Live: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours

A Jordanian official told Reuters on Thursday that Arabs "will only support what Palestinians agree and decide on", after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel wanted to hand over Gaza to Arab forces that would govern it.

Asked for a response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to militarily occupy all of Gaza, US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters that the Trump administration has "three focuses" relating to Israel's security.

They include "getting humanitarian aid into Gaza without it being looted by Hamas," ensuring "the hostages [are] released", and that "Hamas cannot continue to exist".  

He did not mention what would happen to Palestinians, or what US policy is toward nearly two million people in the enclave.

"There could be no long term prosperity with Hamas as it as a governing force or otherwise within Gaza. So that's what our policy is. That's where our focus is... for further details on Israel's policy, I would refer you to the Government of Israel," Pigott said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks that he intends to militarily occupy the entirety of the Gaza Strip are the opposite of what Israel has indicated in ceasefire negotiations, Hamas said on Thursday.

"Netanyahu's statements represent a clear reversal of the course of negotiations and clearly reveal the true motives behind his withdrawal from the final round [of talks], despite our close proximity to a final agreement," the group said in a statement following the broadcast of Netanyahu's interview with Fox News.

"Netanyahu's plan is to continue his policy of genocide and displacement by committing more crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said.

"We call on Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to condemn and reject these dangerous statements, and to take urgent action to halt the aggression and end the occupation, enable our people to exercise their right to self-determination, and hold the enemy's leaders accountable for their ongoing crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip".

A new poll by Data for Progress shows that far more people in the US want to see their government send humanitarian aid to Gaza than weapons to Israel.

The survey was carried out among 1,227 likely US voters who self-identified their party affiliation.

Broken down by party, a majority of Democrats want to see humanitarian aid for Gaza prioritised over arms transfers to Israel. The opposite is true for Republicans.

When asked if Israel is committing human rights abuses against Palestinians, most Democrats agree, but most Republicans disagree. Independents appear to land somewhere between the two sides. 

When that same question was asked back in May, not as many Democrats were convinced, but August's survey shows a significant increase in Democrats who believe Israel is carrying out abuses in Gaza. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that his plan is to militarily occupy the entirety of the Gaza Strip.

"Will Israel take control of all of Gaza?" Fox's Bill Hemmer asked.

"We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas, and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel," Netanyahu responded.

"We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas. And you were in the Gaza Strip - you met Palestinians who are fighting Hamas," he added, alluding to a tour the Israeli military provided Fox News on the boundary with Gaza. It was unclear whether Netanyahu was referring to the militia known as The Popular Forces, led by convicted drug trafficker Yasser Abu Shabab. 

"[Palestinians] can rid themselves of this awful tyranny that not only holds our hostages, but holds two million Palestinians in Gaza hostage. That's got to end," Netanyahu said.

"Are you saying today that you will take control of the entire 26-mile Gaza Strip as it was 20 years ago this month in 2005?" Hemmer asked.

"Well, we don't want to keep it," Netanyahu said.

"We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it... We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas. The only way that you're going to have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army," he continued, before referencing several allegations about the 7 October 2023 attacks that have never been proven, including the "burning of babies" by Hamas.

"They are really cruel to their own people, because when we try to take them away from the combat zones, they shoot them," he said. "They want people to be civilian casualties. They want a starvation policy that they themselves are trying to put into being, and we're doing everything to reverse that". 

Some 200 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza ever since Israel closed all crossings and banned food, water, and medicines from entering the enclave in March. 

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed  - mostly in Israeli air strikes - since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel 22 months ago. Those attacks killed about 1,200 people.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that soldiers with mental health issues are demonstrating for equality and fair treatment outside the Ministry of Defence.

Since the war on Gaza began - during which Israeli forces have killed more than 61,258 Palestinians, including at least 18,000 children - there has been a notable rise in suicides and mental health issues among Israeli soldiers.

The British government faces renewed scrutiny over the nature of its military cooperation with Israel after it emerged that it is spending taxpayers' money to hire American contractors for surveillance flights over Gaza.

It was revealed last week that aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF) have conducted hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza throughout Israel's war on the besieged enclave.

Middle East Eye asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) under the Freedom of Information Act whether it holds video footage taken by RAF planes of two Israeli attacks in Gaza on British citizens or volunteers working for British charities.

The MoD refused to disclose the information, citing national security and defence exemptions.

It has previously confirmed it holds information gathered by spy planes on Israeli attacks, and has been widely criticised for not disclosing it. 

Read more: UK won't say if spy planes captured footage of Israeli attacks on UK charity workers

US President Donald Trump called on Middle Eastern countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel after he claimed that Iran's nuclear arsenal was "totally obliterated".

"Now that the nuclear arsenal being 'created' by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords," Trump expressed on his social media platform Truth Social.

"This will insure [sic] PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" 

The Abraham Accords normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states, drawing criticism for ignoring Palestinian rights and legitimising Israeli occupation.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has stressed that he will continue to express his objection to government plans to occupy the Gaza Strip. 

Following tense confrontations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other prominent officials, Zamir said the army "will continue to express our position fearlessly in a matter-of-fact, independent and professional manner".

At a cabinet meeting that will begin later on Thursday, the Israeli military will present two plans: encircling Gaza or the complete occupation of the besieged enclave. 

The latter option has been heavily supported by Netanyahu's government, while the former has been recommended by the chief of staff, who says this option will ensure the Israeli captives held in Gaza are subject to less danger.

Politicians and other military officials who oppose the occupation of the blockaded Strip have warned that it risks the lives of remaining captives, weakens the military and could have irreperable economic costs to Israel. 

Democratic Party Chairman Yair Golan has condemned recent government plans to occupy Gaza, accusing Israeli authorities of abandoning captives and soldiers. 

Golan, who once commanded the Nahal Brigade in 2002, said that "there is no justification for the move to occupy the Strip" as Israel is set to decide on the matter later on Thursday. 

"The government and the cabinet want to decide tonight on the elimination of the hostages. Let's call it what it is - they want to execute them."

Golan called on the Israeli public to oppose the pending decision and take action: "I call on all my sisters and brothers - take to the streets, shut down the economy... We don't need to wait for the Attorney General and the Supreme Court - this government is against the rule of law anyway."

"What needs to be done now is simple: the Israeli government is dragging us into an unnecessary war that will complicate Israel in every possible aspect - security, moral, international and economic. We must resolutely oppose it."
 

Al Jazeera is reporting that at least one child has been killed attempting to retrieve relief supplies during an aerial aid delivery in Khan Younis, south Gaza. 

As Israel controls land entrances to Gaza and refuses to allow adequate aid into the territory over land, several countries have dropped aid over the territory from the air.

Aid groups criticise the strategy as inefficient and incapable of providing the level of food and other resources needed by Palestinians in Gaza.

Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Programme (WFP), criticised the relief distribution method late on Wednesday, writing on X: "We can’t airdrop our way out of an unfolding famine. Not in Gaza."

Overnight attacks by Israel on displacement tents caused fires to erupt in al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis in south Gaza, resulting in a number of civilian casualties. 

Clips shared online show flames engulfing the tents, as local sources noted that Palestinians attempting to extinguish the fires had to use primitive equipment, due to the absence of emergency crews after their repeated targeting.

The aerial assault on the Israeli-designated "humanitarian zone" follows several expulsion orders issued to residents of al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, in Gaza City.

The residents had been ordered to immediately head towards al-Mawasi.

Although al-Mawasi has been considered a "safe zone", the Israeli military has repeatedly bombed the area over the past year and a half. Palestinians in Gaza, along with the UN, have long stated that there are no safe zones in the territory. 

Read more: Israel torches ‘safe zone’ in south Gaza as four more killed by starvation

The director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City has indicated to Al Jazeera that the health sector is in its "worst state".

He added that Israel has destroyed over 70 percent of medical facilities in the besieged territory.

The director noted that only two children's hospitals are still operating in Gaza, with capacity in each hospital far below what is needed for over one million children across the enclave. 

The Palestinian Health Ministry in the besieged enclave released the latest figures of casualties from Israel's ongoing bombardment and blockade, with over 100 people killed in the past 24 hours.

This brings the latest death toll to more than 61,258, with 152,045 others wounded since 7 October 2023. 

According to the health ministry, several victims of Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip remain under the rubble and on roads due to emergency search and rescue teams' inability to reach them. 

Two Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli drone attack targeting the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Medical Complex, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

The area, already devastated by months of Israeli bombardment, has seen repeated strikes despite being home to large numbers of displaced civilians.

Rights groups have accused Israel of indiscriminate use of force, particularly in densely populated areas, where drone attacks have become a regular feature of its military campaign.