As we reported earlier today, the IDF has said they now believe a total of 222 people were taken captive in Gaza by Hamas.

The BBC has been compiling a list of who we know was kidnapped.

One of them is Mia Shem, 21, who appeared in a hostage video released by Hamas last week, saying she had been abducted from a party. The IDF is in touch with her family.

Ofer, Erez and Sahar Kalderon were taken prisoner in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A video on social media appeared to show 12-year-old Erez being taken by gunmen towards Gaza, their relative Ido Dan told the BBC.

Image source, Ido Dan

You can read more about others currently being held hostage here. Two American hostages were released on Friday and we're keeping our list updated as we learn more.

Barbara Plett Usher
US State Department correspondent, in Washington DC

US media are reporting that the Biden administration is asking Israel to delay the ground invasion of Gaza in order to buy time for more hostage negotiations.

The release of two American women held captive by Hamas late last week have spurred efforts to more urgently negotiate the fate of more than 200 other hostages.

A number of other US citizens are among them, and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the weekend that the US was making “incessant efforts” to bring them home, “using whatever levers, partnerships, relationships we have.”

As we've just been reporting, a source familiar with the progress of negotiations has told the BBC that talks to release about 50 more foreign and dual national civilians have entered a serious stage.

There is strong and growing concern that a punishing Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will trigger a wider war.

The Israelis are denying the reports that they’ve been asked to delay it, but it’s clear the Americans are advising them, if not dictating demands.

Nevertheless, already Israel has carried out unprecedented air strikes on Gaza, with thousands of civilian casualties.

And there’s little doubt it will eventually launch a ground operation, since that is the only way to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and infrastructure, which the US supports.

Rushdi Abualouf
Reporting from Khan Younis, Gaza

A source familiar with the progress of the Hamas hostage release talks being brokered by Qatar told me earlier that negotiations to get more people freed from Gaza had entered a "serious stage".

They said "intense and focused" talks through a Qatari mediator and involving the US were ongoing, to build on Friday's release of two US citizens.

Hamas was said to have given a "positive response" regarding the release of about 50 foreign and dual-nationality civilian hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and the entry of more aid into Gaza.

The source said Israel's rejection of any ceasefire was holding up any breakthrough.

Responding to reports that Hamas might trade foreign hostages in return for a ceasefire, a senior official in the Israeli government responded: “A ceasefire is ridiculous! It's like asking the US for a ceasefire after 9/11 - and this is 20 times worse."

In its latest count, Israel estimated that 222 people are being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The water situation in Gaza is critically low. Two out of the 20 lorries that entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Saturday carried 44,000 units of bottled water supplied by Unicef – enough for 22,000 people for one day and just 1% of the population. A limited number of additional units of bottled water also entered yesterday.

A UN report has said that a lack of fuel is contributing to the water crisis in Gaza, as desalination plants and water pumps can no longer operate. It is also urgently needed to power generators in hospitals.

Image source, .

Anna Foster
Middle East correspondent, in southern Israel

Image source, Family handout

As Tsachi Idan was driven away to Gaza, his hands were still covered with his daughter's blood.

He wasn't allowed to wash them after cradling 18-year-old Maayan, who was murdered in front of her family by a Hamas gunman.

Nor was he able to wipe them clean before he used his body to shelter his two youngest children, as the sound of explosions ripped through the air outside their home.

And throughout the ordeal, Hamas rigged up a phone to broadcast the family's pain and terror to the world on Facebook Live.

Gali Idan, Tsachi's wife, is now far away from their beloved Nahal Oz, one of the many southern Israeli communities attacked by Hamas on 7 October.

She and her surviving children are being looked after in a different kibbutz, surrounded by care and comfort. But it isn't home.

• Read the full article here, but a warning that it contains details that some readers may find disturbing

Sofia Bettiza
Reporting from Brussels

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Israel’s right to defence has limits.

Speaking after an EU foreign affairs meeting in Luxembourg, he said: “The limits are the limits of international law.

"Israel has the right to defend itself, and this has to be done in accordance with international humanitarian law. It cannot be a rhetorical sentence.

“This means there cannot be cutting of water and electricity for the civilian population. A population under siege cannot be deprived of water and electricity, under humanitarian law.”

Borrell said that the trucks of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza from Egypt were not enough, and that fuel was particularly needed.

“What is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe. It is absolutely imperative we provide humanitarian aid.”

We've reported that aid is filtering through from Egypt to displaced Palestinians who fled to southern Gaza.

Here are some images of people receiving food donations in Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We're moving our coverage away from UK Parliament now, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an extra £20m in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Our correspondents have begun answering your questions on the conflict here and there's still time to submit your question.

We’ll still keep updating you with latest from Israel and Gaza on this page.

Following that announcement by UK PM Rishi Sunak, that British Intelligence has found a missile launched from Gaza into Israel likely caused the devastation at Al Ahli hospital in Gaza last week, let's have a look what other leaders have said on the matter.

During a visit to Israel last week, US President Joe Biden backed Israel's account that Tuesday's blast was not caused by an Israeli air strike, but rather appeared to have been caused by a misfiring Palestinian rocket.

Addressing the explosion at the hospital, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you."

Image source, Reuters

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he was not ready to accept the US's finding. But on Saturday, Canada's Department of National Defence said Israel was not responsible. In a statement the defence department said analysis carried out by the country's intelligence command indicated a "high degree of confidence that Israel didn't strike the Al Ahli hospital on 17 October".

Palestinian officials have said the explosion killed 471 people, blaming it on Israel. Israel released evidence that it said proved Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another militant group operating in Gaza, was responsible due to a misfiring rocket.

Several Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE condemned Israel for the explosion last week.

• Here's everything our BBC Verify colleagues have found out about the blast

UK's view on Gaza hospital blast unlikely to sway Arab opinionpublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 23 October 2023

16:27 BST 23 October 2023

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The assessment by British intelligence that the Gaza hospital blast was likely caused by a Palestinian missile launched from Gaza is unlikely to sway most opinions in the Arab world.

Leaders and populations alike immediately assumed the deadly blast was a result of an Israeli air strike, which Israel has denied.

Some Arab commentators have pointed out that even if it could be proved Israel was not responsible for this particular blast, it does not change the fact that thousands of civilians have died and over a million have been displaced by Israel’s massive response to the horrific raid by Hamas into southern Israel on 7 October.

Ultimately, many people in the Arab world do not trust the word of any country that pledges its full support for Israel.

Anger in the region is still high with Arab leaders, particularly those who have made peace with Israel, fearful that protests against Israel could eventually turn against their own governments.

Sunak focuses on long-term Middle East peace ambitionpublished at 16:12 British Summer Time 23 October 2023

16:12 BST 23 October 2023

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

While some of the UK prime minister's speech (which we've covered in earlier posts) focused on immediate support, such as £20m of aid that will be sent to Gaza, a large part of it focused on longer-term ambitions for peace in the region too.

Rishi Sunak said that a "renewed creativity" was needed in efforts towards a two-state solution - the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

But he stressed that while more "effective governance" was needed in Gaza and the West Bank, there is "no scenario" where Hamas could be allowed to control Gaza or any other Palestinian territories.

British PM Rishi Sunak responds to Starmer's comments by giving a recap of the UK's humanitarian offering in Gaza - reiterating that the British government will give an additional £20m in aid.

Sunak says this is among the leading commitments to aid of any major economy.

The floor of the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK's Parliament, has now been opened to other MPs.

This means British legislators can now ask him about his statement, as well as make their own comments on the situation in Israel and Gaza.

"For too long we've talked about a two state solution," says Starmer, "without a serious path or will to make it happen".

We have allowed progress in improving relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours "without any progress" on the future of a Palestinian state, he says.

"That must change. We stand with Israel and its right to defend itself, for international law, and humanitarian support for the Palestinians because we stand for a political path to a two state solution and a better future," he concludes.

Image source, UK Parliament

The Labour party leader goes on to say democracies know innocent lives must be protected, which is why humanitarian corridors must be established for civilians in Gaza trying to escape violence.

Starmer adds that "civilians must not be targeted" and says where Palestinian people have been forced to flee for safety they must not be permanently displaced from their homes.

The UK's most senior opposition politician says international law is clear, as well as saying that basic human needs like water, food and medicine must not be denied to people who need them.

Starmer goes on to discuss the widely reported-on situation in Gazan hospitals, where a lack of supplies and power is leaving many Palestinians at risk of dying.

"Gaza needs aid and it needs to be rapid, safe, unhindered and regular," he adds.

Opposition leader Keir Starmer is first to respond to the prime minister’s speech.

Starting by referencing the Hamas attacks on 7 October, he says: "A brutal attack in Israel was the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust," citing two weeks of "grief" and "torture".

He called the release of two hostages this weekend a "small glimmer of light", but added that there are still "innocent people who could, if Hamas willed it, be released immediately".

He says that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Image source, UK Parliament

"This is a moment for great care and caution, but also for moral clarity," continues Sunak. "Hope in humanity must win out" against terrorism, he says.

The 7 October attack was driven by Hamas's fear that a new "equilibrium" is being forged across the Middle East, he says, likely in reference to moves by various Arab countries to normalise relations with Israel.

Comparing the war in Gaza to the war in Ukraine, Sunak says: "Putin will fail, and so will Hamas."

Some more key points now from Sunak’s speech in Parliament:

• He says this is "not a time for hyperbole and simplistic solutions", adding diplomacy should recognise "the hard realities on the ground"
• Sunak also says "we need to invest more deeply in regional stability and in the two-state solution" to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
• He also adds that there can be "no scenario" where Hamas can be allowed to "control Gaza or any part of the Palestinian territories"

He adds that he has spoken to other world leaders about how to prevent escalation.

Sunak goes on to say that the misreporting of the incident at the Gazan hospital "had a negative effect in the region, including on a vital US diplomatic effort and on tensions here at home".

"We need to learn the lessons and ensure in future there is no rush to judgement," he tells the Commons.

The Hamas-controlled Palestinian authorities in Gaza immediately blamed Israel for last week's Al-Ahli hospital blast, claiming it was casued by a deliberate air strike.

Israel then released evidence that it said proved Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza, was responsible due to a misfiring rocket. Islamic Jihad denied any role in the blast.

Image source, UK Parliament

Rishi Sunak says in his statement to the Commons that on the basis of analysis by British intelligence, "the UK government judges that the explosion [at Gaza's Al-Ahli hospital] was likely caused by a missile or part of one that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel".

In addition to paying tribute to those killed in Israel, the UK prime minister says Palestinians are also suffering, calling them "victims of Hamas" - whose fate he discussed with various Middle Eastern leaders.

Sunak says the UK will give a further £20m of humanitarian aid to Gaza, doubling its earlier funding.