Palestine weekly: Ahead of elections, Israel doubles down on attacks

Following the dissolution of Israel's parliament and the setting of an October 27 election date, Israeli attacks intensified across Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, a drone strike on a funeral procession in Nuseirat killed eight mourners on July 17. The UN human rights office reported 57 Palestinian deaths between July 13 and 20, raising concerns about potential war crimes. Defence Minister Israel Katz expressed satisfaction with the destruction in Gaza, stating it was a deliberate policy, and discussed establishing new military-style settlement outposts. Simultaneously, the Nachala settler movement, supported by numerous Israeli ministers and Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party, marched to the Gaza border advocating for resettlement.

• In the West Bank, Israel approved 1.3 billion shekels ($426.3m) for 34 new illegal settlements and an additional 1.075 billion shekels ($352.5m) for settler road infrastructure, described by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a "settlement and security revolution."
• This led to a wave of demolitions, including Palestinian water infrastructure in the Jordan Valley and homes in Masafer Yatta, to clear land for settlement expansion.
• Several West Bank towns, such as Sinjil and areas near Bethlehem, were sealed off by Israeli forces with earth mounds, fences, and new iron gates, restricting Palestinian movement.
• The week also saw lethal raids, including one in Deir Jarir where two men were killed, and repeated incidents of livestock theft by settlers, often under military escort.