Tuesday, 16 December 2025

 

Is Netanyahu provoking a return to full-scale genocide? Not a Ceasefire Day 66

Palestinians struggle with flooding and cold after heavy rain hits the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza on December 13, 2025. (Adam Bilal – Anadolu Agency)

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 796th day.)

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Sunday that hospitals admitted nine Palestinians in the preceding 24 hours, including five newly killed and four bodies retrieved from rubble, alongside 45 injuries.

Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 391 Palestinians. Among the dead are at least 136 children. At least 1,063 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 66 days.

Palestinians struggle with flooding after heavy rain hits Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on December 11, 2025.
Palestinians struggle with flooding after heavy rain hits Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on December 11, 2025. (Mohammed Nassar – Anadolu Agency)

GAZA NEWS & HEADLINES:

(For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim thisthis, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.) 

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas confirmed Sunday the death of senior commander Raed Saad in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City despite a ceasefire agreement. Four Palestinians were killed in the strike on a vehicle in western Gaza City on Saturday, in an attack the Israeli army said targeted the Hamas commander.

What is behind the assassination of Raed Saad?

Muhammad Shehada, political analyst from Gaza, writes: Israel’s assassination of Hamas’ Raed Saad has one goal: block phase 2 of the Trump deal & collapse the ceasefire If Hamas retaliate,

Netanyahu will use that to resume the genocide to full force If Hamas doesn’t retaliate, Israel will keep bombing more & more to provoke a response.

This is how every ceasefire in Gaza in the past 2 decades has collapsed: the two sides sign an agreement that Israel keeps violating to provoke a response, which Netanyahu then uses to justify another murderous rampage!

Hamas, for now, remains self-restrained, but a growing number of its members & leaders are becoming dissatisfied with the current status quo whereby Israel continues to starve Gaza, keep it in ruins, bomb it regularly & cage it from the world.

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GAZA HEADLINES:

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 thisFor information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)

Mohammad Wael al-Sharouf, 23, killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Dec. 14, 2025
Mohammad Wael al-Sharouf, 23, killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Dec. 14, 2025 (IMEMC)

Hebron: Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian*, Seize Body, Invade Family Home

On Sunday evening, 23 year old Mohammad Wael al-Sharouf was shot in the head and killed by Israeli occupation forces at the northern entrance of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

Ambulance crews were prevented from reaching him, and his body was confiscated.

Later, Israeli forces invaded his family home in the town of Nuba, west of Hebron, intensifying the grief and anger of residents.

Israeli military spokespeople claimed al Sharouf attempted a stabbing attack, but provided no evidence; no injuries were reported among the soldiers.

*NOTE: Since the beginning of the Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, occupation forces have killed 1097 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, including 226 children and 24 women.

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Israel Orders Demolition* of 25 Buildings in Nur Shams

Israeli occupation forces issued a military order on Sunday to demolish twenty‑five new buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem in the northwestern part of the occupied West Bank.

The military order has been described as a continuation of Israel’s systematic campaign of demolition and collective punishment against the residents of Tulkarem and Nur Shams, and represents a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian conventions, and human rights treaties.

Nur Shams has been under siege for 309 consecutive days, while Tulkarem city and Tulkarem refugee camp have been under siege for 322 days.

More than five thousand families, amounting to over twenty‑five thousand residents, have been displaced from the two refugee camps.

RELATED: Israel has turbocharged West Bank housing demolitions under the cover of war

*NOTE: Most home demolitions undertaken by Israel are due to Palestinians’ “building without a permit.” Israel admits that its construction permit system is highly discriminatory. Between 2016 and 2020, 99.1 percent of Palestinian requests for building permits were rejected, according to dataprovided by the IDF’s Civil Administration.

A young girl runs through the rubble of damaged buildings after an Israeli military raid at Nur Shams refugee camp, in the West Bank in August 2024.
A young girl runs through the rubble of damaged buildings after an Israeli military raid at Nur Shams refugee camp, in the West Bank in August 2024. (UNICEF/Alaa Badarneh)

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WEST BANK HEADLINES:

Israeli Forces Intensify Attacks Across the Occupied West Bank

Forced evictions in Silwan include man in a coma, disabled woman

Colonizers March In Hebron, Army Isolates Palestinians

Illegal Israeli settlers destroy dozens of olive trees near occupied East Jerusalem

Israeli soldiers stand by as Israeli construction vehicles destroy agricultural lands and uproot centuries-old olive trees in the village of Karyut, south of the city of Nablus, West Bank on December 08, 2025.
Israeli soldiers stand by as Israeli construction vehicles destroy agricultural lands and uproot centuries-old olive trees in the village of Karyut, south of the city of Nablus, West Bank on December 08, 2025. (Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency)

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 coversIsrael accurately. IAK passes along only factual reporting.)

Benjamin Netanyahu blames Anthony Albanese for Bondi beach terror attack, as world leaders express horror

Leaders around the world expressed their horror at Sunday’s terrorist attack on Bondi beach, in which at least 16 people died, mixed in some cases with harsh words for the Australian government for alleged shortcomings in tackling antisemitism over the past two years.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had written to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in August, warning that the government’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic* fire … emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets”.

He claimed Albanese had “replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement” (continue reading here).

*NOTE: Netanyahu is taking full advantage here of a yearslong program of indoctrination by pro-Israel organizations that has given the word “antisemitism” a new, distorted meaning. This usage incorrectly characterizes nearly all criticism of Israel as “antisemitic” simply because Israel is the self-proclaimed “Jewish State.”

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Deadly Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon, killing 3, despite ceasefire

Israeli patrol raids southwestern Syrian village, sets up checkpoint

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.
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. (social media)

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 gov’t approves directing $31 million from Arab social programs to Shin Bet

Netanyahu’s Support for Settlements Is Sabotaging Trump’s Plan for a Stable Middle East


OTHER NEWS & HEADLINES:

‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead

Trump administration insiders and well-connected Republican businesses have been jostling to dominate pending humanitarian aid and reconstruction logistics in the shattered Gaza Strip, according to sources and documents reviewed by the Guardian.

With three-quarters of Gaza’s structures damaged or destroyed by two years of Israeli strikes, the rebuilding effort to come – estimated at $70bn by the United Nations – could be a rich prize for companies that specialize in construction, demolition, transportation and logistics.

But there’s no way to issue long-term contracts for reconstruction or humanitarian aid yet: a Board of Peace, chaired by Donald Trump, was endorsed by the United Nations to administer the territory but is not yet in operation. And the mandate of the new Civil-Military Coordination Center is limited (continue reading here).

RELATED: Collusion and insider trading: Who profited off 7 October?

A view of the widespread destruction caused by Israeli attacks in the Al Mughraqa area of Gaza City, on December 4, 2025.
A view of the widespread destruction caused by Israeli attacks in the Al Mughraqa area of Gaza City, on December 4, 2025. (Hassan Jedi – Anadolu Agency)

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What are Israel Bonds, and why have they become a target for the BDS* movement?

Last month, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) announced that it will invest an additional $5 million in Israel Bonds, making the school the largest Israeli bondholder among universities worldwide.

“This is a sound financial decision — but equally important, it is a statement of solidarity that reflects our vision for the future,” declared FAU president Adam Hasner in a press release. “As a leading university and a member of the South Florida community, we cannot ignore what is happening to Jewish students across the country, and we are proud of the steps we are taking to become the safest and most welcoming university for Jewish life in America.”

The announcement comes amid growing protests over the issue, as multiple states have divested from the bonds in recent weeks after pressure campaigns from activists (continue reading here).

*NOTE: BDS, the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement, is a is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

Israel is occupying and colonizing Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel, and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.

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US presses 70 countries to join Intl Stabilization Force in Gaza, as Israel violates truce

The US State Department is seeking to assemble a multinational force of around 10,000 soldiers from dozens of countries as part of its International Stabilization Force (ISF), aimed at overseeing Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Washington has reportedly sent formal requests to around 70 nations it hopes to recruit troops from, but so far has had little success. Officials are hoping to recruit 10,000 by the end of 2026, but some others said that Washington is unlikely to recruit more than 8,000 army personnel.

The ISF is a peacekeeping force outlined in the US peace plan for Gaza, tasked with helping security, training a Palestinian police force, and overseeing the re-development of the Gaza Strip, battered by over two years of Israeli onslaught. It remains a key part of phase two of Trump’s peace plan.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House following a press conference in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House following a press conference in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. (Stringer – Anadolu Agency)

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

The agonizing death of children doesn’t contribute a thing to Israel’s security

Occupation Forces Kill a Palestinian Teen Near Jenin

Another Palestinian Hostage Dies in Israeli Custody

(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)

Four Palestinians lost their lives after an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle at Al-Rashid Al-Bahri Street in the western part of Gaza City, Gaza on December 13, 2025.
Four Palestinians lost their lives after an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle at Al-Rashid Al-Bahri Street in the western part of Gaza City, Gaza on December 13, 2025. (Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency)

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – DECEMBER 14, 2025*:

  • At least 71,758 Palestinians killed, 182,139 injured – including:
  • At least 70,663 killed in Gaza (~22,000children, 33,000 women and girls)
  • At least 1,097 killed in the West Bank (~226 children)
  • At least 171,139 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 estimatesOnly the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – December 14, 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.

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

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