It has now been 912 days since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people. Below is a roundup of news from Sunday, April 5, 2026.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
ISRAEL-US WAR ON IRAN – NEWS & HEADLINES:
It can not be overemphasized that Israel has been the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran for years. 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.
The American people have made clear that they do not want to go to war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List.”
US recovers 2 downed F-15 crew members in separate operations: CENTCOM: Trump says rescue of one crew member was initially delayed because officials feared his radio transmission was an Iranian trap.
Trump warns Iran to reopen strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face ‘hell’: The US president posted on his Truth Social website: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
RELATED: ‘Unhinged madman’: US politicians react to Trump’s expletive-laden threat to Iran
‘Stop This Lawless War,’ Advocates Say as Trump Warns of Coming Power Plant, Bridge Attacks in Iran: “Trump is being driven insane by his inability to defeat Iran,” said a UK journalist. “This is a threat to commit unspeakable war crimes.”
Iran mediators make last-ditch push for 45-day ceasefire: The U.S., Iran, and mediators are reportedly discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war. The sources said the chances for reaching a partial deal over the next 48 hours are slim. But this last-ditch effort could be the only chance to prevent a dramatic escalation in the war – the “hell” that Trump threatened.
Trump says Iran deal possible by Monday or Tuesday, threatens to blow ‘everything up’ if talks fail: US president says envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner holding ‘deep negotiations’ with Iran. Iran did not respond immediately to Trump’s claim that an agreement may be near.
Trump says ground troops in Iran not ‘necessary,’ but does not rule them out
Trump says he granted amnesty to Iranian negotiators in order to keep talks alive
Iran claims it destroyed US plane; some US reports say US forces blew it up: Iran claimed on Sunday that it shot down a US C-130 support aircraft in southern Isfahan, then “successfully destroyed the enemy aircraft.” Some initial US reports on social media claimed that during the process of rescuing the second crew member of an F-15 fighter jet downed over Iran, US forces blew up their own plane rather than let it “fall into Iranian hands.” No official statement has yet been issued by the US.
Archbishop for US Military Says Iran War Is Unjust Under Catholic Teaching
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel Doubts U.S.-Iran Talks, Prepares for Extensive Strikes, Source Says: According to a political source, Israel is struggling to assess what the consequences of a breakdown in the talks would be, and whether Trump would allow a large-scale attack on civilian infrastructure.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON IRAN (tentative):
- United States: 13 (this number is believed by some to be an undercount)
- Iran: at least 3,546 (1,616 civilian, 1,219 military, 711 unclassified; at least 244 children)
- Other Arab states (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon), at least 144
ISRAEL’S WAR ON LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Although Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024, Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since, committing over 10,000 air and ground violations – the most violated ceasefire deal in recorded history – and killing at least 397. Additionally, Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, and other Lebanese areas it has held for decades. (Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
At least 11 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Easter Sunday: An Israeli airstrike on a village in south Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, including a 4-year-old child, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement. Another Israeli attack in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, the ministry added.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- In Lebanon, at least 1,461 people have been killed (125 children and 91 women, 53 healthcare workers).
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.
Five Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza, including Three Palestinians officers, only hours after Israeli warplanes carried out an assassination targeting Ali Ahmad Al‑Amarin, 36.
Child shot in the head by Israeli forces in southern Gaza on Sunday evening.
‘Refuse to celebrate’: Christians in Gaza mark sombre Easter amid genocide: Christians pray in quiet gatherings to mark the resurrection of Christ while holding on to hope for survival and peace. Gaza is home to fewer than 1,000 Christians. The community was already small before the war, and many of its members have been killed since then in attacks on their homes and churches.
Hamas says disarmament is not on the table while Israel continues genocide: Hamas’s military spokesman Abu Obaida has delivered a statement Sunday covering a number of topics: “Let the enemy know that touching Al-Aqsa [referring to the closing of the holy site for the last 37 days] and the prisoners [referring to Israel’s new death penalty law for Palestinians] will not pass without consequence, no matter the cost to our people, and it will have repercussions upon the occupation state,” he said. “Indeed, it will be an additional detonator for the entire region.”
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 713 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- At least 72,291 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since Oct. 7, 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.)
Jerusalem Governorate reports 7 attempts by Jews to bring sacrificial animals into Al-Aqsa Mosque: Jewish Israelis have made repeated efforts to perform religious rituals inside the mosque compound – a dangerous escalation and part of a bid to impose new realities at the site by slaughtering the animals inside the compound. Israeli authorities have kept Islam’s third holiest site, along with Church of the Holy Sepulchre, closed for 37 consecutive days.
West Bank on Sunday: Israeli Military and Paramilitary Attacks Continue
Occupation Forces Invade Towns Across West Bank
Israeli Colonizers Attack Bedouin Communities In West Bank
Israeli Soldiers Shoot Palestinian Child In Beit Furik
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 army says it underestimated Hezbollah strength, Iranian government stability: An Israeli commander has admitted that the army underestimated Hezbollah’s military capabilities and that only a political settlement will end the Iran war.
Ben-Gvir’s Police Are Weaponizing the Law to Silence Dissent: Since Itamar Ben-Gvir became national security minister the police have been turning into an enforcement arm for silencing government criticism, including the use of riot units, mounted officers and water cannons against citizens who dare to express an opinion.
Israel racks up $15B in costs from its wars in Iran and Lebanon: Report
30 Israeli soldiers infiltrate rural area of Syria’s* Quneitra: Israeli forces entered village of Al-Hurriya in the northern Quneitra countryside with 5 military vehicles carrying around 30 soldiers, and searched houses.
*NOTE: Although Israel is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 cross-border raids on Syria since December 2024.
DEATH TOLL – ISRAEL, WARS ON IRAN, LEBANON (tentative):
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Israelis don’t pay for the weapons we ‘sell’ to them — US taxpayers do: Most arms ‘sales’ are financed through Foreign Military Financing, which is basically an American subsidized gift card. And no, the relationship between military spending and jobs is not self-evident. In 1985, the U.S. military budget was $295 billion — $746 billion in today’s dollars — and there were 3 million workers in the U.S. arms industry. By 2021, the U.S. military budget had increased by $132 billion in real terms — to $879 billion — while the number of arms industry workers had dropped to 1.1 million. Despite military spending increasing 18% above inflation, there was a 63% drop in arms industry employment.
Pope urges ‘those who have the power to unleash wars’ to choose peace
Trump’s Spiritual Advisor Says Donate 10% of Your Income to Help Israel: President Donald Trump’s personal spiritual adviser, Paula White Cain, has urged her followers to donate “the first tenth of your gross income” to support her ministry and its causes—including funding projects in Israel. In a video last week, she said, “So go ahead and click on that link right there, on the screen, or you can give by cash app or Vimmo or PayPal or however you want to,” she said. “Thank you for being a generous and liberal giver and may God continue to bless you.”
White Cain has long been a staunch Israel supporter, and has instructed Christians to “stand with Israel” because Jewish people are “God’s chosen people,” and “This relates not only to the Jewish people but also to the nation of Israel…This isn’t about politics; this is about living in harmony with the WORD of God!”
RELATED: US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges AND U.S. Pastors Become Willing Ambassadors for Israel’s War
BDS victories: Washington State divests from Caterpillar, capital city, Olympia, blocks investment in apartheid: The Office of the Washington State Treasurer announced it has divested its $62 million in Caterpillar bonds, and the Olympia, Washington City Council voted unanimously to block investment in entities that engage in apartheid or illegal occupation.
While Distancing from AIPAC, Most 2028 Democratic Hopefuls Are Still Embracing Israel
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Iran warns US-Israeli strikes on nuclear sites risk radioactive fallout across region
Despite the Netanyahu Government’s Promises, the IDF Admits It Can’t Disarm Hezbollah
Israeli Settlers* Killed a Palestinian Farmer on His Own Land, in Front of His Father. Yes, Again
Jared Kushner is seeking peace deals in the Middle East. He’s also raising money for his own firm
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – APRIL 5, 2026*:
- At least 73,434 Palestinians killed, 183,768 injured – including:
- At least 72,291 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,068 injured in Gaza
- At least 1,143 killed (~232 children), 11,700 injured in the West Bank
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 8,000 more are still buried under rubble (some sources put the number of missing as high as 14,000); 3,000 more are reportedly missing. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count. Additionally, the numbers of injured are very conservative estimates.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – April 5, 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 conflict with Lebanon or the war with Iran).
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 282 Palestinian journalists and media workers (most recent March 9, 2026); Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 356 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)
- Israel Is Blocking Palestinians from Easter at Church Where Jesus Resurrected
- Plot to assassinate Palestinian activist follows harassment campaign promoted by Zionist groups and elected officials
- Prominent New York synagogue hosts presentation on why U.S. Jews should support the ethnic cleansing of Gaza
- Tapper vs. Piker: Is the CNN Anchor Auditioning for David Ellison?
- ‘War crime’: Global condemnation as Israeli ministers celebrate death penalty law targeting Palestinian prisoners
- 7 Ways Israel Is Turning Lebanon Into Gaza
- World’s Leading Football Bodies Under Fire Over Israel Policies
- Experts warn of possible use of nukes against Iran
- Israeli invasion of Lebanon could be worse than 1982, warn European officials
- Passover: Liberation and collective punishment
- Gaza families reunite years after babies evacuated amid Israel’s war
- International Rescue Committee warns Gaza’s children face grave protection risks
- Iran’s Alleged 47-Year War on America: Debunking the 1,050 American Deaths Canard
