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

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates from the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon:

• Israeli jets heavily bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip overnight, according to local media. At least six Palestinians were killed, including a child, in attacks in Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Gaza City, Wafa news agency reported. 

• The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said “the colonisation of the mind of the people is the most dangerous thing” facing Israeli society, as he called out the rise of extremism in the country.

• Israel’s Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf has said “Jewish settlement” in Gaza is an appropriate response to the 7 October attack and the ICC arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

• The Israeli military has arrested 1o Palestinians in the occupied West Bank town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

Israel accused Hezbollah on Thursday of violating a shaky ceasefire, while the Lebanese Army said Israel had breached the agreement “several times”. 

Israel acknowledged launching strikes on southern Lebanon, saying it was targeting Hezbollah fighters. The strikes did not appear to elicit a response from Hezbollah, suggesting that the broad deal is holding, for now. 

The deadliest Israeli fire has now been refocused on Gaza, with Palestinian health authorities saying at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes across the enclave on Thursday. 

Here are some of the day's other key developments:

• Israel's attacks on northern Gaza in recent weeks have uprooted an additional 130,000 Palestinians, the head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X
• Israel launched attacks on Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank including in Tulkarm, according to Arabic media reports
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the US withheld weapons shipments to Israel without providing details
• Iran plans to install more uranium-enriching centrifuges at its Fordow and Natanz plants and has instructed the UN about its plans, according to a report by Reuters
• Israel's security cabinet extended the ability of Israeli banks to transfer Shekels to Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for one year

At Israeli helicopter bombed a beach resort west of Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, wounding one person, according to Arabic media reports. 

Israel has increased its strikes on Gaza since it agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon. 

Israel also bombed the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. 

At least three people were killed by an Israeli strike on a house in the centre of Gaza City on Thursday, according to Arabic media reports. 

The dead include a woman and a child, along with injured and missing people. 

Israel has ramped up its attacks across Gaza amid a ceasefire in Lebanon. 

Israel's attacks on northern Gaza in recent weeks have uprooted an additional 130,000 Palestinians, the head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on Thursday on X. 

"Women are being separated from men and ordered to walk with their children. Many are seeking shelter in abandoned homes and destroyed clinics or shops. Some sleep out in the open. They are scared and exposed to gender-based violence, abuse and disease," Lazzarini added. 

Lazzarini added that at least 70 percent of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes are women and children. 

Supporters of Palestine have called to boycott the payment platform Stripe after its CEO and co-founder Patrick Collison - an Irish-American who has advocated for Palestinians in the past - posted on social media on Wednesday about his run on the beach in Tel Aviv and how it was "great" to be back.  

The post came as a surprise for those who have closely followed his tech career. In 2019, Patrick visited the occupied Palestinian territories and spoke to Palestinian tech entrepreneurs in Ramallah about the obstacles they face in the tech world. 

Irish tech founder Paul Biggar, who also founded the Tech for Palestine coalition, took to X to criticise him, posting: "Why are folks are so pissed at @patrickc's tweet? It's because, unlike a lot of people, he actually knows what Israel is doing". 

Read more: Calls to boycott tech company Stripe after CEO posts about recent visit to Israel

At least one person was killed by an Israeli strike on a house in the Zeitoun neighbourhood south of Gaza City on Thursday, according to Arabic media reports. 

The strike also wounded at least one person. 

Israel has launched an attack on Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, according to Arabic media reports. 

Israeli forces are are storming the Shuwaika suburb north of the refugee camp. 

Israel has also attacked Palestinians in Sebastia, northwest of Nablus. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he would accept a short ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza but would not commit to ending the conflict permanently. 

Netanyahu also said that the ceasefire in Lebanon had changed the dynamics in Gaza in Israel's favour. 

"[Hamas] hoped that Hezbollah would come to save it, and indeed Nasrallah said on the second day when he attacked, 'We will continue until Israel stops its attacks on Hamas.’ There is no Hezbollah. That’s why I think the conditions have changed very much for the better," he said. 

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he made a quid pro quo with the US to allow Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank to continue operating in return for getting the US to prevent a UN Security Council Resolution recognising a Palestinian state. 

According to a report by Israel's Channel 12, Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer negotiated the deal with the US, which was concerned a rupture in banking ties would lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the US withheld weapons shipments to Israel without providing details. 

In an interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu said President Donald Trump assured him his administration would not delay weapons when it returns to the White House in January. 

“President Trump told me unequivocally that, as far as he's concerned, there will be no delay in any weapons,” Netanyahu said.

Iran plans to install more uranium-enriching centrifuges at its Fordow and Natanz plants and has instructed the UN about its plans, according to a report by Reuters on Thursday. 

Iran also plans to activate centrifuges that have already been installed. 

If the centrifuges were activated and installed, they could enrich to up to five percent purity, Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran already has 60 percent enriched uranium, which analysts and US officials say could be converted into weapons-grade material in a few days. 

At least four people were killed by an Israeli strike on a tent housing displaced people west of Khan Younis in Al-Mawasi. 

The strike comes on a deadly day for Gaza with at least 37 Palestinians already killed by Israeli strikes. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would use a ceasefire in Lebanon to restock weapons, adding that Israel has achieved its war aims. 

Netanyahu also said that Israel would obtain weapons whose transfer had been delayed by the US. 

The Financial Times reported earlier that the Biden administration had approved a sale of $680m in arms to Israel. 

The death toll from Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip rose to 37 on Thursday, according to Arabic media reports citing Palestinian health workers.

At least 32 people were killed by Israeli strikes on central and southern Gaza.

The death toll could rise with reports of injuries after Israel bombed a tent sheltering displaced people in Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis.