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Daily Briefing — Palestine, 13 August 2026

Gaza’s death toll has risen to 73,388, with injuries surpassing that figure as well, according to WAFA. Simultaneously, Israeli settlers laid siege to three Palestinian families’ homes in the occupied West Bank for a fourth consecutive day, and Israeli forces continued raids, arrests, and demolitions across multiple areas of the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. The UN’s deputy coordinator has warned that the West Bank is at a “breaking point.”

Gaza

The death toll from Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has reached 73,388, according to WAFA. An Israeli air strike killed one person in northern Gaza on 12 August, according to Al Jazeera English. Separately, an 11-year-old boy was shot by Israeli forces in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

Humanitarian conditions in the strip remain dire. OCHA reported on 11 August that local innovation is being used to reduce mosquito-related health risks for displaced families, a marker of how severely degraded basic living conditions have become. OCHA’s Flash Appeal for 2026 shows requirements of $4.1 billion, with coverage at only 37.5% and $2.5 billion unmet, according to OCHA’s Flash Appeal page. WAFA reported that thousands of patients in Gaza still await medical evacuation despite ongoing need, as of 11 August. The Palestinian Prisoners Authority reported that Gaza prisoners face dire conditions in Israeli detention facilities.

Israel’s tightened blockade on Gaza has caused prices to soar, with basic items such as lighters and fans becoming crucial survival tools, Al Jazeera reported. Netanyahu publicly rejected Trump’s 15-point peace plan this week, even as attacks in Gaza slowed sharply, according to Al Jazeera’s Palestine weekly. Palestinians reacted to Israel’s rejection of the Gaza plan with despair, with one saying “we have no one.”

West Bank

Israeli settlers besieged three Palestinian families inside their homes in Qusra, occupied West Bank, for a fourth consecutive day, Al Jazeera reported on 13 August. Israeli forces also detained seven family members of slain Palestinians in Qalqiliya, according to WAFA, and raided three villages and towns in the Nablus governorate on the morning of 13 August, WAFA reported. Israeli forces also seized a home and evicted two families in Jenin, according to WAFA.

Settler violence continued on multiple fronts. The Israeli government was accused of complicity as settlers demolished homes in Jericho, Al Jazeera reported. Settlers also spread hate through graffiti and physical attacks, Al Jazeera documented. Colonists, protected by Israeli forces, chased Palestinians and continued to expand an outpost in the northern West Bank, according to WAFA. Israeli forces also compelled a Palestinian farmer to leave his land, WAFA reported.

Israeli forces demolished a home in Hebron, a third demolition in the area according to WAFA, and demolished a commercial structure and a three-story home. Israeli forces also closed the entrances to two villages. OCHA’s West Bank data shows 946 structures demolished and 1,278 Palestinians displaced so far in 2026, according to OCHA’s demolition tracking. Israeli raids, arrests, and demolitions continue as the UN warned the West Bank is at a “breaking point,” with Israeli forces arresting 23 Palestinians and demolishing the home of a man killed in a confrontation with Israeli settlers in July, Al Jazeera reported. An Israeli human rights group warned of escalating ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, WAFA reported. Mondoweiss reported on Israel’s broader campaign to destroy Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank, including a new raid on the Qalandia refugee camp. A WAFA report also detailed the assault of a minor south of Bethlehem by Israeli forces.

The arrest of Ramallah physician Mazen Rantisi — described as the “doctor of the poor” — drew attention to Israel’s campaign against Palestinian civil society in the West Bank, according to Mondoweiss. His daughter stated he was targeted because he helps Palestinian society remain resilient. WAFA reported that 4,769 young Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, and that 40 journalists are held in Israeli prisons, with more than 250 detained since the war began.

Jerusalem

Israeli forces raided the Qalandia refugee camp and carried out arrests, WAFA reported on 12 August. Israeli forces also raided Issawiya, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, according to WAFA. Israeli occupation authorities renewed a travel ban on a Jerusalem resident, WAFA reported. Israeli forces demolished a home in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, WAFA reported. Israeli authorities also closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinian worshippers on 12 August, according to WAFA. A joint statement by the UN and NGOs decried recurrent Israeli incursions into the Kalandia Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem, OCHA reported on 28 July, reflecting a persistent pattern of violation of protected UN premises.

Politics

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated that the only way to achieve a just peace is ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state, WAFA reported. Abbas also held talks with his Turkish counterpart to discuss the latest developments and Israel’s actions. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa attended the launch of the International Chamber of Commerce event, and separately discussed political and field developments with the UK Foreign Secretary, according to WAFA. +972 Magazine reported that as Israel sabotages Gaza talks, Hamas’ newly elected leader Khalil Al-Hayya faces his first major challenge, with Israel’s demands described as deliberately unworkable.

Sources

About this briefing: OliveWire’s daily Palestine briefing is compiled from Tier-1 primary sources — including OCHA oPt, WAFA, Al Jazeera English, +972 Magazine, Mondoweiss, and other approved outlets — with every factual claim anchored to a URL drawn directly from the day’s source material and verified against that source set prior to publication.

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