News roundup for Friday, June 12, 2026, Day 980 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.
The Israeli army moved yellow line blocks westward by an estimated 300 meters in several areas of the Gaza Strip over the past week, according to witnesses. A Hamas spokesperson said the move is an effort to “blow up the negotiation track and thwart the efforts being made” to consolidate the ceasefire. (Read about the Yellow Line here.)
Gaza ceasefire roadmap* under threat as Israel expands territorial control, experts warn: More than 8 months after ceasefire, reconstruction has yet to begin amid aid restrictions, displacement, continuing military operations. (Read the ceasefire agreement here.)
*NOTE: After imposing severe restrictions on aid to Gaza for months and causing widespread hunger and hundreds of deaths due to starvation, the October 2025 ceasefire terms required Israel to surge massive quantities of aid into Gaza (600 trucks a day – actually a modest amount given the circumstances). More than 8 months into the ceasefire, the entry of aid is well below the amount agreed upon – about 93 truckloads per day.
In fact, Israel has violated most or all of the terms of the ceasefire: All military operations were supposed to be suspended, but Israel has continued them, killing 981 Palestinians since the ceasefire began; rehabilitation of infrastructure, hospitals, and bakeries was supposed to begin, and Israel was supposed to allow entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads – none of these commitments have been fulfilled.
RELATED: Netanyahu thwarted seven Gaza ceasefire deals, Israeli report finds
Israel’s ‘voluntary emigration*’ plan in Gaza is its latest attempt to ethnically cleanse Palestinians: Israeli leaders recently announced plans to implement a “voluntary emigration plan from Gaza,” echoing Zionists’ proposals since the 1800s to force Palestinians off the land. As if anything voluntary comes at the end of missile strikes, sniper bullets, or aid lines where you become target practice.
*NOTE: Forced population transfer is a crime against humanity, and a form of ethnic cleansing. If world leaders truly want to offer Gazans a good life outside Gaza, the just solution would be to return them to their homes in historic Palestine.
ISRAELI MEDIA: UNRWA* Fires 70 Staff Accused by Israel of Hamas Ties Amid Fears of IDF Attacks in Gaza: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) fired 70 employees suspected by Israel of collaborating with Hamas. The agency explained on Friday that the firing was done to prevent the risk to the agency staff and passersby due to Israeli attacks targeting those employees.
UNRWA stated,”The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them.” The move could pave the way for renewed dialogue between UNRWA and Israel.
*NOTE: UNRWA, the United Nations body with a mandate to help Palestinian refugees, has been serving the refugees in exile in Gaza for decades as they wait for their internationally recognized right of return to be activated. 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.
UNRWA serves approximately 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees. For more on the indispensable work that UNRWA has done for Palestinian refugees, read this.
As World Cup kicks off, Gaza amputee girls chase football dreams: After losing her leg in an Israeli strike, 24-year-old Rozan Khaira refused to abandon sport she loves ‘An injury is not the end of a dream. It can open new doors,’ she tells Anadolu.
RELATED: Watching the World Cup from Gaza
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 981 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 72,991 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.)
Oxfam: More Palestinians killed by Israel across West Bank in last 3 years than previous 17 years combined: Israeli military and settlers have killed over 1,000 Palestinians in occupied West Bank since beginning of Gaza hostilities.
Archbishop Hanna: West Bank A Large Prison With Escalating Colonizer Attacks: Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, warned that illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers continue to invade Palestinian towns, villages, and communities under full protection of the Israeli occupation army. What is unfolding on the ground leaves Palestinians with, in his words, “nothing but daily land theft, more walls, more military roadblocks, and more iron gates restricting movement.” (Read his full statement here.)
Freedom March Against the Displacement of Khan al-Ahmar
Friday: Israeli Colonizers (i.e. Settlers) Injure Four, One Seriously, Near Ramallah
Israeli Invasions and Abductions in the West Bank
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 Pushes Regulations to Legalize* West Bank Farm Outposts: About 100 farms currently operate in the West Bank out of around 350 settler outposts. Though illegal, the farms were established in coordination with the government and army to “protect state land. Residents of many of the farms take part in the expulsion of Palestinian herding communities. “The legalization of the farms would greatly facilitate the establishment of more of them.
*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.
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. Israeli settlers are sometimes referred to as “colonizers.”
Many analysts believe the word “colonizer” is more accurate than “settler.” Zionism has been described by several scholars as a form of settler colonialism. Zionism’s founders and early leaders were aware and outspoken about their status as colonizers; early leading Zionists such as Theodor Herzl, Max Nordau, and Ze’ev Jabotinsky described Zionism as colonization.
IRAN & LEBANON – 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.
The US and Iran are on the cusp of an agreement, Pakistan, a key mediator, confirmed Friday. While the deal’s terms are disputed by the two sides, the “final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached… Peace has never been this close as it is now.”
No final approval yet for Iran-US draft agreement, according to Iranian media: Tasnim News reported on 12 June that the 14-point draft memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States has not yet received final approval from the relevant Iranian authorities.
Iran says understandings reached on most issues in talks with US
US, Iran agree on peace deal’s ‘final text’ to end war: Pakistan
US, Iran could sign Hormuz memorandum* Sunday in Geneva: Report: According to Bloomberg, the potential deal would extend the US-Iran truce by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Washington end a blockade of Iranian ports.
*NOTE: Read a comparison of how the US and Iran are talking about the draft memorandum of understanding here, more details from Iran’s foreign minister here.
“Israel will not withdraw from the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza*,”Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday, addressing the emerging agreement between the U.S. and Iran. He added, “the IDF will continue to defend our borders and citizens from Mount Hermon, the Lebanese mountains, areas of our land in the West Bank and most of Gaza’s territory, as a central lesson from the events of October 7.”
*NOTE: The minister’s claim that Israel is occupying and imposing “security zones” on its neighbors because of October 7th is yet another iteration of Israel’s self-portrayal as a perpetual victim – or potential victim – enabling it to claim “self-defense” as an excuse for aggressive actions against its neighbors.
The time has come for Trump to choose between U.S. and Israeli interests in the Iran war: Just to get this MOU signed, Trump is going to have to press Netanyahu to pull back in Lebanon, or even pull out. Trump has the leverage to make it happen, but does he have the political will?
‘Huge, unprecedented’ explosions rock cities in southern Lebanon: The Israeli army reportedly carried out “a massive bombing operation that lasted approximately 42 seconds, one of the most intense bombing operations the region has witnessed in some time.”
Lebanon’s Tyre residents say ‘I would rather die at home’ as Israel threatens Christian Quarter evacuation: Residents say they are civilians with no link to any military activity.
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 3,711 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 54 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 30 soldiers, 4 civilians)
VIDEO | CNN compiles dozens of moments since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February, where Trump repeatedly said a deal was very close, or that Iran was desperate to make a deal. pic.twitter.com/00LIbQNpHN
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 12, 2026
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is courting Jewish voters — without moderating his views on Israel: Yet he is finding Jewish voters willing to hear him out — and a constituency of Jews who support his candidacy even when they disagree with him on Israel.
Israeli Firm Accused of Launching Smear Campaigns During US, European Elections: SPOILER: Despite the smear campaigns, candidates who supported Palestine won the elections in Scotland and New York.
You Can Sell MAGA a Forever War if You Make It a Civilizational War: Iran has not, in fact, been at war for 3,000 years. But there’s a reason Trump says things like that.
Palestinian football chief denied entry to US in latest case of World Cup travel restrictions: Jibril Rajoub says US authorities barred him from entering the country despite his official Fifa accreditation for the tournament.
🇫🇷🇮🇱 France’s foreign disinformation watchdog says it suspects Israeli influence firm BlackCore of carrying out digital interference operations not only in France’s March local elections, but also in New York City’s 2025 mayoral race and elections in Scotland, as well as in… https://t.co/ZbrrPhXNLc pic.twitter.com/FQQvPenSRA
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 11, 2026
These are the traitors who get to vote on the 2027 NDAA, and will undoubtedly vote to hand this country’s military, data, and soil over to Israel. pic.twitter.com/lPAemQgHsc
— Frankie Stockes (@realStockes) June 11, 2026
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
US lawmakers press Israel to let cancer patients out of Gaza* for treatment
88 attacks against Palestinian Christians recorded since start of year
Israel has become world’s most boycotted state
Iran considers placing assets linked to Elon Musk on its military target list
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – June 12, 2026*:
- At least 74,160 Palestinians killed, 185,878 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 72,991 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 173,212 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,169 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 12, 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)
- The Issue of Israel Is Ending Democracy In Michigan
- Israel is stealing homes, livelihoods, and lives in West Bank
- Gaza is not an aberration – Israel planned this genocide decades ago
- Israel is changing the face of Lebanon, mainstream media is normalizing it – 3 articles
- Genocide lobby benefits from EU anti-racist fund
- Watching the World Cup from Gaza
- Israel to Blame for 56% of 22,600+ Civilians Killed by Explosive Weapons Globally Last Year
- Tucker Carlson and John Mearsheimer on Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Russia & a Potential Nuclear Strike
- 88 attacks against Palestinian Christians recorded since start of year
- US administration investigating Iran war critic Trita Parsi, says report
- Senate wants to force US to share sensitive intel with Israel
- ‘They used dogs’: New Al Jazeera film exposes Israel’s use of rape in jails
- Israel is abducting ordinary Syrians and seizing their land in Quneitra
- Piro Inc Promotes Israel Government Ad Agency’s push to sway US Public Opinion: 2 Articles
- Smart borders, military gates and land seizures: How Israel is encroaching in southern Syria
