UNRWA chief: Israel seeks to eliminate agency and Palestinian refugee issue
UNRWA chief says the seizure of its training centre is part of Israel’s efforts to eliminate agency and refugee issue
![UNRWA Commissioner-General ad interim Christian Saunders [AL Jazeera]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-1787778537.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
UNRWA chief says the seizure of its training centre is part of Israel’s efforts to eliminate agency and refugee issue
![UNRWA Commissioner-General ad interim Christian Saunders [AL Jazeera]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-1787778537.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)


![Mohamed (C), brother of 14-year-old Palestinian Islam Ajouri, grieves with his relatives over the body of his sibling at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 23, 2026, after he was allgedly killed earlier in the day by Israeli army gunfire at the nearby Askar refugee camp, according to the Palestinian health ministry. [Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-1787510762.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![A donkey belonging to a Palestinian farmer was reportedly stolen and dragged to death behind a vehicle by Israeli settlers. [Screenshot]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-1787416878.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)

![Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya met with representatives of Palestinian factions in Cairo, where he briefed them on recent discussions with Egyptian mediators regarding a potential Gaza ceasefire. According to a statement, the factions held Israel responsible for obstructing the agreement and discussed the deteriorating situation in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as internal Palestinian reconciliation efforts. [Hamas Telegram]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/photo_2026-08-19_12-28-22-1787131903.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)


Palestinians in Gaza are sceptical of the latest peace plan, questioning whether it will bring lasting change.
Sebastia, a 3,000-year-old site, faces threats as Israel intensifies plans for land seizures and settlement expansions.

First Palestinian legislative elections in 20 years announced
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces first legislative elections in 20 years.

Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza, resulting in genocide.
Palestinians controlled planning and construction in the entire West Bank city under the 1997 Hebron Agreement.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel has transferred authority over Hebron to the army.
A digital register of land ownership in the West Bank is seen as an escalation of Israel’s occupation.
Son of Palestinian president elected to Fatah’s top leadership body
Businessman Yasser Abbas, 64, secured a place on the central committee despite spending most of his time in Canada.