������

This live blog has now ended. Follow ������ on ,  and  for the latest news on the situation in Gaza.

Israel examining Egyptian-mediated proposal for Gaza truce: Cohen

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Israel was "examining an Egyptian-mediated proposal for truce" with Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza.

Jerusalem Post earlier reported that the Islamic Jihad movement had reached out through third parties to seek a possible ceasefire "in the near future," though nothing is yet final, according to Israeli defence sources.

Palestinian sources reportedly told Egyptian media that a ceasefire "is likely to come into effect by Tuesday evening," after an agreement was allegedly reached between Islamic Jihad and Israel following Egyptian intervention.

Netanyahu: We are ready to expand Operation Shield and Arrow in Gaza

"Israel is ready for the possibility of expanding Operation Shield and Arrow" in the Gaza Strip, and directing "painful" blows to Palestinian factions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.

Netanyahu made these remarks during a phone with the heads of councils of Israeli towns in the Gaza periphery, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.

The cabinet is expected to meet this evening to discuss the latest developments.

It is likely that the meeting will be crucial in deciding whether Israel decides to wage another all-out war on Gaza or de-escalate, ������’s sister site reported.

Israel uses David's Sling interceptor for first time against Gaza rockets

Israel's mid-range air defence missile system David's Sling was deployed in operations for the first time during Wednesday’s cross-border fire with resistance fighters in Gaza, two Israeli military sources said.

The military did not immediately provide further details on the system's use.

Palestinian groups have responded to Israeli airstrikes with about 270 rockets so far, Israeli media said.

David's Sling, designed to shoot down rockets fired from 100 km to 200 km (62 to 124 miles) away, is part of Israel's shield that already includes short-range Iron Dome and long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles.

It is also designed to intercept cruise missiles.

(Reuters)

Hamas leader receives calls to discuss the aggression on Gaza

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh received calls from Egypt, Qatar and the UN on Wednesday to discuss the recent escalation in Israeli violence on Gaza, Haniyeh’s media advisor Taher Al-Nono said.

According to Al-Nono's statement, Haniyeh held "the Israeli occupation responsible for the escalation and the repercussions of the aggression."

Haniyeh reportedly "stressed the unity of the resistance and its permanent readiness to deal with the occupation’s assault."

Death toll rises in Gaza

The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since Tuesday has risen to 21, including five children and five women.

Several more people have been wounded.

Israel has not recorded any deaths in rocket fire from Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes kill 2 in Rafah

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades - the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - announced the death of two of its fighters in Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday afternoon.

Ayman Karam Saidam, 26, and Alam Samir Abdel Aziz, 27, were both announced in a statement issued by the group.

شهيدا رفح في الغارة الأخيرة هما الصديقين أيمن كرم صيدم وعلم سمير عبد العزيز.

— Рана 𓂆 (@Km22Rana)

Hamas: Resistance unified on all fronts to deter Israeli aggression

The Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip said all resistance groups in Palestinian territories were "unified" in responding to "the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation."

In a statement distributed to media outlets, Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said the resistance groups’ response to Israeli is "obligatory and continuing against all aggression," adding that it will not allow Israel to export its political crises to Palestinian territories.

Al-Qanou blamed the Israeli occupation for the consequences of expanding its aggression against the Palestinian people, stressing that the occupation "will continue to pay the price for its foolishness which will blow up the region and lead its army to hell."

Dozens of Israeli towns under rocket fire

The Home Front Command in the Israeli army said dozens of rockets from Gaza have targeted towns on the coastal enclave’s periphery.

It said the missiles were reaching Yavne, south of Tel Aviv, about 70 km north of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian fighters in Gaza are responding to Israeli airstrikes which since Tuesday have killed at least 16 people.

تغطية صحفية: مشاهد من وصول الصواريخ إلى مستوطنة سديروت شرق قطاع غزة.

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn)

Sirens sound in Israel as rockets fired from Gaza

Palestinian militants have fired rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, reports said.

The Israeli military said sirens warning of incoming fire blared in communities close to the border, including the city of Ashkelon.

Sirens also sounded in Tel Aviv, the Israeli military said.

كاميرا التلفزيون العربي ترصد اللحظات الأولى لإطلاق رشقة صواريخ من قطاع باتجاه المستوطنات الإسرائيلية 👇

— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV)

Israeli Jewish woman mistaken for Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces

An Israeli Jewish woman armed with an airsoft gun who Israeli forces mistook for being Palestinian was shot dead Tuesday evening in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s defence ministry said the woman, who was reportedly dressed and veiled in black, arrived at the Metzadot Yehuda Crossing in the southern West Bank. The ministry claims she pulled out a gun and ran towards the checkpoint, before being neutralised.

It was later revealed that the weapon she was holding was an airsoft gun.

The ministry said she was Jewish and not a Palestinian, as had been initially reported, and was identified as a former soldier.

Images shared on social media showed the woman lying on the ground after being shot dead.

South of Hebron, the Zionist army killed an "Israeli" woman who was carrying a pistol. The occupation Zionist soldiers shot and killed her, believing that she is Palestinian.

— Prof Ahmed El Tayyan 🇵🇸 (@TayyanEl)

Israelis living around Gaza Strip evacuated

Anticipating Palestinian retaliation following deadly Israeli airstrikes, Israelis living in towns around the besieged Gaza enclave have been evacuating their homes since Tuesday, according to Israeli media.

Thousands were reportedly evacuated in an Israeli defence ministry plan dubbed "Gust of Wind" designed for such scenarios, where Israelis will be accommodated at hotels, hostels, and guesthouses.

Some made their own way out of town, while others decided to stay behind.

Schools within 40 kilometers of Gaza were ordered closed Wednesday, affecting some 300,000 students, according to The Times of Israel.

Israeli air raids on Gaza Tuesday left 15 people killed, including children.

Eyewitnesses describe 'massacre' after Israel's airstrikes in Gaza

Under the pretext of assassinating major Palestinian resistance leaders - who according to Israel have threatened the security of its towns surrounding the Gaza Strip - several children, women and men were "massacred" by the Israeli air force on Tuesday.

Read this horrifying account of the carnage unleashed on Gaza by our Palestine correspondent.

One killed, one wounded in Israeli strike in Gaza

One person was killed and one wounded in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian medical officials said.

الاحتلال يواصل غاراته على مواقع مختلفة في قطاع غزة.

— حسن🇵🇸فِـلَسْـ𓂆ـطِين🇸🇾 (@Hasen58523668)

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had hit Islamic Jihad launch site in Gaza, a day after a series of strikes that targeted three leaders of the militant group. 

Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank

The Palestinian health ministry identified the two men shot dead by troops in the West Bank town of Qabatiya as Ahmed Jamal Tawfiq Assaf, 19, and Rani Walid Ahmed Qatanat, 24.

الشـهيدان أحمد جمال توفيق عساف من قباطية، وراني وليد أحمد قطنات من مخيم جنين اللذان ارتقيا في اشتباك مسلح مع قوات الاحتلال ببلدة قباطية فجر اليوم

الى جنات الخلد يا شهداءنا الأبطال

— مش هيك (@mechhek)

The ministry added that a 17-year-old was in a "very critical" condition after the raid, near the northern city of Jenin.

The Israeli military said troops detained one person during the incursion, when troops were shot at from a vehicle.

"The soldiers responded with live fire toward the two assailants and killed them," the army said.

"An M-16 rifle and a handgun" were found at the scene, the statement added.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that clashes erupted after soldiers "stormed the town and raided a number of citizens' homes".

The Israeli army claims it was pursuing men who shot at their soldiers.