Gaza live: Several dead including Hezbollah commander after Israeli strike on southern Beirut

Israeli forces carried out more deadly aerial assaults across northern, central, and southern Gaza, according to the Wafa news agency.

The most lethal strike hit a family home in Jabalia, killing four people. Another airstrike in Rafah claimed two more lives.

In central Gaza's Nuseirat camp, a quadcopter attack left numerous civilians injured, with most of the casualties being children.

A Reuters report that new licences for the export of "weapons of war" to Israel have been put on hold by Germany pending legal challenges has been denied by the German government.

Citing data from Germany's economy ministry and a source close to it, Reuters reported that licences for "weapons of war" to Israel amounted to just $36,150 in 2024 and total arms exports dropped to $16.1m.

In 2023, arms exports including military equipment and weapons of war totalled $363.5m - a 10-fold increase from 2022. 

According to the report, Germany "had stopped work on approving export licences for arms to Israel pending a resolution of legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law".

However, on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Economic Ministry told news agency DPA: "There is no ban on arms exports to Israel, and there will be no ban."

Read more: Germany stops approving new arms export licences for Israel: Report

Lebanon's director general of civil aviation has announced a new directive prohibiting passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board any aircraft, according to the state-run news agency NNA.

The ban applies to both cargo and checked or carry-on luggage at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Any such devices found will be confiscated by airport security.

The rule is effective immediately until further notice.

This decision follows a series of explosions across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, in which at least 32 people were killed after devices like pagers, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, laptops, and solar power cells detonated.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad announced during a press briefing in Beirut that at least 32 people were killed and thousands injured following a series of coordinated explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Yet, there is a silver lining as we have seen the unity of our Lebanese people and the professionalism of our doctors and nurses who lived up to their responsibilities,” Abiad stated.

On Tuesday, approximately 4,000 pagers detonated within an hour, followed by further explosions the next day involving handheld devices such as walkie-talkies, mobile phones, laptops, and even solar power cells.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised the government of new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing it of sending "mixed messages" regarding the United Kingdom's support for Israel. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Netanyahu condemned London's recent suspension of arms licences to Israel as "misguided".

"After the October 7 Hamas massacre," Netanyahu stated, "the previous British government was clear in its support. Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages. They affirm Israel's right to defend itself but undermine our ability to exercise that right by reversing Britain's stance on the ICC prosecutor's baseless allegations against Israel and blocking weapons sales as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation responsible for the October 7 massacre."

Netanyahu further criticised the UK for suspending 30 arms licences to Israel shortly after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, calling it a harmful message to Hamas. He emphasised that such "misguided decisions" will not deter Israel's resolve to defeat Hamas.

In response, a Foreign Office spokesperson stated: "We have been absolutely clear that Israel must adhere to international humanitarian law when taking military action to support its legitimate right to self-defence. The UK has raised concerns about these issues over many months, as have other allies. Unfortunately, these concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed."

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in the Middle East, which has resulted in at least 30 deaths and thousands of injuries across Lebanon.

The network, which includes over 130 Australian humanitarian organisations, also criticised Canberra’s decision to abstain from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

ACFID further urged the Australian Government to impose targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for obstructing humanitarian aid and causing starvation in Gaza, and to end all military ties.

The explosion of hundreds of communication devices belonging to members of Hezbollah, including pagers and handheld radios, has resulted in at least 30 deaths and 4,500 injuries, including more than 400 in critical condition in two waves of attack, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

The blasts took place nearly simultaneously on Tuesday over a wide geographic area in the Lebanese capital, its suburbs, and in Syria.

They were followed by a new wave of explosions on Wednesday, including at a funeral procession for victims of the initial pager explosions. Soon after, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared the start of a "new phase" in its war on Gaza, in which "the centre of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces".

These deadly attacks by Israel serve as a painful wake-up call for Hezbollah and Lebanon as a state and have several implications.

Israel aims to change the existing balance of deterrence, sow doubt and disillusionment within Hezbollah's ranks, and drive a wedge between the group and Lebanese citizens through mass civilian casualties.

Read more: Lebanon pager blasts: Israel's cyberterrorism signals a new warfare strategy

Israeli forces have conducted a new series of arrests across the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

In Qalqilya and the nearby town of Jayyous, Israeli forces detained 13 individuals, including one woman. 

Since October of last year, Israeli forces have arrested at least 10,800 Palestinians in various raids.

An Israeli businessman has been arrested on charges of being recruited by Iranian intelligence to carry out an assassination plot against Israeli officials, according to a joint statement from Israeli authorities.

Shin Bet and the Lahav 433 unit of the Israel Police apprehended him last month. The individual, who had been residing in Turkey, is suspected of committing security offences by collaborating with Iranian operatives.

The investigation disclosed that he travelled to Iran, where he met with an Iranian businessman and a Tehran security operative, after being smuggled across a Turkish land border in May.

Josep Borrell expressed his views in a statement following the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution demanding that Israel end "its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory" within 12 months.

Borrell stated, "The UN General Assembly has forcefully reaffirmed its commitment to the realization of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including its right to an independent and sovereign state, living side by side in peace and security with Israel, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly."

He continued, "In line with its longstanding common position and UN Security Council Resolutions, I reiterate the call for a lasting and sustainable peace, and reaffirm that the EU will not recognize changes to the 1967 borders, nor Israeli sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967, unless agreed by the parties."

The resolution, proposed by Palestine, was passed with 124 votes in favour, 43 abstentions, and 14 no votes, including from Israel, the US, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Paraguay and several island states.

Japanese firm Icom has launched an investigation after its branded devices exploded during the recent attacks in Lebanon.

Images of the destroyed walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah on Wednesday showed labels marked with “ICOM” and “made in Japan”.

The company, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, stated that it would provide more information on its website once the investigation is complete.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "expressed deep gratitude" for the recent announcement by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stating that Saudi Arabia would not normalise relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, according to the Wafa news agency.

Abbas praised Prince Mohammed's "bold and decisive statements," which, he said, "affirm the strong unified Arab and Islamic stance in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," as reported by Wafa.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, on Wednesday to "review regional security developments" and to reaffirm "unwavering US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese [Hezbollah], and Iran’s other regional partners".

Austin emphasised the US's "commitment to deterring regional adversaries and efforts to de-escalate tensions across the region" and urged for an "enduring diplomatic resolution to the conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border," according to a statement from the Pentagon.

The call followed a series of explosions in Lebanon, where electronic devices linked to Hezbollah detonated over consecutive days, killing more than two dozen people in what is believed to be an Israeli espionage operation.

Canada has announced new sanctions against Hamas for its "acts of terror" and against several Israeli settlers for "extremist violence" targeting Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. 

These latest sanctions focus on 11 individuals and two entities involved in Hamas' financial network, which Canada claims was used to plan and execute attacks on Israel on 7 October, according to an official government statement. 

In addition, four Israeli settlers, along with the Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich, were sanctioned for "participating in or facilitating acts of harassment and violence, including attacks on humanitarian convoys and the displacement of Palestinian communities."

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of pushing the Middle East "into the abyss of a regional war" due to its dangerous escalation on multiple fronts.

Speaking after an Islamic and Arab ministerial contact group meeting in Amman, which aimed to lobby for a ceasefire in Gaza, Safadi emphasised that peace would not be possible without a two-state solution.

In a post on X, he further stated, "We stressed the need for the international community to take practical steps to curb Israeli aggression, including imposing sanctions on it and stopping the supply of weapons to it."