Image source, EPA

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out a drone strike during clashes with Palestinians near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank "a short while ago", the Israeli military has said in social media posts.

Two people were also arrested in Jenin amid a gunfight with "armed terrorists" according to an IDF statement posted online.

The clashes broke out as Israel was conducting patrols near the Jenin refugee camp, Israel says, and began after Palestinian militants opened fire and threw bombs at Israeli troops.

In it's statement, Israel says that "hits were identified" by the drone strike, as well as in the gun fight.

No Israeli troops were reportedly injured.

On Sunday, Israel launched an airstrike against a mosque in Jenin that it said was being used as a "terrorist compound".

Image source, Reuters

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called for “humanitarian pauses on hostilities” in Gaza to allow for the delivery of aid and the evacuation of civilians.

“The way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters,” she said in a statement, external on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“It matters to civilians throughout the region, and it matters to Israel’s ongoing security.”

The latest statement comes as the Australian PM visits Washington for a state dinner at the White House.

It also comes hours after the Australian government announced that it was deploying a “significant contingent” of troops and aircraft to an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry has told BBC News that UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres must resign for "outrageous" comments he made in a speech earlier on Tuesday.

In his speech alleging violations of international humanitarian law, Gutteres said: “It is important to also recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."

“But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight, Israeli spokesman Lior Haiat said the UN chief's speech contained just "one minute in empty words about the atrocities by Hamas terrorists" and gave "justification for terrorism".

"Instead of standing with the victims, he blames the victims for an atrocity that we haven’t seen the like of since the Holocaust," he continued.

"Instead of standing with a message saying ‘Never again’ he’s actually saying to the terrorists ‘You’re allowed to do that, we accept your brutal terrorism because Israel is to blame’".

Image source, Getty Images

Queen Rania of Jordan has condemned Western media coverage of the war in Israel and Gaza, saying there is a "glaring double standard” in how it covers attacks on Palestinian and Jewish communities.

“It has been very disappointing to see the double standards in the world today, to see the strong condemnation of what happened on 7 October but very little condemnation of what is happening today,” she told CNN in an interview from Amman that aired on Tuesday.

“Why isn't there a call for an immediate ceasefire? We are seeing staggering human suffering happening today, so why is the narrative always skewed towards the Israeli side?" continued the monarch.

“We are being told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family at gunpoint, but it’s okay to shell them to death… . And it is just shocking to the Arab world,” she said.

She later added: “This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering, and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire. So the silence is deafening.”

Nomia Iqbal
BBC News, Washington

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Basim Elkarra, a Palestinian American who is executive director for the Council on Islamic Relations, dreads every text message he receives.

“Last night was the most brutal. I called my cousin and her sister’s son was killed – her only son. We lost family members on my mom's side and my dad's side,” he says from his home in Sacramento, California.

“I got text messages from friends here in California. Several of their family members have been killed.”

He says he’s hugely disappointed with President Biden’s stance on Israel, adding that he feels “‘tremendous guilt” at the government using his tax dollars to pay for weapons being used in Gaza.

Elkarra served on the California Democratic Party as chair of the affirmative action committee for 10 years, but feels this is a turning point for him ahead of the 2024 election.

He says he doesn’t know any Muslim Democratic leader or any Arab American Democratic leader that backs Biden’s unequivocal support for Israel.

These leaders don’t want to vote for Donald Trump, so they are “trying to push for another alternative within the Democratic Party because Biden has not shown leadership on a major crisis that impacts the entire world.”

Biden risks losing the American Muslim vote, he says, unless he calls for immediate ceasefire.

“There cannot be any more Palestinians killed.”

Early on Wednesday morning local time, Israeli fighter jets attacked military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army, according to Israel's military.

The attack came in response to launches toward Israel on Tuesday, the IDF said.

No other details are immediately available.

Image source, Getty Images

The Middle East director for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) has delivered an update on the number of children who have been killed in the past 18 days of fighting.

In Gaza there have been 2,360 fatalities and a reported 5,364 injuries, said Adele Khodr, noting that around 400 Palestinian children there are either killed or injured every day.

“The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Khodr.

“The killing and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks on hospitals and schools, and the denial of humanitarian access constitute grave violations of children's rights.”

At an event to welcome the prime minister of Australia to Washington DC on Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden deflected when asked by a reporter if he is "urging Israel to delay its ground invasion".

Biden responded: "The Israelis are making their own decisions."

For days, Israel has signalled that its massed forces are poised to go into Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas as a military force following its raid into southern Israel on 7 October.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s PM appeared to hint that the ground invasion was coming soon.

“We stand before the next stage, it is coming," Benjamin Netanyahu told troops, according to a press release from his office.

Victoria Bourne
BBC News

Image source, ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

At the Israeli Embassy in London, relatives of people who were murdered or kidnapped by Hamas earlier held an emotional press conference.

Ayelet Svatitzky, a British-Israeli citizen, told the dozens of reporters in the room that her "life stopped on the 7 October" when she found out that her elderly mother and two brothers had been captured.

Her oldest brother, Roi Popplewell, 54, was shot dead. Her mother Channah Peri and brother Nedev Popplewell were looking forward to a holiday in London but instead she said they were: “being held against their will in Gaza”.

David Barr, who grew up in Leeds, said: “Life is turned upside down by death, by hatred, by evil people, monsters.”

His sister-in-law Naomi was shot twice at point-blank range on her morning run.

Eighteen days have passed since Ofri Bibas Levy received any sign of life from her brother Jordan, who messaged her saying he loved her when Hamas was nearby.

The pain was evident in her voice as she described being too scared to call him in case it gave away his location.

His wife Shiri, their four-year-old old son Ariel and nine-month-old baby boy Kfir were also captured.

When asked about hostages being freed, she said: "We can't forget what happened. Those releases are like torture for us."

People in Gaza have been out looking at the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes.

Earlier, UNRWA, the aid agency providing aid in the territory - said their operation could end tomorrow if they don't get any more fuel.

One IDF spokesperson says Hamas is stockpiling fuel.

Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Australia is deploying more of its military forces to the Middle East.

Acting PM Richard Marles said two aircraft and number of personnel have been sent to the region as a precautionary measure.

Marles didn't say how many troops were being sent, but confirmed it was a "significant number".

Image source, PA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Today we've heard from one of the hostages, aid trucks have entered the Gaza strip and the impact of low power in hospitals has been addressed. If you're just joining this page, here's a round up of what's been going on.

• The Palestinian Red Crescent says eight aid trucks have entered Gaza, from Egypt
• Hamas officials in Gaza said 700 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours as Israel continued a wave of air strikes
• Of the two hostages that were freed last night, one has said she's "gone through hell" and said hostages felt "let down" by the Israeli army
• US President Joe Biden said aid is not getting in “fast enough"
• The UN says it’s going to run out of fuel in Gaza in the next 24 hours, jeopardising its humanitarian efforts
• Israel says Hamas is hoarding fuel for itself and has published an image of storage tanks, which it says contain five hundred thousand litres of fuel

The Embassy of Israel to the US has also tweeted about aid trucks arriving in the Gaza Strip.

On X, external it shared photos of those moving the aid, saying: "International medical aid arriving to Gaza.

"We hope and pray that it won’t be cynically misdirected or seized by Hamas."

The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) has said eight trucks containing water, food and medicine have entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, through the Rafah crossing.

According to PRCS, who announced it on X, external, formerly known as Twitter, said the aid contained five trucks of water, two trucks of food and one truck of medicine.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby gave a press briefing in which he touched upon several elements of the situation in Israel and Gaza.

Here is some of what he said:

• Speaking about civilian casualties, Kirby said war is "ugly, and it's going to be messy", saying "innocent civilians are going to get hurt"
• But he added that this does not mean the US isn't going to do "everything we can to help the Israelis do everything they can to minimise it"
• Kirby suggested Iran was "certainly complicit" in the attack, saying "without them (Iran), there is no Hamas"
• He also said there was "no indication that any other nation state or actor" was preparing to escalate the conflict, but said the US was watching this closely

The Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza says about 50 people were killed in the last hour of Israeli strikes on the territory today.

A spokesman for the ministry said the Israeli army had expanded its target areas in Gaza.

When asked about the statement, the Israeli military said it didn’t have information regarding casualties in the Gaza strip.

Image source, MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Akkram, a translator currently in Gaza, has been telling BBC Radio 4’s PM programme what people on the ground there are thinking and feeling.

He says the people of Gaza feel more anger than they did before.

“Now people say Hamas should continue firing rockets. Hamas should continue fighting. Because we cannot do anything but stand up for justice and fight for our dignity.”

Akkram goes on to describe what it is like living in Gaza right now. "People here have been deprived of everything," he says, "When I walk down the street I know I might get hit anytime."

He lost nine neighbours when a house near his was hit.

"Bombardment continues from four directions," he says.

"The basics of living are very scarce. I am lucky to have solar panels. There is no more bottled water."

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

No aid has entered the Gaza Strip today. A UN official said trucks had been stuck at the Rafah crossing from Egypt for ten hours.

Asked by reporters about the slow pace of humanitarian relief, US President Joe Biden said simply “not fast enough.”

The UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, says it will run out of fuel tomorrow, making it impossible to maintain any kind of relief effort.

Israel has refused to allow fuel into the Gaza Strip since imposing a total blockade, following the devastating series of Hamas attacks on 7 October.

But tonight the Israeli military posted on X a satellite photo of a dozen fuel tanks , externalinside the Gaza Strip, just north of the Rafah crossing, saying they contained 500,000 litres of fuel.

And they offered this advice to UNRWA: “Ask Hamas if you can have some.”

Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah and journalist Plestia Alaqad describe the situations at two hospitals in Gaza.

Image source, EPA

If you've just joined us, or need a recap, here's a quick round up of what's been happening so far on Tuesday.

• The UN chief, Antonio Guterres has said he is "deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza"
• In the same speech he said the Hamas attack "did not happen in a vacuum"
• Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen confronted Guterres about the comment, while Israel's UN ambassador called on him to resign
• The United Nations agency responsible for getting aid into Gaza told the BBC its operation will have to end tomorrow if they don't get more fuel
• US President Joe Biden meanwhile reiterated that aid isn't getting into Gaza fast enough
• Hospitals are also running low on power, with Al Shifa in Gaza saying its electricity will last only another 48 hours
• One of the two Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and freed yesterday, Yocheved Lifshitz, described going through "hell which we never imagined"