Yolande Knell

Israel’s military has acknowledged for the first time that its troops fired at the vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed with six relatives in Gaza in 2024, and has opened a criminal investigation. Hind survived the initial attack and spent hours on the phone pleading with the Palestinian Red Crescent for help; an ambulance sent to rescue her was also hit, killing paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun. The Israel Defense Forces is also investigating the deaths of 15 Palestinians in Rafah in March 2025, but declined to open criminal investigations in three other cases, including the deaths of World Central Kitchen and Médecins Sans Frontières workers. Palestinian organizations and Israeli human-rights groups expressed deep skepticism about the credibility and effectiveness of Israel’s internal accountability process, while the cases have intensified international scrutiny and pressure related to possible war-crimes proceedings.

The Israel Defense Forces have acknowledged for the first time that Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six relatives in Gaza City in January 2024. Hind initially survived while trapped in the vehicle and spoke for hours with the Palestinian Red Crescent, but she and her family were later found dead; two paramedics sent to rescue her were also killed. The IDF, which had initially denied having troops in the area, said it would open a criminal investigation into the incident, citing possible coordination failures. Hind’s case has drawn international condemnation and was cited by a UN commission alleging Israeli war crimes, accusations Israel rejects. The IDF also announced investigations into the deaths of 15 Palestinians near Rafah but declined to pursue criminal investigations in cases involving World Central Kitchen and Médecins Sans Frontières workers. The probes come amid international pressure on Israel to demonstrate accountability and avert possible action by the International Criminal Court.

Israel has issued tenders for 1,234 settlement homes in the E1 area between East Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, despite longstanding international opposition. Critics say construction would divide the West Bank, isolate East Jerusalem and severely undermine prospects for a Palestinian state and a two-state solution. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the move and warned of measures against settlement expansion, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the criticism. Palestinian activists, Israeli peace groups and the UN also warned of displacement and lasting damage to prospects for peace. The tender deadline falls shortly before Israel's general election, potentially making the project harder for a future government to reverse.

Israeli forces ordered residents of about a dozen homes in Qusra, a village in the occupied West Bank, to leave during an operation against settlers who had besieged three Palestinian houses and cut off their water and electricity. The army said it was protecting residents and dismantled two illegal outposts, while Palestinians reported forced evictions, damaged homes and alleged theft. Israeli officials condemned the settlers’ actions and promised arrests, but the episode has renewed scrutiny of settlement expansion, settler violence and the displacement of Palestinian communities.

Israeli forces ordered residents of roughly a dozen Palestinian homes in Qusra, in the occupied West Bank, to leave during an operation against settlers who had besieged three Palestinian houses, cutting off water and electricity. Residents said soldiers entered homes, forced families out and left some properties damaged, while the IDF said it dismantled two illegal outposts and was acting to protect residents. Israeli officials condemned the settlers' conduct and promised investigations, but the incident has renewed criticism of settler violence, displacement and the government's handling of illegal settlements. UN figures cited in the report show a sharp rise in Palestinian displacement and casualties across the West Bank in 2026.

Israeli settlers have blockaded two Palestinian families in their homes in Qusra, near Nablus, cutting off water and electricity and preventing movement. Palestinian residents say settlers attacked their homes and threatened them, while rights groups called on Israeli authorities to evacuate the outpost and protect the families. Israeli forces later confronted the settlers, condemned the unauthorized outpost and announced possible disciplinary action against personnel. The episode comes amid escalating settler violence and displacement across the West Bank, which UN officials say is reaching unprecedented levels. Israel’s UN ambassador rejected the view that settlements obstruct peace and said they would continue to expand.

Iran-backed Houthi forces reportedly struck the cargo ship Tihamah with three ballistic missiles south of Yemen’s port of Mocha, killing six people and injuring 10. Four crew members—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—were killed in the initial attack, while a later missile strike reportedly targeted rescuers. The Houthis said the vessel was carrying Saudi military equipment, whereas Yemen’s internationally recognised government said it was a food-carrying commercial ship, making the incident a significant escalation against shipping. The attack is reported to be the group’s first deadly strike on a vessel since US and Israeli attacks on Iran began on 28 February, amid the collapse of a long-running Yemen truce and wider regional tensions involving Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Red Sea.

Gazan technology workers are using remote freelancing and newly established co-working spaces to earn income amid war, mass unemployment, damaged telecommunications infrastructure and the collapse of Gaza’s power system. Workers such as Walaa Volidis, Tarik Zaeem and Mahran Bayed describe rebuilding careers while living with displacement, family needs, equipment shortages, payment barriers and the risk of ongoing Israeli bombardments. Mercy Corps and the Palestinian-Dutch startup TAP are helping provide workspaces, mentoring and links to international employers, but banking restrictions and the prohibition on importing computers and parts remain major obstacles. Their efforts offer a limited economic lifeline and a possible model for Gaza’s future recovery, even as the wider conflict and humanitarian crisis continue.

The proposed Gaza peace roadmap links Hamas and other Palestinian factions’ gradual disarmament to a phased Israeli withdrawal. Heavy weapons, tunnels and military sites would be inventoried, stored or destroyed under the Palestinian National Committee, while an International Stabilisation Force would supervise security and a new Palestinian police force. Hamas says disarmament depends on Israel ending its attacks and withdrawing, whereas Israeli officials insist there will be no withdrawal before Hamas gives up its weapons. The plan also addresses the status of Gaza’s civil servants, but major questions remain over implementation, security vetting and the dismantling of pro-Israel militias. Hamas’s shift is attributed to regional and US pressure, leadership changes and Gaza’s severe humanitarian conditions, while residents remain sceptical after repeated failed ceasefires.

Hamas says it has accepted a phased disarmament plan under a US-led roadmap intended to advance Donald Trump’s broader Gaza peace proposal. The plan calls for weapons, tunnels, military production sites and stockpiles to be inventoried, secured or destroyed, with governance transferred to an independent Palestinian technocratic committee and an International Stabilization Force deployed. Hamas conditions disarmament on an end to Israeli attacks and an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel says it will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed and has rejected the proposal as unacceptable. Major uncertainties include the implementation timetable, security vetting for former Hamas-affiliated public employees, the deployment of international forces and who will govern Gaza. The agreement comes as Gaza faces severe humanitarian conditions, continued displacement, Israeli territorial expansion and extensive destruction, leaving many Palestinians deeply skeptical that the plan will succeed.

Hamas says it has accepted a roadmap to inventory and store its heavy weapons, dismantle military infrastructure and transfer power to a Palestinian National Committee, with the process overseen by an international stabilization force. The plan links phased disarmament to an Israeli withdrawal and requires Israel to meet ceasefire commitments, but the mechanism and timetable remain unresolved. Israel remains deeply skeptical and says it will not withdraw before Hamas disarms, while Hamas conditions the handover on an end to Israeli attacks and withdrawal. The agreement also addresses the future of Gaza’s civil servants and police, but public reaction is muted amid continued violence, territorial control, displacement and severe humanitarian conditions.

The United States and Iran exchanged further strikes across the Middle East, with Iran reporting drone attacks on US facilities and US Central Command saying it targeted Iranian military and maritime infrastructure. The violence killed four people and injured five in southwestern Iran, while alarms, flight disruptions and reported attacks affected Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq. Tensions rose further after Donald Trump proposed using frozen Iranian assets to pay damages linked to shipping incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, a move Iran’s foreign minister condemned as an incendiary precedent. The collapse of a previously agreed 14-point memorandum and renewed threats involving Iran-backed Houthis have increased concerns over wider regional escalation and pushed crude oil prices above $100 a barrel.

The US and Iran have reportedly agreed to halt military strikes following renewed attacks around the Strait of Hormuz that threatened a recently signed ceasefire. The tension escalated after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship, prompting US retaliatory strikes and subsequent Iranian attacks on US bases, none of which caused casualties. Both countries are said to be resuming efforts aimed at ending the conflict. The situation is further complicated by instability in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues despite a US-mediated framework agreement intended to advance peace.