Live: Arab and Muslim countries urge Israel to allow 'permanent' shelter into Gaza as weather worsens

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said police will “thrash” Palestinian children who throw stones at Israeli security officials.

“If a minor throws a stone, he needs to be dealt with harshly. A stone is a stone; stones kill,” the national security minister told reporters.

“Even a minor, if he throws a stone, they will thrash him."

The United Nations rights chief has denounced the "outrageous" proposed ban on 37 aid agencies from operating in Gaza. 

"Israel's suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous," Volker Turk said in a statement.

"Such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza."

The Palestinian Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that during the past 48 hours, three dead bodies were received by hospitals in Gaza, including two that were recovered from the rubble of previous Israeli strikes. 

"A citizen and a four-year-old girl died as a result of a building collapse caused by the storm, bringing the number of victims whose bodies were taken to hospitals as a result of building collapses due to the storm to 19 cases," the ministry said. 

Since the ceasefire began on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 415 Palestinians, the ministry said, adding that the total number of recovered bodies in the same period has reached 682. 

Since the beginning of Israeli aggression on 7 October 2023, Israel has killed 71,269 Palestinians, while 171,232 others have been wounded. 

South Africa’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mathu Joyini, condemned Israel’s move to recognise Somaliland as “ironic and cynical” while rejecting the statehood of Palestine.

South Africa’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mathu Joyini, condemned Israel’s move to recognise Somaliland as “ironic and cynical” while rejecting the statehood of Palestine pic.twitter.com/Vfj8VFYJTm

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 31, 2025

A raft of aid organisations working in Gaza have warned of "devastating" consequences after Israel announced it would be banning them from operating. 

Israel said 37 organisations had failed to meet its new stringent rules for aid groups working in the occupied Gaza Strip, and would be suspended from 1 January.

Those affected include major international aid groups Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, ActionAid and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory, told Middle East Eye the new rules would compound an already disastrous situation in Gaza.

"Since March, Israeli authorities have been blocking Oxfam and many other organisations from bringing materials into Gaza regardless of the formal status of our registration," she said.

Read more: Aid agencies warn of 'devastating' impact on Gaza after Israeli ban

The EU on Wednesday said that Israel’s revocation of the licenses of 37 international nonprofits operating in Gaza and the West Bank will block life-saving assistance from reaching Gaza’s population, AFP reported. 

“The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form,” EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib wrote on social media company X.

Israel has said the groups would be barred for not complying with stringent new requirements to register with the government.

“IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need,” Lahbib wrote.

The list of organisations includes Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the Danish and Norwegian Refugee Councils, Caritas Internationalis, an umbrella for Catholic charities, the Quaker-founded American Friends Service Committee and the International Rescue Committee.

Oxfam’s policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory, Bushra Khalidi, on Wednesday said that the new Israeli requirements will prevent NGOs from operating in Israel but should not prevent them from operating inside Gaza and the West Bank, Al Jazeera reported.

Khalidi said that the organisations are still registered under the Palestinian Authority and must be allowed to work in Palestine. 

“Israel continues to block us whether we’re registered or not and has continued to deliberately obstruct humanitarian aid regardless of these rules,” Khalidi said. 

“It does impact what we can bring into Gaza, but we’ve been blocked anyway from entering materials into Gaza since March,” she added. 

More than 500 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard in occupied East Jerusalem, Wafa news agency reported. 

The Jerusalem governorate said that hundreds of settlers stormed the courtyard under the protection of Israeli forces, performing Talmudic rituals and performing provocative tours.

One of Islam’s holiest sites, Al-Aqsa Mosque is also a symbol of Palestinian national identity. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the courtyard, but not pray there.

The site is also considered sacred in Judaism. Groups of Israeli settlers regularly raid the courtyard under heavy police protection.

Israeli forces on Wednesday shot and wounded two Palestinians and raided a gold shop in the town of Dhahiriya in the Hebron Governorate of the occupied West Bank, Palestinian media reported. 

A school student and a young man were wounded, one in the foot and the other in the back, when Israeli soldiers stormed the centre of Dhahiriya, firing live bullets at residents, Wafa news reported. 

The report said that Israeli forces also stormed a gold shop belonging to the al-Hurub family, detained several Palestinians, and looted money before withdrawing from the area.

The Palestinian NGO Network on Wednesday said that Israel's decision to ban humanitarian organisations from working inside Gaza threatens the lives of Palestinians.

Israel on Wednesday informed more than three dozen international organisations operating in Palestine that they must close their offices and cease their activities. 

The organisations include Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, Care International, the International Rescue Committee, and divisions of major charities such as Oxfam and Caritas.

Israel has accused MSF staff of cooperating with Hamas. The organisation denied Israel’s accusations. International organisations have called Israel’s rules arbitrary.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on Wednesday said that Gaza witnessed a sharp and unprecedented population decline of about 254,000, or 10.6 percent, compared to pre-war estimates.

The current population of Gaza stands at 2.13 million, reflecting a severe demographic haemorrhage resulting from killing, displacement and deteriorating living conditions, the PCBS said. 

In a briefing regarding the population situation, the PCBS said that the population of Palestine reached approximately 5.56 million by the end of 2025, including 3.43 million in the West Bank.

The statistical indicators reflect a real humanitarian and demographic catastrophe, with long-term effects on population stability, development and human rights, the PCBS said. 

Israel on Tuesday said that it will suspend more than three dozen humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, the International Rescue Committee, and divisions of major charities such as Oxfam and Caritas.

Israeli authorities said that the suspension of 37 groups working in Gaza was for "failing to meet" its new rules for aid groups working in the enclave. 

Israel has accused MSF staff of cooperating with Hamas.

MSF, which is one of the largest medical groups operating in Gaza, said that Israel’s decision will have a catastrophic impact on its work in the enclave, where it supports about 20 percent of the hospital beds and one-third of births. The organisation also denied Israel’s accusations about its staff.

International organisations said Israel’s rules are arbitrary.

The Israeli parliament on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation requiring the cutting of electricity and water supplies to the offices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) in Jerusalem, with the law taking effect immediately.

Israeli forces on Wednesday began a large-scale demolition campaign in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. 

The demolitions targeted the Maslakh neighbourhood of the camp, as part of a plan to demolish 25 residential buildings comprising more than 100 homes.

The camp has been under a tight Israeli siege since January.

The Khan Younis municipality on Wednesday said that it is facing a severe fuel shortage that has hit its operation of essential services, including water and sanitation facilities. 

"The daily requirement for running water and sanitation facilities is approximately 3,000 litres of diesel, while the available quantity, at best, does not exceed one-third of that amount," the Gaza municipality said. 

The fuel shortage due to Israeli-imposed restrictions has reduced operational capacity to only 20 percent, it added.

Israeli forces on Wednesday detained six Palestinians from the Bedouin community of Shallal al-Auja, north of Jericho, Wafa news reported. 

The director of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society in Jericho, Eid Barahmeh, said that the Israeli forces raided several homes in the community and detained six residents.

Israeli forces also searched homes and ransacked the personal belongings of residents during the raid, the report said.