Gaza Live: Israeli air strike takes out 25 members of same family

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad revealed that the overwhelming majority of casualties in the 14-month Israeli war on the country occurred in its final months. Of the 4,047 people killed during the conflict, 3,402—or 84 percent—lost their lives during this period.

Similarly, the recent Health Ministry data showed that 88 percent of the 16,638 injured were wounded in the war's closing months.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad announced on Wednesday that Israeli assaults on Lebanon have resulted in 4,047 deaths and 16,638 injuries since the war began.

Speaking at a televised press conference, Abiad emphasised the devastating toll the conflict has taken on the Lebanese population.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has denounced the “terrorist settler militias” responsible for violent attacks on two towns near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian property and vehicles in what the ministry described as part of escalating daily assaults.

It attributed the settlers’ brazenness to the “glaring and unjustifiable failure” of the international community to intervene against Israeli aggression and killings in the occupied territory.

An Israeli air strike on a group of Palestinians in al-Zahour, northern Rafah, has left at least two people dead, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Two others were wounded in a separate airstrike in the Khirbet al-Adas area, also in northern Rafah, while a third was injured in the nearby Al-Mawasi area.

Israeli air strikes and bombardments on the central and southern Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday have resulted in at least 18 deaths, according to medical sources.

Amongst the victims, five Palestinians, including four children, were killed in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Additionally, two people were killed in an air strike targeting a group of citizens in the Al-Zahour neighborhood, north of Rafah city.

Israeli shelling in Khirbet al-Adas and al-Mawasi areas in Rafah also left several others injured.

An Israeli drone attack has killed at least five children in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The strike targeted a food distribution point and a house, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the area.

Videos verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad showed the bodies of the children arriving at al-Awda Hospital in nearby Jabalia.

Palestinian officials revealed that Hamas and Fatah are nearing a historic agreement to establish a committee of politically independent technocrats to govern the Gaza Strip following the war, reported the Associated Press.

This development would mark the end of Hamas’ control over Gaza and could pave the way for advancing ceasefire negotiations with Israel.

A Palestinian Authority official confirmed that after weeks of discussions in Cairo, a preliminary agreement has been reached. The proposed committee, comprising 12–15 members primarily from Gaza, would operate under the Palestinian Authority and collaborate with local and international partners to manage reconstruction and humanitarian aid.

Hamas sources acknowledged that while general terms have been agreed upon, details and committee appointments remain under negotiation. An announcement is expected after further discussions amongst Palestinian factions in Cairo, though no timeline has been given.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it has received the bodies of two Jordanian citizens from Israel, following their involvement in an attack on Israeli soldiers near the Dead Sea two months ago. The ministry stated the bodies would be handed over to their families for burial in Jordan.

The two Jordanians were accused of crossing the border and injuring two Israeli soldiers in a shooting attack on 18 October.

This incident followed an earlier operation at the Allenby Crossing (King Hussein Bridge), where Jordanian citizen Maher Al-Jazi reportedly carried out an attack against Israeli forces

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey’s 1 December visit to Israel and the boundary of occupied Palestinian territory has sparked widespread backlash online, with Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the actor’s controversial history of alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour and former charges of sexual assault coming back to the fore. 

The Oscar-winning actor was seen in Israel near the frontier with Gaza, according to photos shared on social media on Monday by Libby Alon, chief international news editor for Now14Israel.

Multiple news outlets reported that Spacey was there to visit a friend’s daughter, who is serving in the Israeli army. They toured communities impacted by the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel. Spacey also had a “surprise meeting” with Ayala Levinstein, a soldier from the US serving in the Israeli army.

British journalist Douglas Murray - who makes regular trips to the country - accompanied Spacey on the visit.

Read more: Actor Kevin Spacey’s visit to Israel triggers backlash for being ‘in bad taste’

Israeli soldiers and officers involved in the war on Gaza have been advised to avoid international travel, as fears grow that decisions by the International Criminal Court (ICC) could lead to arrests and investigations into alleged war crimes, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

The Israeli army has reportedly tracked around 30 complaints and legal actions targeting its personnel for their roles in Gaza operations. Concerned about possible detentions, the military ordered eight soldiers stationed in Cyprus, the Netherlands, and Slovenia to return immediately.

Officers and soldiers have been instructed to remove any photos or videos documenting their involvement in Gaza from social media platforms. Additionally, they have been told to refrain from sharing their locations while abroad, fearing retaliation from pro-Palestinian organisations, which have reportedly compiled blacklists of those who participated in the war.

Israel has mobilised dozens of lawyers across the globe to provide legal assistance to its soldiers if needed.

The United States has allegedly voiced its opposition to the establishment of permanent Israeli military bases in Gaza following a report by The New York Times that Israel has fortified military outposts and destroyed Palestinian buildings along the so-called Netzarim Corridor.

The Times report, citing Israeli officials and satellite imagery, suggests that Israeli forces may be preparing for long-term control over the area. “Over the past three months, soldiers have demolished more than 600 buildings around the road in an apparent attempt to create a buffer zone. They have also rapidly expanded a network of outposts equipped with communications towers and defensive fortifications,” the report said.

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel stated on Tuesday that such actions, if accurate, “certainly would be inconsistent” with US policy on Gaza’s future. The Biden administration opposes any reduction of Gaza’s territory, forced displacement of Palestinians, or prolonged Israeli occupation of the enclave.

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has announced its decision to divest from Israel’s Bezeq Telecom due to the company’s involvement in providing telecommunications services to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The move, disclosed late Tuesday, follows the adoption of a stricter ethical framework by the fund’s ethics watchdog, targeting companies that contribute to Israel’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The fund, the largest of its kind globally, has confirmed the complete sale of its shares in Bezeq.

Israeli settlers have reportedly torched a vehicle in the occupied West Bank town of Huwara, south of Nablus, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

This marks the second such attack on Palestinian property in the Nablus governorate within hours. Earlier, settlers set fire to a home and a vehicle in Beit Furik, northeast of Nablus.

While no casualties have been reported, these attacks underscore a worsening pattern of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities, further exacerbating tensions in the occupied territories.

The Knesset Health Committee has revealed a 40 percent surge in visits to psychological support centres this year, pointing to an escalating mental health crisis in Israel.

Committee members cautioned that the situation is likely to deteriorate further due Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which has deeply affected civilians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sharply criticised the ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it "outrageous" and labelling the situation a "humanitarian nightmare."

“This is not a crisis of logistics,” Guterres stated on social media. “It’s a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”

His remarks come amid mounting international outrage over Israel’s brutal siege of northern Gaza, which has persisted for 60 days, cutting off residents from essential supplies like food, water, and medicine.

The UN’s criticism follows the killing of more aid workers in Gaza by Israeli forces, further deepening the crisis. Human rights groups have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Gaza’s Palestinian population, a claim that underscores the siege’s devastating toll.