Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
Bodies of 97 Gazans were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 440 people were injured, according to a Ministry of Health statement.
For detail on fatal Israeli attacks in Gaza on Wednesday, read:
Wednesday Gaza UPDATE: Scores Of Casualties In Ongoing Israeli Bombing of Gaza
Gaza food hub stops operations for second day as access routes remain ‘combat zones’
A US-backed group operating food distribution sites in Gaza has announced that its operations would be suspended both Wednesday and Thursday, due to “maintenance and repair work”, as the Israeli army warned that roads leading to distribution centers were considered “combat zones”.
“Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is working to make the distribution of food boxes as safe as possible, despite the difficult circumstances. We strongly urge all those heading to our locations to follow the routes set by the IDF to ensure safe passage,” it said. It did not give any further details.
An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them “combat zones”.
At least 102 Palestinian civilians have been killed and 490 injured while seeking humanitarian aid from these Israeli-designated centers in eight days, Hamas said on Tuesday.
RELATED:
There’s a familiar script Israel uses every time it commits an aid massacre in Gaza
US-backed Gaza aid model ‘distraction from atrocities’, UNRWA chief says
Israel releases 8 Palestinian detainees from Gaza after months-long detention
The Israeli army released eight Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including a woman and child, after months of detention, a rights group said on Wednesday.
The freed Palestinians were admitted by Red Cross vehicles to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah for medical checkups, the Hamas-run Prisoners’ Media Office said in a statement.
Signs of fatigue and exhaustion were visible on the released prisoners, witnesses said.
RELATED: Palestinian prisoners endure ‘systematic torture’ before their release, monitor says
Elderly Palestinian from Gaza dies in Israeli detention
An elderly Palestinian detainee from the Gaza Strip died in Israeli detention, bringing the death toll since October 2023 to 71, prisoners’ affairs groups said on Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
Mohammad Ibrahim Abu Habel, 70, breathed his last in the notorious Sde Teiman facility in southern Israel, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
A father of 11, Abu Habel was detained by Israeli army forces on Nov. 12, 2024, at a military checkpoint in northern Gaza, the rights groups said.
RELATED: Nightmare at Sde Teiman: the untold story of Ibrahim Salem
MORE WEST BANK HEADLINES:
(For background on the West Bank, read this and this)
Army Abducts Ten Palestinians In Tubas
Israeli Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian Child In Jericho
Israeli Colonizers Attack Injure Ten Palestinians, Burn Homes in Dir Dibwan
Israeli Soldier, Beware – You Are Walking Into a War Crime (Ha’aretz excerpt)
Last month, Israel began to carry out Operation Gideon’s Chariots. The Israel Defense Forces instructed Gaza residents to move southward, and as Yaniv Kubovich in Haaretz wrote, one of the IDF’s goals, as defined in the operation orders, is “concentrating and moving the population.”
The important point is that “concentrating and moving the population” is defined as a goal, rather than as a means of achieving other goals.
As law professors Eyal Benvenisti and Haim Gans wrote in Haaretz Hebrew edition, such a forced transfer at such a huge scale isn’t just a war crime; it’s a crime against humanity.
There’s no way of describing the way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his gang view those living in Gaza other than as “human waste” whom we want to export and toss into other countries.
Gazans won’t leave voluntarily. Under current circumstances, there’s no such thing as voluntary emigration. Those who leave, if they do, will do so because a crime against humanity was committed against them. They won’t emigrate; they’ll flee. And Israel will be responsible for criminal ethnic cleansing in the 21st century (continue reading here).
Not Because of Gaza: Netanyahu’s Coalition on the Verge of Collapse After Selling Out to Israel’s Most Extreme Minority
There will be early elections in Israel, although it is not clear when, because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sold his soul to the country’s most extreme and obstreperous community [the ultra-Orthodox Haredis], one that demands institutionalized draft evasion even as soldiers from the rest of society are being killed and injured almost every day.
Day after day (610, to date), the prime minister of the October 7 war sends off men and women to a futile war (only recently, ordered an increase in the quota for reserve duty days to 450,000, for the fifth or sixth time) while he works behind the scenes to advance the most immoral law in the history of the state.
On Wednesday, the three Haredi factions said they would back a bill dissolving the Knesset
US Wields ‘Hand of Genocide’ by Vetoing Yet Another UN Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as Israeli strikes across the enclave have killed nearly 100 Palestinians in the past 24 hours amid a crippling aid blockade.
The US was the only country to vote against the measure on Wednesday while the 14 other members of the council voted in favor.
The resolution also called for the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza, but Washington said it was a “non-starter” because the ceasefire demand is not directly linked to the release of captives (continue reading here).
Former Israeli official Merav Ceren, who caused a stir when she was appointed in April to head of the Israel and Iran desk at Trump’s National Security Council has lost her position in a agency-wide purge that left “scores” of political appointees and career officials cleaning out their desks on Friday.
A former “national security fellow” at the pro-Israel Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Ceren had said on her resume that said she had previously served in a negotiating role for Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories and Palestinian Authority officials. President Trump had called her a “patriotic American” when her posting was announced (continue reading here).
FOR BACKGROUND, READ: NSC director overseeing Israel, Iran had worked for Israeli military
US Education Department says Columbia University fails to meet accreditation standards
The US Education Department on Wednesday notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Columbia University is in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.
It ”therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission,” it said in a statement.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Columbia University’s leadership acted with “deliberate indifference” toward the harassment of Jewish students on its campus after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas (continue reading here).
NOTE: Pro-Israel organizations consistently work to silence Palestine advocacy on campus – a free speech violation. One strategy they use is to pressure universities to officially adopt the IHRA “definition” of antisemitism, which defines legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
Other strategies include blocking prestigious appointments of and events with supporters of Palestinian rights, threatening to withhold major donations, and more. Typically, any move by university administration that defies the standard pro-Israel position is followed by an apology like the one Sonoma State University’s president Mike Lee issued – an apology that recognizes only the sentiments of pro-Israel students and ignoring the actual issues of free speech and divestment from Israel.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses have overall been peaceful and non-confrontational, and have notably included a significant number of Jewish students. When there has been violence, it has come from pro-Israel counter-protesters and police.
The silencing of pro-Palestine campus protest violates students’ and professors’ rights to free speech.
It is also notable that pro-Israel orgs regularly sponsor trips to Israel for influencers and the influence-able – trips that invariably provide a whitewashed view of Israel and no exposure to the Palestinian narrative, and by withholding the truth, “buy” new Israel partisans.
MIT Student Condemned Genocide — So ADL Chief Said She Helped Cause Boulder Attack
As the head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt has done little to uphold his organization’s claims to fight antisemitism as the “leading anti-hate organization in the world.” Instead, he’s shored up the ADL’s role as little more than a fierce pro-Israel lobby group known for defending Israel by attacking its critics. With no sense of irony, much of this effort manifests as defamatory speech — at least in the everyday, if not the legal, sense — by Greenblatt.
This weekend on Fox News, however, Greenblatt outdid himself.
In his appearance, Greenblatt said college graduates and social media influencers who have spoken out against Israel’s genocide were responsible for a man in Boulder, Colorado, throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of elderly people calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza (continue reading here).
Ms Rachel ‘will risk career’ to speak out for Gaza’s children
Rachel Griffin Accurso, known to millions worldwide as Ms Rachel, the beloved children’s entertainer and educator, says she is prepared to risk her career to keep raising awareness about the plight of children suffering due to Israeli bombardment in the war on Gaza.
In a recent interview with Boston public radio station WBUR, Ms Rachel revealed she had faced pushback for speaking out on the crisis in Gaza, where more than 50,000 children were killed or injured by Israel’s indiscriminate attacks.
Despite the criticism, Ms Rachel on Tuesday vowed to continue advocating for Palestinian children’s safety.
“I wouldn’t be Ms Rachel if I didn’t deeply care about all kids,” she said. “I will risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It’s all about the kids for me” (continue reading here).
NEWS ON US PROTESTS, ETC:
(For background on the student protest movement, read this)
How the FBI Sought a Warrant to Search Instagram of Columbia Student Protesters
Israel plans to prevent Madleen aid ship from approaching Gaza coast
Read more about the Freedom Flotilla here.
Track the Madleen (also spelled Madeleine) here.
[Editor’s note: The flotilla movement was begun by Greta Berlin, Paul Larudee, Mary Hughes-Thompson, Sharyn Locke, AND Eliza Ernshire. Afterward, Jewish Voice for Peace and some others tried to ‘cancel’ Greta Berlin and Ann wright, despite their heroic and extremely consequential actions.]
Israeli Officer Promoted After He Ordered Killing of White Flag Holders in Gaza
An Israeli officer who reportedly ordered soldiers to “shoot to kill” people in Gaza holding a white flag has been promoted to the rank of battalion commanding officer, meaning that he may be directing hundreds or thousands of soldiers.
Haaretz reports that, in 2024, the unnamed officer ordered soldiers to shoot two people spotted by a drone walking toward a corridor in Gaza who were carrying a white flag and raising their hands. A commander protested, pointing out the flag and that the people may be Israeli prisoners who escaped Hamas captivity.
But soldiers said the officer, a deputy battalion commander at the time, insisted multiple times that they be killed. “I don’t know what a white flag is, shoot to kill,” he reportedly said. The two people ultimately turned around and were spared, but the commander was “berated as a coward” by his commanding officers, Haaretz reported (continue reading here).
NOTABLE QUOTES:
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher: “The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded, or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat…This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived 2 million people of the essentials they need to survive…No one should have to risk their life to feed their children.”
Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard: “This latest shameful U.S. veto – one in a long list – gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. It allows Israel to continue starving Palestinian civilians and creating conditions of life meant to bring about their destruction. The U.S. has squandered yet another crucial opportunity to demand that Israel ends civilian bloodshed. What possible justification can there be for blocking action by the U.N. Security Council that could help to end the harrowing starvation and suffering, free hostages, and lift Israel’s suffocating aid restrictions?”
Slovenia’s UN envoy Samuel Zboga (after US vetoed a resolution calling for immediate ceasefire): “Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane and against international law. No war objective can justify such action. We have hoped and expected that this was our shared understanding. The resolution was not adopted. 14 votes in favor however carries a strong message. Enough of suffering of civilians. Enough of food being used as a weapon. Enough is enough is enough. Madam President, Colleagues, we tried. We continue to try.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “Israel’s recent action is appalling and, in my view, counterproductive and intolerable, and we have strongly opposed the expansion of military operations and settler violence and the blocking of humanitarian aid,” he told the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul: “Germany will continue to support the state of Israel, including with arms deliveries.”
MORE NEWS:
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JUNE 4, 2025:
- At least 55,658 Palestinians killed, 134,315 injured – including:
- at least 54,677 killed in Gaza (~16,500 children)
- at least 981 killed in the West Bank (~199 children)
- at least 125,530 injured in Gaza
- at least 8,785 injured in the West Bank
According to Palestinian authorities, during the ceasefire Jan. 19 – March 18 2025, Israeli attacks killed at least 170 Gazans, and Israel committed at least 962 ceasefire violations.
Since the Israeli army resumed its assaults on Gaza on March 18, it has killed at least 4,402 people. 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same time period.
Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 14,000 more are still buried under rubble.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – June 4, 2025: ~1,605 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 420 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 215 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 180 and 274 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)
- Trump confirms he told Netanyahu ‘I don’t think it’s appropriate’ to attack Iran
- Mahmoud Khalil Alleges the Trump Admin and Pro-Israel Groups Coordinated to Target Him
- I used to believe the myth that the US was the most democratic nation
- Veterans Launch 40-Day Fast to Protest Israel’s Starvation of Gaza
- Israel lobby adapts to power shift from Congress to White House
- Iran’s Christian Heritage
- 15 Years Ago I Was on a Gaza Flotilla Mission That Ended in the Deaths of 10 and Wounding of 50 by Israeli Commandos
- The Madeleine ship: A message of solidarity with Gaza and resolve to break the blockade
- Why Did Burning Girls Matter in Vietnam but Not in Gaza?
- Israel-Backed Militias Linked to ISIS Loot Gaza Aid Under IDF Watch
- ‘Global March to Gaza’: Activists from 31 countries plan march to Rafah border
- Israeli displacement orders in Gaza are psychological warfare
- New Israeli Law Allows Palestinians as Young as 12 to Be Imprisoned for Life
- It Took 24 Hours to Speak the Names of 12,000 Children Israel Killed in Gaza – A Fraction of the Total
- Israeli education minister announces plan to make Jewish, Zionist studies core curriculum
- Germany threatens steps against Israel as tone shifts over Gaza
- Jerusalem Day Flag March Reached a New Low: Mocking the Dead Children of Gaza
- ‘One of the most heartbreaking tragedies’: Gaza doctor’s last goodbye before nine children killed in airstrike
- As long as Gaza walks, it refuses to fall
