News roundup for Saturday, September 5, 2026, Day 1,066 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.
Seven Palestinians, including two children, were injured by Israeli army fire in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, in the latest daily violations of a ceasefire agreement in force since last October.
Gaza teams recover remains of 55 people nearly 3 years after Israeli strike: The victims, all members of the Malka family, had been sheltering in the family home when it was hit by Israel in November 2023.
GAZA DEATH TOLL (tentative) since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025:
- 1,344 (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.)
Israeli Settlers* Seize 100,000 Dunams, Establish 26 Outposts beyond Area C: Settlers have forcibly seized more than 100,000 dunams in Areas A and B; at least 26 new settlement outposts and pastoral farms have been established in Area B. The Israeli military has seized unprecedented amounts of land in Area A; settler attacks and displacement now affect over 120 Palestinian communities.
*NOTE: More than 780,000 settlers live illegally on Palestinian land in over almost 600 Jewish-only settlements and settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some settler groups have a history of violence against Palestinians, often with the assistance of Israeli military forces. It is noteworthy that settlers are only rarely prosecuted for their crimes. Learn more about Israeli settler violence here and here.
In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements.
Israeli campaign of West Bank destruction moves on to region’s food basket: What stands out about the current moment is that the violent Israeli settler expansion is reaching into Area A *itself. Israeli civilians are officially barred from entering Area A, with some exceptions, but it looks like no part of the West Bank is safe anymore.
NOTE: Area A covers about 18 percent of the West Bank and includes most of its major Palestinian population centers. Israeli civilians are officially barred from entering the area, with some exceptions – but recently, they have begun expanding their illegal activities into the area.
Area B covers about 22 percent of the West Bank and includes other large Palestinian towns, villages and hamlets. Area B is supposed to be exclusively Palestinian, with no Jewish settlement. Israelis are discouraged – but not officially banned – from entering the area. In recent years, however, settlement expansion has crept into Area B.
Area C covers about 60 percent of the West Bank – all the territory not included in Areas A and B. Until recent years, it was the only area with Jewish settlement, in keeping with the Oslo Accords. Hundreds of thousands of settlers live there, although it is part of Palestine.
Read more about Areas A, B, and C here.
Three Times in a Week: Israeli Settler Raids Into West Bank Village End With IDF Shooting Palestinians: Israeli settlers have been repeatedly entering the Palestinian al-Mughayyir village under IDF protection, grazing flocks near the village homes, and then reporting their livestock was harmed. At least seven Palestinians were then wounded as the IDF responded.
Israeli occupiers (i.e. settlers) assaulted on Saturday journalists and Palestinian children at a playground in southern Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Members of the Israeli army and police reportedly joined in the attacks. Soldiers and police then declared the site a “closed military zone” and expelled the children, journalists, residents and activists.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee* visited the occupied West Bank on Saturday, calling occupiers (i.e. settlers) staging attacks against Palestinian “terrorists.” He met with Palestinian-Americans about the challenges they face amid occupier violence. Huckabee said Washington’s message is: “people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety.”
*NOTE: Huckabee’s overtly Christian Zionist rhetoric has been problematic for years. In 2008, Huckabee famously told a rabbi in Massachusetts that “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.” During a trip to the West Bank in 2017, Huckabee said: “There is no such thing as a West Bank… There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
Palestinian foreign minister, church delegation discuss Israeli attacks on Christians: The minister highlighted the challenges facing Christians in Palestine and the decline in the number of Christians due to the difficult conditions. She stressed the need for the international community to intensify their efforts to protect Christians and holy sites from Israeli violations.
RELATED: 88 attacks against Palestinian Christians recorded since start of year
Israeli army raids central West Bank village as occupiers steal water tanks
Israeli Army Orders Seizure of Palestinian Land in Qabatia
Israeli Forces, Colonizers Escalate West Bank Attacks
Israeli Soldiers Invade Palestinian Communities Across West Bank
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.
Gaza’s destroyed sewage system may be linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants: Five of Israel’s six water plants shut as scientists probe whether Gaza wastewater fueled the bloom.
Dozens of demonstrations held Saturday across northern Israel against Netanyahu’s government, Israeli media reported.
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.
U.S. CENTCOM said Saturday it had struck and destroyed three Iranian tankers off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island. According to CENTCOM, the strikes were in retaliation for an earlier (and unsuccessful) attempt by Iran to attack two U.S. warships with ballistic missiles.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest US-Iran strikes
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.
Israeli army launches renewed strikes in Lebanon despite US-brokered deal
‘We are not beggars’: UNRWA cuts off aid to six Palestinian refugee camps in northern Lebanon: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has excluded six Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon from emergency cash assistance, as Israeli attacks and Western donor cuts leave families choosing between food and medicine. Meanwhile, billions are spent on war each day.
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.
Israel fires 6 shells at southern Syria’s Quneitra countryside
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:
US senator faces scrutiny about Senate duties, Israel advocacy: US Sen. John Fetterman has drawn criticism from former staffers and lawmakers for what they describe as a limited engagement with his Senate duties, while increasingly focusing on conservative media appearances and advocacy for Israel, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Washington approves potential $5bn arms package for Riyadh
France calls for restrictions on EU trade with illegal Israeli settlements
Hundreds rally in Stockholm to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza
Kites flown across 11 Dutch cities in solidarity with children in Gaza
Pro-Palestine demonstrators march in Paris
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Food has returned to Gaza’s markets, but most people still can’t afford to eat
Israeli Police Kill Palestinian in Jerusalem
‘They’re not even people’: Israeli rhetoric could serve as evidence of genocidal intent, legal experts say
Evidence confirms US munition directly struck Iranian wedding, killing five
Husband of slain Turkish American activist criticizes lack of US investigation
Israeli opinion piece proposes ‘debt forgiveness’ for young Americans to enlist in Iran war
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2026*:
- At least 74,841 Palestinians killed, 187,575 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,651 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,575 injured.
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,190 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 – September 5, 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)
- ‘What About Gaza’s Amputees?’ Adidas Under Fire Over Israeli Soldier’s Disability-Inclusive Shoe Ad
- ‘They Keep Beating Me’: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Gives New Testimony from Israeli Prison
- Palestinian American returns to besieged West Bank home but Israeli settlers remain
- US House passes bill penalizing universities that participate in boycott of Israel
- Israeli Defense Minister Ben Gvir posts Palestinians on conveyor belts to detention camps. The world is silent
- “Board of Peace” Billionaire Backs AIPAC Fund Targeting Pro-Palestine Candidates
- What do you do when you can’t hear the bombs? Being deaf during the Gaza genocide.
- ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt says ADL doesn’t exist “for some universalist ideal, we exist to protect the Jews”
- Appeal to Pope Leo XIV: To Organize a Global Leaders Summit to Address the Questions of Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
- Haley Stevens Smears Bernie Sanders and Abdul El-Sayed, Calls Anti-Zionism a ‘Sickness’
- ‘They destroy, we build’: Gazans rebuild their homes out of mud and rubble
- Israeli Raid Forces Gaza Kindergarten to Frantically Evacuate 200 Children
- US army secretary resigns amid signs of Pentagon unease with Iran war
- Israel targets identity of Palestinian students in Jerusalem
