Palestine News Today: Rights Groups Report Gaza Deaths and West Bank Raids as US Probe Hits Pro-Palestinian Lawmaker
13 October 2026. US federal agents searched the home of a prominent pro-Palestinian lawmaker even as the UN documented over a thousand Palestinian deaths since the Gaza ceasefire took hold. Across the occupied territories, fresh military raids, demolitions and settler violence continue to threaten Palestinian communities, while Qatar and the EU press for accountability and renewed Palestinian elections.
Federal agents search home of pro-Palestinian lawmaker Omar
According to Middle East Monitor, federal agents searched the Washington, DC home of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Omar has been one of the most prominent voices in Congress calling for accountability over Israel's conduct in Gaza.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
UN documents over 1,000 Gaza deaths since truce began
The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has verified 1,076 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, Middle East Monitor reports, warning the toll may point to war crimes. Separately, Anadolu Agency reports a Palestinian was killed and others wounded in fresh Israeli attacks, while Israeli forces demolished residential buildings despite the truce. Anadolu Agency also reports three Gazans were injured in another ceasefire violation.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency
Israeli forces detain dozens, attack family in West Bank
Israeli forces arrested 30 Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank, according to Middle East Monitor and Anadolu Agency, while occupiers in army uniforms assaulted a Palestinian family in Talfit, injuring several people. Separately, Al Jazeera reports Israeli forces raided multiple Palestinian NGO offices in Ramallah, with snipers deployed outside the Palestine Medical Complex.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera
Dozens of Palestinian families threatened with displacement</br>
Anadolu Agency reports that 47 Palestinian families face forced displacement amid an ongoing Israeli blockade, with four families already fleeing after armed Israeli occupiers stormed their homes and threatened them with death. In a separate case, Middle East Monitor reports Israeli forces demolished 80 homes in a Bedouin village in the Negev, displacing roughly 400 people to make way for settlement construction.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
Settlers block West Bank villagers from reaching cemetery
Mondoweiss reports that since August, Israeli settlers have prevented residents of the West Bank village of Umm Safa from accessing their only cemetery to visit their dead. Villagers describe the move as the latest in a series of settler escalations, backed by the Israeli army, aimed at pushing them out of their homes.
Sources: Mondoweiss
Qatar's emir calls for justice over Gaza 'genocide'
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said those responsible for what he called an ongoing genocide in Gaza must face accountability and not escape justice, according to Middle East Monitor and Anadolu Agency. Addressing the Shura Council, he also described the Palestinian cause as the country's highest priority, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera
Netanyahu seeks prosecution of soldiers over Gaza documentary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the attorney general and Shin Bet to identify and prosecute soldiers who spoke to the documentary NAZA, which examined Israel's use of artificial intelligence in targeted killings in Gaza, according to Anadolu Agency and The Guardian. The film was based on testimony from 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. Separately, Middle East Monitor reports that four Israeli military intelligence soldiers acknowledged being ordered to drop heavy bombs on inhabited Gaza buildings without evacuation warnings.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, The Guardian, Middle East Monitor
EU and UN push for Palestinian elections amid delay dispute
The European Union has called for Palestinian elections to renew the legitimacy of Palestinian institutions, Middle East Monitor reports, while the UN pledged technical support for electoral authorities following the postponement of legislative voting. Fatah's Democratic Reform Current has accused President Mahmoud Abbas of delaying elections to remain in power, and Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh has said presidential and legislative elections, currently set for September 2027, could be brought forward if conditions allow, pending international pressure on Israel.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency
E1 settlement expansion threatens contiguity of Palestinian state
Middle East Monitor examines how the contested E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, approved by Israel's far-right finance minister, threatens to sever the West Bank and undermine the viability of a future Palestinian state. The plan has drawn warnings that it could foreclose the territorial basis for Palestinian statehood entirely.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
Palestine News is published every day on Free Palestine Store. Each item recaps reporting from the named outlets in our own words; follow the source links for full coverage.
