• At least seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a passenger bus in Gaza City, including the brother of Al Jazeera correspondent Moamen al-Sharafi, Ammar al-Sharafi.
   

Gaza

Israel claims to kill 2 Hamas operatives in Gaza

The Israeli army has said that it killed two Hamas members during strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

In statements on Telegram, the military said an attack on Gaza City killed Ammar Mahmoud Muhammad Sharafi, whom it described as a Hamas military wing platoon commander.

Israel also killed Palestinian journalist Muhammad Abdel Aziz al-Najjar during a strike on the southern Gaza Strip.

The military claimed al-Najjar had participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

Al-Najjar was the 263rd journalist killed by Israel since October 2023, Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Wednesday.

Israeli attack kills one person in Al Mawasi, Gaza

At least one person has been killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, tonight.

Despite a so-called ceasefire, Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued on a near-daily basis.

Israel turned Gaza into the ‘largest and harshest ghetto’ in modern history, monitor says

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says Israel has turned Gaza into the “largest and harshest ghetto” in modern history, as Israel deliberately concentrates more than two million people in less than 30 percent of the Gaza Strip, creating the highest population density in the world.

In a press release, the human rights organization highlighted Israel’s continuous use of starvation “as a lethal weapon to destroy the population, in an ongoing violation and a fully constituted war crime”.

The Monitor also cited severe pressure on Gaza’s health system, saying only 19 of the territory’s 36 hospitals remain operational, all functioning partially “amid severe shortages of medicines, equipment, and fuel”.

“The consequences of turning Gaza into a ghetto extend beyond the constant threat of death, striking at the heart of its economic and social structure,” the rights group said.

“Entire families have become wholly dependent on aid to survive after losing their homes and income, with no prospect of restoring their normal lives.”

The rights group called for a comprehensive ban on the trade of weapons with Israel, unrestricted humanitarian access to the Strip and the implementation of International Court of Justice provisional measures.

The organization warned that “any state that continues to arm Israel or enable it to continue these acts” could also face accountability.

Gaza holds mass burial for more than 100 Palestinians recovered from rubble

Palestinians in Gaza are preparing for a mass funeral of more than 100 people killed in an Israeli attack in October 2023.

Hundreds of bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the al-Taj Tower in Gaza City.

Families there have been waiting for years to find and bury their loved ones.

Gaza prepares to bury 105 Palestinians killed in October 2023

The bodies of 105 Palestinians have been recovered from the rubble of a residential block destroyed by Israel in the early part of its genocide in Gaza.

The victims are being prepared for burial almost three years since the war began.

Devastating toll on journalists in Gaza war and regional conflict

Gaza’s Government Media Office has reported that the death toll among Palestinian journalists in Israel’s genocidal war has risen to 263, with international watchdogs noting the conflict has become the deadliest on record for the press.

The latest toll follows the killing of journalist Muhammad Abdel Aziz al-Najjar in an air attack on Wednesday, alongside 433 injuries and 143 media offices destroyed or damaged.

According to the office, those killed included 26 female journalists and 28 media activists, with the office adding that Israeli forces have arrested 50 journalists since October 7, 2023, leaving 23 in detention under “harrowing conditions” and three missing.

The Committee to Protect Journalists states that Israel has killed more media workers than any other government since it began collecting data in 19.

Death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza rises to 74,040: Health Ministry

Eight people have been killed and 26 wounded in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the latest 24-hour reporting period, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry said 1,439 people have now been killed and 5,052 wounded since a “ceasefire” took effect in October.

Israel has killed at least 74,040 Palestinians and wounded 175,168 since October 2023, when its genocidal war on Gaza began, the ministry said.

Board of Peace ‘total distraction’ from Israel’s ‘objective to displace Palestinians out of Gaza’

The US-led Board of Peace is a “total distraction” from Israel’s ongoing goal of eliminating Palestinians from Gaza, an analyst has said.

Despite the unveiling of a multibillion-dollar plan that claims to kick-start Gaza’s redevelopment, Israel has not kept “any of the promises” under the ceasefire agreement, Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, said.

“Netanyahu and his government have not really shifted from their original objective,” Barakat said. “Their objective is to displace the Palestinians out of Gaza. I don’t believe anyone is serious about these plans.”

Although the potential ousting of Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli elections could change “the optics” in Gaza, Barakat said, it would not affect the Israeli government’s shared goal of erasing Palestinian life from Gaza.

Former Israeli diplomat says Israel’s ‘total victory’ unattainable without full occupation of Gaza

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas has told Al Jazeera that Israel’s objective in Gaza is “total victory” but that it is not “attainable”.

“The only way Israel could do this is if it occupies the entire Gaza Strip,” Pinkas stated. “Which means that it is responsible for everything that goes on.”

Pinkas said that the efforts of the so-called Board of Peace are void, and that it “may exist on paper, but it doesn’t really exist” and that Israel has still not withdrawn.

He described the “moral depravity” of depopulating Gaza as “just not practical,” adding that there are roughly two million people in Gaza who are homeless and lack basic resources or food.

“They don’t have agriculture to sustain them because everything has been reduced to rubble. Israel may talk about ethnic cleansing; it’s just not practical.”

Israeli election unlikely to bring significant change for Palestinians

Former diplomat Alon Pinkas says he doubts Israel’s upcoming election results will improve the lives of Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza or the occupied West Bank.

“None of the opposition parties who may take over have come up with an innovative idea on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian process,” said Pinkas. “None of them pledged anything. They all compete with each other to explain why a Palestinian state is not viable.”

He said that a new government will have to deal with “Israel’s increased isolation in the world”, and it will have to “indulge” President Trump’s “rhetorical commitment” to his own peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

“I can see minor improvement in Palestinian lives – certainly not what the Palestinians may deserve and not what the world wants Israel to do. But it’s going to be somewhat different than the Netanyahu government. But don’t expect anything dramatic,” Pinkas said.

Jerusalem

Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Israeli settlers are again storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, Wafa reports, marking the sixth day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Under protection from Israeli police, “large numbers” of settlers entered the compound and performed Jewish religious rituals in its courtyards, the Palestinian news agency said.

The latest raid comes after about 700 Israelis, including former lawmaker Moshe Feiglin, stormed the compound on Wednesday, and nearly 1,000 did so on Tuesday.

Jews are allowed to visit the site – which is Islam’s third holiest – but may not pray or engage in rituals there.

Read: '7. Al Aqsa Compound' in History Of Palesine.

More than 10,000 Israeli settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in recent days

More than 10,000 Israeli settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem since the start of the Jewish holiday Sukkot last Saturday, the Jerusalem governorate has told Al Jazeera.

Israel has, meanwhile, issued more than 80 orders to ban local residents from the mosque complex over the last three months, the governorate added.

As we’ve been reporting, a large number of settlers stormed the mosque this morning, following mass raids over the past few days.

 

Arab League denounces settlers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

The organization of Arab states has condemned the mass storming by Israelis of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Arab League warned against “escalating attempts” to change the holy site’s historical and legal status.

More than 10,000 settlers have entered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound since Saturday. Accompanied by Israeli police, they’ve been performing religious rituals in the courtyard during their holiday of Sukkot.

West Bank

Happened in the occupied West Bank

Israeli troops and settlers have kept up a wave of arrests, military raids and property demolitions throughout the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Wafa news agency reports.

Here are some of the reported incidents:

• Israeli forces detained at least 22 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including three children, amid extensive house raids in Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem.
• In Jenin, troops closed iron gates at village and town entrances and tightened vehicle inspections. They also forced families to evacuate their homes, turning several into military barracks. During incursions into camps and towns, soldiers fired tear gas at residents. Soldiers raided the Jabara elementary school, tearing down Palestinian flags.
• Israeli settlers stormed Islamic shrines in Awarta, a historic spring near Ramallah, and an archaeological site in Hebron under military protection to perform religious rituals while restricting local access.
• A settler pogrom in Taybeh injured a boy after family members were sprayed with pepper spray, alongside coordinated attacks that destroyed solar panels in Wadi al-Rakhim and targeted local homes.
• Settlers stole olive crops in Faqqua village and destroyed drinking water pipelines serving communities in Rashayida and Atuf, compounding local hardships.

Israeli settlers storm Joseph’s Tomb in occupied West Bank

Hundreds of Israeli settlers have descended upon a Christian holy site in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli military vehicles entered eastern Nablus, forcing residents near Joseph’s Tomb to evacuate and turning the area into a military outpost as they deployed snipers atop residential homes.

Settlers, meanwhile, performed Talmudic rituals at the site, a gravesite believed to be the burial place of Joseph, the father of Jesus.

Israeli forces arrest father and two sons during West Bank raids

Israeli forces have arrested a Palestinian man alongside his two sons in the town of Kafr ad-Dik in the northern occupied West Bank, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The military stormed the town at dawn before raiding and ransacking the home of Majdi al-Deek and his sons.

Forces have also raided the town of Tammun with several military patrols and infantry forces, according to Wafa, and searched many homes, but withdrew without reporting any arrests.

Israeli settlers steal, prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives

Israeli settlers have carried out multiple attacks on Palestinian olive groves in the occupied West Bank.

In one incident, illegal settlers stole olives from Palestinian farmers in the village of al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah, while under the protection of Israeli troops.

Settlers also attacked Palestinians while they harvested olives in Odla, south of Nablus.

The United Nations’ humanitarian arm recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in the first four months of this year – or about six daily – the fastest pace in two decades.

Two Palestinians shot and wounded by settlers in occupied West Bank attack

Two Palestinians have been hurt after Israeli settlers opened fire while attacking homes in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli settlers, under the protection of military forces, attacked the town of Yasuf and shot a 51-year-old man in the abdomen. The other victim was hit by a fragment from a live round.

Israeli forces also detained an ambulance crew and seized the vehicle’s keys, stopping the paramedics from treating the wounded. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it eventually provided care to the injured at the scene.

Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns settler attack

The Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry has condemned a settler attack, under the protection of US soldiers, in the town of Yasuf, east of Salfit, which killed 51-year-old Mashhour Shaker Muhammad Yassin after he sustained injuries in the attack.

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the attack had also injured another citizen and that soldiers had detained an ambulance and seized its key, constituting a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law, norms, and humanitarian principles.”

“The Ministry affirms that the martyrdom of citizen Mashhour Yassin falls within the framework of the dangerous and ongoing escalation in organized settler crimes,” the statement read.

“The Ministry calls on the international community and all its institutions to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and provide protection for the Palestinian people, and to take practical and immediate measures to end the terrorism practiced by settler gangs in the occupied West Bank and to activate accountability and prosecution mechanisms against the perpetrators of crimes and those behind them,” the statement said.

"...US soldiers.."

This might be an error, as there are no US troops in the West Bank.

Palestinian man killed by Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank’s Yasuf

The previously reported Palestinian man has died after settlers opened fire in the town, according to a report by Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, which named the 51-year-old victim as Mashhour Shaher Yassin.

Israeli settlers injure four Palestinians in occupied West Bank pepper-spray attack

Four Palestinians have been wounded after Israelis from illegal settlements attacked them with pepper spray.

The settler attacks occurred in the village of Deir Ibzi, in western Ramallah, according to the Wafa news agency.

A local chief added that the settlers also fired live ammunition.

Israeli forces storm village east of Bethlehem

Israeli forces have stormed the village of Arab ar-Rashayida, east of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reports.

Bakr Rashayda, the head of the Rashayida village council, told the Palestinian news agency that soldiers had raided his house and searched it.

Rashayda said the raid was carried out on the pretext that he was trying to prevent settlers from bulldozing the village’s lands, and that the soldiers had threatened to arrest him if he tried to stop them again.

Israeli forces arrest 18-year-old Palestinian man east of Tubas

Israeli soldiers arrested a young man from the town of Tammun at the Tayasir military checkpoint east of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

According to Kamal Bani Odeh, director of the Prisoner Club in Tubas, troops arrested 18-year-old Ahmed Jihad Hassan Bani Odeh at the Tayasir military checkpoint after they forced him to surrender.

Odeh added that the forces had arrested most of the young man’s family members several times during the past month and abused them in order to pressure him to surrender.

The Palestinian news agency did not specify the Israeli soldiers’ motives or accusations for arresting the 18-year-old.

Happened in the occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers have besieged at least three homes in the West Bank, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Settlers surrounded two Palestinian homes in the Khallet al-Hummus area, in southern Hebron. One homeowner said he and his family were prevented from returning to the house and that settlers had begun removing his window and door protectors.

In Umm Safa village, in northern Ramallah, settlers also closed off the gates leading to a Palestinian home, effectively trapping a family inside.

Other

US congressman slams Israeli leadership over West Bank land grab

US Congressman Joaquin Castro has blasted the Israeli leadership over a brutal campaign of land seizures in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, demanding strict economic penalties to cut off perpetrators from the US market.

As a leading Democratic lawmaker behind the Stop the Settlements Act, Castro is ramping up legislative pressure against the displacement of Palestinians.

“Under Netanyahu’s government, settlers are engaged in a violent land grab that’s ripping Palestinians from their land,” he wrote on X.

“Sanctions can help stop it,” he added.

“The Stop the Settlements Act gives any person or company looking to take Palestinian land in the West Bank or Gaza a choice: if you pursue settlements, you can’t do business with the United States.”

Switzerland says occupied West Bank ‘settler violence can’t be tolerated’

Switzerland has condemned pogroms by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, saying Israel “must protect Palestinian civilians and bring those responsible to justice”.

In a post on X, the Swiss Foreign Ministry condemned a recent attack on the Palestinian village of Jalud by about 100 settlers.

During the raid, settlers set ablaze two homes belonging to the Tubasi family, hours after the family tried to return to their property following an Israeli court decision that ended nearly two months of displacement.

“The unprecedented level of settler violence cannot be tolerated,” the statement read.

Amnesty praises US senators who backed occupied West Bank resolution

Amnesty International has praised the US senators who voted in favour of a resolution requiring the Trump administration to report on the killing of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank as well as Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in military detention.

The resolution, brought to the floor on Tuesday by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, was blocked in a 47-53 vote.

“Thank you to the 47 senators who voted yes last night on S. Res. 852,” Amnesty International said in a post on X.

“We must continue to press the Trump administration to hold the Israeli government accountable for its human rights abuses and violations of international law,” the group added.