## From the Margins: #### Under-reported news from Israel, Palestine, and the broader SWANA region: March 20, 2026 *These roundups are, and will always be, free. No paywalls. If you find them useful, you can help fuel future ones with a cup of coffee [here](https://paypal.me/ridaaburass?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_US). Thanks!* **TL;DR**: A lot has happened since my last roundup, nearly a month ago. This one highlights some items that were overshadowed by the Iran War. Israeli attacks continue in Gaza, with near daily casualties. The al-Aqsa Mosque was closed throughout the War, including during Eid al-Fitr - for the first time since 1967, worshipers were barred from entering the site on the Muslim holiday. In the West Bank, settler violence and military raids persist, resulting in several Palestinian fatalities, including parents and two children shot by Israeli soldiers. Prominent Israeli figures have advocated for territorial expansion and settlement within Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of residents have already been displaced north of the Litani River. At least 100 were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a rehabilitation center in Kabul. --- ##### The Gaza Strip: - 2026-03-15 - [Israeli attacks killed 13 in Gaza](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/15/israeli-attacks-kill-12-in-gaza-including-2-children-and-a-pregnant-woman), including 2 children and a pregnant woman. The Rafah border crossing [remains closed](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/16/rafah-crossing-closure-leaves-gaza-patients-trapped-without-treatment), leaving patients trapped without treatment. - 2026-03-19 - [The Rafah crossing reopened today](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168426), after 19 days of complete closure. It's worth stressing that, as before its closure, crossing is permitted in just a small number of humanitarian cases. It's also worth noting that [the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip has decreased by approximately 80%](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168438) since the start of the Iran War. - 2026-03-16 - "Board of Peace" [envoys met Hamas representatives in Cairo](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-890122) today - the first publicly reported meeting of this sort since the start of the Iran war. - 2026-03-17 - [Israeli airstrikes have killed three](https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-kills-iran-security-chief-larijani-and-irgc-basij-chief?blockId=block_75083) in Gaza, including a child. - 2026-03-18 - [A Palestinian man was killed](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168396) in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip. - 2026-03-19 - [Three Palestinians were killed](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168421) in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. ---- ##### The West Bank, inc. East Jerusalem: - 2026-03-15 - Undercover, plain-clothes Israeli soldiers opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle, [killing four family members](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-forces-kill-two-children-and-their-parents-west-bank) on their way home from buying holiday outfits. The parents - aged 37 and 35 - and their children - aged five and seven - were each shot in the head. Two children survived, with shrapnel wounds to the face and head. - 2026-03-16 - Israeli authorities [extend the al-Aqsa Mosque's closure through Eid al-Fitr](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-israel-keep-al-aqsa-mosque-closed-through-eid-al-fitr-and-beyond) and beyond. One of the holiest sites in Islam - especially during the month of Ramadan and the following Eid - the Mosque was closed by Israeli authorities earlier this month, citing the “security situation” amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. - 2026-03-20 - Indeed, the al-Aqsa [Mosque remains closed today](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sy5o2c95wg), on Eid el-Fitr - the first time since 1967 that worshipers are banned from entering the Mosque on this major holiday. #hebrew - 2026-03-16 - Israeli forces [raided Nablus](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168359); three Palestinians were injured. - 2026-03-16 - A group of [settlers attacked and injured a Palestinian shepherd](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168366) in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, and attempted t osteal his sheep. - 2026-03-17 - Israeli forces [shot and killed a 17-year old Palestinian teenager](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168375) near Ramallah. - 2026-03-18 - 972 Magazine published [this extensive report](https://www.972mag.com/settler-terror-jordan-valley-sexual-assault/) on a March 12 attack, when settlers raided a Palestinian community in the northern Jordan Valley, forced residents and international protective presence activists into a tent, tied them up, and abused them for an hour. - 2026-03-18 - Israeli forces [detained 15 Palestinian women overnight](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168400) in Qalqilya - most of them wives of current and former Palestinian prisoners. - 2026-03-19 - [Four Palestinian women were killed](https://www.haaretz.com/west-bank/2026-03-19/ty-article/.premium/iranian-barrages-kill-at-least-four-palestinians-in-west-bank-one-man-in-israel/0000019d-02e2-da5c-a3bd-0ee231080000) in an Iranian missile strike on the southern West Bank yesterday night (a Thai foreign worker was also killed in a concurrent but separate strike within Israel proper). - 2026-03-19 - Israeli forces [razed Palestinian land](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168454), uprooting olive trees, near Ramallah. ---- ##### Palestinian citizens of Israel ('48 Palestinians): - 2026-03-16 - [Another Palestinian citizen of Israel was killed in a crime-related incident](https://www.arab48.com/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9/2026/03/16/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9) today, bringing the total number of homicides within the community to 62 so far this year. #arabic - [Gun violence is a systemic problem](https://abrahaminitiatives.org/victims-of-violence-and-crime-in-arab-society-in-2024/) within the '48 Palestinian community, perpetuated by institutional neglect. - 2026-03-19 - The Haifa municipality ordered the removal of an Arab-owned eatery's sign, claiming it violated a law requiring Hebrew signage on businesses. Activists and council members [are accusing the city](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/haifa-municipality-removes-arabic-sign-from-new-eatery-causing-stir/0000019c-f779-d686-adbd-f77f89b90000) of selective enforcement against Palestinian citizens. --- ##### Israel: - 2026-03-17 - Weapons exports from Serbia to Israel [rose sharply](https://www.newarab.com/news/serbias-weapons-exports-israel-soar-record-levels) last year, reaching a record €114 million, a 140% increase compared with 2024. - 2026-03-18 - Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited an Israeli gallows museum, and [filmed himself threatening the death penalty](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/3/19/ben-gvir-visits-gallows-museum-threatens-the-death-penalty) for “terrorists”; "I can't wait to execute terrorists", he said. - With Israeli elections on the horizon, this is rather transparently meant to stoke his far-right support base. - 2026-03-20 - According to [this report](https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/the-edge/2026-03-18/ty-article/.highlight/0000019d-0110-d088-a5fd-b319ea940000) by Haaretz, major Israeli political figures have expressed support for a right-wing organization's plans to extend Israel's borders to Lebanon's Litani river and establish settlements in Lebanon. #hebrew --- ##### SWANA and beyond: - 2026-03-16 - The Israeli military [launched a ground invasion](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/16/israeli-military-launches-limited-ground-operations-in-southern-lebanon) of Lebanon. 900,000 Lebanese citizens [have already been displaced](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-16/ty-article-live/dubai-halts-flights-after-drone-strike-on-fuel-tank-near-airport/0000019c-f4e9-df50-a9de-f6f96e610005?liveBlogItemId=2049236394#2049236394) since the start of the Iran war, after Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders. #lebanon - 2026-03-17 - [Here's a good resource](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/17/mapping-israeli-attacks-and-the-displacement-of-one-million-in-lebanon) with maps mapping Israeli attacks on, and ground operations within, Lebanon. - 2026-03-16 - Worth reading [this insightful analysis](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/between-threats-and-opportunities-algeria-and-morocco-manoeuvre-fallout-war-iran) on the impact of the Iran war on the Maghreb region.' #morocco #algeria - 2026-03-17 - [And this insightful analysis](https://www.madamasr.com/en/2026/03/10/feature/politics/another-fracture-in-the-somali-state-new-constitution-ends-12-year-provisional-governance-but-opens-new-crisis/) on political developments in Somalia. #somalia - 2026-03-17 - US and Israeli attacks on Iran [have damaged](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/these-heritage-sites-iran-have-been-damaged-us-israeli-war) some of the world's most notable cultural heritage sites. #iran - 2026-03-17 - [More than 100 people have been killed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g8n7e0l40o) in a Pakistani air strike on a drug treatment centre in Afghanistan's capital; Pakistan denied this claim. #pakistan #afghanistan - 2026-03-19 - According to a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson, [the country will not intervene on Israel's behalf](https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2026-03-19/ty-article/germany-u-turns-wont-intervene-on-israels-behalf-in-icj-gaza-genocide-case/0000019d-05c2-d65b-abfd-95deeaff0000) in the [ICJ genocide case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa%27s_genocide_case_against_Israel) - a diplomatic U-turn. #germany #israel #icj