September 26, 2026
News roundup for Friday, September 25, 2026, Day 1,087 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM OPENING WEEK AT UNITED NATIONS:
Netanyahu’s UN belligerence wins cheers at home as world walks out: Israeli PM’s defiant UN speech alienated critics abroad but delighted his base as elections draw near.
Netanyahu just incited genocide in his UN speech. Here’s what you missed: At the end of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unhinged rant at the UN, he recited a seemingly obscure Bible verse. The verse, from a passage about Amalek, is actually a dog whistle for genocide.
No, Netanyahu wasn’t arrested during his UN visit, but those protesting against him were
5 Netanyahu claims at UN that clash with documented findings: (read the rebuttal for each point in the article)
- Genocide allegation is ‘the greatest lie of the century’
- Civilian casualty ratio is exceptionally low
- Hamas stole much of Gaza’s humanitarian aid
- Two million tons of food disproves starvation claims
- Occupier violence is the work of a small fringe
NY Jewish Democrats defend Mamdani after Netanyahu calls him a Hamas supporter
Christian Leader Responds To Netanyahu’s UN Claims Regarding Palestinian Christians: Dr. Ramzi Khouri said that Netanyahu’s claims in his address the UN General Assembly regarding the protection of Christians stand in stark contradiction to the reality faced by Palestinian Christians.A large group of Jewish and Muslim demonstrators carrying banners and Palestinian flags march from Bryant Park toward the United Nations headquarters to protest the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump regarding the war in Gaza in New York, United States, on September 24, 2026. (Waleed Zein – Anadolu Agency)
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The number of Palestinians being killed in Gaza is lower since the October 2025 “ceasefire” began, over 345 days ago – about 4 per day, vs. over 100 per day during the 733 days of the “war.” But Israel is actively working (with Trump’s “Board of Peace“) to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinian population, even as the low-level killing continues. Genocide experts, along with organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International, maintain that the genocide is ongoing.
Israeli attacks continued across several areas of the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing and wounding Palestinians in further violations of the ceasefire.
Inside Gaza’s ‘widows camp,’ where women now support their families alone: Women in Gaza who lost their husbands in the genocide are caught between the need to work and the pain of leaving their children alone, susceptible to Israeli violence. According to the UN, these women now represent 1 in 4 households in Gaza.
Women-led families, the UN Women report found, face overlapping obstacles in securing necessities, finding shelter, reaching humanitarian assistance, staying safe, and maintaining their basic needs. The analysis also confirmed that women-headed households were more likely to report facing both unmet cash needs and movement restrictions, which make it difficult for them to access aid distributions or registration systems intended to support them.
Digging through memories and dangers to secure a livelihood from Gaza’s rubble
GAZA DEATH TOLL (tentative) since “ceasefire” began Oct. 11, 2025:
- 1,408 (35% of those killed, 49% of those wounded were children, women, and the elderly)
- 7 Israeli soldiers – one by friendly fire, two in an accident, and four others in incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- More statistics below
Smoke rises from a targeted vehicle following an Israeli drone strike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine on September 19, 2026. (Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency)
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
UN says Israel’s 942 checkpoints, barriers in occupied West Bank restrict Palestinian movement: Updated figures from Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, UN humanitarian office show extensive network of checkpoints, gates, roadblocks.
Israeli settlers are using drones to forcibly change Palestinian life in the occupied West Bank: “When herders left their homes in the morning, the drones would pursue and shadow them… eventually, the drones began monitoring residents inside their homes around the clock, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.”
How Israel’s ‘Blue Line’ team seizes Palestinian land in the West Bank: Land confiscation in the occupied West Bank often begins with the re-designation and demarcation of land on official Israeli maps. Surveyors, cartographers and legal experts reportedly use modern surveying technology to review and redraw boundaries on official maps – that make room for settlement expansion.
DEATH TOLL SINCE OCT. 7, 2023 – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel news accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.
The Backlash to “NAZA” Shows How Little Israeli Citizenship Really Means: Now, for the first time, a sitting Israeli leader is advocating for Jewish Israelis to be stripped of their citizenship, not for murder, but for mere “slander” (read about the film here).
Why Ben-Gvir’s Israel Police Recruitment Drive Is Failing to Fix a 2,000-Officer Deficit: Lower entry standards and high departure rates leave core stations understaffed despite record hiring claims.
Israel’s Dangerous Election Double Standard: Arabs Targeted, Far-Right Untouched: Despite the Elections Committee’s politically driven hearings, the bar for disqualifying Knesset candidates is high. Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh does not meet it; Ben-Gvir’s far-right party may come closer, but they are Jewish.
UN adds dozens of companies to Israel blacklist: The Database of Business Enterprises now holds details on 214 companies, based in 11 countries, including major operations like Motorola, along with travel apps such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Tripadvisor. Five entities were removed since last year’s publication.Israeli tanks and military vehicles are seen deployed with some military vehicles, helicopters, and drones patrolling along the border region following the implementation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces inside the yellow line in Sderot, Israel on October 14, 2025. (Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency)
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – NEWS & HEADLINES:
IRAN
It cannot be overemphasized that Israel is the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades, using lies and deception. Under President Trump, he got his wish.
What’s in Iran’s seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz? The proposal resembles the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Iran and the US, which briefly eased the conflict before breaking down. “The moment they accept this plan, from the next day, this timetable can start, and after seven days, the strait will be open,” he said.
LEBANON
Israel has invaded Lebanon seven times in the last half century. Between 1978 and 2000, Israel maintained an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon — Hezbollah was formed to fight that occupation.
Israeli shelling continues as Lebanon’s PM demands withdrawal in UN speech
Israeli army prepares for new phase of fighting in southern Lebanon: Report
South Lebanon children return to school destroyed by Israel strike
SYRIA
Although Israel is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025, and demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria – but also vowed to permanently occupy some areas.
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 22 since Feb. 28, 2026 (the Trump admin denies this number)
- Iran: at least 3,636 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Lebanon: at least 4,386 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 60 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 40 soldiers, 4 civilians)
A view of military vehicles patrolling the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams area of the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Ro Khanna calls on Israel to release Marwan Barghouti: ‘Palestinians must choose their own leaders’: The California Democrat, who is considering a 2028 presidential run, argued that the imprisoned Fatah leader could help advance a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Tucker Carlson relates Trump didn’t care about outcome of war on Iran because ‘In the End, We All Die, Anyway’: Trump was apparently indifferent to the outcome when he agreed to Israel’s plan for a war that Israel is now watching from the sidelines. The conversation came days after Amb. Mike Huckabee approved of the idea of Israel taking over much of the Middle East.
RELATED: Huckabee: Israel ‘the 436th congressional district’ of US
Pro-Palestine Stanford Students Celebrate Dismissal of Harsh Charges: All charges were dropped against the students, who could have faced prison for “conspiracy to trespass” and vandalism.
RELATED: Anti-Defamation League (ADL) again sides with human rights abusers over free speech on campus
Democratic Party Consultants Surround Troy Jackson with Pro-Israel Donors: After two failed attempts to nominate a Maine candidate friendly to the party establishment, the consultant class is finding better success with its third approach, co-optation.
The International Criminal Court has insulated itself against potential court-wide sanctions from the US, according to its deputy prosecutor, as the war crimes tribunal faces further attacks from US President Donald Trump. “The law must prevail over power,” deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the FT in a rare interview.
MUST-READ: Spying & threats: Israel spent 9 years trying to keep the ICC off the trail of Israel’s war crimes.
Ed Sheeran concerts at Robert Kraft stadiums cancelled over weather: Singer’s tour has faced numerous setbacks after expulsion of rapper Macklemore over support for Palestine drew backlash.
U Southern California ends contract for sending human cadavers to train Israeli military personnel
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
NYC mayor slams ‘lies’ in Netanyahu’s UN speech, cites ICC warrant for his arrest
Israeli strike hits vehicle carrying body for burial in Gaza
Israeli authorities approved the construction of 567 new illegal settlement units
The US kill count in Iran makes the phrase ‘precision strikes’ absurd
A view of a tent city as families staying along the coast try to carry on with their lives despite the severe weather conditions, living in makeshift tents amid cold and heavy rain in Gaza City, Palestine, on March 25, 2026. (Abdalhkem Abu Riash – Anadolu Agency)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – SEPTEMBER 25, 2026*:
- At least 75,133 Palestinians killed, 188,030 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,928 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 175,030 injured.
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,205 killed (~251 children), 13,000 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and as many as 15,000 more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – September 25, 2026: ~1,663 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces during the ground invasion of Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel (these numbers do not include deaths from the conflicts with Lebanon or Iran).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
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