Israel-Hamas live: Netanyahu war cabinet ‘working round clock’ ahead of Gaza ground invasion

The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah met top leaders of the Palestinian militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss what their alliance must do to “achieve a real victory for the resistance” in Gaza.

Part of an Iran-backed regional alliance, the heavily armed Hezbollah has had daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on 7 October

“An assessment was made of the international positions being taken and what the parties of the Axis of Resistance must do to realise a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestinian and to halt the brutal aggression,” Hezbollah said.

Israel has “wholeheartedly” rejected the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s suggestion Hamas was not a terrorist group.

“Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish president’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Even the Turkish president’s attempt to defend the terrorist organization and his inciting words will not change the horrors that the whole world has seen,” Mr Haiat said.

The secretary-general of the United Nations has said he is “shocked” with the “misrepresentations” of his statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statement as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite,” Antonio Guterres said.

Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.

Soon after, Israel slammed the statement as “shocking” and “horrible” and called for his resignation.

Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.

First RAF flight carrying 21 tonnes of aid for Gaza sets off from UK to Egypt

Australia has deployed two C-130J military aircraft to the Middle East amid fears the Israel-Hamas conflict could engulf the region in a wider war.

“All of this is a contingency and the purpose of it is to be supporting Australian populations that are in the Middle East if, in fact, this conflict gets worse,” acting prime minister Richard Marles said.

Australia has helped hundreds of citizens leave Israel aboard chartered flights and was working toward helping 79 leave Gaza.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has said there should be “specific pauses” during Israel’s war with Hamas to allow for the passage of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.

“From the start, we have said that we do want British nationals to be able to leave Gaza and that we want hostages for to be released and for humanitarian aid to get in and we recognise for all of that to happen there has to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses, as distinct from a ceasefire, and we discussed this with partners yesterday evening at the United Nations.

“And we have also been consistently clear that everything must be done to protect civilians in line with international law and continue getting more aid flowing into Gaza,” he said.

Hamas said it launched a rocket towards the southern Israeli city of Eilat this afternoon.

It appeared to be the longest range rocket attack of the war, with Eilat lying around 136 miles from Gaza.

Israel’s military said the rocket fell in an open area near the city, activating an alert.

What happens to Gaza if Israel make good on their promise to destroy Hamas? Who will govern it and have the responsibility of restoring a destroyed land?

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An RAF plane is on its way to Egypt with a cargo of 21 tonnes of humanitarian supplies for Gaza, the Ministry of Defence said.

Supplies on board the C-17 aircraft include medical equipment and water filters. It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was increasing UK support by £30m to meet the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.w

The region has been subject to a siege and bombardment from Israel as Tel Aviv retaliates after Hamas’s assault on 7 October which left 1,400 Israelis dead.