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Israeli minister’s plan to ‘bury’ Palestinian state a ‘war crime’: UN
The United Nations human rights office has issued a stark warning over the Israeli regime’s latest illegal settlement expansion scheme in the occupied West Bank.
The plan, which envisions the construction of thousands of new settler units between an existing settlement and the outskirts of East al-Quds in the West Bank, flagrantly violates international law, the office said on Friday.
Smotrich’s declaration: 'Burying' the Palestinian state
On Thursday, extremist Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich reaffirmed his commitment to the project, saying it would “bury” the prospect of a Palestinian state.
A spokesperson for the UN office stressed that the plan would fragment the West Bank into isolated patches of land.
The scheme’s implementation, the official said, would amount to a “war crime” due to its featuring the regime’s forcibly housing illegal settlers into “the territory it occupies.”
The plot also exposes nearby Palestinians to forced evictions, further cementing the criminal nature of its enforcement, the official noted.
The regime occupied the West Bank, including East al-Quds, in a heavily Western-backed war in 1967.
Ever since, it has been dotting the territory with illegal settlements that it would build after razing Palestinian homes. It has also imposed numerous restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement across the territory.
Today, around 700,000 illegal settlers live amid 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank.
The international community has never recognized the occupation, denouncing the settlements as illegal due to their construction on occupied territory.
For their part, Palestinians have invariably stood by their right to self-determination and an independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.
The regime, though, tries to justify the settlements, citing “historical and biblical” claims, “security concerns,” and the notion that the West Bank is “disputed” rather than occupied.
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Hamas condemns ‘criminal behavior’ of Ben-Gvir after Barghouti visit
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the prison cell of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian political leader imprisoned since 2002.
In a statement released on Friday, Hamas said Ben-Gvir’s threat to Barghouti in the jail cell was “a cowardly display that reveals the occupation’s fascism and hostility to all human values”.
Ben-Gvir has posted video footage in which he is seen taunting Barghouti in jail.
The intimidating message has drawn condemnation from the Palestinian resistance groups, rights advocates and political officials, who view it as a direct threat to Barghouti’s life.
Hamas said the vicious move by the hawkish Israeli minister will “strengthen the unity of the prisoner movement in the face of the policies of systematic repression and abuse practiced by the occupation’s prison administration”.
“This criminal behavior is an extension of the war crimes committed in the Sde Teiman prison, which witnessed horrific violations against prisoners, including doctors, nurses, and journalists,” the statement added.
The resistance movement called on the UN and other international bodies to take urgent action to provide support to prisoners held in Sde Teiman and other notorious prisons.
Israeli authorities earlier said they had begun transferring prisoners from Sde Teiman, a former military base in the Negev desert, after rights groups demanded the closure of the site.
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq also condemned the far-right Israeli minister's visit to the jail cell of Barghouti.
“There is no longer any meaning to brutality except in the form of one of the leaders of this inhumane entity,” he wrote on Telegram.
“A Zionist minister gathers his army, his guards, and the blood of his state and stands before a captive leader, shackled and isolated in solitary confinement, barely able to stand, and addresses him, saying: ‘You will not triumph over us!'” al-Risheq said.
The Hamas official said that desperate remarks by Ben-Gvir show Israel's failures during the ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza.
“If Ben-Gvir had been victorious in Gaza, he would not have said what he said. But this is the arrogance of a criminal who failed to achieve his goal, whose prestige was defeated, and whose reputation was tarnished by the shame of the ages,” he said.
Report: Israeli ministers could face ‘first intl. prosecution of apartheid’; US sanctions threaten case
Arrest warrant applications against extremist Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich on apartheid charges are complete, but remain unsubmitted at the International Criminal Court (ICC), amid fears of US sanctions and external pressures, a report has shown.
The applications are finalized and currently rest in the hands of two ICC deputy prosecutors, the Middle East Eye (MEE) news and analysis website reported on Friday.
If the warrants are issued, they would mark the initiation of the first international prosecution of apartheid.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan had prepared the cases before going on leave in May 2025.
An ICC source told MEE, "Those applications for the arrest warrants are completely done. The only thing that didn't happen was submitting them to the court."
Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang have the authority to submit the applications, but sources fear they may be shelved due to unprecedented external pressure, including American sanctions.
In February, the administration of President Donald Trump sanctioned Khan, and in June, it sanctioned four ICC judges, two of whom had approved arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former minister for military affairs, Yoav Gallant.
Those warrants came in response to the duo’s war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Netanyahu-ordered war of genocide on the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023 and continues to date.
Khan went on leave amid an alleged United Nations investigation into “sexual misconduct” allegations, which he has denied.
Despite this, Khan had filed applications on 20 May 2024, leading to arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024.
ICC sources told MEE that Khan’s legal team continued investigating Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank, where Ben Gvir and Smotrich have been leading a ferocious campaign aimed at enabling more land seizures and home destructions aimed at expanding Israeli occupation.
“There was no more work to do on the applications. They're not being drafted. They weren't being revised. They were done. All that was left to do was follow court procedures for submitting an application. But Karim didn't have time to do that because everything moved so quickly. And then he stepped aside," an ICC source said.
Raji Sourani, a lawyer representing Palestine at the ICC and the International Court of Justice, criticized the deputy prosecutors. "For us, they are very late. What are they waiting for? They have everything. Justice delayed is justice denied."
Another ICC source warned, "If the Ben Gvir and Smotrich applications just disappear, the opportunity to prosecute one of the most blatant examples of apartheid in the world today will likely be lost forever."
Under the Rome Statute that helped found the ICC, apartheid is a crime against humanity, defined as "inhumane acts… committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime."
The Israeli regime has already been denounced for implementing apartheid against Palestinians by numerous leading human rights bodies. Even the regime’s own rights bodies, including B'Tselem, have condemned the practice.
In July 2024, the ICJ ruled the regime’s occupation of the West Bank illegal, noting that its "near-complete separation" of Palestinians from illegal Israeli settlers, including through illegal settlement expansion, breached international law.
On June 10, 2024, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway sanctioned Smotrich and Ben Gvir for "their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities."
MEE reports also reveal external attempts to influence Khan.
ICC lawyer Nicholas Kaufman offered Khan a proposal from Netanyahu’s legal team to reclassify existing warrants as confidential. Kaufman warned, "They will destroy you and they will destroy the court."
Khan stepped down on a suspicious indefinite leave weeks later following “sexual assault” allegations. Separately, former British Foreign Secretary David Cameron reportedly threatened to withdraw UK funding if the ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. US Senator Lindsey Graham and US State Department legal adviser Reed Rubinstein also issued threats of sanctions against the ICC.
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Sheikh Qassem says Hezbollah will not give up its weapons until Israel’s occupation ends
The secretary general of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has stressed that the resistance movement will not lay down its weapons until the Israeli occupation ends, warning that the Beirut government’s decision on disarmament could create civil strife.
He made the remarks in a speech on Friday on the occasion of Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD while resisting the much larger army of the despot Umayyad ruler of the time, Yazid.
“The resistance will not surrender its weapons as long as occupation persists and aggression continues,” Qassem said, and vowed that Hezbollah will continue to resist against “falsehood”, describing the US and Israel as the modern-day Yazid.
Referring to the latest decision made by the Lebanese cabinet on Hezbollah disarmament, Qassem said "The government is implementing an American order and serve the Israeli project.”
Hezbollah will fight against the US-Israeli project and “we are confident of victory”, he stated.
He held the Lebanese government “fully responsible for any strife that may occur”, saying “We don’t want it, but there are those who are working towards it.”
The Hezbollah chief warned the government against “dragging the army into internal strife”, saying the movements Hezbollah and Amal opted not to take to the streets after the decision, but he didn’t rule out protests, if no amendments were made.
“If confrontation is imposed, we are ready for it,” he said.
The Hezbollah chief stressed that the decision, which stipulates stripping Lebanon and its resistance and people of defensive weapons against any aggression, means “facilitating the killing of the resistance fighters and their families as well as their expulsion from their homes”, stressing that the government should have expelled the Israeli troops from Lebanese territories instead.
He urged the cabinet to convene to discuss confronting the aggression and rebuilding the country, "not to hand over the country to an insatiable Israeli aggressor or an American tyrant with limitless greed".
Qassem added that the “very serious” decision violates the Lebanese constitution that stipulates that there is no legitimacy for any authority that contradicts the pact of mutual coexistence.
He emphasized that the government can’t strip the resistance’s weapons of legitimacy, saying the resistance derives its legitimacy from the Taif Agreement—negotiated in Saudi Arabia’s Taif in 1989, which ended the civil war in Lebanon— and the blood of its martyrs, “not from you”.
Sheikh Qassem also pointed to the important role played by the resistance in preserving the sovereignty of the country and confronting Israel’s aggressions.
On August 5, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam tasked the country’s army to develop a plan to restrict weapons to the state by the end of the year, a decision that aims at disarming the Hezbollah resistance movement that has for decades defended the country from external aggression, especially from the Israeli enemy.
Two days later, during a cabinet meeting, the Lebanese government officials further discussed the US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah and endorsed its “objectives”.
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The Pearl of the Sea of Prophethood and Imamate
مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَیْنِ یَلْتَقِیانِ، بَیْنَهُما بَرْزَخٌ لا یَبْغِیانِ، فَبِأَیِّ آلاءِ رَبِّکما تُکذِّبانِ، یَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَ الْمَرْجانُ(الرحمان: 19-22)
:It is narrated in Sunni sources from Ibn Abbas that
«فی قوله مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَیْنِ یَلْتَقِیانِ قال علی و فاطمة بَیْنَهُما بَرْزَخٌ لا یَبْغِیانِ قال النبی(ص) یَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَ الْمَرْجانُ قال الحسن و الحسین» Suyuti, 1404: 6/14; Haskani Hanafi, 1411: 2/284
A similar interpretation is quoted from Imam Sadiq (AS) who said: “Ali and Fatima are two deep seas, neither of which encroaches on the other, and from these two seas have emerged pearls and corals, namely Hassan and Hussein” (Qummi, 1367: 2/344). Of course, it should be said that “the verses of the Quran have an external and an internal meaning. For this reason, a verse may have several meanings, and what is mentioned in these narrations is from the inner meaning of the Quran, which has come from the infallible leaders and does not contradict its external meaning,” as some of them have also been mentioned in Sunni sources.
It's Arbaeen.
Nearly 40 days have passed since the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS)...
Arbaeen has arrived
With the victorious army of honor and the heirs of blood and light
As Arbaeen approaches, we must speak of Zainab
From the wounds and the sitting prayers that still remember her
Arbaeen is a new look at Ashura
And a new review of the long themes of the fiery sermons of the Aqeelah of Bani Hashim, Zainab the Great (AS)
And the liberating captive of Hazrat Sajjad (AS)
Israel sparks global outrage with US-backed Gaza City occupation plot
Israel’s US-backed plot to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace nearly a million Palestinians to concentration zones in the south has sparked widespread international condemnations, with world leaders warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe and further destabilization in the region.
Israel’s war cabinet approved on Friday a military blueprint to capture Gaza City and tighten its grip on the blockaded strip, which has been relentlessly bombarded since the genocidal war began on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier announced that the Tel Aviv regime intended to “take control” of the entire Palestinian territory, where more than 61,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed over the past 22 months.
The announcements have ignited a firestorm of global outrage and opposition. World leaders expressed concern and dismay over the potential consequences of such an occupation.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rebuked in a statement the Israeli decision to extend full control over the entire Gaza Strip and forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip to the south.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the decision of the Israeli occupying authorities to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip and displace nearly one million Palestinians,” the OIC said, stressing that the plan constitutes an escalation in the series of Israeli crimes of genocide, destruction, starvation, displacement, and siege of the Gaza Strip.
The organization said it would “hold Israel, as the occupying power, fully responsible for the consequences of these crimes, which exacerbate the unprecedented human suffering in the Gaza Strip.”
The OIC also called on the UN Security Council to take immediate and decisive action to assume its responsibilities by imposing a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.
Israeli takeover of Gaza risks captives’ lives: Hamas
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas censured the move and warned that the Israeli regime’s decision to escalate the war by taking over the entire Gaza Strip could risk the lives of captives held in the strip.
“The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi [cabinet] do not care about the fate of their captives,” the group said in a statement. “They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them.”
Islamic Jihad: Gaza occupation a new chapter in ‘war of extermination’
The Islamic Jihad resistance movement also said Israel’s plans to expand its assault on Gaza were “a new chapter in the war of extermination.”
“The Zionist entity…is preparing to escalate its massacres in Gaza,” the group said in a statement, adding, “We hold Arab governments and the West responsible for curbing this escalation.”
The movement said Netanyahu was pushing for “forced displacement,” and his “escalation, fully supported by the Trump administration, aims to occupy the Gaza Strip.”
Occupying Gaza is a ‘complete crime’: PA
The Palestinian Authority also denounced the move as a “complete crime,” with the office of President Mahmoud Abbas describing it as a continuation of “genocide, systematic killing, starvation and siege.”
It warned that Israel’s actions would lead to an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
Israeli plan to occupy Gaza City ‘a dangerous escalation’: UN
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office said he was “gravely alarmed” by the “dangerous escalation.”
“This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians” and Israeli captives in Gaza, the office said in a statement, adding that further escalation will lead to “additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction.”
The statement reiterated Guterres’s “urgent appeal for a permanent ceasefire.”
“The secretary general once again strongly urges…Israel to abide by its obligations under international law,” it added.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that the Israeli plan “must be immediately halted.”
“It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realization of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” Turk added.
EU warns of consequences for EU-Israel relations
EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a statement on X that Israel’s decision “must have consequences for EU-Israel relations,” calling on the Israeli regime to reconsider.
“Not only [does the decision] violate the agreement with the EU announced by the High Representative on July 19, but also undermines fundamental principles of international law and universal values,” Costa added.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union’s executive branch, said Israel must revisit its plan to take control of Gaza.
“The Israeli … decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” she wrote on X.
UK slams Israel’s ‘wrong’ decision; Germany halts arms exports
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Israel’s decision “wrong” and urged restraint.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin would not authorize any exports to Israel of military equipment that could be used in Gaza “until further notice.”
France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s plan to establish military control of Gaza City, warning it would lead to a deadlock in efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
“Such actions would constitute further serious violations of international law and lead to a complete dead end,” the ministry said. “They would undermine the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians to live in peace within a viable, sovereign and contiguous state, and pose a threat to regional stability.”
The foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and France condemned Israel’s plan in a joint statement late on Friday, saying it risked “violating international humanitarian law.”
They said the plan would also “aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the [Israeli captives], and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.”
“Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law,” the statement added.
China urges Israel to cease its ‘dangerous’ actions
China expressed “serious concerns” and urged Israel to “immediately cease its dangerous actions.”
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” a ministry spokesperson told the AFP news agency in a message. “The correct way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to secure the release of [captives] is an immediate ceasefire.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Israeli plan intends to force out Palestinians, calling on international leaders to prevent the move.
“We call on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land,” the ministry said.
Gaza City occupation ‘entrenchment’ of Israeli occupation: Egypt
Egypt also condemned “in the strongest terms” the decision of the Israeli cabinet.
“This plan aims to entrench the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, continue the war of extermination in Gaza, eliminate all elements of life for the Palestinian people, undermine their right to self-determination and the realization of their independent state, and liquidate the Palestinian cause – all in blatant and unacceptable violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
Egypt called on the international community to assume its political, legal, and moral responsibilities, and to take urgent action to stop “Israel’s policy of lawlessness and arrogance of power.”
Occupying Gaza City derails peace talks: Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “strongly” warned that the move will “derail any prospect for peace.”
The plan “tantamounts to a dangerous escalation in an already catastrophic war against the people of Palestine,” Sharif said on his X account.
“This expansion of military operations will only worsen the already existing humanitarian crisis and derail any prospect for peace in the region.”
He called on the international community to “intervene urgently” to stop Israel’s “unwarranted aggression,” and ensure the protection of civilians.
Saudi Arabia denounces the move; Qatar warns of worsening humanitarian crisis
Saudi Arabia said it “categorically denounces Israeli occupation authorities’ persistence in committing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that Israel’s decision marked a “dangerous escalation” that risks exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis and undermining efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire.
The ministry urged the international community to take “immediate action” to prevent Israel from moving ahead with the plan.
Jordan slams Israel’s decision as a ‘grave violation’ of international law
In a statement, Jordan “condemned, in the strongest terms, the plan” approved by Israel that “aims to entrench its occupation of the Gaza Strip and expand full military control over it.”
The statement also said Israel was committing “grave violations of international law and international humanitarian law,” and undermining “the two-state solution and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem [al-Quds] as its capital.”
Israel’s decision to cause loss of more ‘innocent lives’: UAE
The United Arab Emirates warned that Israel’s decision will lead to “catastrophic consequences,” including “further loss of innocent life and a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The Emirati Foreign Ministry called on the UN and the international community to halt Israel’s illegal practices, stressing that upholding the rights of the Palestinian people was “no longer a matter of political discretion, but a moral, humanitarian, and legal imperative.”
Belgium summons Israeli ambassador
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would summon the Israeli ambassador in response to the regime’s decision on Gaza.
The ministry said Belgium wanted to “express total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonization … and the desire to annex the West Bank,” adding that it will “vigorously advocate” for a reversal of the plan.
Gaza occupation leads to more suffering: Spain
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, “We firmly condemn the decision of the Israeli [cabinet] to escalate the military occupation of Gaza. It will only cause more destruction and suffering.”
Albares added that, “A permanent ceasefire, the immediate and massive entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of all [captives] are urgently needed.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Friday that Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City is “wrong” and will put the lives of the remaining captives at greater risk.
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Iran says Israel’s Gaza occupation plot meant to complete genocide of Palestinians
Iran has denounced Israel’s recent decision to occupy Gaza City as part of a broader scheme by the usurping entity to “complete the genocide of Palestinians” and “erase the identity and existence of Palestine.”
In a statement released on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the new Israeli plan for Gaza breaches international law.
“This decision constitutes a grave violation of international law and a deliberate attempt to expand occupation and impose new realities across the occupied Palestinian territories by force and military aggression. Undoubtedly, the renewed displacement of Palestinians is categorically condemned,” it added.
Nearly two years into Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli security cabinet voted on Friday for the occupation plan, which means more bloodshed in Gaza and forcible displacement of exhausted and starving Palestinians.
It was initiated and pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the brutal Gaza onslaught that has killed at least 61,369 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 152,850 others since October 2023.
The Hamas resistance group called Israel’s expansionist plan a “war crime,” stressing that Palestinians would “resist any occupation or aggressive force.”
It also warned that Netanyahu is “sacrificing” Israeli captives to “serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda.”
Additionally, in its statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israel's continued massacres and acts of genocide against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, as well as the regime’s assaults on Islamic holy sites in the city of al-Quds.
It also underlined the need for an immediate cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza, the unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid to the blockaded Palestinian territory, guaranteed freedom of action for relief organizations in carrying out humanitarian missions, support for regional and international efforts to achieve a full ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupying forces, a prisoners exchange, and the implementation of reconstruction plans.
It further noted that the international community bears responsibility to halt Israel’s genocide in Gaza and provide immediate assistance to the oppressed Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the ministry held Israel responsible for “heinous crimes and unprecedented humanitarian catastrophes” in Gaza, given the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrants for the regime’s officials, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling that obliges Tel Aviv to prevent acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“The international community, particularly the UN Security Council and other international legal and human rights bodies, are expected to fulfill their legal and moral obligations, to pave the way for prosecuting and punishing the Zionist criminals, and to end the regime’s long-standing impunity,” it said.
The ministry emphasized that the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people, most notably their fundamental right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and unified Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital, is both a legal and moral necessity.
It further reiterated the Islamic Republic's support for the Palestinian people’s right to complete liberation from occupation, apartheid, and colonialism, highlighting Tehran’s initiative for a referendum among the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine, including Muslims, Christians, and Jews, to determine their fate and the ruling political system.
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Majority of Jews in occupied territories ‘untroubled’ by reports of famine in Gaza: Poll
A new opinion poll shows that a majority of Jews in the occupied territories are either "not so troubled" or "not troubled at all" by the reports of famine and suffering among the Palestinian population in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The results of the poll, conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, published on Wednesday revealed that nearly 79 percent of Jews in the occupied territories are unconcerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting a significant contrast in opinions between the Jewish and Arab communities regarding the war in the blockaded territory.
In contrast to the majority of Jews in the occupied territories, 86 percent of the Arab public indicated that they are "very troubled" or "somewhat troubled" by the situation in Gaza.
Additionally, the poll revealed a higher level of concern among left-wing Jews, with 70 percent expressing that they are troubled by the situation in Gaza.
The poll also found that Jewish and Arab perspectives greatly differ on whether Israel is making substantial efforts to avoid causing unnecessary suffering to Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the poll, 78 percent of Jewish respondents believed that Israel is making substantial efforts to avoid causing unnecessary suffering to Palestinians in Gaza, despite the ongoing war.
In contrast, only 22.5 percent of Arab respondents agreed with the claim that Israel is making substantial efforts to minimize unnecessary suffering.
On the other hand, 66.5 percent of the Arab respondents, and 15 percent of Jewish respondents expressed the belief that Israel could significantly reduce the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza but chooses not to, even with the restrictions imposed by the war. Additionally, 56 percent of left-wing Jews agreed with this claim.
Regarding the Israeli military's reporting on the extent of civilian casualties in Gaza, 70 percent of Jewish respondents said they "believe it to a very large or fairly large extent," while only 29.5 percent of Arabs expressed the same level of belief.
The survey was conducted online and by telephone at the end of July and involved interviews with 601 men and women over the age of 18 in Hebrew-language, as well as 152 in Arabic.
The latest poll comes amid growing international outrage over reports of widespread starvation in Gaza.
Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupying entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of death and devastation against Palestinians.
The Israeli regime has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of all aid and worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions in the territory since March 2, when it violated its ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Experts have warned that without immediate action to ease restrictions and ensure access to aid, the humanitarian situation is likely to worsen and deepen the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire.
Israel has rejected calls from the UN, aid agencies, and world leaders to allow more aid trucks into the besieged region to alleviate the crisis.
The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 60,939 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
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70% of Palestinians in Gaza too weak from starvation to get aid: Report
Mourners gather at a funeral of victims killed in overnight Israeli bombardment on a camp sheltering displaced people in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis on August 5, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
A new survey by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has found that 70% of Palestinians in Gaza are now too weak from starvation to even reach humanitarian aid, while the entire population shows alarming signs of psychological collapse under Israel’s ongoing genocide.
Released Monday, the report strongly condemns Israel's continued campaign of violence and deliberate deprivation in Gaza, warning that it has systematically dismantled the coping mechanisms of an already devastated population.
It documents the disturbing effects of the Israeli regime’s genocidal assault on Gaza’s civilian population, drawing from protection monitoring interviews conducted between May 22 and July 27, 2025. The data was collected at 25 displacement sites across Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Gaza City, and North Gaza.
“Based on protection monitoring interviews with people in Gaza from 22 May to 27 July 2025 in 25 displacement sites in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Gaza City, and North Gaza, the survey exposes the life-threatening consequences of the American and Israeli-backed distribution scheme and the severe psychological toll on a population with no safe haven. Key findings from the survey show a population at breaking point,” the report said.
According to the survey, the majority of the enclave’s population is too exhausted by extreme hunger and is being systematically denied safe access to aid.
“Palestinians trying to access the militarized backed distribution scheme said they witnessed people, including family members, being deliberately targeted, shot, and killed by soldiers. Family members who died seeking aid were described as receiving ‘blood aid’, or ‘aid soaked in blood’,” the report added.
The survey also reveals staggering levels of forced displacement. On average, each person in Gaza has been displaced 9 times, with some individuals reporting up to 12 forced evacuations as safe zones repeatedly became targets.
“Meanwhile, basic services were very limited or non-existent at displacement sites; 46% reported receiving clean drinking water twice a week at their current locations, and 28% said they could get a hot meal from a communal kitchen just once a week,” the document revealed.
As a result of the famine and constant displacements, 33% of the population is experiencing mental health problems, including severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies.
“Palestinians in Gaza describe feelings of constant fear (33%), depression (31%), sleeplessness and nightmares (31%), and anxiety (26%). In 13% of cases, respondents described feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts,” the report stated.
It called for an immediate end to the war and urged the international community to take decisive action to hold the Israeli regime accountable and protect civilians.
The DRC also demanded an urgent halt to the Israel–US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) program, citing its militarized and dangerous nature.
It called for safe, large-scale aid delivery through a principled, UN-led humanitarian response that restores access, dignity, and protection to Gaza’s besieged population.
Since the Israeli regime began its genocidal campaign on October 7, 2023, it has killed nearly 61,020 Palestinians and wounded 150,671, most of them women and children.
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