Palestine News Today: Palestinian-British Girl, 6, Dies After Family Drowned Off UK Coast
22 August 2026. Your daily round-up of the most important news about Palestine, compiled from international and regional sources. Today: six-year-old Saja el-Khawas dies days after her family drowned off the UK coast, more than 100 former diplomats urge Britain and France to sanction Israel, and a teenager is killed in the West Bank. Below, each story in brief, with links to the reporting it is based on.
Saja el-Khawas, 6, Dies After Family Drowned
Six-year-old Palestinian-British girl Saja el-Khawas has died, days after her mother, father and sister drowned off the UK coast.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Former Diplomats Urge UK and France to Sanction Israel
More than 100 former diplomats signed an open letter urging France and the UK to ban arms transfers to Israel and freeze trade agreements.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Teenager Killed in Settler Attack
A 17-year-old Palestinian was killed and another person critically injured in a settler attack in the West Bank, prompting a UN response.
Sources: Al Jazeera
1,300 Children Swim on Gaza's Shore
Some 1,300 children in Gaza joined a swimming class on the shore to help cope with the trauma of the war.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Gaza Running Out of Places to Bury the Dead
Thousands of people killed in Gaza have been buried in makeshift sites as the territory runs out of burial space.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Jewish Activists Stand Guard Against Settlers
Jewish activists are providing a "protective presence" in parts of the occupied West Bank, staying with Palestinian families in the hope that their presence will deter settler attacks.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Israel's Chief Rabbi: Palestinians 'Not a People'
Israel's Chief Rabbi said Palestinians are not a people and have no rights, claimed Gaza for Jews and called for its destruction, in remarks condemned by Palestinian officials and rights groups.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Drone Strike Kills Family Member in Deir el-Balah
An Israeli drone attack targeted a family in the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah, killing one person and wounding others, medics said, as strikes continued despite the ceasefire.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Settlers and Soldiers Injure Palestinians Across the West Bank
Palestinians faced attacks and forced displacement across the occupied West Bank as settlers expanded their control, backed by military raids and official inaction, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera
The Bigger Picture
The truce agreed in October 2025 stopped the full-scale offensive but not the killing. Attacks have continued, and restrictions on what can enter Gaza still block any meaningful reconstruction. The recorded death toll in Gaza has passed 73,900 according to the health ministry, with more than 174,000 injured, and the count continues to rise through strikes that have not stopped since the truce.
Sources: Al Jazeera, OCHA
Across the occupied West Bank, the UN counts 275 communities hit by settler attacks in 2026, a pace that has almost equalled last year's record with months still to run. More than 1,100 Palestinian structures have been demolished this year for lacking building permits, displacing over 1,500 people, more than a third of the 4,300 Palestinians displaced in the West Bank in 2026. Almost every school in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed, and with more than 90 per cent of buildings in ruins, people are living in structures that engineers warn could come down.
Sources: OCHA
Aid agencies warn that the shortages are now structural rather than temporary: without heavy machinery, fuel and engine oil, rubble cannot be cleared, water networks cannot be repaired, and search and rescue work is slowed for days. At the United Nations, the two-state solution remains the stated goal of the Secretary-General and most member states, even as settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank continues and Palestinian officials describe it as creeping annexation.
Sources: OCHA
Palestine News is published every day on Free Palestine Store. Each item summarises reporting from the named outlets in our own words; follow the source links for full coverage.
