Palestine News Today: Khalil Takes Fight to Supreme Court as Gaza Deaths Continue Under Ceasefire
20 October 2026. A pro-Palestinian activist's detention case reaches the US Supreme Court as new Israeli strikes kill Palestinians in Gaza despite a ceasefire that took hold a year ago. Meanwhile, violent settler attacks during the West Bank olive harvest and deepening aid shortfalls in Gaza are drawing growing international concern.
Khalil asks Supreme Court to review his detention
Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University student who became a symbol of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech, has petitioned the US Supreme Court to review his case, according to Anadolu Agency and The Guardian. His attorneys argue that immigration detention was used to silence him and suppress pro-Palestinian expression. The Guardian notes the ruling could shape whether immigrants nationwide can challenge detention by US authorities in federal court.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, The Guardian
Scottish woman deported after being denied entry
Israeli authorities detained and deported a Scottish businesswoman after refusing her entry into Palestine, Anadolu Agency reports. The woman, Yasmina Ferrigan, said the authorities showed no respect for human life or dignity in how she was treated.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
Gaza couple killed in fresh ceasefire violation
A Palestinian husband and wife were killed near Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City as Israeli artillery shelled central Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports. Five other Palestinians, including four women, were wounded in strikes and gunfire across Gaza City and Khan Younis. The killings mark further violations of the ceasefire that has been in effect since October 2025, following a separate attack that killed one Palestinian man and injured three others.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency
Israeli police detain 10 after attacks on journalist, diplomats
Israeli police detained 10 people in a rare raid on West Bank settlers after a weekend of violence that included an assault on an American photojournalist covering the olive harvest, according to the BBC and The Guardian. The journalist, working for the Washington Post, described being knocked down, kicked and beaten by masked men and said she suffered stab wounds, according to Democracy Now! Witnesses said dozens of masked settlers, backed by Israeli soldiers, threw rocks, set olive trees on fire and drove Palestinian farmers from their land in the village of Abu Falah.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC News, Democracy Now!
UN experts sound alarm on olive harvest violence
UN experts warned that Palestinian farmers face escalating violence from Israeli settlers and soldiers as this year's olive harvest gets underway, Anadolu Agency reports. They urged Israel to guarantee safe access to farmland, warning that destroyed trees and military restrictions threaten Palestinian livelihoods and food security. Separately, Al Jazeera reports that settler attacks during this year's harvest have already surpassed the total recorded for all of 2025.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency
UN food agency slashes Gaza aid as funding dries up
The UN World Food Programme announced it is cutting assistance in Gaza by about one-third because of funding shortfalls, according to Middle East Monitor. The Guardian reports the cuts will end support for more than half a million Palestinians each month, even as two-thirds of Gaza's population faces crisis levels of food insecurity and 200,000 people risk famine. More than a year after the ceasefire took hold, promised reconstruction has not begun and jobs remain scarce.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, The Guardian
Winter rains worsen shelter crisis for displaced families
The return of winter rains is deepening the humanitarian emergency for displaced Palestinians in Gaza, Middle East Monitor reports. Families whose homes were destroyed in Israeli attacks are struggling to survive harsh cold and heavy rain while living in makeshift tents.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
UNICEF: 60,000 Gaza children lost a parent in war
UNICEF reports that 60,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents during the war, according to Middle East Monitor. The finding underscores the scale of loss endured by Palestinian families amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the territory.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
UK threatens sanctions over illegal settlement construction
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband warned companies and individuals against bidding for construction projects tied to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Middle East Monitor reports. The warning signals growing international pressure over business activity linked to settlement expansion, which is considered illegal under international law.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
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