Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2501, Date: Friday, July 17, 2026

1. Five killed as Israeli attacks resume across Gaza
Five Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces renewed attacks on various areas of the Gaza Strip, while violations of the ceasefire continue.
A medical source reported that Anas Mahmoud Ahmad Hamdan was killed and five others, including a woman and a child, were injured after an Israeli drone targeted a jeep near the Asdaa area west of Khan Younis.

Another medical source said that Nihad Riyad Aruqi was killed and several others were injured on Thursday morning after Israeli aircraft struck a tent sheltering displaced people in the port area west of Gaza City.

2. Likud ministers and Knesset members call for escalating incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and closing it
Ministers and members of the Knesset from the Likud party called for intensified incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque during a conference organized by the so-called “Temple Mount Administration” in Jerusalem, marking what it described as “a decade of positive change” at the site and the 59th anniversary of its occupation, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The newspaper quoted Knesset Deputy Speaker Nissim Vaturi as saying that Al-Aqsa Mosque should be closed to Arabs “until we reach the only acceptable status quo here, where Jews can freely visit the site every day. If we cannot enter freely, then no one should.”

3. Dr. Abu Safiya appeals to the world to save him from Israeli prisons
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been detained in Israeli prisons since December 2024, said he continues to endure harsh detention conditions in the underground “Rakefet” prison facility and called for efforts to secure his release by any possible means.
During a visit by his lawyer Nasser Odeh and attorney Tamir Blank, legal adviser to Physicians for Human Rights, Abu Safiya said that the conditions he had previously described remain unchanged.

4. “They confiscated the Qur’ans from the cells” – Shocking testimony from prisoner Shahd Adi reveals abuse at Damon Prison
Human rights organizations released a disturbing testimony from detained nurse Shahd Mohammed Ahmad Adi (23), from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, describing escalating retaliation and inhumane abuses against female Palestinian prisoners held in Damon Prison.
According to her testimony, prison authorities confiscated copies of the Qur’an, subjected detainees to severe physical assaults, and intimidated them using police dogs.

She also described how prisoners were brought to family visits: one was blindfolded with a used black garbage bag, while another was forced to wear an old medical mask that had been reused many times, describing the treatment as a deliberate humiliation of Palestinian women prisoners.

5. Escalating attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank
Cities and towns throughout the occupied West Bank witnessed a sharp escalation of Israeli military raids and settler attacks, particularly in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Bethlehem.
Clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in Qarawat Bani Zeid village northwest of Ramallah.

In East Jerusalem, confrontations broke out in Anata, where Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians.

In Hebron, a man and a woman were injured after being assaulted by Israeli settlers in Masafer Yatta, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

6. Israeli settler runs over a child in Hebron
A six-year-old Palestinian boy, Mokhles Ammar Mahmoud Al-Salaymeh, was injured after being struck by a vehicle driven by an Israeli settler near Checkpoint 160 at the entrance to Al-Salaymeh neighborhood in Hebron’s Old City.
7. Death follows unborn babies as Gaza records unprecedented decline in births
Maternity wards and morgues across Gaza are witnessing another tragic chapter of the humanitarian crisis, as the impact of the war extends beyond direct killings to threaten pregnancies and future generations.
Pregnant women living in displacement camps under extremely difficult conditions face serious risks to their own lives and those of their unborn children.

Medical teams report an unprecedented rise in miscarriages, congenital birth defects, and fetal deaths, raising fears of an emerging demographic catastrophe.

8. Rights report: Israel reinforces forced displacement by preventing women and elderly people from returning to Gaza
The Gaza Center for Human Rights condemned the continued policies of the Israeli authorities preventing Palestinian residents from returning to their homes in the Gaza Strip.
The organization said these restrictions particularly affect women, children, patients, and elderly people, reflecting an escalating policy aimed at restricting the right of return, deepening family separation, and entrenching forced displacement.

The center said it has recently documented an increasing number of testimonies indicating that Gaza residents are denied permission to return under so-called “security rejections” after lengthy screening procedures involving the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo or private coordination companies.

9. Gaza Medical Relief warns of chickenpox outbreak amid vaccine shortages
Bassam Zaqout, Director of Medical Relief in Gaza, warned of the dangerous spread of chickenpox among children in overcrowded displacement camps.
He described Gaza’s health situation as unprecedented amid the ongoing Israeli offensive and blockade, noting that medical teams are recording approximately 5,000 new chickenpox cases every week.

10. Video: Israeli settlers set Palestinian vehicles on fire in Tulkarm
Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned vehicles during an attack on the village of Ramin, east of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.
11. Video: Palestinian women flee Israeli airstrike
Palestinian women were seen running for safety after an Israeli airstrike struck near them in the Gaza Strip as part of a series of attacks targeting different areas across the enclave.
Europe
12. Organizations launch international appeal from Paris demanding Abu Safiya’s release
Human rights organizations and solidarity groups in Paris launched an urgent international appeal calling for the immediate release of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
A joint statement by the “Campaign to Support Prisoners and Medical Personnel” condemned what it described as the systematic abduction, torture, and abuse of Palestinian doctors detained by Israeli authorities.

13. University of Melbourne imposes tighter restrictions on campus protests
The University of Melbourne has adopted stricter regulations governing protests on campus.
Vice-Chancellor Glen Davis acknowledged before Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion that the measures were introduced following the 2024 protest encampments, during which students demanded that the university sever academic and financial ties with Israel and arms manufacturers.

He also confirmed ongoing security coordination with Victoria Police despite acknowledging that the protests had not violated the law.

14. German activist files lawsuit accusing Israeli prison guards of rape
Anna Liedtke, a member of the Freedom Flotilla, has filed a criminal complaint against the Israeli authorities, alleging that she was raped and sexually assaulted by female guards at Givon Prison.
The complaint, submitted through her lawyer Mona Haddad, alleges that the 25-year-old endured torture and systematic abuse during five days of detention after Israeli forces intercepted the humanitarian aid ship she was aboard in international waters on October 8.

15. Activists blockade Leonardo weapons factory in Edinburgh over F-35 components supplied to Israel
Activists launched a direct blockade of the Leonardo arms factory in Edinburgh, Scotland, calling for a public embargo on arms sales to Israel.
The protest targeted the factory because it manufactures key components for F-35 fighter jets, which activists say are used in Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

16. UK court orders Palestinian legal center to pay costs in favor of Israeli soldier
A British court ordered a Palestinian legal center to pay legal costs after rejecting its request to summon an Israeli soldier for prosecution under the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870.
The judge ruled that the legislation does not apply to dual nationals and criticized the legal team’s interpretation of the law, also citing a failure to meet its duty of candor before the court.

International
17. Speech by U.S. arms company CEO disrupted over profits from wars
The U.S. peace organization Code Pink confronted Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden during the Axios America 250 Forum, accusing the company of profiting from wars in Gaza, Iran, and elsewhere.
The protest came as the U.S. Congress considered a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget that includes billions of dollars for major defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, whose CEO reportedly earns around $24 million annually.

18. United Airlines forces Palestinian passenger to remove shirt criticizing bombing of children
United Airlines staff allegedly threatened to remove Palestinian-American passenger Sam Saadeh from a flight traveling from Atlanta to Newark because he was wearing a shirt reading:
“Bombing children is not self-defense.”

According to Saadeh, airline supervisors told him he had to remove or change the shirt or his ticket would be canceled, describing the message as offensive.

19. Israeli campaign targets U.S. academic who opposed the war and supported Palestine
The pro-Israel organization StopAntisemitism launched a public campaign against Greek-American academic Elektra Kostopoulou, who teaches at Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
The organization criticized her social media posts, particularly her statements questioning the legitimacy of the State of Israel and opposing what she described as the politicization of antisemitism accusations to silence criticism of Israeli policies.

20. Video: Rally in New York calls for release of Palestinian doctors
A solidarity demonstration was held outside the New York Public Library calling for the release of Palestinian physician Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya and hundreds of Palestinian medical workers detained by Israeli authorities.
The event was attended by human rights advocates and medical professionals campaigning against the war and in support of Palestinian detainees.