Rushdi Abu Alouf
BBC News, Gaza City

For the last 17 years, Hamas has been in control of Gaza.

Throughout it has said that it was preparing for such a battle with Israel.

Hamas has also been expecting Israel to react the way it has - Israel's Air Force hit back last night.

It continues to destroy key Hamas infrastructure and the homes of the group's leaders.

Hamas knows the consequences of such an attack on Israel - so it must have been expecting the retaliatory strikes.

Rushdi Abu Alouf
BBC News, Gaza City

Israeli warplanes have hit 150 targets since the start of the retaliatory strikes, a Palestinian security source tells the BBC.

This included several compounds where Hamas leaders were believed to be residing.

Twenty-four Palestinians, including two women and four children, have been killed since midnight (21:00 GMT), the source said.

More than 250 civilians have been killed in total, according to Palestinian officials.

As we just reported, Israeli says its fighter jets struck a compound belonging to the head of Hamas intelligence in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Air Force also says it has targeted:

• Two banks "belonging to Hamas terror organisation for terror funds"
• An "aerial weapons production" site belonging to the "Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation" (a separate group to Hamas)
• A building "including offices and storage units" where weapons and military equipment were stored

Palestinian officials say 256 civilians have been killed by the Israeli strikes, with almost 1,800 people wounded.

The Israeli Air Force says its fighter jets, external have struck a "compound belonging to the head of the intelligence department in the Hamas terrorist organisation".

Israeli planes have struck a number of targets in the Gaza Strip since militants crossed into Israeli territory on Saturday.

Palestinian authorities say more than 250 people have been killed.

The sounds of explosions are continuous, according to our reporter in Gaza City.

Image source, Israeli Air Force

Image source, EPA

It’s been a little over 24 hours since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel - and if you’re just joining us here are some of the latest developments since last night:

• Israel’s military says there are still eight “points of engagement” with Hamas militants inside its territory, although it claims to have regained control of 22 locations in the country’s south. Hamas says "fierce fighting" continues
• Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country is going into a “long and difficult war”, which he said had been “forced on us by a murderous attack by Hamas”
• Israel has also launched retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, and has advised people there to take shelter - the air strikes have killed more than 250 people, Palestinian officials say.
• Our reporter in Gaza City says the sounds of explosions are continuous - families are sheltering in UN-run schools
• At least 250 Israelis have reportedly been killed, and dozens - perhaps as many as 100, according to the Israeli Embassy in the US - have been kidnapped, following Hamas’ ground, air and sea offensive
• Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has also become involved in the fighting, saying it was behind strikes on Mount Dov, a tract of land claimed by Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Israel has responded by firing into Lebanon

Rushdi Abu Alouf
BBC News, Gaza City

Image source, Reuters

Twenty-four hours ago we saw people in Gaza celebrating Hamas firing thousands of rockets into Israel.

This morning, the picture in Gaza is the opposite.

People are staying indoors, the sounds of explosions have been continuous, and a cloud of black smoke engulfes Gaza.

Most areas are without electricity as Israel has stopped supplying Gaza with power. Water supplies have also been down since yesterday.

One of the more significant strikes from Israel this morning targeted the Watan Tower - a building that serves as a "hub" for Internet providers in Gaza.

Earlier this morning, the Israeli forces said they were still dealing with Palestinian militants in eight locations - mainly to confirm those communities were "clean of terrorists".

Israel did not specifically say its forces were in active gun battles with militants - but now Hamas has said it's still engaged in "fierce fighting" inside Israel.

This remains just a Hamas claim for now - we don't know the exact situation on the ground in the eight areas that Israel mentioned.

Those eight areas, Israel says, are: Sderot, Yakhini, Kfar Aza, Sufa, Be’eri, Kibbutz Re’im, Kissufim and Homefront Command near Zikim.

As we reported earlier, Israel had fired into Lebanese territory in response to mortar fire from there.

The Hezbollah group in Lebanon has now said it was behind the strikes on Mount Dov, a disputed area claimed by Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

The Iran-backed militant group says the attack was carried out "in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance".

In response, an Israel Defense Forces drone has bombed infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the Jabal Rus area.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been relatively calm since Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006, but tensions have escalated in recent months.

As we've been reporting, dozens of Israelis have been taken hostage by Palestinian militants.

We don't have an official number - but the Israeli Embassy to the United States has put the figure at 100 in a social media post.

That includes both civilians and soldiers, it says.

In a post on X, external, formerly Twitter, it also says that more than 300 Israelis have been killed, and upwards of 1,800 injured.

These numbers have not been officially confirmed by Israel.

Image source, Getty Images

The Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza says 256 Palestinians, including 20 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours. Another 1,788 people have been injured, the ministry reports.

The Israeli Air Force earlier released footage of its strikes on multiple buildings in the Gaza Strip where Hamas military targets are said to be located.

Information from Gaza has been scarce but pictures and footage on social media show numerous buildings including places of worship reduced to rubble.

Some show Gaza residents seeking shelter in hospitals.

Israeli authorities said they are starting to evacuate residents.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Israel says it is still dealing with Hamas in eight areas where Palestinian militants had infiltrated following Saturday morning's surprise attack.

Here are more updates from military spokesperson Lt Col Richard Hecht in a Sunday morning briefing:

• The Israel Defense Forces regained control of 22 locations in the south that were invaded by Hamas militants
• But they are still dealing with them in eight locations - mainly to confirm "clean of terrorist inside those communities"
• Israeli authorities are "slowly starting to evacuate" residents in towns surrounding the Gaza Strip. Hecht did not respond to questions on how many are being evacuated
• He also said Israel is "ready" to respond to attacks from Lebanon but has not discussed any plans for a ground invasion
• Israel is "still at war... still completing efforts to take full control of Israeli territory and communities from Hamas"

Image source, EPA

We earlier reported that Israel had fired into Lebanese territory in response to mortar fire from there.

A spokesman from the Israel Defense Forces said the firing happened in the Mount Dov area, a tract of land claimed by Israel, Lebanon and Syria near the intersection of all three nations.

Israel has warned Lebanon's militant Hezbollah movement not to get involved in the fighting.

Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political, military and social organisation that wields considerable power in Lebanon. Like Hamas, it is backed by Israel’s arch-enemy Iran. It fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006.

In July, Israel's military responded with artillery fire after an anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon.

China is "deeply concerned" over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Israelis and Palestinians, its foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, external.

"We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation.

"The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot last", the ministry said.

It called on the international community to "act with greater urgency" to "find a way to bring about enduring peace".

The Israeli Air Force has released footage of its strikes on multiple buildings in the Gaza Strip where Hamas military targets are said to be located.

It added that fighter jets have been attacking Hamas' "operational infrastructure".

We've also been seeing reports of blasts near the Watan Tower, a huge commercial complex in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out artillery strikes in Lebanon following "shooting carried out a few minutes ago into Israeli territory".

We will bring you more updates as we get them.

It's just after 0700 in the morning in Israel and Gaza (0500 BST), about 24 hours since the start of Hamas' surprise attack - one of the deadliest Israel has faced in more than a generation.

Hundreds have been killed in Israel and in Gaza in the attack and the retaliatory airstrikes that followed.

Here's what we know so far:

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has entered a "long and difficult war" after the unprecedented attack by Hamas left a reported 250 people dead
• Dozens of Israelis, including women and children, are being held hostage in Gaza, Israeli military says
• Israel warned Gazans of retaliatory strikes and asked them to leave their homes and take shelter - officials there say more than 230 people have died in strikes
• Fighting continues in southern Israel between Hamas militants and Israeli defence forces
• There have also been several reports of overnight airstrikes in Gaza - and Mr Netanyahu has said Israel will cut off power and other supplies to the blockaded area
• International condemnation of Hamas' attack has been strong, with US President Joe Biden speaking of America's "rock-solid and unwavering" support for Israel
• Hamas meanwhile told the BBC that Iran backed the attack. Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate halt to the escalation, saying it had warned repeatedly about the dangers stemming from "continued occupation"

The Israeli military have regained control of a police station near the border with the Gaza strip that had been captured by Palestinian militants.

Hamas infiltrated the town of Sderot on Saturday and stormed the police station.

Following the Israeli police operation, 10 militants were killed in the operation, the Times of Israel reported, quoting border police commander Amir Cohen.

Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel on Saturday, with rocket strikes, killings and hostage taking.

In turn, Israel launched a retaliatory wave of air strikes on Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was "at war". Hamas, which rules Gaza, would "pay an unprecedent price," he added.

BBC Verify has been examining the shocking footage coming out of Israel and Gaza, and Jon Donnison explains what they have been able to confirm about the day.

The Israeli military says a "significant number" of Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Among those taken are children, women, the elderly and the disabled. Some are alive and some are thought to be dead, military spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said.

A number of videos have been circulating online claiming to show Israelis in the hands of Hamas fighters.

One video posted that has been verified by the BBC shows a truck being driven through crowds on the Gaza Strip, purportedly carrying Israeli hostages.

You can read more about it here.

The body regulating civil aviation in the US has urged American airlines and pilots to use "extreme caution" when flying in Israeli airspace.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning resembles an alert issued by Israel that applies to all altitudes.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has also asked US citizens in Israel to remain vigilant and increase their security.

US Embassy personnel are still currently sheltering in place.