Israel-Gaza war live: Hamas says Israel ‘failed to achieve its goals’ in Gaza on final day before ceasefire

Israel has ‘failed to achieve its aggressive goals’ in Gaza, says Hamas
Hamas said on Saturday that Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza, a day before the start of a ceasefire and hostage release deal it agreed with Israel.
Israel “only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity,” the group said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Key events
Israel police say several injured in Tel Aviv shooting
Israeli police said that several people were injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, while emergency service providers reported that one person was injured by stabbing.
“There are injuries at the scene, and at this stage, large police forces are on their way to the location. The circumstances are currently unclear,” the police said in a statement, adding the incident occurred on Levontin Street in Tel Aviv.
Emergency service provider Magen David Adom said its staff were providing medical treatment to a 30-year-old male “injured from stabbing”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Eight people have been arrested at a pro-Palestine rally in central London, as hundreds gathered amid a heavy police presence, reports the PA news agency.
A man was arrested on suspicion of holding a placard suggesting support for banned organisations, while four people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and three others on suspicion of breaching conditions put in place for the protest. One of the conditions prevents anyone involved in the protest from entering a specific area around Portland Place.
The rally comes after police curtailed organisers’ plans for a march past the BBC and near a synagogue. According to the PA news agency, the Metropolitan police denied putting a “ring of steel” around Broadcasting House as the force said officers would be posted nearby after preventing plans by protesters targeting the BBC to gather in Portland Place.
The force blocked the march from gathering there due to Broadcasting House’s close proximity to a synagogue and the risk the protest could cause “serious disruption” to the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services. The protest was adjusted to be a static rally in Whitehall instead.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) shared updates on its X account from the rally and, in its latest update, posted a video showing a large crowd outside Downing Street waving Palestinian flags. Protesters could be seen holding placards, some which read ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Stop arming Israel’.
The PSC said “thousands of people” were demonstrating to demand that the UK government takes action to pressure Israel to end its occupation.
Here are some images, via the newswires:
There has also been a pro-Israel counter-rally taking place in Whitehall, London, today:
Israel intercepts second missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, says military
The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect in Gaza, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions during the day, with the first projectile shot down in the morning.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed the morning attack, hours after the Israeli military intercepted the incoming missile. The Houthis “carried out a specific military operation targeting the so-called Ministry of Defence of the Israeli enemy … using a ballistic missile” in central Israel, the rebels said in a statement.
The morning attack had triggered explosions over Jerusalem as the military intercepted the missile, AFP journalists reported.
Later, sirens blared across southern Israel as a second missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted by the Israeli air force, the military said.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the areas of Eilat and Arava, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” before crossing into Israeli territory, it said.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.
On Friday, the Houthi rebels warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas.
The Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) has welcomed the news of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, it said in a statement published on Saturday, describing it as a “glimpse of hope through the darkness” for Palestinians.
It also stressed of ‘“immense” humanitarian needs that “must be addressed at scale, immediately” and called for the initial six-week ceasfire to extended into “a sustained agreement”.
The humanitarian organisation also published seven points that it says it needs in order to cary out its mission. These include: “PRCS teams being allowed immediately to rotate between the West Bank and Gaza Strip”, “medical evacuations and transfer of sick and wounded from the Gaza Strip to other countries must be urgently facilitated” and “all crossing points must be opened to allow for delivery of enough and sustained humanitarian aid to meet the acute shortage of basic necessities including food, clean water, fuel, medical supplies and shelter”.
The Times of Israel reports, citing the Kan public broadcaster, that Israel is expected to receive the names, later this afternoon, of the first three hostages to be released.
According to the Kan report, Hamas will give the names to Qatar, who will then inform the Mossad director, David Barnea. Barnea would then inform the families, it states.
The article also says that it is believed that the first three hostages will be civilian women and not the five female soldiers.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify the report.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile attack on Israel, saying they targeted Israel’s defence ministry
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed a missile attack on Israel, hours after the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen (see 08.50am GMT).
The rebels “carried out a specific military operation targeting the so-called Ministry of Defense of the Israeli enemy … using a ballistic missile” in central Israel, they said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis said that the group will “coordinate closely with the Palestinian resistance to deal with Israel in case of any violations” to the Gaza ceasefire deal, reports Reuters.
The Israeli army said it conducted strikes on 50 “terror targets” across the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to a statement by the army on Saturday.
More to follow on this as it comes.
An Israeli strike has killed a Palestinian near Khan Younis, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The website reported:
The attack took place in the town of al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, report our colleagues on the ground and Palestinian media.
It follows an earlier attack on a home in the Khan Younis area that killed five family members, including three children.
A spokesperson for al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has said that the group is making final arrangements for the release of captives.
However, they warned that intensified Israeli bombing could put their lives at risk.
Abu Hamza called on the families of captives to demand the Israeli military stop the bombardment before the ceasefire starts.
“[The attacks] would be a reason for killing their children,” he said in a statement on Telegram.