Over 800,000 Palestinians in Gaza at risk of flooding, according to the NRC | LIVE

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Over 800,000 Palestinians in Gaza at risk of flooding

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Wednesday that only a trickle of tents and shelters have been allowed into the Gaza Strip.

The group said the U.N. and international aid agencies have been able to bring just 15,600 tents into Gaza since the October cease-fire.

“At least 761 displacement sites hosting around 850,000 people are at risk of flooding,” NRC said.

“International aid organisations remain blocked from bringing in relief and nearly 4,000 pallets of shelter materials have been rejected,” the NRC added.

“Gaza urgently needs heavy machinery, tools and shelter items to prevent catastrophic flooding,” the statement said.

Hamas rejects Amnesty report accusing it of crimes against humanity

Hamas on Thursday dismissed a new Amnesty International report that accuses the group and other armed factions of committing crimes against humanity during and after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

In a statement, Hamas said: “The report's repetition of the lies and allegations promoted by the occupation government concerning rape, sexual violence, and the mistreatment of captives clearly demonstrates that the purpose of this report is incitement and distorting the image of the resistance,” calling on Amnesty to withdraw what it described as a “flawed and unprofessional report.”

Hamas condemns Ben Gvir’s threat to demolish Qassam’s tomb

Hamas has denounced far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he threatened to destroy the tomb of Ezzedine al-Qassam, the Palestinian nationalist leader whose name Hamas later gave to its armed wing.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi called Ben Gvir’s threat “an unprecedented level of transgression against sanctity and desecration of holy sites, and a violation of the sanctity of graves.”

“Targeting the grave of al-Qassam… is not merely an attack on a grave, but rather an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and remove a testament to our ongoing struggle,” he said.

“Extremism has become an official, declared policy, requiring international action to curb this barbarity.”

Ben-Gvir vows to destroy Qassam grave, dismantles prayer tent at site

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed Thursday to destroy the grave of Arab nationalist figure Ezzedine al-Qassam, whose name was later adopted by Hamas’ armed wing.

Ben-Gvir posted a video on X showing himself accompanying security forces as they dismantled a prayer tent next to the gravesite in Nesher, near Haifa. He wrote that the grave “must be removed” and that authorities had “taken the first step” at dawn.

Qassam, a Syrian-born activist who fought in Palestine and was killed by British forces in 1936, is considered a forerunner of Palestinian nationalism. His grave has been vandalized several times over the decades.

Hamas condemned the move as an “unprecedented violation of holy sites” and an attempt to erase Palestinian history.

Israel Hayom reported that security forces also removed surveillance cameras and arrested a person responsible for the site. Police told AFP they were not involved and referred inquiries to the cemetery authority.

Ben-Gvir, known for his provocative statements, also made headlines this week for wearing a golden noose lapel pin in the Knesset, which his office says symbolizes support for a bill introducing the death penalty for Palestinian attackers. Several lawmakers criticized the gesture.

Israel and US navies hold joint drills in Mediterranean and Red Sea

Israel and the United States conducted a five-day joint naval exercise off the coast of Haifa in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Red Sea, the Israeli army said in a post on X.

The Israeli Navy and the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet participated in the "Intrinsic Defender" drill, designed to "maintain the long-standing cooperation between the two navies," the Israeli army said.

US senator demands answers over Israel’s 2023 attack on reporters in Lebanon

U.S. Senator Peter Welch has said that the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” his demands for answers over Israel’s deadly October 2023 attack on a group of journalists in Lebanon.

“We have been extremely patient and we have done everything we reasonably can to obtain answers and accountability. We’ve been stonewalled – stonewalled at every single turn,” Welch told reporters during a news conference in Washington, DC.

Reuters news agency video journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, was killed in the Israeli attack on a group of reporters working in southern Lebanon on October 13, 2023, that also injured six others, including US citizen and AFP news agency journalist Dylan Collins.

Rights groups have said the journalists were deliberately targeted, which amounts to a war crime.

“It’s clear that the [Israeli army] has never had serious intentions to investigate this attack. The only thing they’ve told us is that the attack was, ‘unintentional’ – unintentional to fire at people who were in the open, very visible, who were observed being there for several hours,” Welch said.

“We expect the Israeli government to conduct an investigation that meets international standards and to hold accountable those people who did this.”

Katz presses ahead with plan to shut down Army Radio

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pressing forward with his plan to shut down Army Radio, the country’s long-standing military-run national station.

Katz said Wednesday he will bring the proposal to the government for approval on Sunday, Haaretz reported.

The move comes despite Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s decision to block the recommendations of the advisory committee Katz appointed last August. She warned the process raised concerns about political interference in public broadcasting and potential harm to freedom of expression and the press.

Katz’s plan would end Army Radio’s broadcasts by March 1, 2026, with a Defense Ministry team overseeing the shutdown.

Although staffed mostly by soldiers, Army Radio operates as a mainstream news and culture outlet. In November, Katz announced he wanted it closed, arguing the station had strayed from its mission.

He said the station was created “to serve as a voice and an ear” for soldiers and their families — not as a platform for commentary critical of the Israeli military.

Lazzarini says 'Storm Byron has Gaza in its grip.'

The head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has warned that “Storm Byron has Gaza in its grip.”

Lazzarini wrote in a social media post that forcibly displaced Palestinian families face “more hardship” in makeshift shelters as heavy rainfall brings “floods, damage and additional health threats.”

Israel has killed 383 Palestinians in Gaza since October, according to Health Ministry

In its daily report, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that four people had been killed by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, in addition to 10 wounded who had been admitted to hospitals in the enclave.

In total, the ministry has counted 383 killed, 1,002 wounded, and 627 bodies recovered from the rubble since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli offensive against Gaza has killed at least 70,373 people and wounded 171,079 others, the ministry said.

Israel reaffirms that Hamas will be 'disarmed' after the movement's proposal to 'freeze' its weapons

Hamas "will be disarmed" under Trump's plan, an Israeli government official stated Thursday, following a proposal by a leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement to freeze its weapons.

"The terrorist group will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, in response to a question from AFP about statements made by Khaled Meshaal in an interview Wednesday with Al Jazeera.

The former Hamas leader had proposed freezing the movement's weapons in exchange for a lasting truce in Gaza, saying he was open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force on the border between the Palestinian territory and Israel.

Southern Lebanon: Israeli strikes target two villages, machine gun fire in the vicinity of Kfar Shuba

This morning in southern Lebanon was marked by several Israeli attacks that did not cause any injuries, according to our correspondent in the south.

A drone fired on the roof of a house in Odaisseh (Marjayoun).

Heavy machine gun fire targeted the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), while a second drone fired a stun grenade at the town of Dhahira (Sour).

Gaza: Woman killed in Israeli strike in Jabalia; wounded man in Rafah succumbs to injuries

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since yesterday evening have killed at least three people, according to rescue workers quoted by Al Jazeera. They report that at least one woman was killed in an Israeli strike on the town of Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, which also left several people wounded.

In addition, a man wounded Wednesday evening by Israeli soldiers' gunfire near Rafah, in the south, succumbed to his injuries in an incident that had already claimed the life of another person.

'No more than 234 trucks of aid per day' entering Gaza since start of cease-fire

Gaza’s Government Media Office says no more than 234 trucks of aid per day have arrived in the enclave on average since the Oct. 10 cease-fire deal, countering the claim by U.S. envoy Mike Waltz that 600 trucks were coming in daily.

The U.S. ambassador’s claim represents a “blatant attempt to exonerate the [Israeli] occupation from the crime of the blockade and starving the civilian population,” the office said in a statement.

Since the cease-fire, it said, only 14,534 of the 37,200 agreed-upon trucks have entered Gaza.

The government office called this “adopting a systematic economic strangulation policy aimed at keeping the Gaza Strip on the brink of famine.”

'I found my baby motionless,' says mother of a newborn who died of cold in Gaza

The mother of the baby who died of cold last night in Gaza due to low temperatures caused by Storm Byron explained that she did her best to keep her daughter warm, according to local Al Jazeera correspondents who interviewed her.

"It was raining, it was very cold, and I didn't have much to keep her warm. I fed her and put her to bed. I wrapped her up as best I could, but it wasn't enough," said the mother of the nine-month-old girl.

The baby, named Rahaf Abu Jazar, was living in a tent with her family, who had been forcibly displaced to the Khan Younis area in the south of the enclave. "The rain kept falling and the cold was getting worse. I panicked all night because the cold kept getting worse. Then, suddenly, I found my little baby motionless, dead," she added.

In its previous reports, the Health Ministry estimated that at least 138 children have died of malnutrition in Gaza since the start of the war, due to the famine caused by the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid.

More on this story here.

Gaza 'urgently' needs 300,000 new tents, warns its media office

Torrential rains in Gaza caused by Storm Byron flooded "tens of thousands of tents" in Gaza, leaving areas submerged in mud and water, said Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza government's media office.

"More than 22,000 tents have been completely damaged, including tarpaulins, insulation materials, and blankets. Emergency shelters collapsed, temporary water supply networks broke down and mixed with rainwater," he lamented in a statement, adding that the population "urgently needs 300,000 new tents, while only 20,000 tents have been delivered."

According to the statement, more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are now living "in difficult humanitarian conditions in Gaza's camps," while more than 90 percent of Gaza's population has been forcibly displaced since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023.

"Ten mobile medical points have been disrupted, vital supplies have been lost, and medical teams have had difficulty accessing the area. Displaced persons have lost the minimum necessary for their survival and are living without protection from the cold, wind, and rain," added Thawabta.

Palestinian baby dies in Gaza due to the cold

A nine-month-old girl has died due to low temperatures in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

As temperatures continue to drop due to Storm Byron, heavy rains continue to batter the ravaged enclave, while Israel continues to restrict the entry of trucks carrying essential humanitarian aid, including basic shelter.

Israel intensifies military activity in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike targeted a house in the town of Odaisseh (Marjayoun) early this morning, our correspondent reported.

He also reported intense Israeli machine gun sweeping from Ruwaisat Al-Alam toward the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) and an Israeli drone stun grenade fired on the town of Dhahira (Sour).

Israeli army shoots dead Palestinian in southern Gaza

A Palestinian was killed Wednesday night by Israeli army gunfire in the humanitarian zone of al-Mawassi, near Rafah, in southern Gaza, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

A local correspondent for the Palestinian news agency reported that Israeli forces opened fire near a roundabout where many displaced people are concentrated, also injuring several people.

The Israeli army acknowledged in a statement that it had shot and killed a Palestinian who had "crossed the Yellow Line" demarcating the area occupied by troops in the besieged enclave under the cease-fire plan.

According to the Gaza government's media office, Israel has violated the cease-fire more than 700 times since it came into effect on Oct. 10, during which time Israel has killed at least 379 Palestinians by army fire or strikes.

Overnight Israeli army incursions and explosions in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army infiltrated southern Lebanon during the night and blew up a house under construction on the outskirts of Mais al-Jabal at around 4 a.m., according to our correspondent in the south.

The two-story building had already been bombed during the war. Another partially demolished building in the Karkazan neighborhood of the same village was also rigged with explosives and destroyed by the Israeli army.

The explosions were heard throughout the area. Firefighters from the Islamic Mission Scouts Association (affiliated with the Amal movement) and the Lebanese Civil Defense went to the scene to inspect it.

Palestinians in Gaza evacuated by Civil Defense due to flooding caused by Storm Byron

The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza announced in a statement that many families forcibly displaced within the besieged enclave are now trapped in flooded tents, as Storm Byron struck Gaza overnight.

The organization said its teams evacuated 14 tents flooded by heavy rains in various neighborhoods of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Palestinian territory, to relocate families. It also reported that vehicles stuck in sandy roads have been freed.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese deplored that "the nightmare continues" in Gaza for Palestinians "left to fend for themselves and suffering from hunger in the midst of the storm," which is expected to continue wreaking havoc in Gaza until Friday, according to weather forecasts.

Hamas proposes to 'freeze' its weapons in exchange for a long-term truce in Gaza

A Hamas leader proposed on Wednesday to freeze the movement's weapons in exchange for a lasting truce in Gaza and said he was open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force on the border between the Palestinian territory and Israel.

Khaled Meshaal, former leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that he rejected "total disarmament," which he deemed "unacceptable," while indicating that the movement was open to "the idea of a freeze or storage" of its weapons to "ensure that there will be no military escalation from Gaza with the occupation."

Hamas, he added, is open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force along the Gaza border with Israel, but refuses to allow it to operate inside Palestinian territory, as provided for in the Washington-sponsored cease-fire agreement, believing that this "would be tantamount to occupation."

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the latest news from Lebanon and the region

In this live broadcast, we will be following the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues to strike the South almost daily.

We will also cover developments in Syria, following the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, overthrown on Dec. 8, 2024.

In Gaza, Israel also continues to violate the terms of the cease-fire with daily attacks, killing yet another Palestinian man just last night.

In the West Bank, the Israeli army continues to raid and arrest the illegally occupied territory, while the Israeli government has approved the expansion of three illegal settlements.

Amnesty accuses Hamas of committing crimes against humanity

Amnesty International yesterday accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for the first time of committing crimes against humanity, including "extermination," during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and thereafter.

"Palestinian armed groups committed violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity during their attacks in southern Israel beginning on Oct. 7, 2023," the human rights organization wrote in a new report of more than 170 pages.

Amnesty considers the massacre of civilians on Oct. 7 to be a "crime against humanity of extermination" and lists other crimes against humanity committed by Palestinian groups, including imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, rape, and "other forms of sexual violence."

Thank you for following our live feed, we’ll be back tomorrow morning.

Over 800,000 Palestinians in Gaza at risk of flooding

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Wednesday that only a trickle of tents and shelters have been allowed into the Gaza Strip.

The group said the U.N. and international aid agencies have been able to bring just 15,600 tents into Gaza since the October cease-fire.

“At least 761 displacement sites hosting around 850,000 people are at risk of flooding,” NRC said.

“International aid organisations remain blocked from bringing in relief and nearly 4,000 pallets of shelter materials have been rejected,” the NRC added.

“Gaza urgently needs heavy machinery, tools and shelter items to prevent catastrophic flooding,” the statement said.

Hamas rejects Amnesty report accusing it of crimes against humanity

Hamas on Thursday dismissed a new Amnesty International report that accuses the group and other armed factions of committing crimes against humanity during and after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

In a statement, Hamas said: “The report's repetition of the lies and allegations promoted by the occupation government concerning rape, sexual violence, and the mistreatment of captives clearly demonstrates that the purpose of this report is incitement and distorting the image of the resistance,” calling on Amnesty to withdraw what it described as a “flawed and unprofessional report.”

Hamas condemns Ben Gvir’s threat to demolish Qassam’s tomb

Hamas has denounced far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he threatened to destroy the tomb of Ezzedine al-Qassam, the Palestinian nationalist leader whose name Hamas later gave to its armed wing.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi called Ben Gvir’s threat “an unprecedented level of transgression against sanctity and desecration of holy sites, and a violation of the sanctity of graves.”

“Targeting the grave of al-Qassam… is not merely an attack on a grave, but rather an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and remove a testament to our ongoing struggle,” he said.

“Extremism has become an official, declared policy, requiring international action to curb this barbarity.”

Ben-Gvir vows to destroy Qassam grave, dismantles prayer tent at site

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed Thursday to destroy the grave of Arab nationalist figure Ezzedine al-Qassam, whose name was later adopted by Hamas’ armed wing.

Ben-Gvir posted a video on X showing himself accompanying security forces as they dismantled a prayer tent next to the gravesite in Nesher, near Haifa. He wrote that the grave “must be removed” and that authorities had “taken the first step” at dawn.

Qassam, a Syrian-born activist who fought in Palestine and was killed by British forces in 1936, is considered a forerunner of Palestinian nationalism. His grave has been vandalized several times over the decades.

Hamas condemned the move as an “unprecedented violation of holy sites” and an attempt to erase Palestinian history.

Israel Hayom reported that security forces also removed surveillance cameras and arrested a person responsible for the site. Police told AFP they were not involved and referred inquiries to the cemetery authority.

Ben-Gvir, known for his provocative statements, also made headlines this week for wearing a golden noose lapel pin in the Knesset, which his office says symbolizes support for a bill introducing the death penalty for Palestinian attackers. Several lawmakers criticized the gesture.

Israel and US navies hold joint drills in Mediterranean and Red Sea

Israel and the United States conducted a five-day joint naval exercise off the coast of Haifa in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Red Sea, the Israeli army said in a post on X.

The Israeli Navy and the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet participated in the "Intrinsic Defender" drill, designed to "maintain the long-standing cooperation between the two navies," the Israeli army said.

US senator demands answers over Israel’s 2023 attack on reporters in Lebanon

U.S. Senator Peter Welch has said that the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” his demands for answers over Israel’s deadly October 2023 attack on a group of journalists in Lebanon.

“We have been extremely patient and we have done everything we reasonably can to obtain answers and accountability. We’ve been stonewalled – stonewalled at every single turn,” Welch told reporters during a news conference in Washington, DC.

Reuters news agency video journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, was killed in the Israeli attack on a group of reporters working in southern Lebanon on October 13, 2023, that also injured six others, including US citizen and AFP news agency journalist Dylan Collins.

Rights groups have said the journalists were deliberately targeted, which amounts to a war crime.

“It’s clear that the [Israeli army] has never had serious intentions to investigate this attack. The only thing they’ve told us is that the attack was, ‘unintentional’ – unintentional to fire at people who were in the open, very visible, who were observed being there for several hours,” Welch said.

“We expect the Israeli government to conduct an investigation that meets international standards and to hold accountable those people who did this.”

Katz presses ahead with plan to shut down Army Radio

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pressing forward with his plan to shut down Army Radio, the country’s long-standing military-run national station.

Katz said Wednesday he will bring the proposal to the government for approval on Sunday, Haaretz reported.

The move comes despite Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s decision to block the recommendations of the advisory committee Katz appointed last August. She warned the process raised concerns about political interference in public broadcasting and potential harm to freedom of expression and the press.

Katz’s plan would end Army Radio’s broadcasts by March 1, 2026, with a Defense Ministry team overseeing the shutdown.

Although staffed mostly by soldiers, Army Radio operates as a mainstream news and culture outlet. In November, Katz announced he wanted it closed, arguing the station had strayed from its mission.

He said the station was created “to serve as a voice and an ear” for soldiers and their families — not as a platform for commentary critical of the Israeli military.

Lazzarini says 'Storm Byron has Gaza in its grip.'

The head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has warned that “Storm Byron has Gaza in its grip.”

Lazzarini wrote in a social media post that forcibly displaced Palestinian families face “more hardship” in makeshift shelters as heavy rainfall brings “floods, damage and additional health threats.”

Israel has killed 383 Palestinians in Gaza since October, according to Health Ministry

In its daily report, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that four people had been killed by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, in addition to 10 wounded who had been admitted to hospitals in the enclave.

In total, the ministry has counted 383 killed, 1,002 wounded, and 627 bodies recovered from the rubble since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli offensive against Gaza has killed at least 70,373 people and wounded 171,079 others, the ministry said.

Israel reaffirms that Hamas will be 'disarmed' after the movement's proposal to 'freeze' its weapons

Hamas "will be disarmed" under Trump's plan, an Israeli government official stated Thursday, following a proposal by a leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement to freeze its weapons.

"The terrorist group will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, in response to a question from AFP about statements made by Khaled Meshaal in an interview Wednesday with Al Jazeera.

The former Hamas leader had proposed freezing the movement's weapons in exchange for a lasting truce in Gaza, saying he was open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force on the border between the Palestinian territory and Israel.

Southern Lebanon: Israeli strikes target two villages, machine gun fire in the vicinity of Kfar Shuba

This morning in southern Lebanon was marked by several Israeli attacks that did not cause any injuries, according to our correspondent in the south.

A drone fired on the roof of a house in Odaisseh (Marjayoun).

Heavy machine gun fire targeted the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), while a second drone fired a stun grenade at the town of Dhahira (Sour).

Gaza: Woman killed in Israeli strike in Jabalia; wounded man in Rafah succumbs to injuries

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since yesterday evening have killed at least three people, according to rescue workers quoted by Al Jazeera. They report that at least one woman was killed in an Israeli strike on the town of Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, which also left several people wounded.

In addition, a man wounded Wednesday evening by Israeli soldiers' gunfire near Rafah, in the south, succumbed to his injuries in an incident that had already claimed the life of another person.

'No more than 234 trucks of aid per day' entering Gaza since start of cease-fire

Gaza’s Government Media Office says no more than 234 trucks of aid per day have arrived in the enclave on average since the Oct. 10 cease-fire deal, countering the claim by U.S. envoy Mike Waltz that 600 trucks were coming in daily.

The U.S. ambassador’s claim represents a “blatant attempt to exonerate the [Israeli] occupation from the crime of the blockade and starving the civilian population,” the office said in a statement.

Since the cease-fire, it said, only 14,534 of the 37,200 agreed-upon trucks have entered Gaza.

The government office called this “adopting a systematic economic strangulation policy aimed at keeping the Gaza Strip on the brink of famine.”

'I found my baby motionless,' says mother of a newborn who died of cold in Gaza

The mother of the baby who died of cold last night in Gaza due to low temperatures caused by Storm Byron explained that she did her best to keep her daughter warm, according to local Al Jazeera correspondents who interviewed her.

"It was raining, it was very cold, and I didn't have much to keep her warm. I fed her and put her to bed. I wrapped her up as best I could, but it wasn't enough," said the mother of the nine-month-old girl.

The baby, named Rahaf Abu Jazar, was living in a tent with her family, who had been forcibly displaced to the Khan Younis area in the south of the enclave. "The rain kept falling and the cold was getting worse. I panicked all night because the cold kept getting worse. Then, suddenly, I found my little baby motionless, dead," she added.

In its previous reports, the Health Ministry estimated that at least 138 children have died of malnutrition in Gaza since the start of the war, due to the famine caused by the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid.

More on this story here.

Gaza 'urgently' needs 300,000 new tents, warns its media office

Torrential rains in Gaza caused by Storm Byron flooded "tens of thousands of tents" in Gaza, leaving areas submerged in mud and water, said Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza government's media office.

"More than 22,000 tents have been completely damaged, including tarpaulins, insulation materials, and blankets. Emergency shelters collapsed, temporary water supply networks broke down and mixed with rainwater," he lamented in a statement, adding that the population "urgently needs 300,000 new tents, while only 20,000 tents have been delivered."

According to the statement, more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are now living "in difficult humanitarian conditions in Gaza's camps," while more than 90 percent of Gaza's population has been forcibly displaced since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023.

"Ten mobile medical points have been disrupted, vital supplies have been lost, and medical teams have had difficulty accessing the area. Displaced persons have lost the minimum necessary for their survival and are living without protection from the cold, wind, and rain," added Thawabta.

Palestinian baby dies in Gaza due to the cold

A nine-month-old girl has died due to low temperatures in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

As temperatures continue to drop due to Storm Byron, heavy rains continue to batter the ravaged enclave, while Israel continues to restrict the entry of trucks carrying essential humanitarian aid, including basic shelter.

Israel intensifies military activity in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike targeted a house in the town of Odaisseh (Marjayoun) early this morning, our correspondent reported.

He also reported intense Israeli machine gun sweeping from Ruwaisat Al-Alam toward the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) and an Israeli drone stun grenade fired on the town of Dhahira (Sour).

Israeli army shoots dead Palestinian in southern Gaza

A Palestinian was killed Wednesday night by Israeli army gunfire in the humanitarian zone of al-Mawassi, near Rafah, in southern Gaza, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

A local correspondent for the Palestinian news agency reported that Israeli forces opened fire near a roundabout where many displaced people are concentrated, also injuring several people.

The Israeli army acknowledged in a statement that it had shot and killed a Palestinian who had "crossed the Yellow Line" demarcating the area occupied by troops in the besieged enclave under the cease-fire plan.

According to the Gaza government's media office, Israel has violated the cease-fire more than 700 times since it came into effect on Oct. 10, during which time Israel has killed at least 379 Palestinians by army fire or strikes.

Overnight Israeli army incursions and explosions in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army infiltrated southern Lebanon during the night and blew up a house under construction on the outskirts of Mais al-Jabal at around 4 a.m., according to our correspondent in the south.

The two-story building had already been bombed during the war. Another partially demolished building in the Karkazan neighborhood of the same village was also rigged with explosives and destroyed by the Israeli army.

The explosions were heard throughout the area. Firefighters from the Islamic Mission Scouts Association (affiliated with the Amal movement) and the Lebanese Civil Defense went to the scene to inspect it.

Palestinians in Gaza evacuated by Civil Defense due to flooding caused by Storm Byron

The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza announced in a statement that many families forcibly displaced within the besieged enclave are now trapped in flooded tents, as Storm Byron struck Gaza overnight.

The organization said its teams evacuated 14 tents flooded by heavy rains in various neighborhoods of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Palestinian territory, to relocate families. It also reported that vehicles stuck in sandy roads have been freed.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese deplored that "the nightmare continues" in Gaza for Palestinians "left to fend for themselves and suffering from hunger in the midst of the storm," which is expected to continue wreaking havoc in Gaza until Friday, according to weather forecasts.

Hamas proposes to 'freeze' its weapons in exchange for a long-term truce in Gaza

A Hamas leader proposed on Wednesday to freeze the movement's weapons in exchange for a lasting truce in Gaza and said he was open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force on the border between the Palestinian territory and Israel.

Khaled Meshaal, former leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that he rejected "total disarmament," which he deemed "unacceptable," while indicating that the movement was open to "the idea of a freeze or storage" of its weapons to "ensure that there will be no military escalation from Gaza with the occupation."

Hamas, he added, is open to the presence of an international peacekeeping force along the Gaza border with Israel, but refuses to allow it to operate inside Palestinian territory, as provided for in the Washington-sponsored cease-fire agreement, believing that this "would be tantamount to occupation."

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the latest news from Lebanon and the region

In this live broadcast, we will be following the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues to strike the South almost daily.

We will also cover developments in Syria, following the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, overthrown on Dec. 8, 2024.

In Gaza, Israel also continues to violate the terms of the cease-fire with daily attacks, killing yet another Palestinian man just last night.

In the West Bank, the Israeli army continues to raid and arrest the illegally occupied territory, while the Israeli government has approved the expansion of three illegal settlements.

Amnesty accuses Hamas of committing crimes against humanity

Amnesty International yesterday accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for the first time of committing crimes against humanity, including "extermination," during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and thereafter.

"Palestinian armed groups committed violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity during their attacks in southern Israel beginning on Oct. 7, 2023," the human rights organization wrote in a new report of more than 170 pages.

Amnesty considers the massacre of civilians on Oct. 7 to be a "crime against humanity of extermination" and lists other crimes against humanity committed by Palestinian groups, including imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, rape, and "other forms of sexual violence."