Israel-Palestine live: Week three ends with over 7,000 Palestinians killed

Israel's air strike on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin comes months after it launched a two-day aerial campaign on the city.

Jenin has become a centre of Palestinian armed resistance in recent years, becoming a focus of international attention and a stronghold of Palestinian determination to defy Israeli occupation.

To read more about the city and the Palestinian fighters there, click below.

Jenin: A symbol of resistance and resilience in the West Bank

The US military is deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) battery and multiple Patriot missile defence systems to the Middle East, as it continues to boost its presence in the region amid the war between Israel and Palestinian armed groups based in Gaza.

The US has already deployed two carrier strike groups to the region, as well as fighter jets, and is preparing 2,000 troops to be readied to deploy there.

"I will continue to assess our force posture requirements in the region and consider deploying additional capabilities as necessary," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The Israeli military has arrested the mayor of the West Bank city of al-Bireh, Islam Al-Taweel, after raiding his house on Sunday morning, Palestinian media outlets reported citing local sources.

Israel has launched raids all over the West Bank and arrested Palestinians. On Sunday morning, it also conducted a rare air strike on a mosque in the city of Jenin, which has become a centre for Palestinian armed resistance on the West Bank.

The UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians posted on X that the lives of 130 premature babies in Gaza's hospitals are in danger if fuel does not reach the hospitals soon.

In response, Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf called for the entry of aid, including fuel, to Gaa and also called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian armed groups based in the besieged enclave.

"What crime have these babies committed?" Yousaf asked.

"Let aid in, including fuel. Otherwise, these images should haunt us for the rest of our lives," he added.

Israeli forces have bombed a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to several Palestinian news agencies.

Videos shared on social media showed some damage to the side of al-Ansar mosque. The Israeli military said it struck a compound beneath the mosque that was being used by fighters to organise attacks.

At least one Palestinian has been killed and several others wounded in the Israeli shelling, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to Reuters.

Israeli forces previously stormed al-Ansar mosque earlier this year during the two-day aerial campaign on Jenin, which has become a centre of Palestinian armed resistance in the West Bank.

A young Palestinian man was injured by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, south of Nablus, according to a report from the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

After being shot, Israeli forces did not permit Palestinian medics to reach the man, the report said.

The injury comes as Israeli settlers have attacked and vandalised properties in Huwara, also located south of Nablus, according to local Palestinian media.

For nearly a week, thousands of protesters have poured onto the streets of Washington DC each day to demand Israel end its siege and bombardment of Gaza.

Saturday's protest, organised by American Muslims for Palestine and the US Council of Muslim Organisations, saw thousands of people protesting outside the US Capitol Building, including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

"We're gonna remember - maybe we don't wanna vote for the people that ban us or the people that wanna sit in silence while a genocide happens," Tlaib told the crowd, referring to US President Joe Biden's backing of Israel.

Throughout the week, there have been numerous protests in the US capital against Israel's military operation in Gaza. The protests have been organised by myriad of different groups, including anti-war coalitions, Palestinian activists, progressive Jewish groups and Muslim organisations.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers.

Today marks the 15th day of the war, which started on 7 October. 

While a convoy of 20 trucks was allowed into Gaza for the first time since the war started, Israel is still maintaining a full siege on Gaza. Aid and international organisations have warned that the aid is not enough to cater for the significant need in Gaza.

Nearly 4,500 Palestinians have been killed and 15,400 wounded since 7 October, while the Israeli death count stands at 1,400 people.

Here are some of the key developments from today.

- Hamas' paramilitary spokesperson said that the group offered to release two people held captive in Gaza but Israel refused to take them. The Israeli prime minister's office said they would "not respond" to the claims.

- Mass pro-Palestine rallies were held around the world, including in the UK, France, Spain and South Korea.

- Around 43 Palestinians have been buried in a mass grave in Gaza, dedicated to the "unidentified" due to the bodies being disfigured by Israeli bombing. 

- The Israeli military dropped leaflets in Gaza informing citizens they would be "identified as a partner in a terrorist organisation" if they didn't adhere to Israel's orders to move south. 

- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi criticised the international community's response to the crisis in Gaza at a summit in Cairo, attended by representatives from countries including Jordan, France, Germany, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States and Qatar.  

- Israeli bombing of Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp intensified, while the Israeli military reiterated their preparations for the "next phase of war".

We at Middle East Eye are doing our best to continue providing you with up-to-date information around the clock. Internet connectivity in Gaza has dropped by nearly half as of Friday, and we've lost contact with our correspondents there.

You can also find our coverage across Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

An Israeli air strike hit a cafe in Khan Younis, killing at least 11 people, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed. 

Videos of the bombing have circulated across social media showing rescue workers and others working to move the injured. 

Middle East Eye could not immediately confirm how many people were affected by the bombing. 

Israeli settlers have attacked and vandalised properties in the occupied West Bank town of Huwwara, south of the city of Nablus, according to local Palestinian media.

In video footage shared online, settlers are shown setting a car garage alight. Reports state that the settlers also raided homes.

Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters gathered in France's Lyon on Saturday to voice their solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza facing ongoing Israeli bombardment. 

Videos shared on social media platforms showed thousands of protesters waving Palestinian flags and shouting "we are all Palestinians" in French.

The protests come despite France's highest administrative court stating on Wednesday that pro-Palestine protests would be banned on a case-by-case basis.

France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin clamped a nationwide ban on pro-Palestine protests last week, citing a risk of public disorder. Nine have been banned in Paris since 7 October.

According to Reuters, Paris police issued a ban on the "presence and circulation of people that present themselves as pro-Palestinian". Since 12 October, they have issued 827 fines and arrested 43 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said they "will not respond" to Hamas' statement that they offered to release two Israeli captives without condition but Israel refused to receive them.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu's bureau said: "We will continue to do everything possible to return all the hostages and missing home."

Hamas' Qassam Brigades have announced that they were ready to release the two captives on Sunday, following the same process that was used to release two American captives previously.

World-renowned Turkish composer and pianist Fazil Say has said his concerts planned next week in Switzerland were cancelled by organisers over his social media posts criticising Israeli policies in Gaza.

Say was due to perform with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Lucerne from Monday to Thursday.

But he says he was removed from the lineup of the planned concerts organised by the event unit of the retail company Migros.

"Officials from Migros cited the ideas I expressed on the Israel-Palestine tension on my social media as the reason," Say posted on his official social media account on X, formerly Twitter. "Everything I've written remains on my social media without any changes."

A Migros spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Saturday that Say had been removed from the concert programme and replaced by Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel. 

"The reason for this change is that Fazil Say's public statements after the terrorist attack against Israel are not defendable for Migros," the company said in a statement sent to AFP.

Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry identified the Palestinian as Iqsam Faruk Mohammed Haj Ahmed.