News roundup for Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Day 1,085 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM DAY 2 AT UNITED NATIONS:
Palestine issue featured prominently at UN General Assembly despite US visa refusal
In a speech to the UNGA Wednesday, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the U.S. and Israeli war against his country. Holding up pictures of children killed in a U.S. attack on a school in Minab, he claimed that Iranians were “victims of terrorism.” “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions,” he said, “and we defended ourselves with utmost strength.”
Pezeshkian pointed out clear hypocrisy in the fact that Israel possesses nuclear weapons and is not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, “but the inspectors are requested to come to Iran… They (Israelis) kill, we are sanctioned, we are punished,” he added. “Israel has murdered savagely over 70,000 innocents in Gaza, but Iran, while behind the table of negotiation, was bombed.”
As major powers act unilaterally, experts say UN faces crisis in New York: Experts warn the UN faces crises of funding, relevance, and Security Council gridlock.
Netanyahu cuts New York visit to hours after security warnings: Israeli premier to address UN General Assembly, return home same day without meeting Trump.
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 345 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.
Israeli air strikes killed at least seven Palestinians across Gaza on Wednesday and wounded at least 35 others, despite the “ceasefire” in place since October.
Israel, aided by “Board of Peace,” blocks entrance of critical medical items, food items to Gaza: A report to the UN Security Council from the Association of International Development Agencies indicates that Trump’s so-called Board of Peace is enabling Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The blocked items include scissors, crutches, wheelchairs, and prosthetic limbs as “dual-use” instruments, as well as watermelons and onions. Israel has also barred specialized medical staff, and placed restrictions on engine oil so severe that it cost 45 times its normal price.
“What is unclear is why the mandate handed by this council to the Board of Peace is being used to violate the most fundamental rights of the Palestinians in Gaza and the most basic rules of humanitarian law,” executive director Athena Rayburn said. “This cannot be the new status quo.”
MUST-READ: The everyday items Israel bans from Gaza every day
Israel Damaged 82 Percent of Gaza’s Buildings. Collapses Are Burying Us Alive: Residents of the recently collapsed six-story high rise knew they were in danger but could find nowhere else to sleep.
Am I in the right place? On the surface, education continues in Gaza. The university has been operating online since 2024, and students are studying and taking exams. But it does not feel like actual education, just the shell of an education. We are going through all the motions of learning but without the substance.
Israeli Prison Raid Leaves Gaza Doctor Shot, Another Detainee with Broken Ribs: Prison authorities released dogs, forced detainees onto the ground and assaulted them during a violent Israeli raid inside the Negev prison recently, according to the Prisoners’ Media Office.
Board of Peace plans $2.4bn Gaza reconstruction: The Board of Peace’s high representative, Nikolay Mladenov, said the proposed plan depends on Hamas’s disarmament*. Violations against Palestinians in the Strip continue even as world leaders call on Israel to adhere to ceasefire deal.
*NOTE: While Trump and the negotiators have been insisting all along that Hamas must disarm, and even claiming that Hamas agreed to disarm – the facts are different. See video, or read Israel’s Best-Kept Secret: Palestinian Resistance Never Agreed to Disarm
GAZA DEATH TOLL (tentative) since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025:
- 1,408 (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
🚨BREAKING: A highly foul smell spread across Gaza City overnight, leaving residents searching their homes and tents for its source.
Social media platforms were flooded with complaints from Palestinians reporting the same unbearable odor across large areas, from Al-Tuffah and… pic.twitter.com/1CL89v53xK
— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) September 24, 2026
📌Tuesday in Gaza under the @BoardOfPeace-led “ceasefire”:
➤ 12:40 a.m. — Israeli vehicles opened fire south of Khan Younis.
➤ 12:45 a.m. — Israeli vehicles opened fire east of Gaza City.
➤ 12:50 a.m. — Israeli forces demolished buildings west of Beit Lahia.
➤ 12:50 a.m.… https://t.co/U3gEbloEhM
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 23, 2026
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 forces shot and killed 29-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud Mohammad Suleiman near Beit Ur al-Tahta, west of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, following what Israeli police described as a car-ramming that seriously wounded an Israeli reservist.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter has said his son, a soldier, was the injured party; he is in serious condition.
US does not want to see ‘additional flashpoint*’ in West Bank, Rubio says: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Donald Trump “really doesn’t think the world right now needs a West Bank crisis… The last thing this region needs is an additional flashpoint, and the last thing we think Israel needs is an additional flashpoint.”
*NOTE: It is likely that there would be fewer “flashpoints” in the region if the Trump administration had stopped providing weapons to Israel, stopped providing diplomatic cover for Israel, and used its power in the so-called Board of Peace to make Israel adhere to the ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel displaces hundreds of Palestinians amid wave of demolitions in West Bank: Israeli forces raze 24 homes in Janba village in Masafer Yatta, leaving 176 people without shelter, as demolitions escalate. Approximately 85 children were among those left homeless by Israeli demolitions in the occupied West Bank village of Janba on 23 September 2026.
“All our olive trees, including the newly planted ones, were uprooted. Also our neighbours’, they uprooted them all,” Tamimi said, adding that he and his neighbours own nearly 9 acres of land filled with olive trees. “They left us with nothing,” he said.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli gov’t launches ‘Biblical Trail’ initiative to promote West Bank tourism: “Developing tourism is part of building the country*. Every trail we develop and every site we make accessible connects more people to the area, strengthens settlement and generates growth,” said the minister of tourism. In August, NIS 113 million was set aside to develop over 70 heritage sites across the West Bank as part of an initiative proposed by Smotrich, which he described as a ‘Zionist act of highest order.’
The occupied Palestinian West Bank is home to over 2,600 archaeological and heritage sites.
*NOTE: The West Bank, where Israeli settlements and these tourism sites are located, is Palestinian territory, and are illegal under international law. This plan to develop tourism in the region only further entrenches the illegal settlement enterprise – which many analysts see as a precursor to annexation (also illegal under international law).
This tourism project will also deprive the legal residents of the West Bank – the Palestinians – of tourist traffic and revenue.
Soldiers Abduct Palestinians, Demolish Structures Across West Bank
Soldiers Injure Two Palestinians Amid West Bank Violations
Colonizers (i.e. Settlers) Shoot Worker, Block Road, Burn Land in West Bank
DEATH TOLL SINCE OCT. 7, 2023 – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
A Palestinian man watches in tears as Israeli occupation bulldozers uproot olive trees in Beit Umrin, northwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, destroying trees deeply rooted in Palestinian land, livelihood and memory.
For Palestinians, olive trees are far more than crops,… pic.twitter.com/HEKeLdnikd
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 24, 2026
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 election committee bans Arab (i.e. Palestinian) parties from standing in next month’s vote: Israeli opposition parties have supported the ban on Ra’am and Joint List, and on two candidates, which could leave Palestinian citizens without representation.
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.
Israel ready to resume strikes on Iran as regime aims to rebuild nuclear program – report: “We will move to strike nuclear facilities and any site belonging to them again if Tehran crosses any of the red lines, whether with or without the participation of the US,” an Israeli official said.
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.
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.
Al-Sharaa jokes with Trump about giving New Jersey to Israel: “I told him, why don’t you give them New Jersey, if you are keen to give Israel some land,” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said. “I think New Jersey belongs to the Democrats and they do not vote for President Trump, so it would be good to give it to them,” he added.
Al-Sharaa said: “Trump owns New Jersey, but he does not own the Golan Heights. Regardless of this joke, the Golan Heights belongs to its people, and neither a Syrian president nor a US president has the right to give it away to the other.”
Golan will remain Syrian, annexation decisions null under UN resolutions, says president Sharaa
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 22 since Feb. 28, 2026 (the Trump admin denies this number)
- Iran: at least 3,636 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Lebanon: at least 4,386 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-Israel $2.8 Billion Arms Deal, 40,000-Bomb Supply Faces New Gaza Complicity Accusations: A government can face allegations over assistance to another military without its own troops conducting the attacks. Germany disputes the claims, and the court has not resolved its responsibility.
Poll Finds Even Most Republicans Want U.S. to Investigate Israeli Killings of Americans
US lawmakers seek sanctions for Israel’s ‘E1’ West Bank settlement plan: 19 Democrats co-sponsored the bill, which was spearheaded by Chris Coons of Delaware. Under the E1 plan, illegal settlements would completely sever East Jerusalem – long seen as the capital of a future Palestinian state – from the West Bank, and would almost certainly deal a death blow to future Palestinian statehood.
*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.
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 and this.
The Ellisons Could Make a Killing in Big Surveillance With the Paramount Merger: With the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger set to proceed, the Ellisons can stoke Americans’ fears — and sell the government its solution.
*NOTE: Through their multinational technology company, Oracle, Larry Ellison and his son David have been acquiring media companies and guiding them toward a pro-Israel editorial stance. After the genocide in Gaza began in 2023, Oracle’s top executives publicly aligned the company with Israel’s military operations.
“When you connect with Oracle, you understand that we are committed to the U.S. and Israel,” said Executive Vice Board Chair and former CEO Safra Catz, an Israeli-American. “We are not flexible regarding our mission, and our commitment to Israel is second to none.”
Larry Ellison is the largest private funder of the Israeli military and a close personal friend of Benjamin Netanyahu.
RELATED: Billionaire Trump Suck-Ups Owning More News Is an Existential Threat
‘Mr Rogers was political, too’: Ms Rachel challenges critics over Gaza and ICE detention
RELATED: Ms. Rachel targeted by pro-Israel group for calling to feed starving Palestinian children
Gaza flotilla* activist on hunger strike in Tunisia jail ‘on verge of death’: Wael Naouar is in critical condition as his hunger strike enters its 39th day, a prominent local rights group says.
French activist files complaint alleging torture during 2025 Gaza flotilla*
*NOTE: Read about the Gaza Flotilla missions earlier in 2026 here, here, and here; 2025 missions here and here, and the deadly 2010 mission here; find out about the history of the global flotilla movement here and here.
Norwegian letter challenges Eurovision integrity over Israel’s participation: Norway’s public broadcaster NRK has written to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), warning that Israel’s presence in Eurovision is warping the competition and raising doubts over whether the public vote rewards music or political loyalty, NRK reported on 23 September.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Mass Protest Planned Against Netanyahu’s UN Speech in NYC Thursday
Winter could turn Gaza’s treacherous, war-damaged buildings into deathtraps
Another U.S. Soldier Is Dead as Iran War Casualties Rise
Majority of Democratic Voters Want to Prosecute Both Biden and Trump Administration Officials Over Gaza
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – SEPTEMBER 23, 2026*:
- At least 75,127 Palestinians killed, 187,955 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,922 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,955 injured.
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,205 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 23, 2026: ~1,663 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces during the ground invasion of 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)
- Caught on Tape: AIPAC CEO Boasted of Controlling Trump’s National Security Officials
- Why Hamas Attacked Israel in October 2023 – Israeli professor Ilan Papé
- They see them, then kill them: Israeli quadcopters track, deliberately target civilians in Gaza
- Winter could turn Gaza’s treacherous, war-damaged buildings into deathtraps
- Majority of Democratic Voters Want to Prosecute Both Biden and Trump Administration Officials Over Gaza
- Sanctions are collective punishment: immoral and self-defeating
- Phosphorus Munitions Fired by Israel Burn Groves, Orchards in Southern Lebanon
- Israel Carries Out New Ceasefire Violations Across Gaza
- AI – Emphasis on the ‘I’: Israel Is Funding AI Chatbot Propaganda
- Israel Blocking Hundreds of Wheelchairs for Injured Children From Entering Gaza
- Israel Is Expanding and Upgrading Compounds for Palestinian Militias in Gaza
- The Palestinian-American Residents of This West Bank Town Are Wondering: Where Is Trump?
- Israeli Attacks in Gaza Kill at Least Seven Palestinians Over Three Days, including Woman and Child
- Trump’s militarization of Washington DC as he pursues Israel’s war against Iran
