which most live.
Basal emphasized that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is a new and dangerous tactic of killing innocent people, noting that these bullets reach deep into the cities and camps, resulting in the deaths of Palestinians and injuries to others, in clear and blatant violation of all humanitarian and international laws (continue reading here).
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Israel Refuses Gaza Administration Committee Members Entry into Gaza
GAZA “BOARD OF PEACE” NEWS & HEADLINES:
The so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza is stacked with wealthy and powerful Israel supporters. Political strategist Ashish Prashar said, “It appears the only qualification for joining the Gaza ‘peace board’ is to have a strong track record of endorsing (and arming) Israel’s project of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, and criminalizing those who oppose it.”
Among the world leaders invited to be on the Board of Peace is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an indicted war criminal– but zero Palestinians. (Read more here.)
Israel accuses Kushner of “retaliating” by shaping Gaza executive committee
According to the Israeli news website Walla!, Israeli cabinet members claimed that Jared Kushner was behind the inclusion of representatives from Turkey and Qatar in the committee, despite strong Israeli opposition.
Israeli officials reportedly argued that Kushner’s move was a form of retaliation linked to Israel’s refusal to reopen the Rafah crossing. Kushner had also allegedly obstructed the annexation of the West Bank in 2020 due to his close economic ties with Arab leaders.
Kushner may harbor “dreams of world peace” that do not always align with Israeli interests.
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France set to decline US invitation to join Gaza Board of Peace: Report
“The charter goes beyond the framework of Gaza alone. It raises major questions, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations, which must under no circumstances be called into question,” a source said.
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Netanyahu rejects Turkish, Qatari inclusion in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza
“We have some disagreements with our friends in the United States regarding the formation of the advisory council that will accompany the peace process in Gaza,” Netanyahu said,
Netanyahu is opposed to participation from Turkiye and Qatar, pledging that soldiers from both countries “will not be present in the Strip” (continue reading here).
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Trump asks Putin to join Gaza ‘board of peace’ even as Ukraine war rages
The Kremlin says it is seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer from Washington.
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The full text of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ charter
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.)
Videos shared online showed barricades being set up at different entrances into the city, besieging the town’s residents. Roads were also closed off with cement blocks, and military checkpoints were erected, restricting the movement of people. The army said that “an increased presence of military forces will be noticeable in the area and sounds of explosions will be heard”, without providing further details.
Several residents were detained, including 13-year-old Mohammed Mutawwar (continue reading here).
RELATED: Detention without charge of Palestinian children hits record level
*NOTE: Israeli forces have detained around 21,000 Palestinians since October 2023, Palestinian figures showed. The vast majority of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons are political prisoners; thousands are administrative detainees, being kept behind bars without charge, trial, or access to a lawyer. A growing number are children. Administrative detention is intended to be used only in “exceptional” circumstances, but Israel uses it widely. (Read more here.) Israeli prisons regularly use torture (and have done so for over 50 years).
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Paving military roads, Israel prepares permanent control of West Bank camps
A year after their expulsion from the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camps, refugees wait not only to return, but to reclaim the rights the camps preserved.
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Israeli Invasions, Abductions, and Violations Across West Bank
ISRAEL NEWS & 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.)
Israel Flouts US Demand to Open Rafah Crossing
Rafah was supposed to be opened over 100 days ago, as part of Phase One of the ceasefire agreement. Israel’s refusal to reopen Gaza’s connection to Egypt is preventing the agreement from progressing – and is causing ongoing starvation in Gaza.
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Israel demolishes UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters; UN agency: ‘Unprecedented attack’
Israel, which has banned the agency, says compound doesn’t enjoy immunity as UNRWA had ceased operations there; Ben Gvir celebrates at scene: ‘Terror supporters being kicked out.’
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IDF: Settler violence* rose by 27% in 2025, severe attacks spiked by over 50%
Military officials say they feel a sense of failure for not managing to curb attacks by some 300 Jewish extremists against West Bank Palestinians.
RELATED: The IDF Can’t ‘Protect’ Palestinians From Settler Attacks. Settlers Are IDF Auxiliaries
*NOTE: Israel has illegally built around 280 settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are home to more than 700,000 illegal settlers. Some settler groups have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces (a phenomenon that has grown significantly worse since October 7th, 2023).
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 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
(Learn more about Israeli settler violence here and here.)
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Israeli agricultural exports face looming ‘collapse’ as world rejects products over Gaza genocide
Israeli farmers warn the country’s agricultural export industry is facing a looming “collapse” due to international opposition to the Gaza genocide. Recent reports show the impact of boycotting Israel, and why the Israeli ‘brand’ may never recover.
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New Mossad recruitment ads exploit Iran’s unrest with help from US comedian
Mossad is taking advantage of deadly riots that rocked Iran this month to solicit spies through a series of social media ads. In one of history’s strangest collaborations, the Israeli intel agency has purchased the ads through an LLC owned by Atlanta-based standup comic Desi Banks.
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Israeli army launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
Army claims attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
*NOTE: Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since the ceasefire was reached on 27 November 2024. committing over 10,000 air and ground violations.
NEWS & 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.)
In a conversation with Ben Shapiro, the presumed 2028 Democratic frontrunner affirmed Hamas as a terrorist* group, but said attacks on civilians in Gaza ‘weren’t just collateral,’ and revealed that in a conversation with Netanyahu after October 7, ‘I kept talking about Hamas, he kept talking about Palestinians.’
*NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for an individual or group that resists 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.
On October 7th, Hamas was exercising – albeit imperfectly – its internationally recognized right to resist the oppressor and occupier of its people. Hamas fighters attacked Israel after years of oppression and many nonviolent attempts to call attention to the injustice. The UN has passed hundreds of resolutions demanding justice – to no avail.
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Explained: The History and (Fragile) Future of U.S. Military Aid to Israel
A closer look at the history of U.S. aid to Israel and Netanyahu’s proposal to phase it out reveals less a rupture with Washington than a strategic recalibration shaped by Trump-era isolationism, domestic U.S. politics, and Israel’s enduring dependence on American power.
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
I teach linguistics at MIT. Here’s how a pro-Israel lawsuit uses language to silence critics
US-led Gaza mission ‘directionless’, troops ditch
European forces have not come back to the US-led CMCC from their New Year’s holiday, and diplomats tell Reuters nations might end participation in mission due to failing aid efforts and lack of direction under Trump’s peace plan.
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Trump administration discussed offering sanctuary to Jews in UK: Report
President Donald Trump’s personnel lawyer, Robert Garson, told the British newspaper The Telegraph that he had been in talks with the State Department about providing sanctuary for Jews fleeing antisemitism in the UK. Garson, who is Jewish and was born in Manchester, said the UK was “no longer a safe place for Jews” and he saw “no future” for them there.
“It is certainly not an unattractive proposition. It is a highly educated community. I have spoken to people in the State Department and I have mentioned it in my role on the Holocaust Museum board,” he said (continue reading here).
*NOTE: Israeli leaders have long conflated Jews with the state of Israel – the so-called “Jewish State” (of which 21% of its residents are non-Jews), which features a star of David on its flag. Then they accuse anyone who criticizes Israel’s actions of antisemitism.
Because Israel and many mainstream Jewish organizations have conditioned the public to see Israel and Jews as one and the same, anger over Israel’s genocide in Gaza may turn into violence against Israelis or Jews. Such (unacceptable) violence stems directly from Israel’s actions, and may or may not be antisemitic.
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The UK is now willing to undermine British institutions to protect Israel
British football fans are regularly banned without scandal. Why is it that Israeli fans cannot be?
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israeli ceasefire violations on Sunday – all in a day’s genocide
Trump demands $1bn fee from states joining Gaza ‘Board of Peace’: Report
Israel far-right ministers demand takeover of Gaza, expulsion of Palestinians
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JANUARY 19, 2026*:
- At least 72,658 Palestinians killed, 182,372 injured – including:
- At least 71,551 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,107 killed in the West Bank (~230 children)
- At least 171,372 injured in Gaza
- About 11,000 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 19, 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 (by one count, there have been 59 victims) 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)
- How an Israeli Firm Spreads Lies and Chaos Around the World
- ADL ‘Helping’ Ted Cruz and Ben Shapiro ‘Take Down’ Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, CEO Suggests
- Israel is Destroying Hope for the Future: Reproductive Violence in Gaza
- J Street is the new AIPAC in the Democratic Party
- The fate of Gaza’s disappeared remains unknown
- The U.S. has announced ‘Phase 2’ of the Gaza ceasefire. Here’s why it doesn’t matter for Palestinians.
- ‘My leg went to heaven before me’: Israeli war extinguishes Gaza childhoods
- Founders of deadly GHF ‘shaping’ new US-backed administration for Gaza: Report
- Genocide isn’t a mistake. Which is why the media can’t tell you the truth about Gaza
- “Praise Allah, There Are Still People Like You”: Jeffrey Epstein Nurtured Israel-Emirates Ties Before Abraham Accords
- Trump family has long record of supporting Israeli causes
- Militant Pro-Israel Group Agrees to Halt Operations in New York
- Israel Has Demolished 2,500 Buildings in Gaza Since Signing Ceasefire Deal
- Iran, Gaza and the politics of counting the dead
