Israel-Palestine live: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas for hostage deal

Quoting a military source, the AFP said that an Israeli strike on south Lebanon's Tyre district killed a Hezbollah official earlier on Friday.

Eurovision contestants from Ireland, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, Lithuania and Finland signed a statement regarding the war in Gaza calling for "peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the return of all hostages."

"We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections," the statement read.

An Israeli strike on a sports centre in Gaza City's Shujaiyah neighbourhood killed 15 people, the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital said.

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah announced the death of five of its members today, as over 230 fighters have been killed since the daily clashes with Israel started on 8 October.

The announcement comes after the deadly Israeli strike on Syria's Aleppo, which killed at least 38 people, With Reuters reporting that five of them were members of Hezbollah.

Gaza's health ministry said that 71 Palestinians were killed by Israel in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 32,623 since the war began on 7 October.

An additional 112 people have been wounded, bringing the total to 75,092.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Israeli war cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot presented a plan earlier this week that differs from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's original idea of a post-war Gaza.

Eisenkot reportedly proposes having a local Palestinian take responsibility for Gaza's civilians under the supervision of an Arab and American coalition.

The "reformed" entity would ensure security for Israel and change the education system to one that does not allegedly incite against Israel, while also stopping "payment to terrorists".

Should this entity that meets Israel's requirements be established, then Yedioth Ahronoth says Israel would present it to the US as an alternative to an independent Palestinian state.

"I survived," Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan posted on X, ten days after saying Israeli forces killed her brother right in front of her eyes.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had raised an alert on her disappearance on 27 March, demanding the Israeli army to "immediately shed light on the disappearance of @BayanPalestine."

Abusultan also posted a story on Instagram, saying she is "alive."

Al Jazeera's correspondent in occupied East Jerusalem said that Palestinian Christians from the West Bank are being barred from entering Jerusalem's Old City ahead of Easter celebrations on Sunday.

Hundreds of religious leaders from the occupied West Bank have been granted permissions to enter, but "they’re going to be hosting ceremonies, they’re going to be hosting prayers, and they’re not going to have any of the faithful in those prayers," in what the correspondent called an "unprecedented move."

Palestinian Christians have faced certain restrictions and harassment from Israeli police during both Western and Orthodox Easter celebrations in previous years, but this situation may have gotten more intense due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Israeli strikes on Syria's Aleppo killed 38 people, including five members of Lebanon's Hezbollah, two security sources told Reuters
• An Israeli attack on a home in Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp killed eight people
• Israeli PM Netanyahu told relatives of Israeli soldiers held in Gaza they "preparing to enter Rafah," after claiming they had already conquered northern Gaza and Khan Younis
• In response to ICJ's additional provisional measures, Israel said it is "committed to international law" and will "promote new initiatives" to deliver aid into the Gaza Strip
• Japan announced it will restore its funding of Unrwa, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency
• The UN's World Food Programme said that famine is "imminent" in northern Gaza, calling for much more aid to be delivered there

Hello readers of Middle East Eye. On Thursday, the International Court of Justice issued additional provisional measures, ordering Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza without any hindrances.

The order was issued with special emphasis on the situation regarding hunger in Gaza, with the ICJ noting that "famine is setting in".

The political leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad,  Ziyad al-Nakhalah, met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran and Khamenei told the Palestinian leader that the group would "see final victory of the people of Gaza".

And despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and renewed negotiations, Israel is continuing to bomb areas all across the Gaza Strip. The current death toll stands at  32,552 Palestinians.

Here's what else you need to know from Thursday's developments:

• An Israeli air strike has killed at least 12 Palestinians in Rafah.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Israel's top court to defer a 31 March deadline for the government to come up with a new military conscription plan addressing the exemptions granted to members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

• Politico is reporting that the Pentagon is in "preliminary conversations" about a proposal to help fund either a multinational peacekeeping force or a Palestinian peacekeeping team in Gaza in a post-war scenario.

• Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has formed a new cabinet, in which he will also serve as foreign minister.

• A six-year-old Palestinian boy died from malnutrition in the northern Gaza Strip.

• The Israeli military released 102 Palestinians who were detained from across the Gaza Strip in recent months. The military also released seven members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Multiple news outlets are reporting that Israeli fighter jets launched air strikes on the Maghazi and Nuseirat refugee camps in central Gaza.

It is not immediately clear whether there have been any casualties.

Palestinian doctor Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta said that his recent election to become the next rector of the University of Glasgow is a victory for Gaza's doctors.

"Palestine has become now the rallying call for all those who believe in a better world, who want an end to this genocide," he said.

Rutgers University is the latest university under investigation for its handling of antisemitism and “failure to protect Jewish students” on campus, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced on Wednesday. 

“The Committee on Education and the Workforce is investigating Rutgers University’s response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. I have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of Rutgers’ response to antisemitism on its campuses,” the letter from the Congressional committee said.

The letter lists incidents of antisemitism the committee says the school did not adequately address and requests information dating back to 2021 on antisemitic activity, what disciplinary actions were taken, and communications that occurred between university officials on the subject.

To read the full story, click below.

Rutgers University to face congressional antisemitism investigation

Dr Mohammad Subeh recently returned from a five-week mission to Gaza, and has spoken to MEE about his experiences there.

Watch the video below.

At least 12 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli strike targeting Rafah, health officials told Reuters.