Anti-war protests across Israel

Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in a wave of nationwide protests demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the immediate return of hostages still held by Hamas.

Demonstrations are being held in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities, with protesters blocking highways and calling for a general strike supported by opposition parties, businesses, and unions.

The main campaign group representing the families of hostages, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, called for the country to "shut down" to pressure the government into making a deal. Around 50 captives remain in Gaza, with Israeli authorities saying at least 20 may still be alive.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed protesters across the country demanding an end to the war in Gaza, saying they were effectively boosting Hamas's position in negotiations.

"Those calling today for an end to the war without the defeat of Hamas not only harden Hamas's position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of October 7 will reoccur," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

No 'public order disturbances' tolerated – Israeli minister

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decried "a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas."

He argued that public pressure to secure a deal effectively "buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future".

Israeli police beefed up forces, saying no "public order disturbances" would be tolerated.

Israeli police have arrested at least 22 protesters across the country, according to Haaretz.

Opposition parties have encouraged Israelis to take part, with opposition leader Yair Lapid urging Israelis to stand with the captives' families because it was "reason enough" that the families asked, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The Times of Israel says close to one million people are expected to visit Hostages Square in Tel Aviv throughout the day.

It also reports that relatives of Israeli captives are planning to set up an encampment on the Gaza fence on Monday.

Hamas rejects Israel's Gaza plan

Hamas has rejected Israel's planned Gaza relocation plan saying it constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.

The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel in the southern Gaza Strip was a "blatant deception."

The group called on Arab and Muslim countries and the rest of the international community to confront Israel's plan.

Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said.

This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban center, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people.

UN warns of appalling humanitarian conditions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that before launching the offensive, the civilian population will be evacuated to what he described as "safe zones" from Gaza City, which he called Hamas's last stronghold.

A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed concern over Israel's plans to relocate people to southern Gaza saying it would only increase suffering.

But the UN body welcomed Israel's recognition that shelter is a desperate need and that tents and other shelter equipment will be allowed again into Gaza. "The UN and its partners will seize the opportunity this opens," the spokesperson said.

The UN warned that thousands of families already enduring appalling humanitarian conditions could be pushed over the edge if the Gaza City plan moves ahead.

Gaza's rising death toll

At least 47 Palestinians, including 14 aid seekers, have been killed and 226 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in 24 hours, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.

Nine bodies were also recovered from the rubble of previous Israeli attacks, the ministry said on Telegram.

The total number of aid seekers killed since May 27 when Israel introduced a new aid distribution mechanism through the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has reached at least 1,924 with more than 14,288 injured, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The UN says one in every five children in Gaza is malnourished. Tens of thousands of Palestinians queue to get a plate of food, and sometimes that's their only meal of the day.

"I came at 6am to the charity kitchen to get food for my children, and if I don't get any now, I have to come back in the evening for another chance," said Zeinab Nabahan, a displaced Palestinian from Jabalia refugee camp.

After more than 22 months of war, UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in and convoys have been repeatedly looted.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza.

A 'partial or phased' ceasefire

Israeli news outlet Haaretz is reporting that mediators Egypt and Qatar will soon present a "partial or phased" ceasefire deal based on an outline formerly presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and "partial understandings" reached during failed negotiations in July.

The report comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday said Israel would agree to a ceasefire on the condition that all the captives are released at once, following reports of renewed pressure from the mediators.