Palestine News Today: Record Palestinian Vote Surge Shakes Israeli Election as Gaza Deaths Continue
28 October 2026. Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers in Tuesday's election, with Joint List and Ra'am leaders hailing historic gains that leave both Netanyahu and his rivals short of a majority. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued deadly operations in Gaza and the West Bank, and UN investigators detailed mounting killings, as Scottish politicians and international academics reported being barred or detained by Israeli authorities.
Scottish politicians detained for eight hours by Israel
Two Scottish politicians said Israeli authorities detained them for eight hours and refused them entry, according to Middle East Monitor. The incident forms part of a wider pattern in which Israel has restricted access for international visitors connected to Palestinian advocacy. Separately, Middle East Monitor reported that Israeli authorities barred 23 international lawmakers, politicians and academics from entering the West Bank to attend a conference at Birzeit University.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor
Palestinian-led parties make historic gains in Israeli election
Israel's election has produced no clear winner, with exit polls and vote counts showing record turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel, according to Al Jazeera and the Guardian. Both the Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs fell short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, with the Joint List and Ra'am projected to take record numbers of seats, Middle East Eye reported. Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said voters had sent a clear message against what he called a government of bloodshed, while Ra'am's Mansour Abbas accused Netanyahu of inciting against Arab parties to mobilise right-wing voters.
Sources: Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, The Guardian, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, The Guardian, Middle East Eye
Far-right minister vows to block Arab celebrations
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his party would not allow Palestinian citizens of Israel to celebrate their election gains, according to Middle East Eye, after exit polls projected major wins for Palestinian-led parties. Amnesty International UK separately condemned the elections as apartheid at the ballot box, Middle East Monitor reported, pointing to the structural inequalities facing Palestinian citizens within Israel's electoral system.
Sources: Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor
UN inquiry finds genocide in Gaza and war crimes in West Bank
A UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has found that Israel committed genocide in Gaza and war crimes in the West Bank, according to Democracy Now! The commission separately reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, with over 10,000 injured by Israeli forces, Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor reported. UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese said impunity prevails for the killing of journalists in Gaza, describing attacks on media as intentional and urging domestic courts worldwide to act under universal jurisdiction.
Sources: Democracy Now!, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency
Israeli strikes kill Palestinians in Gaza despite ceasefire
Israeli attacks killed two Palestinians and wounded five others in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reported, with a six-year-old girl and a man also dying from wounds sustained in earlier strikes. Middle East Monitor questioned whose interests the ceasefire truly serves, citing a case in which an Israeli strike reduced a Gaza home to rubble shortly before its owner's planned wedding. The Israeli army also continued a large-scale offensive for a fourth consecutive day in Hebron's Farsh al-Hawa area, displacing thousands, according to Middle East Monitor.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor
Gaza resident describes year of hardship since ceasefire
A year after the Gaza ceasefire, residents describe daily life stripped of privacy and basic dignity, the Guardian reported, with people queueing for water and struggling to access clean supplies. Writer Akram al-Sourani described a loss of normality so profound that neighbours have become strangers even to themselves amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Sources: The Guardian
Palestinians fleeing Gaza exploited by fake charities in Egypt
Palestinian refugees who fled Gaza for Egypt are being targeted by fake charities and brokers who exploit their desperation, according to Mondoweiss. Many receive little aid and are legally barred from working, leaving them vulnerable to scams as they try to rebuild their lives in exile.
Sources: Mondoweiss
Gaza women filmmakers and global artists spotlight Palestinian cause
A new academy has launched to support Gaza's women filmmakers, who are turning their experiences of war, loss and survival into cinema, Al Jazeera reported. In Dublin, musicians including Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga joined US rapper Macklemore at the sold-out launch of his Free Palestine tour, Middle East Monitor reported, reflecting continued cultural solidarity with Palestinians worldwide.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Middle East Monitor
Detained activist says Palestinian solidarity reshaping US politics
Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and detained by US immigration agents, returned to Columbia University to discuss his memoir and credited Palestinian activism with reshaping American political debate, Al Jazeera reported. His case has become a focal point for discussions on free speech and solidarity movements for Palestinian rights in the United States.
Sources: Al Jazeera
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