Iran warns of possible ‘pre-emptive’ strike on Israel in ‘coming hours’

Iran’s top diplomat has warned that Israel could face possible “pre-emptive action” within hours if it goes ahead with a widely expected ground invasion of Gaza.

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, told state TV: “Leaders of the resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza... All options are open and we cannot be indifferent to the war crimes committed against the people of Gaza.”

It was not clear whether Mr Amirabdollahian was suggesting that Iran itself would enter the conflict, or if he was referring to the heavily-armed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, which is backed by Iran and has been engaged in skirmishes with Israel for years.

On Monday, Hezbollah said it had started destroying surveillance cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border.

On Sunday, Mr Amirabdollahian made a similar point when he threatened an “expansion of war fronts” if the war in Gaza did not stop.

“Iran cannot stand idly by and watch this situation unfold,” he told Al Jazeera.

01:01 AM BST

What happened today

• Rishi Sunak declared the Hamas attacks on Israel a “pogrom” on Monday, the first international leader to do so

• It was revealed that two British teenage girls are missing and six British citizens were killed in the Hamas assault

• It was reported that Joe Biden, the US president, is considering a visit to Israel

• In Gaza, US efforts to open the Rafah border into Egypt, allowing dual nationals to flee to safety, appeared to flounder

• Hamas demanded the release of 6,000 Palestinians in exchange for what they claimed were up to 250 hostages held in Gaza

• Iran’s foreign minister warned that if Israel pursued a full ground invasion the spread of the war to other fronts was “approaching the unavoidable stage”

• 28 Israeli communities were evacuated from within a 1.2-mile zone of the Lebanese border, where IDF jets have carried out bombing raids on Hezbollah

• Mr Sunak also announced that the UK would give £10 million more in aid to Palestine, increasing the total by a third

• Hamas on Monday night released what it is believed to be its first ‘proof of life’ video of a hostage held in Gaza

• The two million people trapped in Gaza face a growing humanitarian crisis, with supplies of water running low and healthcare facilities on the brink of collapse

Follow the latest updates in Tuesday’s live blog

12:22 AM BST

Israel hits Lebanon targets

“The Israeli army is striking military targets of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah on Lebanese territory,” read a statement from the Israeli military.

It did not give information about the location of the strikes or casualties. Lebanon is yet to comment.

Since the start of the war triggered by the unprecedented attack by Hamas, clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border have left around 10 people dead on the Lebanese side, mostly combatants but also a Reuters journalist and two civilians.

On the Israeli side, at least two people have been killed.

The international community fears an escalation of the conflict between the pro-Iran Lebanese Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and the Israeli army.

A growing number of Israeli troops have been mounting near the Lebanon border, watching and waiting for Hezbollah fighters should they decide to invade like Hamas gunmen did 150 miles south in Gaza.

Read more: Inside the villages taking shelter from Hezbollah shells

11:59 PM BST

US raises civilian safety with Israel

Lloyd Austin, the US Defence Secretary, has reportedly spoken to his Israeli counterpart to reiterate the need to avoid escalating the conflict.

In a statement, the Pentagon said that in the call with Yoav Gallant, Mr Austin ‘‘emphasised civilian safety and thanked the Minister for efforts to restore safe drinking water access in Gaza’’.

It comes after Joe Biden, the US President, warned against reoccupying Gaza as he said during a television interview that he was confident Israel would do everything in its power to avoid killing innocent people.

11:45 PM BST

'Little Palestine' mourns child

Mourners have gathered in the US to remember Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year-old boy allegedly murdered by his family’s landlord in what authorities allege was a hate crime linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Police allege the boy and his mother, Hanaan Shahin, were attacked by their landlord on Saturday in Plainfield Township, southwest of Chicago. Wadea was stabbed 26 times while his mother suffered multiple wounds. She is expected to survive.

Oday El-Fayoume, the boy’s father, told a press conference before the funeral that he was neither religious nor political but that he hoped his son’s death would promote understanding of what was happening in the Middle East.

Palestinian flags hung from the windows of cars in a procession toward a mosque in the suburb of Bridgeview, a community known as “Little Palestine” for its heavy concentration of Palestinian Americans.

“It’s heartbreaking. This child did not deserve to die from what happened overseas,” said Juhie Faheem, a neighbour of the boy’s family.

The conflict in Israel and Gaza has put Jewish and Palestinian Muslim communities on edge and fearful of a potential backlash.

09:53 PM BST

Israel’s security chief takes blame for not thwarting Hamas attack

Israel’s intelligence chief has taken personal responsibility for allowing Hamas terrorists’ attack on the country, writes Andrew Buncombe.

Ronen Bar said the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) had failed to thwart the invasion and that as head of the organisation, he was to blame.

Mr Bar said Shin Bet would conduct an inquiry into the breach, but only after the war had ended.

In a statement, he said: “Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately on Saturday we were unable to generate a sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted.

“As the one who heads the organisation, the responsibility for this is mine. There will be time for investigations. Now we are fighting.”

Read the full story here.

09:52 PM BST

Pro-Palestine group tells supporters to break into businesses supplying weapons to Israel

A British pro-Palestine group has told activists to smash windows and break into businesses suspected of supplying Israel with weapons, writes Catherine Lough.

Palestine Action has produced an “Underground Manual” with instructions for its supporters on how to form a “cell”, including hints on how to avoid detection. It also provides guidance on breaking into companies supplying Israel with weapons.

The group was co-founded by Extinction Rebellion and Christian Climate Action activist Richard Barnard, alongside Huda Ammori, a former campaign manager from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The manual tells activists to use a secure browser when searching for “complicity companies” to target and says it is important that anyone planning an action is not “being obvious as f—” when doing a “recce”.

Read the full story here.

09:51 PM BST

Hamas broadcasts video of 'prisoner' in Gaza

Hamas released a video of “one of the prisoners in Gaza” on Monday evening, showing a young woman speaking Hebrew.

The video, which could not immediately be verified, includes footage purportedly of the same woman receiving treatment for an arm injury.

According to the caption, she had been abducted on October 7, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.

In the video, the first released by Hamas of a hostage purportedly speaking from captivity, the woman says she is from central Israel and appeals for her release.

09:17 PM BST

Watch: Protest held outside BBC headquarters

09:17 PM BST

Hamas says Israeli threat of ground invasion 'doesn't scare us'

Abu Obeideh, the spokesman of Hamas’s military wing, has said the threat of an Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip “doesn’t scare us and we are ready for it”.

In a televised statement, he said Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were holding 200 people captive since its Oct 7 attacks, with about 50 others held by other “resistance factions and in other places”.

He said at least 22 hostages taken from Israel had been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

He added that the group “will release the foreign prisoners when conditions are ripe”.

09:04 PM BST

Iran says 'preemptive action' by resistance front expected in hours

Iran’s top envoy said that a “preemptive action” could be expected in the coming hours, state TV reported, adding that Israel will not be allowed to take any action in the Gaza Strip without facing consequences.

“Leaders of the Resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza. ... All options are open and we cannot be indifferent to the war crimes committed against the people of Gaza,” said Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister.

08:57 PM BST

British teenage sisters missing after attack by Hamas terrorists

Two British teenage sisters are among those missing after Hamas’s terror attacks on Oct 7, writes Fiona Parker.

The family of Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, say they disappeared from Kibbutz Be’eri.

On Sunday night it was confirmed that their mother, Lianne, 48, originally from Bristol, had been murdered.

The news broke hours after Rishi Sunak confirmed that at least six Britons had been killed with 10 still missing following the terror attacks.

It is understood that the girls lived with their mother, a dental technician, and father Eli, 51, a businessman.

Sources say Eli and his brother Yossi, 53, had lived on the kibbutz for many years before the attack took place.

Read the full story here.

08:38 PM BST

Hamas affiliates ‘looted UN fuel and medicines in Gaza’

People claiming to be affiliated with Hamas have reportedly looted a UN agency in Gaza, seizing fuel and medical supplies, writes Joe Barnes.

In tweets that were later deleted, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said it had seen reports that people with trucks removed supplies from its compound in Gaza City.

The agency said its staff were forced to evacuate its headquarters in Gaza City, in the northern part of the Strip, on a few hours’ notice on Friday night.

“Since then, UNRWA has had no access to the compound and no additional details about the removal of the assets,” the organisation said in a now-deleted tweet.

The agency said it had seen reports on social media that its compound had been looted by a group “purporting to be from the ministry of health of the de facto authorities in Gaza”.

It noted security cameras covering the compound’s entrance and exit were damaged in recent days due to the conflict and had not been working.

Read the full report here.

08:37 PM BST

How Benjamin Netanyahu empowered Hamas... and broke Israel

There is a reasonable chance Benjamin Netanyahu will be remembered as both Hamas’s nemesis and its enabler, writes Paul Nuki.

Today, and for however long it takes the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to neuter the military wing of the Islamist group in Gaza, the great bulk of the country’s body politic will stand behind its leader.

In Gaza at least, Hamas’s capacity to wage jihad will be crushed, together with much of the political and paramilitary infrastructure through which it governs, analysts expect.

Although sharply cognisant of the attendant risks, few in the Israeli mainstream believe they have much choice given the terrible events of Oct 7.

Yet national unity is being delivered through gritted teeth.

Recent polling shows a significant majority of Israelis blame Mr Netanyahu not just for the military and intelligence failures that allowed the attack but for “propping up” the terrorist group in the first place.

Read the full story here.

07:49 PM BST

What could happen next?

07:46 PM BST

Watch: British children trapped in Gaza describe witnessing bombing

07:43 PM BST

Egypt says Gaza aid is stuck as Israel not cooperating

Egypt said on Monday that Israel was not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders, leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck.

Cairo said the Rafah crossing, a potentially vital opening for desperately-needed supplies into the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave, was not officially closed but was made inoperable because of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.

“There is an urgent need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” said Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, adding that talks with Israel had not been fruitful.

“Until now the Israeli government has not taken a position on opening the Rafah crossing from the Gaza side to allow the entrance of assistance and exit of citizens of third countries.”

07:30 PM BST

Blinken and Netanyahu forced to shelter in bunker

Antony Blinken and Benjamin Netanyahu were forced to shelter in a bunker for five minutes on Monday when air raid sirens went off in Tel Aviv during their meeting.

“During the Secretary’s meeting with PM Netanyahu and the war cabinet, the air raid sirens went off and they sheltered in bunker for five minutes,” said Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department.

07:19 PM BST

Protest held at BBC over its failure to call Hamas terrorists

Around 500 people have attended a protest outside the BBC’s headquarters in London over its failure to name Hamas as terrorists in the wake of its attacks on Israel.

Demonstrators carried Israeli flags and held posters which read: “slaughtering Jewish babies is called terror.”

Twelve uniformed police officers supervised the demonstration, with several marked vans parked nearby.

Dalia Hajioff, a spokesman for the National Jewish Assembly, said: “Our primary focus remains unwavering: urging the BBC to rectify its characterisation of Hamas.

“We unequivocally disassociate ourselves from extreme political ideologies. Our mission is to present a united front against the critical issue of the BBC’s portrayal of Hamas as anything but terrorists.”

The chief executive for the Campaign Against Antisemitism told the crowd: “Hamas go door to door slaughtering people and there is a name for that… terror.”

06:50 PM BST

In pictures: Destruction in Gaza

06:16 PM BST

Yousaf says wife's parents at risk of running out of food

Humza Yousaf has said his wife’s parents are fast running out of food and drinking water in Gaza and could die if unable to leave soon.

The Scottish First Minister’s parents-in-law live in Scotland but were visiting relatives in Gaza when Hamas militants poured into Israel and killed 1,300 people last weekend.

Mr Yousaf said Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla had limited themselves to an egg a day and sips of clean water as they rationed food so there was enough for their grandchildren.

“Their supplies are going to run out very soon. They are down to their last rations... They are obviously thinking about the kids,” he said.

“If the border is not reopened, and there is no way out, people will die... My parents (in law) - I don’t think I will see them again.”

06:00 PM BST

Watch: Israeli air strike rocks ambulance carrying civilians

05:21 PM BST

Israel to arm civilian volunteers

Israeli police have announced that they will begin arming civilians to serve as first responders in cities nationwide.

Kobi Shabtai, the police commissioner, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, said they had “decided on expanding the first responder units operating under police auspices to all of the cities”.

The “347 new units” will be manned by “13,200 police volunteers, who will be enlisted and receive a rifle and protective gear”.

04:46 PM BST

Putin says any form of violence against civilians unacceptable

Vladimir Putin has said that any form of violence against civilians is unacceptable, according to the Kremlin.

The Russian president discussed the escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict with the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Authority on Monday.

He reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to co-ordinate with all “constructive partners” to stop the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.

04:41 PM BST

Gallant: 'The price will be high, but we are going to win'

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, has told Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state: “Let me tell you, Mr Secretary, this will be a long war, the price will be high, but we are going to win - for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the values that both countries believe in.”

04:35 PM BST

Hezbollah targeted five Israeli posts

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said it had targeted five Israeli posts along the border in the country’s south.

Hezbollah said in a statement that various types of “direct weapons” were used in the late Monday afternoon attack.

Its fighters have been destroying surveillance cameras placed on Israeli posts along the border amid heightening tensions.

04:28 PM BST

Possibility of conflict expanding to other fronts, says Raisi

Supporting the Palestinians is Iran’s foreign policy priority but the “resistance” groups make their own independent decisions, President Ebrahim Raisi told his Russian counterpart in a phone call on Monday, Iranian state media reported.

They quoted Raisi as also telling Russia’s Vladimir Putin: “There is a possibility of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians expanding to other fronts.”

04:20 PM BST

May says terrorists must be defeated wherever they are

Former Prime Minister Theresa May has called Hamas’ attacks barbaric.

“Terrorists must be defeated whoever they are, wherever they are,” May said.

She also commended the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary for the government’s support of the Jewish community and Israel’s right to defend itself.

She asks the Sunak to commit to preventing an escalation of the conflict in the region.

04:16 PM BST

Netanyahu 'preparing for the continuation of war'

Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was “preparing for the continuation of war” in the north and the south.

“The state of Israel, of course, cherishes the support of President Biden and the American people,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“We are preparing for the continuation of the war in the south and we are also prepared for war in the north.”

04:14 PM BST

Sunak calls Hamas attack 'pogrom'

Sunak called Hamas’ attack which left at least six Britons dead was a “pogrom”.

The Prime Minister said: “We should call it by its name. It was a pogrom.”

04:00 PM BST

Extra £10 million for Palestine, Sunak says

The UK will increase its humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people by a third, sending an extra £10 million ($12 million), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Monday.

“An acute humanitarian crisis is unfolding to which we must respond. We must support the Palestinian people because they are victims of Hamas too,” he told parliament.

03:59 PM BST

WHO says Gaza has 24 hours of water, electricity and fuel left

The Gaza Strip has only “24 hours of water, electricity and fuel left”, the regional head of the United Nations’ World Health Organization told AFP on Monday

03:56 PM BST

Six British people killed and 10 missing, says Sunak

Six British people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with a further 10 missing, the PM said.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Rishi Sunak said: “We call for the immediate release of all hostages and I say to them: we stand with you. We stand with Israel.

“The murdered and the missing come from over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom.

“The terrible nature of these attacks means it is proving difficult to identify many of the deceased but with a heavy heart I can inform the House that at least six British citizens were killed.

“A further 10 are missing, some of whom are feared to be among the dead.”

03:49 PM BST

Fuel and medical supplies seized from UN agency by people claiming to be Hamas

The UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees said people claiming to be affiliated with Hamas seized fuel and medical equipment from their compound in Gaza City.

“Our staff were compelled to evacuate UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City on a few hours’ notice during the night of Friday October 15. Since then, UNRWA has had no access to the compound and no additional details about the removal of the assets,” the organization said.

It noted security cameras covering the compound’s entrance and exit were damaged in recent days due to the conflict and have not operated.

“UNRWA fuel and other types of material are kept for strictly humanitarian purposes - any other use is strongly condemned,” it added.

The organization said Sunday it is no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance, warning Gaza is running out of food, water and medicine.

03:08 PM BST

Rockets fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip

That’s all from me, Abbie Cheeseman, as I hand the blog back over to colleagues in London.

02:49 PM BST

British-Palestinian doctor in Gaza accuses police of 'harassing' his family in the UK

British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who is volunteering in Gaza and providing the media with updates on the situation, claims the British counter-terrorism police have “harassed” his family.

More on this as we get it.

02:44 PM BST

UN Security Council to convene tonight over violence in Israel and Gaza

The UN Security Council said it will discuss the Israel-Hamas war Monday, as the crisis deepens with Israel gearing up for a ground offensive in Gaza.

The council said it will start deliberations at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT).

Diplomats, AFP reports, say two competing draft resolutions are being discussed: one from Russia urging a ceasefire and delivery of humanitarian aid, but making no mention of Hamas, and one sponsored by Brazil, calling the Hamas attacks on October 6 that triggered the war an act of terrorism.

02:36 PM BST

Watch: Newly released footage shows moment Hamas stormed through border of Gaza into Israel

02:35 PM BST

Evacuation orders for 22 hospitals across Gaza “a breach of international law,” ActionAid says

The “forcible” evacuation of hospitals “ is not only a breach of international law but also a grave affront to humanity,” Action Aid said today.

02:21 PM BST

Iran suggests hostages could be released if air strikes stop

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Hamas potentially was ready to release the nearly 200 hostages it is holding if Israel stops its campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Hamas has not acknowledged making such an offer. The Telegraph has approached Hamas officials for clarification.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani spoke at a news conference in Tehran.

Hamas officials “stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistant groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza,” Kanaani said.

02:14 PM BST

Watch: Israeli military target Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

02:09 PM BST

British embassy evacuates family members of staff from Lebanon

The British embassy in Lebanon has withdrawn family members of its staff, the FCDO has said in an update to travel advice, as the prospect of the Lebanon getting dragged into war by Hezbollah looms.

Last night the embassy asked Brits in the country to register their presence.

The embassy “continues with essential work, including services to British nationals,” it said.

Family members of staff at the embassy were also withdrawn in 2021 when Lebanon’s crisis reached such severity that fuel, electricity and medications were hard to come by.

02:05 PM BST

Lebanese army finds rocket launchers near the border

The Lebanese army has said it found 20 rocket launchers near the border with Israel.

The army said in a statement that four of the launchers discovered had rockets inside them and were ready to be fired. Military experts are working on dismantling the launchers that were discovered near the village of Qlaileh, the statement added.

“Lebanon is in the eye of the storm,” caretaker Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati said today during a televised address. The country, in the midst of economic and political chaos, is extremely keen to avoid getting dragged into war by Hezbollah.

01:52 PM BST

Destruction in Gaza

01:48 PM BST

Hamas attacked Israel without outside direction, it maintains

Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, insisted Monday that the decision to launch the attack in southern Israel was made by Hamas leadership and not directed by Iran or any other outside party.

In event of a ground invasion of Gaza, allied groups will intervene, he said.

The war in Gaza is “a Palestinian battle and the decision to enter it was a Palestinian decision” made by Hamas and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigades, “together with the Palestinian resistance factions,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of a conference convened by the group in Beirut.

Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the deadly attack or gave it the green light, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran’s long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.

Abdul-Hadi said that Hamas allies Iran and Hezbollah will not allow Israel “to crush Gaza” or to launch a “comprehensive ground attack,” but that the groups have deliberately left ambiguity about when and how they would respond. “This is up to the developments in the situation at the time.”

In case of a “ground attack, regardless of its level,” or if “more and more massacres continue to be committed” in Gaza and Hamas is using up its resources, he said, there will be “surprises announced.”

01:44 PM BST

Biden cancels travel to attend security briefings

Joe Biden has cancelled a planned trip to Colorado on Monday to “remain at the White House to participate in national security meetings”, the White House said, amid the escalating situation in Israel.

Mr Biden had been due to travel to Pueblo, Colorado on Monday morning to tour a wind tower manufacturer and deliver a speech on his administration’s investment in clean energy industries.

But early on Monday the White House announced the president’s trip to Colorado had been postponed.

01:43 PM BST

Iran ordered Hezbollah to attack border, says Israel

The Israeli army has claimed that Iran ordered attacks by Hezbollah on the Lebanese-Israeli border yesterday which killed a soldier and a civilian and injured three others.

“Hezbollah carried out a number of attacks yesterday in order to try to divert our operational efforts [away from the Gaza Strip], under the direction and backing of Iran, while endangering the state of Lebanon and its citizens,” chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a briefing with reporters.

Mr Hagari did not provide any evidence for his claim that Iran ordered the attacks. Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks on the village of Shtula and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posts yesterday, later saying that it was not an indication that it was entering the war, but a “warning”.

“If Hezbollah dares to test us, the reaction will be deadly. The United States is giving us full backing,” Mr Higari said.

As the ground offensive looms, analysts fear a ground invasion of Gaza may be the red line that prompts Hezbollah to fully enter the conflict and open the war on another front.

Iran last night warned Israel of regional war. “If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger,” Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said.

12:24 PM BST

Israel prepares for expected ground incursion

12:20 PM BST

The UN health agency rushes medical supplies to Lebanon

The World Health Organisation has rushed medical supplies to Beirut today in preparation for the country possibly being dragged into the conflict by Hezbollah.

The UN agency said in a statement Monday that it “has expedited the delivery of critical medical supplies to Lebanon in order to be ready to respond to any potential health crisis.”

Two shipments containing “enough surgical and trauma medicines and supplies to meet the needs of 800 to 1,000 injured patients” arrived in Beirut from Dubai Monday the statement said.

In the grips of severe economic crisis, Lebanon’s healthcare system can get easily overwhelmed. There has been significant brain drain of medical staff from the country since the crisis began in 2019 and doctors regularly report shortages of equipment and medication.

Hezbollah has not fully entered the war but fighting across the border with Israel has been its most intense since the 2006 war. The paramilitary group has been sending what it describes as “warning” fire to Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza. Many fear that the Israeli ground incursion could be the red-line that would force them to enter the fray.

12:12 PM BST

Gaza in running out of body bags, UN warns

“The number of killed is increasing. There are not enough body-bags for the dead in Gaza,” a daily update from the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees says.

“Over one million people – almost half the total population of Gaza - have been displaced,” the report said.

“Some 600,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are in the Middle Area, Khan Yunis and Rafah, of those, nearly 400,000 are in UNRWA facilities - much exceeding our capacity to assist in any meaningful way, including with space in our shelters, food, water or psychological support.”

11:49 AM BST

Pictured: Outside the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv

11:46 AM BST

Air strikes hit Hamas command centres, Israel says

The IDF has said that over the last few hours “dozens of military command centres and mortar shell posts were destroyed” in the Gaza Strip.

The statement added that the command centre of Ali Qadhi, the Hamas commander believed to have led the bloody assault on southern Israeli communities last week, was struck. The IDF said that they killed him two days ago.

The IDF earlier said it killed Matez Eid, commander of the southern district of Hamas’s national security wing.

11:32 AM BST

Blinken faced stiff reaction trying to whip up support for Israel in tour of the Arab world

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reported to have faced a stiff resistance on his tour of the Arab World as he tried to stop any spillover of the conflict and rally condemnation of Hamas from some of the most staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause.

In Riyadh, the Washington Post reported, Mohammed bin Salman kept Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.

Once the meeting began, Mohammed “stressed” the need to stop the military operations “that claimed the lives of innocent people” and lift the “siege of Gaza”, according to the Post.

During Blinken’s meeting in Cairo yesterday, Egypt’s Abdel Fatah El-Sisi said Israel’s assaults have exceeded “the right of self-defense,” and turned into “collective punishment.”

11:27 AM BST

US State Department warns diplomats against using language that would urge peace

In messages circulated on Friday, the US State Department asked diplomats working on the Middle East to avoid including three specific phrases in press material: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm,” according to HuffPost.

The Washington Post also confirmed the reporting. The phrases, they said, did not comply with current US policy.

11:09 AM BST

Watch: Hamas' attack on Israel's Kibbutz Sufa

11:06 AM BST

UN aid chief to travel to Middle East to negotiate aid into Gaza

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said he will be travelling to the Middle East tomorrow to support negotiations on getting aid into the blockaded Gaza Strip.

“I shall be going myself tomorrow to the region to try to help in the negotiations, to try to bear witness and to express solidarity with the extraordinary courage of the many thousands of aid workers who have stayed the course and who are still there helping the people in Gaza and in the West Bank,” he said in a statement.

Griffiths said his office was in “deep discussions” with Israel, Egypt and other parties.

11:00 AM BST

Israeli air strikes continue for 10th day around Rafah

10:56 AM BST

Israel has not allowed Rafah crossing to open, says Egypt

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said today that the Israeli government had yet to take a stance that allowed the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to open.

“Egypt has been seeking, since the start of the crisis, to let the crossing operate so that humanitarian aid gets in,” Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, calling the situation faced by the Palestinian people in Gaza “dangerous”.

Reports had said Israel, Egypt and the US had agreed the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be opened for several hours Monday in a one-off move to allow foreign nationals to flee and aid goods to enter. The Israeli prime minister denied the reports at the time the border was supposed to open.

“Until now, unfortunately, the Israeli government has not taken a stance that enables opening the crossing from Gaza’s side to let aid in, or to let third-country nationals out,” Shoukry said.

People are still believed to be waiting at the Rafah border crossing hoping for news – likely dual nationals.

10:51 AM BST

Israel evacuates villages along Lebanese border

The Israeli defence ministry has announced that it will evacuate residents who live within two kilometres of the Lebanese border as concerns Hezbollah will enter the fray mount.

There are 28 villages within the two kilometre zone that will be evacuated and put up in state-funded guesthouses.

One of the villages, Shtula, came under attack from Hezbollah yesterday with one person killed and three others injured.

Iran-backed Hezbollah said it had also targeted barracks in Israel’s Hanita with guided missiles and said it had inflicted casualties on “the enemy ranks”.

Israel retaliated on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon as the worst border violence since the fatal 2006 war continued into a second week. The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL also said that its base had been hit by an unidentified rocket last night but no one sustained injuries.

As the ground offensive looms, analysts fear a ground invasion of Gaza may be the red line that prompts Hezbollah to fully enter the conflict and open the war on another front.

10:07 AM BST

Watch: Israeli ground forces stage near Gaza border

10:06 AM BST

Blinken returns to Israel following Arab tour

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel this morning for talks on the conflict with Hamas following a tour of six Arab countries in a bid to stop the conflict from expanding.

The top US diplomat, who was in Israel on Thursday on a solidarity visit, landed in Tel Aviv and was expected to again meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

His arrival comes shortly after the Israeli prime minister denied that there would be any temporary ceasefire to allow aid into the Gaza Strip and allow foreigners out across the Rafah crossing.

09:28 AM BST

At least 199 people being held hostage, Israel says

The Israeli army has revised the number of confirmed hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas as 199, up from the previous estimate of 126.

09:24 AM BST

111 attacks on Palestinian health care since fighting began: World Health Organisation

09:15 AM BST

Watch: Palestinians wait at Rafah crossing

08:44 AM BST

Pictured: Evacuations from Israel

08:39 AM BST

More than 1,000 missing in Gaza

According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, the number of missing people who are presumed to be trapped beneath rubble could exceed 1,000 people.

08:28 AM BST

Israeli soldier killed in Hezbollah attack yesterday

An Israeli officer was killed in Hezbollah’s attack on IDF positions yesterday.

The IDF said the officer was killed in one of the anti-tank guided missile attacks from Lebanon yesterday. They had gagged the news until the family were informed.

08:17 AM BST

Israeli cabinet ministers reject aid entering Gaza

Israeli cabinet ministers have spoken out against aid getting to civilians in Gaza.

Energy Minister Israel Katz says he “bitterly opposes the opening of the blockade and the introduction of goods into Gaza on humanitarian grounds... Our commitment is to the families of the murdered and kidnapped hostages — not to the Hamas murderers and those who helped them,” Times of Israel quoted him as saying.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar also objected: “Those who massacre children, rape women and kidnap babies do not deserve any mercy.”

Israel has faced repeated criticism against the use of “collective punishment” of Palestinian civilians for the actions of Hamas last week.

08:08 AM BST

Clarifications on US claims that Israel will reopen water taps for southern Gaza

An update from the UN last night shows that just one line is being reopened for water:

“Today (Sunday), Israel renewed its water supply for one line servicing eastern Khan Younis. The precise volume and impact of this supply is still unclear. On the other hand, the remaining seawater desalination plant servicing central and southern Gaza shutdown today due to lack of fuel.”

08:03 AM BST

Israel denies reports that Rafah crossing will open for aid in return for allowing foreigners out of Gaza

Abbie Cheeseman here, taking over the live blog from Beirut.

Reports this morning again suggested that the Rafah crossing with Egypt would open today to allow foreign passport holders out of Gaza in return for the first convoys of aid getting in.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just denied that an agreement was reached.

“There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out,” a statement from his office said.

07:50 AM BST

Pictured: Heartbreak in Gaza

07:46 AM BST

Fuel reserves at Gaza hospitals set to run out in 24 hours

Thousands of patients could die as dangerously low fuel reserves at Gaza hospitals are expected to run out in 24 hours, the UN has warned.

Gaza’s sole power plant shut down after Israel sealed off the 25-mile long territory following Hamas’s attack, with hospitals packed with wounded people now short on fuel and basic supplies.

“Fuel reserves at all hospitals across Gaza are expected to last for about additional 24 hours,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said in its latest update on Sunday.

“The shutdown of backup generators would place the lives of thousands of patients at risk.”

An Egyptian-controlled border crossing into Gaza is set to reopen to evacuate foreigners and transport the first convoys of aid into a Gaza, which is on the verge of an abyss.

It comes as Israel prepares to launch a brutal ground invasion to “demolish” Hamas.

06:48 AM BST

'We are not trying to strike civilians'

Israel has denied targeting civilians in Gaza, saying it is striking infrastructure and hunting Hamas commanders.

“We strike Hamas, we strike their infrastructure and we are hunting their commanders,” Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said a few hours ago in an update.

“Categorically we are not trying to strike civilians.”

The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,670 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds of them children, and 9,600 wounded since the fighting last week.

06:01 AM BST

Israeli missions in China step up security after knife attack

Israel has stepped up security at its missions in China after a knife attack on an embassy official in Beijing at the weekend, writes Asia correspondent Nicola Smith.

Staff in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong have been told to get security approval before going out after an employee was injured outside a supermarket by a man wielding a knife, reported the South China Morning Post.

It said the Chinese police have yet to release details of a foreign suspect in custody over the assault, apart from revealing he is a 53-year-old involved in the “small goods business.”

The Israeli embassy said the victim was being treated in hospital and reportedly told diplomats and their families to stay at home over the weekend.

05:58 AM BST

Chinese Foreign Minister criticises Israel for collective punishment

Israel’s actions have gone beyond self defence and it should stop its collective punishment of the people of Gaza, China’s foreign minister said at the weekend, writes Asia correspondent Nicola Smith.

Wang Yi made his comments during a phone call with Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, Chinese state media reported, adding that he called on all parties to refrain from actions that would escalate the situation.

Beijing is urging a return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and pushing for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, he said.

China says it is ready to work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to support Palestinian rights.

On Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy for the Middle East, will visit “relevant countries in the region” next week to facilitate a cease-fire and potential peace talks.

05:50 AM BST

Rafah: One of the civilian areas hit by strikes

Rafah, a city near the Egypt border, was one of the civilian areas targeted in retaliatory strikes on Gaza in the past day.

Palestinian media reported at least 17 members of a family where killed in one attack which flattened homes.

Pictures from the scene captured the grief and desperation as locals searched for relatives under the rubble of buildings in Rafah.

05:36 AM BST

Biden condemns stabbing attack as 'horrific act of hate'

Joe Biden called the deadly stabbing attack on a six-year-old Palestinian American boy a “horrific act of hate”.

“This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are,” Mr Biden said, adding he was praying for the recovery of the boy’s mother, who was also severely wounded in the attack.

Sherrifs had determined that “both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

Mr Biden was earlier asked in a television interview whether he was concerned that the threat of terrorism would increase in the US.

“I had a meeting this morning with the Homeland Security people, with the FBI... to discuss how we make sure that we prevent a lone wolf and or any coordinated effort to try to do what was done in synagogues before, do what was done to Jews in the street,” he told 60 Minutes.

“We’re making a major effort to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

04:46 AM BST

Chicago boy killed in 'hate crime' linked to Israel-Hamas conflict

A six-year-old Muslim boy has been killed and a 32-year-old woman seriously injured in an attack linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Police were called to a home on the outskirts of Chicago by a woman saying she was hiding in the bathroom after fighting off her landlord.

By the time police arrived they found the victims both seriously injured in a bedroom and their alleged assailant sitting in the driveway.

The child had been stabbed 26 times, sustaining wounds to his chest, torso and arms. He was rushed to hospital where he later died.

Read the full story here

04:27 AM BST

Every hour, 18 people were killed in Gaza

At least 455 people have been killed as a result of Israel’s counter-attacks in Gaza during the past day, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Another 856 injuries were recorded in Gaza in the past 24 hours. A total of 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 wounded since the fighting erupted, more than in the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted over six weeks.

That makes this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides.

03:24 AM BST

Gaza border crossing set to reopen

An Egyptian-controlled border crossing into Gaza is expected to reopen amid diplomatic efforts to get aid into the Hamas-controlled strip.

Hundreds of metric tons of aid from several countries have been held up in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula for days pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza and the evacuation of some foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing.

“Rafah will be reopened. We’re putting in place with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others, a mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to people who need it,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

Mr Blinken did not give a specific time for the crossing to reopen. Veteran US diplomat David Satterfield, appointed on Sunday as a special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, will arrive in Egypt on Monday to work out the details.

03:20 AM BST

Key questions from Joe Biden's 60 Minutes interview

Question: Do you believe that Hamas must be eliminated entirely?

Mr Biden: Yes, I do. But there needs to be a Palestinian authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.

Question: There are about 2 million people in Gaza...about half of them are children. Are you asking Israel to establish a humanitarian corridor?

Mr Biden: Yes, our team is talking to them about that and whether there could be a safe zone. We’re also talking to Egyptians, whether there is an outlet to get these children and women out.

Question: Are the wars in Israel and Ukraine more than the United States can take on at the same time?

Mr Biden: No. We’re the United States of America for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history – not in the world, in the history of the world. The history of the world. We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defence.

03:19 AM BST

Israel reoccupying Gaza would be 'big mistake', says Biden

Mr Biden warned Israel against reoccupying Gaza in his first major public remarks on restraining America’s ally.

“I think it’d be a big mistake,” the US president said on 60 Minutes.

“Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and while Mr Biden supports the destruction of Hamas, his administration remains committed to a “two-state” solution.

Read the full story here

03:17 AM BST

Biden: 'Israel will avoid killing innocent civilians'

Joe Biden said he did not think it would be necessary for American troops to be deployed to the Middle East but that the US would provide Israel with “everything they need”.

The US President also said he was “confident” Israel would act under the rules of war.

“Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust,” Mr Biden said in an interview on 60 Minutes.

“I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They’re hiding behind the civilians.”

Mr Biden said he would like to see a humanitarian corridor in Gaza, adding: “The Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians.”

03:06 AM BST

Welcome to today's live blog

We will be bringing you latest on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Medics in Gaza are warning that thousands could die as hospitals packed with wounded people run desperately low on fuel and basic supplies.

Palestinians are struggling to find food, water and safety as Israel prepares to launch a ground offensive.