Live: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours

An Israeli air strike overnight killed five Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Al Jazeera Arabic reported, citing a source at al-Awda Hospital.

A woman and two children were among those killed, the report said.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates on Israel's war on Gaza:

• Stanford University said on Tuesday it has laid off more than 360 employees, citing budget constraints that it attributed to the federal funding policies of US President Donald Trump, after the Trump administration had threatened to cut federal funds for universities over pro-Palestinian protests.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior security officials to finalise a new strategy for the nearly two-year war on the Gaza Strip, his office said on Tuesday, with media reporting he favoured a complete military takeover of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.

• Twenty Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday morning when a truck carrying humanitarian aid overturned, the information ministry in Gaza said. It said the Israeli military had directed the driver to take a road that was in poor condition.

• Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem said a US proposal for the group's disarmament would allow Israel to take "any action, while Lebanon is the one giving up", adding that Hezbollah would fire missiles at Israel if it launched a large-scale attack on the country.

• The Israeli military said 110 food aid packages were airdropped into the Gaza Strip in the past few hours "as part of the cooperation between Israel, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Belgium and France" amid concerns over the safety and effectiveness of airdrops.

Our live blog will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are the day's key developments:

- Gaza health officials said that 81 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since dawn on Tuesday. More than half  were seeking aid when they were shot by Israeli soldiers. 

- Seventy percent of Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing extreme weakness from starvation, hindering their ability to access humanitarian aid, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) said on Tuesday.

- Following remarks from Hamas official Osama Hamdan urging the move a day earlier, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is now calling for aid access to Gaza by way of an agreement between Hamas and Israel.

- The Israeli cabinet is set to convene on Thursday at 6pm local time (1500 GMT) as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover, Israeli media reported.

- The United Nations has called reports about a possible decision to expand Israel's military operations throughout the Gaza Strip "deeply alarming". 

Asked on Tuesday what he thinks of a potential Israeli plan to annex the entirety of Gaza, US President Donald Trump only said "it's going to be pretty much up to Israel". 

He did, however, appear to confirm that there is a plan in the works for a stepped up US aid effort inside the enclave, with funding from neighbouring Arab states. It's unclear what the project may look like. 

At least 25 Palestinians, most of whom were described as children, have been transported to al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, local media reported late Tuesday night local time.

This followed an Israeli air strike on a tent site for the forcibly displaced in Nuseirat. 

The Norwegian government said on Tuesday it would review its sovereign wealth fund's investments in Israel after the country’s leading newspaper revealed it had a stake in an Israeli company that provides services to Israel’s armed forces, leading to a public outcry.

The move came after Aftenposten published an investigation on Monday saying that the $1.9 trillion fund, the largest in the world, had invested in the Israeli company, Bet Shemesh Engines, which provides jet engine parts to Israeli fighter jets that are being used in its war on Gaza.

Finance minister and former head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, who oversees the fund, said in a statement it was understandable that questions are being raised about the fund's investments in the Israeli company, given that the fund is not supposed to invest in companies which enable states to violate international law, Verdens Gang reported on Tuesday.

Read more: Largest sovereign wealth fund in the world to review investments in Israel

The United Nations on Tuesday called reports about a possible decision to expand Israel's military operations throughout the Gaza Strip "deeply alarming" if true.

UN assistant secretary general Miroslav Jenca told a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza that such a move "would risk catastrophic consequences... and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza". 

"International law is clear in the regard, Gaza is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state," he added.

- Reporting by Reuters

A Palestinian man has been crushed to death after a crate fell on him during an aerial aid drop over Gaza on Monday.

According to The Independent, Oday al-Quraan was waiting for planes carrying aid to drop their cargo, but could not get out of the way when the crates landed.

Israel has given permission for several states to drop aid into Gaza amid widespread starvation that has taken at least 180 lives since October 2023.

The besieged Palestinian territory has been under complete siege since the war began, but Israeli officials have strengthened the blockade in recent months, leading to malnutrition and what the UN describes as a "worst-case scenario" of famine.

Read more: Falling aid crate kills Palestinian nurse in Gaza

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a lengthy post on X on Tuesday that Israel’s reputation in the US is “in collapse”.

Bennett, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022 for the New Right Party, launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right Likud Party, accusing them of turning Israel into “a leper state”.

Bennet said Netanyahu's government has fanned the flames of the worst antisemitism he has seen in the US and is mismanaging public relations for Israel.

His comments come after spending 10 days in the US, including New York and Washington, DC, among other places.

Read more: Former Israeli PM Bennett says Israel is seen as a 'leper state' in US

The Trump administration is looking to take over the aid effort in Gaza, albeit reluctantly, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials. 

The project is something the Israelis welcomed, Axios said.

"They are going to spend a lot of money in order to help us significantly improving the humanitarian situation so that it will be less of an issue," an unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying. 

It remains unclear exactly how this would be different to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been mired in scandal and controversy since it began operations in late May.

Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed waiting for aid at GHF sites, according to the United Nations.

The Israeli cabinet is set to convene on Thursday at 6pm local time (1500 GMT) as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

- Reporting by Reuters

In televised remarks on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdelfattah el-Sisi said there is a "systematic extermination" of Palestinians in Gaza, but that to suggest Egypt plays a role in besieging Palestinians there is "dangerous". 

The world must facilitate the passage of maximum aid into Gaza, Sisi said, adding that he has urged the Europeans and US President Donald Trump to take such action.

The war underway on the Strip aims to "liquidate the Palestinian cause," he added

Sisi did not identify a perpetrator.

"Egypt has not abandoned the delivery of aid nor is it partaking in the siege of Gaza," he insisted.

Following remarks from Hamas official Osama Hamdan urging the move a day earlier, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is now calling for aid access to Gaza by way of an agreement between Hamas and Israel. 

"The International Committee of the Red Cross is prepared and ready to bring in medicine, food and family news for the hostages in Gaza. To do this, an agreement must be reached between Israel and Hamas. While the ICRC is in constant dialogue with all parties, the ICRC is not involved in any negotiations," the statement released on Tuesday said.

"ICRC teams are also prepared to scale-up the delivery of life-saving aid safely to civilians in desperate need across the Gaza Strip. A rapid and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance must be allowed and facilitated. With acute food shortages worsening by the day, civilians in Gaza must have immediate and sustained access to food, along with safe water, medical and hygiene supplies, and other essentials needed to survive and live in dignity," the statement continued.

"The ICRC also stands ready to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli places of detention". 

ICRC President President Mirjana Spoljaric has been speaking with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to try to secure humanitarian access, the statement also noted. 

Gaza health officials said that 81 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since dawn on Tuesday.

More than half - 57 - were seeking aid when they were shot by Israeli soldiers. 

The British military is carrying out surveillance activity over Gaza to aid Israel in locating Israeli captives, according to government sources speaking to The Times.

According to the British daily, intelligence collected from various British assets in the region - including the Royal Air Force - is being handed over to the Israeli army for real-time information on the captives.