B’Tselem: Israel Killed 54 Palestinian Children in 2025; Its Killing The Highest Number Since 1967

Palestine Slams Israeli Plans to ‘Ok’ 100 Settlements on The West Bank

• CrossFireArabia
• June 30, 2026

Palestine on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel’s illegal settlement plan targeting about 100 locations inside the so-called Area A in the occupied West Bank.

“The move represents an additional development in Israeli colonial thinking and a blatant violation of international law and signed agreements,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described the plan as “a systematic war crime” aimed at imposing new facts by force on occupied Palestinian land, undermining security and stability, and destroying the foundations of the two-state solution.

“Israel has no sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian territory,” it said. “The occupation and settlement activity in all forms have no legitimacy and constitute a crime under international law, international consensus and UN resolutions.”

“Israel’s continued illegal occupation and colonial settlement system are the root of suffering and the main reason for the absence of security and peace in the Middle East,” the ministry continued.

It called on the international community and UN institutions, including the Security Council, to take practical deterrent measures to stop colonial settlement and compel Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with international law and UN resolutions.

The ministry also called for implementing the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, forcing Israel to abandon its colonial plans and abide by signed agreements, in a way that guarantees an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israeli occupier groups are said to have prepared a plan to seize 100 strategic locations in the Palestinian Authority-administered Area A of the occupied West Bank.

The Israel Hayom newspaper said the plan, prepared by the Settler Farms Association and the Havat (Farms) Forum, aims to fundamentally reshape the map of the occupied territory.

The proposal outlines a mechanism for deploying forces to approximately 100 strategic sites in the West Bank on what it describes as an “execution day.”

The locations are located in Area A, which, under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli army carries out near-daily raids in West Bank cities and towns, often involving arrests, field interrogations and home searches.

Israel was established in 1948 on lands occupied by armed Zionist groups that carried out massacres and displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians. It later occupied more territories and refused to withdraw or allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.

ESCWA: The War on Lebanon Displaces 140,000 Old People

• CrossFireArabia
• June 29, 2026

BEIRUT – The recent conflict has displaced around 20% of the Lebanese population, including an estimated 140,000 older persons, many of whom are living in dire conditions. This is revealed in a new policy brief issued, Monday, by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), titled “Conflict and its shockwaves: older persons amid war and displacement in Lebanon”. 

The brief warns of a deepening crisis threatening older persons’ health, dignity, and independence, amid humanitarian responses that remain insufficient to meet their specific needs, despite the efforts by the governmental and non-governmental sectors. As the conflict escalated, this group faced harsh choices between staying in unsafe areas or fleeing to environments that are ill-equipped to accommodate them, especially given the mobility limitations of some of them and limited available support.

The situation has been further aggravated by the closure of six hospitals, the targeting of 23 health centres, and the killing and injury of hundreds of healthcare workers. This has reduced service availability and made it more difficult for older persons, particularly those with chronic conditions, to access the care they needed. Despite government efforts to organize the health response, many older persons remain unable to access treatment due to transportation costs, limited mobility, or lack of information about available services.

In this context, ESCWA Population Affairs Officer Sara Salman warned that the conditions of war, ongoing anxiety, and accumulated trauma were leading to a deterioration in older persons’ mental and psychological health, with rising symptoms of depression and isolation. “What we are witnessing today is a double marginalization of older persons amid crises. They are not only losing their homes or sources of income but are also being deprived of essential services and recognition of their vital role in their communities,” she added.

The brief notes that overlapping crises have led to a sharp deterioration in the economic conditions of older persons, with many losing income or property, increasing their dependence on others and deepening their sense of marginalisation. Inadequate displacement environments have also undermined their independence and dignity, as many are forced to sleep on the ground or live without basic hygiene and care necessities.

Additional challenges are also highlighted in the brief including the inadequacy between food assistance and the needs of older persons. Food is often distributed according to standardized models that fail to consider their health requirements, effectively limiting their ability to benefit from it.

Despite this grim picture, Salman stressed the importance of recognizing the overlooked contributions of older persons within humanitarian responses, which tend to view them only through a lens of vulnerability. “They play a central role in supporting their families and communities. They are a pillar of resilience, and much of the credit for preserving social cohesion during crises and post crisis recovery goes to them,” she said.

The brief calls for a more inclusive humanitarian response that systematically addresses the needs of older persons by ensuring continuity of healthcare, especially for chronic diseases, improving shelter conditions to suit their needs, developing targeted economic support and social protection mechanisms, designing more appropriate food assistance and basic services, and involving older persons in the design and implementation of response programmes.