Live blog update| Israel's war on Gaza
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Deadly Israeli attacks across Gaza as West Bank raids continue

Late night update

31 December 2023 00:00 GMT

Dear MEE readers, 

Welcome to the end of our Saturday coverage. Today, the death toll in the Gaza Strip since 7 October topped more than 21,600 people. Nearly 100,000 people have been displaced to Rafah in recent days, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that around 70 percent of Gaza's homes and half of the enclave's buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli air strikes. 

Israel on Saturday intensified air strikes in Khan Younis, particularly in the vicinity of the European Hospital.

The UN agency Unrwa said that Gaza is now grappling with catastrophic hunger. According to the organisation, 40 percent of the population are now at risk of famine. 

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to continue the deadly offensive in Gaza for “many more months”. 

"The war is at its height. We are fighting on all of the fronts. Achieving victory will require time. As the (army) chief of staff has said, the war will continue for many more months," Netanyahu said.

With goals to completely eradicate the Hamas government, Netanyahu also said that Israel should take over Gaza’s border with Egypt and close any access points. 

"The Philadelphi Corridor - or to put it more correctly, the southern stoppage point (of Gaza) - must be in our hands. It must be shut. It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek," he said.

Israeli police arrested at least two protesters in front of the Prime Minister's home in northern Israel, where hundreds demonstrated. Meanwhile, thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu’s policies, particularly in regards to his lack of action on returning Israelis being held captive in Gaza. 

In other developments: 

  • The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that 165 Palestinians have been killed during the last 24 hours of Israeli air strikes on Gaza. An additional 250 Palestinians were wounded in the attacks.

  • The Israeli army has reported that 431 soldiers are currently hospitalised, out of which 44 are in severe condition and 258 are moderately wounded.

  • The UN agency Ocha announced on Saturday that 307 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank. The figure includes 79 children.

  • The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has said that water scarcity is increasing in Gaza, threatening the spread of diseases and epidemics among displaced Palestinians, especially those sheltering in centres and schools. 

  • United Nations agencies have said that Israeli bombardment and attacks on Gaza have caused damage to at least 352 schools in the besieged enclave.

  • The Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has said that the aid entering Gaza is "woefully inadequate" and that the war on Gaza presented an "impossible situation for the people of Gaza and for those trying to help them".

  • US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a leading Democrat, called on the Biden administration to explain why it has twice moved to transfer weapons to Israel without congressional oversight.