One person was killed and five others injured, including a 12-year-old girl, in a shooting spree across the French towns of Trappes and La Verrière on Friday, 23 October. The gunman reportedly drove through the area, opening fire at several locations, including a petrol station, a medical centre and a children's playground, during an attack lasting approximately 15 minutes. Three of the injured victims were reported to be in critical condition. Police arrested a 39-year-old suspect who had allegedly expressed a desire to “kill foreigners”. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the shooting as a “racist terrorist attack”. The incident has renewed concerns over racially motivated violence in France, amid wider fears about rising racism, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crimes across Europe.

Palestinian-led parties have achieved their best-ever result in Israel’s election, with exit polls predicting they will win 17 to 18 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, up from 10 last time. This strong showing means neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, currently has enough seats to form a government on their own. Exit polls show Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc winning about 50 seats and Eisenkot’s opposition bloc winning 52 to 53. Both fall short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. This could give Palestinian-led parties real influence in coalition talks, but deep political divisions and resistance to partnering with Arab parties may drag out the stalemate. Official results have not yet been released.

Nas Daily Claims Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism, Raising Concerns Over Silencing Criticism of Israel Palestinian-Israeli influencer Nuseir Yassin, widely known as Nas Daily, has sparked debate after declaring that he believes anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. Critics warn that conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism risks turning legitimate political criticism into accusations of religious or ethnic hatred. Such an approach can discourage scrutiny of Israel's military operations in Gaza, its occupation of Palestinian territories and allegations of war crimes, while potentially undermining demands for accountability under international law. Although antisemitism is a serious form of discrimination that must be confronted, opposition to a state's ideology, government or military conduct is not inherently hatred towards a religious or ethnic group. The concern is that when criticism of Israel is automatically characterised as antisemitic, the space for political debate, Palestinian advocacy and demands for justice becomes increasingly restricted.

Pro-Palestine Brazilian President Lula Wins Historic Fourth Term Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a historic fourth term, defeating right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, with 51.79% of the vote. Lula has been one of the most outspoken world leaders in support of Palestine, repeatedly accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians and calling for an independent Palestinian state. Under his leadership, Brazil also formally intervened in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

At a Tel Aviv event held ahead of Israel’s 27 October election, where far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke, a young Israeli woman told The Guardian that Palestinians should be expelled from Gaza and, if they cannot be displaced, killed, saying Israel should “completely carpet bomb” the Strip. She also rejected Lebanon, Jordan and Syria as places to send Gaza’s population, claiming those countries belong to Israel.

A verse from the Qur’an inspired one man to become a hero for 19 schoolchildren. When a school bus in Minnesota began rolling out of control after its driver suffered a medical emergency, 27-year-old Ebro Ahmed sprang into action. He jumped onto the moving bus and pulled the emergency brake, bringing it to a stop and ensuring all 19 children were safe. Ahmed said one verse from the Qur’an came to mind as he rushed to help: “Whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity.” — Qur’an 5:32 “I didn’t do it for me. It was selflessness in the name of God,” he said.

"There's no life left." These are the words of a volunteer in Bara, a city in Sudan's North Kordofan state, where 50 volunteers have recovered and buried more than 600 bodies following months of violence and reported massacres. According to a Middle East Eye investigation, bodies were found in streets, inside homes, in surrounding villages and along roads to the state capital, el-Obeid. Many victims were civilians, including children and elderly people. Hundreds more are believed to remain unburied, raising fears of disease. Local volunteers accuse the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out revenge killings and massacres during their occupation of the area. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured Bara in July 2026, but entire communities have fled, and volunteers are struggling to recover the dead with limited equipment, funding and support. Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the SAF and RSF. It has since become one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 11 million people displaced and at least 150,000 believed killed. With little international assistance, Bara's volunteers are recovering bodies, organising burials and sanitising affected areas, often relying on donations from residents and the Sudanese diaspora. As fighting continues and diplomatic efforts fail to secure lasting peace, the people of Bara are left to bury their dead and confront the destruction of their communities.