Palestine weekly: Israel accelerates land grabs in Gaza, West Bank
Key takeaways
- Permanent alterations begin at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque as plans advance for settlements in Gaza, while a UN inquiry finds Israel deliberately killed Palestinian children.
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- In Gaza, Smotrich announced that the Settlement Administration he heads had “completed plans” for three settlements in the north of the Strip and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve them.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Permanent alterations begin at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque as plans advance for settlements in Gaza, while a UN inquiry finds Israel deliberately killed Palestinian children.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo. A vehicle in Gaza on fire as a result of a January 26 Israeli air strike, killing three people [Adam Bilal/Anadolu Agency]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026Earlier this month, Israeli ministers had described their expanding colonial project in the language of intent – with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing the “cancellation” of the Hebron Accords, and Israeli broadcasters reporting on the government cabinet’s intended “quiet annexation” of Gaza. This week, that vision began to take physical shape.
In Hebron, Israeli forces brought heavy machinery into the Ibrahimi Mosque and began installing steel beams over its open courtyard – a structural alteration the mosque’s director called a fundamental change to the ancient site’s historic character; Israeli authorities have also blocked the Muslim call to prayer there for a week and a half.