Key points
- Hezbollah fires scores of rockets at Israel amid fears of escalation
- Houthis launch 'drone boat' attack in Red Sea
- Hamas changes to ceasefire plan include all Israeli troops leaving
- Alistair Bunkall analysis:Without compromise, there might be no deal to be done
- Gaza population facing 'catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions'
- Labour manifesto launch includes pledge on Palestine
- Live reporting by Mark Wyatt and, earlier, Bhvishya Patel
Ship struck by missile near Yemen in suspected Houthis attack
A suspected attack by the Houthis today saw a missile strike a ship in the Gulf of Aden, authorities have said.
The ship was en route from Malaysia to Venice when it was hit. The British military's UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel caught fire in the attack off the coast of Yemen.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge today's attack, but it typically takes the rebels hours or even days to claim them.
The attack follows the Houthis launching a boat-borne bomb attack against a commercial ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are part of an Iran-aligned regional alliance, which also includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The group governs swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand miles from Israel.
It has blamed Israel for instability in the Middle East, saying the "circle of conflict" in the region was driven by its "continued crimes".
Ships are facing regular harassment and attacks by the Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis say they are targeting any and all ships they believe are linked, operated, owned, flagged or travelling to or from Israel.
US and British destroyers are among an international naval taskforce set up to combat the Houthi attacks in the area.
In pictures: Israel repels Hezbollah rockets as firefighters tackle blazes
Earlier today we brought you news that Hezbollah had launched some 40 rockets into northern Israel.
The IDF says several of these launches were successfully intercepted by Israel's air defence.
State broadcaster Kan aired footage of numerous mid-air interceptions of rockets above Israeli towns, including in Safed, some 12 km (7.5 miles) from the border.
Israel: 'We will restore security on our northern border'
The Israeli government has insisted Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Beirut government must bear the "full responsibility" for the spiralling violence across the Israel-Lebanon border.
A spokesperson for the Israeli government also hinted that an escalation could be in the works.
"Lebanon and Hezbollah, under the guidance of Iran, bearfull responsibility for the deterioration of the securitysituation in the north," government spokesperson David Mencersaid.
"Whether through diplomatic efforts - or otherwise -Israel will restore security on our northern border."
On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired the most rockets ithas launched at Israel in a single day since cross-border hostilities broke out eight months ago, as part of its retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed a senior Hezbollah field commander.
The United States is very concerned that hostilities could escalate to an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon.
A senior US official said specific security arrangements were needed for the area and a ceasefire in Gaza was not enough.
"We have had consistent and urgent conversations at different times with Israel and Lebanon over the eight months, from the very beginning of this crisis (..) to keep this from developing into a full-out war that could have implications to beyond elsewhere in the region," the official said.
Who are Hezbollah?
Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which means "Party of God" in Arabic, openly calls for the destruction of the "Zionist regime in Palestine" and is deemed a terror organisation by most Western powers.
The militia has long aligned itself with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has frequently clashed with IDF forces on the Israel-Lebanon border since the most recent conflict broke out on 7 October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned thatBeirut would be turned "into Gaza" if Hezbollah started anall-out war.
Scores of rockets launched into Israel over northern border
Some 40 rockets were launched toward the Galilee and Golan Heights area of northern Israel in the past hour, according to the Israel Defence Force.
The IDF says several of these launches were successfully intercepted by Israel's air defence.
A number of hits were also reported which have ignited fires.
Israel's national ambulance service said it was providing medical treatment to two people wounded by shrapnel.
State broadcaster Kan aired footage of numerous mid-airinterceptions of rockets above Israeli towns, including inSafed, some 12 km (7.5 miles) from the border.
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the strikes.The Iran-backed, Lebanon-based group are deemed as a terror organisation by most Western powers.
The militia has long aligned itself with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has frequently clashed with IDF forces on the Israel-Lebanon border since the most recent conflict broke out on 7 October.
It would be the latest episode in an exchange of rocket fire between the two countries following an Israeli strike which killed a senior Hezbollah field commander on Tuesday.
More than half of Gaza's farmland is damaged, says UN
More than half of Gaza's agricultural land has been degraded by conflict, satellite images analysed by the United Nations show.
The data shows a rise in the destruction of orchards, field crops and vegetables in the Palestinian enclave.
Using satellite imagery taken between May 2017 and 2024, United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) and the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that 57% of Gaza's permanent crop fields and arable lands essential for food security had shown a significant decline in density and health.
"In May 2024, crop health and density across the Gaza Strip showed a marked decline compared to the average of the previous seven seasons," UNOSAT said on Thursday.
"This deterioration is attributed to conflict-related activities, including razing, heavy vehicle movement, bombing, and shelling."
It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Wednesday that a significant proportion of Gaza's population was now facing "catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions."
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was "no evidence" that those who needed food the most in Gaza were receiving sufficient quantities.
Tedros said there were more than 8,000 children under five years old who have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 1,600 children with severe acute malnutrition.
Labour manifesto pledges recognition of Palestine state
The Labour Party manifesto pledges to recognise a Palestinianstate as a contribution to a renewed peace process.
"Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of thePalestinian people," said Labour's election manifesto.
"We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as acontribution to a renewed peace process which results in atwo-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside aviable and sovereign Palestinian state."
The Conservatives have previously saidBritain could formally recognise a Palestinian state before theend of a peace process, and that Palestinians in the West Bankand Gaza Strip must be given "the political perspective of acredible route to a Palestinian state and a new future".
In May, Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised aPalestinian state.
In pictures: Palestinians flee Rafah on foot
Palestinians have been travelling on foot with their belongings as they flee Rafah in southern Gaza.
Around half of Gaza's 2.3 million people had beensheltering in Rafah before the Israeli military began an assault last month, and a millionhave had to flee again.
Israel has said its operation aims towipe out Hamas's last intact combat units.
Israeli tanks moving deeper into Rafah, residents say
Israeli tanks have advanced deeper into the western area of Rafah, residents have said.
Israeli forces have moved towards the Al Mawasi area of Rafah near the beach, they said, which is designated as a humanitarian area in all announcements and maps published by the Israeli army since it began its Rafah offensive in May.
The Israeli military denied it had launched any strikes inside the Al Mawasi zone.
Israel said its assault aimed to wipe out Hamas's last intact combat units in Rafah, a city which had sheltered more than a million people before the latest advance began.
The Israeli military said it was continuing "intelligence-based, targeted operations" on Rafah, adding forces in the past day had located weapons and killed Palestinian gunmen in close-range combat.
Israel backs Gaza ceasefire proposal, White House says
Israel is standing behind a ceasefire proposal, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a G7 meeting of leaders in southern Italy, Mr Sullivan said the world should encourage Hamas to accept the proposal and avoid stalemate.
He also said the goal was to bridge gaps with Hamas and get to a deal soon.
For context: Yesterday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Hamas had proposed numerous changes, some unworkable, to a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza.
Hamas said they had requested the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and were also demanding a list of 100 Palestinians with long-term sentences be released from Israeli jails.
Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have tried for months to mediate a ceasefire in the conflictand free the hostages, more than 100 of whom are believed to remain captive in Gaza.
In pictures: Israeli troops in occupied West Bank
Israeli troops have been conducting a raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The war has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank.
This week WHO chief TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted a separate health crisis in the West Bank, where he said healthcare had been targeted by nearly 500 attacks since 7 October.
