Palestine News Today: US Firm Urged to Halt Weapons Sales as West Bank Sealed Off
23 October 2026. A US civil rights group is demanding an American manufacturer stop supplying electroshock devices to Israel amid torture allegations, while Gaza families pursue accountability at the International Criminal Court over US-supplied weapons. Meanwhile, Israel has locked down the occupied West Bank after a deadly shooting, as settler violence against olive farmers, prisoner neglect and renewed famine warnings in Gaza draw mounting international condemnation.
CAIR Pushes US Company to Stop Arming Israeli Torture
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on a US manufacturer of electroshock weapons to halt shipments to Israel, according to Common Dreams. The demand follows an investigation by The Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism revealing the devices are being systematically used to torture and abuse Palestinian detainees. CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, said the company must take responsibility for how its products are being used against Palestinians in custody.
Sources: Common Dreams
Gaza Families Take US Accountability Fight to The Hague
According to Mondoweiss, families of Palestinians killed by US-supplied weapons in Gaza are pursuing a case at the International Criminal Court after successfully challenging the Trump administration's attempt to undermine the court. The writer, whose relatives were killed in Gaza, says the effort aims to hold the United States accountable for its role in the war. The case follows a legal victory against White House efforts to restrict the ICC's reach.
Sources: Mondoweiss
Netanyahu Orders Hebron Sealed, West Bank Locked Down
Israel's prime minister ordered a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank and a closure of Hebron, with the army sealing the city's entrances with iron gates, Anadolu Agency reports. The order came after a shooting near Hebron in which Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, according to BBC News and Al Jazeera. The move comes amid heightened tension just days before Israel's general election.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, BBC News, Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera
Italy Demands Answers Over Detained Olive Harvest Activists
Italy's Foreign Ministry has demanded urgent clarification from Israeli authorities after Israeli forces detained Italian citizens among 11 international activists supporting Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank, Middle East Monitor reports. The activists were detained while assisting farmers harvesting olives in Nablus. Israeli forces and settlers have repeatedly intervened against farmers and their international supporters this harvest season.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor
UN Chief Says West Bank Violence 'Out of Control'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation across the occupied West Bank is simply out of control, telling reporters Palestinians face daily attacks from Israeli settlers, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor. A separate UN official urged accountability for crimes against Palestinian farmers and called for the safe return of displaced residents of the Jenin refugee camp. A Palestinian commission has documented 409 attacks on farmers, trees, farmland and equipment since the start of October, with Israeli forces reported to have burned olive trees while expelling farmers from their land.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
Gaza Strikes Continue to Kill Palestinians Despite Ceasefire
Israeli strikes and gunfire across Gaza killed four Palestinians, including a girl, with the army shelling and demolishing residential buildings in eastern Gaza City, Middle East Monitor and Anadolu Agency report. Separately, an Israeli drone struck a bicycle in southern Gaza, killing one Palestinian and injuring others, according to Anadolu Agency. The attacks continue despite the ceasefire declared in October 2025.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency
Famine Risk Returns to Gaza as Bakeries Near Closure
Gaza could face renewed famine as food supplies dwindle, a rights group has warned, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor. Euro-Med Monitor said seven bakeries supported by the World Food Program could shut within 48 hours, with incoming aid covering only 37 percent of the territory's needs. The warning adds to growing concern over humanitarian conditions a year into the ceasefire.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
UNICEF Reports Hundreds of Children Killed Since Ceasefire
UNICEF said 351 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took hold in October 2025, Middle East Monitor reports. The figure underscores the continued toll on Palestinian children despite the formal end of major hostilities. Health workers in Gaza are also running a breast cancer awareness campaign amid the ongoing devastation, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera
Thousands of Palestinian Prisoners Face Harsh Winter Conditions
Around 9,400 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails face worsening conditions as winter approaches, lacking adequate clothing and blankets, Middle East Monitor reports. A separate Anadolu Agency opinion piece argues Palestinian political prisoners are being abandoned by a collapsing international human rights system, with their suffering treated as expendable. Advocates are calling for urgent action to address the prisoners' basic needs.
Sources: Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency
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.
