
Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2444, Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2444, Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
1. 7 martyrs in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip amid continued ceasefire violations
At least 7 civilians were killed and others injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting various areas across the Gaza Strip, including one martyr who succumbed to his wounds in the northern part of the territory.
Local sources confirmed the arrival of a martyr at Al-Maamadani Hospital after being shot by an Israeli crane east of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
The occupation army continues to violate the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which has been in effect since last October.
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2. Palestinian human rights activist: Occupation killed 244 children in the West Bank since October 2023
Palestinian human rights activist Aed Abu Qteish said that Israel has killed 244 children in the occupied West Bank since October 2023 until today, noting that the absence of accountability gives Israeli soldiers a “green light” to continue their violations.
On May 13, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated in a press release that “children are paying an unbearable price” due to escalating military operations and settler attacks throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
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3. Settler attacks and demolition notices target Salfit and Bethlehem
Israeli settlers and occupation forces have escalated their attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank through land bulldozing and tree cutting, in addition to issuing stop-work and construction orders in Bethlehem Governorate.
In Salfit Governorate, settlers cut down around 150 fruit trees on lands belonging to the village of Yasouf east of the governorate after storming the “Al-Nasba” area.
In the same context, Israeli occupation forces issued stop-work and construction orders for 10 homes, including inhabited houses, in the town of Battir west of Bethlehem.
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4. Jerusalem Governorate: Converting the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah into military facilities violates international law
The Jerusalem Governorate said that the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of a new colonial plan to establish a museum for the occupation army, a recruitment office, and headquarters for the “Israeli Ministry of Defense” on the ruins of the UNRWA complex in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem constitutes a dangerous escalation, a blatant violation of international law, and a clear infringement on the immunities and privileges of United Nations organizations.
The governorate stressed that this attack represents a grave breach of all international laws and norms and a clear violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
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5. Palestine Center: Solitary confinement of minors is worsening and threatening their health
The Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies stated that minors in occupation prisons are subjected to an escalating policy of abuse and punishment, most notably solitary confinement for periods that may extend for months under harsh and inhumane conditions, causing psychological and physical illnesses.
The center’s director, researcher Riyad Al-Ashqar, explained that minors detained in juvenile sections of Ofer and Megiddo prisons, along with dozens in detention and interrogation centers, face retaliatory measures including overcrowding in rooms and cells, deprivation of visits, medical negligence, intensified raids and searches, reduced food quantities, and the increasingly widespread use of solitary confinement.
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6. #Video.. Israeli female soldier expels Palestinians from their land in the Jordan Valley
#Watch… She placed the barrel of her rifle against the body of a Palestinian man… A female soldier in the Israeli occupation army expels Palestinian citizens from their land in the Jordan Valley and prevents them from documenting the ongoing violations committed against them.
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*European*
7. #Video… Symbolic exhibition in Germany portrays the shrouds of Gaza’s martyrs
#Watch… Passersby were left shocked and stunned… A symbolic exhibition in a German street depicts the shrouds of child martyrs in the Gaza Strip.
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8. #Video.. Mexico City and Toronto commemorate the Nakba
#Watch… They chanted in support of Palestine and raised Palestinian flags and banners… Two demonstrations were held to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba in Mexico City, Mexico, and Toronto, Canada.
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9. Spanish actor Bardem: The Nakba has not ended and Israel is practicing ethnic cleansing and apartheid
Spanish actor Javier Bardem said that “the Palestinian Nakba has not ended,” but continues today in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the “genocide” in Gaza and “ethnic cleansing and apartheid system” in the occupied West Bank.
Bardem’s remarks came in a recorded message shown during an event at the United Nations headquarters and published by the Permanent Mission of Palestine to the UN on the platform X, coinciding with the screening of the Oscar-nominated film “The One Left Behind,” which addresses the Palestinian cause.
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10. Palestinian flag raised during the Eurovision final in protest against Israeli participation
The finals witnessed widespread protests inside the venue against the Israeli occupation representative, alongside massive demonstrations in the streets of Vienna, Austria’s capital, calling for banning the occupation and preventing it from using the artistic platform to whitewash its ongoing crimes in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
Angry reactions escalated, making this year’s contest the largest official boycott in decades, as five countries completely withdrew: Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland, protesting the continuation of the genocidal war and the organizers’ complicity in giving a platform to the perpetrator.
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11. Quarter of a million protesters in London and global anger on Nakba anniversary
Several cities around the world witnessed demonstrations, including around a quarter of a million protesters in London, along with marches in Sweden, France, Turkey, Austria, Canada, and Norway rejecting the war on Gaza.
Germany also recorded police assaults on demonstrators during pro-Palestine protests, in a repeated escalation against the popular movement.
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12. Storming of Lockheed Martin headquarters and protests against an Irish party accused of complicity in arming the occupation
Activists from the “Somer Mob” movement occupied the headquarters of Lockheed Martin in Virginia in protest against supplying the occupation with weapons used in Gaza, including F-35 fighter jets.
In Dublin, activists faced repression from the Irish police (Garda) during protests against the conference of the “Fianna Fáil” party after attempting to denounce its complicity in the war on Gaza.
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13. International Criminal Court denies issuing new arrest warrants against Israeli officials
The International Criminal Court denied the accuracy of a report published by Haaretz newspaper claiming that new arrest warrants had been issued against five Israeli political and military officials over accusations of crimes against Palestinians.
Court spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah stated in a press briefing that the newspaper report was “inaccurate,” confirming that the court denies issuing any new arrest warrants “under the current situation in the State of Palestine.”
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*International*
14. Disruption of the IDEB Defense and Security Exhibition in Slovakia over presence of Israeli companies
The IDEB Defense and Security Exhibition, one of Central Europe’s leading arms fairs, witnessed protests by activists against the presence of military manufacturing companies including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Lockheed Martin, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems due to their involvement in the assault on Gaza.
Activists said their participation aimed to highlight the role of these companies in arming the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an end to arms trade with the occupation.
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15. Storming of Lockheed Martin in Virginia over involvement in genocide in Gaza
Protesters stormed the main lobby of the American company’s building during the Nakba anniversary to disrupt military support fueling the ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
Activists stressed that this action comes in rejection of the company’s profits derived from manufacturing and designing fighter jets and weapons sent to the Israeli occupation to commit massacres, emphasizing that there can be no neutrality toward entities contributing to genocide and ethnic cleansing.
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16. Massive demonstrations in world capitals condemning the genocidal war
The British capital London witnessed a huge march involving 250,000 protesters demanding an end to arming the occupation, alongside similar demonstrations in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Oslo, Stockholm, and Toronto calling for breaking the siege and supporting the resistance.
In Turkey, students at Istanbul Bilgi University organized a protest condemning a law concerning the execution of Palestinian prisoners amid Western media harassment and restrictions, highlighted by an attempt by a journalist from the German newspaper Bild to provoke demonstrators in Berlin.
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17. #Video.. Palestinian flag raised in the American city of Chicago
#Watch… Under the slogan “From Chicago to Palestine: We Remember, We Rise”… The Palestinian flag was raised at Daley Plaza in Chicago, USA, during the celebration of the fifth anniversary of raising the Palestinian flag.
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18. “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” wins Best Film at the Arab Critics Awards
The film “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” by Palestinian twin directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser won the Best Film award at the 10th edition of the Arab Critics Awards for Arab Films, announced on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film was screened last year in the “Un Certain Regard” section, where it won the Best Director award, and presents a unique treatment within a Palestinian context set in Gaza in 2007.
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19. UN spokesperson: Israel practices systematic torture against Palestinian prisoners
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the torture and mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel is “unacceptable,” calling for independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all cases of death, torture, mistreatment, and inhumane treatment.
The statements were made by spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan in response to a report by The New York Times revealing that Palestinian detainees, including children, had been subjected to sexual assaults and rape allegedly committed by Israeli soldiers, prison guards, and settlers.
