B’Tselem: Israel has opened another front, and continues its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank

[The following Press release was issued by B’Tselem on June 14, 2025.]

Israel’s extremist and unchecked government has opened a new front with Iran as its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank continue.

The war Israel has started with Iran is expected to claim countless civilian lives and could lead to bloodshed on a massive scale. We warn that Israel is likely to exploit the diversion of global attention to escalate its attacks on Palestinians.

Since the Israeli offensive against Iran began, dozens of Iranian civilians and three Israelis have been killed. Instead of exhausting diplomatic avenues, Israel’s extremist government has chosen to start a war that puts Israelis, Palestinians and the entire people of the region in danger.

While millions in Israel and Iran face missile attacks, most Palestinians within Israel, the West Bank, and Jerusalem are defenseless, with their communities lacking shelters.

As public and media attention shifts to Iran, the Israeli military appears poised to continue and even intensify its grave war crimes against Palestinians, including the deliberate starvation of millions in the Gaza Strip. Israel is already exploiting the situation to isolate Palestinians from the rest of the world. Prior to the attack on Iran, northern Gaza was cut off from the internet, and after it began, Palestinian communities in the West Bank were placed under full closure, and Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem were sealed off.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over the past 48 hours, the Israeli military has killed 90 people and wounded 605 in the Gaza Strip.

We caution: Israel will exploit the current situation to intensify harm to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and everywhere under its control.