Lucy Williamson

Israel’s government has reopened Kadim, a Jewish settlement near Jenin that was evacuated in 2005, with dozens of families returning under military escort. The move follows the formal reopening of three other northern West Bank settlements and a broader government push that has approved more than 100 new settlements since late 2022. Palestinians describe intimidation, movement restrictions, land seizures and demolitions, while Israeli officials frame the return as correcting the 2005 evacuation. New military bases and an outpost are also being built around Jenin, raising Palestinian fears that the area could be divided and that settlement expansion will intensify before Israel’s October elections.

Israeli settlers have returned to Kadim near Jenin, the last of four northern West Bank settlements evacuated in 2005, after Israel’s current government overturned the ban on resettlement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other senior officials attended the reopening, while settler leaders said expansion could eventually extend to Gaza. Palestinian residents describe growing fear, harassment, restrictions on movement, land seizures and the demolition of homes, shops and farmland. The government has approved more than 100 settlements since taking power in late 2022, including 19 in the northern West Bank, alongside new military bases and an outpost near Jenin Refugee Camp. The developments are occurring despite international opposition and may be linked to the approaching Israeli elections.

The Israeli Defense Forces have acknowledged for the first time that Israeli troops fired at the vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed with six family members in Gaza in 2024. The IDF also said it would open criminal investigations into the deaths of Hind, her relatives and two Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics who were killed while trying to rescue her, as well as 15 Palestinians killed in a separate 2025 incident in Rafah involving emergency vehicles and a UN vehicle. The announcement follows international condemnation, evidence that contradicted earlier Israeli accounts and pressure on Israel to demonstrate credible domestic accountability amid possible international legal action. The Hind Rajab Foundation and Israeli rights group Yesh Din expressed skepticism, arguing that internal investigations rarely lead to meaningful prosecutions or sentences.

The Israel Defense Forces have acknowledged for the first time that Israeli forces fired on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six relatives in Gaza City in January 2024. Hind initially survived, spoke for hours with the Palestinian Red Crescent, and was later found dead alongside her family; two paramedics sent to rescue her were also killed. The IDF, which previously denied having troops in the area, said it will open a criminal investigation, citing possible failures in coordinating the ambulance’s movement. It also announced investigations into the deaths of 15 Palestinians near Rafah, while declining criminal probes into incidents involving World Central Kitchen and Médecins Sans Frontières staff. The cases have intensified international condemnation and pressure on Israel to demonstrate accountability and counter potential proceedings before the International Criminal Court.

Residents of al-Mughayyir and neighboring Khirbet Abu Falah describe recurring attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian homes, farms and roads, often in the presence of Israeli soldiers. BBC reporting and video evidence appeared to show soldiers failing to stop settlers who damaged the Abu Alia family compound, while Israeli forces used live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades during clashes. The Israel Defense Forces said troops were responding to Palestinian stone-throwing, had entered a house to search for suspects and were investigating allegations of misconduct. The report links the violence to the rapid growth of Israeli settlement outposts, which Peace Now says have expanded substantially under Israel’s current government, with public infrastructure and funding supporting many sites. Residents report that attacks have shifted from agricultural land to homes, while restrictions on journalists and medical responders make documentation and emergency assistance increasingly difficult. A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer, Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan, later died from injuries sustained in the al-Mughayyir attack, and two other Palestinians were killed in a subsequent nearby incident.

Israeli settler Yehuda Shimon describes attacks on Palestinian villages as justified revenge for the killing of an Israeli security guard and endorses killing or expelling Palestinians who reject Israeli rule. He says Jews have a divinely granted right to the West Bank and accepts that his claims are racist. The report places these views within the expansion of Israeli settlements and outposts, growing settler violence and the influence of far-right ministers, including Bezalel Smotrich. Israeli and international law consider the settlements illegal, while Israeli authorities reject descriptions of the occupation as apartheid. UN data cited in the report show that far more Palestinians than Israelis have been killed in the West Bank during the period covered, with settler-caused injuries rising sharply. Palestinians interviewed describe fear, lack of protection and abandonment by the international community.

Thousands of Gaza residents approved for medical evacuation remain unable to leave due to security checks, border restrictions, and limited acceptance by foreign hospitals. More than 300 patients have died while waiting, and around 15,000 remain on the list. WHO and Red Cross officials cite severe shortages of medicine, equipment, and functional hospital infrastructure, while Israel’s Cogat says it has approved most requests and allowed substantial medical aid into Gaza. Patients and families report worsening conditions, long delays, and growing desperation as hospitals struggle with inadequate supplies and unreliable power.

Thousands of Gaza patients approved for medical evacuation face months-long delays caused by security screenings, limited border access and shortages of medicines and equipment. More than 300 people have died while waiting to leave, with 15,000 still on the list. Despite Israeli claims that aid and medical departures are being approved, humanitarian groups report severe shortages and slow processing, leaving hospitals operating with failing generators and depleted supplies. Patients and families describe unbearable suffering and prolonged uncertainty as evacuations remain slow and unpredictable.