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

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is preparing to evacuate patients and staff at al-Shifa Hospital to other medical facilities in southern Gaza.

The evacuation would take place over the next 24-72 hours, "pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict", WHO said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The announcement comes after WHO personnel visited the hospital, where after its assessment it called al-Shifa a "death zone".

"Lack of clean water, fuel, medicines, food and other essential aid over the last six weeks have caused Al-Shifa Hospital—once the largest, most advanced, and best equipped referral hospital in Gaza—to essentially stop functioning as a medical facility," the organisation said.

The WHO said in its statement that there are still 25 staff members and 291 patients at the hospital, who will be transferred to Nasser hospital and the European hospital located in southern Gaza.

It noted, however, that "these facilities are already operating beyond their maximum capacity, and transferring more patients will only worsen the burden on them."

American lawmakers in both the House and Senate are discussing how to create conditions for future military aid to Israel, Politico reported on Saturday citing two members of the Democratic Party.

The debate, which is taking place among Democrats, is in the preliminary stages, however, the White House is aware of the discussions and was warned that Biden's allies in Congress could openly push for conditions on military aid to Israel in the near future.

In a statement released late on Saturday, Senator Bernie Sanders said that all US aid to Israel must halt until a number of conditions are met, including:

• An end to Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and a "significant pause in military operations".

• The right of displaced Gaza residents to return to their homes.

• Israel must not impose a long-term re-occupation or blockade of Gaza.

• Israel must put an end to settler violence in the occupied West Bank and freeze settlement expansion.

A group of Arab foreign ministers is going to travel to a number of foreign capitals beginning on Monday with Beijing, where they will discuss the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The news was announced by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the kingdom's top diplomat.

"The first stop will be in China, and then we will move to a number of capitals to deliver the clear message there must be a ceasefire immediately."

Good evening MEE readers, 

Israel continued its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, attacking a United Nations school and other targets in the north's Jabalia refugee camp, where at least 80 people were killed. 

In all, Israeli forces have killed at least 12,300 people in Gaza, including more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women. In addition, 30,000 people have been injured.

Israel has forcibly ejected over one million Palestinians from north Gaza, but have continued to bomb locations all across the Strip, including in the south. Still, satellite images on Saturday showed large numbers of Palestinians in Gaza fleeing to southern parts of the enclave. 

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees denounced the Israeli strikes on UN-run schools in Gaza. 

Philippe Lazzarini said he had seen "horrifying images and footage of scores of people killed and injured" in one of his agency's schools "sheltering thousands of displaced".

"These attacks cannot become commonplace, they must stop," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

In an opinion article in the Washington Post, US President Joe Biden said the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. 

"As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalised Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution," Biden said in the article. 

"There must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade, and no reduction in territory," he continued. 

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, however, said that Israel plans to occupy Gaza indefinitely with no chance of PA involvement. 

"There will be Israeli security control from the Jordan [river] to the [Mediterranean] sea at all times," Cohen said, alluding to a Palestinian resistance chant that calls for Palestine to be free "from the river to the sea". 

The foreign minister, in an interview on Channel 12 on Saturday, rejected any notion that the PA would play a role in Gaza's future governance, saying that the PA had "not condemned the October 7 event" and continues to pay members of the Hamas party's salaries in the occupied West Bank. 

Meanwhile, Israel's investigation into the Hamas movement's 7 October attack has determined that the group likely did not know about the music festival that was targeted before the deadly attack was launched. 

Investigators said that the target for Hamas' attack seemed to be a Kibbutz, but changed plans once the festival was discovered, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Saturday. 

In addition, the investigation found that an Israeli army helicopter that arrived on the scene following the attack was responsible for at least some of the deaths, as the helicopter mistakenly shot festival goers instead of Hamas operatives. 

According to police, at least 364 people were killed at the festival. How many were killed by the army helicopter remains unknown.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the group led a "very high-risk" assessment mission to al-Shifa Hospital, calling the situation "unbearable and unjustifiable".

"The team saw a hospital no longer able to function: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, medical supplies depleted," said Ghebreyesus.

"Given this deplorable situation and the condition of many patients, including babies, health workers requested support to evacuate patients who cannot receive lifesaving care there anymore," he continued, adding that the WHO is working with partners to develop an urgent evacuation plan.

A health official in the Gaza Strip said more than 80 people were killed earlier on Saturday in the twin strikes on the north's Jabalia refugee camp, including a UN school used as a shelter for people displaced by Israel's bombardment. 

Social media videos verified by AFP showed bodies covered in blood and dust on the floor of a building, where mattresses had been wedged under school tables in Jabalia, Gaza's biggest refugee camp.

Israel's investigation into the Hamas movement's 7 October attack has determined that the group likely did not know about the music festival that was targeted before the attack was launched. 

Investigators said that the target for Hamas' attack seemed to be a Kibbutz, but changed plans once the festival was discovered, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Saturday. 

In addition, the investigation found that an Israeli army helicopter that arrived on the scene following the attack was responsible for at least some of the deaths, as the helicopter mistakenly shot festival goers instead of Hamas operatives. 

According to police, at least 364 people were killed at the festival. How many were killed by the army helicopter remains unknown. 

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister announced the start of a ministerial diplomatic tour charged with advocating for an Israeli ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 

"The first stop will be in China and then we will move to a number of capitals to deliver the clear message that there must be a ceasefire immediately... and humanitarian needs must be immediately delivered to Gaza and we must work to end... this war on Gaza as soon as possible," Minister Faisal bin Farhan said. 

 US President Joe Biden said the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following Israel's bombardment. 

In an opinion article in the Washington Post, Biden also said the US is prepared to issue visa bans against Israeli "extremists" attacking Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.

Israel plans to occupy Gaza indefinitely, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in an interview on Channel 12. 

"There will be Israeli security control from the Jordan [river] to the [Mediterranean] sea at all times," Cohen said, alluding to a Palestinian resistance chant that calls for Palestine to be free "from the river to the sea". 

The foreign minister rejected any notion that the Palestinian Authority would play a role in Gaza's future governance, saying that the PA had "not condemned the October 7 event" and continues to pay members of the Hamas party's salaries in the occupied West Bank. 

Israeli authorities have vowed to erradicate the Hamas government and its members from the Gaza Strip before ending its current bombardment, which has killed at least 12,300 people, including more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women. 

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached 12,300 people, according to a statement released by the government's media office in Gaza. The dead include more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women. In addition, 30,000 people have been injured.

The Palestinian health ministry, meanwhile, has said that dozens of bodies currently litter the streets of the northern Gaza Strip and that it is impossible to count them because the Israeli army has been targeting ambulances and medical workers trying to approach them.

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees denounced the Israeli strikes on UN-run schools in Gaza, after the local health ministry said at least 50 people had been killed in an attack on a school in Jabalia refugee camp.

Philippe Lazzarini said he had seen "horrifying images and footage of scores of people killed and injured" in one of his agency's schools "sheltering thousands of displaced".

"These attacks cannot become commonplace, they must stop," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

At least 15 people were killed on Saturday after an Israeli air strike hit a house west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, health officials from Gaza's Nasser Hospital said.

Earlier on Saturday, at least 26 people were killed by a separate Israeli air strike on a residential neighbourhood in the southern city.

The families of Israeli hostages and thousands of others are marching towards Jerusalem on Saturday, demanding the return of captives held in Gaza. 

The 60km procession began three days ago in Tel Aviv, and will end outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.