Palestine News Today: UK hails settlement curbs as Gaza ceasefire violations and West Bank raids continue
13 October 2026. The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has welcomed new British measures against illegal settlements as "very real", even as reports detail fresh Israeli attacks in Gaza and mass arrests in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the UN has verified over a thousand Palestinian deaths since the ceasefire began, and international pressure for accountability continues to grow.
Palestinian envoy welcomes UK action on settlements
Palestinian ambassador Husam Zomlot told Anadolu Agency that new British measures against illegal Israeli settlements mark a genuine and welcome shift, describing them as 'very real, not just words'. He said enforcement of these measures must now become the priority for the UK government. Zomlot's comments point to growing diplomatic pressure from London over settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
UN verifies over 1,000 Gaza deaths since ceasefire
The UN Human Rights Office has verified 1,076 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to Middle East Monitor, warning that some incidents may constitute war crimes. Anadolu Agency separately reported further Palestinian casualties, including a death and injuries, alongside the demolition of residential buildings, as ceasefire violations persist. Gazans also came under fresh fire that injured three people, Anadolu Agency said.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency
Israeli raids and arrests sweep occupied West Bank
Israeli forces arrested 30 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank, while occupiers in army uniform assaulted a Palestinian family in Talfit, leaving several injured, Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor reported. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces also raided several Palestinian NGO offices in Ramallah, with snipers deployed outside the Palestine Medical Complex according to Wafa. Separately, Mondoweiss reported that Israeli settlers, backed by the army, have since August blocked residents of Umm Safa from reaching their village cemetery to visit their dead.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss
Dozens of Palestinian families face displacement under blockade
A Palestinian commission has reported that 47 families are at risk of forced displacement amid an Israeli blockade, with four families already fleeing after armed occupiers stormed their homes and issued death threats, Anadolu Agency reported. Middle East Monitor separately reported that Israeli forces demolished around 80 homes in a Bedouin village in the Negev, displacing roughly 400 people for planned settlement construction.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
Qatar's emir demands accountability for Gaza 'genocide'
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called for accountability over what he described as the perpetrators of genocide in Gaza, insisting they must not escape justice, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor. Addressing the Shura Council, he reaffirmed that the Palestinian cause remains Qatar's highest priority, Al Jazeera reported, and pledged continued work towards regional stability.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera
Netanyahu orders prosecution of soldiers behind Gaza exposé
The Guardian reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the attorney general and Shin Bet to identify and prosecute soldiers and officers interviewed in the documentary NAZA, which examined Israel's use of artificial intelligence in targeted killings in Gaza. Anadolu Agency said the film was based on testimonies from 24 soldiers and intelligence personnel. Middle East Monitor separately reported that Israeli military intelligence soldiers have acknowledged being ordered to drop heavy bombs on inhabited Gaza buildings without evacuation.
Sources: The Guardian, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
EU and UN urge Palestinian elections as delay row deepens
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for Palestinian elections to renew the legitimacy of Palestinian institutions, Middle East Monitor reported, while the UN reaffirmed its commitment to providing technical support for the vote following its postponement. Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said elections could be brought forward if conditions allow, urging international pressure on Israel to enable voting after polls were set for September 2027, Anadolu Agency reported. Fatah's Democratic Reform Current has accused President Mahmoud Abbas of deliberately delaying the elections to remain in power, according to Middle East Monitor.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
Contested E1 settlement project threatens Palestinian statehood
Middle East Monitor examined the long-running battle over the E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, which was approved by Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and which critics say would sever the West Bank from East Jerusalem. The report describes the land as central to the viability of any future contiguous Palestinian state, placing the project at the heart of debates over Palestinian statehood.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
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