The Jordanian military said it had struck "terrorist organisations" in neighbouring Syria on Monday in retaliation for a deadly attack on a church last week, hours after authorities arrested three men they accused of the killings.

It said air force jets had "destroyed several terrorist positions" and killed and wounded "numerous members" of groups linked to the perpetrators of the church attack.

Syria's state news agency SANA, citing a local health official, said the strikes across Daraa province in the country's south had killed eight civilians, including women and children.

Syria's government said that Jordan did not coordinate with it before launching deadly strikes on the country's south.

A Syrian government statement carried by state news agency SANA said "no prior coordination with the Syrian side was carried out concerning the military operation" by Jordan.

It said that authorities were investigating the strikes and discussing them with Amman while stressing the need for joint security coordination in border areas.

SANA quoted Syria's foreign ministry as saying that it had informed Jordan of "our complete reservation regarding the conduct of operations inside Syrian territory without prior coordination".

"Communication and coordination" was underway with Jordan "to address the repercussions of this incident in a manner that preserves security and the sovereignty of Syrian territory", it said.

Syria also closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan on Tuesday, suspending passenger and commercial traffic in both directions due to developments on the ground in Daraa province, the Syrian General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs said in a statement.

On Friday, gunmen killed nine people during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox St George's Church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate, southern Jordan.

Karak is home to a significant Christian community in Muslim-majority Jordan, where Christians make up between two and three percent of the population.

Major General Abdullah al-Maaytah, Jordan's director of public security, on Monday named the three detained suspects as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein.

The trio, two of them brothers and the other related by marriage, were cornered at an abandoned house where they had barricaded themselves inside and opened fire on security forces.

"All three terrorists have been injured. They have been taken to hospital and are still receiving treatment," Maaytah told a press conference.

'We will show them'

One of the suspects was in critical condition, Jordan's state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported. It added that there were no casualties among the security forces.

"This country must remain an oasis of security and stability, and we affirm that Jordan will remain impervious to anyone who dares to challenge it," Maaytah said.

Under Jordanian law, murder is punishable by death by hanging.

A number of weapons and a large quantity of ammunition were seized from the three suspects, the Public Security Directorate said.

Jordan's King Abdullah II said in a post on X that security forces "chased them to the very end".

"We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated," he wrote.

Earlier, the king visited wounded victims of the church attack in a hospital, dressed in military fatigues and carrying a pistol on his hip.

"We will show them," he vowed.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told Al-Mamlaka on Monday that the attackers were all Jordanians and "had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack".

"There is no indication of any external contacts or collaboration with foreign parties," he said.

Government communications minister Mohammad al-Momani said, "we stand ready and will strike with an iron fist, without mercy or leniency, against anyone who attempts to undermine Jordan's security".

Attacks on houses of worship in Jordan are rare. In 2016, an attack in Karak targeted a security centre and police patrols, leaving 10 people dead.

On Friday, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered a three-day period of national mourning for the victims of the church attack, with flags to be flown at half-mast over government and public institutions.

Eight of the nine victims were laid to rest on Sunday next to the church in a funeral that drew a huge crowd amid a large security presence, AFP images showed.

The ninth person, Mohammed al-Qasous, was buried in south Amman on Monday.

Satellite images show that an oil spill from a damaged tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates has widened, triggering more beach closures and raising environmental concerns.

Images from the European Union's Copernicus satellite observation network dated 24 October show the oil spill has widened over the last few days and is nearing the shores of northern Umm Al Quwain emirate, with dark layers of oil spreading at sea and along the coastline.

Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf shipping lanes have driven up security risks for maritime traffic and heightened fears over the conflict's environmental fallout.

October has been the worst month for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways, according to data compiled by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank.

The UAE said on Friday that it was working to contain oil leaking from an offshore tanker, with its Ministry of Climate Change and Environment conducting an environmental assessment.

Authorities have not named the tanker involved in the incident or said what caused the spill. But experts told Reuters that the spill came from a tanker called the Gem No.2, which shipping sources said was struck by an unidentified projectile last month, causing a fire that was later extinguished.

Images from the EU's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites showed a large oil spill coming from the tanker.

Authorities across various northern emirates responded to the spill by restricting access to coastal areas.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said on Friday that it temporarily closed all beaches and coastal areas around the city of Umm Al Quwain, while authorities in neighbouring Sharjah shut access to Al Hamriyah Beach as a precaution.

"The reported oil spill off Umm Al Quwain is a serious environmental concern. The temporary closure of beaches and coastal areas is a prudent precaution while the extent of the spill and the movement of the oil are assessed," Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of New York University Abu Dhabi's Water Research Centre, told Reuters.

In Ras Al Khaimah, known for its beaches and luxury resorts, authorities said on Saturday that they would close all beaches in the emirate until further notice.

The UAE's marine life "is rich in fish, plants and corals, with over 500 different species of fish inhabiting the Gulf waters," including dolphins and marine turtles, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, says on its website.

Israeli forces have forced nearly 4,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron since Friday, leaving hundreds of families displaced as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly rejected military advice to end the operation in the southern occupied West Bank.

The number of displaced Palestinians reached around 3,971 on Monday, according to figures reported by Palestinian news agency WAFA. This includes approximately 200 children under the age of two, at least 258 elderly people and 137 pregnant women.

Riyad Khamis, spokesperson for Hebron’s Follow-up, Support and Relief Committee, said 619 families had been affected, including 266 unable to find safe accommodation.

More than 80 Palestinians have been arrested, while hundreds of others have been detained and interrogated, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club. Israeli troops have also raided and ransacked hundreds of homes, leaving residents unsure when they will be allowed to return.

Hebron's Governor Khaled Dudin reported that Israeli authorities established 128 gates and 120 checkpoints across the southern governorate, saying that it fragments the area and severly restricts movement as well as access to healthcare and basic services.

The Israeli operation followed a shooting attack on Friday in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron. Israeli forces killed both gunmen.

Netanyahu subsequently ordered the evacuation of residents from the neighbourhood where the attackers lived ahead of house-to-house searches. The ensuing assault has extended to Palestinian homes, businesses and industrial facilities.

In a statement issued on Monday, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) warned that these actions "raise grave concerns about ethnic cleansing and collective punishment".

"Palestinians in Hebron are being driven from their homes and cut off from healthcare and basic supplies," Aseel Baidoun, MAP's Deputy Director of Advocacy and Communications, said. "This is collective punishment. People are being punished simply for being Palestinians."

A home turned into a military outpost

For Ramadan Faisal al-Hashlamoun, a 47-year-old Palestinian displaced with his family, the uncertainty centres on a house he says Israeli soldiers have turned into a military outpost.

Speaking to The New Arab, Hashlamoun said troops entered his home and took it over because it overlooks the main road. He has been unable to return since.

His household numbers 10, including children, the youngest of whom is aged 12. The family has been split apart since residents were ordered to leave the entire area, he said.

"You can only feel at ease in your own home," he told The New Arab.

Hashlamoun said neighbours had heard the sound of objects being smashed inside his house, leaving him deeply worried about the condition of his belongings, including money, gold and other personal possessions. Unable to enter, he has no way of checking what has happened to them.

He also said Israeli forces had marked four X signs on the exterior walls of the house – a mark that has since been circulating in images across social media on multiple houses whose inhabitants had been forcibly displaced.

Israeli occupation forces mark several Palestinian homes with "X" signs in the Ein Deir Bahha neighborhood of Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, after forcibly displacing their owners. https://t.co/3lNmvZ4yO7

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 24, 2026

At the time of the interview, his family had received no aid or essential supplies, although Hebron Municipality had contacted them. He told The New Arab that his immediate concerns were the separation of his family and the uncertain fate of their home.

Local relief officials said on Monday that a first batch of aid and basic supplies was being distributed to displaced and affected families. Hundreds of other residents remained trapped inside homes in neighbouring areas, according to WAFA.

Israeli forces have sealed off the neighbourhoods of Deir Baha and al-Jilda, where much of the displacement has taken place, while imposing closures at entrances to Hebron and surrounding towns and refugee camps. The restrictions have disrupted movement and access to homes, businesses and services.

A staff member at a MAP local partner in Hebron described the sudden incursion, saying it was "unexpected to see this kind of mass forced displacement" where residents including persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and children "left their homes carrying whatever they could. A lot of those who were displaced are elderly people with chronic illnesses, meaning there is a need for medicines as well."

Netanyahu reportedly rejected an end to the operation

The sudden displacement of thousands of residents comes as Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had rejected Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's recommendation to end the operation, despite being told its objectives had been 'achieved' and there was no justification for continuing to prevent residents from returning home.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday that Zamir had recommended ending the operation, telling Netanyahu during a situational assessment on Sunday that its objectives had been met.

According to Kan’s reporting, Zamir said there was no operational justification for continuing the raid and no legal justification for keeping displaced Palestinians from their homes.

Netanyahu nevertheless insisted that the operation continue despite the military having wanted to announce as early as Saturday night that the operation was winding down.

The reported disagreement emerged a day before Israel’s general election, as displaced Palestinian families remained unable to return.

“Across the West Bank, we are living in high uncertainty, especially with Israeli elections this week; there is no safe place due to the situation deteriorating day by day," MAP's staff member said.

"We are wondering if this will last days, weeks, or months. People are worried about forced displacement and it's becoming a real fear, especially when looking at what happened in Jenin and Tulkarem in the past couple of years. We are losing trust in the international community."

Israel is attempting to "systematically eliminate" journalists in occupied Palestine in a bid to cover up evidence of genocide and war crimes, according to a UN report.

The paper, authored by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, says that "destruction of truth" has been integral to the assault on Gaza, and describes Israel's attempts to control information as "mediacide".

Israeli forces have killed hundreds of journalists in the occupied territories since October 2023 while most of Gaza's infrastructure lies in ruins.

“Genocide is never sustained by killing alone. It requires destroying the conditions in which killing can be seen, documented, remembered and judged,” Albanese said while presenting the report to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

The report identifies three ways in which Israel and its supporters attempt to destroy or hide evidence of crimes committed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

These include the systematic targeting of journalists and communications infrastructure, and the Israeli government's attempts to censor and manipulate information.

It also highlights the complicity of Western news organisations and technology platforms, which it accuses of promoting Israeli narratives and suppressing Palestinian voices.

"These practices have not merely accompanied genocide but have facilitated its commission and obstructed accountability," the report reads.

The UN documented the killing of almost 300 Palestinian journalists between October 2023 and February this year. Hundreds of others have been wounded or unlawfully detained by Israeli authorities.

Some were killed in indiscriminate attacks while at least 70 are known to have been deliberately targeted.

Israel has replicated its assault on Palestinian journalists in its other conflicts in Lebanon, Yemen and Iran, where dozens of other media workers have been killed in airstrikes.

The report says that the Israeli military has wiped out more than 80% of Gaza's communications infrastructure and damaged another 12%. By October 2025, Israeli forces had destroyed 125 media offices and institutions, including news agency headquarters, broadcast towers and radio stations, it says.

Blackouts caused by the damage have prevented local journalists from broadcasting events and people outside the strip from verifying information.

The destruction has gone hand-in-hand with the Israeli government's media restrictions, which have prevented foreign journalists reporting from Gaza and censored thousands of articles related to the war.

"In the ongoing genocide, the systematic elimination of media witnesses and the destruction of the means of documentation are probative of genocidal intent," the report says.

"They reveal an effort not only to destroy a protected group, but also to destroy the conditions in which that destruction can be seen, documented, remembered and ultimately adjudicated," it continues.

Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sunday rejected a petition to ban polling station officials and party representatives from carrying weapons at voting sites during Tuesday’s general election, amid concerns from rights groups that an armed presence could intimidate Palestinian voters and undermine the electoral process.

Filed on Thursday by Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and the Joint List, the petition argued that "an armed presence could deter voters, undermine the electoral process, and could even lead to violent confrontations that endanger human life".

Adalah attorney Ariel Remez, who led the petition, told The New Arab: "by declining to intervene, the Court has left Palestinian voters exposed to intimidation and placed responsibility for any violence on Election Day on the police and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a minister previously convicted of incitement to racism who has driven the mass arming of Israeli civilians."

The petition followed an announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism parties that they would deploy approximately 2,000 'observers' to polling stations in what they called "Arab population centres". Police also issued a directive allowing licensed gun owners to carry firearms at polling stations.

More than one million Palestinian citizens of Israel are eligible to vote, with their turnout potentially decisive in determining whether Netanyahu can form another government.

"Our concern is that these so-called 'observers' will take advantage of their authorization to enter multiple polling stations during the day, thus recreating the 1981 'National Ballot Security Task Force' in the [gubernatorial] elections in New Jersey," Remez said, referring to the Republican National Committee (RNC)-led initiative that deployed armed, off-duty police officers and used targeted mailing lists in minority neighbourhoods.

"We have no doubt that the Likud and its partners from the extreme right intend to copy the RNC’s playbook of voter suppression of minorities," he added.

Adalah argues that fears of intimidation of Palestinian citizens are heightened by the sharp rise in licensed firearms under Ben-Gvir, whose tenure has seen the number double from around 150,000 to 300,000.

"The danger lies in the branding of the entire Palestinian public in Israel as prone to voter fraud, amid widespread incitement against Palestinian citizens," Remez said.

"At the same time, the violent settler movement in the West Bank is increasingly active inside Israel, including, for example, an outpost established near Majd al-Krum. Against this backdrop, the threats to Arab votes are real and immediate."

Majd al-Krum is a Palestinian village in the Galillee region where settlers recently set up a West Bank-style outpost.

Adalah also pointed to a survey published by the Israel Democracy Institute in November 2025, in which 81 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel surveyed said civilians carrying weapons in public spaces made them feel less safe.

The 2,000 individuals set to be deployed have no legal authority to oversee the voting process. Police are required to enforce strict rules governing who may enter polling stations and what they are permitted to do there.

Israel’s Election Law prohibits campaigning inside polling stations and wearing clothing or symbols identifying a political party. It also bars individuals from interfering with another person’s vote.

Adalah will operate an election-day hotline, Remez told The New Arab, with legal teams working alongside Arab parties to monitor and respond to voting irregularities.

"Where necessary, we will turn to the Central Elections Committee, the police and, if needed, the courts. We will advise activists who contact us to carefully document any disruption at polling stations, so that we can assess whether the integrity of the results has been affected," he said.

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has spent three months preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel, after receiving an infusion of cash from Iran, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on its activities.

The group, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has been dealt severe blows in two wars with Israel since 2024, with thousands of fighters and many of its leaders killed, and much of its arsenal destroyed.

Invading Israeli forces now occupy its heartland of villages in southern Lebanon, and political pressure has built up in Beirut for its disarmament.

It nevertheless remains committed to fighting Israel and has used a lull in hostilities since June to rearm, with a focus on procuring explosives and producing drones that can be flown into Israeli positions, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters.

One of the sources, and another close to Hezbollah, said the group had received tens of millions of dollars from Iran to help boost its military capabilities. That is in addition to around $200 million that the group received from Tehran to aid displaced families in its Shia heartlands, which Reuters reported earlier this month.

The group has been restoring command-and-control structures that broke down in key battles, according to one of those sources and three other security officials familiar with the group's operations.

In response to questions from Reuters, Hezbollah's media office said Israel's occupation of Lebanese land made any resistance to it a legitimate right. It rejected the suggestion that its command-and-control systems had broken down.

Israel's military declined to comment. Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters questions.

A US State Department spokesman said Washington would keep strangling Hezbollah's finances through sanctions and other measures. A US Treasury spokesperson said Iran was running out of money and ways to move money.

Hezbollah on alert

Hezbollah's effort comes amid continued tensions in the wider Middle Eastern conflict ignited by the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February.

Hezbollah opened fire in support of Iran on 2 March, triggering an Israeli offensive that killed more than 4,000 people and uprooted a quarter of Lebanon's population, mostly members of Hezbollah's Shia Muslim constituency.

Hostilities largely abated over the summer as an interim Iran-US deal included a Lebanon ceasefire and Washington-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel. Full-scale hostilities have not resumed in Lebanon despite the collapse of the US-Iranian deal, though Israel continues deadly strikes in the south.

Hezbollah is on alert for a possible US-Iran escalation, potentially reigniting the Lebanon front.

Sources told Reuters the group has not yet fully prepared its stockpiles or fighting force.

Hezbollah is still restocking, acknowledging this month that explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belonged to it and were intended for use against Israel. A ⁠Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters they were specifically ​for its explosive drones.

Israel's remote warfare proved a challenge, sources say

The group will also need to repair its command-and-control capabilities after losses on key fronts, including the flashpoint town of Bint Jbeil and the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, according to one Lebanese source and three security officials.

They said Hezbollah's tactic of operating in small units and rationing the use of anti-tank rockets left some units isolated on those fronts, struggling to confront Israel's remotely operated systems, including weaponised drones and armed remote-controlled vehicles.

The Israeli military told Reuters it uses remotely-operated systems to monitor southern Lebanon and reduce troops' threat exposure.

Hezbollah has not explicitly said whether it would take part in the eruption of fresh hostilities, but its media office said it was wary of giving Israeli leaders any justification to escalate in Lebanon, particularly as the group was concerned about its constituents being displaced once more.

Lebanon is closely watching Tuesday's Israeli parliamentary election and the US midterms on 3 November amid fears of renewed war in the region, as Lebanese officials intensify contacts with Hezbollah to prevent the country from being drawn into another conflict.

The concerns centre on the possibility of new US-Israeli attacks on Iran following the elections, with Lebanon particularly vulnerable as diplomatic negotiations remain stalled and Israeli military operations continue in the south.

The New Arab has learned that intensive domestic and international contacts are under way to keep Lebanon out of any wider confrontation.

Consultations are taking place between advisers to Lebanon's three top leaders - the president, prime minister, and Speaker of Parliament, while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has been urging Hezbollah not to get involved if war erupts between Iran and the United States and Israel.

Hezbollah has expressed concern for Lebanon's stability, but its position remains dependent on developments on the ground and Israeli actions inside Lebanon, according to information obtained by The New Arab.

The group has also discussed the possibility of military support with Iranian officials, although there is considerable hesitation about taking such a step given the potentially devastating consequences of another war, particularly for Hezbollah's support base.

The consultations follow media reports that Hezbollah had assured Berri it would not intervene militarily in support of Iran, despite having previously joined the war on 2 March.

A Hezbollah parliamentary source told The New Arab that the group prioritised Lebanon's stability and accused Washington and Israel of threatening the country.

"Instead of focusing on us, the Lebanese state should act to stop Israeli attacks and stop submitting to American dictates that will bring no good to our country," the source said.

Asked whether Hezbollah had promised Berri not to intervene, the source declined to confirm the reports.

"We are confident in Iran's capabilities, and as we always say, the final word belongs to the battlefield," the source said.

Hezbollah denies taking orders from Iran

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah separately rejected claims on Monday that the group's military decisions were dictated by Tehran.

"The resistance's decision is a Lebanese decision taken by its leadership, and no one abroad or at home dictates it," he said in a statement distributed by Hezbollah's media office.

Fadlallah insisted that Iran had never asked Hezbollah to intervene militarily on its behalf against US-Israeli attacks.

"On the contrary, when we meet Iranian officials, they ask what we want and what is in our interest and Lebanon's interest so they can support us," he said.

He also rejected calls for Hezbollah's disarmament while Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory, arguing that the issue should be addressed through national dialogue after Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced residents and the release of prisoners.

Lebanese officials are concerned that Israel could intensify military operations after Tuesday's Knesset election, potentially provoking a Hezbollah response and reigniting the war.

Israel has continued its attacks despite the framework agreement signed on 26 June, while insisting on maintaining its designated security zone in southern Lebanon.

The continued military operations and Israel's refusal to compromise have obstructed negotiations, including military-level talks held in Tampa, Florida, last week.

On Saturday, Israel's public broadcaster reported that the military had raised its alert level ahead of the election, deploying tens of thousands of soldiers across several fronts, including Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Military officials said there was no specific intelligence warning of an imminent attack, but confirmed preparations for an exercise simulating a surprise assault.

Israeli artillery targeted Khiam, Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Mansouri, Wadi al-Hujeir and Wadi al-Slouqi in southern Lebanon on Monday, highlighting fears that renewed fighting could erupt regardless of the election outcome.

Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank are increasingly targeting foreign activists as well as Palestinians, with Italian NGO researcher and campaigner Manuel Tartarotti telling The New Arab how he and his father, Alberto, were arrested by Israeli police near Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank on 20 October.

The two men were blindfolded, transported in a military jeep to a base in Hebron, beaten and detained for 24 hours on suspicion of "terrorism" before being deported to Italy, according to Tartarotti.

Manuel Tartarotti, 35, is a doctoral researcher in NGO management at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy, while his father, Alberto, is 67.

The Tartarotti family's West Bank experience

"They didn't tell us where they were taking us, and they beat me in the back of the vehicle. I didn't know what was going to happen. I was scared," Tartarotti said.

The father and son arrived in the West Bank on 18 October to deliver funds raised in Italy to Youth of Sumud, a Palestinian grassroots organisation that received the Alexander Langer International Award in 2024 in recognition of its peaceful resistance in the southern Hebron Hills.

Tartarotti said he had travelled with Palestinian members of the group and three Al Jazeera journalists to monitor and document demolitions in Palestinian villages after his friend Sami Huraini, a Palestinian activist and one of the group's founders, informed him that further demolitions were taking place.

Around half an hour later, Israeli police arrived and checked their IDs before taking the two Italians away.

They were interrogated, fingerprinted and had DNA samples taken, Tartarotti said. They remained handcuffed until the evening.

Israeli authorities subsequently informed them that they would be deported over suspected links to terrorism because they had entered an area declared off-limits and were associated with Youth of Sumud, which Israel designates as a terrorist organisation.

According to Tartarotti, they were told that their presence with the group, which does not advocate violence, meant they were linked to a terrorist organisation.

Israeli police, however, said the two men were suspected of illegally entering a military zone and having links to Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organisation that Israel also designates as a terrorist group.

Police also said the pair had participated in olive harvesting without a permit near the village of At-Tuwani and had fled with Palestinian farmers into a military training zone when officers arrived.

Tartarotti said their phones and social media posts were searched, after which they were both given a 10-year ban from entering Israel.

He expressed regret that he would no longer be able to return to the area and feared that the consequences of being accused of terrorism could last a lifetime.

He believes the deportations are intended to deter international solidarity activists from travelling to the West Bank to support Palestinians during the olive harvest season.

Tartarotti said Israeli authorities had provided no concrete evidence of any crime. During questioning, officers showed them social media posts published by the two men, which he said expressed support for Palestine and opposition to the Israeli occupation rather than advocating terrorism.

The authorities then handed them documents revoking their visas and imposing the 10-year entry ban. He and his father were not considering appealing the decision, he added.

However, Tartarotti remains in contact with Luisa Morgantini, president of Assopace Palestina, an organisation promoting solidarity with the Palestinian people, peace and human rights.

Morgantini, who has previously been expelled from the region, hopes to organise a collective return trip for people who have received deportation orders, he added.

Palestinian activists face greater risks

Tartarotti said Palestinian activists faced the greatest dangers, risking their lives daily to document violations by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

"All my friends have been arrested and tortured simply for documenting violations by settlers and the army," he said.

He remains in touch with members of Youth of Sumud, who, he said, continue to face repeated attacks by settlers and the military.

Tartarotti also referred to the detention of Italian women activists in the al-Buweib area of Hebron on 22 October while they were accompanying Palestinian farmers.

He said he had met the women at a guesthouse run by Youth of Sumud but did not know them personally. He added that they, too, were due to be deported.

"What happened to the women was the same as what happened to us: people are on the ground accompanying Palestinians and witnessing what is happening, only to be detained and expelled," he said.

No contact with Italian authorities

Tartarotti said neither he nor his father had contacted an Italian diplomatic mission in Israel following their arrest, and they had received no assistance from Italy's foreign ministry or government.

Upon their return, Italian authorities briefly listened to their account before returning their passports, he said.

He believes such incidents are specifically intended to discourage international volunteers and observers from travelling to the West Bank and documenting abuses by settlers and the Israeli military.

European governments, beginning with Italy, should acknowledge what he described as Israeli violations of international law, he said, arguing that Israel systematically treats the West Bank as a colony under military rule.

Tartarotti, who has visited the West Bank for several years, said conditions had steadily deteriorated, particularly since 7 October 2023.

"Palestinians live in terrible conditions. They are constantly afraid of demolitions, arbitrary arrests without trial, and the confiscation of land, livestock and equipment," he said.

"Settlers have become more violent. People are killed daily by settlers and the army, yet very little is said about it."

He added that the presence of international volunteers had previously provided a degree of protection for Palestinian activists, as Israeli soldiers were more cautious about committing abuses in front of foreign observers.

That protection has significantly weakened, he said, with international activists now also facing detention, arrest and deportation.

Their expulsion, he warned, further restricts the ability to document events in the West Bank and communicate them to the outside world.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey agreed on Monday to continue security consultations and strengthen regional cooperation following high-level talks in Tehran, amid fears of renewed US-Israeli strikes on Iran and escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

A joint statement issued after the first meeting between Iran and senior representatives of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement confirmed that the four countries had agreed to maintain dialogue and consultations, particularly on regional peace, security and stability.

The meeting was hosted by Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei and attended by Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

The statement said the participants had agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation between their countries, but did not announce any specific security agreement or new joint mechanism.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also received the three visiting officials earlier on Monday, calling on regional countries to overcome their differences and work together to address common security threats.

Pezeshkian said historical and religious ties between Muslim countries should provide the foundation for closer cooperation, expressing hope that the meeting would help establish mechanisms for regional security based on shared interests.

He accused Israel, with US support, of committing widespread crimes in Gaza, Lebanon and other countries before extending its attacks to Iranian territory, including strikes that killed military commanders, scientists and civilians.

The Iranian president argued that military and economic pressure had failed to weaken Iran or force it to surrender, instead strengthening domestic solidarity and determination to defend the country's sovereignty.

He also urged regional governments to turn political understandings into practical measures rather than limiting cooperation to statements and agreements that remain unimplemented.

Pezeshkian called for stronger economic, scientific and cultural ties, as well as easier movement and exchanges between neighbouring countries.

He warned against attempts to inflame sectarian and political divisions, accusing Washington and Israel of seeking to weaken Muslim countries and deal with them individually.

Iran calls for regional security without foreign interference

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the talks formed part of efforts to establish a regional security framework led by Middle Eastern countries rather than external powers.

Speaking to Iranian state television earlier on Monday, Bagheri Kani said the initiative had emerged during Munir's visit to Tehran last week, when Iranian officials were informed of the three countries' intention to hold joint consultations.

He expressed hope that the discussions would contribute to regional stability and enable the participating countries to draw on one another's experience in addressing security threats.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the meeting would address developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon, Israeli policies in the region and the consequences of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Baghaei described the talks as an opportunity to explore regional security arrangements based on the shared interests of neighbouring countries.

He said the initial consultations were intended to identify priorities and establish an agenda for further discussions.

Pezeshkian reiterates Iran's nuclear position

During his meeting with the visiting delegation, Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons and that its nuclear programme was intended for peaceful purposes.

He stressed Tehran's right to peaceful nuclear activities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Iranian president also criticised Washington's contradictory approach of expressing willingness to negotiate while threatening military strikes against Iranian facilities.

He argued that such threats undermined confidence in diplomacy and made it more difficult to reach lasting agreements.

Pezeshkian said Iran would continue defending its rights and interests under international law and urged regional countries to coordinate their positions to prevent further military attacks.

Saudi Arabia backs efforts to reduce tensions

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the visit by Prince Khalid bin Salman and representatives of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was part of continuing efforts to reduce tensions and encourage diplomatic solutions.

The ministry said the discussions supported mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan aimed at preventing another confrontation between Iran and the United States.

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Raed Krimly also said the talks reflected the role the agreement's member states hoped to play in promoting regional stability through dialogue.

The diplomatic efforts come amid intensifying tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement, which has continued launching attacks against the kingdom.

The possibility of renewed US-Israeli military action against Iran has also raised concerns that another confrontation could spread across the region.

Qatar steps up mediation amid fears of renewed war

Monday's meeting followed the arrival of a Qatari delegation in Tehran on Sunday evening as part of Doha's efforts to prevent further escalation between Washington and Tehran.

A source familiar with regional mediation efforts told The New Arab that the visit was intended to build on continuing diplomatic contacts aimed at preventing the conflict from worsening.

The source said Iran had already communicated its positions and demands clearly to mediators.

Baghaei confirmed that the Qatari delegation's visit formed part of ongoing regional consultations, covering both bilateral cooperation and Doha's mediation efforts.

He said the exchange of messages and diplomatic initiatives between regional countries was important amid the current tensions.

Qatar and Pakistan have been involved in efforts to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the United States throughout the conflict.

Iran warns against another military confrontation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday against renewed US military action, saying Tehran would maintain its regional policies regardless of whether another war broke out.

Araghchi said that although there was growing discussion of another conflict, he was already considering what would happen after it ended.

He argued that previous military confrontations had demonstrated the consequences of attempting to resolve disputes with Iran through force.

The foreign minister also reiterated Tehran's position that lasting regional security could only be achieved through cooperation between neighbouring countries without foreign interference.

He stressed that Iran remained prepared to work with Gulf states and other regional countries to establish a more stable security environment.

Welcome,

Here are the updates:

- Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from resuming.

- Parliament authorised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday to take "all necessary measures" to help Saudi Arabia to defend itself - a move that could push Cairo more directly into the conflict between the kingdom and Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis.

- The Jordanian military said it had struck "terrorist organisations" in neighbouring Syria on Monday in retaliation for a deadly jihadist attack on a church last week, hours after authorities arrested three men they accused of the killings.

- A ceasefire agreement in Gaza has not stopped what a group of independent experts commissioned by the UN say is genocide carried out by Israel in the territory, the team said in a new report on Monday.

Several Israeli tanks and military vehicles advanced further west of the so-called 'Yellow Line' in central Gaza on Monday morning, sources told The New Arab, amid fears that Israel is seeking to expand its occupation of the besieged Palestinian territory.

This came as Israeli attacks continued to kill people across the Gaza Strip.

On Monday afternoon, two Palestinians were killed and another injured in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in Deir al-Balah.

Earlier on Monday, civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal reported that at least 13 people had been killed and 60 injured by Israeli fire and airstrikes across Gaza over the previous 24 hours.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing heavy gunfire in eastern Deir al-Balah at dawn on Monday, followed by the westward movement of Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers into an area home to hundreds of displaced families.

Osama al-Kahlout, a resident of Deir al-Balah, said the Israeli army had advanced west of the demarcation line several times over the past week.

"These movements have forced residents to flee their homes and shelters, only to return when the forces pull back, leaving families in a constant state of uncertainty and fear," al-Kahlout toldThe New Arab.

Residents, he added, were growing "increasingly concerned that these advances could be part of a gradual effort to reposition troops and expand the Yellow Line westward, rather than temporary military operations."

The so-called 'Yellow Line', marked by large yellow concrete blocks, delineates areas under Israeli military control.

Although the initial arrangement under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan was intended to be temporary and followed by a gradual Israeli withdrawal, the Israeli military has instead expanded its area of control. Estimates now suggest Israel controls nearly two-thirds of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Al-Kahlout said residents’ main fear was that Israeli forces would eventually reach Salah al-Din Street, a major road connecting northern and southern Gaza that lies well west of the current demarcation line.

Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gaza-based political analyst, told The New Arab that any westward expansion towards the road "could further fragment the Strip and increase the territory under Israeli control".

Monday’s advance comes just weeks after dozens of Palestinian families in Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighbourhood were forced to flee when Israeli forces moved the yellow concrete blocks marking the line towards their tents without warning.

Military expansion ahead of elections

Ibrahim said the "repeated advances and withdrawals could indicate an attempt to gradually expand the area under Israeli control and establish new military positions."

"Maintaining Israeli military control over parts of Gaza and expanding the area under its control could serve the objectives of [Benjamin Netanyahu’s] far-right coalition, which opposes a full Israeli withdrawal and seeks to impose new realities on the ground," Ibrahim told The New Arab.

With Israel heading to the polls on Tuesday, Ibrahim argued that Netanyahu’s continued military operations in Gaza were closely tied to his political survival.

Netanyahu "seeks to project an image of strength and security to Israeli voters, particularly among right-wing constituencies that support maintaining military pressure on Hamas," he said.

The prime minister, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, also faces fierce criticism from opponents over the security failures surrounding the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.

Gaza has seen an escalation in Israeli attacks in the week preceding the general election. The total death toll since the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign has reached 74,555.

"Ultimately, the continuation of these operations risks deepening Palestinian suffering while leaving the political future of Gaza increasingly uncertain," Ibrahim said.

Syrian authorities have arrested several senior officers from Bashar al-Assad's former regime, including his cousin, as part of an ongoing crackdown on suspects accused of atrocities during the country's 14-year-long civil war.

Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba announced the arrests on Monday, saying those detained included senior military and intelligence officials, former air force pilots and individuals suspected of involvement in massacres and attacks on civilians.

Among those arrested was Yahya al-Assad, a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad who held the rank of colonel in Branch 105, a unit of the former regime's security apparatus.

Al-Baba said the detainees also included a major general who had commanded the 24th Division and the Air Defence Directorate, as well as senior officials from the Air Force Intelligence Directorate.

Another suspect was allegedly involved in the Tadamon massacre, one of the most notorious atrocities committed by Assad's forces during the Syrian uprising.

The arrests also included a fighter pilot accused of bombing Syrian cities, a brigadier general from the Political Security Directorate, the head of investigations at Air Force Intelligence and a judge who served in the former regime's Counterterrorism Court.

Other detainees included two brigadier generals from the Republican Guard, a senior officer at Tishreen Military Hospital, a military doctor, a helicopter pilot and another fighter pilot accused of taking part in attacks on civilian areas.

The arrests are part of efforts by Syria's new authorities to pursue former military and security officials suspected of committing abuses during the uprising against Assad, including aerial bombardments, arbitrary detention, torture and massacres.

Former regime pilots targeted

Syrian authorities have stepped up arrests of former air force personnel in recent weeks, targeting officers suspected of involvement in bombing campaigns against opposition-held areas.

In September, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of nine former regime pilots in Latakia province.

According to the ministry, preliminary investigations indicated that the pilots had participated in combat missions and airstrikes targeting several areas, including Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo and its countryside, Deir ez-Zor and rural Hama.

On 18 September, authorities detained five former air force officers and commanders in Tartous province, including pilots and officials who had held operational and field responsibilities.

Two days later, security forces arrested Brigadier General Zakaria Mohammed Sannoun, who served as head of operations in the 22nd Division between 2012 and 2020.

Authorities accused Sannoun of overseeing operations at the Hama, Tiyas (T4) and Shayrat military airbases during the conflict.

On 28 September, internal security forces arrested Colonel Khaldoun Hussein Mubarak in the Jableh countryside of Latakia province.

He was accused of participating in combat sorties against Syrian areas during the uprising.

The Interior Ministry has described the arrests as part of continuing investigations into former officers and military personnel suspected of war crimes and other violations, with judicial proceedings expected to follow.

Suspect in 2013 massacres arrested

The latest arrests come less than two weeks after Syrian authorities announced the detention of Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural and nicknamed the "Butcher of Baniyas".

Kayali was arrested on 15 October over his alleged role in the 2013 massacres in Baniyas and al-Bayda, in the Tartous countryside.

Syrian authorities accuse him of responsibility for the killings, which took place during the early years of the uprising against Assad.

The successive arrests mark a widening effort to track down former regime figures accused of involvement in atrocities committed during the conflict.

Authorities have said investigations will continue and that suspects will face further judicial proceedings over their alleged roles in abuses against Syrians.

A bitter feud between Russian oil traders has spilled into courts in Dubai and Brazil, with lawsuits worth hundreds of millions of dollars and allegations of stolen trade secrets and death threats.

The dispute involves Igor Soglayev, a former Deutsche Bank executive, and traders linked to the sanctioned Coral oil network, according to an investigation published by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

The fallout began when a tanker carrying Russian diesel worth tens of millions of dollars failed to deliver its cargo in Brazil.

The dispute has since led to claims exceeding $500 million, a $42 million arbitration award and a Dubai court order freezing assets worth up to $704 million.

Soglayev, who previously advised Igor Sechin, the head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, partnered with traders associated with Coral in early 2024.

He established Dubai-based DIA33 to trade Russian diesel and export it to Brazil, but the partnership collapsed following the failed shipment.

Coral-linked traders accused Soglayev of failing to pay for the fuel and secured a Dubai arbitration ruling ordering him to pay approximately $42 million.

Soglayev then filed lawsuits in Dubai and Brazil, accusing his former partners of undermining his business and misusing confidential commercial information.

He is seeking more than $500 million in damages and claims to have received death threats.

In June, a Dubai judge ordered the freezing of up to $704 million in assets belonging to the defendants and associated companies.

The order remains in place while appeals continue, although questions over the court's jurisdiction have complicated proceedings. No final ruling has settled the competing allegations.

The WSJ reported that the UAE court handling the main case has not made the proceedings public.

Accusations of stolen clients

The dispute has also reached Brazil, where DIA33 accused Coral of recruiting senior employees and using its customer base, offices and infrastructure to establish a rival business.

Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that a commercial court in Sao Paulo had identified indications of unfair competition.

Representatives of the defendants denied wrongdoing, arguing that the dispute stemmed from a business partnership that had never been fully formalised.

Coral has separately accused DIA33 of misappropriating a diesel shipment.

A sanctioned oil network

Coral Energy, renamed 2Rivers in 2024, has been a major player in Russian oil trading, with commercial roots in Azerbaijan and offices in Dubai and Singapore.

Western officials accuse traders associated with the network of helping Moscow maintain oil exports and finance its war in Ukraine despite sanctions.

Britain sanctioned the group in December 2024 and added five executives to its sanctions list in May 2025.

The European Union has also sanctioned associated entities, accusing them of facilitating Russian oil exports, disguising the origin of shipments and using vessels linked to Moscow's so-called shadow fleet.

The network has denied breaching sanctions and announced plans to wind down operations in August 2025, citing Western pressure.

Dubai has become an important hub for Russian oil trading since Moscow redirected exports away from Europe following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Before leaving home for work or travelling to a university in another town, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are now used to checking their phones for road updates.

Telegram groups dedicated to traffic throughout the occupied West Bank have become part of daily life, with Palestinian residents sharing information about open and closed checkpoints, where traffic congestion and what alternative routes exist.

The status of a single checkpoint can change several times within minutes, as Israeli closures increasingly sever roads between West Bank cities and villages—a trend which has escalated since Israel launched its war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

The Israeli military's announcement that it would seal off all land crossings into the occupied West Bank on Tuesday 27 October, the day of Israel's elections, has once again drawn attention to Israel's restrictions over Palestinian movement.

Israel has long imposed such measures during religious holidays, special occasions and elections. While these used to focus more on closing crossings between the occupied West Bank and Israel within its 1967 borders, closures within the occupied West Bank itself have expanded significantly since October 2023.

Linking West Bank settlements

Statistics released by the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission on 25 September reveal the scale of the shutdown. There are now 942 checkpoints, closure points, and physical barriers across the occupied West Bank—comprising 824 permanent checkpoints and closure points, alongside 118 linear obstacles (such as earth mounds, trenches, and road blocks) that span approximately 107.7 km.

Hebron governorate tops the list with 221 permanent checkpoints and roadblocks, followed by Ramallah and al-Bireh with 160, Nablus with 120, Bethlehem with 78 and occupied Jerusalem with 62.

The commission also documented the installation of 13 additional gates and fixed checkpoints in the two months preceding its report, including 10 iron gates in Jenin governorate.

These installations enable the Israeli army to control movement between Palestinian communities, as closing a single gate can block access to a town or village, forcing residents to take alternative routes that considerably lengthen their journeys.

The commission also documented settlers installing iron gates on Palestinian roads, including two near Kafr Ni'ma and Umm Safa in Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate.

Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia, a political science professor at Birzeit University, told The New Arab that Israel has spent decades developing a complex, multilayered system to control Palestinian movement. This extended from closing the crossings linking the West Bank to the territories occupied in 1948, affecting people and goods, to restricting travel between cities and towns within the occupied territories.

Israel tightens these measures during elections, holidays and other occasions, or on security grounds, Rabaia said, adding that the restrictions also served settlement projects which themselves required limiting Palestinian movement.

He described the measures accompanying the current Israeli elections as neither new nor exceptional. However, they coincide with an Israeli military campaign in Hebron and other parts of the West Bank, alongside escalating settler attacks.

Israel has made significant progress in fragmenting the occupied West Bank into separate Palestinian enclaves through complex geographical, security and administrative arrangements, while consolidating the territorial continuity and communication networks between Israeli settlements, Rabaia said.

He argued that Israel was exploiting international, regional and domestic circumstances to advance this project.

The priority given to settler movement has been reflected in statements by Israeli officials. In August 2023, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his right, and that of his wife and children, to travel on West Bank roads was more important than Palestinians' freedom of movement, citing security concerns.

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for buffer zones around settlements and roads used by settlers, barring Palestinians from entering them even to harvest olives.

The closures also carry mounting economic costs. A March 2025 study by the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), examining the northern and central West Bank, estimated that delays at checkpoints cost Palestinians approximately 191,000 working hours daily.

The resulting losses amounted to around $764,600 a day, or $16.8 million a month, in addition to approximately $6 million annually in extra fuel costs.

These losses coincide with rising unemployment. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics recorded a West Bank unemployment rate of 27.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026, with approximately 284,000 people unemployed amid shrinking employment opportunities, declining economic activity and the repercussions of the war.

From restricted movement to displacement

Some Israeli closures are linked to colonial policies intended to tighten control over Palestinian movement, often justified as measures to prevent attacks on Israelis. However, these security arguments alone do not explain the nature of the restrictions, according to Adel Shadid, a specialist in Israeli affairs.

He told The New Arab that the measures are also part of a policy of collective punishment and revenge pursued by far-right settler forces within the Israeli government, including Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and lawmakers Orit Strock and Avi Maoz.

Shadid pointed to Smotrich's public celebration of the demolition of Palestinian buildings and confiscation of land, as well as Ben-Gvir's statements about punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners.

He argued that the political dimension was paramount, adding that the Israeli government sought to subdue Palestinians into accepting a long-term reality of restrictions and control in line with the ideological project of religious Zionism and Smotrich's "Decisive Plan" for annexing the West Bank, proposed in 2017.

The closures also aim to intensify economic and social pressures, pushing Palestinians to reconsider their political choices and fuelling internal disputes over responsibility for deteriorating living conditions, Shadid added.

Israeli affairs specialist Muawiya Musa, meanwhile, told The New Arab that in his eyes there was no direct link between the closures and the elections. Instead their origins could be traced to a policy that began taking shape during the second intifada in 2000.

Musa distinguished between what he called "Israel 1", representing the traditional Israeli political current, and "Israel 2", represented by the settler right and religious Zionism.

He argued that the former sought to turn closures into de facto borders confining Palestinians to Areas A and B under the Oslo Accords, while the latter openly advocated complete separation and the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank altogether.

The two interpretations share the view that Israeli closures extend beyond immediate security concerns, even if analysts differ over their precise objectives. Geographical fragmentation and economic and social pressure, they argue, operate together to consolidate control over Palestinians and restrict their ability to move, work and maintain stable lives.

The policy takes on added significance amid increasingly explicit Israeli calls for displacement. In February, Smotrich announced plans to "encourage migration" from the West Bank and Gaza, linking this to the cancellation of the Oslo Accords and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

The strangulation of the occupied West Bank, therefore, is not the result of a temporary security situation or an election season. Rather, it reflects an accumulation of restrictions and settlement policies that have accelerated since the war on Gaza, gradually turning the territory into an increasingly unliveable spaces for Palestinians.

By narrowing the geographical space available to Palestinians and undermining the foundations of their economic and social lives, the expanding network of checkpoints, gates and road restrictions is intensifying pressures on residents' ability to remain in their communities, as the displacement of Palestinians becomes an increasingly explicit component of the Israeli right's political agenda.

Egypt's parliament authorised on Monday sending military support to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom from attacks by Yemen's Houthis, following a request from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The House of Representatives "approved authorising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

The parliament, stacked with supporters of Sisi, had held three rare secret meetings on the matter and postponed the vote twice.

Sisi last week had asked parliament to authorise military support to Saudi Arabia, "if requested".

It was not immediately clear what defensive support could be provided by Egypt, the Arab world's largest military, which boasts hundreds of thousands of active personnel, fighter jets and complex air defences sourced from countries including the US, China, France and Russia.

Sisi said on Wednesday that his country's support would be to "defend Saudi territory, and does not include an attack on Yemen".

"We are talking about defending the land and borders of the kingdom," he said in a speech, adding that the top priority was for a diplomatic solution.

Egypt has undertaken a flurry of diplomatic manoeuvres since, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty consulting with the so-called R4, which includes members of the Meccah defence pact, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, which Cairo has not agreed to join.

On Monday, he said he was "talking daily with the Iranians" to push for regional de-escalation.

Before leaving home for work or travelling to a university in another town, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are now used to checking their phones for road updates.

Telegram groups dedicated to traffic throughout the occupied West Bank have become part of daily life, with Palestinian residents sharing information about open and closed checkpoints, where traffic congestion and what alternative routes exist.

The status of a single checkpoint can change several times within minutes, as Israeli closures increasingly sever roads between West Bank cities and villages—a trend which has escalated since Israel launched its war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

The Israeli military's announcement that it would seal off all land crossings into the occupied West Bank on Tuesday 27 October, the day of Israel's elections, has once again drawn attention to Israel's restrictions over Palestinian movement.

Israel has long imposed such measures during religious holidays, special occasions and elections. While these used to focus more on closing crossings between the occupied West Bank and Israel within its 1967 borders, closures within the occupied West Bank itself have expanded significantly since October 2023.

Linking West Bank settlements

Statistics released by the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission on 25 September reveal the scale of the shutdown. There are now 942 checkpoints, closure points, and physical barriers across the occupied West Bank—comprising 824 permanent checkpoints and closure points, alongside 118 linear obstacles (such as earth mounds, trenches, and road blocks) that span approximately 107.7 km.

Hebron governorate tops the list with 221 permanent checkpoints and roadblocks, followed by Ramallah and al-Bireh with 160, Nablus with 120, Bethlehem with 78 and occupied Jerusalem with 62.

The commission also documented the installation of 13 additional gates and fixed checkpoints in the two months preceding its report, including 10 iron gates in Jenin governorate.

These installations enable the Israeli army to control movement between Palestinian communities, as closing a single gate can block access to a town or village, forcing residents to take alternative routes that considerably lengthen their journeys.

The commission also documented settlers installing iron gates on Palestinian roads, including two near Kafr Ni'ma and Umm Safa in Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate.

Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia, a political science professor at Birzeit University, told The New Arab that Israel has spent decades developing a complex, multilayered system to control Palestinian movement. This extended from closing the crossings linking the West Bank to the territories occupied in 1948, affecting people and goods, to restricting travel between cities and towns within the occupied territories.

Israel tightens these measures during elections, holidays and other occasions, or on security grounds, Rabaia said, adding that the restrictions also served settlement projects which themselves required limiting Palestinian movement.

He described the measures accompanying the current Israeli elections as neither new nor exceptional. However, they coincide with an Israeli military campaign in Hebron and other parts of the West Bank, alongside escalating settler attacks.

Israel has made significant progress in fragmenting the occupied West Bank into separate Palestinian enclaves through complex geographical, security and administrative arrangements, while consolidating the territorial continuity and communication networks between Israeli settlements, Rabaia said.

He argued that Israel was exploiting international, regional and domestic circumstances to advance this project.

The priority given to settler movement has been reflected in statements by Israeli officials. In August 2023, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his right, and that of his wife and children, to travel on West Bank roads was more important than Palestinians' freedom of movement, citing security concerns.

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for buffer zones around settlements and roads used by settlers, barring Palestinians from entering them even to harvest olives.

The closures also carry mounting economic costs. A March 2025 study by the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), examining the northern and central West Bank, estimated that delays at checkpoints cost Palestinians approximately 191,000 working hours daily.

The resulting losses amounted to around $764,600 a day, or $16.8 million a month, in addition to approximately $6 million annually in extra fuel costs.

These losses coincide with rising unemployment. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics recorded a West Bank unemployment rate of 27.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026, with approximately 284,000 people unemployed amid shrinking employment opportunities, declining economic activity and the repercussions of the war.

From restricted movement to displacement

Some Israeli closures are linked to colonial policies intended to tighten control over Palestinian movement, often justified as measures to prevent attacks on Israelis. However, these security arguments alone do not explain the nature of the restrictions, according to Adel Shadid, a specialist in Israeli affairs.

He told The New Arab that the measures are also part of a policy of collective punishment and revenge pursued by far-right settler forces within the Israeli government, including Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and lawmakers Orit Strock and Avi Maoz.

Shadid pointed to Smotrich's public celebration of the demolition of Palestinian buildings and confiscation of land, as well as Ben-Gvir's statements about punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners.

He argued that the political dimension was paramount, adding that the Israeli government sought to subdue Palestinians into accepting a long-term reality of restrictions and control in line with the ideological project of religious Zionism and Smotrich's "Decisive Plan" for annexing the West Bank, proposed in 2017.

The closures also aim to intensify economic and social pressures, pushing Palestinians to reconsider their political choices and fuelling internal disputes over responsibility for deteriorating living conditions, Shadid added.

Israeli affairs specialist Muawiya Musa, meanwhile, told The New Arab that in his eyes there was no direct link between the closures and the elections. Instead their origins could be traced to a policy that began taking shape during the second intifada in 2000.

Musa distinguished between what he called "Israel 1", representing the traditional Israeli political current, and "Israel 2", represented by the settler right and religious Zionism.

He argued that the former sought to turn closures into de facto borders confining Palestinians to Areas A and B under the Oslo Accords, while the latter openly advocated complete separation and the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank altogether.

The two interpretations share the view that Israeli closures extend beyond immediate security concerns, even if analysts differ over their precise objectives. Geographical fragmentation and economic and social pressure, they argue, operate together to consolidate control over Palestinians and restrict their ability to move, work and maintain stable lives.

The policy takes on added significance amid increasingly explicit Israeli calls for displacement. In February, Smotrich announced plans to "encourage migration" from the West Bank and Gaza, linking this to the cancellation of the Oslo Accords and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

The strangulation of the occupied West Bank, therefore, is not the result of a temporary security situation or an election season. Rather, it reflects an accumulation of restrictions and settlement policies that have accelerated since the war on Gaza, gradually turning the territory into an increasingly unliveable spaces for Palestinians.

By narrowing the geographical space available to Palestinians and undermining the foundations of their economic and social lives, the expanding network of checkpoints, gates and road restrictions is intensifying pressures on residents' ability to remain in their communities, as the displacement of Palestinians becomes an increasingly explicit component of the Israeli right's political agenda.

Jordanian authorities on Monday identified three suspects arrested at dawn over last week's deadly church attack as members of the same family.

"The perpetrators of the attack on the church were two brothers and the third was their relative by marriage," Director of Public Security Major General Abdullah Al-Maaytah said at a press conference. He named the three as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein.

The attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, killed nine people and wounded 34 others during a funeral service.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya and Government Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Momani, the security chief described the suspects as extremists who had adopted an extremist ideology.

He said the three men lived near Hamoud village and had acted without prior planning.

According to the security chief, the suspects were following the funeral procession when they decided to carry out the attack, a decision he attributed to their extremist beliefs.

He said the three men had developed the idea together while following the procession, rather than preparing the assault in advance.

Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene in a single vehicle, which was later recovered by investigators.

Security forces also seized firearms and a large quantity of ammunition following their arrest.

Suspects arrested after shootout

Jordanian authorities announced early on Monday that they had arrested all three suspects following an armed confrontation at an abandoned house in the village of Al-Jadida, approximately five kilometres from Hamoud.

The Public Security Director said security teams had spent three days searching designated areas before narrowing their operation to a number of abandoned buildings.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday night, officers divided part of Al-Jadida into sectors and identified several abandoned houses for inspection.

The operation led security forces to the building where the suspects were hiding.

According to the Public Security Directorate, the men refused to surrender and opened fire on officers, prompting an exchange of gunfire.

All three suspects were wounded before being taken into custody and transferred to hospital. No members of the security forces were injured during the operation.

The security chief said investigators had pursued two lines of inquiry immediately after the attack.

The first focused on criminal investigations, intelligence gathering and collecting evidence from the scene.

The second involved emergency response measures, surveillance operations and tracking the suspects' movements and escape routes.

No evidence of links to wider groups

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said investigators had found no indications that the suspects were connected to other extremist cells or organisations.

He stressed, however, that the investigation remained ongoing and that authorities would pursue anyone found to have helped plan, encourage or facilitate the attack.

Al-Faraya described the killings as the product of an extremist ideology that was alien to Jordanian values and traditions.

He said tackling terrorism required more than arresting those responsible, calling for efforts to address the roots of extremism, hate speech and incitement.

The minister also referred to King Abdullah II's visit to survivors in hospital, during which the monarch pledged a firm response against those responsible for the killings.

Al-Faraya said the successful arrest operation demonstrated the authorities' commitment to protecting citizens and ensuring accountability.

Jordan warns against sectarian divisions

Government Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Momani urged Jordanians not to allow the attack to fuel religious hatred or divisions within society.

He described the killings as a turning point in the country's efforts to confront extremist and takfiri ideology, announcing that the government would continue working to combat radicalisation across different sectors.

Al-Momani said royal directives had called for a review of policies aimed at countering extremist thought and addressing its underlying causes through a systematic national strategy.

He stressed that confronting extremism was a shared responsibility involving government institutions, religious authorities, schools, the media and wider society.

Protecting the public, he argued, required challenging not only acts of violence but also the ideas and rhetoric used to justify them.

The minister also warned against misinformation and rumours, saying misleading information could spread fear, undermine public confidence and encourage incitement during times of crisis.

He urged the public to avoid discussions that could deepen religious or social divisions, stressing that the actions of extremists should not be used to blame entire communities.

"We must not allow terrorism to achieve through words what it failed to achieve through crime," Al-Momani said.

He added that Jordanian citizenship was not determined by religious or social identity and that no citizen should have to prove their belonging to the country.

The government would not allow extremist ideology to redefine relations between Jordanians or undermine the shared national identity that united them under the rule of law, he said.

Al-Momani also praised the solidarity shown by Jordanians towards the families of those killed, describing it as a demonstration of the country's rejection of hatred and division.

"This solidarity embodies our belief that the suffering of any Jordanian is the suffering of us all, and that our national unity is firmly rooted and cannot be undermined by terrorism," he said.

The attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud took place during a funeral service, leaving nine people dead and 34 others injured.

Authorities have pledged to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the killings and bring anyone involved to justice.

An alleged ceasefire agreement in Gaza has not stopped what a group of independent experts commissioned by the UN say is genocide carried out by Israel in the territory, the team said in a new report Monday.  They also accused Israeli forces of crimes against humanity, including torture and rape, in the occupied West Bank.

The report has multiple graphic accounts of sexual assaults by Israeli prison guards and soldiers on Palestinian detainees since October 2023. 

The findings by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which seeks to document in minute detail the allegations and evidence of crimes to bolster accountability for perpetrators, could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or in other jurisdictions to try to bring justice to victims and their relatives.

The report released on Monday said Israel was "continuing to commit genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza."

Much of the harm has come, the report says, from Israel’s expansion deeper into Gaza during that period. Since October 2025, when the US-brokered ceasefire was signed, Israeli forces have gone from controlling 53% of Gaza to at least 60%, the commission said.

The report also accused Israel and members of its security forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank and Gaza, including extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence and persecution against civilians.

The commission said that it had recently documented six cases where Israeli guards were sexually violent toward male detainees from Gaza in the Sde Teiman military prison. 

The commission says it drew its conclusions after investigating seven cases between November 2023 and June 2026, where Israeli forces caused bodily harm on Palestinians, often children, who did not appear to be posing a threat.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 75,000 Palestinians in Gaza—mostly women and children. 

Israeli authorities have thrown eight Palestinian prisoners into solitary confinement for making a cake to celebrate the possible departure of extremist national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir following Tuesday's election.

The prisoners at Lavi prison had saved up food over several days to make the cake in order to express hope that the vote will lead to the minister's exit from the government.

Prison guards found the cake in a cell, prompting officials to take disciplinary measures against the eight and send them to solitary confinement.

Ben-Gvir praised prison officials for the decision and mocked prisoners' lack of access to food.

"The terrorists in Lavi Prison sat and hoarded what little food they had, a spoonful of jam here, a slide of bread there, day after day," he wrote in a social media post.

"They did this for several days, all so they could make an improvised cake and celebrate if I am not elected," he continued.

המחבלים בכלא לביא ישבו ואגרו מהמעט מזון שיש להם. כף ריבה ועוד כף ריבה, פרוסת לחם ועוד פרוסת לחם, כך במשך כמה ימים, הכל כדי להכין עוגה מאולתרת ולחגוג ביום שלישי, במידה ולא אבחר. אלא שנציב שב״ס המצוין ואנשיו איתרו את העוגה, והאסירים הועמדו לדין משמעתי, והועברו לצינוק. הם כבר תכננו את החגיגות, אבל אצלנו נגמרה החגיגה. ביום שלישי אסור לתת להם לחגוג, מצביעים ב׳ בקלפי!

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) October 25, 2026

Ben-Gvir, who leads the Kahanist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power party, has attempted to make conditions for Palestinian inmates as unbearable as possible since taking control of Israeli prisons in 2022.

He has also personally taken part in the abuse and humiliation of Palestinian prisoners, as well as captured activists from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Israeli rights group B'Tselem has described Ben-Gvir's prison system as a "network of torture camps" that subjects Palestinians to physical and psychological abuse, starvation and inhuman conditions.

Ben-Gvir also led efforts to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners.

Otzma Yehudit is expected to gain seats in the Knesset following Tuesday's vote, profiting from the growing radicalisation of young Israelis.

Polls tracked by The New Arab project the party to pick up eight seats and become joint fifth-largest party in the assembly.

In 2022, the party was only able to make it into the Knesset by forming a joint list with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and another small far-right group.

Grief, anger and shock have consumed the village of Hammoud in Jordan's southern Karak governorate following the deadly attack on St George's Church on Friday 23 October which saw nine lose their lives.

Relatives recalled the moment gunfire erupted and desperate attempts to rescue the wounded, while stressing the deep-rooted relationship between Muslims and Christians in Karak and insisting the attack will not undermine social cohesion or national unity.

Jordan's Public Security Directorate announced early on Monday that the three gunmen who carried out the massacre had been arrested following an armed confrontation with security personnel.

Sultan al-Khitan, a Hammoud resident who witnessed the horrific scenes on Friday, told The New Arab that the incident began as people gathered in the church courtyard and exchanged greetings. Heavy gunfire suddenly rang out, sending people scrambling for cover.

The attackers continued firing from the street behind the church, while those present attempted to assist the wounded and get them out of the area.

Al-Khitan said he helped transport two people to safety, one wounded in the shoulder and the other in the neck. The gunfire continued for a while before gradually subsiding, and residents used their cars to take the injured to hospitals before returning to help evacuate others, he said.

He described seeing a blue Dyna pickup truck carrying two people, one of whom was armed with what looked like a Kalashnikov rifle.

Al-Khitan said the attack was unprecedented, with life in Hammoud characterised by close ties, regular visits and shared celebrations and condolences. To his knowledge, there had been no previous disputes or feuds that could explain the violence.

Waad al-Halsa, a relative of some of the victims, told The New Arab that those inside the church had been attending the funeral of their uncle's wife when the firing erupted without warning, leaving those present confused and initially unsure how to act.

He insisted that the massacre will not affect relations between Karak's Muslims and Christians, describing their bonds as strong and deeply rooted in everyday life.

Al-Halsa said one example was his friend Louay al-Halalmeh, who contacted him immediately after the attack to offer help transporting the injured—such gestures reflected the genuine solidarity between residents, which was demonstrated through practical action, particularly during times of hardship.

Khaled Barqan, a cousin of one of the victims, told The New Arab that Jordan had lost young people and skilled professionals in an immense tragedy without precedent in the country's history.

The victims were peaceful residents of Hammoud who had gone to a funeral, never expecting that a social obligation would turn into a scene of violence and bloodshed, he said.

Barqan described the attack as an act of terrorism that was difficult to comprehend, and condemned its violation of all laws, customs and human values.

Ehab Haddadin, another relative of a victim, said the tragedy extended far beyond the bereaved families to encompass the whole country.

"No matter how much a person tries to speak, there are no words that can express the scale of this tragedy," he told The New Arab.

He said relations between Muslims and Christians in Jordan were based on fraternity and solidarity, with no history of religious division, adding that he was shocked that such an attack had taken place.

Lina al-Halsa, whose cousins were among the dead and wounded, called for the harshest possible penalties against those responsible, so they would serve as a warning to anyone contemplating attacks on places of worship or peaceful civilians.

Sarah Haddadin said residents were still struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy. She saw the targeting of the church as an attempt to sow discord between Muslims and Christians, but believes it will fail to change the nature of relations between Jordanians.

The scenes of mourning and solidarity at the funerals in the village had demonstrated national unity and rejection of discrimination and division, she said, expressing confidence that security forces would pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.

Tribal figures in Karak also stressed that the attack had struck the entire country.

Firas Madallah Ali al-Assasfeh told The New Arab that Jordanians shared a commitment to national unity and social cohesion. He pointed to members of the Habashneh tribe, including Saed Mahmoud Ahmed Faleh al-Habashneh and Raji al-Aroud al-Habashneh, who were wounded alongside Christian victims outside the church church.

The scene embodied the shared fate of Jordanian communities and underscored the importance of safeguarding the country's security and stability.

Tribal figure Ismat al-Majali likewise called the attack a "painful tragedy" for Karak and Jordan as a whole, insisting that it would not damage the longstanding bonds between Muslims and Christians in the governorate.

Karak had historically been a unified community in which religious affiliation did not divide its residents, he said, pointing to the family and social ties reflected in shared celebrations, condolences and regular visits.

Some of the victims had worked in humanitarian professions, particularly medicine, and were accustomed to treating patients and helping those unable to afford healthcare, al-Majali added.