The number of registered orphans in the territory [GAZA, Palestine] has risen to 65,279, including 54,468 children who it said lost one or both parents during the war.

Children are seen as displaced Palestinian families live in makeshift tents and severely damaged buildings amidst heavy destruction after Israeli airstrikes that left Khan Yunis in ruins, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine on July 17, 2026. [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

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Gaza Ministry of Social Development reports increase in number of registered orphans

July 24, 2026 at 9:13 am

The Ministry of Social Development in Gaza said on Thursday that the number of registered orphans in the territory has risen to 65,279, including 54,468 children who it said lost one or both parents during the war.

In a statement, the ministry said 2,039 children had been added to its records after 10th  October 2025.

The ministry also reported that the number of registered widows had reached 28,224, including 742 women who were widowed during the same period.

According to the ministry, the figures reflect a worsening humanitarian and social situation, which it attributed to the continued conflict, repeated displacement, and the reduction of safe areas for civilians.

The ministry said its teams had documented damage to or strikes affecting more than 20 shelters and displacement camps, resulting in more than 638 families losing their homes completely, in addition to damage to more than 163 tents.

It also reported that shrinking shelter capacity and shifting front lines had forced more than 800 newly displaced families to sleep in the open.

The ministry said shelters were no longer able to provide even minimum levels of protection and called on the international community and mediators to take urgent action to end the fighting and ensure protection for displaced civilians... READ MORE  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260724-gaza-ministry-of-social-development-reports-increase-in-number-of-registered-orphans/ 

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"The headline is incredibly misleading. It completely reverses the point I was making. Rather than highlighting my explicit distinction between Zionist organizations and Jewish partners in justice, it collapses that distinction and leaves readers with the false impression that I accused British Jews collectively of complicity in Israel’s crimes. This is precisely the kind of framing that has made speaking about Palestine so difficult for so many years. It is not only manipulative; it fuels the false narrative that criticism of Israel is criticism of Jews." Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac - Jul 23, 2026

 When Headlines Distort the Truth

What The Telegraph Got Wrong About My Response

Munther Isaac

Jul 23, 2026

“Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is Director of the Bethlehem of Institute for Peace and Justice and co-author of Kairos Palestine II.

I was recently approached by The Telegraph, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, to comment on the Church of England’s recent decision to receive and engage with Kairos Palestine II, among other Palestinian Christian documents. I was also asked to respond to the criticism directed at the Church by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. 

 

READ THE LETTER 

Now notice something important. I clearly distinguished between those promoting Zionism and the many Jewish voices working for justice. In fact, I explicitly called on churches to listen to and amplify those Jewish voices. That distinction was not incidental—it was central to my response.

So what did The Telegraph do with it? It published the following headline: “British Jews complicit in Israel crimes, say Palestinian Christians.”

That is simply not what I said. It is not what Kairos Palestine II says. It is not what Palestinian Christians are saying.

The headline is incredibly misleading. It completely reverses the point I was making. Rather than highlighting my explicit distinction between Zionist organizations and Jewish partners in justice, it collapses that distinction and leaves readers with the false impression that I accused British Jews collectively of complicity in Israel’s crimes.

This is precisely the kind of framing that has made speaking about Palestine so difficult for so many years. It is not only manipulative; it fuels the false narrative that criticism of Israel is criticism of Jews.

Our position has been clear and consistent. The problem is not Jews. The problem is not Judaism. The problem is support for oppression, occupation, apartheid, and now genocide—whether that support comes from Jews, Christians, Muslims, or anyone else.

Likewise, those standing for justice include Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of no faith. As I said in my response, and as Kairos Palestine II explicitly affirms, we welcome and encourage partnership with Jewish voices committed to truth and justice.

Perhaps most troubling of all, this kind of reporting distracts attention from the real issue. Instead of engaging with the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, or with the overwhelming evidence presented by international legal, human rights, and medical bodies, the conversation is redirected toward a manufactured controversy... READ MORE https://bipj.substack.com/p/when-headlines-distort-the-truth?r=62vmcy&triedRedirect=true

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'A triumphant failure': How Israel's use of social media influencers to win back support backfired- Israel quadrupled its PR budget to $730m in 2026 and is reportedly paying influencers up to $7,ooo to post pro-Israel content

Anti-Trump and pro-Palestine protesters gather outside the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, DC on 19 February 2026 (Heather Diehl/Getty Images/AF

 Fleur Hargreaves

Published date: 23 July 2026 12:18 BST | Last update: 20 hours 49 mins ago

 

An unprecedented investment in social media propaganda by Israel is failing to shift the cratering support for the country in the western world amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza, particularly among the younger generation, analysts have told Middle East Eye. 

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March found that a majority, 60 percent of the American public, including 57 percent of Republican voters under the age of 50 and 84 percent of Democrats under 50, view Israel unfavourably.

Much of this is down to an increasing number of younger people using social media rather than mainstream outlets, which are overwhelmingly pro-Israel, for their news. 

To counter this shift, Israeli lawmakers approved a record budget of $730m for public diplomacy - known by its Hebrew name Hasbara - in March, amounting to almost five times its previous annual budget, which was already 20 times pre-2023 levels.

In September 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with several American influencers in New York to enlist them to amplify pro-Israel messaging in the US.

During the meeting, Netanyahu stressed the importance of their role, saying: "We have to fight with weapons that apply to the battlefields in which we’re engaged in and the most important ones are on social media."

He added that the deal, which saw American billionaire Larry Ellison, alongside several other pro-Israel businessmen, acquire TikTok's US operations, was "the most important purchase going on right now".

As part of its propaganda campaign, Israel used secret PR operations and hired corporate firms to manage paid influencer networks under a plan code-named the "Esther Project".

According to documents filed under the US's Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), Israel paid influencers up to $7,000 per social media post, operating through its contractor Bridges Partners, which worked with a global ad agency called Havas Media Group Germany for an “Influencer Campaign”.

Havas also signed a $15m contract with Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale’s firm Clock Tower X, which was recently exposed to be behind a social media campaign to attack the US president’s ceasefire deal with Iran on behalf of Israel... READ MORE  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-use-social-media-influencers-support-backfired 

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"Bombing the infrastructure people rely on will not make Iranians [or Palestinians] embrace those carrying out the attacks." .... ‘It’s truly hell here’: airstrikes, repression and water shortages become ‘new normal’ for Iranians

Iranians describe how daily life is becoming ever harder as conflict continues and human rights crisis worsens 

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the strait of Hormuz as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran Photograph: Razieh Poudat/AP

As US airstrikes hit port and inland cities in Iran, and Tehran strikes at the US’s Middle East allies, the escalating conflict has left many Iranians fearing that, amid war and a worsening human rights crisis, they remain trapped in a cycle of violence and repression with no way out.

Bandar Abbas, on the strait of Hormuz and the headquarters of the Iranian navy, has been hit by strikes every night since the latest escalation began nearly two weeks ago. Soroush*, a writer based in the city who secretly publishes a newsletter documenting human rights violations in Iran, described a “new normal” for its residents.

“We need to accept this could just be our new reality now and it’s worked because we are less afraid as each day goes on,” the 37-year-old said. “We are less afraid of the future because we are now forced to accept this is the new normal. There’s no one coming to save us from the bombs or the regime’s bullets. Our brains have tricked us into making peace with this new reality.”

For those living near the port, loud explosions followed by prolonged power cuts have become the norm over the past week.

Mehnaz*, 39, depends on the internet for her work and says she was already struggling with the government-imposed internet shutdown, which has severely affected her earnings.

“We always had power cuts, but the hours have now extended and I fear I can’t rely on my online work any more. The war is far from the end and daily life is becoming harder under the bombs, power cuts and internet shutdowns. It’s truly hell here,” she said.

Another port city reportedly struck by the US this week was Jask. State media claimed US strikes hit 100 civilian vessels and that an attack on the Bonji desalination plant left 20 villages without drinking water... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/22/its-truly-hell-here-airstrikes-repression-and-water-shortages-become-new-normal-for-iranians

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Dear America - Jobs created by the weapons industry bring temporary economic relief to some- while inflicting immense pain and suffering on many many many more.

That choking haze and orange mid-morning sun we saw here in Pennsylvania are mild hints compared to what has happened, hints of the horrific and widespread heart-breaking devastation as far away wildfires burn in Canada.

Dear America,

Natural disasters (storms- fires- floods) bring loss, huge personal and public loss and life long suffering. Loss of life, homes, loved ones, cherished places and valuable things. That choking haze and orange mid-morning sun we saw here in Pennsylvania are mild hints compared to what has happened, hints of the horrific and widespread heart-breaking devastation as far away wildfires burn.

Man-made devastation from terrorism and state sponsored violence lasts longer than any storm or wildfire ever known.

With our post-1948 world of international law, UNIVERSAL human rights, and sophisticated technology, bully tactics and modern war  are always the worst choice with increasingly terrible consequences. 

In the 1930s & 40s IBM's technology was part of the Nazi Holocaust.  At that time computer technology was quite primitive and much less invasive compared to computer technology, data processing and automation now. All tools can be misused.  IBM did not set out to make machines that tyrants could use to calculate who to harass, who to imprison, and who to kill. But it happened.  Newspapers did not set out to be the purveyors of ugly antisemitic cartoons and opinions. But it happened. 

What is happening in our world today...

Pollution from weaponry, starting with the mining of rare earth minerals, through every stage of production, and the transport, and then the deployment of all types of bombs, missiles, & toxic poisons. Don't forget all the water & electricity hungry Data Centers used by the military-industrial complex. It all adds up into multiple "bad"s escalating into atrocious crimes against civilians.

Some people profit from war, but most people suffer because of war. They pay with their lives, their loved ones' lives, or their homes. And we are forced to fund war and injustice with our taxes.  Taxes that should be paying for people's needs and a better way forward for all our communities near and far. 

Jobs created by the weapons industry bring temporary economic relief to some- while inflicting immense pain and suffering on many many many more. 

Trillions have already been spent on modern wars. How much more money will be wasted on our war mongering ways? !!!!     

Jobs created by empathy centered sectors such as schools, libraries, museums, farms & farm markets, parks, land management, weather forecasting, environmental protections, repair shops, and every other life affirming and helpful career (including the creation of good books and magazines as well as news-you-can-use great journalism and charity for "others") are all good for the economy, good for America, good for the planet, good for diplomacy, and good for peace... A pervasive, inclusive peace where all children have a chance for a hope filled future. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes

*"Rare earth elements enable advanced radar, sonar, laser guidance, communication, and propulsion technologies, ensuring superior precision, stability, and resilience in combat environments." https://www.sfa-oxford.com/knowledge-and-insights/critical-minerals-in-low-carbon-and-future-technologies/critical-minerals-in-defence-and-national-security/

* NPR: When journalists talk about 'great journalism,' here's what they mean- Describing excellent journalism is the first step to being a good journalist https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-public-editor/2025/05/01/g-s1-63806/when-journalists-talk-about-great-journalism-heres-what-they-mean

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

‘They want to break our will’: Gaza flotilla activist tells of rape in Israeli detention... Anna Liedtke files criminal complaint in Israel over alleged attack by female guards and says abuse was intended to silence campaigners

Why does the US want to ‘dismantle’ the international criminal court? Marco Rubio has offered nonsensical rationale in attacking the court. The Trump administration’s real goal is impunity

Near daily Israeli attacks have continued in Gaza despite a ceasefire announced in October, killing 1,127 Palestinians and injuring 3,643 since then, according to the Gaza health ministry. In its daily report, the ministry said four people were killed in the past 24 hours, and 28 were wounded.

MIFTAH: Targeting the Witness Not the Crime... The issue is no longer confined to Palestine. It becomes a question about the future of international law and accountability for EVERYONE. Protection of civil society, lawyers, and human rights defenders is NOT OPTIONAL, it is essential for truth, justice, and the demand for accountability

Tent of Nations (ToN) is an educational and ecological family farm committed to nonviolent resistance, environmental stewardship, intercultural education, and connecting people with the land. It serves as a living model of nonviolent action and faith-based community building, within the context of Palestine and the world.

"The Nasser family are a Palestinian Christian family who have owned this farm for over 100 years. But 35 years ago, the Israeli authorities declared his farm and the surrounding area to be State land. Ever since then, the family have been engaged in a struggle to register and protect their farm. And with each passing year, settlements encroach on more and more of their land. But the Nassars continue their Tent of Nations work with steadfast nonviolence and faith, living their message every day: “We refuse to be enemies.” They are an example of creative, hopeful, Christian resistance to injustice and they need the support of Christians around the world. During my visit today I had the honour of planting an olive tree on the Nasser farm. At a time when many Palestinian Christians are leaving, olive trees are a symbol of their deep roots in this land..." Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury

In Israel’s prisons, torture and death have become a norm that it barely tries to hide: The suffering of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya is no isolated case. The abuse of Palestinian detainees is happening in plain sight, yet nothing changes

RED CROSS ICRC: In armed conflicts, AI systems can fail, be manipulated or produce unreliable results. That is why decisions involving the use of force must remain under meaningful human control. Machines may support judgement. They must never replace human responsibility.

The ICRC is concerned that the use of AI in the military could accelerate the pace and scale of warfare, increase unpredictability and reduce human control over the use of force, creating serious risks for civilians.

AI systems are particularly vulnerable to failure in adversarial environments, where opponents may deliberately try to deceive or manipulate the systems, such as by tampering with data or exploiting weaknesses. 

The ICRC emphasizes a human-centred approach because humans – not machines – remain legally responsible for decisions involving the use of force. Human judgement is essential to ensuring compliance with IHL and protecting civilians. AI systems should support human decision-making, rather than impair or replace it.

Bea Foster tells MEE she was left 'heartbroken' after being forced out of anti-racism charity [that she helped to found] over Facebook post in which she called Israel an 'apartheid state' ... "APARTHEID – IT WASN'T OKAY IN SOUTH AFRICA. IT WASN'T OKAY IN NAZI GERMANY. WHY IS IT OKAY IN PALESTINE?"

NPR: Israeli forces have been pushing deeper into Gaza in recent months. At the start of the ceasefire in October, the military controlled around half of the territory, along what is called the "yellow line." Israel's military now controls nearly 70% of Gaza [PALESTINE]

"We believe that all people are born free and equal, and advocate for everyone to have the same basic human rights, regardless of their race, sex, nationality, religion or any other status."

The Power of BDS: Our Impact So Far In 2026 ... DIVESTING from Genocide

"At the very moment that the Israeli regime, with the support of the United States, is pursuing the dismantlement of UNRWA in violation of international law, there can be no accommodation of political projects designed to facilitate its replacement. UNRWA was established by General Assembly Resolution 302 because the international community failed to implement Palestinian refugees' rights under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194. Its mandate therefore remains exclusively under the authority of the General Assembly until those rights—including return, restitution, compensation, and reparation—are fulfilled. It cannot be transferred, conditioned, or terminated through political arrangements." Statement by BADIL and GPRN “Dismantling UNRWA: “The Board of Peace” Agenda”

DEAR AMERICA

Pushing all commerce online to "Save A Tree" ends up decimating numerous forests and fields for energy and water hungry Data Centers. CEOs and our elected leaders take huge profits while taxpayers are left with escalating losses, including the surging loss of land and water for hyperscale Data Centers.

Anti-immigrant legislation and excessive funding for ICE are more about protecting wealthy people and corporations, who can hire illegals knowing that the workers and their families will be too afraid to complain about dangerous working conditions, low pay, long hours, and slum landlord housing.

You can't win a modern war. You can destroy homes & families, you can usurp land & resources from the rightful owners, and you can undermine & destroy a free press and the fourth estate- but people worldwide have memories, as well as a sense of right and wrong that cannot be bombed into oblivion.

STOP THE BOMBS and the bigotry, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop accepting bribes & propaganda & bad advice from a very foreign country that seeks to destroy support for UNIVERSAL human rights and the rule of fair and just laws.

Along the way we learned that slavery is wrong. We learned that domestic violence is wrong. We learned that racist hate is wrong. SO WHY are we funding Israel and why are we bombing Iran for Israel!!!

Violence is a problem- not the answer

"Attacks on critical infrastructure are not only about what is destroyed, but also about the people left without what they need to live. Even wars have limits and they must be respected." ICRC Red Cross

The power of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity...

In 1945, 50 nations came together in San Francisco to create a new organization for peace, prosperity & human rights- the United Nations

"The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. This intergovernmental organization born out of the ashes of the Second World War remains indispensable to the pursuit of world peace, justice, equality and sustainable development" https://www.un.org/en/

The right of refugees to return to homes and lands they were expelled from is an individual right and cannot be unilaterally abrogated by third parties.  https://imeu.org/resources/resources/fact-sheet-palestinian-refugees-the-right-of-return-under-international-law/441

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

‘They want to break our will’: Gaza flotilla activist tells of rape in Israeli detention... Anna Liedtke files criminal complaint in Israel over alleged attack by female guards and says abuse was intended to silence campaigners

Anna Liedtke pictured in Cologne, Germany. ‘There is no reason for me to be ashamed.’ Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian

Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem

Wed 15 Jul 2026 09.00 EDT

The third time Anna Liedtke was subjected to an illegal strip-search in Israeli detention, female prison guards forced her on to her knees, covered her mouth to stop her screaming and raped her, according to interviews and a criminal complaint filed in Israel.

She described hearing male guards laughing during the attack, which she believes they watched and may have filmed. It took place in an area separated from the prison hallway by a partially drawn curtain that her attackers had left open.

Liedtke, 25, joined a flotilla sailing from Europe to Gaza with humanitarian aid last autumn. Israeli forces intercepted her boat in international waters on 8 October and took her to Israel, where she was detained for five days.

The abuse and violence directed at flotilla participants in Israeli prisons, including rape, was intended to intimidate, Liedtke said. “It’s clear they want to break our will and silence us, making this so traumatic that we will never talk about Palestine again,” she told the Guardian.

Instead, she told friends and doctors within days. In December she became the first flotilla activist to talk publicly about rape in Israeli detention. More than a dozen others have reported sexual assault, most anonymously.... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/15/gaza-flotilla-activist-rape-complaint-israel-anna-liedtke

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Small boats in the flotilla leaving a port in southern Italy, setting sail for Gaza. Photograph: Orietta Scardino/EPA

Why does the US want to ‘dismantle’ the international criminal court? Marco Rubio has offered nonsensical rationale in attacking the court. The Trump administration’s real goal is impunity

‘What worries Trump officials most is the prospect that territorial jurisdiction could be used to prosecute them.’ Photograph: Graeme Sloan/Pool/Graeme Sloan - Pool/CNP/Shutterstock

Kenneth Roth in The Guardian

Opinion   International criminal court 

Thu 16 Jul 2026 05.00 EDT

With the pointless war of choice in Iran going poorly, the Trump administration has declared a virtual war on the international criminal court (ICC). Secretary of state, Marco Rubio, vowed on Monday to “dismantle” the court as a supposed threat to US sovereignty. His rationale is laced with sophistry. The administration’s real goal is to secure impunity for war crimes, even those committed on the territory of ICC member states.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed and a video posted on X, Rubio conjures up a dystopia in which local American officials such as police officers or border patrol agents “could be dragged before an international court, tried by judges from random countries across the globe, found guilty under international laws we neither consent to nor control, and then imprisoned thousands of miles from America”.

This is utter fiction. The ICC has no jurisdiction over crimes committed in the United States. Unless Donald Trump were to start deploying police officers or border patrol agents abroad, the ICC would have no capacity to charge or prosecute them.

Nor can the US government claim not to have consented to the laws applied by the court. They are drawn from treaties such as the genocide convention and the Geneva conventions and protocols that the US government has either ratified or incorporated into its military manuals. Is it really un-American to outlaw genocide? ... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/16/international-criminal-court-marco-rubio

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