On August 10th, an Israeli strike on Gaza’s last functioning hospital killed Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif along with four others. Israel claimed al-Sharif was a member of Hamas, a charge rejected by colleagues and press-freedom advocates. His death added to what Brown University’s Costs of War project has described as the deadliest conflict for reporters in modern history, with at least 232 journalists and media workers killed between October 2023 and March 2025.
During the week of August 10–17, Gaza’s overall death toll climbed from approximately 61,700 to 61,900—highlighted by daily casualties of 54, 51, and 70 in recent days. Starvation and malnutrition claimed 11 more lives, including a child, bringing that total to 251 (with 108 children among them). Meanwhile, violence around aid delivery continues to ravage the population: over 1,900 people have died in transit to hospitals or near aid distribution points, underscoring the lethal barriers to survival in the siege.
Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to seize Gaza City, calling it the ‘capital of terrorism,’ as Israeli forces expanded operations into surrounding refugee camps. Civilians, many displaced repeatedly, refused evacuation orders, declaring it ’better to die here than leave again.’ Inside Israel, military chiefs warned of mutiny amid growing dissent, while plummeting conscription rates exposed fractures in the population. Reports indicate that over 100,000 reservists have ceased reporting for duty, a significant portion of whom cite moral objections to the ongoing military operations in Gaza . This widespread dissent has led to a notable decline in reservist turnout, with some units experiencing participation rates below 60%. A group of 41 Israeli military intelligence officers, including members of the elite Unit 8200, publicly declared their refusal to continue participating in the Gaza operations, labelling the conflict as an ‘unnecessary, eternal war’ driven by political motives rather than national security concerns .
In Israel, families of hostages staged strikes, accusing Netanyahu of sacrificing their loved ones to the Gaza offensive, while tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the assault on Gaza City. The government dismissed the demonstrations as signs of ‘weakness,’ deepening the rift between an embattled leadership and a public split over the war’s costs.
The Arab League formally condemned Israel’s Gaza offensive, labelling it ‘genocide,’ while Germany announced a historic halt to arms exports. The United Kingdom pledged additional humanitarian aid—conditional on access—despite no convoys crossing the Rafah border since May. The UN Security Council convened for emergency discussions, though the outcome remained uncertain because of predictable veto politics.
The US State Department suspended visas for Gazan children in urgent need of medical treatment, following an online campaign by Trump ally Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer close to Donald Trump who has described herself as ‘a proud Islamophobe’. Families seeking hospital care abroad were denied entry, even as US funding continued to support Israel’s siege, while Bono of U2, real name Paul Hewson, stated that ‘We know Hamas are using starvation as a weapon in the war.’
Following the arrests last weekend of hundreds of protesters opposing the UK government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the action by insisting she possessed ‘secret’ evidence of the group’s violent activity, in an obfuscation worthy of Trump or Netanyahu.
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