Evening recap

Good evening readers of Middle East Eye,

Gaza's health ministry said that 56 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 33,899 since the beginning of the current war.

Additionally, 89 people have been wounded, bringing the tally to 76,664 wounded since 7 October.

As today marks Palestinian Prisoners' Day, the Gaza media office released a statement saying that over 5,000 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces during their current war on Gaza, which started on 7 October.

In other developments:

• Israeli quadcopters are employing a "bizarre" new tactic of playing audio recordings of crying infants and women in order to lure Palestinians to locations where they can be targeted. 
• Israel's cabinet approved a five-year, 19-billion-shekel ($5 billion) plan to rebuild and strengthen towns near the Gaza border after the Hamas-led October attack.
• The United Nations Security Council plans to vote this Friday on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, diplomats announced on Wednesday.
• French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to expand its sanctions against Iran, emphasising the need for targeting entities engaged in the manufacturing of drones and missiles.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was important to ensure that Iran's attack on Israel does not lead to further escalation of the war.
• Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday that the country is reconsidering its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas following criticism.
• Israel's air force announced that its fighter jets had targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in northern Baalbek, located in eastern Lebanon.