State Department Rejects Plans to Remove Palestinians From Gaza
September 4, 2026. The State Department told Al Jazeera the US does not support any plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, as Ben-Gvir laid out one, and the UN raised ethnic cleansing concerns in the West Bank. Here's each story in brief, with links to the original reporting.
US: 'No Support' for Expelling Palestinians
The US State Department told Al Jazeera Washington does not support any plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, after Israeli suggestions of removals.
Sources: Al Jazeera
UN Warns of Ethnic Cleansing in West Bank
More than 33,000 refugees remain displaced by Israel's Operation Iron Wall, and the UN raised ethnic cleansing concerns.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Ben-Gvir Unveils Expulsion Plan
Itamar Ben-Gvir outlined a plan to forcibly expel Gaza's entire population.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Villagers Vow to Rebuild After Demolitions
Residents of Khirbet al-Tabban vowed to rebuild after 12 homes were demolished.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Aid to Qusra Blocked
Israeli forces barred activists from bringing food and medicine to besieged homes in Qusra.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Villagers Rebuild After 12 Homes Demolished
Residents of Khirbet al-Tabban vowed to rebuild and stay after Israeli forces demolished 12 homes.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Israel's Information War Goes AI
The Hanover affair revealed a new front in Israel's effort to shape how Palestinians are portrayed, using AI-generated material.
Sources: Al Jazeera
October 7 Dominates Israel's Campaign
Three years later, the October 7 attack remains central to Israel's election, with Netanyahu deflecting blame for the failures that led to it.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Where Things Stand
The October 2025 ceasefire never fully held. Strikes have continued almost daily, and the machinery, fuel and spare parts needed for repairs are still mostly kept out of Gaza. More than 73,900 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 wounded in Gaza since October 2023, health officials say, with the count still climbing through strikes that never stopped.
Sources: Al Jazeera, OCHA
In the occupied West Bank, the UN reports settler attacks affecting 275 Palestinian communities so far in 2026, nearly matching the 279 recorded in all of 2025, the highest annual total since records began in 2006. Israeli authorities have demolished more than 1,100 Palestinian structures in the West Bank this year, displacing over 1,500 people, most for building without permits that are almost never granted. More than 90 percent of Gaza is destroyed or damaged. UNICEF puts the figure for schools at 98 percent, and thousands now shelter in buildings at risk of collapse.
Sources: OCHA
Funding is its own crisis. UN agencies have cut food aid in Gaza and the West Bank as Western donations drop, at a moment when humanitarian groups say needs are the highest since the war began. Diplomatically, the past year brought recognition of the State of Palestine by the UK, Canada and Australia in September 2025, followed by the first Western trade measures against illegal settlements. The United States has not recognized Palestinian statehood.
Sources: OCHA
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