Live: Israeli forces detonate 20 homes in Jenin

A journalist has documented a site in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, where between 150 and 200 Palestinians were forced to strip down to their underwear before being detained by Israeli forces.

In the video taken by Belal Mortaja, dozens of pieces of clothing can be seen scattered around the area, in what appears to be evidence of the detention and strip-search that Palestinians have endured during Israel's offensive in northern Gaza.

Mortaja said that while some Palestinians were taken away, others were beaten and left out in the cold.

Israel has previously justified this practice, saying its soldiers can force Palestinian detainees to undress - even in low temperatures - to search their clothing and check for explosives.

A UN Human Rights Council inquiry in September 2024 accused Israel of using forced nudity “with the aim of degrading and humiliating victims”. Other rights organisations have also condemned the practice.

Read more: Footage shows aftermath of Israeli strip-searching of Palestinians in Jabalia

Israel’s military and Shin Bet security agency are preparing a new wave of operations in the Jenin refugee camp, escalating their assault on the occupied West Bank.

Following a situation assessment, Israel’s military chief of staff and Shin Bet’s director issued a statement declaring their intent to launch further attacks.

“We are prepared to carry out a series of operations in Jenin camp that will move the camp to a different situation,” the statement read, hinting at a broader crackdown.

The statement also framed the assault as part of a wider campaign, saying, “We are in a multi-front war, and now it is the turn of the northern West Bank area."

Lebanon’s security directorate has announced the arrest of a Lebanese man suspected of espionage and collaboration with Israel.

In a statement on Thursday, authorities said that following a "precise monitoring and surveillance operation", security forces in Nabatieh apprehended the suspect as he attempted to re-enter Lebanon from the Israeli-occupied territories, which he had entered illegally.

The man reportedly admitted to being in possession of advanced surveillance equipment provided by Israel, which he was allegedly using to film and monitor key locations across Lebanon.

Israel has long been accused of recruiting informants to destabilise Lebanon, with security officials warning of an increase in espionage attempts.

Hezbollah has condemned any attempt by Israel to keep its troops in Lebanon beyond Sunday, calling it a "blatant" breach of the ceasefire agreement. The group insists that Israel’s withdrawal must be completed on schedule, saying that the failure to do so would escalate tensions.

Reports suggesting Israel plans to extend its military presence have sparked outrage, with Hezbollah urging Lebanon’s political leadership to press international mediators - primarily the US and France - to enforce the deal.

The agreement, brokered in November following Israel’s devastating bombardment of Lebanon, granted Israeli forces 60 days to withdraw. It also stipulated that Hezbollah would relocate its fighters north of the Litani River, about 30km from the Israeli border.

Hezbollah has stressed that the Lebanese army must be allowed to take control of all national territory and that civilians displaced by Israel’s occupation should be able to return home without delay.

“Exceeding the 60-day period would be a blatant breach of the agreement, a severe violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and a new chapter of the occupation that would require the state to deal with it with all the tools granted by international norms,” the group said.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued its aggressive military operations in Lebanon, killing senior Hezbollah figures and destroying large swathes of civilian infrastructure.

On the third day of Israel's major assault on Jenin, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city are grappling with forced displacement, mass arrests and reports of field executions by Israeli forces.

The invasion has led to widespread fear and hardship, with local infrastructure severely damaged and medical access restricted.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces have imposed a complete siege on the Jenin refugee camp, deploying special units, drones and biometric and facial recognition systems to monitor and control the area.

Palestinians have been forcibly expelled from their homes as Israeli troops order them out via loudspeakers and air-dropped leaflets. 

Salah, a Jenin camp resident, spoke to Middle East Eye about the terrifying scene as drones circled above their homes while Israeli troops, using loudspeakers, demanded that people leave. 

Read more: Israeli army forcibly expels Palestinians from Jenin and 'executes' residents

The new leader of Syria has denounced Israeli advances on his country's territory.

"Israeli advances in Syrian territory are absolutely unacceptable," Al-Jazeera quoted Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, as saying.

Hundreds of people began leaving their homes in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Thursday as Israeli forces continued to assault the refugee camp.

"Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp," Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.

The Israeli army said it was "unaware of any evacuation orders for residents in Jenin as of now".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Elon Musk's use of a fascist salute at a pro-Trump rally, calling him a "great friend" of Israel.

In a statement on Musk's X platform, Netanyahu said the billionaire had been "falsely smeared" by his opponents over his use of the antisemitic gesture.

"He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust," wrote Netanyahu.

"He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state."

"I thank him for this."

At least two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli tank fire in the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood, west of Rafah, in southern Gaza despite the ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported, citing the enclave’s Civil Defence.

Israeli forces raiding Jenin in the occupied West Bank have set homes in the area ablaze, the Wafa news agency reported.

The arson attacks include several houses in the Jenin refugee camp and one near al-Asir Mosque. 

They added that the occupation forces made three families leave their homes and turned them into military barracks.

The attacks and forced evacuations come on the third day of Israel’s raid into Jenin and surrounding areas, which has killed 12 people and injured dozens.

The health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza had reached 47,283 with numbers rising despite a ceasefire as new bodies are found under the rubble.

The ministry said hospitals in the Gaza Strip had received 122 bodies in the past 24 hours, including 120 that "were recovered from under the rubble," as well as 306 injured people, bringing the total number of injured to 111,472.

It did not specify how the other two died. 

Some Gazans have died since the cessation of hostilities from wounds inflicted before the ceasefire, with the health system in the Palestinian territory largely destroyed by Israel's more than 15 months of bombardment.

The International Criminal Court's governing body said on Thursday it regretted any attempts to undermine the ICC's independence after US moves to sanction it in protest at its arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and former defence chief over Israel's war on Gaza.

On his first day in office this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that reinstated an earlier executive order that could serve as a legal basis for future sanctions against the ICC and its personnel.

In a statement, the ICC's governing body said sanctions against the court and its personnel - and anyone assisting them - could severely hamper ongoing investigations.

It said it "regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality."

A Palestinian official said the Israeli army forced hundreds of people to leave their homes in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

"Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp," Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.

The Israeli military this week launched a raid in Jenin, days into a ceasefire in its war on Gaza.

Moshe Ya’alon, the former Israeli military chief, has claimed Israel’s government is acting against the country’s interest by trying to prolong the war on Gaza.

“The government wants the war to continue until the end of its term, which goes against Israeli interests,” Ya’alon told Israel’s Army Radio.

“It is not acting sincerely to free the hostages. We could have released them in November 2023.”

The US administration under Donald Trump reportedly expects the Israeli army's complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday, in line with the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, according to Army Radio.

According to Israeli media reports, Israel has requested an additional 30 days from the US to complete the withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon.

Army Radio noted that the Biden administration was said to have considered allowing Israel an additional 30 days beyond the 60-day withdrawal period outlined in the ceasefire agreement.

The outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, told the radio station that Israel is still discussing the issue with Washington and he's confident that an understanding will be reached.