Live: Arab and Muslim countries urge Israel to allow 'permanent' shelter into Gaza as weather worsens
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Israel asked Qatar to increase the amount of funds it gave to Hamas around a month before the October 7 attacks, Yedioth Ahronoth reported early on Friday.
The request was conveyed to Qatar's envoy to Gaza on behalf of the government by the former head of the Shin Bet security service's Southern District, and other officials.
The meeting took place at Jerusalem hotel, according to the report.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned by the Israeli authorities’ announcement to suspend the operations of several international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the occupied Palestinian territory he said in a statement on Friday.
He urged the suspension of operations of the NGOs to be reversed, saying that it risks undermining the fragile progress achieved during the ceasefire.
"This announcement comes on top of earlier restrictions that have already delayed critical food, medical, hygiene and shelter supplies from entering Gaza," he said in a statement.
"This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians." he added.
The Secretary-General said that Israel must enable rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for all civilians in need under the remit of international humanitarian law.
Israeli settlers injured a Palestinian man after they raided the village of Khirbet Ibziq in the northern West Bank, Palestinian media outlets reported.
Residents tried to push the settlers out. However, the Israeli military arrived in the village and used tear gas on the Palestinian residents.
At least 15 of the Palestinians needed to be evacuated for medical treatment as a result of tear gas inhalation.
It is one of a series of Israeli settler raids reported across the West Bank on Friday, including on the villages of Burin, Khallet a-Louza and Sinjil.
The Israeli army raided a town near Hebron, opened fire on residents, and wounded a Palestinian young man on Friday, Wafa news agency reported.
The young man was chased by Israeli soldiers and sustained cuts and bruises during the raid on the town of Idhna.
It is the latest on a string of near-daily raids on Palestinian villages, towns, and cities across the West Bank.
Israeli soldiers shelled a town in the Gaza Strip on Friday and critically wounded four civilians.
The attack happened in Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces have killed 417 people since the OCtober 10 ceasefire came into effect.
Israeli soldiers on Friday killed a Palestinian who crossed the 'Yellow Line' in southern Gaza, which demarcates more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip that the Israel currently controls.
In a statement, the military said the "terrorist...approached the troops, posing an immediate threat to them" - something they have said about all Palestinians they have killed crossing the yellow line, including children.
The 'Yellow Line' is not clearly demarcated on the ground, making it difficult for displaced Palestinians returning to their homes to know.
Israel's Foreign Ministry accused New York City's new mayor Zohran Mamdani of inflaming antisemitism on his second day of office after he signed an executive order (EO) to revoke most EO's issued by his incumbent after September 2024, when Adams was indicted.
EO's that Adams instituted after Sepember 2024 include instituting the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifting restrictions on boycotts of Israel. Mamdani's revocation on his first day in office includes revoking these EOs, and does not target them above any others.
In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Ministry criticised Mamdani, saying, "On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire."
The World Jewish Congress also criticised the move.
Critics of the IHRA definition say that pro-Israel activists can and do mobilise the IHRA definition for political goals unrelated to tackling antisemitism, principally to silence critics of the Israeli government.
Ministers from Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt countries expressed concern in a joint statement over the "deteriorating humanitarian conditions" in Gaza that have been exacerbated by extreme weather.
The eight foreign ministers said that 1.9 million people in Gaza are facing potentially hazardous consequences such as death, sickness, and disease as a result of heavy rains and inadequate shelter, especially children, women, the elderly, and people with difficult medical conditions.
They stressed the urgent need to immediately begin and expand early recovery efforts, including providing permanent and dignified shelter to protect residents from harsh winter conditions.
The ministers also called on the international community to assume "its legal and moral responsibilities and pressure Israel, to immediately lift restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential supplies".
They praised the work if United Nations and urged the international community to pressure Israel to lift restrictions and allow uninterrupted delivery of aid, and ensure UN and international organizations can operate freely in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel has conducted a series of air strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
Israel targeted areas outside the town of Ar-Rihan, Ansar and Zrarieh, and the villages of Kfarwa and Azza.
Israel has been continuing to bomb southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement in place since Noevmber 2024.
Israel's former prime minister has accused the Israeli government of actively enabling "murderous" settler violence in the occupied West Bank, days after Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to downplay the surge in attacks amid growing US scrutiny.
In an article published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday, Ehud Olmert said that violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians wasn't just the work of fringe extremists but a coordinated campaign enabled by politicians, police and military authorities.
"There's no other way of defining what's happening in the territories except as a violent, murderous war," Olmert said, adding that attacks against Palestinians were "designed to lead gradually to ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion".
Read more: Former Israeli prime minister accuses government of backing 'murderous' settler violence
American actor and humanitarian advocate Angelina Jolie has paid an official visit to the Rafah Crossing in Egypt - the only pedestrian and commercial gateway between Gaza and the outside world - to meet with humanitarian organisations and better understand the conditions of Palestinians from Gaza, according to reports.
During Friday's visit, Jolie viewed logistical supply warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which are used to store and distribute essential humanitarian assistance normally destined for Gaza.
The crossing is currently controlled by Israel, which severely limits the humanitarian aid that can enter the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Read more: Angelina Jolie visits Rafah Crossing in Egypt, meets Palestinians from Gaza
Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’s emergency coordinator for Palestine, Claire San Filippo, stated that Israeli authorities repeatedly ignored the organization’s requests to meet regarding the recent deregistration issue, according to Al Jazeera.
MSF is one of 37 humanitarian organizations that were deregistered by the Israeli government this week, due to alleged failure to meet new requirements, including disclosing information about Palestinian staff members.
San Filippo added that “conditioning access to a territory on the submission of staff lists is outrageous, is an outrageous overreach,” describing the Israeli government’s move as “cynical and calculated attempt” to halt necessary humanitarian aid.
Israeli settlers opened fire on Palestinians in the town of Deir Ballut, west of Salfit, in the central region of the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported.
According to the report, settlers attempted to intimidate Palestinian residents through live ammunition fire, in order to restrict them from accessing their land.
Israeli settlers also attacked and injured a young man in Khirbet Ibziq, near Tubas, according to Wafa. The agency added that settler attacks have increased in the region, in an attempt to force Palestinians out of their homes.
More deaths, including Israel's killing of a Palestinian man, have tainted Gaza's start to the year, as uproar against Israel's aid restrictions grows.
In one instance, a displaced grandmother and her grandson died after their tent caught fire on Thursday nearby the Yarmouk Stadium, located west of Gaza City. The flames were sparked by a cooking mishap and fanned by strong winter winds.
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza identified the two victims as Amal Hamed Abu al-Khair, 65, and Saud Muhammad Abu al-Khair, five. The father of the child sustained serious burns.
Another displaced child, identified as Malak Rami Ghneim, froze to death on Thursday as a result of the severe drop in temperature and lack of proper shelter in Nuseirat, central Gaza.
Read more: Gaza enters 2026 with more deaths and Israeli attacks
