Welcome to today’s daily update for Sunday, October 25, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
More than 1,200 Palestinians have been displaced as Israel launches another spree of home demolitions in the West Bank, angering international leaders and human rights organizations.
On Friday, a Palestinian attack at an Israeli checkpoint in the town of Hebron resulted in the death of two Israeli soldiers – a pair of gunmen opened fire at the scene and were later shot dead.
After the attack, Israel announced that they would search the neighborhoods of Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha – located near the checkpoint – for militants and weapons, and confirmed that demolitions would also be carried out. Within a day, Israel forced more than 1,200 Palestinians to leave their property and subsequently demolished their homes.
Israel also stated that they had arrested at least 70 Palestinians, but they did not elaborate on exactly what conditions or what terms the arrests were based off of. Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the mayor of the municipality, confirmed that the military didn’t just destroy homes – they also destroyed businesses, factories, roads, and other local infrastructure that had no apparent connection to the shooting.
Al-Jabari also stated that more than 1,300 Palestinians could still be at risk of losing their homes in the coming days as Israeli officials continue demolition operations. Officials across the globe have condemned Israel’s actions, and the Palestinian Authority criticized the demolitions as “collective punishment” – an action that is officially prohibited by international law.
In 2019, Israel demolished hundreds of Palestinian apartments in the city of East Jerusalem after claiming that they were too close to a security barrier.
In 2023, a similar shooting near a Palestinian town resulted in the Israeli demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes, with bulldozers rolling into the town just hours after the attack.
Permits are another major cause for demolitions in the West Bank – Israel’s planning systems require Palestinians to apply for permits to build housing in Area C, which covers around 60% of the West Bank. However, these permits are rarely approved, leading to violations of this law. Between 2023 and 2025, almost 300 permit applications were completed, and not a single one was approved. Throughout 2025, Israel destroyed more than 1,300 Palestinian homes due to claims that they did not have building permits, displacing thousands of locals.
Unfortunately, such demolitions – regardless of their cause – have become commonplace under the most recent administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a far-right leader who has promoted Israeli settlements within the West Bank. Netanyahu has led Israel since 2009, but his most recent terms have shifted towards measures that many classify as extremist or populist.
In particular, Netanyahu has funded the demolition of Palestinian housing and increased Israeli control over the West Bank, building various settlements, roads, and barriers to isolate Palestinian towns. Meanwhile, settler attacks have skyrocketed over the last few years, with the Israeli military often doing nothing to stop the assault or abuse of Palestinian people.
The Global Snapshot
At least seven people are dead and more than 40 others were injured after a shooting at a funeral at a church in Jordan, prompting accusations of Islamic terrorism. The grim event was taking place at a Greek Orthodox church south of the town of Karak, which has a minority Christian population, when three gunmen arrived at the scene. Two opened fire using pistols, while a third used a semiautomatic rifle as he charged towards the church. Jordan has launched a complete investigation into the devastating attack, but Prime Minister Jafar Hassan has already stated that the attacks were due to terrorist ideologies and extremism.
More than 400,000 people marched through the streets in France yesterday, protesting against the government in yet another massive demonstration sparked by students’ demands for education reform. The cause, which began as one advocating for greater focus on public schools and youth education, has ballooned into protests against the current administration as they advocate for major issues like housing prices and a high cost of living. Police successfully prevented demonstrations from becoming overly violent in many locations, utilizing a prepared network of officers to arrest more than 1,000 protesters. Last week, the protests resulted in mass looting and the destruction and defacing of public property – a situation that the government was successfully able to avoid during this week’s demonstrations.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D. Others include fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, but the primary trigger for Vitamin D production is still good old-fashioned sunlight.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Self-examination is the key to insight, which is the key to wisdom. (M. Scott Peck)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Emissary (noun, EM-uh-sair-ee) - Emissary refers to a person who is sent on a mission to represent another person or organization.
In a Sentence: Emissaries from the government are trying to negotiate a settlement.
Image: Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Enjoyed this breakdown? Subscribe to help support our publication!