Palestine News Today: Hebron Locked Down, Gaza Still Starving as Israel Heads to Polls
25 October 2026. Israeli forces have kept the West Bank city of Hebron under siege for a second straight day, forcibly displacing thousands of Palestinians ahead of Tuesday's Israeli election. At the same time, Gaza's ceasefire keeps breaking down and food shortages worsen, even as more countries in Latin America declare solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Thousands expelled as Israeli forces besiege Hebron
Anadolu Agency and Middle East Eye report that Israeli forces have sealed every entrance to Hebron and forcibly removed roughly 2,200 Palestinians from their homes, with the siege now in its second day. Hebron's mayor told Middle East Eye the city has become a disaster zone, with no one able to enter or leave, and accused Israel of collective punishment following a shooting that killed two Israeli soldiers on Friday. Anadolu Agency adds that the army has turned seized Palestinian homes into military posts and continues blocking alternative routes near Bethlehem.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, Middle East Eye, BBC News, Anadolu Agency
Israeli minister ties displacement to disarming Hamas
Israel's defense minister acknowledged forcing about 2,000 Palestinians from their Hebron homes and said they will not be allowed to return until what he called Hamas infrastructure is dismantled, according to Anadolu Agency. The municipality says the army intends to displace roughly 2,500 more residents as the offensive continues.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Anadolu Agency
Israeli rights group calls Hebron campaign ethnic cleansing
The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem has described the operation in Hebron as ethnic cleansing and called for international action, Anadolu Agency reports. The group warned that Israel is extending a displacement model already used to uproot more than 33,000 Palestinians in the northern West Bank.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
Hundreds of raids, injured children reported across West Bank
Anadolu Agency reports the Israeli army has raided roughly 400 sites across the West Bank and detained dozens of Palestinians amid the crackdown. Thirteen Palestinians, including six children, were injured in the raids, and separately, Middle East Eye reports nine Palestinians, including six children, needed treatment after Israeli soldiers fired tear gas in Halhul, near Hebron.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye
West Bank crossings to close for Israeli election day
BBC News and Middle East Eye report Israel will shut all West Bank crossings and bar Palestinian workers with permits from entering settlements and the Jordan Valley around Tuesday's election. The restrictions amount to a complete ban on Palestinian movement in and out of the occupied territory during the voting period.
Sources: BBC News, Middle East Eye
Four Palestinians killed in fresh Gaza ceasefire violations
Anadolu Agency reports that four Palestinians, including two women and a child, were killed in the latest Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, with eight others wounded according to medical sources. The killings underscore how fragile the truce remains for civilians in the enclave.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
Flour shortages force Gaza bakeries to close
Al Jazeera reports that bakeries across Gaza are shutting down because they cannot obtain flour, leaving desperate residents without bread. The shortage adds to a broader humanitarian catastrophe facing nearly a million displaced Palestinians who already contend with unsafe water and ongoing danger from Israeli strikes, according to The Guardian.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Guardian
Palestinians fear Gaza crisis sidelined by election politics
The Guardian reports that Palestinians in Gaza worry their suffering has become campaign material, as rival Israeli candidates compete over who would more forcefully end Hamas rule. Despite close to 75,000 deaths and a territory left largely in ruins, Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe has received little direct attention in the campaign.
Sources: The Guardian
Chile creates annual day marking solidarity with Palestine
Middle East Monitor reports that Chile has passed a law establishing January 7 as an annual Day of Chilean-Palestinian Friendship and Solidarity, sixteen years after Chile recognized the State of Palestine. The new observance, set to begin in 2027, reflects continued grassroots and governmental support for Palestinians in Latin America.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
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