Live: Israel kills at least 58 Palestinians in 24 hours

A recent interview by the BBC with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has ignited controversy, with social media users accusing the British broadcaster of prioritising a "superficial" question about alcohol consumption over pressing humanitarian and societal issues facing the country.

Less than two weeks after Syrian rebel groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled President Bashar al-Assad, BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen interviewed HTS leader Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Jolani.

Aired on Thursday, the conversation in the former president’s palace in Damascus explored Sharaa's vision for Syria’s future after more than a decade of civil war.

Read more: Syria: BBC interview with HTS leader sparks online backlash

Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has branded Sweden's decision to halt funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa)as "shameful."

In a post on X, Albanese urged Sweden to “act swiftly to reverse and remedy” the decision, which comes amid heightened humanitarian needs for Palestinians. Critics view the funding withdrawal as a significant setback to relief efforts in occupied territories.

The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old student from George Mason University (GMU), accusing him of being involved in a plot to attack the Israeli consulate in New York, in a case involving an undercover informant or agent who helped the teenager come up with the plan.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, a first-year student and an Egyptian national, has been charged with one count of distributing information related to explosives that could be used to murder internationally protected persons. The criminal complaint was filed on Monday.

Hassan is currently undergoing deportation proceedings, according to US officials, though the process will likely be delayed until the criminal case is resolved and Hassan completes any sentence if convicted.

According to the criminal complaint, an "FBI confidential human source" contacted Hassan in August, and the two planned an attack on the Israeli consulate together. The attack was to be carried out by the FBI source, while Hassan was responsible for planning it.

Read more: FBI arrests university student over alleged plot to attack Israeli consulate

Unrwa emergency officer Louise Wateridge, speaking from Nuseirat in central Gaza, has described the dire humanitarian conditions in the besieged territory, where repeated Israeli attacks have left residents exposed to cold and rain with little shelter.

“The world is not seeing what’s going on with these people—it’s impossible for families to shelter in these conditions,” said Wateridge, highlighting the desperate need for aid as heavy rains were forecast to worsen the situation on Friday evening.

She noted that most residents are living under makeshift fabric shelters, lacking even basic waterproof structures. “Sixty-nine percent of the buildings here have been damaged or destroyed. There’s absolutely nowhere for people to shelter from these elements,” Wateridge added.

Describing the catastrophic state of Gaza, she remarked, “An entire society here is now a graveyard. Over 2 million people are trapped. They cannot escape. And people continue to have basic needs deprived, and it just feels like every path here that you could possibly take is leading to death.”

Unicef has condemned the dire conditions faced by children in Gaza, describing them as "cold, sick and traumatised", with 96 percent of women and children unable to meet basic nutritional needs.

“Gaza must be one of the most heartbreaking places on earth for humanitarians. Every small effort to save a child’s life is undone by fierce devastation,” said Rosalia Bollen, a communication specialist for Unicef, in a recent statement.

Over the past 14 months, more than 14,500 children have reportedly been killed, with thousands more wounded. “Children have borne the brunt of this nightmare,” Bollen added.

As winter sets in, the plight of Gaza’s children has worsened. “They are cold, wet and barefoot, with many still wearing summer clothes. Without cooking gas, families are scavenging through rubble for scraps of plastic to burn,” Bollen explained.

She noted that aid delivery to Gaza has drastically diminished. In November, only 65 truckloads of aid entered the region on average, compared to 500 daily before the war. Amid the festive season, Bollen contrasted global celebrations of “togetherness” with the harsh reality for Gaza’s children: “fear, utter deprivation and unimaginable suffering”.

Ireland has welcomed its first group of Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza for urgent medical care, according to a report by national broadcaster RTE.

Eight children, accompanied by eight caregivers and 11 siblings, arrived in Ireland on Thursday after travelling from Egypt aboard a plane provided by the Slovakian government.

This humanitarian effort follows a request by the World Health Organization (WHO) for European Union member states to assist in evacuating Palestinian patients in desperate need of treatment. Ireland is one of 10 countries - including Spain, Italy and Norway - that have responded to the appeal.

Sean Fleming, Ireland’s minister of state for international development and diaspora, told RTE that the children are suffering from serious conditions such as cancer, haemophilia and other blood disorders.

These evacuations come as the ongoing Israeli blockade and military actions in Gaza have devastated the healthcare system, leaving thousands of Palestinians without access to life-saving medical services.

Germany has described a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Israel committing "acts of genocide" in Gaza as "shocking" and has urged Israel to address the grave allegations.

The report accuses Israel of intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians in Gaza of access to clean water, adding to mounting criticism from international human rights organisations.

Speaking at a press briefing in Berlin, Federal Foreign Office spokesperson Christian Wagner said: "The report joins a series of reports from international human rights organisations. These reports are, of course, shocking. And I think it is really urgent that the Israeli government, so to speak, deals with these allegations and addresses them."

Israeli air strikes on Friday claimed the lives of at least 25 Palestinians in various areas of Gaza, according to medical sources cited by Reuters.

Among the victims, eight people were killed in an air raid targeting a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

In Jabalia, at least 10 more were killed when an Israeli strike destroyed a house, leaving a trail of devastation.

A Hamas fighter reportedly killed two Israeli soldiers before detonating himself near additional troops in the northern Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the group’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

The statement detailed that the fighter, disguised in an Israeli military uniform, shot and killed an Israeli sniper and another soldier at close range in the Jabalia refugee camp. Following the shooting, the fighter allegedly reached a group of six Israeli soldiers and detonated an explosive, causing further casualties.

The Israeli army has yet to issue a response regarding the incident.

Israeli forces shot and injured a disabled Palestinian man in the Wadi Qana area of Deir Istiya, located northwest of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that the 25-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to his knee and was promptly transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

Saudi Arabia expressed its support for the United Nations' decision to adopt a resolution calling for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s responsibility to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the occupied Palestinian territories through UN agencies.

The resolution, seen as a significant step towards accountability, has also been welcomed by Jordan, Qatar, and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. It underscores growing international concern over Israel’s continued obstruction of critical aid delivery to Palestinian communities.

Facebook has been hosting paid adverts for charities fundraising for Israeli army battalions accused of war crimes and lawmakers encouraging the resettlement of the Gaza Strip. 

Eko, a US-based campaigning organisation, identified 98 Facebook adverts targeting Europe and the US to solicit funds for Israeli army equipment, including advanced thermal drones, assault rifle sights, armour, night vision goggles and helmets.

"The most concerning issue with these fundraising appeals is their focus on drones potentially used in the ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon," Eko said in its report. 

"Many of the drones… are reportedly modified by the Israeli army to carry explosives."

One advert showed a soldier called Kobi, who is identified as a “lead machine gunner” for the 551 Commando Brigade, making an appeal for night vision goggles in front of a destroyed mosque. 

Read more: Facebook hosted adverts fundraising for Israeli army and lawmakers

The Civil Defence in Gaza has reported that 12 Palestinians, the majority of them children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a home in Jabalia al-Nazla, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Medical sources reported to Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli air strikes targeting multiple locations across the Gaza Strip have killed 21 Palestinians since early Friday morning.

A Palestinian man sustained injuries after being deliberately run over by an Israeli military vehicle in the vicinity of Jaba village, located east of occupied Jerusalem.

The attack adds to ongoing tensions in the region, with local sources reporting that the vehicle deliberately targeted the young man who riding a motorcycle.