Israeli forces demolish Palestinian buildings in West Bank

Israeli forces have razed several commercial establishments in the Anab al-Kabira area, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli soldiers stormed in with military bulldozers and other heavy machinery, closed the road leading to the demolished facilities and fired tear gas at Palestinians in the area, the Wafa news agency reported.

They also set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town and locked it down for some time.

Another raid was reported in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, during which Israeli forces demolished two structures belonging to a resident under the pretext that they were not properly licensed.

In Jenin, Israeli authorities handed notices to a number of warehouses in the southern part of the city, telling them they lacked building permits and must immediately halt construction.

Israel has long used the licensing process to prevent Palestinians from building on their own land as Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, expand. In recent months, Israeli authorities have stepped up their demolition campaign in the West Bank, raising fears of mass displacements akin to the assault on Gaza.

Settlers assault Palestinian minister in Ramallah, prevent entry to land

Armed Israeli settlers have assaulted Palestinian Minister of Culture Imad Hamdan and an accompanying delegation, preventing them from entering the town Kafr Nima, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Culture said the minister and his team were detained by Israeli soldiers during a visit to the Youth Village, a cooperative project in Kafr Nima. The director of a local youth forum and a group of young men and women from the village were also detained.

The settlers confiscated their IDs and personal phones as well. The minister said in a statement that the “arrogant practices by the occupation and its settlers” will only increase determination to support youth initiatives.

"روح من هون، ممنوع، هاي منطقة C، منطقة B بس في البيت"..

مستوطنون يعربدون بقوة السلاح ويمنعون وزير الثقافة عماد حمدان، ووفد مرافق له من دخول أرض في قرية الشباب ببلدة كفر نعمة غرب رام الله. pic.twitter.com/iJWSEYCH2l

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) August 18, 2025

Translation: “Get out of here, it’s forbidden, this is Area C, Area B is only at home.” Settlers are rampaging with the force of weapons and preventing Culture Minister Imad Hamdan and an accompanying delegation from entering land in the youth village in the town of Kafr Ni’ma, west of Ramallah.

Palestinians injured during settler attack on Masafer Yatta

Violent Israeli settlers have launched another attack in the occupied West Bank under protection from armed Israeli soldiers.

The Wafa news agency cited a local official as reporting that settlers attacked homes in the Susya village, in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron.

They threw stones at homes and broke windows while also damaging a vehicle belonging to a Palestinian family. Several people were injured and later treated at the scene by paramedics.

Several other Israeli military raids were also reported across the occupied territories, including in several towns and villages in Nablus.

Trump says Hamas must be ‘confronted and destroyed’

As Israeli-imposed hunger, bombs and displacement ravage Gaza, US President Donald Trump appears to voice support for expanding Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian territory despite pleas to end the war.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

His statement comes amid ongoing protests in Israel to secure a deal that would lead to the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.

The US president went on to laud his own perceived foreign policy achievements, including the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

“Play to WIN, or don’t play at all! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.

Err you lost against the Houthis as well as Iran and Israel broke your Gaza ceasefire.

Release of Israeli official charged with child sex crimes in US sparks outcry

The administration of US President Donald Trump has denied intervening to ensure the release of Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a senior Israeli cybersecurity official who was arrested earlier this month in the US state of Nevada as part of an undercover law enforcement operation targeting “child sex predators”.

Alexandrovich’s release and subsequent return to Israel had sparked controversy and speculations that he may have been freed by pressure from the US federal government and Israeli authorities. But today, the US State Department distanced itself from the case.

“The Department of State is aware that Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in Las Vegas and given a court date for charges related to soliciting sex electronically from a minor,” the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said in a statement.

“He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date. Any claims that the US government intervened are false.”

Court records from Nevada’s Clark County show that Alexandrovich was charged with luring or attempting to lure a child online to engage in sexual conduct – a felony that carries up to 10 years in jail in the case of a conviction.

Alexandrovich posted a $10,000 bond on August 7, nearly a week before his arrest was publicly announced, according to court records.

While it is common for suspects accused of crimes to be released on bail, it is not clear why Alexandrovich’s passport was not withheld to ensure that he does not flee to Israel.

Defendants at high risk of flight are also often put under electronic monitoring when released, but it appears that Alexandrovich was freed with minimal conditions despite the severity of the charge against him.

The Israeli official’s next court appearance is set for August 27.

Palestinian Authority moves to draft constitution as it pushes for statehood

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree to form a committee to draft an interim constitution for a future Palestinian state that the organisation plans to govern despite Israeli opposition.

The move comes in preparation for general elections after the end of Israel’s war on Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, and efforts to assume the helm of a future Palestinian state, according to a statement released by the Wafa news agency.

It is also to prepare for the United Nations General Assembly summit in September, when France, the United Kingdom and Canada have said they plan to formally recognise Palestinian statehood – moves denounced by Israel and the United States.

The statement said members of the council will include “national, political and community figures, as well as legal and constitutional experts, taking into account the representation of civil society and gender”.

Support for Abbas and the PA is at an all-time low. I don't he's the right person to draft a constitution.

Hamas accepts new ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar: Source

A source tells Al Jazeera Arabic that Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar, the two countries leading mediation efforts between the group and Israel.

A Hamas source told Al Jazeera: “We informed the mediators of our approval of their proposal, which was presented yesterday.”

The move came as Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo to discuss the push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Main events on August 18th

• he Israeli army killed at least 30 Palestinians across Gaza as it pushes to seize Gaza City, the enclave’s largest city.
• Hamas said it agreed to a proposal put forward by mediators to reach a 60-day truce in Gaza with a path towards a sustainable ceasefire.
• Top Israeli officials said that Hamas is under pressure because of Israel’s plans to conquer Gaza City, and that far-right Israeli ministers have emphasised that the war must continue.
• Israeli settlers and soldiers detained the Palestinian Authority’s culture minister in the occupied West Bank, and several Palestinians were injured in a string of attacks in the territory.
• At least four Syrian workers were injured after an Israeli drone dropped a bomb in Wadi al-Asafir, near Khiam in southern Lebanon.
• Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund said it was excluding six Israeli companies with connections to the occupied Palestinian territory from its portfolio.

1 Million Israelis Demand Gaza Ceasefire to Free Hostages In Largest Israeli Protest to Date

Massive protests have erupted in Israel, with about 500,000 people marching in Tel Aviv Sunday to demand an end to the war in Gaza. Organizers say 1 million took part in demonstrations across the entire country. Most of the Israelis who were out on the streets "blame Netanyahu" for prioritizing his political survival over an end to the war, says Israeli journalist Oren Ziv.

 

Israel’s Propaganda Machine Collapses Under Its Own Lies w/ Muhammad Shehada

Muhammad Shehada, Palestinian writer and analyst, joins the show to discuss Israel's “giant machinery” of propaganda attempting “to brainwash, to overwhelm people, to push them away from trying to understand what's happening” in Gaza. Despite the enormous price tag of its disinformation machine, Israel itself is now admitting in Hebrew media that “our propaganda is collapsing.”

 

BBC films dozens of settlers attacking Palestinian community in West Bank

BBC News has witnessed an attack by dozens of Israeli settlers on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank. The settlers in the illegal outpost of Or Nahman attacked local Palestinian farmers, setting fire to vehicles and destroying their property.

The violence comes as the Israeli government plans to sign off the building of thousands of new homes elsewhere in the territory. That plan, which is illegal under international law, would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state” according to one far-right minister in the Israeli government. Israeli settlers have been expanding their illegal seizures of Palestinian land since the start of the war in Gaza. Israel says that it does not support the creation of unauthorised new settlements. However many Palestinians accuse Israel’s government of complicity in the attacks and land seizures.

A BBC team was in the West Bank near the illegal outpost settlement of Or Nahman when Palestinian communities came under attack.

Sally Rooney To Donate BBC Cash To Palestine Action

Israeli attacks kill 21 since dawn

Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 21 people since dawn, according to our colleagues on the ground.

Those killed include six in attacks on tents housing displaced people in Khan Younis and four in an attack on a tent in Deir el-Balah. The Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported that 10 people – including two children – were killed in or near Deir el-Balah. It also said two people had been killed while waiting for aid near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, with 53 injured there.

Nearly 360 UNRWA staff killed during Gaza war, says agency

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has paid tribute to the agency’s staff in Gaza who have been killed, injured or detained during the war. UNRWA is the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, and has come under repeated threat from Israel.

In a post on X, Lazzarini said about 360 of the agency’s staff have been killed in Gaza, including several while on the job, with hundreds more injured. He also said about 50 personnel have been arrested or detained, with some suffering torture while apprehended.

“Our staff are however not giving up despite the hell they experience daily,” said Lazzarini.

As we mark #WorldHumanitarianDay, I pay tribute to our front line staff in #Gaza.

Since the war began, @UNRWA staff have paid a heavy price:
- Nearly 360 personnel have been killed, several in the line of duty;

- ⁠Hundreds have been injured;

- ⁠ Nearly 50 personnel have…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 19, 2025

360 of 13,000 UNWRA workers in Gaza, 2.8% of UNWRA, so pretty much in line with 62,000 deaths on 2.2 million population (also 2.8%) Targeted the same as everyone else. So this UNWRA is Hamas Israel and the US are trying to claim holds no water. Lavender AI isn't targeting UNWRA workers disproportionately.

Journalists however get singled out. Over 200 killed, I doubt there's a population of over 7,000 journalists in Gaza.

Israeli attack kills eight near Khan Younis

Our colleagues on the ground are reporting the death toll from an attack on a tent housing displaced people in Khan Younis has risen to at least eight people, citing local medical sources.


_{A Palestinian woman inspects the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a tent in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on August 19}

Footage shows harrowing aftermath of Deir el-Balah attack

As we reported earlier, Israeli attacks in or near Deir el-Balah have killed at least 10 people this morning. Footage of the aftermath of one attack in the city, seen by Al Jazeera, shows multiple bodies lying on a blood-soaked street, some torn apart by a blast. Among the victims is a woman who appears to be dead.

Two people killed near aid site in southern Gaza; today’s death toll at 26

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that Israeli forces have shot and killed two people seeking aid near a distribution site in southern Gaza run by the Israel- and US-backed GHF.

Three more people die of malnutrition: Gaza Health Ministry official

Munir al-Barsh, director general of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported three more malnutrition deaths in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera’s reporters in the enclave.

That brings the total hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 266, including 122 children, according to the ministry.

Aid workers ‘deliberately targeted’: PRCS chief

Younis al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has said in a video posted on X: “The Palestinian humanitarian mission and aid workers have been deliberately targeted in Palestine. More than any other war, Palestinian humanitarians have been killed.

“No state should enjoy impunity. No state should be above the law. The international community is obliged to protect humanitarians and to stop and to ensure protection for humanity.”

The PRCS also called on the international community to “take concrete action to protect humanitarians everywhere”.

Earlier, we reported UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini paid tribute to the agency’s staff in Gaza who have been killed, injured or detained during the war.

He said about 360 of the agency’s staff have been killed, including several while on duty, while about 50 personnel have been arrested or detained, with some suffering torture while in custody.

51 PRCS staff and volunteers have been killed as of August 3rd.
https://www.ifrc.org/press-release/ifrc-condemns-attack-palestine-red-crescent-headquarters-khan-younis-and-killing
1,600 workers and volunteers, 3.2% of their work force killed. 
https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/whats-happening-in-gaza-humanitarian-crisis-grows

Israel simply targets everything and everyone indiscriminately. The only real outlier are journalists that get 'special treatment'. Aid workers are at higher risk from double tap 'strategy'. Bomb and then strike again when people come to help.
https://www.972mag.com/double-tap-israel-gaza-airstrikes-rescue/

And of course the genocidal campaign is about dismantling any possibility to be able to survive in Gaza, hence targeting healthcare, hospitals, ambulances etc.

Gaza Health Ministry warns of critical blood bank shortages

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned of severe shortages in laboratory materials and blood bank supplies, saying the ability to conduct many essential tests is dwindling or has already ended.

In a news release, the ministry said 49 percent of laboratory testing materials are out of stock while 60 percent of the remaining basic materials will last less than a month. More than half of laboratory consumables and supplies are also expected to run out within weeks.

The ministry said many basic tests in operating rooms and intensive care units “have run out or are about to run out”. Materials needed to test blood drug levels for kidney and liver transplant patients “have run out”, it added.

Testing materials for complete blood counts are “sufficient for only a limited number of days”. Supplies for viral blood testing, including HBsAg, HCV and HIV, are also expected to last only days, raising “a risk of unsafe blood transfusions”.

The statement added that about 45 percent of laboratory equipment has been damaged or destroyed and is in urgent need of maintenance and spare parts.

At least 60 people killed, 343 injured in 24 hours: Gaza Health Ministry

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says many victims of Israel’s latest attacks remain under rubble, and ambulance and Civil Defence crews are unable to reach them. The ministry said at least 60 people have been killed and 343 others injured over the latest 24-hour reporting period.

According to the ministry, the overall death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 62,064 since October 7, 2023, with 156,573 injured. Since March 18 when Israel unilaterally ended a ceasefire, 10,518 people have been killed and 44,532 injured.

Among those killed in the latest 24-hour period were 31 people seeking aid; 197 were injured. The ministry said that since the start of the war, 1,996 people have been killed and more than 14,898 injured while trying to access humanitarian assistance.

The ministry also reported three deaths in 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total to 266, including 112 children.

Israeli operations expanding towards Gaza City’s urban centres

Despite Hamas delivering a positive response to the ceasefire proposal, Israel is increasing air strikes across Gaza.

We have been speaking to residents in Gaza City who confirm Israel has been launching a deadly barrage of air strikes on densely populated areas. They also say there has been a slight, but dangerous, expansion of ground activity closer to the city’s key urban centres.

In addition to destroying over 450 residential blocks in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, Israel’s operations have now expanded to the nearby Sabra area. These areas lead to the main heart of Gaza City.

People believe that Israel is trying to exert maximum pressure in order to destroy what’s left of the city’s civilian infrastructure. They are also trying to create an environment in which people will not be allowed back into these areas.

There are still families trapped in Zeitoun neighbourhood. Emergency services say they have been dealing with countless emergency calls, but the intensity of the bombardment is really hampering rescue operations.


_{Palestinians salvage items from the rubble of homes destroyed in Israeli strikes on the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City}

Israeli forces arrest four people, demolish business in West Bank: Report

Israeli forces have carried out a familiar wave of raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank, reports the Wafa news agency.

During their raids, they apprehended three people, including a 65-year-old man, in the village of Beit Sira, near Ramallah, Wafa reports. In the same village, Israeli military vehicles also demolished a local cafe, claiming it was built without a permit, Wafa reports.

In the nearby village of Rammun, Israeli forces detained three more men and subjected them to field interrogations, before releasing them, according to the agency. Israeli forces detained a seventh man at a military checkpoint near Jericho, said Wafa.