• Israeli air strikes have killed at least eight Palestinians, including two children, in Gaza on Monday.

Displaced Palestinians endure sweltering heat with scarce water, no electricity

As temperatures rise in Gaza, displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents are confronting another threat – extreme heat.

With electricity in short supply, water scarce and proper shelter unavailable, families are struggling to cope with the sweltering conditions.

“The heat is unbearable. We use a little water to bathe the children and spray the tent to cool it down. We sit in the most ventilated area we can find, constantly moving pieces of cardboard around to help circulate the air. This is how we are living,” says Mohammad Abu Ouda, a displaced Beit Hanoon resident.

Abdul Rahman Abed, who owns an electrical appliance shop, says business is slow this summer.

“People are struggling financially, and those who have fans are doing everything they can to repair them just to get through the summer. There’s no electricity, and many people’s batteries have already run out,” he said.

Moath al-Kahlout, reporting from Deir el-Balah, says, “The heat is yet another daily struggle to overcome.”

Authorities in Gaza warn parents against allowing their children to fly kites

Local committees in Gaza have warned parents to stop their children from flying kites after Israel threatened to kill those who do.

“We are working tirelessly on the ground and doing everything possible to stop this practice, not to restrict the childhood of our children, who have already been deprived of the most ‌basic rights to play and live in safety, but to protect their innocent lives,” the committees said in a statement.

In a post on X on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said “powerful actions” would be taken to stop children from flying kites in the enclave.

In 2018, kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices were launched from Gaza into Israel, causing forests and farmland to burn. They were launched in opposition to Israel’s blockade of the territory.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that these kites are carrying explosive devices.

Hamas has accused Israel of “making fake pretexts to continue the war on Gaza”.

Hamas official questions warning over flying ‘kites’ in Gaza

Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim has questioned the Gaza Board of Peace for echoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands that Palestinians stop flying kites in the enclave.

The US-led Board of Peace said all kite-flying originating from Gaza must end and that Israel should start implementing the second phase of the ceasefire framework.

“What is this insolence?” Naim asked.

He said, “Is it conceivable that attempts to appease the war criminal Netanyahu have led them [Gaza Board of Peace] to describe the innocent activities of children as armed activities, at a time when Netanyahu is practicing killing and destruction daily despite the agreement?”

Netanyahu and his defense minister, Israel Katz, issued a joint statement on Sunday threatening severe retaliation and the forced displacement of Palestinians from areas “used as launch sites for kites, drones and balloons”.

Palestinian girl seriously wounded by Israeli gunfire

A Palestinian girl has been seriously wounded after being shot by Israeli forces east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Gaza death toll rises

At least six Palestinians have been killed and 36 wounded by Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Two other people died from their injuries sustained in earlier Israeli attacks and one body was recovered in the same period.

Israel has killed at least 1,296 people and wounded 4,296 in Gaza since the US-brokered “ceasefire” came into effect last October, the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 73,431 people and wounded 174,437, it added.

One killed, four wounded by Israeli attack in Khan Younis

One person has been killed and four wounded after Israeli forces targeted a group of Palestinians in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.

Three killed, multiple injured in Israeli drone attack on Jabalia camp

An Israeli drone attack on the Jabalia refugee camp has killed three and injured multiple people, sources from al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera.

The attack struck a home behind a school in the northern sector of the Jabalia camp in Gaza.

Gaza Health Ministry warns of ‘complete collapse’ due to critical oxygen supply shortage

Dr Munir al-Bursh, the director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, has warned that Israel “continues to escalate its attacks on Gaza and violate the ceasefire agreement, which is present in statements but absent from people’s lives on the ground”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Dr al-Bursh said there is a “complete collapse of the basic necessities of life” in the Gaza Strip, adding that “only 12 oxygen stations remain operational out of around 34”, and warning that “any additional breakdown could cut off oxygen to patients”.

“If this oxygen supply stops, these people will die,” he said. “We do not want to reach the point where a doctor is forced to choose between two patients, deciding who receives oxygen and who is left without it.”

Israel expels Dutch representatives to Gaza support centre, citing ‘anti-Israel moves’

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel is immediately expelling representatives of the Netherlands from the International Support Center for Gaza in Israel, citing “a series of anti-Israel moves by the Dutch government”.

“I decided so today, with the approval of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Sa’ar said, pointing to a Dutch law banning trade in Israeli products from the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, set to take effect next month, as the latest such move.

He said a notice was delivered Sunday evening to the Dutch embassy in Israel, as well as to US officials, with the representatives given a week to leave the country.

Sa’ar said the Dutch government’s policy was “accompanied by an unprecedented wave of anti-Semitism and boycotts” in the Netherlands. “Whoever acts against Israel will have no foothold in the region,” he said. “Israel will not allow steps against it without a response.”

"...the Dutch government’s policy was “accompanied by an unprecedented wave of anti-Semitism and boycotts” in the Netherlands."

We are located in the Netherlands, and can say that there is no such political manifestation in the policies regarding the Question of Palestine by the newly elected government.

The first and only issue by the new Dutch government in this regard for now is the ban on products from illegal Israeli colonies in the West Bank, is complying to international law. There were no boycotts imposed by the previous government due to divisions among parties.

Israel destroys Gaza warehouse, supplies for malnourished children and pregnant women

An Israeli military strike targeting a nearby building has destroyed a warehouse storing nutritional supplies for malnourished children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) says in a statement.

The warehouse belongs to Ard El Insan (AEI), a local humanitarian organization working with MAP to support about 60 medical points serving up to 100 women and children daily.

The overnight explosion collapsed large sections of the building, including the roof and walls, burying the supplies under rubble, according to MAP, which said the entire stock was damaged and rendered unfit for human consumption.

“Losing these quantities in their entirety is a major blow to our work and will undoubtedly affect our ability to reach the children and women who need these services, particularly given the conditions they continue to face in the aftermath of starvation,” said Sahar Salem, AEI’s project coordinator.

She said two of her AEI colleagues have been killed and another wounded by Israeli strikes since the war began, adding: “Even with the ceasefire, conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging, and children and women still urgently need continued support.”

AP, Reuters demand justice for Gaza journalists killed in Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital one year ago

AP and Reuters have issued a joint statement demanding justice and accountability for the killing of five Gaza journalists, including contributors to the two news agencies, one year after the Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital that killed them.

The attacks on the hospital killed 21 people in total, including the five journalists. Al Jazeera photojournalist Mohammad Salama was also killed.

“We remember their lives and once again call on the Israeli government to provide a full explanation of what happened,” the statement said.

“The strikes on Aug. 25, 2025, killed five journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri; visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who worked for AP and other news organizations; and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist whose work had been published by Reuters. They were at the hospital in their professional capacity, doing critical work to keep the world informed,” AP executive editor Julie Pace and Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said in the statement.

“A year later, we remain devastated by their deaths and are still searching for answers from the Israeli authorities about what happened that day.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an apology for the “tragic mishap” after the attack. But one year later, “the information we have received… has fallen short of the clear answers and accountability that an incident of this gravity requires”, Pace and Galloni wrote.

“We will continue to seek answers, demand accountability and call for access to Gaza to provide support to our colleagues who have been covering the war for almost three years now.”

Happened in the occupied West Bank

According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli forces and colonist have continued a campaign of arrests, raids, demolitions, and land seizures across the occupied West Bank on Monday.

• Israeli occupation forces raided multiple towns in Nablus, arresting Samir Abdel Rahim Yadak along with his three sons in Salim, and two men in Zita-Jama’in. Troops also fired live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades in Awarta and Beita, while destroying and painting over murals depicting martyrs in Beita.
• Israeli troops shut down a student graduation ceremony at Suq Al-Qattanin in Jerusalem, arresting four individuals, including the director of the Jerusalem Studies Center and local community figures.
• Colonists accompanied Israeli forces during a raid on the village of Abu Njeim, south-east of Bethlehem, where they roamed the streets and provoked local residents.
• Israeli forces arrested three men in Sa’ir and one in Hebron city, while setting up a military checkpoint in central Hebron to search vehicles.
• Troops raided homes in Azzun in Qalqilya, arresting three residents, and set up a checkpoint at the Habla Tunnel that disrupted local traffic.
• Forces arrested one man in al-Shawawra and two in Abu Njeim in Bethlehem. Colonists accompanied troops in Abu Njeim, physically assaulting a local resident, destroying olive trees, and attacking a private vehicle.
• Occupation forces arrested one man in Iktaba in Tulkarm, while subjecting residents of Deir al-Ghusun to field interrogations.
• They also arrested a 17-year-old child in Beituniya in Ramallah, and temporarily closed the entrance to Al-Mughayyir, detaining two young men during a renewed raid.

Currency restrictions, roadblocks trigger artificial fuel crisis in West Bank

Nida Ibrahim wrote:

"Every drop of fuel coming into the Palestinian territory comes from Israel. So when there’s a shortage, it’s clear who’s responsible.

Let me explain.

Israeli authorities control the supply chain into the occupied territory, and Palestinians use Israeli shekels in most of their transactions. Because Palestinians do not have a currency of their own, any surplus cash needs to be deposited with the Israeli central bank.

But Israel has been refusing to receive much of the cash circulating in the Palestinian market. So Palestinians may have the money but can’t get it into the banking system to make payments.

Fuel was one of the first sectors to take a hit, a crucial commodity, more so if you’re a Palestinian navigating through the maze of roads Israel built in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has been accelerating road expansion, building a new network of roads connecting illegal Israeli coloniess, cutting off Palestinian towns and cities from each other.

This means Palestinians have to go through long detours and bypass roads, and they may get stuck in traffic leading to military checkpoints.

As Israel heads towards elections, these images of Palestinians held up at checkpoints – worrying whether they have enough gas to get home – hand Israeli politicians two wins in one, an electoral tactic that could get them votes, while pushing an already exhausted population even closer to the edge."

Palestinian water source diverted for West Bank settler tourist site

Israeli colonist diverted a Palestinian village’s water supply to build a swimming pool in the occupied West Bank.

It is now a government-backed tourist attraction.

Happened in the occupied West Bank

Wafa news agency reported:

• Israeli forces have arrested three Palestinians, including a journalist, in the Bethlehem governorate, following a raid and search operation.
• Three Palestinians have been wounded in an attack by Israeli colonist on their homes in eastern Bethlehem. The report added that colonist stole several sheep.
• Israeli forces have detained three Palestinians in Nablus after raiding several homes.
• Israeli colonist have cut down several electricity poles in Burin, south of Nablus.
• Under the protection of the Israeli army, colonist destroyed the Martyrs’ Memorial in the town of Madama, south of Nablus.

Israeli politician filmed vandalizing monument in Palestinian village

An Israeli politician has been filmed vandalizing a monument in the Palestinian village of Madama, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, a video posted by QudsNews shows.

Footage shared online shows Zvi Yedidia Sukkot, an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Religious Zionist Party, using a hammer to break the structure, as Israeli army and border guard forces stand nearby. Some of Sukkot’s staff also accompanied him.

Earlier this month, Sukkot had uploaded a video on social media calling for the monument’s destruction, as well as other similar ones in Palestinian villages.

Israeli forces, colonist continue raids and attacks across occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have carried out more raids, while colonist attacked and terrorised Palestinians.

• Israeli forces raided the Qalandiya refugee camp and the town of Kafr Aqab, where they evacuated a UNRWA facility.
• Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, present during the raids, said there was “no place” for UNRWA.
• About 40 employees and other people present at the UNRWA training site were detained by Israeli forces, Wafa reports.
• Israeli forces began demolishing UNRWA’s facilities.
• At least three Palestinians were wounded in the town of Za’atara after being attacked by colonists.
• Colonists cut down electricity poles in the town of Burin in the Nablus governorate. It was the second such attack in a week.

Colonists clash with residents south of Nablus

Residents in the village of Madama, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, have confronted colonist, and Israeli forces have fired live ammunition during the clashes, according to Palestinian sources.

The Palestinian Dialogue Network (PALDF) reported an intensification of settler violence, backed by Israeli forces, around Nablus in recent days.

Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided homes in the villages of Shuyukh al-Arab, north of Hebron, and Jibya near Ramallah, according to the PALDF.

Israel intensifies raids on UNRWA facilities in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army raided UNRWA’s vocational facilities in Qalandiya and Kufr Aqab, which provide services for about 16,000 Palestinian refugees from across the occupied West Bank, says journalist Sarah Abu Alrob from Ramallah.

“This comes within a larger campaign where the Israeli government has been calling to dismantle the UNRWA organization that provides educational, medical and social services to Palestinian refugees who are still in the occupied West Bank,” she told Al Jazeera.

The Israeli army raided the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem a few months ago, forcibly evacuating it and demolishing parts of the building.

She said that intensified raids on UNRWA might be due to the upcoming elections in Israel in October, as far-right government ministers have been calling for its dismantling and that of other organisations.

Israel’s targeting of UNRWA training site ‘outrageous’, says lawyer

Mohammad Dahleh, a lawyer and human rights advocate, says Israel’s targeting of a UN facility in the occupied West Bank is “outrageous”.

“This is outrageous on one hand, but on the other hand, it was expected,” Dahleh told Al Jazeera.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces stormed the UNRWA training site in the Qalandiya refugee camp. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was present during the incident.

“Now that this facility will be shut down, it will affect the refugees, as has happened in recent months when they shut down schools and clinics that were run and managed by UNRWA.

“All of this is being done [despite] the highest court in the world, the ICJ [International Court of Justice], [issuing] a few months ago an advisory opinion, saying that UNRWA was acting legally. UNRWA was not part of any illegal activity vis-a-vis Israel.”

Israel previously alleged that some of UNRWA’s employees took part in the October 7 attacks.

The Israelis have already destroyed almost all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. It seems to look like they want to get rid of all UNRWA facilities in the West Bank. That may not be just to make life of the Palestinians in the West Bank more miserable. It may have other reasons.

The United Nations General Assembly founded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in December 1949.

One of the mandates it was given is to register all Palestinians for generations to come, and those who weren't registered before its mandate, as refugee. This makes it (by international law) for the Israelis to have the whole of Palestine as theirs.

When the Israelis began to seek for methods to have the Palestinians out of Gaza, they started targeting UNWRA in November 2023 by masterminding with Cyprus a bypass campaign to have full control over humanitarian aid. Biden joined in January 2024 while the EU followed in May 2024.

The Israeli created humanitarian chaos that came with the masterminding of the bypass could be used to accuse the UNRWA of failing to provide aid, which indeed has spread on social media. The Israelis were trying to neutralize the UN agency so that the Palestinians will loose their refugee status to end up stateless.

This was before the agency was embroiled in a case where a few of its workers were found to have links with Hamas.

Hamas slams Israeli raid on UNRWA facility in occupied West Bank

Hamas has called the forced evacuation of UNRWA’s vocational facilities in Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem, “a continuation of the systematic and ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people”.

A statement on Hamas’s Telegram group went on to call the raid “a flagrant challenge to UN resolutions and international conventions”.

“We condemn this blatant aggression and call upon the international community and the United Nations to take immediate action to halt these violations, impose deterrent punitive measures against the Zionist entity, and fulfill their responsibilities in protecting UNRWA and enabling it to carry out its role.”

UNRWA headquarters under Israeli attack in Qalandiya, civil defence crews blocked

Israeli forces have fired tear gas canisters inside the compounds of UNRWA in the occupied West Bank’s Qalandiya camp, and they are positioned near the Qalandiya checkpoint entrance.

The Israeli army is blocking Palestinians’ movement.

The situation is growing increasingly tense. Israeli forces are using tear gas and stun grenades at a scale not previously seen in the area.

They have not allowed Palestinian Civil Defence crews to enter and extinguish fires inside the compound walls and the UNRWA headquarters, with the area under full military control.

The Jerusalem governorate warned of further escalation in the coming hours.

The Palestinian presidency called on the UN Security Council to convene, describing the unfolding scenes as violations of international law by Israeli forces, and warned that the facilities under attack provide humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees.

Israeli colonist block firefighters from reaching blaze in occupied West Bank

Israeli colonist blocked firefighters from reaching a fire that broke out northeast of Ramallah, Wafa news agency is reporting.

The report said that colonist were present in the area when the fire broke out and obstructed fire trucks to prevent firefighters from containing the blaze in time.

This incident comes amidst escalating settler attacks in Ramallah and surrounding cities, including the burning of land and property.

UNRWA condemns Israeli raid on its training centre in Qalandiya refugee camp

UNRWA has released a statement in response to the Israeli raid of the UN agency’s training centre in the Qalandiya refugee camp, saying it “unequivocally condemns” the incursion.

As a UN facility, the training centre is protected by immunities afforded to the organization under international law, UNRWA said. It added that any attempt to undermine the functioning of an UNRWA facility inhibits the UN’s ability to carry out its mandate.

The response follows public statements made by Israeli officials indicating that the premises were seized by Israeli forces.

In its statement, UNRWA highlighted the training centre’s contributions to serve Palestinian refugees across the West Bank and called on the international community to ensure that UN facilities are protected from unauthorised entry and seizure.

“UNRWA calls on the international community to act immediately and decisively to safeguard the inviolability of the Kalandia Training Centre and all other United Nations facilities in occupied East Jerusalem,” the statement wrote.

Palestinian politician slams Israel’s impunity after attack on UN facility in West Bank

Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, has condemned Israel’s storming of a UN training site in the Qalandiya refugee camp on the boundary between the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. He says Israel has been emboldened to act with impunity because of the lack of consequences from the international community.

“This is a very serious violation, but it is not the first one. It is a violation of international law, a violation of UN resolutions, a violation of UN institutions, a violation of the supposed immunity of UN agencies, and it’s a violation of International Court of Justice opinion,” Barghouti said.

“What Israel is doing is to try to eliminate every structure that relates to UWRWA and every structure that relates to the rights of Palestinian refugees who were displaced in 1948 by Israel in the worst act of ethnic cleansing, basically, to deal with the fact that Israel is not implementing UN Resolution 194 to allow the refugees to be returned back to their land,” he added.

Barghouti said Palestinians were displaced from their land and “what Israel is doing now is to destroy not only the humanitarian assistance to these refugees but also to eliminate their rights”.

“This would not have happened if it weren’t for the lack of response from the international community. If any other country had done what Israel has done, sanctions would be immediately imposed on that country. None of that has happened to Israel,” he said.

Fatah condemns Israeli raid on UN facilities

The Palestinian National Liberation Movement, or Fatah, has condemned the forced displacement of UNRWA’s Qalandiya vocational facilities in the neighborhood of Kafr Aqab on the northern edge of occupied East Jerusalem.

“Targeting UNRWA is a direct attack on the Palestinian refugee issue and a blatant attempt to undermine one of the most important international organisations,” said a statement by the party, which is led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Fatah called on the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, UN secretary-general and member states to take urgent action to stop these attacks and ensure the protection of UN facilities and personnel.

Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns Israel’s raid on UNRWA centre in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israel’s raid and forced evacuation of a United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) center in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the ministry called the seizure “a flagrant violation of international law and the inviolability, immunities, and privileges of UN facilities”, adding that it constitutes “a dangerous escalation”.

The ministry maintained the attack strikes at UNRWA’s role “in protecting and serving Palestinian refugees” and “represents an attempt to dismantle the mechanisms established by the international community to provide refugees with relief, education, healthcare, and protection”.

Israel as “the occupying power has no sovereignty over the city,” the statement added. “The forcible seizure and control of United Nations premises cannot create any legal right or alter the established legal status of the city.”

“The international community must take immediate and effective measures to protect the Qalandia Center and all UNRWA facilities, ensure the return of its personnel, and prevent Israel from turning this assault into a permanent fait accompli,” it concluded.

UNRWA ‘evacuation’ carried out according to law: Netanyahu

Israeli PM Netanyahu says his forces took action against a UNRWA facility in Kafr Aqab “in accordance with my directive and following the law we passed”.

In a post on X, Netanyahu said: “In accordance with my directive and following the law we passed, the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, Jerusalem, began today.”

Israeli officials have accused UNRWA of fomenting anti-Israel sentiment and collaborating with Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks. The UN agency denies the charge.

Israel “will not allow an organization whose employees were involved in terrorism and in the October 7 massacre to operate on its territory, and will take action against it using every means at its disposal”, Netanyahu said in a separate statement.

There was no so-called "evacuation." About 40 employees and other people present at the UNRWA training site were detained by Israeli occupation forces, and no "evacuation" order was issued.

The Law Of Belligerent Occupation states that the belligerent has a duty to secure and maintain public order and to protect the people it is occupying.

An occupying power cannot simply impose its own domestic laws or replace the local legal system, but it can issue new military orders when strictly necessary for security and administration.

The UNRWA is a neutral entity, which cannot be treated as a military objective.

Under Article 43 of the Hague Regulations of 1907, an occupier must respect the existing laws of the occupied territory.

Any belligerent occupation is temporary. The occupier cannot treat the land as its own country or rewrite the local constitution.

‘Israel is eliminating the work of UNRWA everywhere’: Palestinian politician

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that the decision of the United States to stop supporting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is allowing Israel to destroy its work.

“Israel is eliminating the work of UNRWA everywhere. They have attacked the work of UNRWA in Gaza; they have prevented UNRWA from doing its work for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, which represents 70 percent of the population there. So it is an overall attack on all Palestinians, all over Palestine,” Barghouti said.

“In reality, the attack on refugees’ rights and institutions that serve refugees is part of an Israeli goal to eliminate the whole Palestinian issue and the right of Palestinians to be in Palestine. It is one of their efforts also to destroy the ability of the people economically to be steadfast and stay in their country,” he said.

“It’s part of [Israel’s] attack and conspiracy to conduct another ethic cleansing against those Palestinians who remain in Palestine. And that is why it is very dangerous. Israel would not have been encouraged to go as far as closing all these institutions and violate all these international laws if it wasn’t for the position of some countries like the United States to stop supporting UNRWA,” Barghouti warned.

‘UNRWA in our hands’, Ben-Gvir says

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has posted an image of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) training site in the Qalandiya refugee camp with the words “UNRWA in our hands”. The UN flag has been replaced.

On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir accompanied Israeli forces as they stormed the facility in the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Five Palestinians injured amid West Bank clashes, UNRWA compound takeover

Israeli forces fired tear gas and sound grenades at Palestinian protesters near the entrance to the Far’a refugee camp in the Jordan Valley region in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

The army blocked the entrance to the refugee camp and forced back any vehicles trying to enter.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the UNRWA training site in Qalandiya, according to the Jerusalem governorate.

The incidents coincided with an Israeli security raid on Tuesday to take over the UNRWA vocational training facility, a move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended as an enforcement of Israeli law and directives to remove the agency.

Amid these escalating military operations, Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian farmland in the village of Burqa east of Ramallah.

UN chief condemns Israeli raid on UNRWA center

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the “unlawful” entry by Israeli authorities into the Qalandiya Training Center in occupied East Jerusalem.

“The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms today’s actions by the Israeli authorities, including security forces, to unlawfully enter and remain on the UNRWA Kalandia [Qalandiya] Training Center in occupied East Jerusalem and carry out unauthorized works in those premises,” UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

UNRWA staff members were present in the center during the raid, according to the statement.

“The Secretary-General is greatly alarmed at this development, as it will deprive young people of the vocational education they were receiving,” Dujarric said.

“These actions against UNRWA premises are wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with Israel’s clear obligations under international law”, he added.

“The Secretary-General urges the Government of Israel to immediately cease the interference with UNRWA premises, vacate, return and restore all affected premises to the United Nations without delay, and protect those premises from further interference or damage,” Dujarric said.

Saudi Arabia and France reaffirm support for Palestinian statehood

• Saudi Arabia and France rejected attempts to undermine the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state on the 1967 borders and called for an end to Israel’s colony policy and violence by occupiers, saying these actions threaten the two-state solution.
• They stressed the need to create conditions for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure the urgent, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.
• They welcomed the announcement of an agreement on the disarmament of Hamas and called for its implementation while reaffirming their commitment to the New York Declaration and backing Palestinian Authority reforms and plans for presidential and legislative elections.
   

See also under Lebanon.

Israel must fulfill obligations if it wants to become part of the region: Qatar

Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, says if Israel wants to become part of the region, it must fulfill its obligations.

Palestinian leader urges UN states to impose sanctions on Israel over Palestinian abuses

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, has called on UN member states to impose sanctions on Israel because of its abuses against Palestinians.

“Don’t forget this government has committed genocide in Gaza and continues to commit genocide in Gaza. They violated the ceasefire 3,000 times, killing more than 1,300 Palestinians since the ceasefire in Gaza. They allow settler terrorist groups to attack Palestinian groups everywhere in the occupied West Bank. So now they are even attacking UN institutions,” Barghouti said.

“The duty of every UN member, the duty of every country, every state that is a member of the United Nations, if they want to keep any respect for international law and order of the United Nations, every country has the obligation of imposing sanctions on Israel for these violations,” he added.

“If they don’t, that means Israel will be encouraged to commit more crimes internationally.”

US lawmakers urge immediate action for release of US citizen from Israeli detention

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and 40 members of the US Congress, including six senators, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding the immediate release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American student held in Israeli military detention since June 2.

Safi was taken from her family’s home in the occupied West Bank during raids targeting Birzeit University students.

“It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of all Americans abroad, with no exceptions. Her life is at risk on your watch,” the lawmakers wrote, urging Rubio to “use every tool at your disposal to secure the immediate release of Sama Safi”.

The letter said Safi suffers from Familial Mediterranean Fever, a chronic condition requiring daily medication and specialized treatment, and that her health has “rapidly declined to dangerous levels” in detention.

Her parents, who met virtually with Tlaib, said: “With every additional day that Sama is subjected to deprivation and abuse by Israel, our fear grows that her spark is being dimmed; that we are losing pieces of her health, her strength, and the vibrant, loving spirit that makes her who she is.”

Smotrich hails record illegal West Bank settlement expansion as ‘revolution’

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister and overseer of the Settlement Administration agency, has hailed an unprecedented settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

His agency established 70 jurisdictional areas for West Bank settlements in less than a year, setting a new record, he said on X.

Israeli settlements and outposts on occupied Palestinian land are illegal under international law.

Smotrich said the Israeli Central Command, which oversees security in the West Bank, had just authorised 18 new jurisdictional areas for settlements. This expansion pushes further municipal control by settlement councils over surrounding Palestinian lands.

Smotrich hailed the expansion as a “revolution”, adding: “We are strengthening and fortifying the settlements.”

Israeli settlers attack AFP journalists in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers have attacked three AFP news agency journalists in the occupied West Bank in violence that injured at least five people, according to the agency.

The reporters had traveled to the town of Jannatah near Bethlehem on Tuesday to report on Israeli activists conducting solidarity visits to support Palestinians facing harassment by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military ordered journalists to leave what it called a “closed military zone” before Israeli settlers arrived in two cars.

Children were among the settlers who threw stones at the journalists and activists.

The Israeli military says a police investigation into the incident has been opened.