Israeli settlers set up new West Bank outpost, seize Palestinian home in Hebron
Israeli settlers have tried to take more Palestinian land and property in the occupied West Bank, seizing a Palestinian home in Hebron and setting up a new illegal outpost in the Sakout area of the Jordan Valley, the Wafa news agency reports.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces raiding an area near Bethlehem have shot and injured a young Palestinian man. The man, who was shot in the knee, has been hospitalised in Bethlehem.
As we’ve reported, attacks by Israeli forces and settlers – already a regular feature of life in the West Bank before the war in Gaza began – have intensified during the conflict. Such attacks have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over 6,500.
Pope speaks out against forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza
Pope Leo XIV has spoken out against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza City. The pontiff said during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican that “there is no future based on violence, forced exile and revenge”.
Leo’s role in advocating for peace in Gaza has become starker since Israel struck the territory’s only Catholic church in July. “The peoples need peace. Those who truly love them work for peace,” the first pope from the United States added.
Gaza City invasion unlikely to achieve war goals, Israeli media says
The Israeli military’s latest invasion of Gaza City is unlikely to achieve Israel’s stated objectives of defeating Hamas or securing the release of captives, a report by an Israeli media outlet says.
The Jerusalem Post said in a report that simply taking control of more territory will not be decisive, as Hamas retains leverage by holding captives and continues to rely on guerrilla tactics. It noted that Israel has faced the same dilemmas in previous incursions, with Hamas leaders showing little willingness to change their terms despite the destruction of large parts of Gaza City.
The report added that most of Hamas’s fighters likely fled along with the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced in recent weeks, meaning the offensive is unlikely to break the group’s military capacity.
