Live: Six more Palestinians die of famine as Israel blocks Gaza aid

The United Arab Emirates has warned Israel that any attempt to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would cross a “red line” for Abu Dhabi and risk derailing the Abraham Accords, which formalised ties between the two countries.

“From the very beginning, we viewed the accords as a way to enable our continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state,” said Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s assistant minister for political affairs and envoy of the foreign minister, in comments to Reuters.

“That was our position in 2020, and it remains our position today,” she added, in what marks Abu Dhabi’s strongest rebuke of Israeli policies since the Gaza war erupted in 2023.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States during President Donald Trump’s first term, brought diplomatic recognition between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.

“We call on the Israeli government to suspend these plans,” Nusseibeh said. “Extremists, of any kind, cannot be allowed to dictate the region’s trajectory. Peace requires courage, persistence, and a refusal to let violence define our choices.”

Yemen’s Houthi group says it targeted Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, calling the operation its first retaliation for overnight Israeli air raids on the Yemeni capital which killed its prime minister and several other cabinet 

Israel’s army confirmed it launched new strikes in Sanaa, saying it hit Houthi military positions connected to drone and missile launches towards Israel.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 20 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since dawn, with 15 deaths recorded in Gaza City.

In Rafah, three Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid near the GHF distribution site were killed, and others were wounded.

Meanwhile, five people were wounded in an Israeli strike on an area west of Nuseirat in central Gaza.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has voiced opposition to the capital hosting a major international arms fair, citing Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza.

“London is home to thousands of people who have fled conflict and suffered as a result of weapons like those exhibited at this event,” Khan said according to a report from The Guardian. His spokesperson called the fair “inappropriate given Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza.”

The move comes after the UK government announced last week that Israeli officials would not be invited to the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2025 exhibition, citing Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” the British government said on Friday. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.”

Palestinian health officials say 25-year-old Muhammad Jamal Omar Madani was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid on Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Medical staff at Al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera Arabic that four bodies were recovered after an Israeli air strike struck a house in the Al-Nafaq neighbourhood, northeast of Gaza City.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says six more Palestinians, including a child, have died from “famine and malnutrition” in the past 24 hours.

The ministry reports that 367 people, among them 131 children, have now died from hunger-related causes during the war, as Israel continues to heavily restrict aid access to the besieged enclave.

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say Israel was notified in advance of a road clearance mission near the village of Marwahin before drones dropped grenades close to their personnel.

“Any actions endangering UN peacekeepers and assets, and interference with their mandated tasks are unacceptable and a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and international law,” Unifil said, citing the UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel’s military says its air defence systems intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Wednesday.

Yemen’s Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted Israel with missiles and drones in response to the Gaza genocide and has vowed to continue attacks on Israel and ships bound for the country through the Red Sea until Israel ends its war on the besiged Strip.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has condemned what it called “one of the most serious attacks” on its personnel since last November’s ceasefire, after Israeli drones dropped four grenades near its peacekeepers, the AFP reported.

Unifil said the incident happened on Tuesday morning as its personnel were clearing roadblocks near a UN position southeast of the Lebanese village of Marwahin. The force said Israel had been informed in advance of the operation.

“One grenade impacted within 20 metres and three within approximately 100 metres of UN personnel and vehicles,” the mission reported, warning that such actions violated the 2006 UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which underpins the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Any actions endangering UN peacekeepers and assets, and interference with their mandated tasks are unacceptable and a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and international law,” Unifil said.

The attack came days after the Security Council voted unanimously to extend Unifil’s mandate “one final time”, setting 2027 as the deadline for its withdrawal. 

Hospital sources in Gaza told Al Jazeera Arabic at that least 13 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes targeting multiple areas of the besieged territory since dawn.

A little over a year ago, Drin Shapiro was a student programme assistant at the University of Michigan's (UM) English Language Institute, and a student in his final year of a bachelor's degree in history. 

Since then, he has faced criminal charges brought by the state's attorney general, lost his on-campus job, spent time behind bars, and, as of last month, was still being disciplined by the university despite having graduated in May.

All of this was because he took part in a student encampment against the war on Gaza on 21 May 2024. Shapiro was arrested during the police raid of the encampment and was later released on bond.

Attorney General Dana Nessel, a vocal supporter of Israel, charged Shapiro in September 2024, but ultimately dropped the criminal charges in May 2025 because she said it was no longer a good use of time and resources. 

Read m0re: University of Michigan still punishing pro-Palestine students after graduating

Gaza’s emergency services say five Palestinians were wounded after an Israeli drone strike hit the al-Sawarah area, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates from Israel's war on Gaza, now in its 697th day:

• Gaza’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex reports that an Israeli strike on a residential apartment west of Gaza City on Wednesday killed at least five Palestinians and injured several others since dawn on Wednesday.

• Palestinian health officials state that Israeli attacks across Gaza killed 105 people on Tuesday. They also confirm at least 13 people died from starvation in the last 24 hours, raising the total famine-related death toll to 361 since the war began.

• Israel army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told newly called-up reservists that the military "has begun its manoeuvre in Gaza City." He added, "We are going to intensify and deepen our operation."

• Yemen's Houthi group claim they attacked a ship in the northern Red Sea on Tuesday with two drones and a missile. They stated they targeted the vessel over its connection to Israel.

• A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said that negotiators have received no Israeli response to the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and captive release deal.

• Belgium will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly this month, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced on Tuesday. The move aligns Belgium with other western governments now backing Palestinian sovereignty.

The Israeli military used a drone to drop incendiary grenades on an ambulance at Al-Sheikh Radwan Clinic in Gaza City, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. It is currently unknown whether there were paramedics or patients in the ambulance.

Healthcare workers, their vehicles, and medical facilities have been a key target of the Israeli miltary since they started their offensive on Gaza since October 2023.