Near-total telecommunications blackout in the Gaza Strip enters its seventh day on Friday, making it difficult for information to get out of the enclave amid constant Israeli attacks.

      Conditions in Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital have become “unbearable” according to a doctor working there, as Israel attacks the vicinity of the facility, causing thousands to flee.

      US State Department says “support for Israel remains ironclad” despite Israeli PM rejecting US’s stance on establishment of Palestinian state.

      At least 24,620 people killed and 61,830 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139.

    Update: Death toll in air strike near al-Shifa hospital rises to 12

    The number of people killed by an Israeli air strike on an apartment block near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City now stands at 12, local media reports.

    Further away from political solution than ever

by Stefanie Dekker

    I was in Jerusalem 10 years ago, the last time that the Americans tried to do some form of an agreement to a peace solution.

    Then-Secretary of State John Kerry shuffled diplomacy back and forth. It failed and Kerry said both sides, but mostly Israel, were to blame.

    He said that perhaps the leadership that was also under Netanyahu then had to change, otherwise Israel would turn into what he called an apartheid state.

    He went back on that word because, obviously, of the deluded nature of it and the political backlash that he received, but this was his first emotional response.

    Ten years later, we are much further away from a potential political state. Settlements have expanded, and Palestinians will tell you the occupation has only solidified over the last decade.

    Thousands call for ceasefire and peace in Tel Aviv protest

    Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv late last night to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and peace with Palestinians.

    The protests are taking place in Israel again as anger is growing towards the Netanyahu administration which has failed to have captives released despite the devastating war.

    Some of the families of the captives were also present during the protests, with many demonstrators carrying signs that read “Peace begins with hope” and “Peace is the only solution”.

    “People are saying that only peace will bring security for Israel,” said Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Tel Aviv. “We are told many are not carrying Palestinian flags because they are afraid that they could be detained.”

    More public rift between Israel and US

by Stefanie Dekker

    Biden’s position, even though he’s a massive supporter of Israel, has been that a two-state solution is the only one.

    On the other hand, Netanyahu, very publicly – and this is not new either – refuses that concept. He addressed the war cabinet last night where he said that the day after will see Israel having full control of Gaza’s borders and controlling everything that goes in and out.

    So, there’s no indication that Israel intends, certainly under Netanyahu’s watch, to give Palestinians their independence. Therefore, we’re getting more and more of this public rifting between Israel and the US.

   Israel conducts more raids across West Bank

    Our colleagues on the ground are reporting that Israel carried out more raids at dawn across the occupied West Bank in the following locations:

      Neighbourhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, Tulkarem and south of Nablus

      In the villages of Budrus and Qubayya, west of Ramallah

      In the towns of Beit Ummar Shall and ad-Dhahiriya in Hebron

    Earlier, we reported that an Israeli siege on the city of Tulkarem, the Nur Shams camp and the Tulkarem camp ended after 44 hours.

    The body of a Palestinian man, killed by an Israeli sniper, was found in the Tulkarem camp, Wafa news agency reported. Eight people were killed in total during the days-long raids.

    A total of 368 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,200 wounded in Israeli forces and settler attacks since October 7.

   Seven dead after Israeli air strike near al-Shifa Hospital

    An Israeli air strike on an apartment block near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has killed seven people and injured several more, local media reports.

    The hospital has been barely functional since mid-November, when it came under siege by Israeli forces.

    We will bring you further updates on this as soon as we can.

   Global protests today calling for a ceasefire

    More protests are scheduled across the world later today, calling for an end to the war that is in its fourth month.

    Protests and demonstrations are expected to take place in:

      Yemen

      Iraq

      Jordan

      Germany

      Mauritania

      US

      Canada