Palestine News Today: Netanyahu Faces UN Walkouts and Protests as Gaza Crisis Deepens

26 September 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address triggered mass walkouts and street protests in New York, while fresh reporting from Gaza and the West Bank detailed the deepening humanitarian toll of the war. Meanwhile, questions over the UK's arms export policy and new figures on West Bank movement restrictions kept pressure on Western governments to act.

UK arms 'double lock' policy suspends nothing, report finds

According to Middle East Monitor, an investigation has found that Britain's much-publicised 'double lock' review of arms exports to Israel has not led to a single additional export licence being suspended or revoked. The finding raises questions about the practical impact of Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's stated policy amid continuing scrutiny of UK arms sales during the Gaza war.

Sources: Middle East Monitor

Green leader brands Zionism a form of racism

UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski told a London hustings that Zionism amounts to a form of racism, according to Middle East Monitor, drawing boos from parts of the audience. Polanski, who described himself as anti-Zionist, defined Zionism in the exchange as a project of displacement, sharpening debate within British politics over language used to discuss Israel and Palestine.

Sources: Middle East Monitor

US congressman urges Israel to free Barghouti

Democratic Representative Ro Khanna has called on Israel to release imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, arguing his freedom could help advance a two-state settlement, Anadolu Agency reports. Separately, Middle East Monitor reports Barghouti has proposed reuniting rival Fatah factions ahead of expected Palestinian elections, urging the movement to contest the vote on a single list.

Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor

Netanyahu's UN speech met with mass walkout and arrests

Dozens of delegates walked out as Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly, where he described Israel's Gaza war as the 'opposite of a genocide' and accused critics including New York's mayor of antisemitism, according to The Guardian and Middle East Monitor. Outside, more than 100 people, including well-known campaigners, were arrested at protests organised in part by Jewish Voice for Peace demanding an end to arms transfers to Israel, Democracy Now! reports.

Sources: The Guardian, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Democracy Now!, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor

Analysts say Netanyahu's UN claims contradict documented record

Middle East Monitor has published an analysis setting out several claims made by Netanyahu at the UN that it says clash with documented findings on the conduct of the war. A former Israeli peace negotiator separately told Democracy Now! that the speech reflected Israel's continued sense of impunity over its actions in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.

Sources: Middle East Monitor, Democracy Now!

Abbas and Maldives VP demand end to occupation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that Palestinian homes must not continue to be destroyed while residents sleep inside them, Middle East Monitor reports. Maldives Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef told the same session that Israel's genocide in Gaza 'must end', calling for an end to occupation and settlements and full UN membership for the State of Palestine, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor.

Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor

Families in Gaza shelter in buildings at risk of collapse

Three years into the war, many families in Gaza have no option but to live in damaged buildings that could collapse, Al Jazeera reports, with few safe alternatives remaining. The Guardian's ongoing coverage following five ordinary Palestinians, including a skateboarder who teaches children in the ruins to 'bring some joy', illustrates the daily toll the conflict has taken on civilian life.

Sources: Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Guardian

Women head a quarter of Gaza households after losing husbands

Women who lost their husbands during the war now represent one in four households in Gaza, according to UN figures cited by Mondoweiss, leaving many torn between earning an income and caring for children exposed to ongoing Israeli violence. Anadolu Agency separately reports that two more Palestinians were killed and four injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including a 36-year-old killed while visiting his brother's grave.

Sources: Mondoweiss, Anadolu Agency

West Bank checkpoints and settler water cut-offs squeeze Palestinians

The UN's humanitarian office and the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission recorded 942 Israeli checkpoints and barriers across the occupied West Bank restricting Palestinian movement, Anadolu Agency reports. In Masafer Yatta, Mondoweiss reports Israeli settlers have cut off water supplies to Palestinian farmers and herders, part of an intensifying campaign against communities in the area, while the Netherlands has announced a ban on trade in goods from Israeli settlements, according to Middle East Monitor.

Sources: Anadolu Agency, Mondoweiss, Middle East Monitor

Palestine News is published every day on Free Palestine Store. Each item recaps reporting from the named outlets in our own words; follow the source links for full coverage.