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 797th day.)
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 393 Palestinians. Among the dead are at least 136 children. At least 1,068 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative. More statistics below.
Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 738 times in 67 days.
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.)
Gaza newborn dies of exposure*
A newborn baby has died of hypothermia in Gaza, while heavy rains have destroyed several already fragile structures in the Palestinian territory.
The health ministry in Gaza announced the death of Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair, a two-week-old boy who died due to a severe drop in his body temperature caused by the cold weather.
The infant’s family had brought him to the hospital’s intensive care unit two days ago, but he died on Monday.
*NOTE: A number of infants died of hypothermia in the winter of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, for the same reason it has begun happening now: Israel’s refusal to provide shelter – a responsibility under international law. Already this winter, several infants have died of exposure.
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UN warns newborns in Gaza at risk of freezing during winter storm due to Israeli aid restrictions
The United Nations has warned that Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip, despite harsh winter conditions, highlighting the growing risk of newborns freezing due to the cold.
A UN spokesperson said Monday that the UN and its partners are working to deliver aid to the “most vulnerable” Palestinian families in Gaza, but that “needs continue to outpace the ability of humanitarians to respond, given the ongoing impediments they face.”
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Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian child in Gaza
A Palestinian child was shot on Monday while returning home from school in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. The incident came as Israeli forces carried out a new wave of airstrikes and heavy gunfire across the city.
Witnesses reported that Israeli aircraft launched multiple strikes while ground units fired indiscriminately, despite the area being under Israeli control according to the “ceasefire agreement.”
Similar attacks were reported east of Khan Younis, where artillery fire and helicopter gunfire struck neighborhoods, and in northern Gaza, where helicopters and armored vehicles opened fire near Jabalia and Gaza City.
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One Gaza father’s heart-wrenching story
Mohammad Nassar and his family were living in a six-story building that was badly damaged by Israeli strikes earlier in the war and collapsed in heavy rain on Friday.
His family had struggled to find alternative accommodation and had been flooded out while living in a tent during a previous bout of bad weather. Nassar went out to buy some necessities on Friday and returned to a scene of carnage as rescue workers struggled to pull bodies from the rubble.
“I saw my son’s hand sticking out from under the ground. It was the scene that affected me the most. My son under the ground and we are unable to get him out,” Nassar said. His son, 15, died as did a daughter, aged 18.
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GAZA HEADLINES:
In Gaza’s ruins, winter storms become a fight for survival
Heavy rain and strong winds have swept across Gaza, flooding displacement camps and collapsing tents as families shelter without adequate protection from the cold.
Makeshift shelters were inundated overnight, leaving children and elderly people exposed to freezing temperatures,… pic.twitter.com/GpYFt8LZEs
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 16, 2025
As you return to your home—your own home—remember others.
Do not forget the people of the tents.As you fall asleep, counting the stars above, remember others.
There are those who have found no space in which to sleep.#GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/Kx1caeDmyJ— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 14, 2025
Israel says more than 200 Palestinians from Gaza with dual citizenship or valid visas left the territory on Dec. 15 via Kerem Shalom, transiting through Jordan to third countries, according to COGAT.
Israeli authorities say the departures followed requests from foreign… https://t.co/htTyhAtMMU
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) December 15, 2025
While Gaza persists, the echo of the words of the Late poet Mahmoud Darwish ring: “We suffer from an incurable illness: hope.”
This persistence is what the Riviera fantasy cannot comprehend. Gaza is not merely rubble; it is continuity. It is families rebuilding homes they know may fall again. It is doctors operating without anesthesia, journalists reporting while burying their own children, teachers holding classes in tents amid ruins. Survival itself becomes an act of refusal.
Resilience here is not romantic. It is costly, exhausting, and soaked in grief. But it is also political. Each act of endurance contradicts the colonial assumption that destruction clears the way for reinvention by others. The people remain, and in remaining they rupture the fantasy that land can be detached from those who belong to it (continue reading here).
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.)
Soldiers Kill* Palestinian Youth in Tuqu’, Bethlehem
On Monday evening, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian youth, Ammar Yasser Mohammad Ta’amra (16) in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, when Israeli forces stormed the town, leading to protests before soldiers randomly fired live rounds, tear gas, and stun grenades, fatally wounding the teen in the chest.
*NOTE: Since the beginning of the Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, occupation forces have killed 1098 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, including 227 children and 24 women.
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2 US activists arrested by Israel in occupied West Bank, rights group says
Two US activists, Irene Cho, from New York, and Trudi Frost, from Boston, were arrested on Dec. 12 by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank while opposing the forced displacement of a Palestinian family, according to a statement from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Israeli authorities revoked the activists’ staying permits and put them in prison.
A spokesperson for the State Department said it was “aware of the reports” and has “no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens” (continue reading here).
NOTE: According to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), an organization created by Jamal Khashoggi, “When Israeli forces kill Americans, our State Department issues statements expressing concern and promises investigations. But the investigations never come. The accountability never arrives. The pattern continues, emboldened by American silence and the flow of billions of dollars in U.S. military aid with no conditions, no consequences, and no regard for American lives.”
RELATED:
Biden Ignores the Injustice of Israel Killing a Palestinian American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
One year after Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was killed, the US has not investigated. Her family wants answers
US Consular Officials from US Embassy-Israel Have NOT Visited US Citizens from Gaza Flotilla Who Have Been in Israeli Prison For Four Days
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Illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque* to celebrate Hanukkah holiday
Scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Illegal settlers performed Talmudic rituals at the flashpoint site under the protection of Israeli police, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
*NOTE: Anyone can visit the Al Aqsa Mosque grounds, but only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to an understanding known as the ‘status quo agreement,’ which has existed since Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967.
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WEST BANK HEADLINES:
New Israeli barrier in Jordan Valley to deprive Palestinians of farmland, water
Monday: Israeli Invasions, Violations And Abductions In West Bank
Israeli Forces Uproot 400 Olive Trees in Budrus
Israeli Colonizers Torch Olive Trees Near Homes in Burqa
Soldiers Shoot Two Palestinians Near Jerusalem
NEWS & HEADLINES ABOUT 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 accurately. IAK passes along only factual reporting.)
Israel’s spin on the assassination of Raed Saad
The Israeli government told the Trump administration it was Hamas that had violated the agreement by attacking soldiers and resuming the smuggling of weapons, according to the Israeli official.
“The killing of Raed Saad, an arch-terrorist who worked day in and day out to violate the agreement and renew the fighting, was carried out in response to these violations and was intended to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
*NOTE: Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 391 Palestinians. Among the dead are at least 136 children.
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White House scolded Netanyahu for violating Gaza ceasefire* by killing Saad
The White House sent a stern private message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that the weekend killing of top Hamas military commander Raed Saad constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump, two U.S. officials tell Axios. The attack in Gaza City killed four people in total.
“The White House message to Netanyahu was: ‘If you want to ruin your reputation and show that you don’t abide by agreements be our guest, but we won’t allow you to ruin President Trump’s reputation after he brokered the deal in Gaza,” a senior U.S. official said.
*NOTE: Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 738 times in 67 days. It is unclear why the Trump administration chose this particular incident among hundreds of others.
RELATED:
Trump says US to investigate Israel’s assassination of Hamas official as ceasefire violation
Hamas Leader Khaled Meshaal: Trump Should Heed the Growing Calls Within MAGA and Reject Israel’s Agenda
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Israel’s dehumanization of Palestinians also dehumanizes Israelis
Omer Bartov, a professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, told Al Jazeera that Israel was “dehumanizing” the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank.
“[It is creating] a growing situation of social death, which is a term that was used to describe what happened to Jewish populations in Germany in the 1930s. That is, that your population, the Jewish population of Israel, increasingly has no contact with the people on the other side, and it exists as if they don’t exist,” he said.
“It dehumanizes the population because you treat it as a population that has to be controlled, and it dehumanizes the people doing it because they have to think of that population as being lesser than human” (continue reading here).
ISRAEL HEADLINES:
Israeli forces detain 3 Syrians in raid* inside Syrian territory
*NOTE: The Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 cross-border raids on Syria since December 2024.
ICC rejects Israel’s appeal as arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant remain in force
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Lethal Legacy: Revisionism, Neoconservatism, big Money and Corruption
Is Israel’s genocide economy on the brink?
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:
(Get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions that receives $63 million a day from America.)
‘A Wedge Through Future Palestinian State’: Israel Resurrects Plan for 9,000-unit ultra-Orthodox Neighborhood in Jerusalem*, Beyond Internationally Recognized Border
The Israeli government is reviving a long-stalled plan for a large ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in territory beyond Israel’s pre-1967 boundary, a move critics warn could further entrench Israeli control in East Jerusalem and undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state.
Activist group Peace Now said the plan aims to drive a wedge through a densely populated Palestinian area that is home to hundreds of thousands of residents. The neighborhood, Peace Now says, would “prevent Palestinian development of the most important metropolis in the future Palestinian state” (continue reading here).
*NOTE: All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under international law.
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HEADLINES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:
Israel Extends Administrative Detention* of Palestinian Rights Activist for Five More Months
*NOTE: Administrative detention is intended to be used only in “exceptional” circumstances, but Israel uses it widely. (Read more here.) Approximately 1 million Palestinians have been detained since the Israeli occupation began in 1967.
“The Walls are Closing In”: Gazans Say the Position of the Yellow Line Changes, Funneling Them Into a Tightening Area
Netanyahu’s Government Wants a Commission of Whitewashing Into October 7
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
JD Vance: Lowering immigration is best way to curb antisemitism in US
Under fire over antisemitism within the Republican Party, US Vice President JD Vance wrote on Monday that “the single most significant thing you could do to eliminate anti-semitism” is reducing immigration to the United States.
Vance also laid out his attitude about criticism of Israel, posting on X, “I would say there’s a difference between not liking Israel (or disagreeing with a given Israeli policy) and anti-semitism” (continue reading here).
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‘Increasingly likely potential’ of UK Palestine Action hunger strikers dying
Lawyers and loved ones of hunger strikers linked to the protest group Palestine Action are warning the activists could die in prison as they accuse British prison officials of a lack of care and communication and the justice secretary of ignoring their demands for a meeting.
Of 29 Palestine Action-affiliated remand prisoners held over their alleged involvement in break-ins at the UK subsidiary of the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems in Bristol and a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Oxfordshire, eight are on hunger strike across five prisons, including two who have refused food for 44 days. Five have been hospitalized.
Palestine Action has accused the UK government of complicity in Israeli war crimes in Gaza and said it is “committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime” (continue reading here).
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NY Times’ Bret Stephens Blames Palestine Freedom Movement for Bondi Beach Shooting
The total number of people killed in the antisemitic Bondi Beach massacre was still not known when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to blame Australia’s mere recognition of a Palestinian state.
Two gunmen, father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, carried out the shooting, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, and left 15 victims dead. People of conscience from all faiths have spoken out to condemn the slaughter, to express solidarity with Jewish communities, and to forcefully denounce antisemitism.
Netanyahu and his cheerleaders, meanwhile, have once again chosen the despicable path of weaponizing antisemitism to ensure and legitimize Palestinian suffering (continue reading here).
RELATED:
Australian PM rejects Netanyahu’s linking of Palestine recognition to Bondi beach attack
Bondi Beach shooter reported to have ISIS ties as Israel pushes ‘Iran terror attack’ narrative
Netanyahu faces backlash after blaming Bondi attack on Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood
MORE HEADLINES:
UN General Assembly adopts resolution backing Palestinians’ right to self-determination (US votes No)
Hind Rajab Foundation files complaint in Italy against Israeli soldier for ‘war crimes’
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Hebron: Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian, Seize Body, Invade Family Home
Benjamin Netanyahu blames Anthony Albanese for Bondi beach terror attack
‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – DECEMBER 15, 2025*:
- At least 71,763 Palestinians killed, 182,145 injured – including:
- At least 70,665 killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,098 killed in the West Bank (~227 children)
- At least 171,145 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 – December 15, 2025: ~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 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
- Stop The Hate UK: The Shadowy Israel-Aligned Group Targeting MintPress staff & anti-genocide organizers
- CAIR designation: As MAGA turns against Zionism, Israel First right stokes Islamophobia
- Meet the U.S. Donors Funding ELNET, the AIPAC of Europe
- What are Israel Bonds, and why have they become a target for the BDS movement?
- Why Israel is Pushing for Regime Change in Venezuela through Washington – 2 articles
- Israeli Settlers Beat US Citizen, Threatened to Burn Palestinian Grandmother and Kids Alive
- The Aftermath of the 12-Day War Between Israel and Iran
- A smaller cage: Israel’s ‘two-state solution’ on Gaza’s ruins
- AIPAC Spent Millions to Keep Her Out of Congress. Now, She Sees an Opening.
- Tucker Carlson visits Gaza refugees, accuses Israel of murdering children
- VIDEO: Tucker Carlson Asks “Why Are We Defending Mass Murder in Gaza?”
- ‘Your Mother Was Raped’: Israel Uses Sexualized Torture against Child Prisoners
- Anatomy of a settler abduction
- Rising maternal malnutrition in Gaza drives up newborn mortality
