European-Palestinian Media Center (EPAL) Bulletin | Issue: 2589 | Date: Saturday, 17/10/2026

1. Two Palestinians killed in Gaza as bombardment and gunfire continue

Two Palestinian civilians have been killed, one of whom succumbed to injuries sustained earlier, as bombardment and gunfire continue across the Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, a civilian was killed by fire from an Israeli quadcopter drone in the Al-Tawam area, northwest of the Gaza Strip.

### 2. Washington Post correspondent attacked by settlers while covering the olive harvest north of Ramallah

Heidi Levine, a correspondent for The Washington Post, was injured in an attack by Israeli settlers while covering the olive-harvesting season in the village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, in the central occupied West Bank.

The attack comes amid an escalation in settler assaults against Palestinian farmers and olive pickers since the start of the harvest season. These attacks include beatings, the burning of olive trees, the theft of crops, and preventing residents from accessing their land.

### 3. 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza at risk of food insecurity

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has warned that the hunger and malnutrition crisis is worsening to catastrophic levels as the consequences of the war and blockade continue to affect the population.

The Ministry confirmed that 466 deaths caused by malnutrition and starvation have been recorded since 2024, including 157 children and 189 elderly people.

In a statement marking World Food Day, the Ministry said that more than 1.4 million Palestinians, equivalent to 67% of the population of the Gaza Strip, are expected to face acute food insecurity or worse conditions by the end of 2026.

The crisis continues despite famine having been officially declared in the Gaza Governorate in August 2025.

### 4. 60% of radiology equipment in Gaza out of service: Thousands of patients held hostage by a diagnostic and treatment crisis

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has warned of a serious deterioration in Gaza’s healthcare system, with approximately 60% of radiology equipment out of service and severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies threatening hospitals’ ability to diagnose diseases and monitor critical patients.

Bashar Murad, the Society’s director of health programmes, said that around 60% of radiology equipment across the Strip was now completely out of service.

He added that approximately 21,000 patients urgently need medical evacuation to receive treatment abroad, while only around 120 patients are permitted to leave each day.

### 5. From the rubble of homes to displacement tents: Gaza’s displaced face winter with their resources exhausted

As winter approaches, the threat of cold weather and rain once again looms over the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the Gaza Strip. They face a new struggle to secure even a minimum level of protection for their families after years of displacement have left them exhausted and deprived them of their homes, livelihoods, and the basic conditions needed for a stable life.

In the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, repairing tents is no longer a routine maintenance task. It has become a demanding undertaking that drains the displaced population’s remaining money and strength.

While some search among the rubble of destroyed homes for iron bars to use as supports for their tents, others try to seal holes in worn-out tarpaulins with pieces of nylon, fabric, and blankets.

They are racing against time to prepare before severe weather systems intensify.

### 6. 466 deaths from starvation in Gaza: Malnutrition threatens the lives of children, pregnant women, and the elderly

The consequences of the food crisis in the Gaza Strip continue to worsen as malnutrition rates rise and health risks increase for children, pregnant women, and older people.

The Ministry of Health has warned that malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels. It announced that 466 deaths resulting from starvation and malnutrition have been recorded since 2024, including 157 children.

### 7. The Yellow Line swallows up Gaza: More than 70% of the Strip under control, while rubble obstructs the return of displaced Palestinians

The consequences of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip extend far beyond the destruction caused by airstrikes and bombardment. Demolitions of buildings, the levelling of residential neighbourhoods, and the expansion of areas under Israeli control continue.

This situation is reshaping the geography of the Strip and shrinking the space available for more than two million Palestinians to live.

Naji Sarhan, an expert on reconstruction and former undersecretary at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, has warned that what is known as the “Yellow Line” is now encompassing, according to his estimates, more than 70% of the Gaza Strip’s territory.

This prevents residents from accessing vast areas of their land, homes, and property, creating additional obstacles to the return of displaced people and the reconstruction of destroyed areas.

### 8. Red Cross: Recovering the bodies of missing people in Gaza could take years

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that searching for, recovering, and identifying the bodies of missing people in the Gaza Strip could take years.

The enormous scale of destruction, the lack of specialised equipment, and the limited resources available to forensic teams are making these operations particularly difficult.

Amani Al-Naouq, the International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson in Gaza, said that recovering bodies buried beneath the rubble involves complex operational and technical challenges.

These operations require appropriate equipment and continuous coordination among the relevant organisations. She also stressed that the resources available in the Strip are insufficient to meet the scale of the needs.

## European News

### 9. Protest outside the hotel hosting Israeli football team Hapoel in the Netherlands

Activists in the Netherlands have called on the Leonardo IJmuiden Seaport Beach hotel to end its accommodation arrangements for Israeli football club Hapoel Be’er Sheva and its delegation ahead of the team’s match against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

The Dutch protest recalls the events in Amsterdam in November 2024, when, according to reports, Zionist fans issued threats and engaged in intimidation and assaults, including racist chants targeting Palestinians and acts of vandalism.

### 10. Upcoming Canadian workshop to train artists to document the genocide and expose its funders

The organisation Artists Against Cultural Whitewashing, a pro-Palestinian Canadian group, is preparing to host a Wikipedia editing workshop on 22 October 2026.

The organisers are inviting participants to “expand Wikipedia entries in honour of martyred Palestinian artists and expose Canadian Zionist supporters of the genocide.”

The workshop, called the Free Palestine Wiki Edit-a-thon, is the second of its kind organised by the group.

A previous workshop held last April focused specifically on articles related to the Azrieli Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Israel’s Azrieli Group, described in the original report as Israel’s largest real estate company.

### 11. Spanish artists protest against Israeli dance companies being hosted in Spain

On Thursday, artists and activists demonstrated in Madrid, the Spanish capital, coinciding with the premiere of Sadih21, a dance production performed by the Israeli Batsheva Dance Company.

The protest was directed against the Canal Theatre’s decision to host the company for three days.

The demonstration was organised by a coalition associated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, in cooperation with the Solidarity Network Against the Israeli Occupation.

### 12. Protest in London against a “hostage simulation” event at City St George’s University

The groups CA4P and ASAP organised a protest against the university’s decision to host the event, stating that Zionism was not welcome on campus.

The two groups referred to a similar event held at City University featuring lawyer Adam Wagner.

They also called for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, estimating their number at more than 10,000, and expressed support for the “Red Ribbon” campaign.

### 13. Calls to boycott Sudocrem after its production was transferred to Teva

The campaign to boycott Israel in the Northern Irish town of Craigavon has called for a comprehensive boycott of the well-known skincare cream Sudocrem after ownership of its manufacturing and production operations was transferred to the Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva.

The call followed campaign activists’ discovery of the product on sale at Home Bargains stores.

The organisers warned consumers that the long-established Irish product was no longer what it used to be, arguing that it had become a means of financing the Israeli military through the company that currently owns it.

### 14. Protest in Madrid against Batsheva: Israeli dance company opens its performances at the Canal Theatre

Activists and artists demonstrated one hour before the premiere of Sadih21, which was scheduled to run for three days.

The protest was organised by a coalition associated with the BDS movement and the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation.

The movement stated that its protest did not target individual artists but rather institutions that, according to the organisers, are used by the Israeli occupation to improve its public image.

The theatre’s workers’ council also announced its opposition to the company’s visit.

### 15. Dutch protesters oppose Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s participation in the Europa League

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the AFAS Stadium in the Dutch city of Alkmaar shortly before the Europa League match between Dutch club AZ Alkmaar and Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

The protest was held against the Israeli team’s participation in the competition.

The objections extend beyond the club’s involvement in European competitions to relationships that have attracted criticism between individuals associated with the club and the Israeli military. Those mentioned include a defender and the team’s physiotherapist.

## International News

### 16. Students in Mexico collect signatures to reaffirm solidarity with Palestine

The group Firmas por Palestina México (“Signatures for Palestine Mexico”) organised a signature-collection campaign at the University of Sinaloa in the Mexican city of Mazatlán.

The initiative aims to encourage commitment to the boycott and reaffirm students’ continued support for the Palestinian people.

The campaign is part of a broader solidarity movement taking place at Mexican universities.

In May 2024, students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico established a solidarity encampment in support of Palestine, calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the severing of relations with Israel.

### 17. UN: Settler attacks in the West Bank during the olive harvest season have increased

The United Nations has announced that the number of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank has already exceeded the figures recorded during the same period last year.

The announcement was made by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, during the daily press briefing held in New York, where he reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East.

### 18. Indonesian activists mobilise to cancel concert by Italian singer accused of whitewashing the occupation’s crimes

The arts and international festival scene is no longer separate from the campaigns of boycott and opposition targeting those accused of supporting or improving the public image of the Israeli occupation and its military.

Popular and official boycott campaigns against artists and singers who support Israel are intensifying around the world. This time, the movement has reached Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population.

The Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s highest Islamic authority and religious organisation, has called for the immediate cancellation of two upcoming concerts by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.

The performances are scheduled to take place on 31 October at the Borobudur Temple and on 3 November in the capital, Jakarta.