Live: Trump envoy urges Netanyahu to reach ceasefire deal

An Israeli bombardment targeting a school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia, north of Gaza, has killed at least eight people.

Two children and two women were among those killed, according to Wafa news agency. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to decide this evening whether to send a high-level delegation to Doha to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to Israeli media.

The delegation would reportedly include David Barnea, the head of  Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, and Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, its internal intelligence agency. 

This development coincides with Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with Steve Witkoff, US President-elect Donald Trump’s designated Middle East envoy, later on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump’s designated Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Saturday.

Witkoff arrived in Israel earlier in the day from Doha, where he held talks with Qatar’s prime minister on Friday regarding a Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

Previously, Trump warned that there would be "hell to pay" if a deal is not reached before he enters office.

An Israeli drone has fired on the only civil defence vehicle in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, Al Jazeera reported. This follows an announcement by the Palestinian Civil Defence that several fire and rescue vehicles are out of service due to a lack of repair equipment.

In a separate incident, an Israeli attack on the Khirbet al-Adas area north of Rafah has injured several people, according to Al Jazeera. 

The Israeli military has imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians around the city of Nablus.

Israeli forces set up checkpoints on roads connecting the occupied West Bank city with neighbouring Jenin and Tubas, causing significant traffic congestion.

This comes after Israeli forces shot a young Palestinian man during a raid on al-Arroub refugee camp west of Hebron on Saturday morning.

US envoy Amos Hochstein has reportedly assured Lebanese officials that the US guarantees a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon by the end of January.

According to the Saudi Al-Akhbar news agency, Hochstein reviewed the withdrawal timeline during his visit to Lebanon on Monday and informed the country's new president, Joseph Aoun, that he had received a full withdrawal plan from Israel.

The final date for the Israeli presence in the country has been said to be 26 January, he said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in place since late November, though both sides have accused each other of repeated violations.

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers.

Here is what happened overnight:

• The Israeli military attacked Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district, bombing "a number of houses in the town of Aita al-Shaab", according to Lebanese media.
• A new study estimates the number of Palestinians killed in the first eight months of the Israeli war on Gaza has exceeded 64,000 - nearly 40 percent higher than the official death toll.
• At least 22 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday morning, according to local sources. Israeli jets carried out strikes overnight in Gaza City, destroying two residential homes.
• Israeli forces have shot a young Palestinian man during a raid on al-Arroub refugee camp west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
• The Israeli military conducted a series of attacks across Yemen, saying it was targeting Houthi infrastructure in response to attacks on Israel.

The Israeli military has attacked Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district, bombing "a number of houses in the town of Aita al-Shaab", according to Lebanese media. 

Loud sounds were heard in surrounding villages, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said. 

Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in place since late November, Israel has continued targeting sites in Lebanon.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers. Our live blog will soon close for the day. 

Here is what happened today: 

• The number of Palestinians killed in the first eight months of the Israeli war on Gaza is estimated to exceed 64,000, nearly 40 percent higher than the official death toll, a new study has found.

• At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Friday, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.

• An investigation by the Israeli army into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Elias, 17, who died in the Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, has found that the two were likely killed by Israeli fire.

• The Israeli military has confirmed the death of Hamza Ziyadne, 22, who was reportedly held in Hamas captivity.

• Israeli shelling has killed and wounded several Palestinians in Al-Bureij camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, according to an Al Jazeera Arabic.

• A senior member of Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, has confirmed that most Israeli captives held in northern Gaza are now "missing" due to Israel’s ongoing military assaults.

• Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, the region's last remaining operational medical facility, is on the brink of collapse, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

• An Israeli strike killed two people in south Lebanon on Friday, the country's health ministry said.

• President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Qatar's prime minister on Friday to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations.

• The UN on Friday reported that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to obstruct “vital aid” from entering Gaza.
   

The UN on Friday reported that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to obstruct “vital aid” from entering Gaza.

"OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach North Gaza governorate with vital aid. This includes the most recent attempt today,” the office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said.

“Across the Strip yesterday, only 10 out of 21 UN planned humanitarian movements were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven were denied outright, three were impeded, and one was cancelled due to security and logistical challenges,” it said.

OCHA also voiced deep concern about “the impact that dwindling fuel supplies are having on essential services in Gaza”.

"Palestinian telecommunication providers are now warning that their services may start to shut down tomorrow due to fuel shortages,” it added.

An investigation by the Israeli army into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Elias, 17, who died in the Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, has found that the two were likely killed by Israeli fire.

The findings concluded that Tomer was first abducted by members of Hamas, who used him to persuade residents of the Kibbutz to come outside. After having escaped, he was mistakenly held as “a suspicious figure” by Israeli soldiers, who then opened fire on him.

The probe, which includes testimonies from soldiers and civilians, was carried out by Colonel Yaron Sitbon, who is responsible for a larger and ongoing investigation into the entire battle at Nahal Oz.

Dikla was killed as a result of Israeli gunfire on a Hamas vehicle which was first headed towards Gaza, and later abandoned. 

President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Qatar's prime minister on Friday to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations, a source briefed on the visit told Reuters.

Previously, Trump warned that there will be "hell to pay" if a deal isn't reached before he enters office.

At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Friday, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.

Twelve of the victims were killed in attacks on the central and southern parts of Gaza.

An Israeli strike killed two people in south Lebanon on Friday, the country's health ministry said.

The state-run National News Agency said "an Israeli drone targeted a car in Tayr Dibba", a village near the coastal city of Tyre and around 20k from the Israeli border.

Gaza's largest partially functioning hospital is on the verge of closure due to Israeli blocks on fuel deliveries, threatening the lives of critically ill patients, including children and newborns in intensive care.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said Nasser Hospital was already rationing fuel and prioritising power for operating theatres and paediatric and neonatal intensive care units.

The hospital requires 5,500 litres of fuel daily to operate at its necessary capacity, but restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities only permit 15,000 litres of fuel every three days and have prohibited the refilling of the hospital's main or reserve fuel tanks.

"The situation is critical. Without additional fuel, this hospital will shut down in less than 48 hours, leaving critically ill patients – children in ventilators, newborns in incubators, and others in need of urgent care – facing imminent death," said Mohammed Aghaalkurdi, MAP's medical programme lead in Gaza.

"We are running out of time. Power cuts are already disrupting care and we are forced to prioritise only the most crucial areas while the rest of the hospital falls into darkness. The entry of fuel is a matter of life and death."