Israel-Palestine live: Israel says 39 more Palestinians freed under truce deal

At the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, an event that is attended by millions of people and viewed on television by millions more, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the event, calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

"The United States of America was founded on genocide: the mass killing, displacement, and subjugation of Indigenous Americans," read a statement from Writers Against the War on Gaza, a group that disrupted the parade.

"Given this fact of our nation's genesis, it should come as no surprise that the US government would also enthusiastically fund and arm Israel in its genocide of Palestinians."

It was one of several pro-Palestine disruptions that took place at Thanksgiving Day parades across the US.

Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for Israel's military, said late on Thursday that the army targeted "launch positions" and "military sites" used by Hezbollah to attack Israel.

Turkey's health minister said Ankara plans to evacuate some wounded and sick residents of Gaza on Friday as part of its third round of evacuation.

Fahrettin Koca said the latest round of evacuations, consisting of 50 people, was delayed because of the issues around getting permission for them to leave.

"We expect the third evacuation to be tomorrow (Friday) and it will be an evacuation that will largely consist of children and young people," Koca told reporters.

The Turkish government has so far brought 150 people from Gaza to Turkey, mostly cancer patients and their companions, to continue their treatment. It has also evacuated more than 100 Turks, Turkish Cypriots, and their relatives this week.

In addition to evacuations, Ankara has sent some 800 metric tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, medicine, and medical personnel to Egypt for Gaza.

Turkish Jews and rights groups have criticised a government official after he posted his support on social media for a protest taking place outside a Jewish hospital in Istanbul.

Ahmet Selim Koroglu, a senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a member of the Presidential Health and Food Policies Board, on Wednesday praised a group of doctors who started a vigil outside the Istanbul Balat Jewish Hospital wearing lab coats covered in blood in protest at Israel's bombardment of Gaza:

"The doctors who have gathered near Istanbul Balat Jewish Hospital started to keep watch for Gaza. The doctors will march silently with their bloody lab coats every Saturday," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

His comments provoked anger from many on social media including Turkish Jews, who pointed out that the hospital - founded in the 19th century after a decree by the then Sultan Abdulhamid II - had nothing to do with Israel or the conflict in Gaza and accused him of antisemitism.

The Turkish Human Rights Association said the protests were "targeting Turkey's Jewish citizens and Jewish community institutions who have nothing to do with the war" while Ivo Molinas, editor-in-chief of the Turkish Jewish news outlet Salom, asked whether you could call "the people in the hospital Zionists" too.

In a statement, the hospital criticised the demonstrations:

"We condemn the targeting of our hospital, one of the oldest health institutions in Turkey, which has been providing the most selfless and sensitive service to every patient who has entered its doors since 1898 when it was founded with the decree of Sultan Abdulhamid," they said.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

Even as the Gaza Strip prepares for the beginning of a four-day truce at 7am on Friday, Israel has continued bombarding the enclave, with at least 30 people killed in an air strike on a UN school west of Jabalia refugee camp.

The latest death toll from the health ministry is 14,854, with 6,150 children and 4,000 women among the dead, and a further 36,000 people wounded.

In other news:

• Indonesian Hospital under 'intense bombardment' as main gates, power generators hit by Israeli strikes

• Israel's communications minister has suggested legal action against Haaretz over 'defeatist' content

• Israel warns that controlling northern Gaza is just the first step in a "long war"

• Israel confirmed it transferred director of al-Shifa for questioning by intelligence services

• UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron begins visit to Israel, meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

German police raided the homes of what they said were members and supporters of Hamas and another banned Palestinian organisation on Thursday.

The interior ministry said around 500 members of the security forces were involved in the operation, which target 13 places in the capital Berlin.

"By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any apology or support for Hamas's barbaric terror against Israel," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said earlier on Thursday.

"Islamists and antisemites must not feel safe anywhere."

The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network was banned in Germany on 12 October after Chancellor Olaf Scholz said members of the group were celebrating the 7 October attack by Hamas on southern Israel.

The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza is under "intense bombardment," the enclave's health ministry said on Thursday evening.

"The Indonesian hospital is currently under intense bombardment, affecting power generators and large parts of the buildings," said spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.

"We fear for the lives of 200 wounded individuals and medical staff."

Israeli strikes have hit the gates and power generators of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, according to local media.

According to the local Quds News Network, the hospital - which has been under siege for weeks - was fired on by Israeli tanks stationed around the building.

Controlling the northern Gaza Strip is only the first step in Israel's plan to crush Hamas, the army announced on Thursday.

"Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war," Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.

"We are preparing for the next stages, we are looking forward in the coming days we will focus on planning and fulfilling the next stages of the war."

27 people have been killed an Israeli strike on a UN school in the Gaza Strip, according to local medics cited by AFP.

The blast hit a school west of the Jabalia refugee camp, a regular target of Israeli attacks.

The health ministry said the school had been housing displaced Palestinians fleeing violence and bombardment in other parts of Gaza.

The government's media office reported on Thursday that at least 14,854 people to have been killed in Gaza since 7 October.

It said 6,150 children and 4,000 women were among the dead, while a further 36,000 people wounded.

The health ministry previously warned it could no longer give exact tolls as Israel's ground invasion and closure of access to several areas in the Gaza Strip had prevented the recovery of bodies.

The Israeli communications minister has proposed sanctioning Israeli daily Haaretz over what he called "defeatist and false propaganda" and suggested some of the outlet's articles may have “crossed the criminal threshold".

In a letter addressed to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, Shlomo Karhi said the state should stop any advertising in the outlet and halt any commercial relationship with it.

"Since the beginning of the war, my office has received numerous complaints that the Haaretz newspaper has taken a harmful line that undermines the goals of the war and weakens the military effort and societal resilience," he wrote.

He said he was sure the potential criminality of some articles would be "examined by the relevant authorities".

Jonathan Pollard, a former US intelligence official who was jailed after passing secrets to Israel, has called for some of the families of those taken captive by Hamas on 7 October to be imprisoned over their criticism of the government.

Speaking in a clip aired on Channel 14, Pollard - who moved to Israel from the US in 2020 after his parole expired - said that the refusal of the families to "keep their mouths shut" had undermined efforts to defeat Hamas, and that they had been exploited by leftists and the "international community".

"When we declared war, the first thing that the government should have done was to declare a state of national emergency and told all of the hostage families, 'You will keep your mouths shut, or we will shut them for you'," he said.

"And if that means imprisoning, to silence certain members of hostages' families, then so be it. We're in a state of war."

He added that he was also opposed to the widespread postering of the captives' faces, saying it was "a poison dart at our ability to wage total war against our enemies".

Pollard was convicted of espionage in 1987 after selling classified information to Israel, and was kept in prison until 2015 despite repeated pleas for clemency from Israeli officials.

He was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995, while in prison.

Israel is "intensifying" its bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned four-day truce on Friday, according to Middle East Eye correspondent Maha Hussaini.

She said it was a common tactic of Israel to ramp up its attacks on Gaza before a pause in violence:

"We are used to Israeli forces intensifying attacks and air strikes on different places across the Gaza Strip only a few hours before a truce.

"Last night when we were supposed to wake up to a humanitarian truce we witnessed some of the most intense bombing that we have seen since we evacuated our homes and came to the central Gaza Strip to take refuge.

"Dozens, or hundreds even, of artillery and naval attacks and bombings were hitting everywhere around us... just very, very close to the place where we're taking refuge and many houses across our areas were targeted, [including] residential buildings, with people taking refuge in these buildings, including extended families.

"So as the humanitarian truce was postponed for another 24 hours we are also expecting that we will be witnessing another intense night of Israeli bombing across the Gaza Strip."

Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the truce will be in place from Friday at 7am.

Here's what we know so far:

• Qatar says truce will include a comprehensive ceasefire in both northern and southern Gaza.
• Qatar said it had received lists of civilians to be released from Gaza. 
• Qatar expects Palestinians to be released from Israeli jails as a result of hostages released from Gaza on Thursday.
• Qatar spokesperson said it hopes the truce will lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
• Qatar said aid would start to flow as soon as truce begins.
• Qatar adds that the aid that would be let in will be a fraction of what Gaza needs.