Ten children lose legs every day in Gaza: UN – War on Gaza Day 649
contact@ifamericansknew.org July 17, 2025antisemitism on campus, child amputees, genocide, israel syria conflict, the hague group
Hoor (L) and Hanan are toddlers in Gaza. Both have lost limbs in Israeli airstrikes. Hanan also lost her mother; Hoor lost her entire family. Lifelong challenges lie ahead for both girls. (Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera)
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
Israeli forces killed at least 93 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, including aid-seekers.
For detail on Israeli attacks in Gaza on Wednesday, go here.
15 Palestinians seeking food at GHF site die from suffocation after Israeli forces fire poisonous gas at aid seekers
“We received a call that there were a large number of martyrs and injuries at the aid distribution center in Rafah,” explained Ezzedine Abu Subha, a civil defense paramedic who headed to the incident scene in Rafah in the morning.
The Palestinians killed Wednesday faced a new threat: poisonous gas.
Abu Subha explained, “All the cases that were lifted into ambulances were proven by eyewitnesses to be cases of suffocation from poisonous gas, as their bodies were free of wounds or blood.”
The Ministry of Health issued a statement saying that 21 citizens has been martyred, including 15 who died by suffocation due to gas being fired at the crowds, and the stampede that followed at the American-run aid distribution center (continue reading here).
Thousands of Palestinians walk along Al-Rashid Street carrying bags of flour after aid trucks entered through the Zikim area in northern Gaza city on June 17, 2025. Nearly every day, aid-seekers are deliberately shot by Israeli forces. ((Yousef Zaanoun /Activestills))
GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:
(To understand what’s going on right now between Gaza and Israel, go here. For a bit more critical background, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.)
EPIDEMIC OF SEVERED LEGS AMONG GAZA’S CHILDREN: The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has said that “10 children per day lose one or both of their legs,” in Gaza. In total, “134,105 people including over 40,500 children have new war-related injuries,” OHCHR said in a post on X. This includes more than 35,000 people “believed to have significant hearing damage due to explosions.” Gazans with war injuries also suffer from lack of medical supplies due to Israel’s blockade. In December, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reported that “Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita anywhere in the world—many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia.”
RELATED: ‘Another layer of cruelty’: Israeli forces bomb Prosthetic Limbs hospital in north Gaza
ISRAEL BLOCKS RESCUE OF HUNDREDS BURIED IN RUBBLE: The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared has reported that 350 people have gone missing under the rubble in Gaza over the past two weeks, describing the situation as a crime that requires international intervention. The center added that Israeli forces continue to block the entry of rescue teams, equipment, and fuel into eastern Gaza, worsening the humanitarian crisis and reducing the chances of finding survivors. It called on the United Nations and the Red Cross to put pressure on Israel to allow safe access for rescue teams and to launch an international investigation.
ISRAEL PERMITS MINISCULE QUANTITIES OF FUEL, FOOD INTO GAZA:Since 9 July 2025, following 130 days of a full blockade on the entry of fuel, Israeli authorities have allowed the entry of two trucks of fuel per day, five days a week, through Kerem Shalom crossing. On 11 July, according to WFP, 20 trucks carrying food supplies departed from Zikim crossing, of which 11 were intercepted by desperate crowds while the remaining nine reached a WFP partner’s warehouse, which were distributed to approximately 8,500 people the following day. On 12 July, hungry people offloaded the food supplies on another 20 trucks that were traveling from Zikim crossing. Cargo collection has been paused again since 13 July.
Starved and Scorched: The Sea – Gaza’s Last Refuge – Has Become a Killing Zone
At the start of the week, temperatures in the Gaza Strip reached 37°C [98.6 F]. At the same time, the IDF spokesperson issued an urgent warning in Arabic to Gaza residents: entering the sea is forbidden, and anyone who violates the order is putting their life at immediate risk.
Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced. Hundreds of thousands are crowded into tents or the ruins of destroyed buildings. To obtain food or aid, they must walk for kilometers under the scorching sun. There is no electricity to power fans – and no fans to power – and drinkable water is scarce. There is simply no escape from the oppressive heat.
So, many Gazans turn to the sea – to fish, wash, or find a brief respite from the stifling conditions.
They know the sea is dangerous. It was dangerous even before the war due to Israel’s restrictions on fishing zones. But now, the risk is far greater. Since the war began, dozens of Gazans have been shot dead while in the water, most of them while fishing (continue reading here).
RELATED: Israeli Health Ministry warns of extreme heat wave
CEASEFIRE NEWS:
(To get an idea about past ceasefires between Gaza and Israel and how they ended, check out this and this.)
Trump and Netanyahu dither on Gaza ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, completed a 7-10 July visit to Washington without a Gaza ceasefire or public tongue-lashing from President Donald Trump.
From Netanyahu’s vantage point, prolonging the Israeli assault on Gaza is beneficial for his political prospects. Dithering, even during a genocide, made for a successful trip. Perhaps a deal will be struck later this week, but Netanyahu is not a man moving with any urgency.
At least for now, Netanyahu and Trump, the genocidaires-in-chief, remain joined at the hip in normalizing human rights abuses in Gaza with American arms. They are both content with a cruel and deadly starvation policy propagandized to the world by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Rev. Johnnie Moore, a Trump ally (continue reading here).
Hamas steadfast on ‘humanitarian standards’ for Gaza aid
Hamas negotiators say they “remain firm” on upholding humanitarian standards for aid deliveries to Gaza in indirect talks with Israeli officials in Doha, as Tel Aviv insists on maintaining aid distribution under the control of the US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Palestinian resistance demands the full implementation of key provisions in the humanitarian protocol, including the daily entry of 600 aid trucks – 50 of them carrying fuel – the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, and the restoration of hospitals and access for rubble-clearing machinery.
FACT: Before the war, Israel allowed about 500 truckloads of aid to enter Gaza per day; two-thirdsof Gazans were dependent on food aid. During the first 15 months of the war, aid averaged 85 trucks per day. During the mid-January 2025 ceasefire, Israel allowed about 600 trucks to enter per day, but in early March, Israel completely cut offhumanitarian supplies to Gaza. Since then, virtually no humanitarian aid – including food, water, medicine, shelter, and hygiene supplies – has been allowed to enter.
Read more about Gaza’s long-term food insecurity, and Israel’s culpability, here.
“A childhood is stolen before the eyes of the world…Children wait for food with tears, thirst, and hunger, for nothing except that they were born in a besieged homeland” (screenshot)
WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM NEWS AND HEADLINES:
(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.)
How an NGO supporting disabled Palestinians in Jenin now faces demolition
Wednesday Israeli Violations In Occupied West Bank
Israel Intensifies Invasions, Violations In Tulkarem
Heavy machines belonging to the Israeli army demolish a residential building housing Palestinians at the Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarem, West Bank on June 23, 2025. (Nedal Eshtayah – Anadolu Agency)
SYRIA NEWS AND HEADLINES:
Israel Launches Airstrikes on Syria, claiming to defend Druze population
Israel launched heavy airstrikes against Syrian government targets on Wednesday, hitting the Syrian Defense Ministry and near the presidential palace in Damascus, killing at least three people and wounding 34.
According to a report from Axios, Israel carried out the airstrikes despite pressure from the US to “stand down,” which was conveyed by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack in a call with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Israel carried out the airstrikes following clashes in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, where the Druze minority and Bedouin tribes have been fighting; Syrian government forces intervened on behalf of the Bedouin, executing several Druze civilians. Israel claimed it was protecting the Druze.
Israel is reportedly planning a “prolonged” military operation in Syria following the Damascus attacks.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli attacks on Damascus and Suwayda in a statement: “The attack is part of a systematic Israeli policy to ignite tension and chaos and undermine security in Syria. The Israeli aggression represents a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.”
ISRAEL BLOCKING MEDICAL AID AGAIN, THIS TIME TO SYRIA: A Syrian spokesperson said Israeli military aircraft are preventing a medical convoy sent by the government from entering the city of Suwayda, the state-run SANA news agency reports. The spokesperson said Israeli air attacks have been targeting any moving vehicle in and near the southern Syrian city over recent hours. The medical convoy is comprised of 15 ambulances, 10 surgeons from various specialities and two trucks carrying medication and medical supplies, he added.
ON SYRIA ISSUE, US STATE DEPT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH ISRAEL: US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a press conference Wednesday, “We are calling on the Syrian government to, in fact, withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate and find a path forward…We do understand that the Israeli forces intervened to protect the Druze — that is something we can confirm,” said Bruce.
Why did Israel bomb Syria? A look at the Druze and the violence in Suwayda
Ben Gvir calls for Israel to assassinate Syrian President
Israeli diaspora minister calls for ‘elimination’ of Syrian President
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 10, 2024. The latest escalation in Syria has enabled a delay in his trial. (Chaim Goldberg / Flash90 / Pool – Anadolu Agency)
“ANTISEMITISM” ON CAMPUS NEWS AND HEADLINES
Rep. Randy Fine censures free speech in antisemitism* hearings
Republican lawmakers clashed with university presidents and pro-Palestinian protesters during a tense three-hour House hearing on Tuesday, the fifth session since October 2023 focused on campus antisemitism.
The hearing was interrupted at least four times by pro-Palestinian protesters, who appeared to target City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, with phrases like “blood on your hands” and “genocidal warmonger.” Capitol Police quickly removed the protesters each time.
Florida Rep. Randy Fine responded by shouting at the protesters, “Shut up and get out of here. Get out of here, you loser.”
He then turned to the university leaders: “I hold you all responsible for this. It is the attitude that you have allowed on your college campuses that makes people think that this is OK.”
*NOTE: Actual antisemitism is not as prevalent as Israel partisans like Randy Fine would like us to think. The bulk of what they call antisemitism is simply criticism of Israel, the self-proclaimed “Jewish State.” Most of the animosity Israel experiences is opposition to Zionism – which is not a benign philosophy, but a racist ideology – the ideology under which Israel dispossessed 750,000 Palestinian people and exiled them to Gaza and other locations. The so-called “demonization” of Israel is in most cases a legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies of occupation, apartheid, andgenocide, and other illegal practices.
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.
Columbia adopts controversial definition of antisemitism amid federal grants freeze
Columbia University has agreed to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism* as it pursues an agreement with the Trump aimed at restoring $400m in federal government grants frozen over its alleged failure to protect Jewish students.
In a letter to students and staff, the university’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said it would incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism into its anti-discrimination policies as part of a broad overhaul (continue reading here).
*NOTE: Pro-Israel organizations consistently work to silence Palestine advocacy on campus – a free speech violation. One strategy they use is topressure universities to officially adopt the IHRA “definition” of antisemitism, which defines much 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 (now including government grants), andmore. Typically, any move by university administration that defies the standard pro-Israel position is followed by an obligatory apology – one that recognizes only the sentiments of pro-Israel students and ignoring the actual issues of free speech and divestment from Israel.
RELATED: Professor At Center of Columbia University Deportation Scandal Is Former Israeli Spy
FOUR CUNY PROFESSORS FIRED, APPARENTLY FOR SUPPORTING PALESTINE: Four adjunct professors at the City University of New York say the university fired them because of their activism for Palestine. The administration’s decision to cut ties came as a surprise to both the faculty and their department heads, who had already recommended their reappointment and assigned them classes in fall. They remained in good standing with their academic departments and had great reviews from students. “The only reason we know it’s related to Palestine is because that’s the only thing we have in common,” said one of the four affected professors (more here).
Over 300 workers, students and community members rallied for Palestine in a march ended at the UPenn encampment for Gaza in Philadelphia, May 8, 2024. (Joe Piette/CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)
OTHER NEWS AND HEADLINES:
‘No State Is Above the Law’: Hague Group Issues Plan to Counter Israeli Genocide in Gaza
The Hague Group—a coalition of Global South nations launched earlier this year by Progressive International to hold Israel legally accountable for its annihilation of Gaza—on Wednesday released a joint action plan aimed at bringing an end to the 21-month U.S.-backed genocidal assault on the Palestinian enclave.
Twelve summit participants—Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa—committed to the following measures:
Preventing the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel;
Preventing the transit, docking, and servicing of ships at any port where there is a clear risk of the vessel being used to carry the aforementioned items to Israel;
Preventing the transportation of such items aboard vessels flagged in participating nations;
Launching an urgent review of all public contracts to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and entrenching its unlawful presence;
Complying with obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious Israeli crimes under international law; and
Supporting universal jurisdiction mandates in national legal frameworks and judiciaries to ensure justice for victims of international crimes committed in Palestine.
“These 12 states have taken a momentous step forward,” United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, a prominent participant in the summit, said in a statement. “The clock is now ticking for states—from Europe to the Arab world and beyond—to join them.”
US AMBASSADOR TO UN CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR DEADLY GHF: The US envoy to the UN urged UN Security Council members Wednesday to support the work of the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF): “Unfortunately, today we have heard many Council members and aid agencies continue to defend a failed system [referring to UNRWA] rather than support the GHF as it delivers life-saving assistance* to those in need,” US Charge d’Affaires ad interim Dorothy Shea told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. “We would urge member states and the UN to support the GHF and stop echoing incorrect information that benefits Hamas and undermines the secure delivery of aid to civilians in Gaza,” she added.
*FACT: UNRWA, the United Nations body with a mandate to help Palestinian refugees, has been feeding the people of Gaza for decades as they wait for their internationally recognized right of returnto be activated. Israel has forbidden UNRWA from continuing its work based on an unsubstantiatedaccusation that 12 employees (out of a staff of 13,000) participated in the October 2023 attack. The 6-page dossier Israel issued, allegedly proving the guilt of twelve UNRWA employees out of a staff of 13,000, offers no compelling evidence.
As of July 2025, Israel has still failed to provide evidence to back up its accusations against UNRWA.
**NOTE: Globally recognized human rights organizations have warned that the GHF model was deeply flawed and bound to create chaos, calling it a “dangerous, politicized sham”; news reports have indicated from early on that the organization was a tool of the Israeli government, allegedly funded by the notorious Israeli Mossad. Nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed at or around GHF distribution points – eyewitness accounts indicate that Israeli soldiers and GHF workers have been shooting indiscriminately at the aid-seekers.
The US has pledged to provide $1M a day to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), although the organization is not only complicit in the killing of Palestinians, but also contributing to their ethnic cleansing.
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – JULY 16, 2025:
At least 59,586 Palestinians killed, 148,837 injured – including:
at least 139,607 injured in Gaza
at least 9,230 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 7,750 people. 45 Israeli soldiers (most recent July 9) have been killed during the same time period.
At least 851 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid parcels from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which started operating on May 26, 2025.
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 – July 16, 2025: ~1,627 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 449 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. (72 soldiers have reportedly died due to “operational incidents.”)
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 226 Palestinian journalists and media workers; Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 186 and 293 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
Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
Israel Blocks Critical Medical Equipment From Entering Gaza Strip, Citing Potential Hamas Use
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Bipartisan Group of Senators Meets With Netanyahu Despite ICC Arrest Warrant
Gaza Palestinians have less space than Guantanamo Bay detainees
“The Deception Game”: Trump Is Scrambling to Make a Gaza Deal on Israel’s Terms
Aid Groups: Infants Are Dying in Gaza Because Israel Impedes Import of Baby Formula
Immigration Officials Used Shadowy Pro-Israel Group to Target Student Activists
How America’s entertainment industry manufactured silence on Gaza
‘Like a video game’: Israel enforcing Gaza evacuations with grenade-firing drones
A Palestinian Grandmother Was on Her Roof With Her Family When Israeli Police Shot Her Dead
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