Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2326, Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

1. Six martyrs and injuries after the occupation targets two homes west of Deir al-Balah**

Six Palestinian civilians were killed and others injured after Israeli occupation aircraft targeted two homes west of the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Medical sources reported that occupation aircraft struck the home of the “Al-Jarro” family near Aqila Station in the Al-Bassa area west of Deir al-Balah, resulting in the killing of two young men and the injury of another. Local sources said the occupation also targeted another home belonging to the Al-Houli family, hitting it while its residents were inside, on Market Street in Deir al-Balah refugee camp west of the city, killing four civilians and wounding others.

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**2. Journalist Mujahid Bani Muflih admitted to intensive care three days after his release**

Freed journalist and former detainee Mujahid Bani Muflih underwent a delicate brain surgery after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage caused by the rupture of one of the arteries. His brother confirmed that the operation was successful, while Mujahid remains in a coma under close medical supervision. He explained that only three days had passed since Mujahid’s release from Israeli occupation prisons, and that since the moment of his release he had been suffering from severe shortness of breath, suggesting that extremely high blood pressure was the direct cause of the brain hemorrhage.

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**3. Commission of Detainees’ Affairs: Systematic violations to break the will of our prisoners require international intervention to stop them**

The head of the Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs, Minister Raed Abu Al-Hummus, warned of a dangerous and unprecedented escalation practiced by the occupation authorities and prison administrations against Palestinian prisoners. He affirmed that the Commission continues its intensive efforts at the highest international levels to confront systematic policies based on repression, collective punishment, and political retaliation, in blatant violation of all relevant international conventions and standards.
In press statements, Abu Al-Hummus clarified that what is happening inside occupation prisons no longer falls under isolated abuses or security measures, but rather constitutes a fixed approach aimed at breaking prisoners’ will and undermining their human dignity. This is carried out through repeated raids on prison sections, systematic physical assaults, excessive use of force, deliberate denial of medical treatment and healthcare, reduction of basic living necessities, and the imposition of collective punitive measures affecting all prisons without exception.

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**4. Settler attacks and stop-work orders target Masafer Yatta south of Hebron**

A civilian was injured with bruises after an attack carried out by armed settlers in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, coinciding with the storming of a school and the occupation issuing stop-work orders against a number of homes and agricultural facilities in the area.
Local sources reported that a group of armed settlers from the “Susiya” settlement, built on citizens’ lands, attacked shepherds in the Wadi Al-Rakhim area of Masafer Yatta and beat them, resulting in injuries to the elderly man Mohammad Hussein Shannar, who suffered bruises to his back and was treated on site.
In a related incident, another group of settlers stormed Al-Fakhit School in Masafer Yatta and brought herds of camels into the schoolyard and its facilities, near residents’ homes, in a blatant violation of the sanctity of educational institutions.

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**5. Health Ministry: Death toll of the genocidal war in Gaza rises to 71,441**

The Gaza Ministry of Health said that “over the past 24 hours, two martyrs and five injured persons arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals.”
The ministry reported that since the ceasefire on October 11, the total number of martyrs has reached 451, with 1,251 injuries, and 710 cases of bodies recovered.
It added that the cumulative number of martyrs since October 2023 has reached 71,441, while the cumulative number of injuries has reached 171,329.

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**European**

**6. Anticipated Australian protest during the Israeli president’s visit**

Pro-Palestine protesters in Australia announced their intention to defy a temporary ban on gatherings in Sydney, protesting restrictions on demonstrations, in parallel with the anticipated visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the country.
This comes as large areas of the city are subject to a temporary protest ban after New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon extended the initial 14-day restriction, imposed on Christmas Eve under new legislation passed by the state parliament, which allows public places to be declared “restricted” from gatherings. Under the law, restrictions can be extended every two weeks for up to three months.
In this context, the group “Stop the War on Palestine” announced it would organize a protest on Friday evening in front of Sydney Town Hall to oppose the continuation of the ban, calling for the repeal of New South Wales Premier Chris Minns’ anti-protest laws, the cancellation of Herzog’s visit, and the immediate imposition of sanctions on “Israel” over what it describes as genocide, occupation, and apartheid against Palestinians.

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**7. #Video… Protest in front of a Zara store in Glasgow over support for genocide**

Activists from the “Boycott Movement” carried out a protest in front of a Zara store in the city of Glasgow, calling on customers to boycott the company due to its complicit support for the apartheid system and genocide practiced by the occupation against the Palestinian people.
This action comes as part of an international campaign led by the Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC), the largest Palestinian coalition leading the global boycott movement, which announced its official adoption of the popular boycott campaign against “Zara.” It called on supporters of Palestine around the world to boycott the brand, owned by the Spanish company Inditex, due to deepening its economic ties with the occupation.
The committee noted that at the beginning of 2025, amid the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, Zara opened its largest store in “Israel” inside a shopping complex near Tel Aviv, a step considered a direct boost to the Zionist economy, at a time when the occupation continues to commit mass massacres, forcibly displace residents, and destroy health and educational infrastructure and cultural life in Gaza, resulting in the killing of more than 80,000 Palestinians according to non-final estimates.
The BNC confirmed that Zara’s complicity is not limited to commercial activity, as the head of the brand’s Israeli franchise previously hosted, in 2022, a political event for an Israeli minister who publicly called for killing Palestinians and depriving Gaza of humanitarian aid—an incident referenced in the International Court of Justice file on the crime of genocide.

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**8. Fines instead of trial for pro-Palestine protesters in Britain**

British authorities imposed £100 fines on pro-Palestine protesters from the group “Defend Our Juries” for holding banners of “Palestine Action,” instead of referring them to trial.
Pro-Palestine groups and campaigns said these fines—equivalent to a parking ticket—expose the weakness of the measures used to curb solidarity with pro-Palestine protesters and highlight the authorities’ failure to criminalize peaceful expression of popular support for the Palestinian cause, despite the movement being placed on prohibition lists.
“Palestine Action” had been designated a “terrorist” organization, with the government citing allegations related to “property damage” and “disruption of infrastructure,” following direct actions targeting companies involved in arming the occupation, such as Elbit Systems.

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**9. British MP: We demand the immediate release of the “Filton 24” and continue our solidarity with Palestine**

British Labour MP Zarah Sultana declared her full support for the detainees of the “Filton 24,” considering their prolonged hunger strike a brave collective act that exposed the British state’s complicity in the arms trade with “Israel.”
Sultana praised the decision by prisoners Heba, Kamran, and Louie, along with their comrades, to end their strike after 73 days, affirming that what they achieved was “a major political and moral victory” that forced Elbit Systems—the largest Israeli arms manufacturer—to lose a £2 billion contract with the British Ministry of Defence.
The “Filton 24” refers to a group of activists from Palestine Action held pending investigation in Britain over actions targeting an Elbit factory.

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**International**

**10. UN official: UNRWA’s work is based on clear international legal obligations**

The President of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, affirmed that the General Assembly renewed the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until 2029, stressing that the agency’s role is not limited to Gaza but also includes Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, amid escalating political and legislative challenges targeting its work.

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**11. Guterres: Gaza urgently needs heavy equipment and calls for unhindered flow of aid**

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the urgent need to bring heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip to remove rubble. His spokesperson said during a press conference that there is an urgent necessity to provide heavy machinery to clear debris and tools that are currently barred from entering Gaza. He noted that thousands of people in the Strip are still suffering from the effects of the recent winter storms.
In the same context, Guterres welcomed the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and emphasized that humanitarian aid must flow without obstacles.