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Israel's rejection of a US-backed 15-point plan to end the Gaza war has drawn skepticism and disappointment from Palestinians, who doubt lasting peace without an Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction. Residents express frustration over continued attacks and uncertain prospects for a durable ceasefire.
In the West Bank village of Umm al-Khair, Palestinians face daily pressure from Israeli settlers and military forces, including attacks, arrests, and demolition threats. The community, already mourning a leader killed by a settler, is pushing back against efforts to seize land and erase their presence as displacement rates reach record levels.
An 18-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza gives her phone to her mother every night, a ritual that underscores how the family relies on the device as a lifeline. Amid the war, the phone is both a connection to the world and a source of parental concern.
Israeli military barriers cause hours-long delays for Palestinians, forcing women to give birth outside hospitals and leading to a fetal death before reaching emergency care. Ambulance drivers and medical workers describe severe movement restrictions in the West Bank as a form of collective punishment, with the health system collapsing under checkpoints and attacks.
Medical sources report that eight more Palestinians have died in the latest attacks, raising the total death toll in the Gaza Strip to 73,051 since the conflict erupted. More than half of the victims are women and children, and thousands remain missing under the rubble.
Arwa Elrayess, the first Palestinian president of the Oxford Union, has refused to resign after facing false accusations and a smear campaign. A no-confidence vote against her has failed, but she continues to face criticism over her comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Egypt has launched an emergency diplomatic intervention to salvage the fragile Gaza ceasefire, as Israeli attacks and threats to displace Palestinians push the agreement to the brink of collapse. Cairo warns against expanding occupation and has invited a senior Hamas delegation for urgent talks. At least 141 Palestinians have been killed in the past two weeks amid escalating Israeli strikes.
Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are prevented from performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca for a third year in a row due to Israel's border closures. The war and blockade have destroyed the dreams of many, including the elderly, who had waited decades for the journey. At least 71 people who had won pilgrimage slots in previous years were killed in the war before they could go.
Israel has passed a law creating a special military court to try about 300 Palestinians accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack, with the power to impose the death penalty. Observers, human rights groups and the United Nations question whether this court can deliver genuine justice or merely amounts to organized revenge. Critics warn the legal framework may permit unfair trials, secret evidence and convictions based on coercion.
