Watermelon Wednesday #48: Gaza Genocide Continues, Trump Remains Unchecked

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“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:

  • Since the “ceasefire”, Israel has killed 637 Gazans and violated the truce 1,620 times. Rafah crossing was closed, as fuel and food supplies are running out.
  • Israeli settlers continue terrorising West Bank Palestinian communities, as a 27-year-old Palestinian man is shot dead.
  • Nearly 100,000 people displaced in Lebanon; 1,332 Iranian civilians dead so far; Iran detains 6 US citizens; aluminum and oil prices rise.
  • Only 1 in 4 Americans support the war; intelligence says it was unlikely that Iran was to attack the US first; war powers vote against Trump fails in the House.

Takeaways:

  • The US-sponsored genocide against Palestinians is ongoing.
  • The war has killed hundreds of Iranians and displaced thousands of Lebanese.
  • Trump is bypassing regulations to further the war, despite there being little to no reason for American intervention.

As your constituents we urge you to:

  • Push for limitation of Trump’s war powers.
  • Call for a complete end to the ceasefire violations, and a stronger flow of aid.
  • Divest from Israeli companies operating on violently occupied land, and use those funds at home.

Palestine

  • Despite the distraction, the genocide in Gaza continues.
    • 3/7 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 637 Palestinians, violating the truce 1,620 times. [IAK]
      • 3/7 – A father and daughter are killed in an Israeli drone attack in Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
    • 3/5 – UNRWA report: [UNRWA]
      • 72,063 Gazans killed since Oct. 7th 2023
      • 1,058 West Bank Palestinians, 229 children, killed since Oct. 7th, 2023
    • 3/1 – Rafah crossing, used to deliver vital aid, was closed by Israel. [Al Jazeera]
    • 3/2 – Gaza is rapidly running out of fuel supply and stocks of food. [Reuters]
    • 3/2 – Israel said it will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing for gradual entry of aid into Gaza. [Reuters]
  • As Israel bombs the Middle-East, Palestinians in the West Bank are overshadowed.
    • 2/19 – OCHA update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
      • “Between 3 and 16 February, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in Qalqiliya and Jericho and Palestinian forces killed one Palestinian child in Tubas.
      • “Over 90 per cent of Palestinians displaced due to settler attacks and access restrictions in 2026 to date have been in the Jordan Valley area, which also accounts for more than one third of such displacement since January 2023.”
    • 3/3 – Iranian missiles strike Tel Aviv area. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – Under cover of the Iran war, Israeli settlers continue terrorising Palestinian communities. [Al Jazeera]
    • 3/6 – Israel said a “firing component” launched by its navy accidentally struck a UN fuel truck in Gaza. [Reuters]
    • 3/7 – Israeli setter shoots dead a 27-year-old Palestinian man in the West Bank. [Reuters]

International

  • Israeli violence across the Middle East, from Iran to Lebanon.
    • 3/1 – Israel launches a wave of strikes on Tehran. [Reuters]
    • 3/2 – Disruptions to Middle-East aluminum exports are likely to hit American and European consumers hardest. [Reuters]
    • 3/2 – US intelligence says that Iran could strike the US in response to American aggression. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – Iran detains 6 US citizens or permanent residents. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – US Marines open fire on demonstrators outside the Karachi consulate. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – US-Israeli forces strike Iran, raising oil prices. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – >30,000 displaced Lebanese seek protection in shelters. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – UN calls for opening of Gaza’s border crossings. [Al Jazeera]
    • 3/6 – UN: nearly 100,000 people have been displaced within Lebanon. Tens of thousands have fled back over the border. [Reuters]
    • 3/6 – Ghana’s UN peacekeeping battalion in Lebanon is hit by missiles. [Reuters]
    • 3/6 – At least 1,332 Iranian civilians have died so far. [Reuters]
    • 3/6 – Medical Aid for Palestinians says that Israel is using its “Gaza playbook” in Lebanon. [Al Jazeera]

National

  • Only 1/4 of Americans support Trump’s war in Iran, as millions are used for that instead of people at home.
    • 3/1 – Only 1 in 4 Americans support strikes against Iran. [Reuters]
    • 3/1 – 1 in 4 Republicans believe Trump is too willing to use military force. [Reuters]
    • 3/1 – Lawmakers say the US is yet to specify a “day-after” strategy for Iran following US-Israel strikes. [Reuters]
    • 3/2 – Trump admin officials acknowledged that there was no intelligence to suggest that Iran planned to attack the US first. [Reuters]
    • 3/2 – Marco Rubio said that the US “would not deliberately target a school”, when >160 were killed in a strike on a girls’ school. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – US Democrats plan a war powers vote against Trump. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – US debuts low-cost suicide drones in combat, just 8 months after unveiling. [Reuters]
    • 3/3 – Kristi Noem calls the acts of 2 US citizens who were shot by ICE as “domestic terrorism”. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – Trump claims the right to be involved in the decision of Iran’s next Supreme Leader. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – The House of Representatives rejected an effort to stop Trump’s air war on Iran. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – Hegseth says the US is not expanding military objectives in Iran. Trump says the US is expanding military objectives in Iran. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – US military investigators say it is likely that the strike on Iranian schoolgirls was the fault of US forces. [Reuters]
    • 3/5 – Trump says he is unconcerned about the rise in gas prices. [Reuters]
    • 3/6 – Trump says he will only accept “unconditional surrender” from Iran. [Reuters]
    • 3/6 – US State Dept. approves a sale of $151.8M to Israel for munitions, without submitting it for congressional review. [Reuters]
    • 3/7 – US retail gas and diesel prices rise as the war with Iran constrains oil and fuel exports. [Reuters]
    • 3/7 – Trump’s admin bypasses Congress to expedite the sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel, ~$650M. [Reuters]

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