Another building levelled in Gaza City as Israel ramp us up offensive

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow at 9am BST. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage of Israel's war on Gaza here.

Tunisia's national guard said early Tuesday it had detected "no drones" after the organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla said one of their boats had been hit by a suspected UAV off Tunisia's coast.

"According to preliminary findings, a fire broke out in the life jackets on board a ship anchored 50 miles from the port of Sidi Bou Said, which had come from Spain," national guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told AFP.

"The investigation is ongoing and no drone has been detected," he added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza said on Tuesday that one of its vessels, carrying members of its steering committee, was struck by what is suspected to be a drone, with all passengers and crew reported safe.

The Flotilla, an international initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via civilian boats, was docked in Tunisia's Sidi Bou Said port.

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pressed Hamas political leaders to "respond positively" to the latest US-proposed Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal during talks in Doha on Monday, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.

"The Qatari prime minister pressed Hamas to respond positively to the latest American proposal, conveyed through mediators, and aimed at securing a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza," the official said.

On Sunday, Hamas said it received some ideas from the United States' side to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, and was discussing with mediators ways to develop those ideas.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas Monday in London, as the UK government edges towards recognising a Palestinian state.

The leaders discussed "the need for an urgent solution to end the horrific suffering and famine" in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, a spokesperson for Starmer's Downing Street office said in a statement.

Abbas welcomed the UK's "pledge to recognising a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month, unless Israel changes its course", the spokesperson added.

Several countries including Britain and France have announced they intend to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month.

Israel struck the vicinity of Syria's central Homs city, the coastal city of Latakia and the historic city of Palmyra, Syrian state-affiliated media said on Monday.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Syrian media did not elaborate further on the size or the impact of the reported strikes.

Israel struck the vicinity of Syria's central Homs city, the Syrian state news agency said on Monday.

Israel has destroyed another high-rise in Gaza City, destroying the al-Salam tower with three missiles, according to Al Jazeera.

Israeli forces have placed restrictions on movement for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank region of Jericho and city of Tulkarem, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The restrictions come following a deadly shooting in East Jerusalem this morning.

Trump has reportedly tasked his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to prepare a post-war plan for Gaza, according to Israel's Channel 12.

The report, according to the Times of Israel, says that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with Steve Witkoff and Kushner in Miami to discuss the plan, with one US official telling Channel 12 that "Israel will have influence, but it won't be the Bibi plan or the Dermer plan." 

Israel's attacks on Gaza have killed 52 Palestinians today, according to Al Jazeera citing medical sources, 32 of whom were killed in Gaza City.

Two Palestinian children were killed during an Israeli raid on Jenin, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. 14-year-old Islam Abdul-Aziz Nouh Majarmeh was killed in a raid on the camp, while 14-year-old Mohammad Sari Alawneh died of his wounds sustained in the raid on the camp.

A third child was wounded during the raid and is being treated in hospital.

The Israeli army said that four soldiers were killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday.

Only three of the soldiers were named, while the name of the fourth has not yet been cleared for publication, the army said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told residents of Gaza City to evacuate as the military stepped up its assault on the Palestinian territory's main urban centre.

"In two days we brought down 50 terror towers, and this is only the opening stage of the intensified ground manoeuver in Gaza City. I say to the residents: you have been warned, leave now!" Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas on Monday, as the UK government edges towards recognising a Palestinian state.

The meeting "is part of the prime minister's ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza," Downing Street said.

Over 1,500 actors and film industry workers, including Olivia Colman and Mark Ruffalo, vowed not to work with Israeli cinema bodies they said were "implicated in genocide" in Gaza, in an open letter published Monday.

"We pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions, including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies -- that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people," read the letter published in The Guardian newspaper.

The signatories included British actors Aimee Lou Wood, Josh O'Connor and Tilda Swinton, American actors Ayo Edebiri and Cynthia Nixon, and filmmakers Ken Loach and Yorgos Lanthimos.

The letter, organised by the group Film Workers for Palestine, said it was inspired by notable filmmakers who had refused to screen their work in apartheid South Africa as part of a wider cultural boycott.

Swiss medics began a hunger protest outside parliament on Monday over the war on Gaza, pressing Bern to take a more critical stance on Israel's treatment of the Palestinian enclave.

Switzerland has condemned some Israeli actions in the conflict, such as an attack on a hospital last month, but has held back from stronger steps sought by the protesters such as imposing sanctions on Israel or recognising a Palestinian state.

Medics have signed up to protest outside parliament in pairs wearing stethoscopes and medical tunics splashed with fake blood, taking turns in 24-hour fasts in a relay system throughout the September parliamentary session.

"A white tunic used to protect you. Today, if you want to save your life, you take it off, and that's intolerable, and it's intolerable we're not reacting to that," said Professor Pietro Majno-Hurst, a surgeon and member of the Swiss Healthcare Workers Against Genocide.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's east on Monday killed at least five people, after the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah positions.

Monday's strikes hit the fringes of the provinces of Hermel and Bekaa, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, wounding five people.

"The Israeli enemy strikes on the Bekaa and the outskirts of Hermel led to a preliminary toll of five dead and five others wounded," the ministry said, noting the toll was provisional.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press, confirmed four of the five killed were group members.

Spain's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it summoned its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations, hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the Spanish government of "antisemitic" following its new measures against Israel-bound ships and aircraft over the war in Gaza.

In his statement, Saar also said the government used the measures to divert public attention from corruption scandals.

Israel's military said Monday that it demolished a 12-story office building in Gaza City, 90 minutes after warning residents to evacuate the area.

Over the past several days, Israel has destroyed multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City, claiming that Hamas has installed surveillance infrastructure in them, without providing any evidence.

The European Union said Monday it doesn't "encourage" aid flotillas heading to Gaza, as vessels carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, sail for the war-ravaged territory.

"We don't encourage flotillas like this, because basically they can escalate the situation, and they also put their participants at risk," EU spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova said.

She said the EU believes the "best way... to deliver the humanitarian aid" is via partner organisations working on the ground.

"This is what we try to achieve, to deliver the humanitarian aid in a larger scale, and we keep the channels with Israel open, and we talk to Israeli authorities," she said.

At least 39 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn on Monday, medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic.

Among them were 25 people killed in Gaza City, where Israeli forces are continuing a devastating assault to seize control of the area.

Israel's military said on Monday it had intercepted a drone launched from Yemen after sirens sounded near Eilat, a day after Yemen's Houthis hit an airport close to the southern Israeli city with a drone.

Later on Monday, the military said sirens had sounded in the Negev area after the intrusion of another drone. It did not say what had happened to that drone.

A series of strikes hit eastern Lebanon on Monday, state media reported, with the Israeli army saying it targeted positions belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

The state-run National News Agency reported seven strikes in the eastern Hermel region.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the military struck "several Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Bekaa Valley region of Lebanon", including ones belonging to the group's elite Radwan force.

The attack comes after Lebanon's government said last week that its military would begin implementing a plan to disarm Hezbollah, without disclosing details.

Spain on Monday said it "strongly rejects the false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism" by Israel after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced nine measures aimed at stopping what he called "the genocide in Gaza".

The foreign ministry condemned the accusations, and a move by Israel to ban two Spanish ministers from entry, saying Spain "would not be intimidated in its defence of peace, international law and human rights".

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Spain of antisemitism on Monday after its Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced nine measures aimed at stopping what he called "the genocide in Gaza".

"The attempt by Sanchez's corrupt administration to divert attention from serious corruption scandals through a continuous anti-Israel and antisemitic campaign is transparent," Saar wrote on X.

He also said that Spain's deputy prime minister and labour minister, Yolanda Diaz, would be barred from entering Israel, which "will not maintain any contact with her".

"Today we put a red line here, demonstrating we will not take it from them anymore," Saar added during a press conference in Budapest with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.

The Israeli military said on Monday that sirens had been activated near the southern city of Eilat after the intrusion of a hostile aircraft.

Israel's Ramon Airport near Eilat resumed operations after being briefly shut on Sunday when a drone launched from Yemen struck the arrivals hall.

Israel said it would ramp up airstrikes on Gaza on Monday in a "mighty hurricane", to serve as a last warning to Hamas that it will destroy the enclave unless fighters accept a demand from US President Donald Trump to free all captives and surrender.

"A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.

"This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons - or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated," he wrote.

Israel has accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, Saar said that Israel was ready to accept a full deal ending the war that would include the release of captives and Hamas laying down its arms.

The United Nations rights chief voiced alarm on Monday at the overt "genocidal rhetoric" by Israeli officials about Gaza and called for decisive international action to "end the carnage".

He said the occupied Palestinian territory was already "a graveyard".

In his opening address to the UN Human Rights Council's 60th session, Volker Turk slammed "Israel's mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza (and) its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction".

"Israel's mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza; its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction; its hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid and the ensuing starvation of civilians; its killing of journalists, UN staff and NGO workers and its commission of war crime upon war crime, are shocking the conscience of the world," he said.

"I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric and the disgraceful dehumanisation of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials."

Five have now been killed in a shooting attack in east Jerusalem.

Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said there were five victims dead in the shooting attack, updating an earlier toll of four. Police said the two gunmen were also killed.

MDA said seven other people were in serious condition.

The dead included a man "about 50 years old and three men aged around 30", a statement from MDA said, adding it was providing medical treatment to several of the injured.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced nine measures aimed at stopping "the genocide in Gaza", including an arms embargo on Israel and a ban on vessels carrying fuel for the Israeli military from using Spanish ports.

The measures aim to "stop the genocide in Gaza, pursue its perpetrators and support the Palestinian population", Sanchez said in a televised address.

He said his left-wing government would approve a decree to "consolidate in law" a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel, a measure it had applied since the start of the conflict.

Israel's emergency service said a shooting attack at a road junction in east Jerusalem on Monday killed four people and left several others injured.

Emergency service and medical teams "pronounced the deaths of four victims, including a man about 50 years old and three men aged around 30", a statement from Magen David Adom said, adding it was providing medical treatment to several other people, with five evacuated to hospitals.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas on Monday to lay down its arms or face the destruction of Gaza and its own annihilation.

"This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons -- or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated," Katz said on X shortly after US President Donald Trump issued what he described as a "last warning" to Hamas to release the hostages still held in Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday his government would increase pressure on Israel by banning Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from calling at Spanish ports or entering Spanish airspace.

He also said the Spanish government would increase aid to the Palestinian authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and would impose an embargo on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"We hope that they will serve to add pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government to alleviate some of the suffering that the Palestinian population is enduring," Sanchez said in a public address aired on local TV.

Spain will also ban anyone who has participated directly in what Sanchez qualified as "genocide" from entering the country.

This comes as Hamas said on Sunday that it received some ideas from the United States' side through mediators to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The group said it was discussing with mediators ways to develop those ideas.