News roundup for Friday, August 28, 2026, Day 1,058 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 320 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.
Five Palestinians were killed Friday in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, including three members of the same family, amid ongoing Israeli truce violations, local medical sources said.
Israeli war chief threatens to ‘empty’ Gaza neighborhoods over children’s kites*: Israeli Minister of War Israel Katz declared on 27 August that any balloons or kites flown inside Gaza that move toward the Negev will be met with a “harsh response,” including the forced displacement of residents from the area where the children’s toys are spotted.
*NOTE: In the summer of 2021, Israel bombed Gaza relentlessly, ultimately killing 253 Gazans (66 of them children), while Palestinian rockets killed 12 Israelis (2 of them children). (Such a disproportionate ratio is typical.) A small number of Gazans began – when the wind was right – attaching Molotov cocktails to bunches of balloons and kites, and launching them toward Israel. Some property and land damage were reported, but no Israeli deaths.
Israeli leaders may be recalling this brief “terror balloon” trend, and worrying that Israel’s nuclear capabilities are no match for such cutting-edge weaponry. Notably, no incendiary devices have been found on kites recently.
WHO charges Israel with barring thousands of Palestinian in Gaza from life-saving care: Israeli border closures leave specialized care unattainable inside the besieged enclave.
Israeli commander that ordered strike on WCK convoy defends killing of aid workers: Israeli prosecutors cleared all suspects in the 2024 massacre of all charges (read the background on this story here).
*NOTE: South Africa brought a case against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, accusing Israel of committing genocide. The Court ruled by an overwhelming majority that there was a “plausible” case for genocide (an official ruling may take years), and ordered Israel in January 2024 to “take all measures within its power” to halt acts that contribute to genocide, to allow sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza to end the suffering among Palestinian civilians, and to prevent and punish the public statements of incitement made by senior Israeli officials.
As South Africa now points out:
The Court’s orders are binding on Israel, and the international community also has an obligation to protect the Palestinian people from genocide, including to take all necessary action to prevent and punish genocide.
Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the Orders. South Africa continues to pursue all avenues available to it to seek Israel’s full and immediate compliance with the Court’s Orders.
Numerous experts and human rights organizations have joined in declaring Israel’s actions against Gaza (and the West Bank) to be genocide, while the US government has been nearly alone in denying it. American mainstream media have tried to hide this from readers.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE death toll (tentative) since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025:
- 1,304 (35% of those killed, 49% of those wounded were children, women, and the elderly)
- 5 Israeli soldiers – one by friendly fire, and four others in incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 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.)
Three Palestinians were killed* Friday in an Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, with Israeli forces detaining their bodies, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli army also detained an ambulance crew before sending them away without allowing them to tend to the dead and injured.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the identities of the victims as Qais Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Bitawi, 22, Basil Mohammad Ibrahim Turkman, 26, and Mu’min Mohammad Faris Jaradat, 22, adding that occupation forces confiscated their bodies.
The army claimed that Al-Bitawi was an “organization leader” who was allegedly “responsible for local Hamas activity in the Jenin camp”, who “worked to advance numerous operations,” adding that a weapon was found in their vehicle.
Applauding the assassination operation in Jenin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “an initiative, an attack, and a successful thwarting.”
*NOTE: Israeli forces regularly carry out assassinations of Palestinians they claim are members of resistance groups. Due process is not employed as a means of pursuing justice. International law supports the efforts of resistance groups against an occupying power, the UN extending that right to the point of armed resistance.
370 Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons: Report
‘I Am an American Citizen Under Siege by Israeli Settler Extremists’: Palestinian-American Loui Ridi speaks to Prem from his home in Qusra in the occupied West Bank, which has been surrounded by settlers for weeks while Israeli soldiers and the U.S. government largely sit by. The video of the interview is available here.
89% of property fires in West Bank caused by Israeli occupiers (i.e. settlers), says Palestinian commission: The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said in a report Friday that it documented 900 fires targeting Palestinian property between January 2023 and July 10, 2026. Occupiers were responsible for 799 of the fires, or 88.8%, while the remaining 101 were attributed to the Israeli army, according to the report.
How football’s governing bodies support illegal Israeli settlement clubs: While Palestinian facilities are either destroyed or crippled by Israeli checkpoints, FIFA and UEFA are continuing to prop up Israeli settlement teams.
Israeli Forces Invade West Bank Communities Friday
West Bank: Israeli Soldiers, Colonizers (i.e. Settlers) Attack, Injure Palestinians
DEATH TOLL SINCE OCT. 7, 2023 – 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.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Meet the new ‘superstar’ of the Israeli left, who is so progressive she only supports apartheid: Naama Lazimi is being hailed as the Israeli left’s rising star. But when she isn’t busy making excuses for the genocidal turn in Israeli society and politics, she’s advocating for a return to good old-fashioned apartheid. Only advocating for apartheid, of course, puts you on the far left in Israel today, and in this, Lazimi is being celebrated as a fresh wind of change.
ISRAELI MEDIA: IDF warns budget delay will force reserve, intelligence cuts beginning in September
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – NEWS & HEADLINES:
IRAN
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.
Iran’s parliament speaker hits back at US Treasury secretary on foreign spending:
Instead of funneling billions to its terrorist proxy, Israel, and 750 bases, this failing empire could spend that cash on its own people, but nah, that’d make too much sense for this regime.
Scotty, man [?], your credibility is on the line. Do something.https://t.co/zz1x0VWKyQ https://t.co/FQf6k8aova
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 27, 2026
LEBANON
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.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon with artillery, machine-gun fire
Israeli army advances, carries out demolitions in three towns, starts fires in southern Lebanon
330,000 remain displaced from homes, while 820,000 have returned to their communities in recent months in southern Lebanon.
SYRIA
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.
Israeli forces raid home, interrogate locals in Syria’s Quneitra: State media
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 18 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Iran: at least 3,636 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Lebanon: at least 4,352 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 40 soldiers, 4 civilians)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
ISRAELI MEDIA: Pro-Israel Senators Among 30 Urging It to Halt E1 Settlement Plan*: The group included senators generally regarded as strongly supportive of Israel, including Jacky Rosen and Cory Booker, underscoring the breadth of Democratic opposition to the E1 plans.
*NOTE: Israel’s plan to construct “E1” on a stretch of Palestinian land would ultimately create a continuous Israeli settlement “corridor” between occupied East Jerusalem and the large settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, disrupting Palestinian movement, isolating Palestinian communities, and destroying the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories. Settlements are illegal under international law.
E1 has been in the works since 1991, but construction has been repeatedly halted amid international pressure. Now under Trump’s second term, the climate is more conducive to settlement expansion, and the plan has been revived. It has already brought severe disruption and displacement to thousands of Palestinians living on the land.
For more on the E1 settlement project, read this.
US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say: The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack.
U.S. Designates Palestinian Refugee in Germany as “Terrorist*”: Zaid Abdulnasser does not see the designation as an assault on him as an individual. “On this list are Palestine Action, [International Criminal Court] judges, and Palestinian resistance factions. My listing is part of a broader attempt to crush the Palestinian liberation struggle and protect the Israeli occupation from prosecution.”
*NOTE: Framing by Israel or its allies of Palestinians as “terrorists” is a political, not fact-based choice – one that portrays Palestinians as uncivilized aggressors, and Israelis as perpetual victims – or potential victims – enabling them to claim “self-defense” as an excuse for taking disproportionate actions.
While there are no doubt groups of Palestinians planning and carrying out operations against Israel, they are exercising – albeit imperfectly – their internationally recognized right to resist their oppressor and occupier (the UN extends that right to the point of armed resistance). Calling Palestinians, including resistance members, “terrorists” is an attempt to delegitimize the struggle of a people seeking freedom, justice, and self-determination. Calling activists like Zaid Abdulnasser “terrorists” is an attempt to silence criticism of Israel.
Bondi library returns book How to Sell a Genocide* to shelves: A library in Sydney removed the book How to Sell a Genocide – a book about Israel’s genocide in Gaza – “for review” earlier this month following reports that a survivor of December’s Bondi beach attack saw the book and claimed it was distressing for survivors and bereaved families.
The library commented that “some books and materials may not align with everyone’s personal views,” but that it supports individuals’ rights to decide what they want to read.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network stated, “We acknowledge and respect the grief and trauma experienced by victims of violence and antisemitism. However, individual distress, offense or political disagreement should not determine what the broader public is permitted to access through a public library. Readers should be afforded the opportunity to access books freely and form their own opinions.”
The book currently has a waiting list of over 20 people.
*NOTE: Israel and its partisans are quick to label speakers of inconvenient truths antisemites – then dismiss those truths. When a human rights org publishes a report, or in this case an author writes a book, stating that Israel is committing genocide or apartheid, for example, or an individual states that Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal (as Mayor Mamdani did), Israel partisans generally accuse them of spreading disinformation, being antisemitic, peddling a blood libel, or in some cases, making someone feel uncomfortable. What the accusers do not do is engage with the facts to show mistakes or lies – because the reports are legitimate and documented.
These college students have favorable views of Israel. They also think it’s committing genocide: A new Brandeis study shows students’ views on Israel don’t fit into neat camps. Researchers can’t say for sure, but one possibility is that students are distinguishing between supporting Israel’s existence and the actions of its current government.
UK has billions in contracts with firms tied to illegal Israeli settlements: Al Jazeera investigation reveals UK public money flowing to companies linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Former Israeli spy detained by ICE in US: Allison Alon worked for US tech companies before kidnapping an acquaintance.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Between the tent and the cancer ward: Gaza’s patients wait for a treatment that may never come
UNRWA chief says Israel aims to make Palestinian refugee issue ‘go away’
Israeli army faces budget shortfall undermining military readiness
Newlywed Woman Slain in Israeli Airstrike Against Lebanon Village
U.S. Patriot Missile Stocks in Europe Are ‘Beyond Critical,’ Officials Say
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – August 28, 2026*:
- At least 74,632 Palestinians killed, 187,438 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,447 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,439 injured.
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,185 killed (~251 children), 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 28, 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)
- This creepy Israeli spy tech is likely operating in a city near you
- American Historical Association’s secret playbook on Palestine
- Senate Resolution Will Demand Answers on Extremist Israeli Settler Violence Against US Citizens
- How a Billionaire Is Using His Fortune to Reshape the Democratic Party
- Israel’s Lobby 2.0: What Walt & Mearsheimer didn’t anticipate
- Under Israel’s watch, Palestinian gangs are sowing chaos in the West Bank
- Inside the Israeli military policy to ‘justify’ lethal actions in deadly attacks on civilians in Gaza
- Israel intentionally foments Islamophobia, its efforts are paying off
- The GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Merchant of Death
- How Can CNN’s Dana Bash Pretend to Be an Objective Journalist Anymore?
- Gaza isn’t able to recover from famine as acute malnutrition soars across the Strip, new report finds
- Home Invasions and Abductions Across the West Bank
- ‘Israel Is Sending Armed Militias Into Gaza to Commit War Crimes – and the IDF Has to Protect Them’
- Fake US think-tank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda
