Palestine in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In the Palestinian territories in September 2026, security news centred on Israeli operations against Hamas in Gaza and on violence in the West Bank. The month opened with an Israeli raid in Gaza City, carried out with the Shin Bet and allied Palestinian militias, that captured a senior Hamas security chief; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the man led the group's internal security apparatus, and airstrikes during the operation killed at least four people, according to Palestinian reports. Netanyahu said Israel would not retreat from Gaza. Israel then killed a string of Hamas commanders, including the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade on 11 September, Rafah Brigade commander Ahmad Batash on 15 September, a finance chief in Khan Younis on 23 September, and Izz al-Din al-Beik on 29 September. Palestinian health authorities reported civilian deaths in many of the strikes, and the Gaza death toll rose from 73,821 on 17 September to more than 74,000 by the end of the month. On 16 September a building in Gaza City damaged by earlier strikes collapsed, killing at least 20 people, including children. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would finish the job and remove Palestinians from Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers died on 25 September when a drone they were operating exploded in northern Gaza.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed Palestinians in raids, including two teenagers on 3 September, and demolished homes, displacing 109 people in three villages on one day. Settlers attacked villages and mosques, burned cars and houses, and on 29 September more than 100 settlers rioted in a village near Ramallah, injuring Israeli forces; Netanyahu called them a handful of rioters. On 20 September Netanel Shukrun was shot dead near a natural spring, a Palestinian driver was killed in the response, and the army arrested dozens of Palestinians in raids that followed. Israel imposed a West Bank-wide closure at month's end, and Katz was ordered to prepare for an all-out war against the Palestinian Authority in case of an attack like that of 7 October.
Outside the territories, prosecutors in Germany and Austria charged people over alleged Hamas attack plans, and an Italian prosecutor said 18 million euros had been collected through a Hamas network in Italy. Reports in the month also said Netanyahu received warnings before 7 October 2023, which he denied.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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