Five Palestinians killed in Israeli strike and West Bank violence

Jul 18, 2026

Following the dissolution of Israel's parliament on July 17, 2026, and the scheduling of elections for October 27, 2026, violence has intensified across Gaza and the West Bank. An Israeli drone strike killed eight mourners at a Gaza funeral, while the UN reported 57 Palestinian deaths over one week. In the West Bank, the Israeli cabinet approved billions of shekels for 34 new settlements and road infrastructure, fueling demolitions and settler attacks, including the burning of a mosque in at-Tawani.

Gaza funeral strike deaths

▪An Israeli drone strike on July 17, 2026, killed at least eight mourners during a funeral procession outside Ahmad Yassin Mosque in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
▪The United Nations human rights office reported that Israeli attacks killed at least 57 Palestinians, including six children and eight women, between July 13 and July 20, 2026.

West Bank settlement expansion

▪The Israeli security cabinet approved 1.075 billion shekels on July 15, 2026, for settler road infrastructure in the occupied West Bank.
▪The Israeli security cabinet approved 1.3 billion shekels to establish 34 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Settler attacks on Palestinians

▪Israeli settlers burned a village mosque, two homes, and a dairy factory in at-Tawani on July 18 and July 19, 2026.
▪More than 100 armed Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of Sinjil on July 16, 2026, and returned at dawn under army protection to burn crops.

Infrastructure demolitions for roads

▪Israeli authorities issued a military order seizing land in Jaba to facilitate a settlement road linking Route 60 to the Nabi Yaqub settlement.
▪Israeli forces and settlers destroyed three artesian wells near Atuf, confiscated pumps and generators, and severed 800 meters of pipeline.

Israeli election dissolution

▪Israel's parliament formally dissolved itself on July 17, 2026, and scheduled a national election for October 27, 2026.
▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's outgoing coalition passed a legislative blitz, including a Communications Law and ultra-Orthodox conscription protections, before parliament dissolved.

Gaza humanitarian crisis

▪Livestock feed imports to Gaza have been blocked for over a month, tripling barley prices and threatening a livestock die-off in August 2026.
▪Sixty-three percent of households in Gaza access less than six liters of drinking water daily, and 60 percent live within 10 meters of exposed sewage.