Palestine in July 2026: the most important developments in society
Palestine in July 2026 was marked by worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The war passed 1,000 days on July 2, and Save the Children said at least 21,000 children had been killed. Later reports said two-thirds of Gaza faced acute hunger, a chickenpox outbreak was spreading among children, and the ambulance service lacked vehicles and supplies. A report on July 23 found reconstruction would cost seven times more than the three previous wars in the territory combined, and Oxfam put the figure at $71.4 billion. Gaza's 40,000 civil servants faced uncertainty over who would pay their salaries.
Detention was a second theme. The director of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, held in Israeli custody, was said by his lawyer on July 4 to be in life-threatening danger, and an Israeli rights group later demanded an independent medical examination. On July 8 rights groups said a photo of a bound Palestinian detainee corroborated reports of torture by Israeli forces.
Settler violence in the West Bank drew growing attention. Settlers took over a Palestinian family's home, attacked a mosque and destroyed a dairy factory, and the Nablus governor said settlers killed Palestinians and burned homes. Four settlers were arrested on July 12 for attacking a CNN crew, and charges were later filed against one of them. On July 23 Ben-Gvir led thousands of settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The UN human rights office urged action against the violence on July 29, and Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv against it.
Abroad, a poll found one-third of Americans believe Israel committed genocide in Gaza, and a Pew survey found 44% of Muslim Americans view Hamas favorably. On July 4, officials from Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis attended funeral ceremonies in Tehran for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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