Official Israeli data presented has revealed that only 232 Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) men responded to 18,915 military draft orders issued in recent weeks, underscoring persistent refusal to serve in the Israeli army, according to a Knesset statement.

Colonel Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi branch in the Israeli army's Personnel Directorate, shared these figures with the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.

"Out of 18,915 draft orders issued recently, only 232 Haredim responded, while 1,840 ignored the summons, 962 were declared draft dodgers, and 68 were exempted for various reasons," he said, citing the Knesset release.

The UN emphasised that aid operations must adhere to humanitarian principles and independence amid reports that aid in besieged Gaza would be distributed by the Israeli military or American companies.

Asked by Anadolu Agency whether reported remarks from Israel's security cabinet meeting would affect UN aid efforts and how the distribution would be viewed given the roles of the Israeli military and the US in Gaza, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN was not present at the meeting and could not verify the claims.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged Hamas to free all hostages, saying keeping them provided Israel with "excuses" to attack Gaza, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike.

Israeli attacks killed at least 31 people across the besieged territory, while Germany, France and Britain urged Israel to end its aid blockade.

An Israeli air strike has forced a children’s hospital out of service in Gaza as Tel Aviv continued its genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City is now out of service after it sustained damage in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday.

The ministry said an Israeli missile hit the hospital’s upper building, damaging the intensive care unit and destroying the solar panel system that feeds the facility with power.

According to the ministry, some 37 hospitals have now been rendered inoperational since the start of the Israeli onslaught in October 2023.