Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-06-23 at 22:02

HEADLINES
- UN panel condemns Israel over Palestinian children
- Former Gaza hostage details Hamas sexual violence
- Lander edges Goldman in pivotal NYC primary

The time is now 10:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, UN panel accuses Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian children. The commission says the findings include war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, while Israel rejects the report as biased and based on flawed evidence, calling it the “demagoguery of modern blood libels,” the Foreign Ministry says. Former Gaza hostage Ilana Gritzewsky addressed the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, challenging the Special Rapporteur on violence against women over what she described as the minimization of sexual violence used on October 7, 2023. She recalled being beaten by Hamas terrorists who stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz, waking up half naked with seven militants over her, and enduring days of pain in captivity before returning with a broken hip, a broken jaw and a shattered sense of safety. She charged Reem Alsalem with silence and denial regarding Jewish victims of sexual violence on that day and in its aftermath, saying she is living proof of Hamas’s crimes rather than a statistic.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, a set of New York City-area races highlight questions about leadership, the fate of protests outside places of worship and the broader politics among Jewish communities. On the Upper West Side, Stephanie Ruskay would be the first female rabbi elected to state office in US history, challenging Eli Northrup, the Mamdani-endorsed public defender who is the grandson of a Jewish civil rights lawyer. The contest for the State Assembly’s District 69 has become a referendum on Mayor Zohran Mamdani and on the right to protest outside houses of worship, with endorsements underscoring a clash between Israel-critical progressives and the city’s established Jewish liberals; Northrup has drawn support from left-wing figures such as Bernie Sanders. Ex-Arab lawmaker Mohammad Barakeh was arrested and questioned over a 2022 Ramallah speech in which police say he praised terrorists and called for armed struggle against Israel; his former party labeled the arrest political. In another Democratic primary, Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller, defeated Representative Dan Goldman in a contest shaped by debate over Israel policy; Lander has refused money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, casting himself as a liberal Zionist and a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America. In the race to replace Jerry Nadler, Micah Lasher and Alex Bores are in a tight contest for New York’s 12th District. Nadler endorsed Lasher as his preferred heir, with Lasher supported by the West Side political establishment and former bosses such as Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bores has built a coalition of pro-Israel moderates and progressive groups critical of Israel, including backing from former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. The district covers the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side and midtown Manhattan, and the winner is expected to secure the seat in November.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skmaaiumgl
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-900317
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-900321
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h17f4nofmg
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-900320
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-900318