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 801st day.)
Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 401 Palestinians. Among the dead are at least 136 children. At least 1,108 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 813 times in 72 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.)
MSF urges Israel to let critical aid into Gaza as children freeze to death
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has warned that babies and children in the Gaza Strip are dying from harsh winter weather, calling on Israel to ease its aid blockade as the military continues to violate the ceasefire and press on with its genocidal war.
Citing the death of a 29-day-old premature baby, Said Asad Abedin, from severe hypothermia in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, MSF said on Friday that winter storms “combined with the already dire living conditions [are] increasing health risks” (continue reading here).
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SYlNNgTn5_Q
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Armed gangs use Israeli-occupied areas of Gaza to target Hamas, seek to be ‘subcontracted’ for post-war role
Israeli-supported armed gangs and militias are using Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza as a base to carry out operations to topple Hamas, CNN reported on 20 December.
“There is coordination between our groups. We have the same goals and the same ideology…We have the same aim,” to topple Hamas, the head of one gang told CNN.
The groups also hope Israel will subcontract them to rule Gaza once Hamas is defeated (continue reading here).
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🚨Israel’s Mad Max dystopia in Gaza: cultivating criminal gangs throughout the depopulated areas under IDF control & using them to sow chaos & engineer societal collapse
Israel is lavishing those proxy gangs with sports vehicles, luxuries, smartphones, weapons, cash, food… pic.twitter.com/rEfmIJubxl
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) October 30, 2025
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Phase two of Gaza ceasefire is focus of Witkoff meeting with Arab, Turkish mediators in Miami
Representatives from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey met in Miami, Florida, to review steps for the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel’s repeated violations of the Gaza ceasefire were making the process “incredibly difficult”, noting that all parties shared this assessment (continue reading here).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-5OHhxZyiM
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Palestinian former prisoner recounts being raped by police dog in Israeli jail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMClnrt6p1U
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GAZA HEADLINES:
OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM 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.)
Jenin: Israeli Occupation Forces Kill Two* Palestinians, One a Youth
Media sources reported that occupation soldiers shot and killed the young man Ahmad Saed Shehada Zayyoud, 22, on Saturday evening, during a military operation in the town of Silat al-Harithiya, northwest of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli military said it “eliminated..a terrorist** [who] hurled an explosive.”
In a simultaneous invasion, Israeli forces killed Rayyan Mohammad Abdul-Qader Abu Mo’alla, 16, after shooting him and denying him medical treatment in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, on Saturday evening (continue reading here).
A video from the incident appears to show soldiers shooting Abu Mualla at close range as he walked toward them.
A statement by the Israeli army said the force, from the Paratroopers Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit, opened fire after he threw a brick at them. There is no sign of a brick and no mention of injuries to the soldiers. The Jerusalem Post calls both Zayyoud and Mualla “terrorists**.”
*NOTE: Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,101 in the West Bank (~229 children).
**NOTE: The use of the word “terrorist” for an individual or group that resists occupation and oppression is a political, not fact-based choice. In reality, international law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance. Additionally, Israel regularly labels Palestinians they have killed as “terrorists” to rationalize their deaths, whether they did anything threatening or not.
WEST BANK HEADLINES:
Israeli settlers raid Hebron’s Old City under Israeli army protection
Israeli Forces Seriously Injure a Palestinian Near Ramallah
Israeli Colonizers’ Violations In West Bank, Saturday
Saturday: Invasions and Violations Across the Occupied West Bank
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 is imploding
Israel may look to many like a winner, a de facto hegemon in the Middle East. It has waged war on several fronts simultaneously, dealing deadly blows on its enemies. In parallel, it continues to enjoy much support from various Western constituencies and leaders, particularly those who face real challenges from the hard right in their countries.
But under the surface, Israel is imploding. An international coalition, led by the United States with the participation of Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, is gradually removing Gaza from Israel’s control, as well as pressuring Israel out of its territorial escapades in Syria and Lebanon.
This is being publicly opposed by the Israeli government, but it appears to be carried out with the tacit acceptance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has now realized that he is better served by the threat of war rather than by war itself (continue reading here).
ISRAEL HEADLINES:
Israeli forces conduct new raids in southern Syria, set up checkpoints
*NOTE: The Israeli army has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 cross-border raids on Syria since December 2024.
Israel boasting of its ability to force western countries to erode the free speech rights of their own citizens by arresting people who utter phrases Israel dislikes.
In the country that gave birth to the Magna Carta, Israel keeps dictating who gets arrested for their speech: https://t.co/kPocWZVH9L
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 18, 2025
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.)
Netanyahu to Ask Trump to Attack Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program in Upcoming Meeting
Thousands Protest Netanyahu’s ‘Despicable’ Government Across Israel
Israeli Brain Drain Worsens as About a Quarter of Math Ph.D.s Live Abroad
OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:
StopAntisemitism* Takes Credit for Getting Hundreds Fired. A Music Teacher Is Suing.
When Oregon music teacher Susan Lewis logged onto a Zoom meeting with her boss one afternoon in August 2024, she thought she would be preparing for a sixth year teaching at Valley Catholic School. Instead, she lost her job.
Unbeknownst to Lewis, the pro-Israel blacklist organization StopAntisemitism had recently launched an online campaign against her, framing her social media posts about the genocide in Gaza as “using her platform to spread vile antisemitic hate online.”
Lewis is one of at least 400 people StopAntisemitism has taken credit for getting ousted from their jobs in its online crusade, which has drawn widespread attention for targeting more prominent figures — including right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson, progressive actor-turned-activist Cynthia Nixon, and the popular children’s educator Rachel Accurso, known by her stage name Ms. Rachel (continue reading here).
*NOTE: StopAntisemitism joins countless other pro-Israel groups and individuals in ignoring Israel’s embrace of the abhorrent policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. When pro-Israel organizations, billionaires, and leaders pour massive effort and huge sums into propaganda, and assemble media conglomerates and thought leaders to control the narrative, and affix the “antisemite” label to advocates of Palestinian rights, they are misdirecting their effort. When Israel dismantles its apartheid and adopts equal rights for all, when it ends its 77-year war against Palestinian existence – then it might expect to enjoy support again.
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US wants* increased aid flow into Gaza as it works toward next phase of ceasefire
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington wants to see an increase in humanitarian aid flowing into the Gaza Strip, including areas still under Hamas control.
“We want to continue to see the flow of aid increase into those parts of Gaza that are still under Hamas control,” Rubio told reporters at a news conference at the State Department.
He said a ceasefire is currently in place, and large-scale hostilities have subsided compared to earlier phases of the war, but significant challenges remain (continue reading here).
*NOTE: It has become difficult to know when to believe members of the Trump administration, especially after the Washington Post recently revealed that Netanyahu and Trump colluded to lie to the world in order to launch a surprise attack on Iran.
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MORE HEADLINES:
Netanyahu to float Iran attack plan to Trump in Dec. 29 Mar-a-Lago meeting
RELATED: The Aftermath of the 12-Day War Between Israel and Iran
ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT) – A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Israel bombs Gaza wedding as mediators hold ceasefire talks in US
U.S. Pitches ‘Project Sunrise’ Plan to Turn Gaza* Into High-Tech Metropolis, will kick in $22.4 billion
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – DECEMBER 20, 2025*:
- At least 72,023 Palestinians killed, 182,185 injured – including:
- At least 70,925** killed in Gaza (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls)
- At least 1,101 killed in the West Bank (~229 children)
- At least 171,185 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.
**NOTE: 243 martyrs have been added to the cumulative statistics of martyrs whose data has been completed and approved by the Martyrs Committee from December 12, 2025 to December 19, 2025.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – December 20, 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
- U.S. Pastors Become Willing Ambassadors for Israel’s War
- The 2028 Presidential Candidates – TrackAIPAC Scoresheet
- Commentary editor, a pioneer neoconservative, pushed Republicans, U.S. policy, and Christian evangelicals into a pro-Israel direction
- Despite ceasefire deal, Israel refuses to open the Rafah border crossing, cutting Gaza off from the world
- Amnesty: ‘Utterly preventable’ Gaza flood tragedy must mobilize global action to end Israel’s genocide
- Israel Propagandists Are Uniformly Spouting The Exact Same Line About The Bondi Beach Shooting
- Ha’aretz: Free the Palestinian Activist Who Dared to Document Israel’s Crimes in the West Bank
- Garbage Is Poisoning Gaza
- Palestinian journalist recounts rape and torture in Israeli prison
- Australians Being Massacred Shouldn’t Bother Us More Than Palestinians Being Massacred
- Pro-Israel billionaire Miriam Adelson green-lights a Trump 3rd term
- The Zionist Billionaire Circle Hiding in Plain Sight
- Israel’s all-seeing eye is the stealthiest cruelty of all in Gaza
- Poll: Younger Republicans Break with GOP Orthodoxy on Israel
