In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Bayt Dajan. Israeli forces also demolish a water well and an agricultural building in Birin and demolish a wall and uproot trees in Bani Na’im. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seize a bulldozer in Fandaqumiya. Israeli forces also take measurements of 2 homes in ‘Azzun in preparation for punitive demolitions and issue punitive demolition notices for 3 homes in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 6 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Surif, Jenin, and ‘Azzun. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in Isawiya. Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolish a home in Wadi al-Juz. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Shati’ refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, killing at least 81 people. 3 rockets are fired at Sderot; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Yarine, Ayta ash Shab, Majdal Zoun, and Aalma ech Chaab. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Kiryat Shmona, causing damage to 2 homes. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/17; UNOCHA 7/19)
More than 38,794 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,054 children and 10,700 women, and around 89,364 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 569 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 134 children. More than 5,420 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 326 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,128 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. 27 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. Israel releases 13 Palestinian detainees at the Kissufim crossing. (AJ, AP, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 7/17; UNRWA 7/22)
UNOCHA says 615 Palestinian structures have been demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the beginning of the year, displacing 755 people. UNOCHA reports that the figures since 10/7/2023 are 1,179 demolitions and 2,756 displaced people. (UNOCHA 7/17)
Ir Amim reports that Palestinians in Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem receive 4-12 hours of running water weekly. (HA 7/16; AJ 7/17)
The U.S. military says the floating aid pier will not be re-anchored to Gaza, saying “there is no more need to use the pier.” The $230 million pier brought an estimated 8,100 metric tonnes of aid to Gaza and was only operational for around 20 days since it was completed in early May. (AJ, AP, AP, REU 7/17; AJ 7/18)
An Israeli negotiation team arrives in Cairo for ceasefire talks. Mossad director David Barnea tells the Israeli cabinet that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on a mechanism for monitoring movement between southern and northern Gaza after a ceasefire deal is reached is the main issue in the negotiations. (AJ, HA, HA 7/17)
The PLO executive committee convenes in Ramallah, condemning Israel’s massacres in Gaza and escalation in the West Bank. The committee says it holds Israel and the U.S. responsible for the genocide in Gaza. (WAFA 7/17; AJ 7/18)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is close to a decision on an attack on Lebanon that will be “fast, surprising, and sharp.” Gallant says there still is space for an agreement if Hezbollah moves north of the Litani River. Gallant also tells U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin that Israeli attacks on Gaza improve the chances of a ceasefire deal. Gallant adds that Israel will set up a field hospital to treat Palestinian children from Gaza who cannot travel abroad via the Rafah crossing. Prime Minister Netanyahu says the plan had not been approved and that the field hospital will not be established. Netanyahu rejects calls for a state commission of inquiry into the 10/7/2023 attacks. Israeli Channel 13 and the Times of Israel report that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told members of the Israeli cabinet that delaying a ceasefire deal is advantageous to U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AJ, HA, REU 7/17; AJ, AP, HA 7/18; HA 7/19)
The Knesset passes a resolution opposing the “establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.” 68 MKs vote for the resolution, including National Unity party leader Benny Gantz, while 9 vote against. The Labor Party abstained in the vote. National Security Minister Ben-Gvir screams “get out, get out, all terrorists get out” to Palestinian MKs Ayman Odeh and Youssef Atauna. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says a Palestinian state cannot be established because there is not a Palestinian people. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh says the vote “confirms the racism of the occupying state” and shows Israel wants to maintain the occupation in perpetuity, calling on countries to recognize the State of Palestine. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the OIC condemn the vote. U.S. national security council spokesperson John Kirby responds to the vote, reiterating the U.S.’s “firm belief in the power and the promise of the 2-state solution.” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel says the vote is not something the U.S. is “thrilled about.” France expresses dismay about the vote. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres calls the vote disappointing, saying Israel cannot vote away the 2-state solution. (HA 7/17; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/18)
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer claims UNRWA is deeply infiltrated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, calling UNRWA commissioner-general Phillippe Lazzarini a “terrorist sympathizer, a Jew-killing enabler, a lair.” The UN calls Mencer’s remarks reprehensible and “downright dangerous.” (AP 7/17; AJ 7/18)
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah warns Israel in a speech that Hezbollah will find new targets in Israel if it continues to target civilians in Lebanon. Nasrallah notes that Israel has killed 8 non-combatants in recent days. (AJ, HA 7/17)
At the UN Security Council, PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour criticizes the international community for not enforcing international law, saying “[w]hat is happening in Gaza is going down as the most documented genocide in history,” noting that Israeli soldiers are filming themselves committing war crimes and posting it on social media. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield tells the council that “Palestinian civilians are living in hell” in Gaza and that Israel must take steps to allow more aid to enter. Thomas-Greenfield also criticizes the Israeli decision to approve new settlements, saying “[u]nilateral action is inconsistent with international law and detrimental to a 2-state solution.” She further says that both Hamas and Israel have agreed to the ceasefire framework put forward by President Joe Biden but that gaps remain. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’s cabinet chief Earle Courenay Rattray says the UN is unable to safely distribute aid in Gaza, citing Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers and general lawlessness. Rattray says the UN still needs more security equipment to manage the risks faced by its humanitarian workers in Gaza. Chinese ambassador to the UN Fu Cong calls on Israel to stop its collective punishment in Gaza. Brazilian ambassador to the UN Sergio Franca Danese calls for an arms embargo on Israel. (AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA 7/17)
The U.S. issues a travel ban on Israeli soldier Elor Azaria and his family. Azaria served 9 months of an 18-month sentence for executing an injured Palestinian man in 2018. National Unity party leader Benny Gantz criticizes the decision, saying Azaria was punished in accordance with Israeli law and that the U.S. should not “interfere in Israel’s legal processes.” (AJ, AP, HA, HA 7/17)
Academi founder Erik Prince reportedly told the Heritage Foundation that the Department of Defense blocked him from helping Israel flood the tunnels in Gaza. Academi is the current name of the private military contracting firm that was founded as Blackwater. (AJ 7/18)
Human Rights Watch says Palestinian militants from 5 different groups, led by Hamas’ al-Qassem Brigades, engaged in war crimes on 10/7/2023. In response, Hamas says its political arm did not plan or execute the attack and that militants were not instructed to target civilians. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA 7/17)