“Bismillaahir-rahmaanir raheem”
(In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful)
Watermelon Wednesday is a weekly brief shared with our elected officials to ensure they are aware of Israel’s aggression, the Palestinian experience, and our country’s complicity in this genocide and international war crimes.
TL;DR:
- Israel has violated the ceasefire 969 times, killing 418 Gazans, and has barred >36 NGOs from Gaza.
- The Israeli army opened fire on stone-throwers in the West Bank, killing one, as dozens of Palestinian homes are demolished.
- In 2025, Israel attacked territories of more than 7 countries. The IFJ calls Palestine the most dangerous place for journalists in 2025.
- Trump invites Netanyahu, where he lies about Israel’s violations of the ceasefire. Boeing is allowed to once again fund the war machine with a $8.6B contract.
Takeaways:
- Israel is continuing to murder innocent Gazans, including by cutting off aid.
- The situation in the West Bank has gotten so bad that even Trump has noticed.
- Our support of Israel is, by proxy, support of unjust war worldwide.
- Trump’s administration continues to tie America to genocidal intentions.
As your constituents we urge you to:
- Call for a complete end to the ceasefire violations, and a stronger flow of aid.
- Push for the entry of NGOs into Gaza.
- Divest from Israeli companies operating on violently occupied land, and use those funds at home.
969 Violations, 418 Killed
- As the winter rolls through, Israel bars NGOs from delivering aid
- 12/27 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 418 Palestinians, violating the truce 969 times. [IAK]
- 12/28 – A Palestinian woman in Gaza died amidst a winter storm. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/30 – Israel to suspend more than 36 humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders. [Al Jazeera]
- 1/1 – Israeli forces kill a Gazan child. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/26 – UNRWA report: [UNRWA]
- 70,668 Gazans killed since Oct. 7th 2023
- 1,043 West Bank Palestinians killed since Oct. 7th, 2023
- 12/28 – Israel has killed ~706 family members of Palestinian journalists. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/28 – Israel has held Dr. Hussam Abu Safia for an entire year without charge. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/30 – Doctors Without Borders expects to be stopped from operating in Gaza once it misses the deadline Israel set. [Reuters]
- 1/1 – Health authorities are warning of the threat of leptospirosis in Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/27 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 418 Palestinians, violating the truce 969 times. [IAK]
- Even the US urges peace in the West Bank
- 12/23 – OCHA update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
- “Four Palestinian children were killed in the West Bank over the past two weeks…
- “Over 100 Palestinians were displaced by demolitions and evictions over the past two weeks…
- “Settler violence and access restrictions have driven displacement across 85 Palestinian communities and areas in the West Bank, with 33 fully emptied of their residents, in the past three years.”
- 1/1 – Israel kills a Palestinian in the West Bank as they open fire on stone-throwers. [Reuters]
- 1/1 – Israeli soldiers demolish dozens of Palestinian homes in the northern West Bank. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/23 – OCHA update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
Gazans wait to receive meals, as Israel cuts off all humanitarian organizations from Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
Suspended Lifeline
- A yearly tally of Israel’s attacks, as voices cry out for unhindered aid
- 12/29 – In 2025, Israel attacked: [Al Jazeera]
- “Gaza and the occupied West Bank 8,332 times
- “Lebanon 1,653 times
- “Iran 379 times
- “Syria 207 times
- “Yemen 48 times
- “Qatar once
- “Tunisian waters twice, Maltese and Greek waters once each”
- 12/31 – UN Secretary-General condemns a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN. [Reuters]
- 1/1 – International Federation of Journalists says that Palestine was the deadliest place to work as a journalist in 2025. [Al Jazeera]
- 1/2 – Several countries call on Israel to allow “immediate, full, and unhindered” delivery of aid into Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/29 – In 2025, Israel attacked: [Al Jazeera]
Yemen was one of at least 7 countries whose territories were struck by Israel in 2025. [Al Jazeera]
Dollars of Destruction
- As Trump meets Netanyahu again, America’s support of genocide grows tighter
- 12/29 – Boeing was given a $8.6B contract for the F-15 Israel Program, further funding the war machine. [Reuters]
- 12/29 – Trump asked Netanyahu to change his policies in the occupied West Bank. [Reuters]
- 12/30 – Despite hundreds of violations, Trump says Israel has fully complied with the Gaza ceasefire. [Al Jazeera]
- 1/2 – Mamdani wipes out all of his predecessor’s pro-Israel executive orders, such as those against BDS. [Al Jazeera]
Trump praised Israel for “complying” with the ceasefire, despite almost a thousand recorded violations. [Al Jazeera]