Palestine News Today: UN: West Bank Settler Attacks Near Record Levels
18 September 2026. Your daily round-up of the most important news about Palestine, compiled from international and regional sources. Today: new UN figures show settler attacks reaching almost record levels, Israel rejects the UK Foreign Secretary's ethnic cleansing charge, and disease spreads among Gaza's children. Below, each story in brief, with links to the reporting it is based on.
Israel Rejects UK Foreign Secretary's West Bank Charge
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar accused UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband of "outrageous lies" after Miliband said Israelis were ethnically cleansing the West Bank. Analysts told Al Jazeera the new Western sanctions are unlikely to sway Israeli voters before October's election.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Settler Attacks Reach Almost Record Levels
The UN reports that settler attacks have affected 275 Palestinian communities in the West Bank so far in 2026, nearly equal to the 279 recorded in all of 2025, the highest since records began in 2006. More than 1,100 structures have been demolished this year, displacing over 1,500 people.
Sources: OCHA
Skin Infections and Polio Risk Among Gaza's Children
The UN recorded 45,190 cases of impetigo, a contagious skin infection mainly affecting young children, in Gaza between 2 August and 12 September, and a new case of acute flaccid paralysis. Shortages of fuel and machinery are hampering repairs ahead of winter.
Sources: OCHA
A Family Cut Off in Qusra
In the West Bank village of Qusra, three Palestinian families have been largely isolated for more than five weeks after a settlement outpost was set up nearby, limiting their access to school and aid, the UN says.
Sources: OCHA
AI Speeds Up West Bank Demolitions
Researchers say Israel is using artificial intelligence in the occupied West Bank to survey Palestinian land and accelerate demolitions and forced displacement.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Ireland Sits Out Eurovision Again
Irish broadcaster RTÉ said the country will not take part in Eurovision for a second year, citing the loss of life in Gaza and the denial of access for international journalists.
Sources: Al Jazeera
The Repairman Keeping Gaza's Cameras Working
Camera repairman Mohammed Radwan is helping Gaza's journalists keep documenting the war, fixing damaged equipment amid shortages of cameras, spare parts and electricity.
Sources: Al Jazeera
The Wider Picture
Nearly a year after the ceasefire announced in October 2025, civilians in Gaza still face daily danger amid widespread destruction, continuing strikes and restrictions on the supplies and equipment needed to rebuild. Gaza's health ministry puts the death toll since October 2023 at more than 73,900, with over 174,000 wounded. More than 1,300 of those deaths have come since the ceasefire began.
Sources: Al Jazeera, OCHA
Settler violence in the occupied West Bank is at near-record levels, with 275 Palestinian communities affected this year according to the UN, almost matching the whole of 2025. Permit-related demolitions have destroyed more than 1,100 Palestinian structures in 2026 and displaced over 1,500 people, a third of all those forced from their homes in the West Bank this year. With 98 per cent of Gaza's schools damaged or destroyed and more than 90 per cent of the territory in ruins, thousands of families are living in structures that have already been declared unsafe.
Sources: OCHA
Medical services remain close to collapse. Hospitals are rationing power because of fuel shortages, oxygen supplies are limited, and agencies report that specialist medicines, including cancer treatments, have repeatedly run out. Recognition of Palestinian statehood by a majority of UN member states has not changed conditions on the ground, and Palestinian officials argue that recognition without enforcement leaves the occupation untouched.
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.
