Image source, EPA

Unicef's Hamish Young, a senior emergency coordinator, has described the overnight bombardment in Rafah as "horrendous" and "relentless".

He told the BBC, no one living in the border city had any sleep last night.

He says 14 residential buildings were destroyed, but adds, "it's really important to get beyond those numbers".

He says a Palestinian colleague "broke down weeping" on Monday morning, as he recalled the impact the air strikes had on him and his family, leaving his grandchildren screaming in fear.

"Children should not have to go through this," says Young.

The situation on the ground in Rafah "is already catastrophic", with "barely enough food for everyone to eat", he adds.

Image source, APTN

Gefen Sigal Ilan is the niece of Fernando Marman, who has been rescued along with Louis Har, her mother's partner.

She says she wants to thank "all the people who made all the effort to save them".

Gefen says the men are "a bit thin - thinner than when they went in as hostages".

"They are a little bit pale," she adds, but says they are talking and in good spirits.

"They are happy to be rescued," says Gefen.

She stresses: "I want to say that we - all the family - won't stop until all the hostages will be free."

As we've been reporting, Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Rafah, in southern Gaza.

What do we know about Fernando and Louis so far?

• Fernando, who is 60 years old, and Louis, aged 70, were rescued from Rafah in an operation co-ordinated between the IDF, Israeli police and the Israel Security Agency
• IDF forces shielded the pair with their bodies, spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement, as the men were rescued from an apartment

• The two, who hold Argentinian citizenship, were taken from the second floor of a building in the centre of Rafah to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel for tests
• In a statement on X, external, Argentinian President Javier Milei's office thanked the IDF for rescuing its citizens, saying that during a state visit to Israel last week Milei had requested the release of the Argentine hostages
• The pair had been kidnapped from Nir Yitzhak kibbutz by Hamas on 7 October, and held hostage since

Image source, Reuters

We are now in day 129 of our coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip - let's have a quick look back at the key developments which have been making headlines in the last week or so:

• Last Tuesday, Hamas delivered its response to the framework for a new ceasefire in Gaza; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would review the response and discuss it with Israel during a visit the following day
• Blinken met with diplomats in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, but Israel's PM once again insisted he will not settle for anything other than a total victory over Hamas
• At the same time there was heightened concern for the welfare of displaced Palestinians crowded in Rafah as Israel prepared to move in on the city
• On Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel's military to draw up plans to evacuate civilians from southern Gaza before an offensive was launched against Hamas
• Aid agencies questioned where they could go; while the Palestinian presidency accused Israel of planning to expel Gazans from their land
• Overnight from Sunday into Monday carried out a series of strikes on Rafah which killed dozens of Palestinians
• Separately at the same time, Israel - for only the second time since the war broke out - was able to rescue two male hostages from Rafah

Brandon Livesay
US reporter

Just a day ago, US President Joe Biden told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a “military operation in Rafah should not proceed” without an effective plan to ensure the safety and support of the many civilians sheltering in the city.

Overnight, Israeli forces carried out strikes in Rafah, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza say killed 67 people.

The US has continued to reiterate the widely declared shared goal of defeating Hamas, but in recent weeks the Biden administration has been increasingly critical of how Israeli military is carrying out its operations.

And last Thursday, the US president said the “conduct of the response” by Israel in Gaza was “over the top”.

Later on Monday, Biden will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan, at the White House, to discuss efforts to free hostages in Gaza and their concerns regarding military operations in Rafah.

The meeting will be their first since US troops were killed in a drone strike on a US base in Jordan. The US blames Iran-backed militia for the deadly attack.

Adam Durbin
Live reporter

Image source, Ahmed Abuibaid

Earlier we heard from Dr Ahmed Abuibaid, an ER medic, who fled to Rafah after being displaced by the fighting in Khan Younis. He spoke to me on the phone this morning.

"There is no one here who doesn't have a horrible story about themselves and their loved ones," says Dr Abuibaid. "Whether it's the loss of a house, or a member - or more - of their family."

The young doctor includes himself in that group.

He says he was forced to give up his job after his family home in Khan Younis was destroyed in an air strike, leaving his father unable to walk.

The family were trapped in the rubble of their home, with snipers firing bullets "at anything moving", he recalls.

Dr Abuibaid says when they "finally took the risk to leave" a tank fired at and chased them.

"Luckily, my family and I survived."

But he says his father needs a scan to assess a traumatic spine injury. He can't be helped in Gaza, and they are not able to leave.

Israel is calling on UN relief agencies "to co-operate" with its efforts to evacuate civilians from zones of conflict, ahead of its planned ground operation in Rafah.

"Don't say it can't be done," said government spokesperson Eylon Levy, in a press briefing. "Work with us to find a way."

The southern Gazan city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, is widely seen as the only remaining refuge for Gazans fleeing Israel's military operations elsewhere in the Strip.

About 1.5m people are believed to be crowded there, prompting widespread concern about any forthcoming ground operation.

Image source, EPA

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, says, 17,000 children have been separated from their parents, and swathes of Gaza's population are suffering from malnutrition.

"We talk about famine in the north, where we have 300,000 people and we haven't been able to organise a convoy since 23 January," Lazzarini tells reporters.

"At the same time, because of the pressure and the military offensive taking place, it's becoming more and more difficult to operate in Rafah itself."

He added that UNRWA trucks have been looted and vandalised there in recent days.

"The coming days will tell us if we will be able to continue operating."

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Brussels that there is a "deep sense of panic" over the prospect of an unfolding military operation in Rafah.

He describes the toll of war on the people of Gaza as "unspeakable", with 5% of the estimated population of two million having been killed, injured or currently missing.

Lazzarini says there are around 300,000 people trapped in northern Gaza, facing "possible starvation" because the UN's refugee agency for Palestinians has not been able to deliver food there since 23 January.

He adds the ongoing attacks in Rafah mean it is becoming more and more difficult to operate, with local police unable to protect UN aid lorries yesterday for the first time because of the fighting in the city.

This led to the lorries being looted at the border, he says.

Civil order is breaking down in Rafah, he adds, with police reluctant to help protect the convoys in the face of the risk to their lives.

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has been holding a press conference alongside UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, following a meeting between the pair and EU development ministers in Belgium.

He says they have agreed the EU needs to continue to fund the work of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.

It follows the controversy last month over Israeli allegations concerning 13 - now sacked - UNRWA staff accused of participating in the 7 October attacks.

Both the US and UK pulled funding from the organisation in the aftermath.

Borrell welcomed the UNRWA's swift action in sacking the staff and launching an investigation into the claims.

He went on to say the agency's work was vital in supporting millions of Palestinians outside of Gaza, as well as supplying essential humanitarian aid in The Strip.

To discontinue support to UNRWA would "mean a greater humanitarian disaster in Gaza and "it should be avoided", he says.

He adds that without the support of the UNRWA, 5.6m Palestinian refugees would be even more vulnerable.

We'll bring you more shortly.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK's foreign secretary has urged Israel to "stop and think seriously" about any ground offensive in Rafah and the impact on the estimated 1.5 million people sheltering in the southern city.

"There's nowhere for them to go," Lord David Cameron told reporters.

"They can't go south into Egypt. They can't go north and back to their homes because many have been destroyed.

"So we are very concerned about the situation and we want Israel to stop and think seriously before it takes any further action."

Cameron reiterated his call for a pause in the fighting, with the long-term aim of securing a "sustainable ceasefire".

He added than any pause in fighting would allow for more aid to enter the territory, and for Israeli hostages to be rescued.

"We need to get those hostages out, including the British nationals. We need to get the aid in," he said.

"The best way to do that is to stop the fighting now and turn that into a permanent, sustainable ceasefire.”

A spokesperson for the Israeli military has been giving more details about the hostage rescue in Rafah overnight on Sunday.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says the two men were freed at around 01:50 local time (23:50 GMT).

In a statement, he said Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har, aged 60 and 70 respectively, were found "deep inside Rafah... held in harsh conditions".

Hagari says the pair are back in Israel where they have undergone medical examinations and been reunited with their family.

He adds that the success of the rescue mission "underscores the importance of our ground operation in Gaza, including Rafah, when conditions allow".

Overnight Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people and destroyed buildings in the southern city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.5m Palestinians have sought shelter.

The Al-Huda mosque, in the Yabna refugee camp, was one of the buildings damaged.

Here are some of the latest images from the scene, taken earlier today:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Some news to bring you from the UK as the Foreign Office has announced a fresh clampdown on four "extremist Israeli settlers" who it claims have "committed human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank".

According to the Foreign Office these include:

• Moshe Sharvit – an "extremist settler" who the UK government says has "threatened, harassed and assaulted Palestinian shepherds" and their families in the Jordan Valley.
• Yinon Levy, who the Foreign Office describes as the leader of the "Meitarim Farm" outpost whose settlers it says have used physical violence and the destruction of property to displace Palestinian communities including Zanuta in October 2023
• Zvi Bar Yosef - who officials say is a settler leader who has used intimidation and violence against local Palestinians, including twice threatening at gunpoint young families having a picnic
• Finally, Ely Federman is accused of being involved in multiple incidents against Palestinian shepherds in the South Hebron Hills, according to the Foreign Office

Adam Durbin
Live reporter

A doctor in Rafah says people in the city are terrified about the prospect of an Israeli ground operation, after a night of some of the worst air strikes he has experienced in the city since arriving there.

Dr Ahmed Abuibaid told the BBC the "most popular question on people’s minds is, where can we go?". He says the sense of desperation is heightened by the fact Rafah was seen as the only safe place left in the Gaza Strip.

He himself was forced to abandon his job in Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital, after his home was destroyed in an Israeli air strike and his dad suffered a traumatic spine injury.

The medic says the humanitarian situation in the border city is worsening by the day, with little access to water or food, and rapidly dwindling medical supplies.

Many people are living in tents, but many more are sleeping in the streets due to overcrowding, he says.

"I see a lot of diseases among people here, like urinary tract infections and dermatological diseases" exacerbated by the "severe decrease in the availability of drugs and treatment".

In a series of messages sent by phone overnight, Dr Abuibaid described the air strikes as incessant and everywhere

"People don't know what to do," he wrote, at 03:00 local time.

Image source, Ahmed Abuibaid

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Good afternoon. It's just before 15:00 in Gaza and Israel (13:00 GMT) and here are some of the latest lines:

• Israeli forces carried out an intense bombardment in the southern Gazan city of Rafah overnight, which according to the Hamas-run health ministry killed at least 67 Palestinians
• Across The Strip, the ministry says 164 people were killed in the last day - bringing the total number of people killed in Gaza to more than 28,100. At least 67,500 others have been injured since Israel launched its retaliatory offensive in the strip, after the deadly 7 October Hamas attacks
• Two Israeli hostages were rescued from the second floor of a building in Rafah. The Israeli military said Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, are in "good medical condition". The pair were kidnapped from Nir Yitzhak kibbutz by Hamas on 7 October

• Some 1.5 million people are sheltering in Rafah, after being displaced by Israeli operations elsewhere. Israel said it is planning an offensive in the city, which has been met by several warnings from the international community
• Residents in Rafah are "terrified" of what's to come, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told the BBC World Service

• Meanwhile, an appeals court in the Netherlands ruled that the Dutch government must stop exporting F-35 jet parts to Israel - the judgement said it was "undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law"

Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were reunited with their families in emotional scenes at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, after they were rescued in Rafah by the Israeli military.

The brother-in-laws had been held hostage by Hamas since 7 October.

Image source, Reuters

Some news just reaching us from Europe - an appeals court in the Netherlands has ruled the Dutch must stop exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

A case against the Dutch government was brought by several human rights groups, including the Dutch affiliate of Oxfam, last December.

They argued the transit of the F-35 parts violates the laws of war - because the Netherlands knows the fighter planes are used for attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The US-owned parts are stored in a regional warehouse in Woensdrecht and shipped to several countries including Israel.

Previously, a district court had ruled their export was primarily a political decision and judges shouldn't intervene.

But this morning a court said in its judgement: "It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law."

Palestinians in Rafah said a mosque and several houses were hit by Israeli strikes, causing widespread panic among people who had been asleep overnight.

Here's some footage from the city this morning, taken in the aftermath of Israel's deadly attacks:

Image source, Dr Salim Ghayyda

British Palestinian doctor, Dr Salim Ghayyda, has 25 family members trapped Rafah, where Israeli strikes killed dozens overnight.

He tells the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that his relatives are sharing a small flat with 25 others, including children. The 50 people in the flat all sleep on the floor, kept awake at night by the sounds of bombs exploding.

His brother is a nurse and has tried to turn the flat into a makeshift health facility as all the other clinics have been "dismantled and destroyed", he says.

Ghayyda, a consultant paediatrician in Inverness, says the situation is "unbearable" for him as he worries for his family, including a nephew with cancer.