As we've been reporting, Israel launched strikes on the city of Rafah overnight, killing dozens.

Rafah is in the southern part of Gaza and is located about 30km (nearly 19 miles) south west of Gaza City.

It is also the site of the only crossing point between Gaza and Egypt.

About 1.5m people are sheltering in Rafah, having been displaced by Israeli operations elsewhere.

Many of those people are living in tents with food, water and medical supplies in short supply.

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

A United Nations representative in Gaza has told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that residents in Rafah are "terrified" of what's to come.

Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, outlined worsening conditions, saying: "Everyone is short of food, clean water, health services, sanitation and even basic room."

He says people are living "six families to one classroom" and that he has seen "a breakdown" in the rule of law in Rafah.

The city in the south of Gaza is sheltering an estimated 1.5 million people, many who have been displaced from other parts of The Strip.

Petropoulos describes any Israeli plans to push fighting further into Rafah as "concerning" and "terrifying".

Louis Har and Fernando Simon Marman, the two hostages rescued by Israeli forces from Rafah overnight, are pictured embracing family members in a new image released this morning.

Bring Them Home Now, a group of families and friends of hostages taken by Hamas, posted the picture on social media, welcoming the pair home.

"We are thrilled to have you here with us. We’ll keep demanding the return of all 134 hostages," the group said.

Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, shared the same picture, calling the rescue "a moment of triumph and relief".

"This operation is a testament to our unyielding resolve to #BringThemHomeNow," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Image source, Bring Them Home Now/X

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has just issued its regular casualty update, which says 28,340 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 68,000 wounded in the Strip since 7 October.

The ministry says 164 have been killed and 200 injured in Gaza over the last day, although it is not clear exactly how many died in Israeli attacks on Rafah overnight.

We've had conflicting reports on this, with heath ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra saying 67 people were killed in Rafah. But the AFP news agency, also citing the ministry, is reporting more than 100 killed in the city on the border with Egypt.

Israel's military launched its operations in the Gaza Strip after more than 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, who also took 253 people hostage. A number of those hostages were later released.

Image source, Reuters

Abou Suhhaib, who lives in the Shaboura neighbourhood in Rafah, heard "heavy shooting" and "strong explosions" overnight during the Israeli airstrikes and hostage rescue operation.

Speaking to AFP news agency, he said:

As we've been reporting, Israel launched a wave of deadly strikes overnight to accompany its hostage raid in the south of Gaza.

Now, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry has condemned what it called an Israeli "massacre" in Rafah.

The PA, which controls the occupied West Bank, says the strikes killed 100 people and injured many more.

However, we've received conflicting reports on the death toll. A spokesman for the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said at least 67 Palestinians were killed, with earlier reports saying it was "about 100".

In a statement on X,, external the ministry claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "commits mass massacres with a mentality of revenge, not victory and not in accordance with international law, as he claims".

Netanyahu has vowed to press on with the military offensive in Gaza.

Image source, Getty Images

More now on the news that Israel has rescued two male hostages - Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 - from the southern city of Rafah.

In a statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari says Israeli forces broke into a building "in the heart of Rafah". The two men were found on the second floor being held by armed Hamas members in an apartment, he adds.

Hagari says that from the moment of entry, troops shielded Marman and Har with their bodies, "initiating a daring battle and heavy exchanges of fire at several locations simultaneously".

The pair were rescued from the apartment under fire, the spokesman says, as IDF forces "provided them [with] protection in the Rafah area until they reached a safe zone".

Hagari says the raid was carried out in the early morning at 01:49 local time (23:49 GMT).

"This is an operation we have been preparing for a while," Hagari says. The pair were taken from Nir Yitzhak kibbutz by Hamas on 7 October and had been held hostage since.

Image source, Getty Images

Mother-of-two Ghada El Kurd has moved six times in the last four months. Recently, she's been sheltering in a relative's home in Rafah, but could now be on the move again.

"Last night, at 01:00 in the morning, Israel conducted a military operation," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"They killed many Palestinian people and we were actually inside our homes sleeping, but this is an indicator for us to leave or evacuate Rafah as soon as possible because in other cities - Khan Younis and Gaza City - it was the same scenario.

"So again we are planning to move from Rafah."

Ghada describes hearing planes and drones and says she is waiting for an evacuation plan to be announced.

"Usually they throw some flyers and publish on social media platforms where to evacuate. So we are waiting," Ghada adds.

There have been plenty of developments in the Israel-Gaza conflict in the last few hours. Let's bring you up to speed with the key details:

• Israel carried out intense aerial bombardment in the south of the Gaza Strip overnight
• A spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry says at least 67 Palestinians were killed in the strikes on Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering

• Israel's military says it rescued two hostages in its accompanying hostage raid on the city
• Louis Har, 70 and Fernando Simon Marman, 60, were being held on the second floor of a building in the middle of Rafah
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the return of the men who were both taken to hospital in central Israel where they are said to be in a good condition

Image source, .

We've just seen some updated casualty figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which reports that 67 people have been killed in strikes on Rafah overnight, citing spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra.

As we've been reporting, there are differing reports this morning on the number of people killed by the Israeli strikes. AFP has said the death toll stands at "about 100", also citing the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Overnight, the Israeli military said it had rescued hostages Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, during a raid in Rafah.

The hostages, reportedly brothers-in-law, were greeted by their relatives.

Speaking from outside hospital, one family member, Edan Begerano, says of the reunion: "There were a lot of tears, hugs and not many words...we were so happy to see them."

He says mentally and physically Marman and Har look okay, but he expects "ups and downs" in the coming weeks.

Here's the full clip:

Image source, Reuters

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed home the two Israeli hostages who were rescued overnight from Rafah in a raid by the country's forces.

Posting on social media platform X, external, Netanyahu wrote: "Fernando and Louis, welcome home."

He went on to pay tribute to the "brave fighters" who rescued the two men, adding: "Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages."

Netanyahu's comments follow warnings from the international community against expanding Israel's offensive further into Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people have been sheltering from the fighting.

We've been reporting deadly overnight strikes in the city of Rafah.

The city is situated in the south of the Gaza Strip, where more than a million displaced Palestinians have found shelter after fleeing the fighting in the north.

Now, Israel says it will expand its military operations all the way to the south - with heavy aerial bombardment reported in the Gaza area.

A ground invasion in the refugee-packed area could prove disastrous and the US has warned Israel not to attack without a “credible” plan to protect civilians.

International journalists are not allowed into Gaza. Our International editor Jeremy Bowen reports from the wall separating Bethlehem in the West Bank from Israeli-controlled Jerusalem:

It's approaching 10:00 in Rafah, where Israel carried out heavy air strikes overnight, killing dozens of people.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in the southern Gazan city, many who have fled from elsewhere in Gaza.

Here are the latest images from Rafah, taken this morning:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

There are differing reports coming in from news agencies on the number of people killed by Israeli strikes in Rafah overnight.

AFP is reporting that the Hamas-run health ministry says "about 100" Palestinians, including young children, have been killed.

Meanwhile, Reuters cites Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra as saying 48 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded.

The BBC is not able to independently verify the figures.

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Jerusalem

The airstrikes caused panic in Rafah.

Residents said it included gunfire from Apache helicopters and naval vessels. At least two mosques and more than a dozen houses were reported to have been hit.

Shortly afterwards, Israel announced it had carried out a special forces operation to free two Israeli hostages being held on the second floor of a residential building in Rafah.

The men, aged 60 and 70, are said to be in good medical condition.

This is a small but symbolically significant success in Israel’s quest to rescue more than 100 captives held by Hamas, which is one of the goals of its punishing military campaign in Gaza.

But Israel’s allies have warned that its aim to send ground forces into Rafah would be a disaster for more than one million displaced people sheltering there.

The US President Joe Biden told Israel’s prime minister there must be a credible and executable plan to protect them.

Rushdi Abu Alouf
Reporting from Istanbul

Image source, Reuters

Eyewitnesses and local residents said that the Israeli army began an unprecedented attack on the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli fighters launched dozens of air strikes on the north and centre of the city, which is inhabited by about 1.5 million Palestinians.

Local residents told the BBC that helicopters and boats were participating in the attack on the city.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement: "The city of Rafah is currently witnessing very violent attacks in various areas, including by warplanes.

"A number of these raids were in the vicinity of the association’s headquarters in the centre of Rafah, where an inhabited house opposite the headquarters was targeted, which led to spreading terror and panic among citizens."

Image source, Bring Them Home Now/Reuters

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

Israel's military says it's rescued two male hostages from Rafah, a city in the south of Gaza where heavy strikes and a number of deaths have been reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says captives Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, are in "good medical condition".

It comes after the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Rafah was under attack.

The international community previously warned Israel over launching its planned offensive in the city, where 1.5 million people Palestinians are sheltering.

Stay with us for live updates and analysis as we bring you all the latest.