Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2359, Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

1. Child Killed and Injuries in Israeli Airstrikes and Gunfire on Gaza

Israeli occupation forces continue to violate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip for the 129th consecutive day, through repeated field escalations including artillery shelling, airstrikes, and gunfire in various areas of the Strip. This has increased the number of casualties and entrenched a fragile security reality in which the ceasefire has become meaningless.

Medical sources reported that a child was killed and another injured in an Israeli strike targeting Jabalia al-Balad camp in northern Gaza.

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**2. Settler Violence Forces 15 Families to Displace from Bedouin Community in the Jordan Valley**

Palestinian families were forced to flee the Al-Burj Bedouin community in the northern Jordan Valley in the West Bank after escalating settler attacks, in the latest wave of forced displacement affecting Bedouin communities there.

Moataz Bisharat, the official in charge of the settlement file in Tubas and the Jordan Valley, said that 15 families, totaling around 100 individuals—most of them women, children, and the elderly—dismantled their homes and were forcibly displaced from the community. The displacement followed repeated attacks that included burning homes, stealing property and livestock, and assaulting residents.

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**3. Sheikh Sabri: “Temple Groups” Racing Against Time to Impose Control Over Al-Aqsa**

The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, stated that the Israeli occupation’s arbitrary measures against Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of the holy month of Ramadan represent an aggressive and illegal action that contradicts freedom of worship and international law.

Sheikh Sabri explained that before Ramadan, occupation authorities began issuing notices to dozens of Jerusalemite youths banning them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, in what he described as an illegal measure.

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**4. Occupation Decides to Seize 286 Square Meters of Land in Beit Hanina, Jerusalem**

Israeli occupation authorities issued an order to seize 286 square meters of land in the town of Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate stated that the Israeli army announced, under a “land seizure order,” the confiscation of approximately 286 square meters of land in Beit Hanina under the pretext of “military purposes.” The targeted land lies within the annexation and expansion wall area in the Al-Barid suburb, opposite the Al-Ram checkpoint.

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**5. #Video… Occupation Armored Vehicle Chases Journalists in Jenin**

Watch: While covering a raid on the town of Al-Yamoun, an Israeli occupation armored vehicle of the “Eitan” type chased Palestinian journalists as they were working west of Jenin city in the northern occupied West Bank.

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**6. #Video… Palestinian’s Hands Tied and Eyes Blindfolded with a Medical Splint in the West Bank**

Watch: Footage documents occupation soldiers handcuffing an unarmed Palestinian and blindfolding him with a medical splint before taking him from Masafer Yatta in the West Bank to an unknown location.

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**7. #Video… Settlers Burn Palestinian Sheep Alive in the West Bank**

Watch: Leaving no living animal untouched, settlers burned an entire sheep farm belonging to Palestinians in the town of As-Samu, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.

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**8. #Video… New Massacre Amid Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza**

Watch: “They were returning home”… Palestinians mourned the bodies of three martyrs from one family, including a child, after an occupation strike targeted them in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza Strip, in a continued series of massacres despite the ceasefire.

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## *European*

**9. Palestinian Sports Coalition Files Lawsuit Against FIFA and UEFA at the International Criminal Court**

A Palestinian coalition has placed global football leaders under judicial scrutiny, as 16 Palestinian entities—including clubs, players, and landowners—submitted an official complaint to the International Criminal Court.

The lawsuit directly targets FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, accusing them of “complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

The case centers on the role of the two organizations in legitimizing sports activities in settlements, as they allow 11 Israeli clubs to operate on occupied land in the West Bank.

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**10. #Video… Protest at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in Solidarity with Palestine**

Pro-Palestinian activists from the group Comunitat Palestina Catalunya protested in front of the Israeli pavilion at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain—the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile phone and telecommunications industry, gathering companies and government entities from around the globe.

They opposed the participation of companies and entities linked to the occupation and called for an end to complicity with the occupation and violations against Palestinians.

Protesters reported that Mossos d’Esquadra police intervened to disperse demonstrators and identify some of them, despite the Catalan Parliament having approved Resolution 341/XV urging the Barcelona exhibition not to allow pavilions for the Israeli government or complicit companies.

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**11. European Boycott Forces Eurovision to Cancel Its Tour Over Israel’s Participation**

The European Broadcasting Union announced the cancellation of the “European Tour” for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 following growing objections to Israel’s participation in the competition.

The decision came after five European countries announced their boycott of the event in protest against allowing Israel to participate amid the ongoing war in Gaza and the thousands of civilian casualties and severe humanitarian crisis.

The boycotting countries considered that maintaining Israel’s participation ignores the scale of humanitarian suffering and violations against Palestinians.

The European Tour had been one of the main promotional events for this year’s contest and was scheduled to take place after the main event next May, but mounting boycott campaigns and public pressure led the Union to cancel it.

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**12. Ireland’s Sinn Féin Party Boycotts White House Celebrations in Protest Against Supporters of Genocide**

The Irish party Sinn Féin announced it will not participate in St. Patrick’s Day events for the second consecutive year, protesting the ongoing war in Gaza and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Strip and the West Bank.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald stated that the decision aligns with the party’s position calling for respect for international law and an end to violations.

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## *International*

**13. Protest Against Oil Exports to the Occupation Coinciding with Israel’s Participation in Mobile Conference in Turkey and Spain**

Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Barcelona in front of Israel’s pavilion at the Mobile World Congress, while at the same time activists organized a demonstration in Çanakkale, off the Turkish coast, opposing the passage of the oil tanker “Nissos Christiana” bound for Israeli ports, calling for an end to any cooperation supporting the Israeli occupation.

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**14. Smotrich Calls for Occupying Gaza; Lapid Describes His Statements as Delusions**

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich renewed his call to occupy the Gaza Strip and establish a military government there. His remarks were criticized by opposition leader Yair Lapid, who described the proposals as “delusional.”

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Smotrich said during a press conference that the objective is to occupy Gaza, establish a military government, set up Israeli settlements in the Strip, and encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents.