Gaza Bombardment and Civilian Deaths
- Since Israel ended the ceasefire and returned to bombing the Gaza Strip on Tuesday 3/18, more than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed including at least 322 children.
- 3/18: Israeli airstrikes killed 404 Palestinians, including 263 women and children. [Al Jazeera]
- 3/24: Israeli strikes killed 65 Palestinians in 24 hours. A Red Cross building in Rafah was hit, disrupting humanitarian operations. [Reuters]
- 4/1: Gaza: 322 children killed since the end of the ceasefire [UNICEF]
- 3/24: Israel’s military struck the surgical building of Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis [AP]
- About 142,000 people forcibly displaced, 18-23 of March [UN]
- Attacks on journalists, healthcare workers and infrastructure, and other protected peoples:
- 3/24: Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat was killed by an Israeli airstrike targeting his car in northern Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
- 3/31: The first responders massacre: 14 aid workers found dead and buried, hands bound [Mondoweiss]
West Bank Violence and Settlement Expansion
- Israel continues land theft in the West Bank and expands settlements
- 3/23: Israel’s security cabinet approved recognizing 13 Jewish settlements in the West Bank as independent, paving the way for expansion. [Middle East Eye]
- 3/30: Mapping how Israel’s land grabs are reshaping the occupied West Bank [Al Jazeera]
- Israeli settler violence against Palestinians:
- 3/18: Israel ramps up settlement and annexation in West Bank with dire human rights consequences [UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner]
- 3/25: Filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of Oscar winner No Other Land, was attacked by Israeli settlers and later arrested. [Reuters]
- 3/28: The many ways Israeli settlers steal Palestinian homes [Al Jazeera]
Israel Expands Military Operations
- 3/25: Israeli forces bombed two Syrian air bases near Palmyra for the second time this week [Al Jazeera]
- Israel begins first strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs since the ceasefire began [Reuters]
- Southern Lebanon bombarded by Israel, which said it intercepted another rocket fired from the country.
US Deportations and Detention of Pro-Palestinian Activists
- Multiple students have been detained by authorities for supporting Palestinian rights, at times for as little as a blog post or a family member being Palestinian. [Rolling Stone]
- Mahmoud Khali (Columbia) [read his letter from detention], Rumeysa Ozturk (Tufts), Momodou Taal (Cornell), Yunseo Chung (Columbia), Badar Khan Suri (Georgetown), Alireza Doroudi (Alabama)
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked over 300 visas, calling detained pro-Palestinian activists “lunatics.” [NYT]
- 3/29: ICE Revoking Students’ Immigration Statuses Without Their or the University’s Knowledge [Zeteo]
- The Reality on Campus: The threat of deportation is part of a broader campus climate crisis. According to the 2024 CAIR- California Campus Climate Report:
- 50% of Muslim students experienced harassment or discrimination on campus.
- 37% felt targeted by professors, and 53% by peers.
- 92% of reported incidents occurred after October 7, 2023—a staggering increase in Islamophobic hostility.
Takeaways
As your constituents, we expect you to ensure our security and freedom.
Israel’s campaign of genocide and violation of international law continues, and we must do whatever is in our power to end it.
Events in the Middle East are directly affecting the safety and livelihoods of your constituents, particularly students.