Middle East

New Israeli incursions into the West Bank. IOM: 2 million people in Gaza lack adequate housing

Raids by the IDF and Israeli settlers have targeted several locations in the Palestinian territories. New attacks have also been reported in Lebanon

9 October 2026

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Agenti di sicurezza israeliani e coloni si trovano nei pressi del negozio di Mou'ayad Mahmoud ad Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, vicino a Nablus in Cisgiordania, l'8 ottobre 2026. Durante la notte, i coloni israeliani hanno disposto file di bandiere israeliane davanti al negozio di proprietà palestinese, ostacolando l’accesso all’attività commerciale. EPA/ATEF SAFADI EPA

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Raids and attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in Palestine continue. In recent days, raids have intensified in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where the IDF has reported that yesterday the army killed three Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in two separate attacks: Walid Hassan Abu al-Ata, commander of the Islamic Jihad’s rocket unit, and Magdi Moien Yousef al-Ayoubi, a operative in the organisation’s military wing, were killed in an initial raid in Gaza City. In a separate raid in the al-Furqan neighbourhood of Gaza City, the IDF killed Muhammad Aja, a company commander in the military wing of Hamas. According to the IDF, the three “had recently organised attacks against Israeli troops and were working to restore the capabilities of terrorist organisations in violation of the ceasefire”.

Guerra in Medio Oriente - 9 ottobre 2026
Photogallery7 foto

Violence in the West Bank

In the central West Bank, however, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces raided the town of Salfit, storming numerous civilian homes and deploying troops on the streets throughout the town. Furthermore, in the Wadi al-Sha’ir area, located between Salfit and East al-Luban, Israeli settlers set fire to a number of olive trees, which are a cornerstone of the Palestinian economy and cultural identity.

Israeli forces then arrested two former prisoners in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. The IDF reportedly entered the town at dawn, searching several homes and taking Khaled Barham Daoud and Khaled Hamdan Abu Hamdan into custody.

Just yesterday, the toll from Israeli attacks across the West Bank and Gaza stood at eight fatalities in the Gaza Strip, 45 arrests and 26 people injured in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, according to Wafa. Settlers attacked olive pickers and laid siege to a house in Masafer Yatta, whilst soldiers demolished a home and issued demolition orders for several agricultural structures.

Cisgiordania, l’esercito israeliano demolisce la casa di un palestinese accusato di un omicidio

Further raids in Lebanon

Attacks have also continued in Lebanon. The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reports Israeli air raids on the outskirts of the town of Kfar Tebnit, in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon. According to reports, overnight, Israeli artillery fire was reported in the Wadi al-Salouki nature reserve and on the outskirts of the towns of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Tebnit and Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon, where Israeli attacks have continued despite the US-brokered ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon in June.

The controversy surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize

“Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Pillay is not an act of justice, but the grotesque exploitation of an honour to legitimise hatred and prejudice against Israel. Now that the Nobel Committee has rewarded the greatest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is surely applauding from hell.” This was the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s comment, issued in a statement, on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the South African lawyer Navi Pillay, who has in the past accused Israel of being responsible for genocide in Gaza.

“If there were an award for lies, hatred and slanderous accusations, Pillay would be the clear favourite. Her role in the relentless, politically motivated demonisation of Israel and in promoting accusations of genocide speaks for itself,” adds the ministry.

In her speech following the award ceremony, Pillay said: ‘The last thing I did was the report on Gaza, in which I describe what is happening there as genocide. One of the main reactions to that report was to pay tribute to me for my courage. And you can imagine how surprised I was. Because does it really take courage to tell the truth?’

IOM: Two million people need help with accommodation in Gaza

Against this backdrop of renewed tensions, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has reported that around two million people living in the Gaza Strip – virtually the entire population – still require housing assistance. Following years of displacement and widespread destruction, the approaching winter will be the fourth in which many Palestinians will have no access to adequate shelter. To date, the total provision capacity of humanitarian partners active in the housing sector covers only 17 per cent of the identified winter needs, according to a statement issued in Geneva.

According to the statement, the challenges include a chronic shortage of funds and the ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the entry of essential materials for shelter. “Families who have already endured repeated displacement and devastating losses must be able to face the winter in safety and dignity,” said Amy Pope, Director General of the IOM. “Materials for shelter must be allowed to enter quickly, regularly and in the required quantities. The solutions are known, the supplies are ready and the humanitarian teams are prepared to respond.”

In the face of ongoing attacks and humanitarian crises, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again levelled harsh criticism at Israel, particularly regarding its actions in the Gaza Strip. ‘Gaza has been turned into the world’s largest concentration camp by an arrogant and murderous network of genocide that considers itself above international law,’ Erdogan said. ‘Israel regards the stability of its neighbouring countries and of the world as a direct threat to itself.’