Epal European Palestinian Media Center Bulletin, Issue No. 2501, Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026

1. Couple and Their Young Daughter Killed in Israeli Strike on Deir al-Balah
A husband, wife, and their young daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house near Al-Baraka roundabout, west of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
A local source reported that Israeli warplanes bombed the house at dawn, killing Omar Sami Ahmad Abu Qasim (33), his wife Asma Ghazi Abu Qasim, and their six-year-old daughter, Habiba Omar Sami Abu Qasim.

1. Health Ministry: 14 Deaths in 24 Hours Bring Overall Death Toll to 73,246
Gaza’s Ministry of Health announced that hospitals across the Gaza Strip received 13 newly killed victims over the past 24 hours, in addition to one person who later died from previous injuries, as well as 18 wounded individuals.
In its daily statistical report, the ministry stated that a number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and on roads, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them.

The ministry added that since the ceasefire came into effect on October 11, a total of 1,123 people have been killed and 3,616 injured, while 800 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble.

1. Twelve Detainees Released from Gaza via Kerem Shalom Crossing
Israeli authorities released 12 detainees from the Gaza Strip who had been arrested after October 7, 2023.
Local sources said the detainees were released through the Kerem Shalom crossing before being transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah for medical treatment, accompanied by teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

1. Warnings Over Deteriorating Health Conditions of Female Prisoners in Damon Prison
The Prisoners’ Information Office warned that Israel continues its policy of medical neglect against sick Palestinian female prisoners held in Damon Prison.
The office said several women suffer from serious illnesses requiring urgent medical care while being denied treatment and regular medical follow-up, placing their lives at immediate risk.

Among the most critical cases is Fatima Saed Abdel Hamid Youssef (34), who suffers from hepatitis C as well as a severe infection at the site of a surgery she underwent before her arrest.

1. Rights Center: Israel’s Prevention of Palestinians’ Return to Gaza Is an Arbitrary Policy Entrenching Forced Displacement
The Gaza Center for Human Rights expressed deep concern and condemnation over Israel’s continued policy of preventing Palestinian civilians from returning to the Gaza Strip, including women, children, the elderly, and the sick.
The center said the measure reflects an escalating effort to restrict Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland and places of residence, deepen family separation, and impose realities that reinforce forced displacement.

1. Israeli Forces Arrest Several Palestinians, Including a Journalist, Former Prisoner, and Child, in the West Bank
Israeli forces carried out raids and arrest campaigns across various areas of the occupied West Bank, detaining several Palestinians, including a journalist, a former prisoner, and a child.
Dozens of young men were also detained in the Dheisheh and Qalandia refugee camps, subjected to field interrogations, and later released.

1. Gaza Kidney Failure Patients Face Risk of Treatment Suspension
Hundreds of kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip face increasing danger as dialysis services continue to deteriorate due to severe shortages of medical supplies and operational materials, along with the breakdown of several dialysis machines.
The shortages have forced medical staff to reduce both the number and duration of weekly dialysis sessions, despite the fact that patients rely on the treatment as their only means of staying alive.
Local
1. Israel Issues and Renews Administrative Detention Orders for 28 Detainees
Israeli authorities have issued new administrative detention orders and renewed existing ones for 28 Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank.

1. Israeli Bulldozers Uproot 40 Ancient Olive Trees West of Jenin
Israeli bulldozers uprooted around 40 ancient olive trees in the village of Zububa, west of Jenin.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces bulldozed approximately two dunams of agricultural land and uprooted about 40 centuries-old olive trees near residents’ homes. The land belongs to Ibrahim Abdel Qader Kassab Jaradat and Munir Ahmad Youssef Jaradat. The owners had reportedly received no prior demolition or confiscation notices.

10.Video: Palestinian Journalist Reunites with His Children in Jenin After Release
Watch: Emotional moments as Palestinian journalist and former administrative detainee Mujahid Al-Saadi, from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, embraces his children after being released from Israeli prisons, where he had been held under administrative detention for 22 months.

1. Knesset Member Damages School Entrance in Jerusalem
Watch: Far-right Israeli Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot stormed the Islamic Dar Al-Aytam Secondary School in Jerusalem’s Old City, threatened to have it shut down, and smashed a display featuring a map of historic Palestine and the Palestinian flag.

Europe

1. Video: Protest Against Supplying Israel with Ammunition Dispersed in Berlin
Watch: German police in Berlin used force to disperse activists protesting against the defense company Rheinmetall, accusing it of supplying ammunition used by the Israeli military.

1. British MPs Push for Ban on Settlement Imports as Government Hesitates
Members of the British Parliament from across the political spectrum criticized the government during a three-hour parliamentary session, urging it to immediately ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, arguing that the government’s reasons for delaying such a ban were “insufficient.”
Labour MP Ibtisam Mohamed opened the session by asking:

“If the settlements are illegal, why haven’t we imposed a comprehensive ban on trade with them? What exactly are we waiting for?”

1. Details Emerge of Alleged Abuse and Medical Neglect of Prisoner Omar Khaled in UK Prison
The Freedom for Omar Khaled Campaign revealed that Omar Khaled has been subjected to systematic abuse, isolation, and denial of medical care inside London’s HMP Wormwood Scrubs prison after being returned from hospital on July 3.
According to the campaign, prison authorities prevented the wheelchair-bound activist from attending hearings at the Old Bailey, citing broken elevators and the absence of crutches or trained officers to transport him. They also allegedly placed him in a third-floor shared cell with convicted criminal inmates despite his critical medical condition and neurodivergent needs.

15. France Launches Campaign to Boycott Hotel Booking Platforms Over Settlement Tourism
France’s Boycott Campaign has called for a boycott of Airbnb and Booking.com after the UN Human Rights Council included both companies in its database of businesses involved in Israel’s settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement, the campaign said the two companies list accommodations in Israeli settlements illegally built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem through their online platforms, making them complicit in facilitating and normalizing the settlement enterprise.

16. Fifty German Lawmakers Send Letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog
Fifty German lawmakers have sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog calling for an end to the continued arbitrary detention of Abu Safiya, who has reportedly been held without charge since the end of 2024.
The initiative was led by Adis Ahmetović, the parliamentary group’s foreign affairs spokesperson, and Isabel Cademartori, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, with support from prominent parliamentary leaders including Matthias Miersch, Franziska Brantner, Luigi Pantisano, Rolf Mützenich, and Gregor Gysi.

According to Der Spiegel, the lawmakers also demanded immediate medical care for detainees and warned against the continued violation of human dignity and the targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers.

17. Video: Javier Bardem Reaffirms His Solidarity with Palestine
Watch: Spanish actor Javier Bardem reaffirmed his longstanding support for the Palestinian cause, stating that Spain stands with Palestine in a message delivered from the stands during the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Spain and France.
18. Protest Disrupts Sompo Board Meeting in London Over Support for Israel
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied the lobby of Sompo Insurance’s headquarters in London for approximately 90 minutes, while demonstrators gathered outside the building during a meeting of the company’s board of directors.
The protest aimed to challenge what activists described as economic complicity, alleging that Sompo’s subsidiary Aspen provides insurance services to the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, enabling it to operate in the United Kingdom.

International
19. Jewish Mayor Defends Participation of Pro-Palestine Group in U.S. Independence Day Parade
Daniel Biss, the Jewish mayor of Evanston, Illinois, defended the right of the group Evanston for a Free Palestine to participate in the city’s Fourth of July Independence Day parade.
He rejected pressure from the Jewish United Fund of Chicago to exclude the group, arguing that doing so would violate the American principles of free speech.

Biss stated that his position is based on a consistent principle: there should be no government censorship of peacefully expressed views, adding that opposing the group’s participation itself contradicts the values celebrated on Independence Day.

20. International Campaign Launched to Pursue Accountability for Alleged Sexual Violence Against Palestinian Prisoners
Committees of specialized lawyers have begun preparing legal files and collecting testimonies from dozens of alleged victims for submission to the International Criminal Court, The Hague, and the UN Human Rights Council, seeking to end what organizers describe as a policy of impunity.
The initiative coincides with the departure of volunteer teams through the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing to help establish an international advocacy coalition. Palestinian organizations are also calling for elevating the prisoners’ portfolio to a full government ministry with expanded authority and funding to provide medical and psychological care for survivors and facilitate the transfer of critical cases abroad for treatment.

21. International Campaign Launched in Support of Palestinian Female Prisoners
The Jerusalem and Palestine Committee of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, together with the Palestinian Women’s Union in Turkey, is preparing to launch an international digital campaign in support of Palestinian female prisoners under the slogan “Your Freedom Is Our Duty.”
The campaign will involve several Arab and Islamic organizations, as well as academic, media, and civil society figures from different countries.

Its objective is to highlight the suffering of Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons—particularly pregnant women and imprisoned children—and to draw international attention to what organizers describe as serious violations of international law committed against them inside Israeli detention facilities.