In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the week of July 8-14, 2026, has been marked by a devastating toll on civilian lives, particularly children and medical facilities. The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 1,108 since the October ceasefire, with attacks on children and hospitals becoming a recurring theme. The Israeli strikes on tents in al-Mawasi and the killing of a 10-year-old child in a strike on a tent in the al-Mawasi "humanitarian zone" are particularly heart-wrenching. The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital, a facility inside the Israeli-controlled "green zone," further highlights the systematic targeting of health facilities by Israel. These incidents are not isolated; the cumulative figure of those killed since Israel's genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023 has reached a staggering 73,231, with 173,686 wounded.
The Israeli military body COGAT, which coordinates aid, has released a report claiming that humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza in quantities that "significantly exceeded" the needs identified by the UN. However, the UN's own data, published the following day, paints a different picture. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that food parcels distributed to more than 53,500 people in early July covered just 75% of minimum caloric needs, and that a top-up of high-energy biscuits had been suspended to preserve dwindling emergency stocks. The entry restrictions on essential services for an estimated 350,000 people living with chronic diseases have led to severe disruptions, with more than 18,000 new cases of chickenpox, skin infection, and parasitic infestation recorded in a single week.
On the ground, Gaza's medical facilities are plunged into darkness due to fuel shortages, with 38 hospitals already destroyed or rendered inoperable and surgeons forced to shorten operations. The Ministry of Health has warned that its labs and blood banks face complete shutdown.
In the West Bank, the situation is equally dire. A report by the Israeli advocacy and research groups Peace Now and Kerem Navot documented what it called de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank at an unprecedented pace. Between 2023 and 2025, 185 new outposts were established, 118 Palestinian herding communities were expelled, 102 new settlements were created, and illegal farm outposts came to control more than 1.1 million dunams of land, functioning together as "a single, systematic government policy."
Settler violence persists, with settlers attacking under Israeli military protection. For five consecutive days, settlers attacked the family of the elderly Ibrahim Ismail al-Jabour in the Huwara area of Masafer Yatta, with soldiers arriving to protect the attackers and detaining al-Jabour himself while seven of his relatives, including two children, were injured by settlers. Across those days, no settler was arrested.
As scrutiny of Israel's actions intensifies abroad, disputes over basic facts from the ground have entangled even visiting US politicians. US Congressman Ro Khanna said he and his group were detained for more than an hour by settlers, before soldiers prevented him from leaving, while touring the emptied village of Khirbet Zanuta in the West Bank. The Israeli military said its soldiers "dispersed" the settlers on arrival; "the [Israeli military] is lying," Khanna told NBC News.
The trajectory of events in the region is moving steadily in one direction: brazen defiance. Israel's actions, from the attacks on children and hospitals to the annexation of the West Bank and the disregard for international observers, underscore a pattern of impunity and a lack of accountability. The international community must take action to ensure that Israel is held accountable for its actions and that the rights of the Palestinian people are protected. In my opinion, the situation in the region is a stark reminder of the need for a just and lasting peace, and the international community must work together to achieve this goal.
