Israeli attacks kill 51 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn
Earlier today, Al-Awda Hospital said that eight Palestinians were killed and 30 others wounded by Israeli army fire near the Netzarim.
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Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel issues demolition notice to entire village near Bethlehem
Israeli forces on Wednesday notified the village of Nu'man, near Bethlehem, that all houses and apartments will be demolished, Wafa news agency reported. Village head Jamal Darawi said that Israeli police, accompanied by employees from the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem, delivered notices for the third time in a few months. The notice includes demolition of 35 homes, citing lack of permits as the reason. Nu'man has a population of 150 people, and Israel has prevented construction in the village for 32 years. Some 87 homes have been bulldozed in East Jerusalem by Israeli forces since 7 October 2023.
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
No, a Gaza toddler having cerebral palsy does not mean Israeli starvation is a ‘lie'
Photographs of extremely thin, often skeletal, children in Israeli-starved Gaza have become all too familiar. One such image, of the severely malnourished infant Mohammed al-Mutawaq, went viral last week. The 18-month-old child's picture featured in several international media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, The Times, The New York Times and the Daily Express. It added yet more evidence of starvation in Gaza as a result of a near-total Israeli blockade on food and humanitarian aid since March. But the images of Mutawaq's frail body have hit the headlines again, for different reasons. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters It has been reported that the toddler has cerebral palsy, a fact which was not mentioned in every use of his photo in recent days. As a result of this omission, several pro-Israeli voices are now saying that Mutawaq's case proves that starvation in Gaza is 'a lie'. 'The picture that launched the global blood libel that Israel was starving Gazan children to death now stands… as a fraud perpetrated by the western media,' wrote Melanie Phillips, a right-wing columnist at The Times. 'The starvation lie is the latest in their decades-long attempt to delegitimise and destroy the tiny Jewish state.' The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth stated that photos of Mutawaq, among others, 'appear to be part of an effort to reinforce the 'famine narrative''. Talk TV Julia Hartley-Brewer, a presenter at Talk TV, described such images of Palestinian children as 'propaganda'. "Often, there's a picture of a mother who's quite chubby at the back with the child. Hey lady, maybe give some of your food to your kid," Hartley-Brewer said during a live broadcast. But is the fact that some of the most malnourished children in Gaza already have pre-existing health conditions really the 'gotcha' that commentators are claiming? 'It's wrong to say that their malnourished appearance is just because of their condition' - Yasin Fatine, paediatrician Yasin Fatine, a London-based doctor specialising in paediatrics, said that the photographs of Mutawaq and others were consistent with starvation, not their long-term disabilities. 'There's no reason for them to be looking this thin if they have the right nutrition and right dietetic input,' Fatine told Middle East Eye. 'It's wrong to say that their malnourished appearance is just because of their condition. That's not true," he added. 'If you look anywhere in the western or developed world, you will not see children this thin or skeletal, even with these kinds of conditions.' Children like Mutawaq, with cerebral palsy and other long-term conditions, have specific needs - including nutritional requirements, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. 'They may have an increased requirement of calories to maintain their growth and their development. These children also usually have input from dietitians,' said Fatine. Starvation in Gaza: Dizziness, fatigue and people collapsing in the streets Read More » 'Because of the ongoing conflict and genocide, these needs are not being met.' Far from disproving that Israel's blockade on food and medicine is causing starvation in Gaza, the pictures of children with pre-existing conditions add yet further evidence of the deadly impact of the siege. 'Starvation-related deaths often involve more than just food insecurity. Many victims - including individuals with disabilities, cerebral palsy, cancer and elderly people - were already medically vulnerable,' Rowida Sabbah, who is in Gaza leading Medical Aid for Palestinians' nutrition programme, told MEE. 'Under normal conditions, they required specialised nutrition, medications and consistent healthcare. The total breakdown of essential services has led to a rapid decline in their health, resulting in many preventable deaths.' She said that people with conditions like Mutawaq needed urgent specialised nutrition support, such as total parenteral nutrition and enteral feeding. Due to the Israeli blockade on medical supplies, they are at imminent risk of death. Efforts to deny that Palestinians are dying of starvation have not been limited to columnists. Israel has used official social media accounts to push the same narrative. '41-year-old Mohammad al-Hasanat didn't die of starvation - he suffered from untreated diabetes and died from complications of severe hypercatabolism,' read one such post from Israel's official X account. 'But his image is now being used to smear Israel. This isn't compassion. It's manipulation.' Alonso Gurmendi, an international law expert, wrote that this rhetoric was akin to Israel saying: 'We didn't starve him to death[;] we just made it impossible for him to get treatment for his illness until he died.' Children at more risk than adults As for suggestions that adults appearing less skeletal than children demonstrates 'propaganda', as Hartley-Brewer appeared to suggest, medical and humanitarian experts are clear that children are at the greatest risk of starvation. 'Their bodies are still developing, requiring more nutrients relative to their size, which means they can become severely malnourished within weeks,' Ammar Ammar of Unicef, the UN's aid agency for children, told MEE. 'Malnutrition quickly weakens their immune systems, making common illnesses like diarrhoea and pneumonia far more deadly," he added. 'Unlike adults, children also face long-term, often irreversible growth and developmental delays and damage, particularly if undernourishment occurs within the first 1,000 days of life.' 'The risk of malnutrition-related deaths among infants and young children is higher than ever before' - Ammar Ammar, Unicef regional director Fatine said that infants who have not moved on to solid foods are at particular risk in Gaza. 'They have a requirement for maternal milk and this may not be available, particularly if the mother has been injured, killed or if the mother is not adequately nourished herself,' the paediatrician said. 'In general, children are at a higher risk of malnutrition because of the relative lack of fat stores that adults usually have.' He added that if these infants survive, nutritional deficiencies will have a long-term impact on their growth and development going into adulthood. As of this month, the entire population under five in the Gaza Strip - more than 320,000 children - are at risk of acute malnutrition, due to a lack of safe water, breastmilk substitutes and therapeutic feeding. At least 6,500 children were admitted for malnutrition treatment last month and a further 5,000 cases were recorded in the first two weeks of this month. As of this week, 147 people - including 88 children - have died from Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza since October 2023. 'With fewer than 15 percent of essential nutrition treatment services currently functional, the risk of malnutrition-related deaths among infants and young children is higher than ever before,' said Ammar.
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli settler accused of killing No Other Land activist released under house arrest
An Israeli court has released to house arrest a settler suspected of killing a Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank on Monday. Yinon Levi, a settler sanctioned by the US for violent attacks against Palestinians, is facing charges of manslaughter and unlawful use of a firearm in connection with the death of Awdah Hathaleen. Hathaleen, 31, was an English teacher and a peaceful anti-settlement activist. He also worked on the production team of the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land. The Magistrate's Court declined to keep Levi in custody, despite video evidence showing him firing at an unarmed Palestinian crowd in the hamlet of Umm al-Khair, in Masafer Yatta near Hebron, where Hathaleen was killed. The court's decision was not challenged by the police, who are investigating Levi for Hathaleen's killing. The police also made the unusual decision to allow the suspect to meet with his family prior to the hearing, according to Haaretz. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Meanwhile, four unarmed Palestinians arrested during Monday's confrontation, which led to Hathaleen's death, are due to appear before a military court on Thursday, where authorities will seek to extend their detention. They are suspected of stone-throwing and property damage. Two foreign activists detained at the scene are also facing deportation. Additionally, Israeli forces arrested eight Palestinians from Umm al-Khair on Wednesday, including the head of the village. Palestinian activist who worked on Oscar-winning film 'No Other Land' killed in occupied West Bank Read More » Hathaleen was killed after he confronted a group of settlers during the demolition of Palestinian property. In a recorded video of the incident, Levi is seen brandishing a gun and shooting at Palestinians behind the camera. While it is unclear who filmed the footage, several Palestinians were in the vicinity. After Levi begins shooting at targets off-camera, others in the background start screaming inaudibly in Arabic. One man runs into view and shouts to the crowd: "For God's sake, get back" - seemingly attempting to de-escalate the situation. Behind Levi, an active bulldozer can be seen – a clear indication of what appears to be another demolition of Palestinian property by Israelis to make way for further settlement expansion. Such demolitions and settlements are illegal under international law. An illegal Israeli settler shot and critically wounded Odeh Hadalin, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank. Odeh was rushed to hospital and later died, according to his friends.… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 28, 2025 Levi has previously been sanctioned by several countries, including the US, for his violent attacks on Palestinians and their property. The Trump administration lifted those Biden-era sanctions earlier this year. He has been featured in multiple news reports documenting the impact of sanctions on Israeli settlers. While settler violence is not a new phenomenon in the occupied West Bank, attacks have spiked since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. More than 700,000 settlers live in over 200 settlements across the West Bank - all in violation of international law. Restrictions on graves Following his killing, Hathaleen's body was taken by Israeli police for an autopsy. On Tuesday, officials informed Hathaleen's family that he would not be allowed to be buried in his home village of Umm al-Khair. According to +972 Magazine, the Israeli army is likely enforcing a ban on all Palestinian construction in the village - including the placement of gravestones. Mourners were also prevented from holding a public gathering. Israeli troops forced family and friends to dismantle mourning tents that had been set up at the village's community centre to honour the late activist. Hathaleen is survived by his wife, Hanady, and their three children, all under the age of 10. He was an English teacher, writer and a footballer who played for the local club in Masafer Yatta. Friends and colleagues described him as a devoted father and committed peace activist. In a tribute posted on X, the US-based group Jewish Voice for Peace said: "To know Awdah Hathaleen is to love him. "Awda has always been a pillar among his family, his village, and the wider international community of activists who had the pleasure to meet him."
