Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2296, Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

1. Prisoners’ institutions: 9,300 Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails, including dozens of women**

Palestinian prisoners’ institutions reported that the Israeli occupation authorities are detaining around 9,300 Palestinian prisoners in their prisons, most of whom are detainees and administrative detainees.
The statement, based on data from the Israeli Prison Service up to early December of the current month, clarified that this figure does not include detainees held in camps affiliated with the occupation army.
The institutions indicated that the number of sentenced prisoners stands at 1,254, while the number of female prisoners is 51, including two girls. The number of imprisoned children has reached approximately 350, held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons.

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**2. Occupation uproots hundreds of olive trees west of Ramallah amid escalating settler attacks**

Israeli occupation forces uprooted around 700 olive trees in the village of Budrus, west of the city of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, as part of an ongoing policy targeting Palestinian agricultural land.
The “Al-Baidar Human Rights Organization” reported that occupation forces uprooted more than 700 olive trees and bulldozed over 80 dunums of agricultural land in the village, causing severe damage and significant economic losses to farmers.

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**3. Occupation seizes 531 dunums of land in Jenin**

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed that occupation forces seized 531 dunums of Palestinian land in Jenin Governorate in the northern occupied West Bank through “military seizure orders.”
The commission stated in a press release that the occupation army issued two orders aimed at opening roads and erecting barbed-wire fences on Palestinian land under the pretext of security and military purposes.

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**4. Settler attacks escalate in the West Bank over the past 24 hours**

The West Bank witnessed a series of settler attacks over the past 24 hours, including incursions and assaults on residents and property in several areas.
In Jerusalem, settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the second day of the so-called Jewish Festival of Lights “Hanukkah,” under the protection of occupation forces.
In Jericho, settlers stormed the village of Shalal Al-Auja and released their livestock among residents’ homes. Another attack in the same area resulted in five members of one family being injured.

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**5. The killing of young man Muheeb Jibrin by settler gunfire in the West Bank**

Footage documents the moment of the killing of the young man Muheeb Jibrin after he was shot by a settler at the northern entrance of the town of Tuqu’, southeast of Ramallah.

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**6. Young man killed by settler gunfire in Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem**

A young man was killed by Israeli settler gunfire in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank.
Medical sources reported the killing of Muheeb Ahmad Jibril (19 years old) after being shot by a settler at the entrance of the town.
Jibril was shot in the head with live ammunition during confrontations that erupted at the entrance of Tuqu’, during which occupation forces and settlers fired live bullets heavily at citizens. Video footage documented the moment of his killing by settler gunfire at the town’s entrance.

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**7. UN report reviews escalating Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists**

The United Nations Office for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory confirmed that the Israeli occupation has intensified its violations against journalists and human rights defenders, noting that it documented the killing of 289 Palestinians in Gaza during the latest war.
The office stated that “Israel, the occupying power, has intensified its repression against journalists, human rights defenders, anti-occupation activists, as well as local and international non-governmental organizations.”
It warned that this increasingly shrinks the space available to monitor and document human rights violations, seek accountability for grievances, or organize and advocate for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.

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**8. Lazzarini warns of escalating attacks on UNRWA’s work**

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that Israel’s targeting of the agency’s premises, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem, constitutes a blatant violation of United Nations privileges and immunities.
Lazzarini warned of escalating attacks on the work of the UN agency amid worsening humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees. His remarks came during a speech delivered at a meeting titled “Assessing Progress at the Second Global Refugee Forum,” held in Geneva in partnership between UNHCR and the Swiss government.

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**9. Criminal complaint in Italy against an Israeli soldier**

The Hind Rajab Foundation filed a criminal complaint before Italian judicial authorities against Israeli soldier Israel Yitzhaki, a member of the occupation army, over the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide during the assault on the Gaza Strip.
The complaint was referred to the Italian public prosecutor based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, after confirming the suspect’s presence on Italian territory.
The foundation explained that international and Italian law obligate Italy to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of committing serious international crimes when they are present on its territory. It noted that Italy is a party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the UN Convention Against Torture—legal frameworks that impose a clear obligation not to provide safe haven to perpetrators of grave violations of international humanitarian law.

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**10. British police surround a pro-Palestine demonstration**

British police surrounded a pro-Palestine and Gaza demonstration in London, where protesters expressed solidarity with eight detained members of the Palestine Action movement who have been on hunger strike since early November.

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**11. Austrian Broadcasting Corporation intends to air potential protests at Eurovision**

The Austrian Public Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), which will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, announced that it will broadcast live any potential protests as they occur during the competition.
Production director Michael Kron said at a press conference regarding the contest, to be held next year in Vienna, that flags of all countries will be permitted as long as they meet specific criteria and appropriate sizes.
ORF’s head of programming, Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, confirmed that “artificial applause” will not be used to cover any possible booing, expressing regret over the decision of five countries (Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia) not to participate due to boycott decisions taken after Israel was allowed to participate.

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**12. March from the children of Berlin to the children of Gaza**

A pro-Palestine and Gaza march led by children took place in Berlin, the capital of Germany, in solidarity with the children of Gaza.

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**13. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini: I am proud to be close to Israel**

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini expressed his pride in being close to Israel and affirmed that Russia does not pose a threat to Italy.

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**14. Resignation of nine lawyers after Trump-era pressure on grounds of antisemitism**

Nine American lawyers resigned from the U.S. Department of Justice between January and June 2025 after facing pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, which claimed that California universities had violated the civil rights of Jewish students and staff.
The *Los Angeles Times* revealed that the lawyers were forced to prepare lawsuits before any actual investigation began, with some describing the process as a “fraudulent and fabricated investigation,” noting that the goal was not to uncover facts but to target pro-Palestinian student activism.