Hostage families kick off nationwide strike over government’s war plan

A nationwide general strike got underway at 6:29 a.m., as families of the hostages protested the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza with a campaign to conquer Gaza City, rather than sign a deal to return their loved ones.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said last night that it was preparing for nearly one million people to pass through Hostages Square in Tel Aviv throughout the day, and for tens of thousands to join activities at hundreds of other sites across Israel.

To kick off the day of protests, activists have stationed themselves at intersections up and down the country and will be handing out yellow ribbons to passersby.

The main events of the day will get underway at 7 a.m., when the October Council will deliver a statement to the press from Sarona Market in Tel Aviv, across the street from the Kirya military headquarters.

Then, at 9 a.m., a special photography exhibition will open at Hostages Square for the public to view throughout the day, until 6 p.m.

The main stage at Hostages Square will also feature speeches from relatives of the hostages at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

The day’s events will culminate with a mass rally outside the Kirya military headquarters at 8 p.m.

Residents of Yemeni capital Sanaa report hearing explosions near power station

At least two explosions were heard in the Yemeni capital Sanaa near a power station, residents say.

The reason for the reported explosions is not immediately clear.

Woman evacuated from Gaza to Italy in dies in hospital days after arrival

A 20-year old Palestinian woman described as being in a “state of severe physical deterioration” has died after being transferred to Italy for treatment, the hospital says.

The patient was admitted to Pisa University Hospital late Wednesday and died on Friday. She was removed from the Gaza Strip as part of a humanitarian mission and arrived with a “with a very complex, compromised clinical picture,” according to the hospital.

She died after entering a respiratory crisis and subsequently going into cardiac arrest, it says in a statement.

Hospital staff had performed tests and started supportive therapy before she died, the statement says.

The woman, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, had arrived in Italy with her mother.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says almost 120 Palestinians — 31 patients and their families — had been flown to Rome, Milan and Pisa on three planes.

In a post on X, Tajani says that it was the 14th medical evacuation of Palestinians that Italy had conducted since January 2024, and the largest.

The hospital does not specify whether the woman had suffered from malnutrition, but says that she had arrived in a “state of severe physical deterioration.”

Two men seriously injured in shooting in Acre

Two men have been badly injured in a shooting in Acre, police and paramedics say, in the second shooting incident to take place tonight.

Paramedics found the victims, both in their 40s, lying on the ground with serious injuries. One of them is currently unconscious and is unstable, breathing through a tube.

They were both taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya for further treatment.

Police say they are investigating the circumstances of the shooting and searching for suspects.

Earlier tonight, a woman was killed in the coastal Arab-majority city of Jisr as-Zarqa.

The woman was identified by Arabic media as Rosette Jarban.