Throughout the Gaza genocide, testimonies have documented the Israeli army’s use of Palestinian women as human shields. These are not isolated acts by rogue soldiers but a systematic practice known to Israeli commanders and acknowledged by soldiers.

Throughout the Gaza war, Israel has debated what to call it. The military says “October 7 War,” while Netanyahu wants “War of Redemption.” What’s clear is that Israel believes it can only resolve its ongoing cycle of crisis through genocidal violence.

A chance encounter with one of my past students at the Islamic University of Gaza highlighted the paradox of surviving the Gaza genocide: feeling joy in surviving the war and sorrow in witnessing what our survival has cost us.

Israel isn’t a vassal state of the U.S., JD Vance said. But when it comes to the ceasefire in Gaza and annexing the West Bank, Israeli decision-making is deeply intertwined with Washington’s current priorities.

The Gaza Ministry of Health published photos of the mutilated bodies of Palestinian prisoners. Most of them showed clear signs of torture — hands and feet bound, blindfolded, bodies showing marks of tank tracks, burns, fractures, and deep wounds.

The death toll in Gaza remains unknown, and statistics have become a contested tool to understand the scale of the genocide. But even if we had an accurate number of deaths, we still wouldn’t understand the depth of its meaning.

Hamas’s wide-ranging security campaign to eliminate armed gangs that collaborated with the Israeli army during the war is escalating. “Our operations will root them all out, without exception,” a Hamas security source tells Mondoweiss.

As world leaders celebrate the release of Israeli captives, over 9,000 Palestinian prisoners still face torture, hunger, and isolation behind bars. Half of them are held by Israel without charge or trial.

Palestinians gathered in the West Bank to reunite with loved ones set to be released as part of the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. But many were devastated to learn that Israel had deported them instead.

Hebrew-language Israeli media reports say there is a “secret clause” buried in the Gaza ceasefire agreement that would allow Israel to resume the war. Palestinians worry this is the pretext Netanyahu needs to get out of completing the deal.