News roundup for Thursday, August 13, 2026, Day 1,042 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza is lower since the October 2025 “ceasefire” began, over 300 days ago – about 4 per day, vs. over 100 per day during the 733 days of the “war.” But Israel is actively working (with Trump’s “Board of Peace“) to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinian population, even as the low-level killing continues. Genocide experts, along with organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International, maintain that the genocide is ongoing.
Two Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday as Israeli occupation forces continued military attacks across the devastated Gaza Strip in ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement. Gaza City’s police chief was one of the dead.
Israel is carrying out a massive, organized operation to crush, mix, and transport millions of tons of rubble out of the Gaza Strip, according to human rights groups and monitors. The Israeli military is carting away millions of tons of rubble – including from cemeteries and known locations of human remains – in what rights groups say is an effort to erase war crimes evidence.
Of the estimated 68 million tons of rubble, at least 10 million tons have already been removed, crushed or moved from their original sites within areas under Israel’s unlawful military control. About 400 pieces of heavy equipment* are also working to demolish the remaining structures in Gaza.
*NOTE: This operation is happening within just a few miles of Palestinians in Gaza who want desperately to recover the remains of loved ones, open roads, and begin rebuilding – but can’t because Israel won’t allow them to bring in the equipment they need.
READ the full press release: Israel wipes genocide evidence in Gaza, carting off rubble and remains in 100 trucks daily
‘They’re all catastrophic’: The pediatric war wounds Dr Abu Sittah tries to heal in Lebanon: In Beirut, the British-Palestinian surgeon treats children severely wounded by Israeli attacks, including three sisters whose lives were altered irreversibly.
Some in Gaza’s Youngest Generation May Not Even Know What Toys Are: The normal daily life of a 2- or 3-year-old child has lost much of its meaning and is instead filled with fear. The ability to play with toys is not a secondary aspect of childhood; it is a crucial part of a child’s ability to develop, learn, engage with life, and build essential skills.
Kushner set to visit Israel, Egypt next week for Gaza talks*: The visit comes as the White House and Trump’s Board of Peace are trying to push forward with the next phase of the Gaza plan, which focuses on disarming Hamas and a potential Israeli withdrawal. The Netanyahu government is highly skeptical of the U.S. Gaza plan.
*NOTE: According to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, signed by Hamas and Israel on October 9, 2025, the IDF was required to withdraw troops to specified lines and not return; all military operations were to be suspended; and Israel was to begin allowing entry of at least 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day.
Today, Israel has not only not withdrawn, it is holding more of Gaza than before – from 53% to approaching 70% (with possible plans for 100%); military operations have continued, with almost daily attacks and at least 1,260 Palestinians killed; and an average of about 86 truckloads of aid have entered Gaza per day (as of Aug. 14, 2026).
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,260 since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025 (270 children). Children, women, and the elderly account for 35.3% of those killed and 49.1% of those wounded.
- 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began – one by friendly fire, and four others in incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 73,389 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
ISRAELI MEDIA: Once a Safe Haven, Christian Palestinians Say They ‘have No Future’ in This Village: Residents of the West Bank village describe constant harassment by Israeli settlers, threats, damage to vehicles and arson. Fifteen families have left, along with dozens of young people. Since October 7, they say, ‘everything has changed.’
Nearly 600 Israeli occupiers (i.e. settlers) storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection: Eyewitnesses said the incursions included Talmudic rituals, prayers and dancing, in violation of the longstanding status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque*.
*NOTE: Anyone can visit the Al Aqsa Mosque grounds (known to Jews as the Temple Mount) but only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to an understanding known as the ‘status quo agreement,’ under which, since 1967, Israel has formally pledged to allow Muslims to pray at the site, while Jews pray at the Western Wall below.
In practice, however, restrictions have steadily eroded, particularly since 2023 (after extremist Itamar Ben Gvir became Minister of National Security). Many Palestinians fear this erosion will lead to open conflict.
(More on the Temple Mount status quo here, and more on the dangerous current situation here.)
IDF operation, purportedly to evict settlers from Qusra, continues: The Israeli army has seized 16 Palestinian homes in and around Qusra in the northern occupied West Bank and converted them into military posts, in continuation of its military offensive in the town, south of Nablus. Israeli army claims the operation aims to dismantle an illegal settler outpost near the town.
Three Palestinian families, including one with US citizenship, remained trapped inside their homes for a 4th consecutive day.
Settlers have reportedly attempted eight times to establish an outpost in the Jabal Ras al-Ain area, citing its strategic location on high ground overlooking a large area. They have been raiding the village and harassing residents for about four months.
Huckabee Calls Israeli Settler Siege of Palestinian Homes ‘an Act of Terror’ but Defends the Broader Settler Movement: “Settlers’ are not the problem in Judea/Samaria,” he said, using the Biblical name for the Palestinian territory. “Unsettlers’ are.”
ISRAELI MEDIA: ‘This is what occupation* looks like’: Palestinian legislator Cassif says IDF tried to prevent him from entering Kusra: “This is exactly what apartheid looks like. This is exactly what occupation looks like. We will continue to fight against the terror of the occupation and for a just peace,” Cassif said.
*NOTE: According to international humanitarian law, occupation is a form of international armed conflict, and is illegal. The United Nations announced in October 2022: “There are reasonable grounds to conclude that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is now unlawful under international law due to its permanence and the Israeli Government’s de-facto annexation policies.” The entire West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
Qusrae.
Another day of siege.
The settlers arrived in massive numbers. The most powerful army in the world failed to evacuate them.
After a mass rampage by the settlers and an attempt to break into the house, the army withdrew.
No arrests.
The media, unlike the settlers, is… pic.twitter.com/d04k0YBJ1L— מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים (@Mistaclim) August 12, 2026
‘They destroyed us’: Palestinian family sleeps in the open after demolition: With 5 minutes’ warning, this Palestinian family’s home was demolished despite a court order, leaving them homeless under sweltering heat in the West Bank.
Jewish settlers re-establish the Ganim settlement* in the occupied Palestinian West Bank on 13 August, two decades after it was evacuated as part of Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan.
Israeli politicians and Jewish settlers held a ceremony on Thursday to celebrate their return to the settlement, which includes one paved road and pre-fabricated homes.
Attendees at the ceremony included Yossi Dagan, head of the so-called Samaria Regional Council; Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz; Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi; and members of the Knesset.
“Here, we are staying forever,” Defense Minister Katz stated at the ceremony after arriving by helicopter. “The era of evacuations is over. From here, we only build,” councilman Dagan claimed.
*NOTE: In 2005, Israel undertook a unilateral plan (with the approval of the US). According to the plan, Israel withdrew about 500 settlers from isolated settlements deep inside the West Bank, and all 8,500 settlers from Gaza. (Israeli troops left Gaza, while still controlling its coastline, borders, and airspace, and claiming the right to intervene militarily, including preemptively, in “self-defense.”)
Dov Weisglass, a close advisor of PM Ariel Sharon, stated in October 2004 that the plan was intended to postpone the creation of a Palestinian state indefinitely, and to relieve pressure on Israel to make further withdrawals from the West Bank.
All four of the West Bank settlements vacated during Israel’s 2005 Disengagement Plan (Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim) have been re-established and repopulated. Some Israeli groups are calling for Jews to return to Gaza.
Thursday Dawn: Israeli Invasions and Abductions in the West Bank
Israeli Colonists Escalate Attacks Across the West Bank
Israeli Forces Demolish 20 Farmers’ Shelters in Jordan Valley
DEATH TOLL – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel news accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.
Netanyahu’s New Election Ploy Smells of Desperation and Elon Musk
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel Continues to Violate Top Court Ruling, Barring Red Cross Visits to Jailed Palestinians: Two months after the High Court judges unanimously ruled that the state must reinstate the organization’s visits to security prisoners, Israel has not done so. The Association for Civil Rights described the situation as contempt of court.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel’s Largest Political Party Isn’t Enabling the Far Right. It Is the Far Right: Likud’s transformation is Israel’s transformation: the triumph of a deeply rooted right-wing ideology that dehumanizes Palestinians and will make sharing this land impossible for as long as both remain committed to Jewish supremacy.
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Lessons of Lebanon and Ukraine: Why the IDF Wants 100,000 Drones a Year: Fiber-optic explosive drones deployed by Hezbollah are eating away at Israeli air superiority in Lebanon. First proven in the Russia-Ukraine war, these micro-weapons are redefining the balance of power, and perhaps even changing warfare altogether.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israelis immigrate abroad to find quiet away from constant war and political uncertainty: A Tel Aviv University study showed that Israeli immigration has remained at record levels, with an estimated 40,000 and 50,000 citizens exiting for at least a year in each of the past three years.
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – NEWS & HEADLINES:
It can not be overemphasized that Israel is the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades, using lies and deception. Under President Trump, he got his wish.
Israel has invaded Lebanon seven times in the last half century. Between 1978 and 2000, Israel maintained an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon — Hezbollah was formed to fight that occupation.
Although Israel is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025, and demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria – but also vowed to permanently occupy some areas.
IRAN
Iran challenges Trump: more than 75% of Iranian missile and drone capabilities still ready for use
US military loses roughly 25% of Reaper drone fleet in Iran war: Report
LEBANON
Israeli forces reportedly carried out a series of operations across southern Lebanon on Thursday, including firing stun grenades and sound bombs, and carrying out detonations and demolitions in multiple towns.
SYRIA
Israeli Troops Raid Southwest Syria, Capture Multiple Civilians
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 18 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians) since Feb. 28, 2026 (another source puts the number at 3,499)
- Lebanon: at least 4,335 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 60 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 36 soldiers, 4 civilians)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
One of Congress’s most pro-Israel members is facing strong opposition from an anti-Zionist in Florida: Next week, in Florida’s 25th district, union organizer Oliver Larkin will face off against incumbent centrist Jared Moskowitz. Moskowitz is one of Israel’s staunchest House allies. Larkin openly refers to himself as anti-Zionist. He calls for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the illegal occupation of the West Bank, demands the Palestinian right of return and the immediate suspension of military aid.
The ADL wants to cancel susan abulhawa: Being a bestselling novelist has never stopped abulhawa from speaking out against the oppression of her people. “Only Zionism comes wrapped in some inherited claim to the world’s care and tenderness,” she said. “I refuse that. I reject it outright.”
UK weighs raft of measures against Israel as pressure grows for action to match rhetoric
Switzerland selects Gaza survivors documentary “Who is Still Alive” for Oscars
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Autism and war: Gaza families grapple with destruction and loss
In Qusra and beyond, settlers are chasing Palestinians out and taking over their homes
Israeli youth eager for combat, see IDF as victorious – poll
Mental health crisis grips the USS Abraham Lincoln
Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – August 13, 2026*:
- At least 74,573 Palestinians killed, 187,259 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,389 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,266 injured. Children, women, and the elderly account for 35.3% of those killed and 49.1% of those wounded during the “ceasefire”
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,185 killed (~251 children) since Oct. 7, 2023, 13,000 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and as many as 15,000 more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 13, 2026: ~1,663 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel (these numbers do not include deaths from the conflicts with Lebanon or Iran).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Controversial Israeli NGO is training U.S. sheriffs
- GOP senators not happy with Trump administration’s handling of Iran funding request
- Trump Says Lebanon Ceasefire ‘Working,’ Locals Would Beg to Differ
- The faces of the West Bank town of Tuba
- The Most Important Book of 2026: Clifton and Lustick’s “Israel’s Lobby”
- In West Bank Christian Village, a New Israeli Order Enables Settler Attacks While Claiming to Prevent Them
- Two girls shot in Gaza – BBC pieces together what happened and looks at dozens more child shootings
- ‘See. Listen. Speak’: Palestinian Churches Call for Action against Israeli Violations
- Turkey suspects Israel fabricated Trump Air Force One assassination plot to derail US-Iran deal
- Israeli Bulldozing Intensifies Destruction of Farmland, Water Systems in West Bank and Gaza
- “She was shot in the head. She was in the prayer area memorizing the Quran.”
- ‘Is this how our story ends?’ Palestinian refugees live in fear as Israel takes aim at West Bank camps
- ISRAELI MEDIA: International Media Is Failing Palestinian Journalists in Gaza
- Zionism has warped the lexicon, so words are now convenient weapons
