Smoke and flames rise from an apartment building targeted by the Israeli army in the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine on May 15, 2026. (Khames Alrefi – Anadolu Agency)
News roundup for Friday, May 15, 2026, Day 952 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
At least seven Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured in two Israeli air strikes on a residential building and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City, according to medical sources. Among the civilians killed were three women and one child. Israeli leaders said they were targeting “one of the architects” of the October 7 attacks.
Full list of Israel’s ceasefire violations in Gaza, seven months on: From deadly strikes and expanding no-go zones to aid restrictions and border closures, Israel has repeatedly breached the US-backed truce while deepening the enclave’s humanitarian crisis, including at least 2,400 Israeli violations. A sampling:
- 1,109 air strikes and other shelling attacks, alongside 921 shootings targeting civilians
- At least 857 Palestinians killed, of which 229 were children
- At the time the deal was signed, Israeli forces controlled around 53% of the enclave, and were supposed to withdraw; instead, they have expanded to control 64%
- Under the agreement, Israel was required to allow up to 600 trucks a day to supply Gazan’s needs; they have met only about a quarter of that
- Israel has also allowed about a quarter of border crossings agreed upon
ISRAELI MEDIA: US mulls asking Israel to provide PA tax funds* for Trump’s Gaza plan — sources: PA official says a proposal is being weighed that would see a portion of $5 billion ‘illegally’ held by Israel transferred to Board of Peace, while equal cut would be released to Ramallah.
*NOTE: Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, Israel collects import/export taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to be handed over for the PA’s operating budget. Israel regularly keeps back some of this revenue (an amount now totaling over $4 billion), claiming it is being used illegally for the so-called Pay-For-Slay program (Palestinians often call it the Martyr’s Fund) – a social safety net for the Palestinian families that have lost their breadwinner due to the conflict with Israel.
Many Palestinian “martyrs” were not killers or attackers, but were themselves killed while walking to school, participating in a peaceful demonstration, or sleeping in their beds – but Israel does not differentiate, claiming the program encourages Palestinians to volunteer for suicide missions.
Notably, Israel has its own compensation program for families of IDF soldiers killed or injured in the line of duty, as does the US. For a deep dive into the topic, read The Legitimacy of Family Compensation for Palestinians Killed, Injured, and Imprisoned.
Gaza sisters awarded environmental prize for turning rubble into bricks: Two teenage sisters from Gaza have developed a technique to manufacture bricks from the millions of tons of rubble strewn across the territory. The sisters will use the $12,500 (£9,245) prize money to train around 100 young people to create the bricks and “participate in reconstruction themselves, instead of waiting only for outside help.”
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 857 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025
- 72,744 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
‘They said, find yourselves another home’: Israeli soldiers threaten residents of West Bank refugee camps with displacement: Residents of Qalandia refugee camp outside Ramallah say escalating Israeli raids now come with orders to leave their homes or suffer the same fate as Jenin camp. “Just saying ‘Jenin’ is enough,” one resident said. “Everyone knows what it means.”
The Israeli army has arrested more than 23,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, along with thousands from Gaza, since the war in the enclave began in October 2023, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Friday, including women, children, wounded people and former prisoners. The figure excludes thousands of arrests from Gaza, where the group said Israel continues to forcibly disappear hundreds of detainees.
Soldiers Invade Towns, Block Medics, Abduct Residents
Colonizers Expand Attacks, Burn Mosque, Attack Residents
Colonizers Torch Vehicle, Rooms, Smash Cars, Near Ramallah
Israeli Colonizer Shoots a Palestinian Near Hebron
Colonizers Assault Worshippers Near Al‑Aqsa; Soldiers Abduct Nine
Palestinian Woman Forced To Demolish Her Home in Jerusalem
DEATH TOLL – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel news accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Could Brain-drain Leave Israel Brain-dead? Figures show that not only are more people leaving Israel, but the ones leaving are also more educated. It is not a crisis yet, but could become one if Netanyahu retains power.
‘Secret visits’ to UAE during war included more than just Netanyahu: The Israeli army Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, reportedly visited the UAE alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the war against Iran to meet with senior officials in the country. The Prime Minister’s Office said the visit “led to a historic breakthrough in relations” between the countries. Mossad director David Barnea and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) director David Zini also visited the UAE during the war.
UAE officials were reportedly ‘very angry’ when Netanyahu’s office leaked details of the visit, and denied reports of Netanyahu’s visit and of “receiving any Israeli military delegation on its territory.”
RELATED: Araghchi accuses UAE of being “active partner” in US-Israeli war against Iran
Poll shows Israeli opposition could win 61 seats, majority want Netanyahu to quit politics
ISRAEL-US WAR/CEASEFIRE ON IRAN – NEWS & HEADLINES:
It can not be overemphasized that Israel is the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades, using lies and deception. Under President Trump, he got his wish.
The American people have made clear that they do not want the US embroiled in a war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List.“
ISRAELI MEDIA: Trump says he’s OK with Iran suspending nuke enrichment for 20 years if there’s ‘real’ guarantee: President appears to back away from long-time demand for total end to enrichment and his pledge to ensure Iran never attains nuclear weapons; Iranian FM says Tehran has ‘no trust’ in US.
Retrieving Iran’s enriched uranium is only necessary for “public relations,” Trump said on Fox News Thursday evening. “I don’t think it’s necessary except from a public relations standpoint. I think it’s important for the fake news that we get it. I’m the one that said we are going to get it. And we’re going to get it.”
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON IRAN (tentative):
- United States: 13 (or more)
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians, 254 children)
- Israel: about 40 (19 Israeli soldiers, and 1 friendly fire – including both Iran and Lebanon-related deaths; another count shows 20 Israeli civilian deaths)
- Arab states (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon), at least 154
ISRAEL’S WAR/CEASEFIRE ON LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Israel has invaded Lebanon seven times in the last half century. Between 1978 and 2000, Israel maintained an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon — Hezbollah was formed to fight that occupation.
Although Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024, Israel has attacked Lebanon almost every day since, committing over 10,000 air and ground violations – the most violated ceasefire deal in recorded history. (Read about UNIFIL, the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, here.)
Shaky truce* between Israel and Lebanon extended for 45 days, US says: Moments after the ceasefire renewal was announced, an Israeli strike hit a centre of the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee in the southern town of Hanuf, authorities said. Six people died, including three paramedics, and 22 were wounded, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
*NOTE: What the Guardian calls a “shaky truce” has been a mostly one-sided conflict, in which Israeli forces have killed upwards of 400 in Lebanon, and Hezbollah fighters have killed around 40 Israelis. The statement of agreement between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah was not part of the negotiations) included:
“Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.(emphasis added) This shall not be impeded by the cessation of hostilities. Besides this, it will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, and sea.”
This clause has enabled Israel to claim that it was maintaining the ceasefire even as it has attacked southern Lebanon and destroyed entire towns.
The Israeli government plans to establish illegal settlements in Lebanon and displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, according to remarks by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Thursday. “We have more plans to encourage migration from Gaza, encourage migration from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and settlement in Lebanon, and we will not fear eliminating everyone who rises up to kill us,” Ben-Gvir said.
DEATH TOLL – WAR ON LEBANON (tentative):
- At least 380 killed since “ceasefire” began on April 17, 2026 (22 children, 39 women)
- At least 2,951 people have been killed since war began on March 2, 2026
Smoke rises from the area following an Israeli strike on the towns of Yahmar al-Shakif and Arnun in Nabatieh province in southern Lebanon on May 11, 2026. Israeli forces continued air and artillery strikes on towns in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. (Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency)
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