Live: Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 26,000

In a response to high-level calls from Israel against any possible two-state solution on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne posted to X, formerly Twitter, that Palestinians have the right to a state, and that France will "remain faithful to its commitment to achieve this goal".

His post comes in response to several top-level officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, releasing strong statements in opposition of the creation of a Palestinian state. 

Translation: Palestinians have the right to sovereignty and statehood. France will remain faithful to its commitment to achieve this goal.

Thousands of Israelis have gathered in Tel Aviv to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, accusing the leader of mishandling the nation's security and calling for a new election.

Opinion polls show lagging support for Netanyahu, as calls for leadership changes grow stronger. Still, there is no indication that his position is under any imminent threat.

While the crowd in Tel Aviv is much smaller than those seen last year, several thousand people have shown up, with many banging on drums, yelling their dismay and waving Israeli flags.

"The power is in our hands to change and repair," one protester said from a stage. "This government needs to go home. Now!"

And the crowd answered her, shouting: "Now! Now!"

While divisions have emerged among members of his wartime cabinet, Netanyahu is intent on staying in power.

Opposition leaders have offered to form a unity government not led by Netanyahu, but no moves have gained traction.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has responded to Israeli Prime Minister's statement in opposition of US President Joe Biden's call for a two-state solution.

"Netanyahu has made his position clear: He will never allow a Palestinian state, ever," Sanders said in a statement on Saturday.

"Despite the illegal and inhumane actions of Netanyahu’s government, President Biden has thus far offered unconditional support to Israel. That must change," he said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to negate comments made by US President Joe Biden over the possibility of a two-state solution.

In a post to X, Netanyahu said that he "will not compromise on full Israeli security control over the entire area west of Jordan," appearing to confirm his rejection of a Palestinian state.

In comments yesterday, Biden said that the Israeli prime minister had said during a call that he was not opposed to "all two-state solutions", suggesting that Netanyahu had shown openness to the US position, which seeks a two-state solution. 

Recently, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Culture Minister Miki Zohar, and MK Nissim Vatori of the Likud all made public comments rejecting any possibility of a Palestinian state. 

"There is a broad consensus in Israel against a Palestinian state and the division of the land. Israel's friends need to understand that the push for the establishment of a Palestinian state is a push for the next massacre, God forbid - and to risk the existence of the State of Israel. As happened in Israel, the White House also needs to sober up from the concepts that led to Israel's national disaster," Smotrich said. 

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that Israel's strike that killed five Revolutionary Guard members in Syria will not "go unanswered", state media reports. 

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli missile strike flattened a building used as a base of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in Damascus, killing five Guards and an unspecified number of Syrian troops.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, again called for a ceasefire in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. 

"People in Gaza are dying not only from bombs and bullets, but from lack of food & clean water, and hospitals without power & medicine. This must stop. I will not relent in my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate & unconditional release of all hostages," he said. 

Earlier on Saturday the secretary-general spoke about Israel’s offensive at the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kampala, Uganda. During his comments he said Israel had killed 152 UN staff members in Gaza. 

US personnel suffered minor wounds and one member of Iraq's security forces was seriously wounded in an attack on Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase on Saturday, a US official said, citing initial assessments.

According to Reuters, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said initial reports indicated that the base was hit by ballistic missiles but left open the possibility the base was hit by rockets, adding an assessment was ongoing.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that a fifth member was killed in an Israeli air strike which targeted Syria's Damascus earlier today.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Spain's Madrid on Saturday to demand an end to Israel's war on Gaza.

Many of the protesters held up signs saying "stop the genocide, free Palestine".

Iran's foreign ministry condemned an Israeli missile strike that killed four members of its elite Revolutionary Guards in Syria on Saturday as a "desperate attempt to spread instability in the region", state media reported.

"Iran... reserves its right to respond to the organised terrorism of the fake Zionist regime at the appropriate time and place," foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani was quoted by state media as saying. He also urged foreign countries and international organisations to condemn the attack.

Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel are still protesting against the war, with numbers growing to 300 according to Israeli media.

The protesters are in Haifa's Paris Square and marks the first licenced anti-war protest in the area since 7 October.

Senior Israeli army commanders believe that Israel's two stated goals of destroying Hamas and freeing the captives are not compatible, the New York Times reported.

Four senior commanders, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Times that "the dual objectives of freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas are now mutually incompatible".

The report says it has reviewed Israeli battle plans from the start of the war and that the Israeli army is currently in control of a smaller part of the Strip than originally envisioned.

This slow progress has caused military leaders to express frustration with the political leadership "and led them to conclude that the freedom of more than 100 Israeli hostages still in Gaza can be secured only through diplomatic rather than military means", the report states.

Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel are taking part in an anti-war protest in the city of Haifa.

According to Haaretz, police initially refused to approve the protest, but following a petition filed by Hadash and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to the Supreme Court of Justice, the police authorised the protest, limiting its attendance to 700.

Dozens of police officers are at the scene and border control officers are in the vicinity of the area.

The protesters are holding up signs that say "No to War", "Everyone for Everyone" and "Stop the Genocide". The protest will last for two hours.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Saturday that Israeli forces have targeted the vicinity of al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza. 

The air strikes and artillery shelling hit near the hospital. 

Israeli bombing on Beit Lahia in Gaza has killed "several" Palestinians, according to Al Jazeera correspondents.

This comes after four Palestinians were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp by Israeli bombing.