LiveLive Updates August 21, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeAugust 21, 2026UpdatesSettlers set fire to Palestinian quarry in Masafer Yatta, reports sayIsraeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian quarry in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, early Friday, according to Palestinian reports and footage circulated online. Palestinian Quds News Network reported that settlers attacked Palestinian property in the area and set it ablaze.The reports did not immediately provide further details on the extent of the damage or whether anyone was injured.مستوطنون يضرمون النيران في "محجر" بمنطقة وادي الرخيم في مسافر يطا، جنوب الخليل.'Settlers set fire to a quarry in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of ​​Masafer Yatta'Masafer Yatta, a collection of Palestinian communities in the southern Hebron Hills, has faced repeated settler attacks, as well as demolitions and movement restrictions by Israeli authorities.Separately, Al Mayadeen reported that fires broke out in agricultural areas near Jibata al-Khashab in northern rural Quneitra, Syria, after incendiary bombs were allegedly fired by Israeli forces. The report did not provide further details or independently verify the claim.🎥مستوطنون يضرمون النيران في "محجر" بمنطقة وادي الرخيم في مسافر يطا، جنوب الخليل. 'Settlers set fire to a quarry in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of ​​Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.'Malaysia PM condemns Israel's E1 West Bank settlement tender, warns companies involvedMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israel's decision to issue a tender for more than 1,200 housing units in the West Bank as part of the E1 settlement project, warning that the development would undermine the prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state."This tract of land east of Jerusalem has long been critical to the viability of a Palestinian state," Anwar said in a post on X. "Building on it would divide the West Bank and gravely undermine the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian homeland."Anwar said the announcement "has abandoned even the pretence of seeking peace or respecting the will of the international community."I unreservedly denounce the Israeli regime’s decision to issue construction tenders for the E1 settlement project. This tract of land east of Jerusalem has long been critical to the viability of a Palestinian state. Building on it would divide the West Bank and gravely undermineShow moreHe added that Malaysia would "take careful note" of any international companies involved in the project and "will act accordingly."Hormuz ship crossings hover in single digits, data showsPerson in front of a large screen displaying vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz on a ship-tracking website. Credit: AFP/-Person in front of a large screen displaying vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz on a ship-tracking website. Credit: AFP/-Ship crossings at the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint were down on Thursday from the previous day, initial shipping data showed, amid growing concern over risks to shipping in the Middle East, with US-Iran peace talks remaining in limbo.Thursday's tally of seven commodity ships was half that of Wednesday, Kpler data showed. Of these, four ships were entering and three exiting the waterway used by nearly a fifth of global shipments of crude oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were in the mix.However, one very large gas carrier - carrying propane and butane - did transit out of Hormuz via the Iranian route, the data showed.CNN: USS Abraham Lincoln has begun to head back to United StatesThe USS Abraham Lincoln has started its journey back to the United States from the Middle East, after an extended deployment in the Middle East during the Iran war, with the USS George Washington arriving in the region to relieve the carrier, according to sources cited by CNN. The USS George Washington has arrived in the region "to relieve the strain on the beleaguered Lincoln," according to the report.The Lincoln has been deployed for nearly nine months, prompting concerns among lawmakers and military families over conditions aboard the carrier and the crew's worsening mental health. Two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group have gone overboard in recent months and were rescued alive, according to U.S. officials cited by CNN. Other sailors were reportedly prevented from jumping, according to Navy Times and Stars and Stripes.A crew member told CNN that morale aboard the Lincoln was very low, while essential amenities including toilets and water fountains were frequently out of service and hot water was often unavailable. Sailors also described conditions that differed from previous deployments, in part because the war prevented the carrier from making port calls at friendly countries.U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed concerns over the deployment, saying that its nearly nine-month duration was not particularly long. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said conditions aboard the carrier had been "completely misrepresented." The Navy recommends that aircraft carrier strike groups be deployed for seven months.The Navy told CNN it had "not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship."Doctors Without Borders condemns IDF for not opening criminal probes on Gaza casesDoctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières condemned the Israel Defense Forces' decision to close cases from the Gaza war, which the group submitted for review, without opening a criminal investigation.In a statement, the medical NGO said the cases concern attacks on a Doctors Without Borders convoy in Gaza City in November 2023, which killed two people, and a February 2024 strike on a shelter belonging to the group in Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis that killed two and wounded six.The Israeli army said Wednesday that it had completed reviews of several high-profile "exceptional operational incidents" in Gaza since October 7, 2023, ordering Military Police investigations into the killings of five-year-old Hind Rajab and 15 Palestinians in Tel al-Sultan, while clearing IDF personnel of criminal wrongdoing in the World Central Kitchen strike.The army said the reviews were conducted as part of the IDF's obligations under international and Israeli law. It added that their findings inform command decisions and help determine whether to open criminal investigations. Since the war began, the mechanism has reviewed approximately 150 incidents, the IDF said.Banner calling for peace and a Palestinian state hung in Tel Aviv mall swiftly taken downIsraeli left-wing activist groups Standing Together and A Land For Us All hung a banner on Wednesday with the slogan "One day, a Palestinian state will be established and there will be peace here" at the well-known central Tel Aviv mall Dizengoff Center, which was swiftly taken down by mall management.A banner calling for peace and a Palestinian state, in Dizengoff Center, on Thursday. Credit: Standing TogetherA banner calling for peace and a Palestinian state, in Dizengoff Center, on Thursday. Credit: Standing TogetherAsked for a response, the Dizengoff Center spokesperson said, "The banner was put up by lawbreakers and was taken down immediately. The police were also called. Dizengoff Center has no connection to the banners that were hung."Independent journalist and social media personality Daniel Amram posted the banner being taken down by mallgoers, as onlookers cheered in support.Read the full articleRECAP: Huckabee calls Israel settlers' West Bank property theft 'violation of God's law'Here are Friday's updates:■ U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned militant Israeli settlers in ‌the West Bank not to steal property owned by Palestinian Americans, describing such behavior as "a violation of God's law".■ Six people were wounded in violent attacks by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported.■ Speaking alongside government ministers at an inauguration ceremony for Kadim, a previously evacuated Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan vowed to return to Gaza settlements, too.■ Yemen's Iran-backed ‌Houthis said they struck a sensitive target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility ⁠in Najran, Saudi Arabia. There was no ⁠immediate Saudi confirmation.■ Turkey, Egypt ‌and Qatar strongly ‌condemned recent Israeli strikes in ⁠Gaza, saying in a joint ⁠statement that Israel must comply with its obligations under a cease-fire agreement and refrain from steps that ‌could escalate tensions.■ The IDF and Shin Bet security agency said Hamas has been conducting "brutal interrogations and torture" at Nasser Hospital in Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis amid the group's "declining support among Gaza residents," citing intelligence obtained by the agencies.■ The Israel Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings at Ben-Gurion International Airport "will gradually resume starting 3 P.M. in accordance with the revised flight schedule" after an hour-long halt attributed to the authority's workers' unionIn the NewsWorking With Government Is How We Keep Jewish Canadians Safe'It Was a Calling: Go to Israel, Meet This People. And I Went''Cannibalizing the Camp': The Petty Politics Destroying Israel's OppositionAs Hamas Rebuilds in Gaza, Israelis Across the Border Lose Faith in the IDFSettlers Set Fire to Palestinian Quarry in Southern West Bank, Reports SayRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIShe's the Superstar of the Israeli Left, and She Wants PowerIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsIsrael Police Say Missing Israeli Mother and Daughter Found in ArgentinaReality Check: As the Election Nears, Haaretz Debunks Israeli Politicians' Biggest LiesSo Will It Be a Problem if Miriam Adelson Flies to Israel to Vote?