The ongoing Gaza genocide – some updates
JVL Introduction
The war in Iran, the wildfires affecting almost all parts of the world a new Prime Minister here and Trump’s latest shenanigans and even the terrifying escalation in state sponsored settler violence have pushed Gaza out of the mainstream news.
However, there is no ceasefire in Gaza, at best there a reduction in the level of attacks and some more aid is getting through but not enough. There is no rebuilding andIIsrael clearly has no plans to leave – quite the opposite. Even Trump’s much trumpeted “Peace Plan” and Gaza Riviera “vision” have stalled not least because the investment needed has not been forthcoming. Meanwhile Palestinians are being forced into an ever smaller part of the enclave, ironically mostly next to the sea where Trump and Kushner had planned beach resorts are supposed to be.
As the killing continues so does the astonishing resilience, especially celebrating young people’s graduations from school and university and helping children to have fun. The courage and determination of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music, for example who are clear that Even If They Demolish It a Thousand Times… (we) Will Perform in Gaza Again as well as, for example 18 year old “Uncle Tito” who says: ‘I’m a clown in a war zone – I never thought my work would be so important’
Now people are living in tents where sanitation, privacy, let alone security are scarce. In May 2026, the UN provided a glimpse into a life lived in a tent while trying to cope with rats and mice and infectious disease There is no effective way of keeping warm {or dry) in the winter or cool in the summer. Hospitals are still a long way from functioning and struggle to cope with the healthcare needs of the beleaguered population especially as Israel’s ongoing restrictions on aid prevent vital medical supplies from reaching Gaza.
More water is getting through but still not enough and deliveries require generators and machinery that are highly likely to break down as supplies for maintenace and repairs are not being allowed through.
The change must be almost unbearable:
“Sitting on a small plastic barrel, Umm Ahmad recalls the spacious home and the life she once had: “We used to live in a five-storey house equipped with all the necessities of life, with apartments for our children to get married in, but it was destroyed by the war.”
What is Israel doing?
AS CNN and others have reported Israel’s far-right openly boasts of resettling Gaza and earlier this month, “National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich… led thousands of Israeli settlers and activists to the Gaza perimeter demanding the reestablishment of three settlements in northern Gaza:… Expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank and rebuilding settlements in Gaza are an open dream of Israel’s far-right, and they see the current moment in time with Israel occupying more than half of Gaza as a prime opportunity to pressure Netanyahu to advance their agenda.”
Israel is consolidating its control over the Gaza Strip; permitted (temporary) control of 53% under the October 2025 Ceasefire Agreement (sic), it now controls more than 70% and aims to control (at least) 80% . It has started to build earth mounds and a barrier runs for c 23 kms. A camp, that many consider a concentration camp, is being created in the south of Gaza with caravans in straight lines that can provide sturdier shelter than those tents most Gazans are struggling to survive in.
A 2nd July post on X from Suppressed News stated that: “Israel is preparing to begin moving Palestinians into CONCENTRATION CAMPS in Gaza within weeks. According to Israel Hayom, unarmed civilians would be directed into a fenced camp in Tel al Sultan near Rafah, while a foreign force operating under the Trump administration’s “Board of Peace” polices the area from a newly built base. The plan is described as a “pincer movement”: Israel expands its military control over Gaza while the Palestinian population is concentrated into controlled enclaves, leaving Hamas “without a population, territory or resources.” Officials say the camps will receive aid and caravans, but not the concrete needed to rebuild Gaza.”
However, the caravans are surrounded by fencing and access will be via a checkpoint where guards will use facial recognition. Israel is keen that those who wish to leave, eg for Egypt are “housed” there. Of course, Israel will exclude anyone they decide is a terrorist from entering let alone “living” there and anyone who does not agree to live under these conditions will be deemed a terrorist and, presumably, therefore fair game. The aim seems not to be creating shelter or a future for the people of Gaza but rather opening ‘Hamas free’ zones in Gaza.
This report from last October shows how very different this is from how Palestinians see rebuilding their homes and lives. At least one multiply displaced person from northern Gaza talked of how much he “missed my neighbourhood. A tent on the rubble of my house is a thousand times better than displacement to the south, better than any other place.”
Much the same sentiments were expressed at the January 2025 ceasefire as shown in this Middle East Eye report.
The Board of Peace
The 20 point plan was approved by the UN Security Council but it was only yesterday that Israel grudgingly agreed to allow a highly constrained international force into Gaza even though this was part of the UN backing for proposed framework to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Both the numbers to be allowed in – 200 rather than 500 – and strict concentration into a small area near Rafah – seemingly that camp mentioned above – are far from the original plan and, of course, this foreign force will be controlled by Israel.
It is unclear how this will help the implementation even of that flawed plan and analysts believe that the decision was not a genuine transition towards peace but part of Netanyahu’s political manoeuvres to “to deflect US pressure” before he goes to Washington. At the same time this will “entrench…the geographic fragmentation of the Gaza Strip”. Wissam Afifa, a Gaza-based political analyst argues that: “Netanyahu is going to Washington to say ‘no’ to the broader demands of withdrawal” from the Strip…instead, he is offering this alternative: ‘Take this small appetiser, take this minor achievement, and play within this highly restricted space.’”
Meanwhile the Board of Peace is facing a funding shortfall. “Moath al-Amoudi, an expert in international aid to Palestinians, (said) that the heavily publicised pledges are closer to a “talk show” than a genuine humanitarian effort. (and that) “Out of the $17bn pledged, the actual liquidity that has reached the ground is zero. Donors are terrified of engaging with a board that carries no political vision and treats Gaza merely as an American security protectorate.”
What will happen next depends, as always, on all of us and what influence we can place on governments across the world. It also depends on the legacy media bringing this story back to its front pages and to the headlines of broadcast news.
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