Israel-Hamas war: CCTV 'shows Hamas taking hostages into Al-Shifa hospital'

Israel published CCTV they said showed hostages taken into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Oct 7 after they were kidnapped during Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

The IDF said the footage, which could not be independently verified, showed two hostages, one injured, surrounded by Hamas fighters as they are escorted from a vehicle into the hospital.

The hostages – a Nepalese civilian and a Thai civilian who were kidnapped from Israeli territory – appear to receive treatment from hospital staff as they are guarded by Hamas.

The IDF said on Sunday that the new footage proves the hospital complex has been used as a hub by the terrorist group since the start of the war.

Hamas denies the claims, and the IDF has yet to publicise evidence of a major base or headquarters at the hospital.

Read all of the updates from Sunday below

11:18 PM GMT

Goodnight

Our live coverage has now finished. Catch up on the latest developments below and join us again on Monday when our reporters bring you more news and analysis.

Today’s top stories:

• Israeli officials have denied an Egyptian report that a pause in fighting in Gaza is to come into effect at 11am on Monday as part of a hostage release deal

• The diplomatic mission for the state of Palestine in London was vandalised on Saturday and its workers received death threats, officials said

• Doctors Without Borders said it is treating dozens of patients including children for severe burns at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza after an Israeli air strike nearby

• The intelligence minister of Israel’s far-Right political party Likud has made a plea to the international community to promote the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians in Gaza to sites around the globe

• The head of a prominent media institution in Gaza and two other journalists were killed during the weekend in Israel’s offensive in the territory, their relatives said on Sunday, adding to the dozens of reporters who have died in the six-week conflict

• Emmanuel Macron, the French president, told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that his country’s military operation in Gaza has cost “too many civilian losses”

• Israeli forces found a 55-metre long tunnel dug by Hamas underneath the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital on Sunday

• Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has called for the Palestinian Authority to step up and govern Gaza saying that the party must rule – not Israel or Hamas

• The father of an Israeli-Irish girl taken hostage by Hamas joined a protest outside Downing Street in London where he called for end of anti-Semitism

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a cargo ship carrying 22 crew members in the southern Red Sea, the Israeli military said

• At least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed and 30,000 injured in Gaza since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started on Oct 7, Gaza’s government media office said on Sunday

• A British father has paid tribute to his Israeli son, 21, who was killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip

• Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said he was hopeful a “significant number of hostages” could be freed over the next few days

• Hostage negotiations have “reached a very sensitive stage,” a top White House official has said

• The Israeli military said that Yemen’s Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India, calling this “a very grave incident on a global level”

10:58 PM GMT

Israeli officials deny reports of hostage release deal

Israeli officials have denied an Egyptian report that a pause in fighting in Gaza is to come into effect at 11am on Monday as part of a hostage release deal.

The report was published by Egyptian news outlet Al-Ghad and cited a “Hamas source” but did not go into further detail.

Israel’s military officials have urged the public not to believe unofficial news on a hostage deal.

10:25 PM GMT

Palestinian Mission vandalised as staff receive death threats

The diplomatic mission for the state of Palestine in London was vandalised on Saturday and its workers received death threats, officials said.

It is the fourth attack in recent weeks.

“Increasing attacks against the Palestinian Mission to the U.K. as the British Government continues to ignore requests for diplomatic protection,” said Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador.

10:12 PM GMT

Doctors Without Borders treat patients for burns

Doctors Without Borders said it is treating dozens of patients including children for severe burns at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza after an Israeli air strike nearby.

Surgeons at the medical charity said they are doing around 10 burn surgeries a day but the hospital is overflowing with hundreds of patients a day who must wait for surgery.

Christophe Garnier, MSF project coordinator in southern Gaza, said: “The medical needs are huge, and MSF is ready to scale up its activities, but we need basic guarantees of safety and unrestricted access of medical and humanitarian supplies into Gaza.”

09:29 PM GMT

In Pictures: Hamas take hostages to al-Shifa hospital on Oct 7

09:14 PM GMT

Palestinians should resettle overseas, says far-Right Israeli minister

The intelligence minister of Israel’s far-Right political party Likud has made a plea to the international community to promote the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians in Gaza to sites around the globe.

Gila Gamliel made the highly controversial remarks in The Jerusalem Post, saying that Gaza has long been thought of as a “problem without an answer”.

She said: “Instead of funnelling money to rebuild Gaza or to the failed UNRWA, the international community can assist in the costs of resettlement, helping the people of Gaza build new lives in their new host countries.

“We must try something new, and we call on the international community to help make it a reality.”

“It could be a win-win solution: a win for those civilians of Gaza who seek a better life and a win for Israel after this devastating tragedy,” she added.

08:57 PM GMT

Three more journalists killed in Gaza in Israeli strikes, relatives say

The head of a prominent media institution in Gaza and two other journalists were killed during the weekend in Israel’s offensive in the territory, their relatives said on Sunday, adding to the dozens of reporters who have died in the six-week conflict.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the weekend deaths raised to 48 the number of journalists and media workers it had confirmed killed in the region since the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli offensive.

The CPJ, whose list covers journalists killed on both sides of the conflict although most have been in Gaza, said it seeks at least two sources to verify each death. It said its list of those killed comprised 43 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.

“Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in an email to Reuters.

On Sunday, Belal Jadallah, a journalist and head of the board of the Press House-Palestine, a non-governmental organisation, was killed and his pharmacist brother-in-law was seriously wounded, his sister and other relatives told Reuters.

Reuters could not independently verify this report.

08:26 PM GMT

Macron tells Israel ‘too many civilian losses’ in Gaza

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that his country’s military operation in Gaza has cost “too many civilian losses”.

Mr Macron told Mr Netanyahu of the “absolute necessity to distinguish terrorists from the population”. However, he condemned violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank in a conversation with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, the French presidency said.

07:59 PM GMT

Israel uncovers 55-metre Hamas tunnel underneath al-Shifa hospital

Israeli forces found a 55-metre long tunnel dug by Hamas underneath the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital on Sunday.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been the focal point of fighting in recent days as Hamas has reportedly taken shelter underneath the building, leading to fraught rescue efforts to save critically ill patients.

Hamas has denied that any of its tunnels, which span hundreds of kilometres across the enclave, are located beneath civilian infrastructure.

The Israeli military said its engineers had discovered a tunnel 10 metres deep and 55 metres long leading to a blast proof door.

Troops found the tunnel underneath a shed and next to a vehicle transporting weapons including Kalashnikov rifles and explosives.

The army said of the blast proof door that it is “used by the Hamas terrorist organisation to block Israeli forces from entering the command centres and the underground assets belonging to Hamas.”

The statement did not say what was beyond the door.

07:47 PM GMT

Israel and Hamas must leave Gaza, says Borrell

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has called for the Palestinian Authority to step up and govern Gaza saying that the party must rule – not Israel or Hamas.

Mr Borrell made the comments on Sunday at a meeting with Qatar’s deputy prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.

“One horror does not justify another horror. On the contrary, it creates a violent spiral that will come once again unless we get a sustainable peace,” he added as he pushed Israel to withdraw from the enclave.

07:19 PM GMT

Father of Hamas hostage speaks out against anti-Semitism

The father of an Israeli-Irish girl taken hostage by Hamas joined a protest outside Downing Street in London where he called for end of anti-Semitism.

His daughter Emily, 9, is believed to be somewhere in Gaza after she was taken from a kibbutz among other hostages on Oct 7.

Thomas Hand gathered with protesters who waved Israeli flags and held photos of hostages as they called for the release of all hostages.

06:34 PM GMT

Yemen Houthi rebels seize Israeli flagged ship

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a cargo ship carrying 22 crew members in the southern Red Sea, the Israeli military said.

The ship is believed to be the Galaxy Leader, which has links to an Israeli businessman.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Yemen’s Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India, calling this “a very grave incident on a global level”.

In a social media post, the military added that the vessel, which it did not name, was not Israeli-owned and had no Israelis among its crew.

The spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Yahya Sarea, put out a statement on Telegram after the incident saying that the group will target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag,.

The spokesman called on all countries to withdraw their citizens working on the crews of any such ships.

A leader in the Houthi group sent an urgent message to Al Jazeera saying that its preliminary investigations indicate that Israelis of other nationalities were on board the ship.

06:22 PM GMT

Fuel trucks cross into Gaza

06:05 PM GMT

Houthi rebels take 25 crew hostage after hijacking Israeli ship

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route on Sunday, officials said, taking over two dozen crew members hostage.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel, raising fears that regional tensions could escalate in a new maritime front.

The group warned that it would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

“All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” the Houthis said.

05:35 PM GMT

Gaza government: 13,000 Palestinians killed, 30,000 injured since Oct 7

At least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed and 30,000 injured in Gaza since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started on Oct 7, Gaza’s government media office said on Sunday.

At least 5,500 of the dead are children and 3,500 are women, the statement added.

05:32 PM GMT

In Pictures: Damage to Jenin refugee camp after Israeli raid

Israeli forces raided Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank overnight into Sunday.

Thirty eight Palestinians were arrested and two people were reportedly killed, the IDF said on Sunday morning.

Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters in Jenin refugee camp and Balata near Nablus.

05:02 PM GMT

UN chief condemns Israeli bombing of its schools in Gaza

04:36 PM GMT

In Pictures: Protests on Sunday

04:26 PM GMT

British father pays tribute to son killed in Gaza

A British father has paid tribute to his Israeli son, 21, who was killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip.

Sergeant Binyamin Meir Airley, of the paratroopers brigade’s 101st battalion, died after entering a house used as a base by Hamas.

Israeli troops had bombed the house and Rob was the first soldier to enter the building, believing incorrectly that the terrorists would have died in the explosion.

Speaking at his son’s funeral on Sunday, Rob Airley said Binyamin “personified modesty”.

“He would have hated all this, all these people for him. He hated attention. He was loved and respected by everyone who came across him. He was a leader. He always wanted to be at the front.”

04:09 PM GMT

Israel hopeful 'significant number of hostages could be freed soon', says Herzog

Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said he was hopeful a “significant number of hostages” could be freed over the next few days.

He told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week that he ruled out a ceasefire, but said there could be a “pause in the fighting so we can get the hostages out”.

Meanwhile, also speaking on This Week, Mr Finer said some of the gaps between Israel and Hamas had narrowed, but more work had to be done.

“I guess what I would say about this at this point is that these talks have clearly reached a very sensitive stage. We’re following this minute by minute, hour by hour, and have been over a number of weeks. And this is an incredibly high priority for all of us in this administration up to and including certainly the president.

“What I can say about the state of the talks – and the prime minister of Qatar has said something similar this morning, is that some of the gaps have now narrowed. Some of the issues that were at odds have now been closed out. But we are not finished – there is not yet a deal in place. And I think it would be premature to conclude that this is inevitable given how close we have come in the past.

“There has been significant progress, including in recent days, in recent hours. Some of the issues, whether it was disagreements, have now been either narrowed or an understanding has been reached, but it is not complete, it is not everything.

“And on something like this, I think a real cautionary note is that until it is done and until people actually start moving and start being released, we do not want to get ahead of ourselves because things can still be derailed at the last minute.”

An extended pause, he added, would make it easier for hostages to be released and more aid to flow into Gaza.

03:57 PM GMT

Watch: Babies evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital

Thirty one premature babies were evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday.

The babies have been taken to an Emirates Hospital close to the Egyptian border in the southern city of Rafah.

03:42 PM GMT

In Pictures: IDF soldiers arrest Palestinians in Gaza

03:16 PM GMT

France sending warship to provide medical aid to Gaza

France is preparing to send its Dixmude helicopter carrier to the eastern Mediterranean to offer medical assistance in Gaza, the office of the French president said.

The Dixmude will set sail “at the start of the week and arrive in Egypt in the coming days,” president Emmanuel Macron’s office said.

A charter flight carrying more than 10 tonnes of medical supplies is also planned for the start of the week.

“France will also contribute to the European effort with medical equipment on board European flights on Nov 23 and 30,” it said.

It added that “France is mobilising all its available means to contribute to the evacuation of wounded and sick children requiring emergency care from the Gaza Strip to its hospitals”.

02:54 PM GMT

Hostage negotiations have reached 'very sensitive stage,' says White House Official

Hostage negotiations have “reached a very sensitive stage,” a top White House official has said.

Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, told ABC: “These talks have clearly reached a very sensitive stage,” noting that some of the gaps “have now narrowed.”

He cautioned that “there is not yet a deal in place” adding that it would be “premature to conclude that this is inevitable given how close we have come in the past.”

02:24 PM GMT

Pictured: Palestinian medics care for premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa hospital

02:08 PM GMT

Israel says Houthis seize ship in Red Sea,

The Israeli military said that Yemen’s Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India, calling this “a very grave incident on a global level”.

In a social media post, the military added that the vessel, which it did not name, was not Israeli-owned and had no Israelis among its crew.

More to follow

01:52 PM GMT

World Health Organisation confirms evacuation of 31 sick babies from Al Shifa

All 31 premature babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa hospital, the World Health Organisation has said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director General of the WHO, has confirmed earlier reports that 31 premature babies were evacuated from Al Shifa hospital earlier today [see post at 10:04 and 11:41].

On Saturday, a World Health Organisation team visiting Gaza’s largest hospital said 32 babies were among scores of critically ill patients stranded, where Israeli forces have been operating since last week. They described the hospital as a “death zone.”

It was not immediately possible to resolve the discrepancy in the numbers. There was no immediate comment from the WHO.

01:40 PM GMT

'It is just cruel': UNRWA Commissioner General condemns attack on the al-Fakhoura school turned shelter in northern Gaza

01:06 PM GMT

Pro-Palestine protestor walks onto the pitch during Cricket World Cup final in India

A pro-Palestinian protester in India broke through security cordons to invade the pitch at the Cricket World Cup final on Sunday.

Wearing a ‘Free Palestine’ t-shirt, the unnamed protestor disrupted the match by running onto the pitch and putting his arm around Virat Kohli, before being wrestled to the ground and removed.

12:44 PM GMT

Israel tells residents of four Gazan neighbourhoods to evacuate by 4pm

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted:

It comes a day after more than 80 people were killed in twin strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, including on a UN school sheltering displaced people, a health ministry official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said.

The Israeli army did not specifically comment on the strikes but said its troops were expanding operations in Gaza, including in parts of Jabalia, to “target terrorists and strike Hamas infrastructure”.

12:07 PM GMT

Pictured: People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in airstrikes

11:41 AM GMT

Evacuation of 31 babies successful, says Palestinian Red Crescent

The Palestinian Red Crescent has put out a statement about the successful transfer of 31 premature babies from the Al-Shifa Hospital earlier today.

11:31 AM GMT

Israel and Hamas ‘close to deal to pause conflict and free hostages’

Israel, the United States and Hamas are close to an agreement to free dozens of hostages in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting, it has been reported.

According to the Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the agreement, the release of hostages could begin within days.

Fifty or more hostages would be released in batches every 24 hours, according to the six-page agreement, the newspaper reported, while a pause in fighting would allow an influx of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

There are 239 people believed to be held captive by Hamas after they were kidnapped in the terror attack on October 7.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said no deal had been reached yet.

He told a press conference on Saturday: “I would like to make it clear: As of now, there has been no deal. But I want to promise: When there is something to say – we will report to you about it.”

A White House spokesperson said Israel and Hamas have not yet reached a deal on a temporary ceasefire.

10:54 AM GMT

Watch: Israeli army releases video of Golani Brigade troops engaging with Hamas fighters

10:38 AM GMT

Civilian killings 'cannot be dismissed as collateral damage,' says UN

10:25 AM GMT

Pictured: Israeli soldiers during a raid in the occupied West Bank

10:19 AM GMT

'Very minor' practical challenges to hostage deal, says Qatari PM

A deal to free hostages seized by Hamas in its October 7 attack on Israel now hinges on “minor” practical issues, Qatar’s prime minister has said, without providing details or a timeline.

Qatar has helped to broker talks aiming to free some of the about 240 hostages in return for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war.

“The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor compared to the bigger challenges, they are more logistical, they are more practical,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a joint press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

10:04 AM GMT

World Health Organisation team reportedly heading to Al Shifa to evacuate babies

A World Health Organisation team was reportedly heading to Shifa hospital to evacuate 32 babies in critical condition, Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza, said.

An Associated Press reporter saw a convoy of ambulances, escorted by UN vehicles, heading north toward Gaza City.

A United Nations team said of the 291 patients left at Gaza’s largest hospital after Israeli troops had others evacuate, 32 were babies in extremely critical condition.

The WHO has described Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital as a “death zone”

09:34 AM GMT

Some protests aimed at MPs have 'crossed the line,' says shadow chancellor

Some protests aimed at MPs have “crossed the line from protest to intimidation”, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said.

Asked on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme about protests outside MPs’ offices, she said: “I believe in the right to protest, I don’t believe in the right to intimidate.

“Some of those protests, I believe, over the last few days have crossed the line from protest to intimidation. Protesting outside people’s homes, putting pressure on them in that way, I think it’s totally unacceptable.”

She added: “Anything that would attempt to intimidate an MP to vote in a certain way or to put pressure on them - it is anti-democratic in my view.”

Ms Reeves urged people who are conducting those protests to “do things in a responsible way.”

09:03 AM GMT

March for the Hostages in pictures:

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people led by the families of the hostages walked on the fifth and final day of the March for the Hostages.

08:08 AM GMT

Cameron speaks with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said:

07:36 AM GMT

Yvette Cooper raises Labour MPs’ safety with police after Gaza vote threats

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, has held discussions with police to ensure the safety of Labour MPs amid threats following the Commons vote rejecting calls for an immediate Gaza ceasefire.

Several MPs have seen their offices attacked and received threats for either refusing to back a ceasefire, or for voting in favour, during a vote in the Commons last week on the SNP amendment to the King’s Speech.

The office of Jo Stevens, the shadow Welsh secretary, was vandalised on Thursday night after she abstained from the vote, while Apsana Begum, who backed a ceasefire, said she had received “Islamophobic abuse and death threats”.

Read more here

07:34 AM GMT

32 babies in critical condition among patients left at Shifa hospital, UN team says

A United Nations team said that 291 patients were left at Gaza’s largest hospital after Israeli troops had others evacuate.

Those left included 32 babies in extremely critical condition, trauma patients with severely infected wounds and others with spinal injuries who are unable to move.

The team was able to tour Shifa Hospital for an hour after about 2,500 displaced people, mobile patients and medical staff left the sprawling compound Saturday morning, said the World Health Organisation, which led the mission.

“Patients and health staff with whom they spoke were terrified for their safety and health, and pleaded for evacuation,” the agency said, describing Shifa as a death zone. It said more teams will attempt to reach Shifa in coming days to try to evacuate the patients to southern Gaza, where hospitals are also overwhelmed.

05:45 AM GMT

Arab, Muslim ministers to visit China in bid to end war

Government ministers from Arab and Islamic countries would visit China on Monday on the first stop of a tour aimed at ending the war in Gaza, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said.

The tour would be the first step in carrying out decisions reached at a joint Arab and Islamic summit held in Riyadh this month, Prince Faisal said on the sidelines of a conference in Bahrain in comments posted by his ministry on the social media platform X.

“The first stop will be in China, then we will move to other capitals to convey a clear message that a ceasefire must be announced immediately, and let in aid,” the minister said. “We have to work on ending this crisis and the war on Gaza as soon as possible.”

05:17 AM GMT

Fifteen Palestinians reported killed in central and southern Gaza

Fifteen Palestinians were killed early on Sunday in Israeli air bombardments of the central and southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Thirteen people were killed in an attack on a home in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while a woman and her child were killed in southern Khan Younis city, WAFA said.

04:39 AM GMT

IDF's toll in ground offensive rises to 58 deaths

The Israel Defence Forces said the death toll in its ground offensive against Hamas had risen to 58 with the loss of  two soldiers in fighting in the Gaza Strip on Saturday

They were Captain (reserve) Roey Biber, 28, and Sergeant Binyamin Meir Airly, 21. Both were killed in northern Gaza.

A paratrooper was seriously injured in northern Gaza, the IDF said.  

04:05 AM GMT

Behind the Iron Dome

The rocket launcher sits on a metal frame raised off the ground by hydraulic legs, Danielle Sheridan writes.

At the moment it is quiet, unmoving in the middle of a deep field in central Israel. There is no rocket fire coming across the border from Gaza.

But when the launcher is called into action, it saves lives with almost every shot: the Iron Dome air defence system - of which this is just one small part - intercepts nine in every 10 munitions fired into Israel.

In total, Israel has 11 Iron Dome batteries, and with the threat of a war breaking out on the northern border with Hezbollah, the US has reportedly pledged two more. Few countries in the world are as well-protected against airborne strikes.

Read more: How the Iron Dome is saving lives across Israel

03:39 AM GMT

Palestinians killed in West Bank refugee camp – report

The Israeli army killed two Palestinians in incursions in the West Bank early on Sunday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said.

Israeli forces shot dead Issam Al-Fayed, a disabled 46-year-old, at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, the agency said.

Another man, Omar Laham, 20, was killed by a gunshot to the head in clashes with Israeli forces in Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem, it added.

03:06 AM GMT

Israel considers pushing war south

Israel reportedly carried out a deadly airstrike in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on Saturday, as its forces prepared for a possible final showdown there with Hamas’s leadership.

The airstrikes hit the city hours after Israeli military aircraft dropped leaflets in several neighbourhoods around the city, warning residents to evacuate.

It appeared to be an opening salvo in what Israel has billed as a “new phase” of combat in the territory’s southern half, following four weeks of operations in the north.

Foremost in commanders’ sights is Khan Younis – which, as the home of Yahya Sinwar, the firebrand local leader for Hamas, is where the group may make its last stand.

Read more: Israel tells Gazans in Khan Younis to evacuate

02:38 AM GMT

No deal reached yet, says US

Israel and Hamas have not yet reached a deal on a temporary ceasefire, a White House spokesperson said on Saturday night.

The US is continuing to work to get a deal between the two sides, the spokesperson added.

A second Washington official told Reuters that no deal had been reached.

02:10 AM GMT

WHO: Al-Shifa hospital is a ‘death zone’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) described Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital as a “death zone” on Saturday after officials were shown a mass grave with more than 80 bodies at the site.

The UN agency has urged an immediate evacuation of the facility which was raided by the Israeli military on Wednesday as it carries out what it calls a “targeted operation against Hamas”.

Israel has yet to provide significant evidence to back up its claims that the terror group has been using Al-Shifa as a base from which to conduct major operations in Gaza.

A team led by WHO visited Al-Shifa on Saturday to carry out a humanitarian assessment. The team included public health experts, logistics officers and security staff from various UN departments.

Read more: WHO says Al-Shifa hospital is a ‘death zone’ as officials are shown mass grave

02:07 AM GMT

Today's top stories

• Israel, the United States and Hamas are close to an agreement to free dozens of hostages in Gaza and pause fighting, according to a report

• Joe Biden warned on Saturday that a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas will not bring peace

• The World Health Organisation described Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital as a “death zone” on Saturday after officials were shown a mass grave with more than 80 bodies at the site

• Israel reportedly carried out a deadly airstrike in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on Saturday, as its forces prepared for a possible final showdown there with Hamas’s leadership

• A professor at a Russell Group university said in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct 7 that the terror group “had to act, and quickly so”

• A Palestinian campaign group operating legally in London was designated an unlawful organisation by the Israeli government over disputed claims of links with the Hamas terror group

• Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, has held discussions with police to ensure the safety of Labour MPs amid threats following the Commons vote rejecting calls for an immediate Gaza ceasefire

• John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn were pictured marching alongside a pro-Hamas activist at the Palestine protest on Armistice Day

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.