Israel and the US launched missile strikes on Iran on 28 February following weeks of nuclear negotiations, in a move that triggered shockwaves across the region.
The operation resulted in the killing of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as over 1,000 civilians, including 165 young girls at a school in the south of the country.
In response, Iran has launched strikes at US bases across the region, while the war has spread to Lebanon. Israel issued forced evacuation orders for the south of Lebanon, razing dozens of villages in the process.
The developments have garnered the attention of spectators worldwide and captured headlines globally, drawing attention away from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
However, Israel has continued to wreak havoc in both Palestinian territories.
Palestinian activists and commentators have long argued that Israel historically has exploited global events to carry out punitive measures against Palestinians.
Israel shutters Al-Aqsa, bans Ramadan prayers, decorations
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, typically crowded with worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan, was closed by Israeli authorities and prayers heavily restricted, under the pretext of the war with Iran.
Israeli authorities said the measures come amid a state of emergency; however, Palestinians say it is part of a pattern where Tel Aviv exploits tensions to carry out discriminatory practices against civilians.
No information has been given on when the holy site will open again, and only essential activity and movement has been permitted so far.
The closure of the site, one of the most revered in Islam, is an unprecedented restriction on Muslims amid their sacred month of fasting and prayer.
Damascus Gate, the Old City, and areas surrounding the holy site are also sombre, as Israel banned decorations and stalls.
Typically, the location is teeming with people, who stay up until the early hours of the morning following the nightly congregational prayers.
The Israeli army also closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, “until further notice”.
Israel closes Gaza’s Rafah crossing, stops aid coming in
In violation of the October ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Israel shuttered the Rafah border crossing, a vital lifeline for aid entering the besieged enclave.
The crossing has been closed indefinitely, with no further information on when it could be opened again, meaning that those seeking emergency treatment abroad will also no longer be able to exit the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has failed to honour its obligations outlined in the terms of the truce, which state that trucks of aid should be allowed into the enclave daily.
Gaza’s population, nearly all of it forcibly displaced by the genocide carried out by Israel, is still suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe and lack of basic essential food items.
Daily killings in Gaza, fuel running out
Officials in Gaza raised the alarm this week, saying the enclave is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and food stock, as Israel blocked fuel from entering the Strip.
Officials estimate that food supplies could last three or four days only.
Meanwhile, at least two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire on Wednesday in the south of the enclave.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that Israeli forces had opened fire and killed the men in Bani Suheila, noting that Israeli forces also targeted neighbourhoods east of Gaza City in the north.
Escalating West Bank raids, settler attacks
Since the start of the attack on Iran, Israel has ramped up its assaults and arrests of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, at the time of publication, Israel has been escalating their assaults for six consecutive days. The assaults include detaining people, opening fire at civilians, and the closure of checkpoints.
Many homes, particularly in the village of Faqqu’a located east of Jenin, have also been ransacked and raided in the process, with residents forced to evacuate to pave the way for the military to use them as positions for troops.
At least 13 people have been detained in villages west of Ramallah, while at least 100 people in total have been detained over the past six days.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were injured on Thursday following attacks carried out by settlers.
More moves to annex West Bank, disruption to schools
Over the past week, Israel has accelerated its annexation plans pushed over the last month.
Far-right ministers are pushing a process to register land in the occupied West Bank as “state property”.
This week, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned about the accelerated settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, noting that settler violence is continuing unabated and with complete impunity.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Education also announced that in-person classes from primary education to higher education have been cancelled, amid the tensions.
Schooling, which is regularly disrupted due to Israeli assaults, has been carried out remotely.
