Britannica removed Israel from its children’s educational materials and replaced it with Palestine, prompting objections from a pro-Israel UK lawyers’ group. The encyclopedia later revised the content to reinstate Israel and added clarifications, stating it would review the criticism carefully.
Israel announced it will halt the work of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza after the group declined to provide a list of its Palestinian staff over safety concerns. The move affects one of 37 international NGOs facing similar demands. MSF warned of severe impact on humanitarian services amid ongoing crisis, with over 1,700 health workers, including 15 from MSF, having been killed.
Israel reopened the Rafah crossing after two years of war in Gaza, allowing limited passage under military oversight. Photos showed a fenced corridor described by Palestinians as a conduit to an open-air prison. Entry is restricted to those approved by Israel, with limited daily capacity, amid a growing medical crisis due to evacuation delays.
The Palestine Action Group announced a national day of protest during the Israeli president’s February visit to Australia, calling for his arrest over alleged war crimes. Mass rallies are planned across cities, amid growing calls to revoke his invitation and deny him a visa.
The Israeli army has acknowledged the accuracy of the Palestinian Health Ministry’s figures, confirming that about 71,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, excluding those missing under rubble or dead from starvation and disease. The Health Ministry’s data is widely used by international bodies and considered reliable, with some studies suggesting the actual number may be higher.
Israel plans to reduce aid trucks entering Gaza to around 200 per day despite the ongoing blockade and rising calls to increase support. This follows the release of the last Israeli captive, while Israel continues to block essential supplies and violate the October ceasefire, prompting aid groups to accuse it of weaponizing humanitarian assistance.
On the second anniversary of five-year-old Hind Rajab’s killing during the Gaza offensive, human rights groups renewed their calls for accountability. Hind was killed after an Israeli tank fired on her family’s car, and two medics sent to rescue her were also killed when their ambulance was targeted.
Upscrolled, a new social media app founded by a Palestinian-Australian engineer, has attracted thousands after TikTok was acquired by US investors, amid concerns over Israeli influence and censorship of pro-Palestine content. Many see the platform as a digital refuge free from biased algorithms.
