Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2328, Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026

1. Announcement of the Formation of the Gaza Peace Council

The U.S. administration announced early the composition of the Peace Council and the appointment of a High Representative for the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the Palestinian National Committee for the administration of the Strip beginning its work, two days after the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
The White House appointed Nikolay Mladenov as High Representative for Gaza. He is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat who previously served as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (2015–2020), according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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**2. Israel Moves the Yellow Line Deeper into the Gaza Strip**

Investigations supported by satellite images revealed that Israeli occupation forces have moved yellow concrete blocks used to demarcate the so-called “yellow line” deeper inside the Gaza Strip at several locations.
According to a review conducted by the BBC’s fact-checking team, the concrete blocks were placed in at least three areas before later being moved further into the Strip.
The line, which is supposed to define the limits of Israeli troop deployment following the ceasefire agreement, has become variable on the ground, creating widespread confusion and danger among Palestinian civilians.
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**3. Palestinian Prisoners in 2025: Shocking Figures and Escalating Violations**

The Prisoners’ Media Office revealed alarming data regarding the situation of Palestinian prisoners up to the end of 2025, indicating that their number reached approximately 9,300 detainees, nearly half of whom are held without charge or trial amid an unprecedented expansion in the use of administrative detention and arbitrary classifications, including what is known as the “unlawful combatant.”
The office explained that occupation authorities have escalated their repressive policies by targeting women, children, journalists, and medical personnel, alongside systematic violations inside prisons, including physical and psychological torture, deliberate medical neglect, starvation, detention under inhumane conditions, sexual assaults, denial of visits, restrictions on lawyers’ work, and obstruction of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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**4. Settlers Escalate Violations Across the West Bank amid Clashes**

Groups of settlers escalated their violations and attacks against citizens in several areas of the West Bank, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Settlers cut off the road between the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Abu Salah east of Ramallah, preventing residents from participating in the funeral of the youth Mohammad Al-Nasan, who was killed by occupation fire during a raid on Al-Mughayyir.
Occupation forces arrested citizen Hidaya Rizq from the Al-Khalayel area in Al-Mughayyir village east of Ramallah, along with a solidarity activist, and expelled the remaining activists on the pretext of objecting to settlers.
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**5. Health Ministry: 71,548 Martyrs and 171,353 Injured in the Gaza Genocide**

The Ministry of Health announced the arrival of one martyr and six injured individuals at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours as a result of the Israeli military aggression.
The ministry also announced in its daily update the death of a 27-day-old infant due to severe cold, raising the number of child deaths from cold since the beginning of winter to eight.
It stated that a number of victims remain under the rubble and on roads, as ambulance and civil defense crews are still unable to reach them.
According to the statement, the number of martyrs since the ceasefire (11 October) rose to 464, while injuries reached 1,275, and total recovered bodies reached 712.
It added that the cumulative toll since the beginning of the aggression on 7 October 2023 reached 71,548 martyrs and 171,353 injured.
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**6. Occupation Forces Escalate Raids and Attacks in Ramallah and Bethlehem**

Israeli occupation forces escalated their raids and attacks in the Ramallah and Bethlehem governorates as part of increasing violations across various areas of the West Bank.
Occupation forces raided the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Kafr Malik northeast of Ramallah, deploying soldiers throughout the streets amid live fire and tear gas.
Earlier, occupation forces arrested a young man from the town of Silwad east of Ramallah and seized his vehicle; his identity remains unknown.
Meanwhile, occupation forces stormed the Khalayel Al-Louza area southeast of Bethlehem, spread across several neighborhoods, and set up military checkpoints at entrances, obstructing residents’ movement.
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**7. Occupation Assaults a Child with Disabilities in Ramallah**

Circulating footage shows an Israeli occupation army soldier assaulting a Palestinian child with special needs in front of his home during a raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
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**European**

**8. Demonstration in the Belgian Capital in Support of Palestine**

“That morning Palestine will be liberated from the river to the sea.” Protesters in the Belgian capital Brussels chanted slogans supporting Palestine in front of a McDonald’s outlet, condemning its support for the crimes of the occupation army in the Gaza Strip.
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**9. British Police Chief Retires After Ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans**

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands in the UK announced Friday that regional police chief Craig Guildford will retire from his position following a recommendation to ban fans of the Israeli Maccabi team from attending a match against Aston Villa last year.
His retirement comes days after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated she no longer trusted him following a report by the police oversight body. Mahmood said in a statement after the resignation announcement: “The findings of His Majesty’s Inspectorate were damning, identifying a list of failures that undermined confidence in West Midlands Police.”
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**10. Hundreds Protest to Cancel Visit of Occupation President Herzog in Sydney**

Hundreds gathered in a march in Sydney demanding the cancellation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, invited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The area witnessed a heavy presence of New South Wales police in the first pro-Palestine demonstration since the state tightened public assembly laws following the Bondi Beach attack.
The protest drew around 300 participants, many of whom gathered peacefully and condemned the official welcome of the visit by Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Jibke Goldschmidt from the group “Jews Against the Occupation” addressed the crowd, describing the invitation as “an act of submission to Zionist pressure,” and affirmed that the goal of the rally was to pressure for canceling Herzog’s visit, amending anti-protest laws, and imposing immediate sanctions on “Israel.”
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**11. Irish Solidarity Network Reaffirms Support for Palestine at Annual Meeting**

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) held its annual general meeting in the city of Newry, where participants renewed their full support for Palestinians inside and outside Palestine and their right to self-determination.
Attendees emphasized the need to end Israeli settler-colonial occupation and achieve a single democratic state that respects the civil and political rights of all Palestinians.
The network stressed its firm position supporting the freedom of Palestine from the river to the sea, considering the end of the apartheid system an inevitable necessity to achieve justice and a just peace in the region.
Participants also called on the international community to uphold human rights principles and confront ongoing violations against the Palestinian people.
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**12. Australian Protest Outside Caltex Stations Supplying the Occupation with Energy**

Activists from the Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine group protested outside Caltex stations, urging consumers in the new year to boycott the company and choose alternatives, condemning Chevron — operating in Australia under the name Caltex — for continuing to supply “Israel” with fuel and energy.
Organizers explained that this support constitutes a direct contribution to the continuation of the genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, noting Chevron’s involvement in operating and owning gas fields in the Mediterranean used for power generation, while hospitals, homes, universities, and UN facilities continue to be bombed.
The statement also pointed out that the company transfers hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues to the occupation state, exceeding $462 million in 2022, contributing to financing the settlement system and crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
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**13. Irish Martial Artist Chants for Palestine After Defeating Israeli Opponent**

Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Paddy McCrory raised the Palestinian flag and loudly chanted “Free Palestine” after defeating his Israeli opponent Shuki Farage in a match in West Belfast, Ireland.
He turned his athletic victory into a public act of solidarity amid wide audience interaction.
International organizations, including “Athletes for Palestine” and the International Coalition to Boycott Israel in Sports, emphasize the need not to use sports to whitewash the image of the Israeli occupation and call for isolating “Israel” from international sporting competitions.
They also encourage independent athletes and teams to boycott matches with any Zionist players or teams in condemnation of the ongoing genocidal crimes against Palestinians.
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**14. Documents Reveal Cisco’s Funding of the Occupation Army and Settlements**

Leaked documents revealed that Cisco — a U.S. multinational technology company — matches 100% of its employees’ donations to Israeli organizations, including entities involved in supporting the Zionist army and illegal settlements, contributing to funding displacement policies and violations against Palestinians.
Cisco’s “Community Impact” portal, an internal platform used to manage donations and social responsibility, allows matching employee donations up to $10,000 per employee to Israeli organizations, including “Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces” (FIDF), which announced transferring $34.5 million to the Israeli army during the first weeks of the genocidal war.
Under this mechanism, Cisco doubles donations to reach Israeli organizations that fund the army and settlers, at a time when more than 1,000 settler attacks against Palestinians were recorded during the first eight months of 2025.
Meanwhile, employees within the company raised concerns about continued support for organizations such as the Jewish National Fund (JNF), but Cisco management refused to halt donation matching under the pretext of “non-profit” status, ignoring legal objections raised by staff.
The company also temporarily suspended funding for UNRWA before reinstating it following internal complaints.
Human rights campaigns have called for pressuring Cisco to stop these practices, terminate contracts with it, and expose the complicity of major technology companies with the occupation.
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**International**

**15. U.S. Federal Judge Orders Ohio State University to Expunge Student’s Dismissal**

A U.S. federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering Ohio State University to remove the dismissal of student Guy Christensen from his academic record after ruling that the university violated his rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
The case dates back to last May, when the university dismissed Christensen for posting two videos on social media after completing his first academic year, regarding the killing of employees at the Israeli embassy in Washington and criticizing U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres for his pro-occupation statements supporting the genocidal war on Gaza.
The student filed a lawsuit in September, asserting that the dismissal violated his freedom of speech and due process rights, especially since no hearing was held before the decision and no fellow students filed complaints against him.
Christensen also confirmed in subsequent videos that he issued no threats and did not incite violence.
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**16. World-Renowned Conductor Joins Cultural Boycott of Israel in Protest of Gaza War**

World-renowned conductor Zubin Mehta announced the cancellation of all his commitments and artistic projects in the occupation state of Israel during the coming year, in protest of the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government toward Palestinians and in solidarity with the growing wave of cultural boycott since the start of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Mehta (89 years old) said his decision stemmed from his strong opposition to how Netanyahu handles the Palestinian issue, adding: “I can no longer turn a blind eye as many of my colleagues do.”
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**17. International Petition Demands Entry of Mobile Housing into Gaza**

The Avaaz platform, in cooperation with the “Global Movement to Gaza,” launched an international online petition demanding the immediate entry of mobile housing and winter supplies into the Gaza Strip amid severe deterioration of humanitarian conditions and ongoing extreme cold waves.
The campaign was launched at a time when more than ten deaths were recorded, mostly among children and the elderly, due to cold waves and lack of heating and shelter.
The campaign called on people worldwide to sign the petition to pressure relevant authorities to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid entry, especially shelter and heating materials.
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**18. Jewish Organization Admits to Monitoring Palestine Supporters**

“We monitor Palestine supporters 24/7 using artificial intelligence.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Jewish ADL organization, admitted to monitoring the data of all Palestine supporters in America around the clock in coordination with U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI.