Vermont Gunman Convicted of Shooting Three Palestinian Students
September 21, 2026. A Vermont jury convicted the man who shot three Palestinian students in 2023, NFL linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair honored another child killed in Gaza, and violence continued in Gaza and the West Bank. Here's each story in brief, with links to the original reporting.
Man Convicted in Shooting of Palestinian Students in Vermont
A jury in Burlington, Vermont, convicted Jason Eaton for the 2023 shooting of three Palestinian students, rejecting his insanity defense. The attack left Hisham Awartani paralyzed and wounded Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid. Eaton faces up to life in prison.
Sources: Al Jazeera
NFL's Al-Shaair Honors Another Child Killed in Gaza
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wore eye black with the name of Wafaa Akila, a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, days after being fined $11,941 for honoring Hind Rajab. NBA star Kyrie Irving offered to pay the fine.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Child, 11, Among Four Killed in Gaza
An 11-year-old boy, Ismail al-Bardawil, was killed when Israeli tanks fired on tents for displaced families near Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. Four Palestinians were killed in all.
Sources: Al Jazeera
West Bank Town Locked Down, Dozens Detained
Israeli forces detained at least 53 young men in the West Bank town of Biddu, closing schools and businesses, after arresting a suspect in the killing of a settler, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Ben-Gvir and Settlers Enter Al-Aqsa
Itamar Ben-Gvir and settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound before Yom Kippur, while Netanyahu toured tunnels below the Old City.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Tunis Protest for Jailed Flotilla Activists
Hundreds rallied in Tunis for four Global Sumud Flotilla activists held since March.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Palestinian Killed Near Jenin
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian near the Ganim settlement east of Jenin and blocked Red Crescent medics from reaching him.
Sources: Al Jazeera
The Wider Context
The truce reached in October 2025 ended the full-scale offensive but not the killing. Attacks continue, and restrictions on what can enter Gaza still block any real reconstruction. 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
Across the occupied West Bank, 275 communities have been hit by settler attacks in 2026, a pace that has nearly equaled last year's record with months still to go. More than 1,100 Palestinian structures have been demolished this year for lacking building permits, displacing over 1,500 people, more than a third of the 4,300 Palestinians displaced in the West Bank in 2026. Almost every school in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed, and with more than 90 percent of buildings in ruins, people are living in structures that could come down.
Sources: OCHA
Aid agencies say the shortages are now structural, not temporary: without heavy machinery, fuel and engine oil, rubble can't be cleared, water systems can't be fixed, and search and rescue work drags on for days. At the UN, the two-state solution is still the stated goal of the Secretary-General and most member states, even as settlement expansion continues and Palestinian officials call it creeping annexation.
Sources: OCHA
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