Israel-Gaza live: Egypt mediates ceasefire to end Israel's assault on Gaza

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said a senior commander, Ahmed Abu Daqqa, died in the latest Israeli air strike in Gaza.

He is the fifth Islamic Jihad member to be killed since Tuesday when Israel began its offensive.

Out of the 26 Palestinians killed, at least 17 are believed to be civilians, including five children and five women. 

At least one Palestinian has been killed and four wounded in fresh Israeli air strikes, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, bringing the total death toll since Tuesday to 26. 

Israeli fighter jets shelled a home in Khan Younis in southern Gaza belonging to the Abu Daqqa family, local media said. 

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, approximately 17 housing units have been demolished in the Israeli bombardment so far, with an additional 50 units partially damaged. At least 32 families have been forced to flee their homes.

A humanitarian crisis is developing in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's ongoing closure of crossings for the fourth day in a row, the Palestine Red Crescent Society warned on Thursday. 

The civil society body appealed to international organisations to pressure Israel into creating a humanitarian corridor for the entry of essential medical supplies and humanitarian aid. 

"This comes due to the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Strip, where Israeli occupation checkpoints and barriers surrounding the Gaza Strip remain closed for the fourth day in a row," the society said in a statement.

It added that the situation is "developing to be a humanitarian crisis" due to the "severe shortage of medical supplies and materials in the healthcare system". 

"The Strip has witnessed near-total paralysis in all aspects of life... due to the air, land, and naval military blockade imposed by the occupying authorities on the Strip for 16 years, which constitutes collective punishment prohibited by the provisions of (International Humanitarian Law)."

Approximately 17 housing units have been demolished in Gaza due to the Israeli bombing so far, with an additional 50 units partially damaged, according to the Red Crescent. At least 32 families have been forced to flee their homes.

The killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, during Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip has been condemned by many in the international community.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in the latest round of attacks on Gaza. On the third day of strikes, on Thursday, four people were already dead by the afternoon.

In a statement on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza as "unacceptable" and appealed for them to "stop immediately".

The Arab League also slammed the "barbaric Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip, which targeted civilians, children, and women in residential neighbourhoods".

Read more: Israel's killing of children denounced around the world

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza, urging the international community to stop the onslaught.

The 57-country bloc said the "barbaric military aggression and heinous crime" was a "flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law".

"The OIC held Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the consequences of the continuation and escalation of its aggression and the war crimes it is committing against the Palestinian people," the organisation said in a statement. 

"It also renewed its call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and intervene urgently to stop this continuous Israeli aggression, provide international protection for the Palestinian people, and compel Israel to respect its obligations under international law."

Foreign ministers of France, Germany, Jordan and Egypt on Thursday called for an end to the fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza.

"The bloodletting must end now," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock after hosting talks with her counterparts.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said the "negative developments must end, peace must be revived."

Residential buildings in Gaza were hit and damaged by Israeli fighter jets on Wednesday leaving dozens of Palestinians homeless.

Mohammad al-Masri, a homeowner in the city of Beit Lahia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, managed to evacuate his home with his family just minutes before it was levelled.

'Where are we going to go now? Sleep in the streets?'

- Mohammad al-Masri, Gaza resident

"By attacking civilians' homes, the occupation proves it has no morals. They claim these buildings are housing fighters or used for storing weapons but none of this is true," he told Middle East Eye.

"Yesterday they hit an open area claiming they targeted fighters and later it turned out they were farmers picking their harvest. They make up these false claims just to justify their actions to their people."

He said after a warning strike on the house, he left it in a rush with his family in the middle of the night, barefoot and with no place to go.

"I spent 15 years of my life saving to build this home. Now in one moment, it's gone," he added.

"Where are we going to go now? Sleep in the streets?"

Senior Israeli officials have denied reports suggesting they agreed to halt the policy of assassinating Palestinian leaders as part of the ongoing ceasefire talks. 

Egypt, Qatar, and the UN have been leading mediation efforts between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. 

Reports on Arabic media suggested that Palestinian groups demanded Israel end the policy of assassinating leaders in their homes as part of the ceasefire. 

They also reportedly asked Israel to transfer the body of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian who died after a hunger strike in Israeli custody earlier this month, back to his family for burial. 

The Times of Israel quoted a senior Israeli defence official who said that "Israel has not committed to stopping the targeted killings".

The news website quoted another official saying they have also refused that request. 

A government official told Haaretz newspaper that "the policy of targeted killing will not be taken off the table."

A Middle East Eye contributor said in a new column on Thursday that the Israeli offensive is part of a "well-worn strategy among Israeli politicians to manufacture unity during times of internal strife," as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu battled a political crisis at home. 

"The occupation state is anxious about Palestinian unity and has built its policy on mechanisms of fragmentation and division," he said. 

"Despite the fear of another war on Gaza, Palestinians across the occupied territories continue to emphasise national unity on the basis of resistance and struggle, including the importance of practising all forms of legitimate struggle to defend the freedom and dignity of our people."

Read more: Why Israel's violent Gaza strategy to divide Palestinian resistance will fail

Palestinians in Gaza woke up on Thursday to another pounding by Israeli forces and more funerals. 

At least 25 have been killed in the offensive so far, including at least five children. 

In another overnight assassination, Israeli fighter jets bombed a home in Khan Younis early on Thursday, killing at least four people.

Among them was Ali Ghali, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander. He was the fourth military leader to have been killed since Israel started its campaign on Tuesday. 

“At 1:30 at night, I was going to the bathroom when the flat was bombed,” said Abdallah Nakhala, who lives in the adjacent home. 

“The explosion threw me into the wardrobe. My 17-year-old brother Abdul Karim was sleeping when the wall collapsed on him,” Nakhala told Middle East Eye. 

“I couldn't move as I didn’t realise what had happened and the smoke covered the room. My neighbours rushed to remove the rubble to pull out my brothers,” He added. 

Abdallah and Abdul Karim were both slightly wounded in the attack. 

“There were 12 people in the flat, including three children. When the bombing happened, they started screaming and burst into tears out of terror.”

Hello Middle East Eye readers.

The third day of Israel's offensive on Gaza started with renewed air strikes across the besieged strip, leaving at least four Palestinians killed.

At least 25 people have died since the start of the bombing campaign, including five children and five women. Another 76 people have been wounded. 

The offensive, which Israel calls "Operation Shield and Arrow," started on Tuesday when Israeli air strikes killed 13 people in overnight raids. 

The Palestinian Joint Command, an umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, launched rockets towards Israel in response on Wednesday in the counter "Operation Revenge for the Free".

Fighting escalated on Wednesday night, with Israeli air strikes pounding Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian rockets fired at southern and central Israel. 

Egypt had been leading effors to broker a ceasefire, however intense fighting continued in the early hours of Thursday.

Reports say Israel has refused to stop assassinating Palestinian leaders in their homes, which was a condition put forward by Palestinian to agree to ceasefire.