Apartheid Laws in Israel

People hold a protest against the “family reunification law” outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 5, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel

There are nearly two million Palestinian citizens of Israel, who account for roughly 20% of the country’s population. Palestinian citizens of Israel are subjected to differential and unequal treatment under Israeli law when it comes to citizenship rights. The most important immigration and nationality laws — including the Law of Return (1950) and the Citizenship Law (1952) – privilege Jews and Jewish immigration. These laws allow Jews from anywhere in the world to immigrate freely to Israel and to gain citizenship, but they exclude Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes in 1947-1952 and 1967.

There are more than 65 Israeli laws which discriminate against Palestinians. Click HERE for info on a few of them.

Palestine 101: Not That Complicated

A 101 Course to Understanding Israel’s Oppression of the Palestinian People

Many people are held back from taking a stand on the issue of Palestine/Israel by the common misconception that it is “complicated.” Here, we explain the steady continuation of the more than 100-year-old settler colonial project that is Zionism. Palestine 101: Not That Complicated can help folks both familiar and unfamiliar with the issue understand the ongoing process of Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and the legacy of Palestinian resistance to the colonization of their homeland.

Photos: Gaza’s shelter crisis

The Gaza Strip faces a deepening housing crisis as more than 92 percent of homes have been damaged or destroyed by Israel’s war.

"Losing both work and housing have compounded the suffering of war,” says Mu'ayyad Sa'id, a father of three living inside a destroyed mosque in Gaza City. Unemployed, he constantly struggles to provide for his family's basic needs. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“I have lived through many wars, but I have never seen one like this,” says Salah al-Tawil. “It has consumed everything. The most painful thing about this war has been losing the right to have a home.” Salah and his family spent much of the war repeatedly fleeing bombardment and attacks before returning to their destroyed home in Maghazi. Over two months, he cleared rubble and repaired what he could, making clay bricks by hand to rebuild part of the house. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“Even basic things, such as having a roof over your head, enough food to eat, and sending your kids to school, have become difficult dreams to achieve in Gaza City,” says Youssef Mahmoud Aziz. Displaced from Jabalia in northern Gaza, Youssef and his family now live in a damaged school in Gaza City’s Remal neighbourhood, among many families trying to rebuild what they can amid widespread destruction. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“I wish I could hold my daughter, feed her and dress her like all mothers in the world do,” says Nibal al-Hissi. A young mother of one, Nibal lost both arms after an Israeli shell strike. She now lives in a tent at a displacement site in eastern Gaza, where even simple things like feeding herself, dressing and caring for her child have become daily struggles. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“I have nowhere else to go,” says Ali Harb. Ali and his wife live in the basement of their damaged home in Gaza City's Yarmouk neighbourhood. They stay there, despite the constant fear that the weakened structure could collapse at any moment. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“Life has become a daily struggle for survival,” says Mohammed Jamil Diab. Mohammed, his wife, and their three children are from the Shujayea neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Displaced more than 20 times during the war, they now shelter in the basement of a damaged mosque in the Remal neighbourhood, living with constant uncertainty about what will come next. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“The first and last chapter of the pain we have lived through in this war is the loss of our home. A person can only truly feel comfort and peace in their home,” says Ahmed Qwaider. A farmer from Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, Ahmed was displaced with his family to the western part of the city, losing both his home and his livelihood. Today, the family live in an emergency shelter. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“I can't comprehend everything that's happening to us,” says Rami Azmeila. “Losing my sons, the constant displacement, my injuries … all of this is beyond what any human being can bear.” A father of seven from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Rami lost two of his young sons, aged 24 and 22, when a missile struck his home. Today, his family shelters in a makeshift tent built on the roof of a damaged building near Gaza City. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“Sometimes I imagine myself returning to my home as it was, without fear or displacement, just a normal life like anyone else,” says Rani Al-Fayoumi. Rani, 25, and his family of four are from the Shujayea neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Displaced by the war, they now live in a tent on the roof of a mosque in the Remal neighbourhood. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“Home is the first homeland,” says Zakaria Aqel, “the place that holds all the peace in the world. A person without a home is a person without an identity. Each time [I was displaced], I felt a sense of belonging to the place I was in, a place where I had tried to build a life.” Zakaria and his family are from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. After being displaced dozens of times, they eventually settled in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood, where they were given a shelter that finally offered some stability after months of moving from place to place. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“If I had known our lives would be turned upside-down like this, I would have held on to every moment we had,” says Suhail al-Yazji. From Gaza City’s Yarmouk neighbourhood, Suhail now supports her family alone after her husband was injured during the war. She lives in a damaged tent reinforced with tarps beside the rubble of her home. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“It’s not easy being both a mother and father to a large family, but I have no choice but to continue, for the sake of my children,” says Amina Saadallah. Amina, a mother of six, lost her husband at the beginning of the war. She now lives with her children in a cloth tent that offers little protection. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

“I try with all my might to provide a decent life for my children. I defy displacement and the dire economic situation,” says Asmaa Shtewi. Asmaa and her two daughters were displaced from southeastern Gaza City to the Gaza Port, where they shelter in tents made for camping. She used to work as a theatre actor, but her most challenging role now is playing both mother and father for her two children. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

"We try to remain strong for our children, even though the pain is unbearable. We have no choice but to persevere,” says Dina Salem. Dina and Donia Salem are two sisters from Egypt who settled in Gaza after getting married. When the war broke out, they both lost their husbands when their home was bombed and destroyed. After being displaced more than 20 times, they now found a small refuge near the coast in southern Gaza. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

"My family is large, and this is the biggest burden I bear: securing food and basic necessities amidst this ongoing displacement,” says Saeed Diab. A father of 10, Saeed lost his job and his home early in the war. Displaced from the Shujayea neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, his family now shelters in two makeshift tents inside a collapsing building in the Remal neighbourhood in the west of the city. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda/IOM]

Rebuilding Gaza to cost $71bn, must include Palestinians, report finds

July 23, 2026 - Rebuilding Gaza will cost seven times more than all previous rebuilding efforts in Gaza combined in the last two decades, according to a new joint Oxfam report.

The devastation from more than two years of war has killed at least 73,000 Palestinians, injured 173,000 and displaced 1.9 million. It has left the Gaza Strip needing an estimated $71.4bn to recover, according to the UN-EU-World Bank Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) released in April.

Human development has been set back by 77 years according to the new report by Oxfam, the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) and the Palestine Trade Centre (PalTrade), which asserts that the rebuilding of Gaza cannot move forward without direct Palestinian involvement.

More HERE

Children wounded in Israeli strike on Khan Younis

July 23, 2026 - Children were rushed to hospital after an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Witnesses said civilians were struck while in a designated “safe humanitarian zone”.

Israel builds Gaza barrier as politicians push for settlements

July 24, 2026 - As Israeli politicians and protesters keep up their demands to annex and settle in Gaza, recent satellite images reveal the construction of a huge earthen barrier dividing the territory. Al Jazeera’s Hala Al Shami explains.

Born too soon: Premature babies fight for survival in Gaza

The Premature Infants Clinic at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza [Eman Abu Zayed/Al Jazeera]

July 25, 2026 - There has been a sharp increase in premature births and underweight newborns, as well as stillbirths and birth defects, since the genocide in Gaza began on October 7, 2023.

UNICEF has repeatedly warned about a crisis in premature births in Gaza, with one in every five newborns requiring intensive neonatal or thermal care. Maternal malnutrition, prolonged psychological stress and declining prenatal care services have all had an impact on both mother and child.

More HERE

Israeli Forces Escalate Demolitions Across West Bank and East Jerusalem

Bethlehem, West Bank /PNN /

June 10, 2026 - Israeli authorities intensified demolition and enforcement measures across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Wednesday, carrying out demolitions and issuing stop-work and demolition orders against Palestinian homes and structures, citing the absence of Israeli-issued building permits.....MORE

Stanford graduates stage pro-Palestine walkout at Google CEO speech

More than 100 Stanford University graduates walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s commencement address, chanting ‘Free Palestine,’ in protest over Project Nimbus, the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government.

Snipers Do NOT Miss What They Aim At

Israeli forces kill three-year-old Palestinian boy on family farm in Gaza

Palestinian child Rayan Bahaa Abu Al-Ajeen [X/@QudsNen]

June 15, 2026 - Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Israeli forces shot and killed a three-year-old boy as his father carried him in central Gaza, the family has said.

Rayan Abu al-Ajeen was shot in the Wadi al-Salqa area of Deir el-Balah governorate on Sunday afternoon, and his body was taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Monday.

Jaber Abu al-Ajeen, Rayan’s grandfather, says he was at home next to the family’s farm when he heard gunfire, and discovered that his son Bahaa and another relative he was walking with had been targeted. He then found out that Rayan had been killed.

“My grandson, Rayan, was killed by a gunshot to the head; the bullet entered his head and exited through his eye,” Jaber told Al Jazeera. “His mother is devastated by what happened.”

More HERE