European-Palestinian Media Center (EPAL) Bulletin – Issue: 2593 – Date: Wednesday, 21/10/2026

1. Seven killed and others injured as violations by the occupation continue in the Gaza Strip

Seven citizens were killed and several others injured as a result of attacks and gunfire from Israeli occupation military vehicles in various parts of the Gaza Strip.

## 2. Gaza Civil Defense: Eight years will be needed to recover the bodies of martyrs from beneath the rubble

Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, said that efforts to search for the bodies of martyrs beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings are facing enormous difficulties. He noted that rescue teams have been unable to find any traces or remains of some bodies, which had reportedly “evaporated” due to the intensity of the bombardment.

Bassal explained that the Civil Defense will need approximately eight years to recover all the bodies from beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings, given the extensive destruction and the difficulty of accessing numerous locations.

## 3. Prisoners’ Media Office: Unexplained allergies and scabies worsen the suffering of detainees at “Jannot” prison

The Prisoners’ Media Office reported the spread of allergy symptoms of unknown origin among detainees at Jannot prison, alongside an increase in scabies cases and the ineffectiveness of available ointments in relieving the suffering of those affected.

The office explained that detainees suffering from scabies experience a recurrence of symptoms shortly after a temporary improvement. According to their accounts, the ointments provide only temporary relief without achieving lasting recovery, amid severe shortages of hygiene supplies and poor food quality.

## 4. Education Ministry: Five students killed amid a dangerous escalation in attacks targeting children in Gaza

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education warned of the serious consequences of continued attacks against school students and children in the Gaza Strip. The number of children killed in recent attacks has risen to five following the announcement of the death of Majd Mohammed Fakhri Hassan, who had not yet reached the age of fifteen.

The ministry stressed that the deaths of the five students in a series of successive incidents cannot be treated as an insignificant statistic in the daily news cycle. Rather, they represent a devastating human and educational loss and a violation of the rights of children who should be provided with protection and care and allowed to continue their education without fear of gunfire or bombardment.

## 5. Cuts to aid worsen Gaza’s economic crisis and threaten food security for half a million Palestinians

The Gaza Strip is entering an even more complex phase of its humanitarian and economic crisis following the World Food Programme’s decision to reduce assistance to approximately 500,000 Palestinians. The move threatens to exacerbate food insecurity and further weaken families’ purchasing power, as sources of income collapse and pressure on local markets continues.

In this context, economic analyst Ahmad Abu Qamar warned of the consequences of reducing humanitarian assistance and its impact on food security, consumption, and commercial activity, given that the majority of families in the Strip rely on aid to meet their basic needs.

# European News

## 6. Road to Rheinmetall’s Berlin weapons factory blocked over arms supplied to the occupation

Eleven activists from the “Pacifists Against Genocide” movement blocked the two supply routes leading to the new ammunition factory operated by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall in the Wedding district of Berlin, the German capital.

The action was part of a series of ongoing operations aimed at disrupting military production and the supply lines for weapons and ammunition designed to kill and intended to support the occupation.

## 7. Sánchez condemns international silence over the genocide in Gaza

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned what he described as the complete international silence surrounding the genocidal war being waged by the Israeli occupation system in the Gaza Strip, reiterating the slogan “No to war” in Gaza.

Speaking at a gathering of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, Sánchez criticized international actors who remain silent in the face of continuing Israeli crimes against civilians. He emphasized that Madrid would continue to defend the same humanitarian principles and international law without selective application or double standards, including in relation to Palestine.

## 8. Weapons factory supplying components for occupation aircraft and drones shut down

Activists from the “People Against Genocide” movement blocked the only entrance to the weapons factory operated by TT Electronics at the Eagle Technology complex in Rochdale, United Kingdom, in an effort to prevent its production lines from supplying military equipment to the Israeli army.

The activists took direct action to disrupt the facility, which manufactures and supplies vital components used in Israeli F-18 and F-35 fighter aircraft. The facility also provides spare parts for attack drones manufactured by Elbit Systems, described in the report as the largest manufacturer of weapons for the occupation.

## 9. TF1 journalists’ association condemns attacks on its crews following report on settlements

The journalists’ association of French television channel TF1 condemned a systematic campaign of harassment and assaults targeting its crews following the broadcast, on Wednesday, October 14, of a filmed report documenting the illegal expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The association expressed its full solidarity with all journalists and media professionals working in the field who face persecution and intimidation by Zionist groups seeking to conceal the occupation’s crimes and seize Palestinian land.

## 10. Scottish sports campaign opposes participation of occupation army soldiers in a bowling tournament

The Scottish campaign “Show Israel’s Genocide the Red Card” launched an intensive drive to organize in-person protests and digital pressure campaigns to prevent Israeli bowlers Daniel Alonim and Ido Iron from participating in a sporting tournament scheduled to take place in two weeks.

The campaign followed activists’ disclosure of Daniel Alonim’s military background. According to the report, he previously served as a soldier in the Israeli occupation army, which is accused of involvement in crimes of ethnic cleansing.

## 11. Belfast boycott campaign issues ultimatum to Home Bargains to stop selling products linked to the occupation

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in Belfast issued a firm ultimatum to the management of the well-known British retail chain Home Bargains, demanding the immediate cancellation of all contracts and the cessation of distribution of products manufactured in Israel. The campaign described the company as complicit in marketing goods from an illegal settlement enterprise.

The campaign stated that, over more than 1,000 days of continuous on-the-ground activity, its activists had worked to remove all Israeli consumer products from store shelves. The action was a response to the chain’s decision to maintain, according to the campaign, a wider range of occupation-linked products than any other major retailer.

## 12. Protests outside AIB bank in Ireland against planned deal with an Israeli company

Activists demonstrated outside an AIB bank branch in the town of Dundalk to protest the bank’s intention to enter into a technology agreement with a company founded by former soldiers from Israel’s military intelligence unit, “8200.”

The street demonstration coincided with the launch of a broad digital pressure campaign urging the public to send emails and repeatedly contact bank executives to demand that the agreement be rejected and a comprehensive boycott of companies linked to the occupation be implemented.

## 13. Protest in Canada targets Apple over alleged complicity in the genocidal war

Solidarity organizations in the Canadian city of Montreal announced plans for a large demonstration outside Apple’s flagship store to protest the technological and logistical partnership between the company and the Israeli occupation entity.

The event is scheduled for Friday, October 23, under the slogan “No to Blood Technology.” It is being jointly organized by the movements “Apple Against Apartheid” and “Palestine Will Live,” along with the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. The demonstration is set to coincide with the launch of the iPhone Duo.

# International News

## 14. Popular mobilization in Oakland seeks to blockade FedEx over shipments of weapons to the occupation

Human rights organizations and trade unions in Oakland, California, announced plans for a public forum and an organizing campaign targeting the international shipping company FedEx, in protest against its alleged direct involvement in transporting weapons components and military equipment to the Israeli occupation army.

The event is being organized by the “18 Million Rising” movement, the “Oakland for an Arms Embargo” coalition, and the Palestinian Feminist Collective. It coincides with the third anniversary of the ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

## 15. Activists damage a Capital One branch in New York over its alleged financing of an Israeli arms company

Activists from the Palestine Action movement smashed the windows of a Capital One bank branch in Manhattan, New York, and completely blocked its entrances, disrupting its business operations in protest against its military financing of the occupation.

The protesters sprayed symbolic red paint, representing the blood of Palestinians, on the interior and exterior walls of the building located on East 86th Street. They also painted graffiti calling on the bank’s management to immediately sever its ties with the occupation and withdraw its investments, under the slogan “Kick Out Elbit.”

## 16. Washington pursues legal action against activists who disrupted production lines at an Israeli arms company

The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ordered two pro-Palestinian activists to appear secretly before a federal grand jury in New Hampshire for questioning over allegations related to targeting the military manufacturing system supplying the occupation.

The legal proceedings concern activists Sophie Ross and Bridget Shargalies, who had already served two months in prison after being convicted of blocking the gates of an Elbit Systems weapons factory. Their action aimed to disrupt supplies of ammunition to the Israeli army for use in the genocidal war and ethnic cleansing operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

## 17. Lazzarini warns that Gaza’s population could face a fate similar to that of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas

Former Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned that the people of the Gaza Strip could face a fate similar to that of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas unless the international community takes action, as Israeli attacks continue and living conditions in the territory deteriorate.

Lazzarini said: “In Gaza, we know that it is already too late, and if we do not act, the people of Gaza could face a fate similar to that of the Indigenous peoples of America.”

## 18. Hind Rajab Foundation calls for the arrest of an occupation military commander in the United States

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) submitted an urgent request to the United States Department of Justice, calling for an official investigation into Sean Glass, a military commander in the Israeli occupation army who is currently in the United States. The foundation also called for his arrest and prosecution on charges related to war crimes and genocide during the offensive against the Gaza Strip.

The foundation stated that Glass commanded a unit known as the “Vampire Empire Company,” which belongs to the 52nd Armored Battalion of the Israeli army’s 401st Brigade.

## 19. UN: Settler violence is pushing the West Bank toward a hunger crisis

Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, warned that violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank is turning a human rights and security crisis into a hunger crisis.

During field visits, he reported seeing burned olive groves and farms that had been abandoned.

Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Skau said that food insecurity in the West Bank had more than doubled over the past three years and that approximately one million Palestinians currently need food assistance.

## 20. South African trade union federation pledges support for a global energy embargo against the occupation

The Congress of South African Trade Unions renewed its full commitment to boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) measures, pledging to support and advance a global energy embargo against the Israeli regime.

The federation, described in the report as the first trade union organization in the world to endorse the boycott movement, announced this position at its latest congress. The aim is to isolate and disrupt the vital energy supply lines serving the occupation.