Live blog: Overnight Israeli air strike kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza City

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

1522 GMT — Eleven Palestinians have been killed and others injured in overnight Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling in Gaza Governorate.

WAFA's correspondent reported that six people, including women and children, were killed and others injured in an air strike targeting the Jadba family's home near Al Rahma Mosque in the Zarka area of Al Tuffah neighbourhood, northeast Gaza City.

Earlier, two Palestinians were killed and others injured in artillery shelling on Kashku Street in the Abrar area, east of the Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, southeast Gaza City.

Additionally, three Palestinians were killed and others injured in air strikes targeting a gathering of people in the Al Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

In the central region, one Palestinian was killed by a drone strike north of the Al Bureij refugee camp. Ambulance crews were unable to retrieve the body due to the ongoing bombardment and continuous targeting by the occupation forces.

In southern Gaza, Israeli military vehicles opened heavy machine gun fire on the northwestern areas of Mawasi Rafah.

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2330 GMT — Lebanon lawmaker says ceasefire deal with Israel close

A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel is nearing completion and could be declared within the next 36 hours if negotiations proceed smoothly, a Lebanese parliamentarian has said.

"The atmosphere is positive, and ceasefire discussions have reached an advanced stage. It’s only a matter of hours before an agreement is finalised and announced if progress continues as expected," Qassem Hashem told Anadolu Agency.

The development coincides with reports that Israel's security cabinet will convene on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

Lebanon's private Al Jadeed channel reported early on Tuesday that Lebanon had been officially informed of the ceasefire agreement but is remaining silent to ensure its success.

The channel noted, however, that "minor details" are still under discussion but are not expected to affect the agreement's core terms.

Hashem, a member of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, emphasised that Lebanon would announce the ceasefire only after the US does.

"If sincere intentions prevail, the process will follow its natural course. Within the next 36 hours, we expect a finalised agreement," he added.

2056 GMT — US rejects parity between ICC warrants for Russian, Israeli officials

The US has defended its differing stances on the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Russian and Israeli officials, asserting that the two cases are fundamentally distinct.

"I don't think there is any equivalence between the case that the ICC has brought against Russia and the case that it has brought against Israel," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about the difference in the US approach to the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

He highlighted significant differences between the two countries, saying that "Russia is not a democracy, does not have a functioning, independent legal system, and is not investigating violations of international humanitarian law by its soldiers."

"Israel, on the other hand, is a democracy with an independent court system that has hundreds of open cases into allegations against its soldiers. It is important that these processes be allowed to proceed," he claimed.

0034 GMT — Israel targets bridges in Syria near border with Lebanon

Israeli air strikes targeted three bridges and a border crossing in Al Qusayr district in Syria's Homs governorate near the Lebanese border, the Syrian regime-run news agency SANA reported.

"The Israeli aggression occurred around 9 pm (1800GMT) and targeted key crossing points previously hit on the Syrian-Lebanese border," the agency cited an unnamed military official as saying.

The official added that the Israeli aggression "resulted in two civilian injuries and material damage."

SANA's correspondent in the region reported that the al-Jobania, Arjoun and al-Daf bridges as well as the Al-Nizariya border gate were damaged in the Israeli attack.

Later, the Israeli army claimed responsibility for the attack. A military statement said that "the IAF (air force) conducted intelligence-based strikes on Syrian routes along the Syria-Lebanon border used as smuggling routes to transfer weapons to Hezbollah."

For our live updates from Monday, November 25, 2024, click here.