Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh met Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Wednesday, where they discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

During the meeting, they discussed difficult humanitarian conditions facing the population in Gaza, and the Israeli escalation in the West Bank and its continued violations of the ceasefire, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

They emphasised the importance of allowing humanitarian assistance to enter without obstacles, the release of Palestinian Authority funds, the protection of the Palestinian banking system, commitment to the implementation of President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan, and the Kingdom’s support for the reform programme launched by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli bulldozers began demolishing 25 buildings housing Palestinians in a refugee camp on Wednesday, in what the military said was an effort to root out armed groups in northern areas of the occupied West Bank.

The buildings, home to some 100 families, are in the Nur Shams camp, a frequent site of clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces.

Israeli military bulldozers and cranes tore through the structures early Wednesday, sending thick plumes of dust into the air, an AFP journalist reported. Many residents watched from a distance.

Hamas on Wednesday condemned Israel's decision to ban several aid groups from operating in Gaza, urging the international community to prevent what it described as a move targeting Palestinians.

"The occupation government's decision to revoke the operating licences of dozens of international relief organisations constitutes a dangerous escalation and a blatant disregard for the humanitarian system," Hamas said in a statement.

"We call on the international community, and the United Nations in particular ... to take urgent and effective action to condemn this criminal behaviour," it added.

Israel plans to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they hand over detailed information on their Palestinian staff, despite mounting criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.

Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, and humanitarian groups warn there is already not enough aid to cover the devastated territory's needs.

Israel's deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.

"They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked to Hamas," spokesman for the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Gilad Zwick, told AFP, naming 37 NGOs that had so far failed to meet the new requirements.

"I highly doubt that what they haven´t done for 10 months, they will suddenly do in less than 12 hours," Zwick said. "We certainly won´t accept any cooperation that is just for show, simply to get an extension."

At least 29,117 Palestinians have been killed or remain missing, including 25,717 whose bodies were taken to hospitals in 2025 alone, according to Gaza’s government media office.

About half of those killed were children, women, and the elderly, read the statement.

At least 475 people, including 165 children, died of starvation and malnutrition. The office also reported that 62,853 wounded individuals were admitted to hospitals.

The statement added that half of Gaza’s 1,244 kidney patients died, while more than 4,441 miscarriages occurred due to malnutrition and lack of healthcare.

Israel warned on Tuesday that it would suspend from January several aid organisations operating in Gaza for failing to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to Palestinian resistance groups.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel's decision to "strengthen and update" regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.

"Humanitarian organisations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licences suspended," the ministry said.

When contacted, MSF said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity" as they would "pose a danger to our staff and our patients."

The charity added that it "continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities," and that it has "not yet received a decision on re-registration."

Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.

Humanitarian organisations say that the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.

While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières expects to be barred from operating in Gaza once it misses Wednesday's deadline to comply with new registration rules for relief agencies that Israel says are meant to prevent Hamas from exploiting international aid.

The organisation, which provided care to nearly half a million people during a two-year Gaza Strip war, says deregistration would cut off life-saving medical assistance for hundreds of thousands in the Palestinian enclave.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said MSF had refused to provide Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry with a list of its employees as required.

The Diaspora Affairs Ministry claims individuals affiliated with MSF have links to Palestinian resistance groups. MSF rejects the accusations as unsubstantiated, adding it would never knowingly employ anyone engaged in military activity.

When asked, MSF did not state if it had provided names.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened again and is of serious concern, Britain, Canada, France, and others said in a joint statement that also called on Israel to take urgent action.

"(We) express serious concerns about the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which remains catastrophic," read the statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

It also said Israel should lift what it called "unreasonable restrictions" on certain imports, including medical and shelter equipment, and open border crossings to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.