- The governments of Ireland, Austria, among others, have condemned Israel’s over 60-day blockade of Gaza, as Amnestly International terms the blockage of food and medicine a “war crime”.
- A Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship carrying 30 pro-Palestinian activists bombed, with the group blaming Israel or one of its allies. There were no casualties.
- Medical sources say at least 22 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza today alone, with one strike on Bureij killing nine members of the same family.
- Humanitarian coordinator Amjad Shawa in Gaza warned that more children likely to die from malnutrition as “the whole Strip is starving” due to Israel’s 60-day blockade.
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the main objective of his war on Gaza is not the safe return of Israeli captives but “victory over our enemies”.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,418 Palestinians and wounded 118,091, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Gaza Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
- An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
What is Freedom Flotilla Coalition for Gaza?
As it describes itself, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is a grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from different parts of the world, working together to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.
The organisation says its goals include breaking Israel’s more than 17-year illegal and inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip, educating people around the world about the blockade of Gaza, condemning and publicising the complicity of other governments and global actors in enabling the blockade, and responding to the cry from Palestinians and Palestinian organisations in Gaza for solidarity to break the blockade.
At 00:23 (22:23 GMT) Maltese time today, the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, came under direct attack in international waters – off the coast of Malta – an incident it blamed on Israel or one of its allies.
The Maltese government said everyone on the ship was safe following the attack.
Gaza faces imminent famine as children suffer from acute malnutrition
The Red Cross is warning the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse.
It has been two months since Israel imposed its longest blockade on the Strip, preventing food, water and medicine from reaching Palestinians in need.
Children have suffered the most, with at least 23 reported to have died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks.
Israeli army reports new missile attack from Yemen
The military says a missile was launched from Yemen into Israeli territory.
It added that hostile aircraft alerts were activated in several areas in the north of the country following the attack.
“Interception attempts were made, the results of which are under review,” the statement on X added.
Earlier today, the Houthis launched several projectiles at an Israeli army base in Haifa, all of which were intercepted.
Human rights organisation demands investigation into Gaza-bound activist aid ship
There should be an investigation into the drone attacks on the Gaza aid flotilla, says the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
“The deliberate targeting of a civilian aid ship in international waters is a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, the Law of the Sea, and the Rome Statute, which prohibits the targeting of humanitarian objects,” the organisation said in a statement.
It added: “This attack falls within a recurring and documented pattern of force being used to prevent ships from reaching the Gaza Strip, even before they approach its shores.”
The organisation is calling for an “independent and transparent investigation under Maltese jurisdiction, with the participation of the United Nations”.
It is also demanding “guarantees for safe sea passage for humanitarian aid bound for Gaza”.
“Any failure to act today will only encourage further attacks on humanitarian missions and deepen the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza,” said the monitor.
A spokesperson for the Gaza Freedom Flotilla says the group blames Israel or one of its allies for the attack, adding it currently does not have proof of this claim.
Five killed in Israeli attack on Gaza charity organisation
Five people were killed in an Israeli bombardment of a charitable foundation near al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.
Several were also wounded in the attack.
Gaza aid ship on fire after reported drone attack
An aid ship heading to Gaza has sent out a distress signal after crew members say it was hit in a drone attack and has caught fire off Malta.
There are 30 aid workers on board the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, which was attempting to break Israel’s two-month aid blockade.
Lebanon warns Hamas not to comprise its sovereignty
Lebanon has warned the Palestinian group not to conduct operations that compromise Lebanon’s sovereignty, its Supreme Defense Council said in a statement.
Hamas has a political presence in Lebanon, a country that hosts about 200,000 Palestinian refugees, per a 2024 Lebanese government estimate.
Its fighters have been known to launch rocket attacks from Lebanese territory against Israel.
aIreland says Gaza blockade is ‘completely unacceptable’
The Irish foreign minister has said that Israel’s current siege on Gaza “is the longest blockade since the war began and is completely unacceptable”.
He said on X: “No aid has entered Gaza in over 8 weeks. Children are starving. Hospitals are lacking basic medicine.”
“Ireland calls on Israel to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid in immediately,” the minster added.
Death toll in Israeli attack on central Gaza’s Bureij camp rises
As we reported earlier, the Israeli army bombed a house in Bureij refugee camp in the central Strip.
Our correspondent on the ground now reports that the death toll has risen to nine people, all from the same family.
We had previously reported the death toll from this attack at eight.
Gaza humanitarian work on ‘verge of total collapse’: Red Cross
The Red Cross has warned the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the “verge of total collapse” after two months of Israel blocking aid to the war-torn Palestinian territory.
“Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza,” it said in a statement.
Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before it ended a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.
“Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance,” Pascal Hundt, ICRC deputy director of operations, said in today’s statement.
“This situation must not – and cannot – be allowed to escalate further.”
Palestinian killed in occupied West Bank
A Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.
Israeli violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, by troops and settlers, has escalated since the war on Gaza began on October 2023
Gaza death toll since dawn rises to 22: Sources
Israel’s deadly attacks that started in the early hours of the day continue.
Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes on the enclave since dawn.
The previous death toll we reported earlier was 20.
UNRWA’s Lazzarini calls on Israel to lift Gaza siege
The head of the UN’s agency for the Palestinian refugees has said that Israel’s siege is collectively punishing children, women, older people and ordinary men in Gaza.
“They are collectively punished for being born and living in Gaza, something not of their making,” he said, adding that it has been two months since the siege started.
“The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow a flow of basic supplies,” Lazzarini also said.
Twenty killed across Gaza since dawn: Sources
Medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic that 20 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air attacks on the Strip since the beginning of the day.
Freedom Flotilla says vessel has more people on board than Maltese government alleges: Report
The Maltese government had told the media that the 16 people on board the activist ship that was attacked earlier today had refused to board a tug vessel, which had put out the fire following contact with the Malta Vessel Traffic Services, the Times of Malta reported.
However, the outlet spoke to the activist group’s operations team in Malta, which insisted there are 15 crew members and an additional 15 passengers on the vessel.
A spokesperson for Freedom Flotilla also told Al Jazeera earlier that 30 people in total were on board the ship.
Times of Malta added that communication with the people on board later became “impossible” as the fire from the drone attacks damaged the ship’s electrical system.
The outlet also reported that the crew chose to stay on board the vessel and said it is their responsibility to make sure it remains afloat, along with the humanitarian supplies it holds.
All on board Gaza aid flotilla confirmed safe: Malta government
People on an aid flotilla for Gaza that was hit by drones in international waters off Malta overnight are “confirmed safe”, according to the Maltese government.
“The vessel had 12 crew members on board and four civilian passengers; no casualties were reported,” a statement said, adding that a nearby tug had been directed to aid the vessel.
“The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 1:28am (23:28 GMT Thursday), the fire was reported under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to provide further assistance,” the government said.
“By 2:13am, all crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug (…) The ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by the competent authorities,” the statement concluded.
Activist ship cannot move due to fears of sinking, says group
As we’ve been reporting, a Freedom Flotilla vessel containing 30 pro-Palestine activists was hit with drone strikes early this morning. Yasmemin Acar, the group’s spokesperson, says that the ship cannot move because it is heavily damaged.
“The ship cannot move at the moment, because if it moves … they won’t be able to stop the water from coming in, and therefore, the ship will sink very fast,” Acar told Al Jazeera.
She was last in touch with the 30 activists more than two hours ago, she added.
“We hope that the ship is OK, and we really hope that rescue boats will be sent very soon,” said Acar.
She added: “Last year, we dealt with a lot of bureaucratic warfare, which held our ships at the port in Istanbul for months and months. We had 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid, which we could not deliver to Gaza.
“And so we tried again this year, and unfortunately, they stopped us again. This time around, though, they have started a deliberate attack, knowing very well that this vessel carries activists and humanitarian aid.”
Acar said that the group believes the attack was carried out by Israel or one of its allies, but that it could not confirm this information.
Gaza likely to witness more child casualties due to malnutrition: NGO network
Amjad Shawa of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network says the situation is worsening quickly for the tens of thousands of children who are suffering from malnutrition in different areas of Gaza.
“We have no food supplies or supplementary materials or medications for these children,” he told Al Jazeera from Gaza City.
“So the cases will be complicated and there is high concern that we will witness more casualties in the coming few days,” he added.
Shawa said that “the whole Strip is starving” and the majority of the children in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition.
“Thousands of these children are severe cases,” he stressed, adding: “The health facilities are largely destroyed and out of service. Facilities cannot deal with such a big number of children without medications and supplementary materials.”
One Israeli soldier killed, two injured in Golan Heights
An Israeli soldier was killed during military operations in the Golan Heights, the military said in a statement.
Two other soldiers were also lightly injured in the incident, the military added.
The soldiers were evacuated to receive hospital treatment and their families were notified.
The circumstances of the incident are being investigated, the Israeli military said, but Israeli media reports that this was a traffic accident.
Death toll in Israeli attack on central Gaza rises
As we reported earlier, the Israeli army bombed a house in Bureij refugee camp in the central Strip.
Our correspondent on the ground now reports that the death toll has risen to eight people, all from the same family.
We had previously reported the death toll form this attack at seven.
Nine killed in Israeli attacks in central and northern Gaza: Report
Civilians, including children and women, have been killed, along with others wounded, when the Israeli army bombed two separate houses in central and northern Gaza.
Local sources told the Wafa news agency that two Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in the northwest of Gaza City.
The agency added that Israeli jets also hit a house in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing seven people.
Houthis claim missile attack on northern Israel
The Yemeni rebels have claimed responsibility for the strike near the city of Haifa this morning, saying they targeted an army base in northern Israel.
Their military spokesperson said in a televised statement that they launched a ballistic missile towards the Ramat David Airbase, which is located in the southeast of Haifa.
The Israeli army said earlier that hostile aircraft sirens were activated in Haifa and areas around the city at about 5:30am, adding that the missile launched from Yemen was intercepted.
Palestinian child killed in drone strike in Khan Younis
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that a Palestinian child was killed as a result of an Israeli drone strike on the Qizan an-Najjar area in south Gaza’s city of Khan Younis.
They also reported that a Palestinian died of wounds sustained in a previous Israeli attack targeting displaced people’s tents in al-Mawasi, also in Khan Younis.
Austria calls for lift of blockade on Gaza
Austria is urging that the aid blockade on Gaza – continuing for more than 60 days – be lifted.
“After two months of blockade, humanitarian aid for Gaza must be allowed to flow unhindered in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
Security camera captures Israeli settler attack on Palestinian herders in occupied West Bank
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has shared chilling security camera footage of Israeli settlers – some armed with what appear to be assault rifles – raiding the tent encampment of the Palestinian Abu Sief family in the Nablus area of the occupied West Bank.
In the video clip, about 10 masked settlers arrive in a white pick-up truck with a large Israeli flag and three all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The pick-up rams a car belonging to the Palestinian family, and the settlers then set about stealing the family’s flock of sheep, smashing solar panels and windows, puncturing the tyres of a tractor, destroying and setting fire to tent tarps.
The attack took place on Wednesday night in the presence of guards from a nearby illegal Israeli settlement outpost, who arrived at the scene of the attack in a security ATV with red and blue emergency lights flashing.
Palestinian “community members tried to call the police, but no officers arrived”, B’Tselem said in a post on social media about the attack.
“Settler violence is state violence,” the group said.
Israeli missile strike on children’s playground leaves 8-year-old paralysed
Eight-year-old Palestinian girl, Rehab, was on a playground swing in Gaza when an Israeli missile attack left half her body paralysed.
Confined to a wheelchair, Rehab told child rights group Defense of Children International – Palestine (DCI-P) that she once walked to school and played with her siblings.
“Now I’m injured and sitting. I can’t walk,” she tells DCI-P.
Activist ship with 30 people on board sinking after drone attack near Malta
Earlier, we reported that an Israeli military drone has reportedly attacked a vessel with the Freedom Flotilla activist group as it set off to break Israel’s Gaza blockade and deliver aid to the besieged enclave.
Yasemin Acar, a media officer with the group, has now told CNN there is a “hole in the vessel” and the “ship is sinking”.
Acar said the ship was attacked off the coast of Malta in international waters, and it is now anchored 17km (10.5 miles) from the country. The crew has “sent out SOS calls to the surrounding countries” and a “small boat” from Cyprus has been sent to help, she added.
“We have 30 international human rights activists on that vessel at this very moment, on a vessel that is sinking,” said Acar.
Posting on X, the group said a drone attacked the ship twice at 00:23 Maltese time on Friday morning (22:23 GMT on Thursday night), breaching the hull and causing a fire to break out on board.
Debris from destroyed missile falls on nursery near Haifa: Report
We have been reporting on a missile attack thwarted by the Israeli military earlier tonight, which triggered air raid sirens across the country.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster now reports that shrapnel from the downed missile, fired from Yemen, has penetrated the roof of a nursery in kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, south of Haifa in northern Israel.
It said the nursery was empty at the time of impact, and no casualties have been reported.
Earlier, we reported that the Israeli military said it had destroyed the missile before it entered Israeli airspace.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- The Israeli military has launched overnight attacks across Gaza, killing at least seven people, including five in a strike on a home in the Bureij refugee camp in the centre of the besieged enclave.
- An Israeli military drone has attacked a vessel with the Freedom Flotilla activist group off the coast of Gaza as it attempted to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave, the group told US media.
- Israel’s army has attacked a target near the presidential palace in Damascus, saying it did so to warn Syria’s government against deploying troops south of the capital or attacking the country’s Druze community.
- Israel’s military has said it successfully intercepted a missile launched at the country from Yemen, destroying it before it entered Israeli airspace.
Israeli army’s main war goal is captive return, not destruction of Hamas: Report
The Israeli military’s primary goal in the war on Gaza is securing the return of the remaining captives, not the total destruction of Hamas, as claimed by Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, an unnamed Israeli military source has told The Times of Israel.
“The supreme mission that the [Israeli military] is dealing with is our moral duty to return the hostages. The second mission is defeating Hamas. We are working to advance both goals, with the return of the hostages being at the top [of the list of priorities],” the source said.
Speaking at the annual Independence Day Bible Contest in Jerusalem on Thursday, Netanyahu said “victory” over Hamas, not the return of the 59 remaining captives, was the “supreme goal” of Israel’s war.
Australia election – Israel’s war on Gaza a focus for some voters
Australians are preparing for a national election on Saturday, with at least four million opting to vote early at polling centres around the country.
Domestic issues are the top priority for most voters, but for some, Israel’s war on Gaza is a key consideration, particularly in communities with many Muslim residents.
Israeli military bombs home in central Gaza, killing at least 5
The Israeli military has bombed the Abu Zeina family home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least five people, according to the Palestinian Information Center and the Quds News Network.
We will bring you further updates when we have them.
Israeli ‘engineered famine’ getting much worse in Gaza
The United Nations said that they have 3,000 humanitarian aid trucks ready to enter Gaza once border crossings are reopened.
While the WFP [UN’s World Food Programme] said they are no longer able to provide food services for Gaza’s population, given the fact that their food stocks have been completely exhausted.
A sign that Gaza has been pushed into a very dramatic and engineered famine that is getting much worse as time passes.
Man sentenced to 6 years in US prison for anti-Israel vandalism
A Jordanian citizen residing in Florida has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for attacking businesses for their perceived support of Israel, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, in June last year, and caused more than $450,000 in damage, prosecutors said.
Hnaihen also threatened other businesses in the Orlando area, according to a State Department statement.
“Wearing a mask, under the cover of night, Hnaihen smashed the glass front doors of businesses and left behind ‘Warning Letters’,” it said.
The 43-year-old, who was arrested in July last year and charged in August, pleaded guilty to the charges in December.
Sound of Israeli drones does not ‘leave the sky’ in Gaza amid constant bombardment
The situation on the ground is getting much more desperate in light of Israel’s unprecedented military escalation.
As you can hear, the sound of drones does not leave the sky of the central areas in Gaza. There has been constant bombardment in the eastern areas of Gaza City and close to the Morag Corridor in the southern parts of Gaza, where the concentration has been on targeting, since the early hours of this morning, residential homes, makeshift tents and community kitchens that have been responsible for providing many humanitarian services in light of this aggravating humanitarian crisis.
Different warnings were issued by key UN officials regarding an impending humanitarian famine in Gaza.
This has been the clear result of Israel’s suffocating siege that has been ongoing for more than 60 days so far, and preventing any sort of food, fuel, water or medicine from accessing the Strip.
Israeli military shells home in Khan Younis
Israeli forces have shelled a house in the Sheikh Nassr neighbourhood, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, wounding several Palestinians, according to an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent on the ground.
Several more people have also been injured in an Israeli air strike on a house in the Sheikh Radwan area of northern Gaza, according to AJA.
No deaths have been reported in either incident so far. We will bring you more information when we have it.
Israel executing ‘genocidal war’ against Palestinians, Qatar tells ICJ
As we previously reported, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, told the International Court of Justice on Thursday that Israel is conducting a “genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and weaponising humanitarian aid.
The senior Qatari diplomat joins a long list of representatives from governments across the world condemning Israeli actions in its war on Gaza.
A recap of recent developments
- Israeli forces have continued to pound the Gaza Strip with at least 31 Palestinians killed over the past 24 hours, including women and children.
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said 3,000 trucks ready to deliver aid to Gaza are waiting to cross into the Strip, but are unable to enter as Israel’s blockade of humanitarian supplies enters a third month.
- World Health Organization executive director, Michael Ryan has called the aid situation “an abomination” and said children in Gaza are being starved, while top UN relief chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel to “let humanitarians save lives”.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry has called on the UN to declare a famine in Gaza, where health officials say 92 percent of children and pregnant women now suffer from severe malnutrition.
- Speaking in The Hague, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, has told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel has “created” and “perpetrated” a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
- Israel has ordered Palestinians in parts of the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps in the occupied West Bank to leave their homes within 24 hours as they prepare to demolish 106 houses.
Welcome to our live coverage
Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza as well as its attacks on the occupied West Bank and the wider region.
Follow this page for round-the-clock updates on the latest developments.