Gaza & its dead are buried under 61M tons of rubble – This is ceasefire? Day 16

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

(It is difficult to characterize the current situation in Gaza a “ceasefire,” when Israel has killed nearly 100 Palestinians. If Americans Knew considers Saturday to be Day 750 of Israel’s war on Gaza)

Since the “ceasefire” went into effect on October 11, Israel has reportedly killed at least 93 Palestinians and injured 324 others, and violated the truce agreement at least 80 times.

Additional 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.)

‘Their lives have been ruined forever’: A bomb in Gaza’s rubble wounds twins who thought it was a toy

The Shorbasi family was sitting in their severely damaged house in Gaza City, enjoying the relative calm of the ceasefire. Then they heard an explosion and rushed outside to find their six-year-old twins bleeding on the ground.

The boy, Yahya, and his sister, Nabila, had discovered a round object while playing. One touch, and it went off.

“It was like a toy,” their grandfather, Tawfiq Shorbasi, said of the unexploded ordnance, after the children were rushed to al-Shifa hospital on Friday. “We just returned last week,” he added, fighting back tears. “Their lives have been ruined forever.”

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are seizing the chance to return to what’s left of their homes under the ceasefire that began on 10 October. But the dangers are far from over as people, including children, sift through the rubble for what remains of their belongings, and for bodies unreachable until now (continue reading here).

6-year old twins Nabila and Yahya Shorbasi, who were injured by an unexploded ordnance are treated at Patient’s Friends Charity Hospital in Gaza City

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Deadly Israeli attack in central Gaza’s Nuseirat seen as ceasefire breach

An Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle on one of Nuseirat refugee camp’s main roads in central Gaza. Initial reports we have that have been confirmed by a health facility are that a nine-year-old child was killed in the strike.

Followed within 10 minutes of the strike, a statement by the Israeli military spokesperson said that the person was planning to carry out “an imminent terrorist attack” against Israeli troops.

People in Gaza see it as a breach of the ceasefire. This is added to the ongoing violence that has been going on for the past two weeks, and since the ceasefire took hold.

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War-damaged building collapses in Gaza City, kills 9-year-old girl

A nine-year-old girl has been killed and three others injured when a building belonging to the Balawi family collapsed on its residents in the Sabra neighborhood, near the al-Istijaba Mosque, in southern Gaza City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDb73-PG5aQ&pp=ygUyRnJvbSBEZXN0cnVjdGlvbiB0byBTaGVsdGVyOiBMaWZlIGluIFNvdXRoZXJuIEdhemE%3D

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Debris means danger in Gaza

According to UN data analyzed by AFP news agency, a total of 61.5 million tons of debris – nearly 170 times the weight of New York’s Empire State Building, and equivalent to more than 169 kilograms of debris for each square meter of Gaza’s small territory.

UN Environment Program (UNEP) suggests that at least 4.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with asbestos from old buildings, particularly near refugee camps such as those in Jabalia in the north, Nuseirat and Maghazi in the centre, and Rafah and Khan Younis in the south.

UNEP also reports at least 2.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with “hazardous waste from known industrial sites”.

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We survived the war, we may not survive the ceasefire

When the ceasefire agreement came into effect and we were told by foreign leaders that the war was over, many of us dared to hope. We thought the explosions would finally stop, that we could begin to rebuild our shattered lives without fear.

But there is no such hope under Israeli occupation. The violence never truly ends.

It is by now clear that Israel is treating this “ceasefire” like a switch – turning it on and off as it pleases. It is devastating to see our lives treated as if they do not matter. It is soul-crushing to know that Israel can resume mass murder whenever it wants, without warning, without an excuse (continue reading here).

Palestinians mourn the loss of their loved ones killed in an Israeli attack despite the ceasefire agreement, at Al Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, Gaza on October 20, 2025.

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What does Hamas want? (excerpt)

Hamas knows very well that there is an international consensus that wants to see them completely outside of power in Gaza, and, if possible, even physically removed from Palestine. That’s not just an Israeli and American view; it is shared by Trump’s Arab partners.

Hamas knows this, and has repeatedly indicated a willingness to cede power in Gaza. But they are not unconditional in that willingness. They want to cede that power to Palestinians, not to Trump or Israel. They expect a technocratic government of Palestinians in Gaza, which would eventually lead to new elections there. It’s hardly an unreasonable stance (continue reading here).

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Israeli Navy arrests 3 Palestinian fishermen, destroys 2 boats off Gaza coast

Fishing union official says navy initially detained 10 fishermen, later throwing 7 of them overboard, taking three to undisclosed location.
Gaza’s fishers have been under attack from Israel for many years. This photo shows fishing boats that Israel targeted in 2018.

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.)

Israeli forces, settler assault Palestinian farmer harvesting olives

מתנחל ושלושה חיילים מכים ותוקפים את אחמד שקרנה, בן 65, בזמן שהוא מסיק זיתים עם משפחתו בכפר נחאלין ליד בית לחם
מקור: @Issaamro pic.twitter.com/4OXbUfca8a

— תיעודי אלימות ופשעי מלחמה (@arixegal) October 25, 2025

Translation: A settler and three soldiers beat and attack Ahmad Shakarna, 65, while he is harvesting olives with his family in the village of Nahalin near Bethlehem.

WEST BANK HEADLINES:

Settler terror devastates West Bank olive harvest

Israeli military restrictions and over 150 settler attacks in the past two weeks have prevented many Palestinians from harvesting this year’s crop.

Ha’aretz: It’s No Longer Possible to Be a Palestinian in the West Bank

While Trump gives his word to Arab countries that Israeli annexation ‘won’t happen,’ he turns his back on destruction, dispossession, poverty, settler violence and military abuse in the West Bank, allowing the torment to continue: there is no cease-fire.

Saturday: West Bank: Invasions, Abductions, and Violations Escalate

Recently, illegal Israeli paramilitary colonizers have been intensifying their violations—stealing olive harvests, destroying agricultural structures, cutting, and uprooting trees, damaging water lines, and allowing their livestock to graze on Palestinian lands.

Israeli forces take security measures as Israeli settlers prevent Palestinians from accessing their land in Sa’ir town of the city of Hebron in the northeast of the West Bank on August 18, 2025.

NEWS & HEADLINES ABOUT ISRAEL:

US drones surveil Gaza to monitor possible Israeli ceasefire violations

Two Israeli military officials and one US defense official confirmed that the surveillance flights are being conducted with Israel’s consent, as part of Washington’s broader effort to maintain “independent oversight” rather than relying solely on Israeli reporting.*

Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro described the move as “a very intrusive form of American monitoring on a front where Israel faces an active threat,” adding, “If there were full transparency and complete trust between Israel and the United States, this wouldn’t be necessary. But clearly, Washington wants to prevent any misunderstandings.”

*NOTE: Why doesn’t the US trust Israel? Israel’s word carries little weight: historically, Israel has lied to the US and the world many times. Among Israel’s lies are numerous atrocity stories about the October 7th attack that have since been proven untrue (more examples here). The Israeli military has also disseminated false stories about its own actions throughout the war. Previously, Israel has been caught in many lies – for example, this and this and this.

Many of Israel’s lies have been debunked even by traditionally pro-Israel mainstream media.

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Israeli strikes on south Lebanon kill two on Saturday

The Israeli military has intensified its attacks over the past week, killing two people in strikes on vehicles Friday as well.

Binyamin Netanyahu in court during his corruption trial, prior to his third testimony day, seems to be talking with his attorney, Amit Hadad, with his back to the camera

HEADLINES & NOTES FROM ISRAELI MEDIA:

(Get a glimpse inside Israel and the turmoil and contradictions within the country, as well as myths and lies that are published as facts. These news items are taken from Israeli media.)

The Dangerous Gap Between Netanyahu’s Self-perception as a Strong Leader and Reality

Israeli arrogance collided with reality in the appearance of American officials at cabinet meetings, making sure that Netanyahu, convinced of his own power, does not trick them again at the last minute.

US takes the helm as Israel loses control of Gaza ceasefire

While Israel has fulfilled every obligation of the ceasefire deal*, Hamas is using the lull to regroup in Gaza. The US is restricting Israel’s military freedom of action and preventing it from resuming combat. The deal imposed on Israel has effectively made Washington the de facto manager of the conflict.

*NOTE: In fact, Israel has not fulfilled every obligation of the ceasefire deal. All military operations were supposed to be suspended, but Israel has continued them, killing 93 Palestinians in the 2 weeks since the ceasefire began; Israel was supposed to restart the full quantity of aid into Gaza (600 trucks a day), along with rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads – none of these commitments have been fulfilled; the Rafah crossing was supposed to be opened in both directions – it has not.

Jewish West Bank residents* set Palestinian homes, vehicles alight

Two Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli settlers in the village of Al-Maniya, near Bethlehem.

*NOTE: The correct term for Jewish West Bank residents is “illegal settlers” or “illegal colonizers.” 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. Israeli settlements and settlers on Palestinian land are a violation of international law, and considered by many Palestinians to be the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement.

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.

Defunding the UN*: A necessary step toward ending global hypocrisy and anti-Zionism – opinion

The UN’s bias against Israel* and its anti-American stance has gone too far. It’s time for the US to lead a global process to defund the UN and create a new, fairer institution.

*RELATED: Is the United Nations anti-Israel? – a survey of UN resolutions

The majority of the seats are empty as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 26, 2025 in New York City, United States.

OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:

Trump’s men come to Israel with plenty to say. But they’re silent on any real future for Gaza

The Trump administration seems more focused on maintaining the current, uneasy phase of the ceasefire than on progressing to the next. The US may have ambitions about rehabilitating Gaza, but no concrete plans.

Trump’s ‘peace plan’ traps Gaza in limbo

Gaza is now trapped in the limbo of the uncertainty surrounding the Trump plan. The U.S. might prevent Netanyahu from resuming Israel’s genocide, but unless Palestinians gain full control over Gaza’s future, it’s just a slower form of killing.

UN has stopped working, says Brazil’s Lula, slams Security Council for failing to stop wars

“Every major war in recent times has been started by countries that are members of that very Council, without consultation, without accountability.”

Spain Investigates Executives over Steel Sales to Israel amid Gaza Genocide

A Spanish court is probing senior Sidenor executives for allegedly supplying steel to Israel Military Industries in violation of Spain’s arms embargo imposed after the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:

(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)

An aerial view of the destruction around Masjid Ahl As Sunna, Jalal Street, and Abu Hamid Roundabout in Khan Younis, Gaza on October 19, 2025.

**STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – OCTOBER 25, 2025*:**

At least 69,577 Palestinians killed, 180,382 injured – including:
At least 68,519** killed in Gaza (~20,000 children, 23,000 women)
At least 1,058 killed in the West Bank (~212 children)
At least 170,382 injured in Gaza
More than 10,000 injured in the West Bank
At least 463 have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including 157 children
About 464 bodies have been recovered since the ceasefire began

*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 9,500 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.

**NOTE: 220 martyrs have been added to the cumulative statistics of martyrs. Their data has been completed and approved by the Judicial Committee following up on the file of reports and missing persons from October 17, 2025 to October 24, 2025.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – October 25, 2025: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 470 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 272 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 206 and 326 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.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org