News Briefing

Breaking News

• US Treasury launches "Economic Pariah" operation against Iran. The Trump administration announced a new sanctions campaign targeting Iran and its backers, with Washington telling countries to "choose between Washington and Tehran" and warning Iran's trade partners they "will face consequences." Iranian officials dismissed the move, insisting it will not sever the country's economic arteries. →
• Oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman. A tanker was hit Monday evening about nine nautical miles northeast of Oman's Siha area, suffering damage to its engine room; the UK Maritime Trade Operations said the crew was safe and the environmental impact was not yet clear. →
• Three Palestinians killed in Gaza, including a 10-year-old girl. Israeli fire on Monday killed Amal Nashat Abu Khater, 10, near Khan Younis, and two brothers in a drone strike on a tent sheltering displaced people near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah — all despite the ceasefire in effect since October. →
• Israel orders evacuation north of Al-Shati camp — over children's kites. The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of a Gaza City residential area housing tens of thousands of displaced people, after threatening to strike over kites flown by children, despite the army itself acknowledging the kites posed no danger. Camp committees have now banned kite-flying to deny Israel a pretext. →
• Settler attack injures three Palestinians near al-Samu. Israeli settlers sprayed gas into the faces of three Palestinians during an attack on the Ughwin area near al-Samu, south of Hebron, according to rights activist Osama Makhamra. →
• Israeli police storm Jerusalem graduation ceremony, arrest students and academics. Occupation police entered Khan Tankz in Suq al-Qattanin, near the al-Aqsa Mosque, to prevent a Jerusalem University graduation ceremony, arresting students and academics, the Jerusalem Governorate said. →
• Fatah and Dahlan faction hold unity talks in Egypt. Delegations from Fatah and the Democratic Reform Current (the Dahlan current) met in Egypt's El Alamein to discuss unifying the movement and "arranging the Palestinian internal house," said Samir al-Misharawi, deputy head of the Dahlan current. →
• US removes Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list. The State Department formally delisted Syria on Monday and revoked the terrorist designation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, prompting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to congratulate the people in a pre-dawn address: "You have done it again." →

Stories at a Glance

• Trump declared on Truth Social that "Iran is completely collapsing," while the IRGC called economic warfare the "main battlefield" against the US — the latest escalation in rhetoric as sanctions bite. →
• Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is in Tehran discussing "new" proposals to revive stalled US-Iran direct talks, following fresh contacts with Washington. →
• The Houthis claimed a ballistic missile strike on the Saudi oil tanker Amzan in the Red Sea, saying a "direct" hit caused a fire, alongside two attacks on Saudi troop concentrations in eastern Yemen. →
• Two US KC-135 refueling aircraft left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base after a month-long deployment that had angered Iran and fueled security concerns in Sofia. →
• Israel barred two Swedish MEPs from entering the country despite valid entry permits, blocking their planned trip to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. →
• Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinians across the West Bank — including the son of Fathi Khazem, killed by the army in Jenin on Friday — while expanding a settlement outpost near Nablus. →
• The US Supreme Court allowed Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting to take effect, handing the president a victory ahead of the November midterms. →
• Iconic Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour, painter of the legendary "Camel of Hardships," died Monday at age 79, mourned by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture as "one of the most important pillars of contemporary Palestinian plastic art." →

Key Takeaways

• Economic warfare is now Washington's primary weapon against Tehran. The "Economic Pariah" operation, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's "economic D-Day" framing, and explicit threats to Iran's trading partners mark a decisive new phase in the conflict that began in February. Its success hinges on China's willingness to cut Iranian oil purchases — an outcome analysts view as far from assured, with Tehran already preparing to shift trade into yuan.
• The Gaza ceasefire is being eroded through daily attrition. Monday's killings — a 10-year-old girl and two brothers in a displacement tent — and the evacuation order over children's kites show Israel continuing to treat Palestinian life and infrastructure as expendable. The decision by camp committees to ban kite-flying is a stark illustration of how Palestinians are forced to discipline their own children to preempt Israeli pretexts for violence.
• The West Bank is accelerating toward de facto annexation through institutional integration. Israel's handover of settlement security to Itamar Ben-Gvir's police, the expansion of an outpost near Nablus under cover of army raids, and the ongoing takeover of UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem form a coordinated drive — one that UN verbal condemnations have done nothing to halt.
• Palestinian politics are quietly realigning ahead of the November 28 elections. The Fatah-Dahlan meeting in Egypt marks an unprecedented outreach between the movement's mainstream and the UAE-linked current, signaling an attempt to rebuild a political order shattered after the 2006 Hamas victory. The central question remains whether Palestinians will be free to choose representatives who defend resistance — and whether the result will be respected.
• Israel's information war is fracturing on multiple fronts. The viral admission by senior Israeli communications official Eli Hazan that he "fabricates fake news," Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers asking AIPAC to stay out of his race, and Israel's blocking of two Swedish MEPs all point to an occupation narrative losing credibility among Western publics.
• The Iran war is reshaping American politics in unpredictable ways. Public support for the war has fallen to its lowest level since February 28, Trump's approval is at a record low amid rising gas prices, and the private Jeffries-Kushner meeting suggests even Democratic leadership is positioning for post-war realignments.

Gaza & Palestine

Three Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including a Child

Reporting via Middle East Monitor, a medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis told Anadolu that the body of 10-year-old Amal Nashat Abu Khater, along with two injured Palestinians, had been brought to the hospital after Israeli forces targeted local homes and displacement tents with gunfire. Witnesses said Israeli military vehicles also fired on the city's Satr area, injuring three Palestinians.

In central Gaza, two Palestinian brothers were killed when an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people near Shuhadaa Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Video coverage by Al Jazeera English showed the aftermath of the tent strike. The killings come despite a ceasefire that ostensibly took effect last October, and the same day Israeli strikes targeted a water treatment facility in Gaza City.

Israeli Army Orders Evacuation North of Al-Shati Camp

The Israeli army on Monday ordered the evacuation of a residential area north of the Al-Shati refugee camp in northwestern Gaza City, an area home to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians and local residents, witnesses told Anadolu, as reported by Middle East Monitor.

The order came after Israel threatened assassinations and the evacuation of residential neighborhoods over kites flown by children in the Gaza Strip — despite the Israeli army itself acknowledging that kites recovered near Gaza carried no suspicious material and posed no danger. Reporting in Arabic, RT said the popular committees in displacement camps and shelter centers issued an urgent warning banning children from flying kites over the camps, so the Israeli army cannot use them as a pretext for shelling. The same MEM dispatch also flagged a related escalation: Turkey is reportedly seeking an Interpol red notice against Netanyahu over the Gaza aid flotilla case.

Displaced Palestinians Turn to Mud-Brick Shelters

As tents offer little relief from the elements, one displaced Palestinian has built a traditional mud-brick house as an alternative, Al Jazeera English reported. The video report underscores the permanence of displacement for Gaza's population, now more than ten months into a ceasefire that has not restored homes, water infrastructure, or freedom of movement.

West Bank

Settler Attack Injures Three Near Al-Samu

Three Palestinians were injured on Monday in a settler assault in Hebron governorate, south of the occupied West Bank, Al Quds Al Arabi reported. Rights activist Osama Makhamra said the victims suffered suffocation after settlers sprayed gas in their faces during an attack on the Ughwin area near the town of al-Samu, south of Hebron city.

Israeli Forces Arrest 17, Including Son of Fathi Khazem

Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinians on Monday during raids across the West Bank, including the son of Fathi Khazem, who was killed by the Israeli army in Jenin on Friday, Middle East Monitor reported, citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa and Anadolu. In Nablus province, Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians from the towns of Zita Jamma'in, Qusin, Tell and Salem, raiding and searching homes. Local sources told Anadolu that settlers also attacked Palestinian homes in Tell's western area, and that the occupiers brought new mobile homes to expand a settlement outpost near Nablus.

Israeli Police Block Graduation Ceremony in Jerusalem

Israeli occupation police on Monday prevented a graduation ceremony for Jerusalem University students and arrested a number of students and academics, Al Quds Al Arabi reported. The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli forces stormed Khan Tankz in Suq al-Qattanin, near the al-Aqsa Mosque, and arrested, among others, the director of a studies center. The suppression of a student celebration in the heart of the Old City reflects Jerusalem's tightening grip under occupation.

UN Condemns Settler Violence and Urges Reduced Gaza Presence

In response to a question from Al Quds Al Arabi about reports of settlers entering Ramallah under Israeli army protection and burning an aluminum factory, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reiterated the organization's condemnation of settler violence and called for reducing the Israeli military presence in Gaza, Al Quds Al Arabi reported.

"We have been clear in repeatedly condemning settler violence, and in calling for... a reduction in the Israeli military presence in Gaza."

Israel Hands Settlement Security to Ben-Gvir's Police

Mondoweiss reports that Israel has taken another major step toward West Bank annexation by handing settlement security to the police of hardline minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — a move that further entangles the state in settler violence even as settlers besiege Palestinian families in Qusra. In a related development, Mondoweiss also detailed how Israeli forces are moving to take over remaining UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem, with residents of the Qalandia and Shufaat refugee camps fearing the assault on the UN agency is linked to the ongoing Israeli military crackdown on the camps.

Palestinian Politics

Fatah and Dahlan Current Hold Unity Talks in El Alamein

Reporting in Arabic, Al Jazeera said a meeting between delegations from the Democratic Reform Current (the Dahlan current) and Fatah in the Egyptian city of El Alamein discussed ways to unify the movement and "arrange the Palestinian internal house," according to Samir al-Misharawi, deputy head of the Dahlan current. The meeting marks a rare public engagement between Fatah's mainstream leadership and the faction of Mohammed Dahlan, the Gaza-born former Fatah strongman now based in the UAE — a significant development in intra-Palestinian politics.

November 28 Elections Loom over a Fragmented Order

An analysis by Middle East Monitor noted that after two decades without legislative elections, a presidential decree has set 28 November 2026 as the date for electing the 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, with voting due to take place in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The central question, the analysis argues, is not simply whether elections will take place — but whether Palestinians will be free to choose their representatives, including those who defend resistance, and whether the result will be respected. The last legislative election, held in January 2006, saw Hamas's Change and Reform list win 74 seats and defeat Fatah; rather than recognizing that popular choice, the outcome led to a schism that has paralyzed Palestinian institutions ever since.

Iran & Regional Conflict

US Launches "Economic Pariah" Operation Against Iran

Reporting in Arabic, Al Jazeera's live blog reported that the US Treasury Department announced the launch of Operation "Economic Pariah," targeting Iran and entities supporting it. Iranian officials responded that Washington will not achieve its goals of severing the arteries of the country's economy. The Al Jazeera English live blog added that the US is telling countries to choose between Washington and Tehran, warning Iran's trade partners they will face consequences. The new sanctions hit Iran's aviation, tech and shipping sectors, amplifying pressure on global markets and energy prices, according to Al Jazeera's economy desk.

Trump Says Iran Is "Completely Collapsing"; IRGC Vows Resistance

President Trump posted on Truth Social Monday: "IRAN IS COMPLETELY COLLAPSING!!!" — a claim that echoed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's Sunday declaration that the US was entering an "economic D-Day" against Iran, Middle East Monitor reported. Bessent claimed that Trump had "dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program."

For its part, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that economic warfare represents the "main battlefield" in confronting the "enemy," Middle East Monitor reported. In a statement, the IRGC accused Washington of seeking through a multilayered sanctions regime to "spread despair among the people, put pressure on living conditions, and weaken social trust," and declared readiness for strategic cooperation with President Masoud Pezeshkian's government. Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madani-Zadeh also responded to the US announcement in a video statement covered by Al Jazeera English.

Can Washington Actually Isolate Iran?

An analysis published in Al Jazeera Arabic examined whether the US can genuinely isolate Iran economically. Washington is leveraging the dollar's dominance to pressure states, banks and companies dealing with Iran, but the success of the plan depends especially on China. Tehran could soften the impact of sanctions by shifting trade to the yuan, and Beijing's continued purchase of Iranian oil remains the single biggest variable in whether "maximum pressure" succeeds or fails.

US Public Support for Iran War Falls to New Low

A Reuters poll showed that US public support for the war with Iran has dropped to its lowest level since the conflict began on February 28, RT Arabic reported. Al Jazeera English attributed the decline to falling Republican support, rising gas prices, and fears of a prolonged conflict, with Trump's approval rating at a record low.

Pakistani Army Chief in Tehran for Mediation Push

Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is discussing "new" proposals with Iranian officials during an ongoing visit to Tehran to revive stalled direct US-Iran talks, following fresh contacts with the US, multiple Pakistani government sources told Anadolu, as reported by Middle East Monitor. Munir arrived in Tehran earlier Monday with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and opened with a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. The trip comes after Trump last week warned of economic consequences for Iranian trade partners.

Oil Tanker Hit by Projectile Off Oman

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on Monday and became disabled about nine nautical miles northeast of the Siha area in the Sultanate of Oman, Al Quds Al Arabi reported, via Reuters. The strike damaged the vessel's engine room; the crew was reported safe, but the environmental impact was not yet clear. The incident raises fresh concerns about maritime security in the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war.

US KC-135 Tankers Leave Bulgaria

Two US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base on Friday after nearly a month deployed in the southeastern European country — a deployment that had angered Iran and raised security concerns inside Bulgaria, Al Quds Al Arabi reported. Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said all flights conducted from the base had been completed.

Global Economic Fallout: Hormuz, Italy, Germany, Markets

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed a "confidence-building mechanism" for global trade routes, urging verification of ships in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent food supply from becoming "collateral damage" of the conflict, Anadolu reported. Meanwhile, the war could cost Italy around $13.9 billion in additional energy costs over six months, Anadolu reported. German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil blamed "Trump's Iran war" for rising bond yields and unsettled markets, Anadolu reported, while European stocks closed mixed amid sanctions uncertainty, [Anadolu said](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/european-stocks-close-mixed-amid-uncertainty

No Updates Yet

• Gaza Death Toll Rises to Eight — At least 8 Palestinians, including two children, have been killed by Israeli fire since dawn Monday, with strikes concentrated in central and southern Gaza, RT Arabic reported. See previous report →