Palestine News Today: Gaza Strikes Persist Under Ceasefire as West Bank Land Grabs Accelerate
4 November 2026. Despite a ceasefire nominally in effect, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be killed by Israeli strikes while the UN warns of mounting health risks from uncollected waste and underfunded aid operations. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities are expanding settlements, demolishing Palestinian businesses, and seizing land, even as a former Israeli military spokesperson admits the army manipulated information about its Gaza operations.
Three Palestinians killed in strikes despite ceasefire
Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor report that three Palestinians, including a security officer and a young girl, were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza even as a ceasefire remains nominally in place. According to the outlets, an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced families in a Gaza City park. The strikes add to a pattern of fatal ceasefire violations affecting Palestinian civilians and security personnel.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
UN says Israeli restrictions block Gaza waste removal
The United Nations has warned that Israeli restrictions are crippling garbage collection in Gaza, creating serious public health dangers, according to Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor. A UN spokesperson called for a broader range of essential supplies to be allowed in, with fewer bureaucratic obstacles and more crossings opened for deliveries. UN agencies had earlier launched cleanup operations at one of Gaza City's largest waste sites, but the crisis is reportedly deepening.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor
UNRWA lays off Gaza staff amid funding gap
Mondoweiss reports that UNRWA has carried out mass layoffs in Gaza after facing a $70 million budget shortfall. The agency says the cuts are a financial necessity, but laid-off workers, the staff union, and a former UNRWA spokesperson argue the real target is the Palestinian refugee question itself. The layoffs come as Gaza's humanitarian needs continue to grow.
Sources: Mondoweiss
October strikes killed 22 in Gaza's education sector
Middle East Monitor reports that 14 students and eight education workers were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza during October, despite the ceasefire supposedly in force. One cited incident involved a drone strike on the Islamic University campus in Gaza City that injured seven students. The toll underscores the continued targeting of Palestinian educational institutions during the truce period.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
Israel to reserve West Bank land for settler herding
According to Anadolu Agency, Israeli authorities plan to designate nearly 2,350 acres of occupied West Bank land for use as grazing land tied to settlements. A Palestinian commission warned that the grazing permits, concentrated in the Salfit and Jenin areas, could be used to widen the territorial reach of illegal settlements. Palestinian officials say the move represents another mechanism for appropriating land.
Sources: Anadolu Agency
Israeli forces bulldoze Palestinian shops near Hebron
Middle East Monitor reports that Israeli forces, backed by bulldozers and heavy machinery, demolished five Palestinian-owned businesses during a raid near Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The operation targeted the Haska Road area linking the towns of Beit Kahil and Halhul. The demolitions are part of a continuing pattern of property destruction affecting Palestinian livelihoods in the West Bank.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
Israel seizes more West Bank land for settlements
Middle East Monitor reports that Israeli authorities have seized more than 26 dunams of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank to advance settlement construction. The seizure, in the Maale Arugot area, follows a broader pattern of administrative land decisions expanding settlement infrastructure across the territory. Palestinians and rights advocates view such seizures as part of a systematic effort to entrench the occupation.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
Ex-Israeli army spokesperson admits distorting Gaza coverage
A former member of the Israeli military spokesperson's unit said the army manipulated the truth about its operations in Gaza and the West Bank, Middle East Monitor reports. Ayelet Kroizer described her own role in shaping the information released to journalists during military operations. Her comments add to growing scrutiny over the accuracy of official Israeli accounts of the conflict.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
Turkish official calls for unified front on Palestine
Turkey's vice president urged Islamic nations to take a firm, unified stand against what he described as Israeli atrocities in Palestine, according to Middle East Monitor. The remarks were delivered during a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's economic committee in Istanbul. The call reflects continuing international pressure for coordinated action on behalf of Palestinians.
Sources: Middle East Monitor
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