Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2444, Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

1. 3 martyrs in Gaza amid escalating Israeli ceasefire violations**

Israeli occupation forces continue heavy shelling and gunfire in several areas of the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing violations of the ceasefire and truce agreement.
Three civilians were killed after Israeli aircraft targeted a civilian vehicle on Al-Nasr Street west of Gaza City.
A medical source at Al-Shifa Hospital reported that three civilians were killed and others injured in a strike by an Israeli drone on a civilian car in the Al-Nasr neighborhood west of Gaza.

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**2. Warning over an Israeli plan to seize Palestinian properties in Bab al-Silsila**

The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the Israeli government had approved a plan aimed at evicting Palestinians from their homes and businesses in the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, in preparation for seizing properties in the area as part of a Judaization policy targeting Jerusalem’s Old City.
The governorate stated that the plan is based on a recommendation issued by former Israeli Minister of “Jerusalem and Heritage” Meir Porush to activate a government decision dating back to 1968, under the pretext of what Israel calls “strengthening Jewish control and security.”

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**3. Injuries and settler attacks targeting Palestinian lands and communities**

Various areas across the West Bank witnessed a series of attacks carried out by settlers under the protection of Israeli forces, including assaults on civilians, destruction of agricultural lands, and raids on Palestinian communities in Ramallah, Hebron, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
East of Ramallah, settlers stormed the Abu Faza’ al-Kaabneh community and released a herd of camels into agricultural lands, causing damage to residents’ property, according to the Al-Baydar human rights organization.
In southern Hebron, armed settlers assaulted residents in the Wadi al-Rakhim community west of the village of Susiya and grazed their livestock in wheat and barley fields, damaging farmland and injuring farmer Mohammad Shnaran with bruises and contusions.

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**4. Israeli court orders return of displaced residents from two villages in Masafer Yatta**

The Israeli Supreme Court ordered occupation authorities to allow the return of Palestinians forcibly displaced from the villages of Al-Samri and Al-Rakeez al-Fouqa in the Masafer Yatta area south of the West Bank, after they had been displaced due to settler attacks during 2022 and 2023.
Six Palestinian families, comprising around 60 individuals, had been forced to leave Khirbet Al-Samri in late 2022, while four other families were displaced from Khirbet Al-Rakeez al-Fouqa under pressure from ongoing settler attacks and harassment.

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**5. #Video.. Settler attacks target both people and animals in the West Bank**

#Watch… Israeli settlers continue escalating their attacks in the occupied West Bank. Footage shows an armed settler abducting an elderly Palestinian man and blindfolding him under the protection of Israeli occupation forces in the village of Beit Iksa north of Jerusalem.
In a separate incident, another settler attacked a guard dog in the town of Atara north of Ramallah before the animal was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment.

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**6. #Video.. Settlers set fire to a mosque and vehicles in Ramallah**

#Watch… Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and several vehicles and attacked Palestinian homes in the village of Jibiya northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank.

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*European*

**7. #Video.. Palestinian flag raised on the Eiffel Tower in Paris**

#Watch… Activists raised the Palestinian flag on the Eiffel Tower in Paris in support of the Palestinian people and in protest against the Israeli war on Gaza and violations in the West Bank, on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.

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**8. Massive march in London commemorating the Nakba and supporting Gaza**

Central London witnessed one of the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations in months, coinciding with the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, amid an unprecedented security deployment and a parallel demonstration by far-right supporters led by British activist Tommy Robinson under the slogan “Unite the Kingdom.”
The streets of central London turned into what resembled a security fortress after the Metropolitan Police deployed around 4,000 officers supported by helicopters, drones, mounted units, police dogs, and armored vehicles, in addition to using live facial recognition technology to prevent clashes between the simultaneous demonstrations.

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**9. German intelligence places symbols of solidarity with Palestine under suspicion**

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the domestic intelligence agency, sparked widespread controversy after claiming that some symbols used in pro-Palestinian events, such as the watermelon, may be linked to “antisemitic” rhetoric.
The claims appeared in an 80-page booklet published Thursday titled “Hidden Messages: Antisemitic Symbols and Codes.”
The report alleged that the watermelon slice symbol could be interpreted as indicating “extremism and denial of Israel’s right to exist.” According to the report, the octopus symbol is used to represent the “global Jewish conspiracy theory.”

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**10. Official event inside the Portuguese Parliament for the first time since recognition of Palestine**

The event witnessed broad participation from members of the diplomatic corps and lawmakers from various political parties, including the ruling party.
The head of the parliamentary friendship group, MP Jorge Pinto, emphasized the importance of respecting international law and supporting Palestinian rights.
Palestinian Ambassador Rowan Suleiman highlighted in her speech the ongoing Nakba and the systematic destruction and aggression faced by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, alongside the screening of the documentary “My Mother Returning to Jaffa” by director Carol Mansour to preserve Palestinian memory and narrative against attempts at erasure by the occupation.

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**11. Spanish Culture Minister condemns European Broadcasting Union’s handling of Israel’s Eurovision participation**

Minister Ernest Urtasun accused the organizers of the festival in Vienna of double standards and contradiction after excluding Russia because of the war in Ukraine while allowing Israel to use the event as cover for what he described as major crimes.
Urtasun also expressed pride in Spain’s decision to fully boycott the competition and refrain from broadcasting it on television, alongside Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands.

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**12. Global campaign to boycott the Israeli Medical Association over complicity in the war of extermination**

The campaign led by “Doctors for Gaza” organizations in the Netherlands, the BDS movement, and healthcare workers for Palestine in Spain gathered signatures from more than 500 doctors, including Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta.
Organizers of the “Public Health Month” campaign announced a large online seminar on May 30 with the participation of national medical associations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Palestine for the official launch of the campaign and to confront the Israeli association’s violations of the Geneva and Tokyo declarations of the World Medical Association.

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**13. Calls on the BBC to boycott the Eurovision final**

The Scottish Green Party called on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to immediately withdraw and boycott broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest final scheduled to take place Saturday in Vienna.
Party co-leader Ross Greer sent a strongly worded official letter to BBC interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies urging him to take an ethical stance against a state accused internationally of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

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**14. Belgium’s Ghent University withdraws from European projects due to Israeli partners**

Ghent University president Petra De Sutter announced that the university would withdraw from the last five research projects under the Horizon Europe program involving Israeli partners, following increasing pressure and criticism over delays in implementing a withdrawal decision first announced in 2024.
De Sutter said the university would use the same mechanism previously employed to withdraw from the “Osteonet” project, allowing it to exit projects without unilaterally terminating contracts or facing major financial penalties.
She added that the decision had already cost the university several research partnerships, funding opportunities, and PhD opportunities, stating: “We have already lost many partnerships.”

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**15. Sánchez on boycotting Eurovision over Israel: “Silence is not an option”**

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended his country’s decision to boycott the current Eurovision edition because of Israel’s participation, saying Spain stands “on the right side of history” and “cannot remain silent” regarding the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sánchez stated before the contest’s final in Vienna that Spain’s absence from Eurovision this year reflects its commitment to human rights and international law.

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*International*

**16. Global poll ranks Israel among the world’s most disliked countries after the Gaza war**

A poll conducted by the “Nira Data” institute for 2026 ranked Israel as the most disliked country in the world, surpassing North Korea, Afghanistan, and Iran in negative perception.
The survey included 46,667 respondents evaluating 129 countries and indicated growing international isolation of Israel due to the war in Gaza, policies of starvation and forced displacement, and escalating crimes in the occupied West Bank.

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**17. Protest at the University of California commemorating the Nakba and condemning the war of extermination**

Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California organized an event marking the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and condemning the ongoing war of extermination that has reportedly killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Participants faced a heavy deployment of riot police. The event included symbolic reenactments representing the bodies of martyrs and the distribution of cardboard keys symbolizing the right of return, amid chants accusing the university administration of complicity in genocide.

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**18. Sit-in outside Pennsylvania senator’s office over support for arming Israel**

Activists from the organization Code Pink and Pennsylvania residents organized a sit-in outside the office of Senator John Fetterman to protest his continued support for arming Israel and escalating aggression against Iran.
Protesters said Fetterman had abandoned his promises regarding healthcare, housing, and peace in favor of continued support for military aid, bombs, and bulldozers while Palestinians in Gaza face famine under siege.

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**19. Israeli incitement campaign against an American billionaire and his wife over alleged funding of pro-Palestinian protests**

The platform “Stop Antisemitism” is leading a wide incitement campaign against Nakba commemoration demonstrations taking place in various cities around the world, describing the popular movement condemning Israeli crimes as “chaos and distortion.”
Earlier, the American Fox network accused the couple of funding “The People’s Forum,” described as a group supporting the working class and marginalized communities, which has played a role in organizing numerous pro-Palestinian protests since October 7.

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**20. Zionist campaign targets a teacher in Texas**

The platform “Stop Antisemitism” launched an incitement campaign against English teacher Sherry Smith at Plano West High School in Texas after she allowed a graduating student to display the slogan “From the river to the sea.”
The platform claimed that displaying the slogan during a graduation celebration constituted “a call to erase the state” and “a threat to student safety.”

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**21. Steadfastness Flotilla continues sailing toward Gaza despite Israeli threats**

The Global Steadfastness Flotilla continues its maritime journey toward the Gaza Strip to break the blockade, with participants insisting they will continue their mission despite threats by Israeli authorities to intercept the ships and prevent them from reaching Gaza.
Al Jazeera reported through its correspondent aboard one of the flotilla ships in the Mediterranean Sea that activists and supporters consider the Israeli threats expected and repetitive, emphasizing that such warnings will not force them to abandon the voyage.