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gaza
'Unspeakable Horror' in Gaza Sends Democratic Voter Support for Israel Plummeting: Survey
Over half of Democratic voters in the US believe Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza, and nearly 60% feel the American government is "too supportive" of its top ally in the Middle East.
07 Jul, 2026
A survey published Tuesday offered the latest evidence of US public opinion souring on Israel, with more than half of Democratic voters and a nearly third of all American adults saying they believe the 1,000-plus-day assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, conducted between June 11 and June 17 of this year, found that 52% of Democratic voters "say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians." Thirty-one percent of all US adults—and 30% of Jewish adults—believe the Israeli military has committed genocide in Gaza, which has been obliterated with the help of American weaponry and diplomatic support from both a Democratic and Republican administration.
Harold Kalmus, a 69-year-old Democratic voter from Arden, Delaware who is Jewish, told The Associated Press that the Israeli military has inflicted "unspeakable horror" on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's massive bombing campaign and ground attacks have killed more than 70,000 people—including tens of thousands of children—since October 7, 2023.
"They’re trying to wipe out a civilization as far as I’m concerned,” said Kalmus.
The new survey found that nearly 60% of Democratic voters—including 51% of Jewish Democrats—now believe the US government is "too supportive" of Israel, up from 45% percent in a January 2024 AP-NORC poll.
AP described Americans' increasingly negative views of Israel as a "dramatic erosion of support for the longtime US ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans."
"Younger Democrats—those 45 and younger—are still more likely than older ones to say that the United States is 'not supportive enough' of the Palestinians, but older Democrats are catching up to their younger counterparts," the outlet noted. "About 57% of older Democrats now say the US should do more for the Palestinians, up from 39% two years ago."
The findings came amid internal Democratic Party turmoil over a House amendment that aims to strike $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel from annual defense policy legislation. Leading progressive lawmakers, including top members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have spoken out in support of the amendment, with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) calling it "a no-brainer."
But top Democrats, including the ranking members of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, have expressed opposition to the amendment, which stands little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House.
“I don’t want Israel to be without what they need,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week.
In the Senate, a small number of leading Democrats—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—joined Republicans in April to block resolutions aimed at preventing the Trump administration from transferring more bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli government.
A poll released last month found that 82% of Democratic voters in New York oppose US weapons transfers to Israel, leaving Schumer and Gillibrand far out of step with their constituents.
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As Lawyer Says Dr. Abu Safiya Is at Risk of Death in Israeli Prison, UN Rights Body Joins Call for Release
The panel found that the imprisoned doctor's detention is "arbitrary."
06 Jul, 2026
A United Nations rights body said Monday that the detention of Palestinian Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya by Israel was "arbitrary" and likely an indication of "a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country" as it demanded the physician be released immediately.
“The appropriate remedy would be to release [him] immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” said the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, warning that Israel has violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by holding the doctor in detention since December 2024, when he was captured along with staff and patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.
Abu Safiya has been held without charge ever since, as Israel has accused the doctor of being a member of Hamas, pointing to Gaza's Military Medical Services records that show him listed as a "colonel" and a photo of him seated next to members of the group.
But medical and human rights groups note that there is no evidence that Abu Safiya has had a command combat role and that Hamas, which announced the dissolution of its government on Monday, has governed Gaza through its political wing, likening Abu Safiya's role to that of the US surgeon general.
The working group issued the call following Abu Safiya's recent transfer to the underground Rakefet interrogation facility at Nitzan Prison, which is known for abuse of prisoners.
The doctor recently told his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, after being transferred on June 24: "This is the last time you will see me… They brought me here to kill me. I don't see myself surviving. This is the end."
Odeah reported after visiting the prison on July 2 that Abu Safiyah was nearly unrecognizable and had suffered injuries to his "head, eyes, ears, and neck" and was having trouble breathing. He was "in a state of extreme weakness and was constantly on the verge of losing consciousness mid-conversation," according to his lawyer's account.
"I have visited Dr. Abu Safiya several times since his detention, but the individual I encountered during this latest visit was not the same person I had previously met," said Odeh in a statement. "His physical and psychological state, the severe injuries visible on his body, and his personal testimony leave no room for doubt: his life is in immediate danger. He must be transferred out of the Rakefet facility immediately and granted an urgent, independent examination."
On Monday, the American Human Rights Council (AHRC) was among those demanding Abu Safiya's immediate release, pointing to reports from his legal team that he is in "imminent danger" and potentially at risk of death if he remains in Israeli detention.
"Since his arrest on December 27, 2024, Dr. Abu Safiya has reportedly been subjected to torture, abuse, and prolonged solitary confinement," said the group. "His health continues to deteriorate, and he has been denied communication with his family and legal team. Reports indicate he was recently transferred to an isolated cell, raising further alarm about his safety and wellbeing."
AHRC noted that Abu Safiya placed "his patients’ lives above his own safety" as he continued to provide medical care and to publicly call on Israel not to target healthcare facilities during the Israeli assault on Gaza that began in October 2023.
"He refused to abandon the hospital or leave the wounded behind despite repeated Israeli demands and threats," said AHRC. "He continued his humanitarian mission under bombardment, siege, and near-total depletion of medical supplies."
Imad Hamad, executive director of the group, called on physicians' groups and international medical associations to urgently demand Abu Safiya's release, as hundreds of people in Tel Aviv also assembled in solidarity with the doctor.
"We urge everyone to take a stand and push for the good doctor's release," said Hamad. "This is not about politics; this is about medicine and human rights."
At Amnesty International, Erika Guevara Rosas, the senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, called the details that have emerged recently about Abu Safiya's condition "truly horrifying."
"It is unconscionable that a pediatrician, who has dedicated his life to saving others in the occupied Gaza Strip, is being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment—including severe physical and psychological abuse and prolonged solitary confinement—while being detained without any justification," said Guevara Rosas.
She added that Odeh's account "must serve as an urgent wake-up call for states around the world, particularly Israel’s allies," such as the US.
"It is utterly reprehensible that a doctor who refused to abandon his patients, and who became one of the most prominent voices denouncing the devastation of Gaza’s healthcare system, remains arbitrarily and unlawfully detained under Israel’s baseless designation as an ‘unlawful combatant,'" said Guevara Rosas. "He continues to be deprived of his most fundamental rights, including the right to be protected against torture and other ill-treatment, and his rights to a fair trial and due process."
"Expressions of concern alone are little more than a cynical fig leaf for states’ inaction in the face of Israel’s crushing of Palestinians’ human rights," she added. "Amnesty, alongside other human rights organizations, is not simply calling for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s immediate release. This is a call for urgent and effective intervention to save his life.”
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As Gaza Water Crisis Worsens, Israel Bombs Critical Facility in Possible War Crime
"This station was one of the most important remaining sources of clean water in Gaza City," said an activist who has used it to supply desperate families.
06 Jul, 2026
As Gaza is gripped by a water crisis, Israel has reportedly attacked a facility that provided safe drinking water to thousands of families in Gaza City.
Tamer Nahed, a journalist and activist with the recently created humanitarian group Sake For Gaza, reported via social media on Monday that his group had been forced to suspend its efforts to provide clean water to some of Gaza's most dangerous areas after the facility they partnered with was "directly struck, resulting in the deaths of several people and injuries to others working there."
Middle East Eye reported on Monday that the attack, east of Gaza City, "struck a gathering of displaced people in front of a water refilling station" and killed two people as Israel shelled the city early on Monday.
The Palestinian outlet Al-Quds said the attack "directly targeted civilians as they stood in front of a water filling station" in the Al-Samar area, and was "part of a series of attacks launched by the occupation forces against civilian gatherings and vital facilities in the besieged areas of the Gaza Strip, exacerbating the already deteriorating humanitarian crisis."
Under international law, deliberately attacking civilian facilities or those that are essential for survival, like water facilities, is considered a war crime.
Israel has destroyed or damaged nearly 90% of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which says the military has used water as a "weapon" in its genocidal war against Gaza.
The group has documented the military firing upon clearly marked trucks and destroying boreholes and desalination plants relied on by thousands of residents. The group has also documented attacks on civilians accessing clean water.
A late-May report from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) found that around 82% of families in Gaza remain water insecure, and up to 70% are unable to collect even six liters of water per person each day. A person needs between 50 and 100 liters of water per day to meet their most basic needs, according to the World Health Organization.
Monday's attack came less than an hour after Nahed announced that the group's 11th truck had "reached one of Gaza’s most dangerous areas, carrying 5,000 liters of fresh drinking water."
The group had been attempting to send one truck per day to families living in tent cities, many of whom have been forced to rely on groundwater and contaminated water in order to survive, leading to serious illness.
Nahed said he and his team "truly risked our lives to reach this place, as it is located very close to military deployment areas, and the road was extremely dangerous at every moment."
He called the attack on the water supply facility "very heartbreaking news" and said as a result, "we have been forced to suspend our water distribution project until further notice."
"This station was one of the most important remaining sources of clean water in Gaza City and served as a lifeline for thousands of families, especially after most other water stations had stopped operating," he said. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and by the suspension of a project that was providing clean drinking water to people enduring these extremely difficult conditions."
Monday's attacks were some of the latest of Israel's near-daily strikes despite October's ceasefire agreement. Israel has expanded its control over the Gaza Strip in recent months, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying last week that the military “will not withdraw from the territory" as the agreement requires.
He added on Sunday that unless Hamas fully disarms, there also would be "no reconstruction in Gaza without dismantling and demilitarizing the strip."
Netanyahu described the occupation zone as a "new Gaza envelope inside of Gaza," a term that could refer to permanent occupation or annexation, as the term "Gaza envelope" refers to the communities inside Israeli territory near the Gaza border.
Other ministers in Israel's far-right government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have called for Israel to complete the "conquest" of Gaza and move Israeli settlers to replace the Palestinian population.
A recent proposal by the "Board of Peace," led by US President Donald Trump, conditioned the entry of basic humanitarian supplies, including shelter-building material, reconstruction aid, and other life essentials, on the total disarmament of Palestinian militant groups.
Last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that “the continued expansion of areas under Israeli control in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement in October 2025 is intensifying risks to civilians and further constraining humanitarian efforts."
“Humanitarian access remains severely constrained due to restrictions on movement, which results in delays or pauses in lifesaving activities,” the statement said. “Some partners have had to scale down or temporarily suspend lifesaving activities, particularly following the killing of service providers in those areas. This has affected up to thousands of families in the vicinity.”
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