Live: Israel kills more than 430 Palestinians on Tuesday

Earlier we reported the death of detainee Ali Ashour Ali al-Batsh, 62, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, in Israel’s Naqab prison.

Hamas has accused Israel of systematically killing Palestinian detainees following the death of prisoner al-Batsh from Jabalia in northern Gaza.

In a statement, the group said, “The martyrdom of al-Batsh in the occupation’s prisons is a direct result of its extremist policies aimed at murdering our prisoners and stripping them of their most basic human rights.”

The statement further condemned Israel’s use of “slow and deliberate execution” tactics, describing it as evidence of the occupation’s brutality, disregard for human values, and blatant violation of international laws and conventions protecting prisoners of war.

Hamas held Israel fully responsible for al-Batsh’s death, calling it a stark reminder of its inhumane treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Al-Batsh, a father of six, was arrested by Israel on 25 December 2023 and died on 21 February 2025 at Soroka Hospital, days after being transferred from the prison reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

His death adds to the growing list of Palestinians dying in Israeli prisons. 

Hamas has accused Donald Trump of undermining efforts to sustain the Gaza ceasefire, stating his demands for the immediate release of all captives are escalating tensions.  

“These threats complicate the ceasefire agreement and encourage Israel to evade its commitments,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Anadolu Agency.

“Hamas has fulfilled all its obligations under phase one, but Israel is refusing to move to phase two. The US administration must pressure the occupation to engage in negotiations for the next phase, as outlined in the agreement.”  

Trump’s recent remarks, threatening further devastation in Gaza unless all captives are freed and urging Hamas leaders to flee, have added to the volatility, risking the fragile truce and prolonging the suffering of Palestinians.

Israeli soldiers have been selling looted valuables from Gaza and Lebanon, a new investigation has revealed.

A report by Hamakom Hachi Ham Bagehenom (The Hottest Place in Hell) compiled numerous testimonies of thefts allegedly committed by members of the Israeli army. These included large sums of cash, jewellery, electronic devices, and even vehicles.

These items were later sold on Telegram channels, Facebook Marketplace, or in public sales. 

A commander in the Nahal Brigade, using the pseudonym Eitan to remain anonymous, explained that while soldiers initially took items as souvenirs, the thefts soon escalated.

Searching soldiers' bags became a lower priority, as "it was the whole battalion. Soldiers were doing it everywhere, and they managed to hide it everywhere."

Read more: Israeli troops selling loot stolen from Gaza and Lebanon, investigation reveals

Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East envoy, has demanded Israel uphold its ceasefire with Hamas until his arrival in the region. Witkoff’s trip, repeatedly postponed, is now expected next week, according to Israel’s Yediot Ahronot.  

The report stated, “Witkoff stressed that Israel must maintain the ceasefire in Gaza until he arrives in the region – even if Hamas refuses to release the hostages.”  

While Israel seeks to extend the first phase of the agreement until mid-April, Hamas is pushing for a shift to the second phase, which includes a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Meanwhile, Israel has intensified pressure by threatening to resume military operations and cutting off essential supplies to Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave.

The General Authority of Civil Affairs announced on Thursday morning the death of detainee Ali Ashour Ali al-Batsh, 62, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, in Israel’s Naqab prison.

Al-Batsh, a father of six, was arrested by Israel on 25 December 2023 and died on 21 February 2025 at Soroka Hospital, days after being transferred from the prison reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

His death adds to the growing list of Palestinians dying in Israeli prisons. 

In a joint statement, the Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and the Prisoners' Club condemned Israel’s deliberate obfuscation of detainees’ fates, noting that families are often informed of deaths months after they occur.

Al-Batsh death brings the total number of detainee who died since the start of the war to 62, including at least 40 from Gaza.

This figure represents the bloodiest phase in the history of the prisoner movement since 1967, with 299 Palestinians known to have died and 71 bodies are still held by Israel, including 60 since the war began, reported Wafa. 

The statement accused Israel of employing systematic crimes such as "torture, starvation, medical neglect, sexual assault, and deliberate exposure to disease, alongside policies of theft and deprivation".

A group of settlers, escorted by heavily armed Israeli occupation forces, forcibly entered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that dozens of settlers, led by the notorious extremist Yehudah Glick, invaded the mosque in coordinated groups, conducting inflammatory tours within its courtyards.  

Since Israel’s full-scale assault on Gaza and the West Bank began in October 2023, over 68,000 settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa, shielded by Israeli police.

This systematic violation has been accompanied by increasingly restrictive measures on Palestinian access to the mosque and the Old City, further entrenching Israeli control over the holy site.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s speech on Tuesday at Columbia University has faced intense criticism, leading several student groups to protest against his presence on campus. 

The university's Barnard College-Hillel, the school of international and public affairs, and the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life co-hosted Bennett for an event, according to a report by the Columbia Spectator. 

The Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition organised a protest on campus, with students and protesters gathered outside the 116th and Broadway gates and inside the campus carrying banners that read, “war criminal off our campus”.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest and other organisations shared images from the protest on Instagram on Tuesday.

Columbia Jews for Ceasefire issued a statement on its Instagram page ahead of the event, condemning the “political project of Naftali Bennett”.

Read more: Former Israeli PM's speeches at Columbia, Harvard universities trigger backlash

An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit, using satellite imagery, has exposed the extensive destruction of 44 cemeteries across Gaza during Israel’s military offensive.

The analysis, comparing pre-war images with those up to 14 February, alongside data from the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs, confirms widespread damage, both partial and total, to burial sites.  

The findings also highlight the establishment of mass graves and temporary cemeteries to accommodate the overwhelming number of casualties.

This grim reality underscores the scale of devastation inflicted by Israel’s war, which has not only claimed lives but also desecrated graveyards.

The Israeli military launched a destructive operation in the Nour Shams refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, razing 17 Palestinian homes in its second such assault within a week.  

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli bulldozers and heavy demolition equipment moved into the camp, east of Tulkarm, early on Thursday, systematically destroying residential buildings.  

This latest act of aggression is part of a broader military campaign targeting West Bank refugee camps, which began 45 days ago in Jenin and has persisted in Tulkarm for 39 consecutive days.

The ongoing incursion into Nour Shams has now entered its 26th day.

Abdullah al-Yazuri is 13 years old and has witnessed death and devastation on a scale that most could never imagine.

Having survived Israel’s deadly war on Gaza, which has killed at least 48,380 Palestinians so far, Abdullah’s dream is to study journalism in distant Britain, where his father got his PhD.

But in recent weeks, Abdullah has found himself at the centre of a national row in Britain, triggered by his role narrating a BBC documentary on Gaza’s children, Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone.

Speaking to Middle East Eye this week, Abdullah described spending hours being filmed in the besieged enclave during the war.

He said that he had hoped that the documentary could “spread the message of the suffering that children in Gaza witness”.

Read more: Exclusive: Palestinian child in Gaza documentary row holds BBC responsible for fate

An Israeli official informed The New York Times that Israel discovered details of direct negotiations between the US and Hamas not through the United States but via unspecified “other channels”.

The official stated the discussions occurred in Qatar’s capital, spearheaded by US envoy Adam Boehler. The talks reportedly centred on securing the release of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, who is thought to be alive, as well as repatriating the remains of four US citizens.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the negotiations with Hamas, stating: “The special envoy engaged in those negotiations has the authority to talk to anyone. Israel was consulted on this matter. [...] These are ongoing talks, there are American lives at stake.”

Unicef has issued a stark condemnation of Israel’s blockade, which is severely jeopardising critical healthcare services for children in Gaza, particularly newborns dependent on life-saving medical interventions.  

Rosalia Bollen, a Unicef spokesperson, sharply criticised Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid, stating that the prohibition on vaccines and ventilators for premature infants “will have catastrophic, real-world impacts” on children and their families.  

“Without access to these supplies, routine vaccinations will halt entirely,” she said. “Neonatal units will be unable to treat preterm babies, leading to dire consequences that will unfold imminently.”  

Speaking from Gaza, Bollen highlighted that existing medical resources have been depleted due to overwhelming demand. “The scale of need is so immense that stockpiling supplies has been impossible. These new restrictions are nothing short of devastating.”  

She characterised the ceasefire as “a lifeline” for families, emphasising that its breakdown has exacerbated fear and hopelessness. “The atmosphere here is one of profound despair. Families are terrified of what lies ahead.”

Palestine Legal, a US based advocacy group, has condemned the US Senate for what it calls a “McCarthyite witch-hunt” against students and academics who defend Palestinian rights.

The hearings, held by the Senate Judiciary Committee under the guise of “Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America,” are being criticised as a blatant attempt to silence dissent.

In a statement, Palestine Legal warned that the hearings align with the Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther, a right-wing blueprint aimed at dismantling progressive movements, starting with advocacy for Palestinian rights.

The group urged universities to reject Trump’s push to criminalise pro-Palestinian activism and to resist the growing repression of students speaking out against Israeli policies.

The US Treasury held its first high-level meeting with Israel in four years, effectively ending the Biden administration’s policy of side lining Bezalel Smotrich over his extremist views.

Smotrich, notorious for advocating the forced expulsion of Palestinians, had previously faced public condemnation from Washington.

J Street, a self-described pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby, slammed the Trump administration for legitimising Smotrich, warning that his racist ideology has now been “normalised.”

In a post on X, the group reminded the public that Smotrich has “dedicated his life to inciting violence against Palestinians and erasing any chance of peace.”

Israeli content creators have racked up hundreds of thousands of views in a recent viral trend on TikTok deriding the struggles of child victims of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.

The youths film themselves posing as representatives of a fictional humanitarian organisation and call their family members and friends to ask for donations for Palestinian children. Those called usually react with rage, shouting and swearing before the callers reveal themselves in the videos uploaded to the platform as humorous pranks.

Israeli social media influencer Yakir Bar Zohar shared a video in which he asked passersby for donations for children in Gaza.

In the clip, which has received thousands of likes and shares, a man agrees to his request to donate to "hungry children", but Bar Zohar is surprised and asks if he is sure he wants to donate "to the children who are going to be terrorists".

Many videos in this spirit can be found circulating on TikTok, most were posted by young people and teenagers, but some were made by soldiers.

Read more: Israelis mock Palestinian children in viral TikTok 'prank call' trend