Israeli-backed Gaza militia chief Yasser Abu Shabab shot dead in Rafah

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

A Palestinian teenager was injured by Israeli fire in the town of Tuqu, west of Bethlehem, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa, which added that Israeli forces stormed the town causing confrontation.

Hamas has said that Israeli-backed militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab met "the inevitable fate of all who betray their people and homeland and are content to be tools in the hands of the [Israeli] occupation," according to Al Jazeera citing a statement released by the group.

"The criminal acts perpetrated by the so-called Yasser Abu Shabab and his gang represent a blatant departure from the national and social consensus," the statement added.

Israel has shelled several towns in Syria's Quneitra, according to Syria's state news agency SANA, which stated that the towns of Tal Ahmar Sharqi and the outskirts of Kuwaya in western Daraa were attacked. 

Israeli forces also launched an incursion, setting up a checkpoint in the entrance of the village of al-Samadaniyah al-Gharbiyah.

An Israeli-backed militia in Gaza confirmed the death of its leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, following reports of his killing.

The group said that Abu Shabab was killed "attempting to resolve a dispute between members of the Abu Seneima family," according to a statement quoted by Al Jazeera.

"There is no misleading reports claiming that he was martyred at the hands of remnants of the terrorist Hamas gang, as they are twoo weak to harm [Abu Shabab]," the group continued.

The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem on Thursday said it "firmly opposed" another delay to the Israeli supreme court's decision on its petition demanding independent access to the Gaza Strip.

On 24 November, the supreme court granted the state a further 10 days to respond to the appeal, but on Thursday extended the deadline again to December 21, giving Israel time to present a plan on foreign media access to Gaza.

"This is an urgent appeal. Continuously preventing coverage -- every minute, every hour, every day - seriously undermines the ability of international media to carry out their mission, and infringes on the fundamental rights of billions of users," the FPA said in a statement.

The association said it was the ninth time the court agreed to grant an extension, and believed it was "clear that the state's goal is to delay filing their preliminary response as much as possible".

The FPA represents hundreds of foreign journalists working for international news organisations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

An Israeli delegation was in Cairo on Thursday to discuss efforts for the return of the last Gaza hostage's remains under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

"Under the direction of Prime Minister Netanyahu, a delegation left for Cairo this morning... which held talks with the mediators with the aim of securing the immediate return of the last abductee," the office said in a statement.

After the remains of a hostage Thai worker were returned to Israel Wednesday evening, Israeli authorities vowed to work "ceaselessly" to obtain the release of Ran Gvili, an officer in an elite police unit.

Spain's public broadcaster RTVE said Thursday the country would boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete in the massive music event.

"The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, make it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event," RTVE's secretary general Alfonso Morales said in a statement.

Spain is one of the so-called "big five" nations that make the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union, the organiser of Eurovision, that automatically qualify for the final of the contest.

Ireland will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest, the public broadcaster RTE said Thursday, after organisers of the massive music event approved Israel's participation despite calls for its exclusion.

"RTE will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTE broadcast the competition," the Irish broadcaster said in a statement.

"Ireland's participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country "deserves to be represented on every stage around the world", following the announcement Thursday that it can take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest.

"I am pleased that Israel will once again participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, and I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding," Herzog said on X.

"Thank you to all our friends who stood up for Israel's right to continue to contribute and compete at Eurovision. This decision demonstrates solidarity, fellowship, and cooperation, and reinforces the spirit of affinity between nations through culture and music."

Israel will be allowed to take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, organisers decided Thursday, announcing a series of measures meant to address criticism over the country's participation.

European Broadcasting Union members showed "clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect (the) neutrality" of the contest, "allowing all Members to participate", the organisation said in a statement -- drawing immediate boycott announcements by Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday picked his military secretary, a general with no background in intelligence, as the next head of the country's foreign intelligence agency Mossad.

In a statement, Netanyahu's office announced the decision to appoint Major General Roman Gofman as head of the spy agency, saying he would replace current Mossad chief David Barnea, whose five-year term ends in June 2026.

"Gofman is an officer of great merit," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, adding that his wartime appointment as the premier's military secretary "proved his exceptional professional capabilities".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday said the next round of talks with Israel will begin on December 19, calling the reaction to initial negotiations this week "positive".

"It is natural that the first session would not be highly productive, but it paved the way for upcoming sessions that will begin on the 19th of this month," he said, according to information minister Paul Morcos at the end of a cabinet meeting.

Aoun also said reactions to the first round of talks on Wednesday were "positive" and said the direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese civilian representatives, the first in decades, were aimed at avoiding a "second war".

The Lebanese head of state stressed, according to Morcos, "the need for the language of negotiation - not the language of war - to prevail", and that there would be no concession over Lebanon's sovereignty.

"There is no other option but negotiation. This is the reality, and this is what history has taught us about wars," he said, according to Morcos.

A delegation of representatives from the 15 member states of the United Nations Security Council visited Syria Thursday for the first time since the council’s founding in 1945.

In brief remarks to journalists in Damascus, Samuel Žbogar, permanent representative of Slovenia to the U.N. and president of the Security Council, said the delegation had come to "build trust," adding that "I hope that today we made a step forward."

He said the delegation had met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and other cabinet members. The group also met with local U.N. staff, Syrian civil society and religious leaders, and communities affected by sectarian violence earlier this year on the coast and in southern Syria’s Suweida province.

They also met with the governors of those regions and representatives of the commission for missing persons and committees formed to investigate the sectarian violence, he said.

Žbogar said they discussed topics related to justice, reconciliation, inclusivity and national dialogue in the country’s ongoing political transition, as well as economic development, counter-terrorism and the "need for Syria not to be the source of threat to the security of other countries."

Gaza's health ministry says 8 people have been killed and 16 wounded in Israeli attacks in the territory over the past 24 hours.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps on Thursday kicked off naval wargames in the Gulf, issuing warnings to US warships in the area, more than five months after the 12-day war with Israel that briefly drew in American forces.

State TV said the drill showcases the "sacrifice and spirit of resistance" of the IRGC's naval forces "to confront any threat" against Iran following the June war.

Naval units "issued warnings to American vessels present in the region, conveying their firm message," the report said, though the content of the messages was not immediately clear and US forces in the Gulf did not comment.

State media added that the Guards deployed air-defence systems under electronic-warfare conditions that "were able to detect aerial and maritime targets using artificial intelligence".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi invited Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to visit Iran in the near future to discuss bilateral ties, Iran's foreign ministry said on Thursday, amid a U.S.-backed roadmap in Lebanon to disarm the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group.

"Araghchi, inviting his Lebanese counterpart to discuss the development of bilateral relations and review regional and international developments, expressed confidence that the Lebanese people and government will successfully overcome existing threats and challenges," Iran's foreign ministry said.

Israeli raids hit south Lebanon on Thursday as Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades.

The Israeli army said it "began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon", after warning it would strike buildings in south Lebanon's Mahrouna and Jbaa.

It subsequently issued warnings it would strike further Hezbollah "military infrastructure" in Majadal and Baraasheet, also in the south.

المنزل المستهدف في بلدة جباع pic.twitter.com/Fsltu3CbY7

— 🇱🇧BASSEM DHAYNI🇱🇧 (@BassemDhayni) December 4, 2025

The Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces had killed around 40 Hamas members who had been trapped in tunnels below Rafah in southern Gaza, in an area now under Israeli control.

The killed members included at least three local commanders, the Israeli military said on Thursday, as well as the son of one of Hamas' exiled leaders, Ghazi Hamad.

Some Hamas sources confirmed the death of at least one commander, Mohammad al-Bawab, though the group has not officially confirmed the report.

Around 200 militants had been trapped in the tunnels for months, according to Israeli and US officials, although some have since emerged and been killed in clashes with Israeli forces or have surrendered, Israeli media has reported.

Washington and other mediators had been seeking to reach a deal for the Hamas fighters to lay down their arms in exchange for passage to other parts of the enclave, but those talks have faltered.

Hamas has not officially confirmed the number of those trapped or how many may remain.

A spokesperson for the group in Gaza declined to comment on Israel's alleged killing of the 40 gunmen.

The Israeli military says it has killed Muhammad Jawad Muhammad al-Bawab, described as the commander of Hamas's Eastern Rafah Battalion, in a strike on Sunday.

Three others were also reported killed, including his deputy, Ismail Kanaan Abd al-Hay Abu Labdeh.

Israeli forces have continued launching attacks across Gaza, killing dozens despite the announced ceasefire.

According to the Israeli military, al-Bawab was hit as he emerged from underground infrastructure in eastern Rafah.

The strike also killed a security guard, Abdullah Azi Ahmed Hama, and a regional Hamas platoon leader, Tawfiq Khaled Tawfiq Salem.

Israeli outlets report that Yasser Abu Shabab, a Palestinian militia leader, was killed in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip by armed men. 

Channel 14 said he was shot dead in the city under unclear circumstances.

Army Radio issued a similar report earlier in the day, saying Abu Shabab was assassinated by unidentified gunmen.

Abu Shabab led one of several armed groups that fought alongside Israeli forces during the war against Hamas, before the ceasefire agreement that halted two years of fighting. 

The arrangement between Hamas and Israel left these groups exposed, including the Popular Forces in Gaza, which had operated under Israeli air cover during the Gaza war.

A recent report in the Telegraph said Abu Shabab’s militia was close to collapse after losing Israeli protection, leaving its fighters vulnerable to reprisals from Hamas, which had already seized vehicles and weapons previously supplied to the group.

The Israeli army has issued warnings to two villages in southern Lebanon, saying it will be attacking five buildings they claim are Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

Writing on X, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said residents in the Jibaa and Mahrouna villages have to vacate.

"The Defense Army will attack military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon in the near timeframe to address the prohibited attempts by Hezbollah to rebuild its activities in the regio," Adraee said.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان
🔸سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في أنحاء جنوب لبنان وذلك للتعامل مع المحاولات المحظورة التي يقوم بها حزب الله لإعادة إعمار أنشطته في المنطقة
🔸نحث سكان المباني المحددة بالأحمر في… pic.twitter.com/PLgduIorls

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 4, 2025

Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian man and his daughter on the Ramallah-Nablus road near the village of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society revealed.

The settlers had also set the family's car on fire.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission have documented 621 Israeli settler attacks, marking one of the highest recorded surges in settler violence.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 70,125 Palestinians since October 2023, while injuring a further 171,015, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed.

Since 10 October, Israeli attacks have killed 366 Palestinians despite a ceasefire in effect. 

At least six Palestinians have been killed, and 16 have been injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed.

The ministry also revealed that two bodies were recovered from the rubble.

Iraq will correct a list published on the justice ministry's gazette of groups whose funds would be frozen that included Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, the Iraqi state news agency said on Thursday.

The news agency reported that the "Committee of Freezing Terrorists' Funds" said it would remove some parties from the list, without naming the parties.

The Israeli military court has sentenced Palestinian prisoner Hayel Issa Abdel-Jaber Deifallah, 59, to life imprisonment and ordered him to pay 1.5 million shekels in compensation, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs revealed.

Deifallah was detained in September 2024 after being shot and wounded by Israeli forces, with the organisation saying it was a part of Israel's policy of collective punishment. Israeli forces also demolished his family's home in March 2025.

Iraq will freeze the money of Iran-backed armed groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, the official gazette said.

The move will likely be welcomed by Washington, which has long sought to reduce Iran's influence in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East where Tehran has allies.

Iran views its neighbour and ally, Iraq, as vital for keeping its economy afloat amidst sanctions. But Baghdad, a partner to both the United States and Iran, is wary of being caught in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump's policy to squeeze Tehran.

Iran wields considerable military, political and economic influence in Iraq through its powerful Shi'ite militias and the political parties it backs in Baghdad.

But increased US pressure over the past year comes at a time when Iran has been weakened by Israel's attacks.

Members of the body that organises the Eurovision Song Contest will meet on Thursday to discuss and potentially vote on whether Israel can compete next year, as some countries threaten to withdraw if it is not excluded over the Gaza war.

The meeting at the European Broadcasting Union headquarters in Geneva will address new rules intended to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to sway voters, following allegations that Israel unfairly boosted its entrant to the contest this year.

Israel, which came second in the contest, has not responded to these accusations, but frequently argues it has faced a global smear campaign. The contest faces a "watershed moment", said Eurovision expert Paul Jordan.

Public broadcasters from Slovenia, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands are threatening to boycott the May 2026 event, to be hosted by Austria, if Israel is allowed to compete.

China will provide $100 million in aid to the Palestinians to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support reconstruction efforts, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi was speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after their meeting in Beijing.

Israel's army said Thursday the remains of the second-to-last Gaza captive, a Thai national, to be handed over had been identified.

"Following the completion of the identification process...IDF representatives, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed the family of Sudthisak Rinthalak that his body has been returned for burial," the army said in a statement.

Sudthisak Rinthalak was killed during the 7 October attacks, and his body was taken to the Gaza Strip and held, the army said.

Under the first phase of the deal brokered by Washington, Hamas have handed over the last 20 living captives, and so far, the remains of 27 out of 28 deceased ones.

The last remaining deceased captive to be handed over is Israeli.