Israel's War on Gaza Live: Israel pounds Rafah in overnight strikes
Live Updates
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh denied that his sons killed in an Israeli strike this week were fighters for the group.
He added that Hamas would continue to pursue a deal with Israel to end the war, telling Reuters that "the interests of the Palestinian people are placed ahead of everything".
"We are seeking to reach a deal but the occupation is still procrastinating and evading a response to the demands," he said.
Samantha Power, the director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said during a congressional hearing that in parts of northern Gaza, famine is already occurring.
The remarks came in response to a question posed by Congressman Joaquin Castro: "So famine is already occurring there?"
"Yes," Power responded.
Power became the first US official to confirm that famine is ongoing in Gaza.
The UN has been warning for weeks about the looming threat of famine in Gaza amid Israel's war on the enclave.
The Huffington Post reported last week that USAID officials sent a cable to the White House saying famine was occurring in Gaza and warning that hunger-related deaths would "accelerate in the weeks ahead".
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, posting on X, has promised to make the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israel tougher, as another response to the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
"I will continue to make their conditions within the law and toughen them," Ben Gvir said.
"The days when terrorists celebrated in prisons are over!"
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza released its daily report on the current death toll in Gaza.
At least 33,545 Palestinians have been killed and 76,094 injured, according to the latest data from the ministry.
The ministry said that hospitals across Gaza received 63 dead bodies of Palestinians over the past 24 hours, in what marked the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
It added that the tally was not a full representation of the potential death toll, with ambulances and rescue crews unable to reach victims under the rubble in areas across Gaza.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said that Tehran's "imperative" to retaliate for the attack on its embassy compound in Damascus might have been avoided if the UN Security Council condemned the strike.
"Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated," the mission said on X, referring to Israel.
After six months of war, more than 33,000 Palestinian deaths and the vast majority of the besieged territory left in ruins, the people of Gaza are struggling to find any joy on Eid al-Fitr.
Israel’s military campaign continued throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with thousands killed in air strikes and shootings.
Israel has also restricted the flow of aid into the Palestinian territory, leaving most of its residents grateful to get basic food staples, let alone have enough to celebrate in the feasts usually associated with Eid.
“Eid is the joy of children in new clothes and playing with toys, and for adults it is about receiving visitors and family members,” says 53-year-old Rawan al-Zard, recalling past celebrations.
“This year, children were deprived of joy because of their fears over the bombings,” she adds.
Read more: For many Palestinians in Gaza, there is little appetite for Eid
Tech giant Apple has sparked a wave of both criticism and support after iPhone users discovered that the Palestinian flag automatically flashes up as a suggested emoji when some users type "Jerusalem" on their keyboards.
Several iPhone users noted the emoji following a software update, which the company has claimed is the result of a bug and will be changed with the next update. But social media erupted over the news.
The status of Jerusalem has long been a matter of contention.
In 1967, Israel occupied and annexed the eastern part of the city - which Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state - in a move that has never been recognised by the international community or international law.
Israel, however, claims the entire city as its "eternal and united" capital, which is why the update has caused outrage among pro-Israel commentators.
Read more: Palestine flag suggestion for iPhone users typing ‘Jerusalem’ causes stir
For the fifth day now, the Israeli army has imposed a comprehensive closure of the town of Jayyus, just east of the city of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, preventing its Palestinian residents from leaving their homes and walking around its streets.
The draconian measures, which coincided with the end of Ramadan and the Muslim festival of Eid, followed a shooting attack by a Palestinian gunman close to the nearby village of Nabi Ilyas.
Sunday’s shooting left an Israeli soldier seriously wounded and a civilian with light injuries. Israeli officials claim that the Palestinian responsible fled to Jayyus and is currently hiding there.
Fadi Jayyusi, a journalist and activist from the town, told MEE that Israeli military vehicles surrounded the town soon after the attack and prevented anyone from entering or leaving.
"Eid in the town has been different from previous years," Jayyusi said. "Nobody leaves their house; children are not filling the streets to play as they usually do."
Read more: Israel shuts down a town in the occupied West Bank, cancelling Eid for Palestinians
Indonesia is willing to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for Israeli approval of its request to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to a report in Israel's Ynet News on Thursday.
Additions of new countries to the intergovernmental organisation require unanimous approval from all 38 current member states.
Israel, an OECD member, has opposed Indonesia joining due to the lack of formal relations and Jakarta's past criticisms of Israeli actions.
Three months of negotiations have taken place between the two countries, overseen on the Israeli side by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Ynet reported.
During the talks, Katz cited Indonesia's criticisms of Israel since war broke out in Gaza on 7 October, and Jakarta's support of South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice, which accused Israel of committing genocide in the enclave.
Read more: Indonesia reportedly willing to normalise ties with Israel in bid to join OECD
In addition to its war on Gaza, Israel is prepared for military action in other areas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
"Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the state of Israel, both defensively and offensively," he said.
An Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on 1 April killed seven Iranian officers, including a senior general. Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for the attack.
Israeli air strikes on Rafah killed eight Palestinians, the Wafa news agency reported.
One strike near a cemetery east of the city killed five people, while another in the Janayna area killed three.
The Israeli army said it launched a "limited operation" against Hamas in the outskirts of the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza.
This is reportedly the first time ground troops have operated in this area, which was hit by heavy air strikes before their entry. At least five Palestinians were killed in the air raids.
The army said it sent its 162nd Division into the area, believing it had "terror infrastructure and many terrorists in the area".
German airliner Lufthansa extended the cancellation of its flights from Frankfurt to Tehran until 13 April, Reuters reports.
The decision comes as the region expects an Iranian retaliation for Israel's deadly strike on the country's consulate in Damascus, Syria.
Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth says that 126 of the 326 recently drafted female soldiers are refusing to work as surveillance soldiers.
The women, who were drafted this week, refused to get on the buses that would them to their training base.
The mass refusal is attributed to Hamas's 7 October attack, where 15 Israeli surveillance soldiers were killed and six others were taken hostage.
Yedioth Ahronoth says this is the third draft since 7 October that has seen a wide number of soldiers refuse the position, which entails monitoring surveillance cameras along the Gaza border and calling in troops during any security incident.
