Israeli strikes target northern Gaza as Zikim crossing opens for aid trucks

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Hamas had ended Wednesday's search for the bodies of the four remaining captives in the Gaza Strip - Al Jazeera reports.

The bodies are to be handed over to Israel. The search is taking place in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City and will resume tomorrow.

Israel's military chief on Wednesday pledged to halt settler violence in the occupied West Bank, following a wave of attacks targeting Palestinians in the territory.

On Tuesday, Israel's police and military said security forces had arrested several Israeli settlers after attacks near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, during which Palestinians were injured and property destroyed.

The military said it dispatched troops after "masked Israeli civilians... attacked Palestinians and set fire to property in the area," adding that four injured Palestinians were evacuated for medical treatment.

"We are aware of the recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them," army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said, in a statement issued by the military.

Zamir said the military "will not tolerate criminal behaviour by a small minority that tarnishes the law-abiding public.

"These acts contradict our values, cross a red line, and divert the attention of our troops from their mission," he warned.

"We are determined to stop this phenomenon and will act decisively until justice is served."

Over 38 dunams, almost 38,000 square metres or 3.8 hectares, of land in Hebron have been seized after the municipality received a military order from the Israeli army.

The land, which is planted with grapevines, almond and olive trees, includes areas in Dhahr Afteima, Al-Yanbu, Khallat Al-Aran, Wadi Ashkhit, Khallat Al-Farn, and Sidr Safa.

The land belonged to several families who relied on the plants and their main source of income, activist Muhammad Awad told Wafa.

The Israeli army claimed it had identified and killed four fighters in Rafah in southern Gaza.

"Immediately after identification, the forces on the ground fired" at the Palestinians, the army said in a statement.

A young Palestinian man was seriously injured after being attacked by Israeli settlers in Jericho, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) revealed.

The PRCS said the man suffered a skull fracture and was transferred to the hospital for treatment.

A young Palestinian man was shot in the leg by Israeli forces as Israeli settlers were attacking a village east of Bethlehem, Wafa reports.

Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, attacked Palestinians using sticks, stones and tractors, Salameh Rashaida, deputy head of Kisan Village Council, told the agency.

At the same time, Israeli forces fired at Palestinians confronting the settlers. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Israel's president on Wednesday condemned what he called a "shocking and serious" attack by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory.

Herzog said the violence committed by a "handful" of perpetrators "crosses a red line", adding in a social media post that "all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon and to strengthen the [Israeli army] and security forces who protect us day and night."

His remarks came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers.

President Isaac Herzog's comments added a powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence. Herzog's position, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country.

So far, 51 bodies have been recovered from a mass grave in the courtyard of the Sheikh Radwan clinic in western Gaza City, Gaza's Civil Defence revealed.

The agency added that efforts to retrieve the bodies, which have been going on since Wednesday morning, are still underway. The bodies are then being transported to Al-Shifa Hospital to attempt to confirm their identities. 

Over 10,000 Palestinian bodies remain trapped under the rubble due to Israel's bombardment of the enclave. Gaza's Civil Defence teams have been struggling to recover the bodies due to an equipment and machine shortage that Israel's blockade has caused.

Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel despite criticism over its war on Gaza because Israel has shown support for Taiwan unmatched by other countries in the Middle East, the island democracy's foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday.

Taiwan will be "friendly to countries that are friendly to us", Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung said. He said that a declaration signed earlier this year by 72 members of the Israeli parliament in support of Taiwan's inclusion in key international organisations is an example of Israel's support.

Lin added that "Palestine is very bad to Taiwan" because it aligns with Beijing's "One-China" principle, which states that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

Human rights and national interests must be aligned, Lin told journalists during a meeting organised by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Over 69,185 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, while a further 170,698 have been wounded as Israel continues its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, Gaza's Health Ministry revealed. At least 245 Palestinians have been killed since the 10 October ceasefire began.

The toll does not include the thousands missing or trapped under the rubble presumed dead.

The ministry added that the bodies of three victims have been recovered from debris over the past 72 hours.

A Palestinian rights group was on Wednesday refused permission to appeal a ruling that Britain lawfully allowed F-35 fighter jet components to be indirectly exported to Israel, despite accepting they could be used to breach international humanitarian law.

Al-Haq, a group based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, unsuccessfully challenged Britain's Department for Business and Trade over its decision last year to exempt F-35 parts when it suspended export licences for arms that could be used in the conflict in Gaza.

The group last month asked the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge a lower court ruling that found Britain's decision was lawful and dismissed Al-Haq's challenge.

The Court of Appeal refused permission, saying in its ruling that it was a matter for the government to decide whether national security issues relating to the supply of F-35 components outweighed an assessment that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law. 

A Danish court put two Swedish teenagers on trial on terrorism charges for having thrown two hand grenades at the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen last year.

The two men, aged 18 and 21, have also been charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder.

"My client pleads not guilty to the charge of terrorism," Jakob Buch-Jepsen, the lawyer for the 18-year-old, told the court. The defendant pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault.

"He admits to throwing two grenades... but he did not throw them at the embassy," Buch-Jepsen said, while his client, dressed in a white t-shirt, looked on.

According to Swedish media, the young man was recruited by Swedish criminal network Foxtrot while he was in secondary school.

The same teenager is also being prosecuted in Sweden for a shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on 1 October 2024.

Israeli forces are continuing with their raids of the occupied West Bank, having razed lands and begun land-builing operations in the northern Jordan Valley, Wafa reports.

The forces also seized a private vehicle during their raid in Ramallah, and closed entrances to the village of Ni'lin, located west of the area.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a letter from US President Donald Trump, urging him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president's office said on Wednesday.

"While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this 'case' against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution," the letter says. 

Israeli actor Gal Gadot has been awarded Israel's Genesis Prize in recognition of 'supporting' Israel's war on Gaza.

Describing herself as a "proud Jew and a proud Israeli", the "Wonder Woman" star, who at times has paid a personal price for her advocacy, said she would donate the $1 million prize to pro-Israel organisations

"Israel has endured unimaginable pain," she said in a statement released by the prize on Tuesday. "Now we must begin to heal — to rebuild hearts, families and communities."

The Genesis Prize, nicknamed "the Jewish Nobel" by Time magazine, is granted each year to a person for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values.

Winners have donated the award to promote causes such as battling antisemitism, advancing women's rights or fighting for economic justice.

Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday he planned to close publicly funded Army Radio in what he described as an attempt to preserve the military's nonpartisan character, but the decision was denounced by the station's chief as a blow to press freedom.

The minister, Israel Katz, stated in a press release that he would soon submit a proposal to the country's right-wing government to close the station, which is editorially independent, and expected it to cease its broadcasts by 1 March.

Army Radio's chief, Tal Lev Ram, said the move was unexpected and not a professional process that prioritised the interests of soldiers.

"We see this as a real, regrettable, and dramatic blow to the people's army, to Israeli society, and to freedom of the press in a democratic state," he said in a statement.

"I intend to fight this grave decision by every means," he said.

Army Radio is among two state-funded news outlets in Israel, the other being the public broadcaster KAN, which operates a television news channel and several radio news stations. Both are editorially independent of the government.

A Palestinian man was injured and bruised after Israeli forces raided the town of Silat al-Harithiya in Jenin early Wednesday, where forces raided and searched a house, Wafa reports.

This comes as Israel continues with its raids of the occupied West Bank territories, raiding homes and villages, attacking Palestinians and carrying out mass detention campaigns.

Israel launched three airstrikes north east of Beit Lahia, within the Green Line and near the education area, while Israeli naval ships also opened fire off the coast of southern Gaza.

Israeli forces also carried out demolitions in Khan Younis early on Wednesday, targeting areas near the separation fence, with sources reporting to Wafa of loud explosions, despite a ceasefire being put into effect on 10 October.

Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, who also led negotiations for the Gaza ceasefire, has announced his resignation from his ministerial post following the return of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spearheaded months of intense negotiations that resulted in the Gaza ceasefire and captive exchange deal that took effect on 10 October.

"This government will be defined both by the attack on October 7th and by the prosecution of the two-year... war that followed," Dermer wrote in his resignation letter posted on X late on Tuesday.

"Two years later, we have dealt a devastating blow to Iran's terror axis and are now powerfully positioned to usher in an age of security, prosperity and peace," he said, describing October 7, 2023 as the "darkest day" for the Jewish people since Israel was created in 1948.

"What the future holds for me, I do not know. But I do know this: No matter what I do, I will continue to do my part to help secure the Jewish future."

Dermer did not indicate in the letter whether he would remain as lead negotiator in the ongoing talks towards a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

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— Ron Dermer - רון דרמר (@AmbDermer) November 11, 2025

Israel's COGAT, the Israeli military's arm that oversees aid flows, announced it had opened the Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza to allow humanitarian aid trucks into the enclave on Wednesday.

The Zikim Crossing was shut on 12 September, as Israel launched its long-expected ground assault on Gaza City, and no aid groups had been able to import supplies since, with the United Nations agencies and Oxfam voicing grave concerns about food running out in northern Gaza.