Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2343, Date: Monday, February 2, 2026

1. Two killed and others injured in Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip

Two civilians were killed and others injured as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, marking the 113th consecutive day of Israeli violations of the ceasefire. A medical source reported the death of elderly citizen Khaled Hamad Ahmad Dahliz (63 years old) after an Israeli drone strike in the Al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

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**2. Gaza Ministry of Health: 26 killed in 48 hours as death toll rises**

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that 26 people were killed and 68 injured and transferred to Gaza hospitals over the past 48 hours.
In an updated statement, the ministry said a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and on roads, as ambulance and rescue crews are still unable to reach them. It added that the death toll since the ceasefire on October 11 has risen to 523 martyrs, with 1,433 injured, in addition to the recovery of 715 bodies.

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**3. Israel expels Doctors Without Borders from Gaza by late February, worsening healthcare collapse**

Israeli occupation authorities have decided to terminate the activities of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip and informed the organization that it must cease its humanitarian operations and leave the territory by February 28. The move threatens to deprive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of essential medical services amid the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
The decision, issued by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, was justified by the claim that the organization failed to provide lists of its Palestinian staff— a condition Israel imposed in recent months on humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza.

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**4. Settlers attack homes and disrupt schools in Qalqilya and the Jordan Valley**

Israeli settlers escalated their attacks across various areas of the West Bank, targeting civilians’ homes, educational facilities, and agricultural and grazing lands as part of ongoing pressure aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.
In Qalqilya Governorate, settlers from the “Havat Gilad” settlement attacked the home of citizen Hijazi Yamin on the eastern outskirts of the village of Far’ata, pelting it with stones and preventing his family of seven from leaving or moving, under the pretext of grazing sheep in the area.
In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers obstructed teaching staff at Al-Maleh School and attempted to prevent the start of the school day, according to Tubas Director of Education Azmi Balawneh.

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**5. Director of Gaza Cancer Center: 4,000 cancer patients urgently need travel for treatment via Rafah**

Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Nada, Director of the Gaza Cancer Center, warned that the continued closure of the Rafah Crossing to patients and the wounded is “dangerously worsening their health conditions and directly threatening their lives,” stressing that thousands of patients are now on the brink of losing their chance for treatment due to travel restrictions.
He said around 20,000 patients hold complete medical referrals and are awaiting permission to travel abroad for treatment, including approximately 4,000 cancer patients for whom no chemotherapy or radiotherapy is available inside the Gaza Strip.

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**6. Euro-Med: Experimental opening of Rafah Crossing without a clear mechanism entrenches occupation control**

Rami Abdu, head of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, warned of troubling implications of the experimental and partial opening of the Rafah land crossing without announcing a clear and transparent mechanism governing travel. He said the move reflects a fragile measure marked by repeated delays and entrenches full Israeli control over the crossing.
Abdu stressed that opening Rafah is an urgent demand to guarantee fundamental rights, including travel, healthcare, and education, but that talk of an experimental opening without clarifying travel criteria, registration mechanisms, or safe routes raises serious public concerns.

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**7. Al-Mezan: Ending Doctors Without Borders’ work is political blackmail threatening humanitarian action in Gaza**

Samir Zaqout, Deputy Director of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, said Israel’s decision to end the activities of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza and order it to stop work and leave by February 28 comes within a systematic policy of political blackmail and pressure against humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza.
Zaqout noted that the decision was expected, particularly after MSF retracted its previous agreement to provide Israeli forces with lists of its staff, addresses, and family information, explaining that this reversal came as a result of wide and mounting pressure.

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**8. Occupation forces issue demolition orders for 14 homes in Al-Bustan neighborhood, Silwan**

Israeli occupation forces issued immediate demolition orders for 14 homes in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, claiming they were built without permits.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the targeted homes house Jerusalemite families and are part of an Israeli plan to convert Al-Bustan lands into what occupation authorities call “biblical gardens,” in a blatant violation of property and housing rights.
The move threatens the fate of around 120 residents amid ongoing policies of land seizure, affecting homes that have existed for decades, despite residents paying tens of thousands of dollars in fines imposed by the occupation municipality.

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**European**

**9. European conference in Copenhagen: Gaza genocide exposes collapse of Western values**

Speakers and participants at a conference organized by the European Palestinian Network in Copenhagen affirmed that the ongoing genocide in Gaza since October 2023 has exposed Western double standards and the collapse of the moral system in applying international law, alongside an unprecedented rise in popular and humanitarian solidarity with the Palestinian people across Europe despite government silence.
The conference, titled “Solidarity Together for Humanity,” brought together more than 1,000 participants from 20 European countries, including former ministers, parliamentarians, academics, and human rights activists, as well as representatives of over 120 NGOs, reflecting growing European awareness of the Palestinian cause and a widening gap of trust between European societies and their governments.

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**10. Norwegian doctor bows in tribute to Gaza in Denmark**

“My students are from Gaza, and two of them were killed… Gaza is my heart.” Renowned Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert bowed to kiss the hand of Palestinian journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh before Al-Dahdouh gently withdrew it while holding Gilbert’s shoulder, during their meeting at the European Palestinian Network conference in Copenhagen.

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**11. Protest in Brussels demands opening Gaza crossings**

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the Belgian capital Brussels demanding the opening of Gaza crossings to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

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**12. Thousands march in Britain in support of Palestine and against occupation**

Accusing the government and media of complicity and silence, thousands of protesters marched in a massive demonstration in London demanding an end to British arms sales to the Israeli occupation and the cessation of any support that violates international law.

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**13. Rights activist Schweitzer highlights importance of boycott in confronting occupation**

Human rights activist Melanie Schweitzer stated during the European Palestinian Network conference that the boycott movement is among the most effective global tools of civil resistance against genocide and violations by the illegal occupation.
She explained that boycott is accessible to everyone, as it does not require street protests but begins with everyday consumer choices by refusing to purchase products that support the occupation.
She noted that the boycott movement is currently under increasing attack—particularly by Israel—where it is being criminalized in several countries in an attempt to silence one of the most effective tools used by global civil society to oppose occupation and decades-long policies of ethnic cleansing.

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**14. Mass solidarity march in Berlin condemning ongoing genocide in Gaza**

The “Palestine Alliance in Berlin” organized a large march through the streets of the German capital, with thousands participating in solidarity with Palestine, condemning the continued assault on Gaza and demanding an end to German military support for the occupation.
Participants raised Palestinian flags and large banners reading “Stop the Genocide” and “Freedom for Palestine.”
The alliance stressed in its statement that popular mobilization in German squares will continue until the genocidal war ends and the crime of starvation is stopped by lifting the siege on Gaza, emphasizing that “justice for Palestine is the key to peace in the region.”

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**15. Protest march in Ireland in support of Gaza condemning ongoing genocide**

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists from the BDS movement in Belfast, Northern Ireland, held a protest march demanding an end to ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
Protesters stated that violations have not stopped despite the “ceasefire agreement” entering into force on October 10, 2026, pointing to continued shelling of populated areas and further civilian casualties, including women and children.

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**16. Photos of Gaza martyrs adorn Brussels steps**

In a solidarity gesture, demonstrators in Brussels placed photos and names of Palestinians killed during the genocide in Gaza on the city’s iconic steps. The initiative aimed to highlight the suffering of Palestinian civilians, affirm international solidarity, and call on the global community to pressure the occupation to stop ongoing violations against civilians and human rights.

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**17. Solidarity march in Sydney rejecting upcoming visit of Israeli president**

Sydney’s central business district witnessed a solidarity march with Palestine—the first of its kind this year—with participation from activists, members of the Palestinian community, and supporters.
Speakers condemned the Australian government’s decision to invite Israeli President Isaac Herzog for an upcoming official visit, stating that the move contradicts human rights principles amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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**International**

**18. Oxford philosophy student appears in court over participation in pro-Palestine march**

Oxford University philosophy student Samuel Williams (20) appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on public-order charges related to his participation in a pro-Palestine march held in Whitehall.
Police allege that Williams appeared in a video chanting slogans described as “antisemitic,” claims he denies, asserting that he committed no crime or incited hatred and that his participation was an exercise of his legitimate right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian cause.
The charge was brought last year, and Williams appeared in court on Saturday afternoon without entering a formal plea, indicating his intention to plead not guilty at a later hearing.

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**19. Academics accuse Cambridge University of concealing arms-industry investments**

Academics at the University of Cambridge accused the university administration of excessive opacity regarding its endowment fund—valued at approximately £4.2 billion—and how it benefits from investments linked to the arms and defense sector.
The university’s governing council is set to meet next Monday to discuss a report on its financial ties to the defense industry, but senior staff have warned that a lack of transparency has prevented proper scrutiny due to the non-disclosure of company names.
The debate centers on the university endowment, established to ensure long-term financial stability and managed by Cambridge University Investment Management Limited (UCIM), a wholly owned private company operating under a complex “fund of funds” model.
The issue resurfaced after a 2024 sit-in by pro-Palestine students outside King’s College, demanding that the university sever financial ties with Israel. The protest ended after the university pledged to review its relationships with the arms and defense industry.

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**20. Lazzarini: Israeli violence in the West Bank has reached record levels amid international silence**

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank has reached “record levels,” describing it as a “silent Israeli war that has not received sufficient coverage.”
He explained that since October 2023, the West Bank has witnessed unprecedented escalation, resulting in the killing of more than 1,000 Palestinians—nearly a quarter of them children—amid increasing attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.
Lazzarini noted that this escalation over more than two years has led to the killing of 1,110 Palestinians, the injury of approximately 11,500 others, the arrest of more than 21,000 Palestinians, widespread home demolitions, forced displacement, and accelerated settlement expansion.