In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian man harvesting olives in Deir Istiya. Israeli settlers also set fire to Palestinian farmland in Sinjil. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at homes in Ramin, causing damage. Israeli settlers also vandalize Al-Ka’abneh Elementary School in Arab al-Milehat, damaging windows and surveillance camaras. Meanwhile, armed Israeli settlers force Palestinians to flee while harvesting olives in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man near the separation wall in Baqa ash-Sharqiyya. Israeli forces also violently disperse Palestinians with tear gas during raids in Madama and Burin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces issue 20 stop-work orders for agricultural structures in al-Jalama. Israeli forces also arrest 12 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in Bayt Hanina and force another family to demolish their home in at-Tur. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Mawasi, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, Beit Lahiya, Jabalia refugee camp, Rafah, and Dayr al-Balah, killing dozens of people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Sidon, Beirut, Baalbek, Qlaileh, Haniya, Rachaya al-Fakhar, Kfar Hamam, Alma ash Shab, Naqoura, and Tyre, killing at least 60 people in the eastern Bekaa Valley, including dozens near Baalbek. Israeli forces also issue an evacuation order for large parts of Tyre. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Kiryat Shmona and an Israeli naval base near Haifa. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/28; NYT, UNOCHA 10/29; UNOCHA 10/31)
More than 43,020 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 17,000 children and 11,487 women, and around 101,110 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 763 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 166 children. More than 6,500 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 360 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,363 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. (AJ, AP, HA 10/28)
Israel says it has arrested 100 people at the Kamal Adwan Hospital since 10/25. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU 10/28)
The Knesset passes 2 laws that ban UNRWA from operating in Israel and areas under Israel’s control, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The first law, which bans UNRWA from conducting any activity or providing any service inside Israel, passes 92 votes to 10. The second law, which declares UNRWA a terror group and bans Israeli officials from any contact with the agency, passes 87-9. The ban, which comes into force in 3 months, also evicts UNRWA from its headquarters in East Jerusalem and end all visas for UNRWA staffers. UNRWA serves around 3 million Palestinians within Palestine. The PA presidency releases a statement saying the Palestinian leadership “reject and condemn the legislation. We will not allow this.” UNRWA commissioner-general Phillippe Lazzarini says that the ban “will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza.” Lazzarini adds that the ban “opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.” EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell says the “legislation stands in stark contradiction to international law and the fundamental principle of humanity.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres calls the legislation “unacceptable” and sends a letter to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu protesting it. China calls the passing of the bill “outrageous.” Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Qatar, and the OIC condemn the legislation. The UK, France, Australia, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland criticize the passing of the bill. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/28; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/29; AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, WAFA 10/30; AJ 10/31; HA 11/1)
South Africa delivers 750 pages of text and 4,000 pages of annexes as evidence to the ICJ that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, WAFA 10/28; WAFA 10/29)
Prime Minister Netanyahu tells the Knesset in a speech that he wants to expand on the normalization deals, known as the Abraham Accords, after Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon. (AJ, REU 10/28)
The Lebanese health ministry says Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 2,710 people and injured 12,592 others since 10/8/2023. (AJ, WAFA 10/28)
The Israeli defense ministry says it has allocated $530 million to accelerate the development of the Iron Beam laser air defense system, which it says will be operational within a year. (AJ, REU 10/28; AX 10/30)
The UN Security Council convenes to discuss Israel’s attack on Iran on 10/25. Iranian ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani says the U.S. is complicit in the Israeli aggression and that Iran has the right to respond at any time to the attack. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the U.S. “will not hesitate to act in self-defense” if Iran attacks, saying Israel’s attack should have ended the exchange of fire. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 10/28)
U.S. president Joe Biden tells reporters that “[w]e need a ceasefire. We should end this war. It should end, it should end, it should end.” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says it is the U.S. assessment that Palestinians in Jabalia are not getting food, water, and medicine and that this has to change. (AJ, NYT, REU 10/28)
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi discuss Israel’s attack on Iran in a phone call. (AJ 10/28)
1,100 authors sign a declaration of boycott of Israeli publishers who are complicit in the dispossession of the Palestinian people.” (AJ 10/28; HA, HA 10/29; NYT 10/31)