Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2358, Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

1. Gaza Health Ministry: Two martyrs and 11 injured in Gaza in 24 hours

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that over the past 24 hours, two martyrs and 11 injured individuals arrived at hospitals across the Strip.

The ministry noted that a number of victims are still under the rubble and on the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews remain unable to reach them.

It clarified that since the ceasefire on October 11, the total number of martyrs has reached 603, with 1,618 injured, and 726 bodies recovered.

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**2. Medical official: Gaza’s health system dismantled and hospitals turned into forced waiting stations**

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned of the dangerous and accelerating deterioration of the health situation in the territory, stating that it has reached catastrophic levels threatening the right to life and health for more than two million Palestinians, amid continued restrictions imposed on the health system and the targeting of its core components.

Mohammed Zaqout, Director General of Hospitals at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that what the Strip is experiencing is no longer a temporary health crisis, but rather the direct result of systematic Israeli policies that have dismantled the health system and turned the remaining functioning hospitals into forced waiting stations for thousands of patients and wounded individuals facing an unknown fate.

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**3. New testimonies from Ofer prisoners reveal a repressive propaganda display in occupation prisons**

New testimonies from Palestinian prisoners revealed details of a raid carried out by repression units at Ofer Prison, accompanied by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Hebrew media outlets. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club described the move as a “repressive display” within a systematic policy aimed at abusing prisoners and legitimizing violations against them.

Following a lawyer’s visit to several prisoners in Ofer Prison, the club said prisoners reported that the raid targeted Section 26 during the evening headcount, or what is known as the “security inspection.” The repression operation lasted about 15 minutes and involved police dogs and sound grenades, while numerous media outlets were present.

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**4. Stop-work and demolition notices target 60 homes and facilities in the West Bank and Jerusalem**

Israeli occupation forces issued stop-work orders for 60 homes and commercial facilities in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, citing construction without permits.

According to available information, the notices included 20 homes in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem, while Jerusalem municipality authorities distributed demolition notices for more than 40 facilities in the town of Anata. Meanwhile, occupation bulldozers demolished an agricultural room in the town of Shuqba in the Ramallah district, also under the pretext of lacking permits.

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**5. Doctors Without Borders: We have not been able to bring humanitarian supplies into Gaza since the beginning of the year**

The organization “Doctors Without Borders” announced that since the beginning of this year, it has been unable to deliver any aid or humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip due to Israeli restrictions, despite the ceasefire agreement being in effect.

Secretary-General Christopher Lockyear said in statements that the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation continues in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He pointed out that humanitarian needs are “enormous,” and what is required is not a reduction in the humanitarian response but a significant increase. He added that winter conditions have worsened chronic health problems among Palestinians in Gaza.

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**6. Occupation authorities extend detention of journalist Nisreen Salem**

Mohammad Mahmoud, lawyer for the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, said that Israeli occupation authorities extended the detention of journalist Nisreen Salem until next Thursday.

Mahmoud explained that the extension order was issued by an occupation court, without disclosing further details regarding the nature of the charges against her or the course of the investigation.

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**7. Jerusalem Governorate: Occupation prevents preparations at Al-Aqsa Mosque for Ramadan**

The Jerusalem Governorate reported that Israeli occupation authorities prevented the implementation of logistical plans to receive worshippers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and have issued more than 250 expulsion orders from the Noble Sanctuary since the beginning of the year, in an attempt to impose unilateral measures that contradict the historical and legal status quo.

The governorate stressed that all occupation measures in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites are null, void, and illegitimate under international law and relevant international resolutions.

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**8. Prisoners’ Club: Ben-Gvir stormed Ofer Prison and stepped on prisoners’ heads**

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “stepped on the heads” of Palestinian prisoners during a raid carried out last Friday at Israel’s Ofer Prison, based on prisoners’ testimonies.

The club explained that Israeli forces stormed “Section 26” during the evening security inspection, and the operation lasted about 15 minutes, during which sound grenades and police dogs were used, with extensive media presence. It added that Ben-Gvir delivered a speech containing provocative and insulting remarks against the prisoners, seeking to gain support from the Israeli public.

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**9. #Video… Undercover Israeli units violently arrest Palestinian youths in Jerusalem**

#Watch… They pulled them out of the car violently… Footage documents the moment an undercover Israeli unit arrested a group of youths inside their vehicle near the town of Al-Eizariya, east of Jerusalem.

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**European**

**10. #Video… Foreign singer protests arms exports to Israel in Australia**

#Watch… Singer “Mia Bloom” shuts down the Ferra weapons factory in Brisbane, calling on Australia to stop exporting weapons to Israel and to acknowledge its involvement in the genocide committed by the occupation against Palestinians.

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**11. London museum removes the name “Palestine” from Middle East maps**

The British archaeological museum in London, which houses artifacts brought from various parts of the world, removed the name “Palestine” from some maps and explanatory panels in its Middle East exhibits in response to complaints received by museum management.

According to a report, the move came following visitor surveys and concerns raised by the pro-Tel Aviv group “UK Lawyers for Israel,” based in Britain. The museum administration concluded that the word “Palestine” was not “appropriate as a historical geographical term” and therefore decided to remove it.

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**12. Canadian mobilization against summer camps raising funds for the Israeli army**

Pro-Palestine organizations in Canada launched a call for action under the slogan: “When children’s camps support a state committing genocide, it’s time for radical change,” demanding accountability for summer camps that they say are raising funds for the Israeli army.

In a joint statement, groups including the Boycott Movement in Canada said they identified at least 17 camps across the country organizing “war relief” campaigns to support occupation forces, arguing that this links child-focused activities to direct funding of a military institution accused of committing serious violations in Gaza.

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**13. Protest outside Google rejecting its support for the occupation in Britain**

The Palestinian Youth Movement in Britain participated in a day of action outside Google’s headquarters, reaffirming employees’ demands to end Google’s participation in “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion cloud services contract signed between Google, Amazon Web Services, and the Israeli government and military.

Speakers at the protest stressed that technology has become a central tool in surveillance and targeting systems, arguing that Project Nimbus provides data centers and cloud computing services used to monitor Palestinians and reinforce control over them. They also expressed support for Google employees who, according to them, face restrictions and silencing within the company, stating that their action aims to break the silence and demand an end to any technological role that contributes to entrenching the occupation or violating Palestinian rights.

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**International**

**14. Sanctions against Albanese a preemptive step to prevent holding U.S. officials accountable**

A Reuters investigation revealed the reason behind the insistence of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on applying “counterterrorism” sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine Francesca Albanese, following her investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The investigation explained that over the past year, Albanese sent confidential letters to more than 10 major American companies, including Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft, warning them that their names might be mentioned in an upcoming UN report due to their “contribution to serious human rights violations” in Gaza and the West Bank.

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**15. Global letter of support for Albanese… More than 100 artists confront pressure to remove her over Gaza stance**

More than one hundred prominent figures in the arts and entertainment fields signed an open letter supporting the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, in the face of growing calls for her resignation over her statements regarding the war in Gaza.

The letter, organized by the group “Artists for Palestine” and reported by Agence France-Presse, was signed by major cultural and artistic figures, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel Prize–winning author Annie Ernaux, British singer Annie Lennox, as well as a number of international artists, directors, and photographers.

The signatories affirmed in their letter that they offer their “full support to Francesca Albanese, a defender of human rights, and therefore of the Palestinian people’s right to exist,” stressing their rejection of the logic of force and calling for respect for international law and justice.