Israel-Palestine live: Israel and Palestinians agree to truce, hostage deal

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it has lost communication with its contacts at al-Shifa hospital, with the health organisation fearing that they have joined the tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza.

"WHO has grave concerns for the safety of the health workers, hundreds of sick and injured patients, including babies on life support and displaced people who remain inside the hospital," the organisation said.

"Patients seeking health care should never be exposed to fear, and health workers who have taken an oath to treat them should never be forced to risk their own lives to provide care."

WHO added that there have been reports that some people who fled the hospital have "been shot at, wounded and even killed".

London's Metropolitan Police said that the number of people arrested during a massive pro-Palestinian march on Saturday has risen to 126.

The police said that the majority of the arrests consisted of right-wing demonstrators who came to oppose the pro-Palestine march, which took place on Armistice Day, the national holiday that commemorates British soldiers killed in World War I. Nine officers were also injured.

"The extreme violence from the right wing protesters towards the police today was extraordinary and deeply concerning," assistant police commissioner Matt Twist said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he was opposed to a post-war scenario in which the Palestinian Authority would govern Gaza.

The position goes against that of the Biden administration, which has clearly stated that the Palestinian Authority, which partially governs the occupied West Bank, should be put in charge of Gaza after the war.

"There isn't going to be in Gaza a civilian authority that teaches its children to hate Israel and to destroy Israel," Netanyahu said during a press conference on Saturday.

"There needs to be something different."

While Israel says it doesn't want to govern the Strip, it has yet to provide plans for a post-war scenario in which it was to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas.

Netanyahu added that Israel would maintain security control over Gaza for "as long as necessary".

Israel's military said it was ready to evacuate babies from Gaza's largest hospital.

Israel's chief military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said the Israeli military would help evacuate babies from the hospital.

"The staff of the Shifa hospital has requested that tomorrow we help the babies in the paediatric department to get to a safer hospital. We will provide the assistance needed," he said.

Palestinian officials said two new-borns died and dozens more were at risk of death after fuel ran out amid intense fighting in the area.

Al-Shifa hospital is under an Israeli siege, and doctors inside the hospital say that Israeli forces have targeted patients during their attacks on the medical facility.

Gaza's biggest hospital, al-Shifa, has remained under Israeli siege for more than 24 hours, with humanitarian watchdogs warning of "catastrophic" outcomes. 

Israel's siege of the hospital has come following several days of nearby bombings by Israeli fighter jets and tanks.

Since the start of the siege, people have been barred from entering or leaving and there's no electricity, internet or water.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that al-Shifa hospital has been "hit several times, including the maternity and outpatient departments, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries". Israel has denied reports of hospital bombing. 

Meanwhile, Dr Mohammed Obeid, a surgeon at the hospital, said Israeli attacks have intensified, with forces targeting patients. 

"There is no electricity, there is no water, there is no food, our team is exhausted," Obeid said, adding that since the internet and communications have been cut, those who are trying to flee south are being bombed. 

One witness told journalists that the sounds of shooting and shelling around the hospital never cease. 

"There are dozens of bodies around the complex that nobody can reach," they said.

Ann Taylor, head of the Palestinian Territories mission for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, called the situation "truly catastrophic".

Meanwhile, around 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering at al-Quds hospital, which is also under siege. Locals report that those sheltering are mainly women and children. 

Here's some of the latest updates:

• The Israeli NGO Physician for Human Rights-Israel reported that "two premature babies died" due to Israel cutting off all electricity for Gaza since 9 October. They warned that there is a "real risk for the lives of the 37 other premature babies" in the neonatal intensive care ward. 

• Infants at the al-Quds hospital, which is also surrounded by Israeli forces, are facing dehydration due to a lack of baby formula, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

• Palestine's government media office announced on Saturday that the death toll in Gaza has now reached 11,100, with at least 8,000 of those being women and children. 

• Palestine’s Red Crescent announced on Saturday that only seven out of 18 of their ambulances are functioning in Gaza. 

• Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of "taking revenge... on Gazan babies, children and women", while calling for a ceasefire. 

• Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, killing three. 

• The UN agency Ocha said 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since 7 October in the occupied West Bank and in occupied east Jerusalem.

• Around 21,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels on Saturday, with other mass demonstrations for Palestine taking place in London, as well as in Spain, Canada and South Africa among others.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Saturday that infants at the al-Quds Hospital are facing dehydration, due to a lack of baby formula. 

The hospital is currently under siege, and has been surrounded by Israeli forces since the early morning. 

Around 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering in the hospital, mainly women and children. 
 

Palestinians Al-Shifa hospital are trapped in increasingly horrific conditions locals report, with two premature infants dying due to lack of electricity as heavy fighting raged nearby.

"Shooting is never stopping, airstrikes are unabated as well as artillery shells," said a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There are dozens of bodies around the complex that nobody can reach."

"The hospital is besieged, with no option to bring in the corpses and injured people sprawled outside. There is no movement in or out of the hospital," said Physicians for Human Rights Israel, citing doctors at Al-Shifa.

Meanwhile, Ann Taylor, head of the Palestinian Territories mission for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), called the situation "truly catastrophic".

Euro-Med Monitor has expressed “horror” over video footage showing an Israeli military vehicle in Gaza running over a Palestinian civilian. 

According to the rights monitor, the Palestinian was trying to cross from north into south Gaza, at the Salah el Din road, where he was shot and killed, then run over. 

Euro-Med Monitor has documented numerous Israeli violations since the start of the war, including the mutilation of bodies of Palestinians. 
“The rules of international law stipulate the necessity of respecting and protecting the bodies of the dead during armed conflicts, in accordance with Article 115,” they said in a statement. 

Around half a million Palestinian children have been affected by Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement. 

The estimated figure includes those who have been killed, injured, or whose family homes have been damaged or destroyed.

The Geneva-based human rights organisation reported that 6,100 children have been killed or reported missing under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel’s intense air and artillery attacks on the Strip, stating that chances for their survival diminishes with each passing day.

More than 15,500 children have been injured, the group reported, with dozens of them in critical condition. 

Other children have suffered limb amputations, while hundreds more have suffered severe burns to their bodies, the group said. 

Gaza’s Al Quds hospital has been plunged into darkness, Israel continues to bomb and surround the hospital. 

In a video shared by the Palestine Red Crescent, staff were shown working with small lamps to light up the room. The ceiling in the room has also been damaged in the shelling. 

Supporters of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and those who oppose him, are clashing in Tel Aviv, according to Haaretz. 

The clashes come after a demonstration, headed by the families of the hostages taken to Gaza on 7 October, was staged, where they denounced the Israeli government for their actions. 

The demonstators say that Netanyahu and his government bear the responsibility for the hostages still held in Gaza, as well as the ongoing war. 
 

The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem released a statement lamenting Israel's ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip ahead of the holiday season.

"These are not normal times. Since the start of the War, there has been an atmosphere of sadness and pain. Thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, have died or suffered serious injuries. Many more grieve over the loss of their homes, their loved ones, or the uncertain fate of those dear to them. Throughout the region, even more have lost their work and are suffering from serious economic challenges. Yet despite our repeated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence, the war continues," the church collective stated. 

Leaders encouraged priests and followers to focus "more on the spiritual meaning of Christmas", while directing thought and prayers to those "affected by this war and its consequences". 

"Moreover, during this season of giving, we also invite the faithful to advocate, pray, and contribute generously as they are able for the relief of the victims of this war and for those in dire need, as well as to encourage others to join them in this mission of mercy."

Israeli forces have opened fire on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, according to Haaretz and an eyewitness who spoke to Al Jazeera English. 

A 23-year-old identified as Amir Arqawi was killed during the raid on Jenin, according to the Ministry of Health in the West Bank. Wissam Jamal Hamran, 22, was also killed during a raid on nearby Arraba. 

Israeli forces have stormed the Jenin refugee camp, with reports stating Israeli army jeeps and bulldozers entered the city, while a main road was closed. 

Local Palestinian media has indicated that electricity has been cut in the city as well as the Jenin refugee camp

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that an international peace conference should be convened to find a permanent solution to the ongoing war. 

During the Islamic-Arab summit in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, he said: “Israel is taking revenge...on Gazan babies, children and women.”
He added: “What is urgent in Gaza is not pauses for a few hours, rather we need a permanent ceasefire."

Erdogan told his counterparts that Turkey was ready to collaborate in delivering humanitarian aid and health services to Gaza, the Turkish presidency said.

He also said “We cannot put Hamas resisters defending their homeland in the same category as the occupiers.”
 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday in Tel Aviv that human suffering must be contained in Gaza. 

"All states, regardless of where their allegiance is, that are willing to help ensure that human suffering is contained should cooperate, even if they have to put up with opposition," she said at a press conference on the second day of a Middle East trip after meeting her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.

"That's what I proposed in the Gulf, in the West Bank and today in Israel and that's what I will also take to Brussels," she said.