Palestine News Today: Gaza Deaths Mount Under 'Ceasefire' as Israeli Election Leaves Palestinian Rights in Limbo
30 October 2026. Today's coverage highlights continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank despite the nominal ceasefire, alongside growing international solidarity action from port workers to divestment campaigns. Israel's deadlocked election has also thrown into sharp relief the exclusion of Palestinian citizens from political power, even as record numbers turned out to vote.
Italy demands release of activists held in West Bank
Italy's foreign ministry has called for the immediate release of five Italian activists detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, according to Middle East Eye. The activists were detained near the village of Al-Lubban al-Gharbiyye while accompanying Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest. The ministry said other foreign nationals were reportedly also involved in the operation.
Sources: Middle East Eye
Global port workers plan solidarity strike with Gaza
Palestinians in Gaza have rallied in support of a planned global strike by port workers, Anadolu Agency reports. Friday's planned action is expected to involve more than 25 unions representing dockworkers at 113 ports across 22 countries and territories. The mobilisation reflects the growing role of organised labour in the international solidarity movement with Palestinians.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
Israel kills Palestinians in Gaza despite 'ceasefire'
Israel has killed at least 1,574 Palestinians and injured 5,687 since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, according to Gaza's health ministry cited by Middle East Eye. A further 845 bodies have been recovered from the rubble. Separately, Middle East Monitor reports Israeli forces struck a government post in Gaza, killing four Palestinians, while Anadolu Agency reported strikes destroying two homes in Gaza City and Bureij refugee camp, displacing dozens of families.
Sources: Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency
Palestinians describe Gaza food crisis as 'engineered famine'
Palestinians in Gaza have accused Israeli occupation forces and traders of creating what they call an engineered famine, Middle East Eye reports. Residents say only unhealthy products such as sweets and fizzy drinks are being let into the strip, while fresh vegetables, chicken and flour are blocked. They describe this as a deliberate starvation policy echoing an earlier famine in the territory.</br>
Sources: Middle East Eye
UN warns of 'scholasticide' and destruction of truth in Gaza
UN special rapporteurs have warned of the systematic destruction of education and media in Gaza, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor. Rapporteur Farida Shaheed said 98% of Gaza's schools and all 13 universities have been destroyed, while rapporteur Francesca Albanese said Israel has killed nearly 300 journalists. The rapporteurs described the scale of destruction as amounting to an erasure of truth.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
UN says West Bank raids cutting off Palestinian livelihoods
The United Nations has said Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank are disrupting Palestinians' access to their livelihoods, Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor report. A UN spokesperson renewed calls for the protection of Palestinians across the territory. Middle East Monitor adds that around 3,000 Palestinians remain displaced, with Israeli forces reported to have blocked municipal teams attempting to deliver aid to residents trapped in closed areas of Hebron.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
Israeli forces demolish homes, arrest Palestinians across West Bank
Israeli forces demolished a residential building and bulldozed agricultural land in al-Walaja near Bethlehem, displacing five families and destroying dozens of fruit trees, Middle East Monitor reports. In separate raids across the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 13 Palestinians, according to Middle East Monitor. Al Jazeera also reports growing restrictions on Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque, with Islamic Waqf officials warning of shrinking authority over the holy site.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera
Record Palestinian turnout fails to secure political power after Israeli election
Israel's election has ended in deadlock, with neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor rival Gadi Eisenkot's bloc reaching a governing majority, according to Middle East Eye. Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers, pushing Arab parties to a record 19 seats despite what observers described as a campaign of intimidation. Al Jazeera reports Netanyahu has accused Palestinian-led parties of election fraud, while commentary from Mondoweiss notes that most opposition parties have ruled out governing in coalition with them.
Sources: Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss
Campaigners push divestment and academic boycott over Gaza war
Belgium's Flemish universities have filed a complaint against the European Commission over its lack of guidance on research partnerships with Israeli institutions, Middle East Monitor reports. Separately, Democracy Now! reports that a DeepMind engineer resigned from Google in protest at what she called the company's complicity in the Gaza war, citing concerns over military and surveillance technology. The developments add to a widening pattern of institutional and workplace pressure over the war.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Democracy Now!
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.
