The leader of Islamist group Hezbollah, the most powerful political and military force in Lebanon, has broken his silence on the Israel-Gaza war.

In a speech from a secret location, watched by thousands at a rally in Lebanon's capital Beirut, Hassan Nasrallah praised the 7 October attacks in Israel that killed 1,400 people.

He said the actions of Hamas - which like Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, US and elsewhere - were "right, wise and just" but described the attacks on Israel as "100% Palestinian".

Image source, Reuters

In his speech, he railed against the United States, saying it was responsible for the war in Gaza.

Nasrallah also thanked Iran-backed forces in Yemen and Iraq. Houthi rebels in Yemen have been firing drones at Israel, while Shia Iraqi militias have been targeting US forces in Iraq and Syria.

Iran supports the so-called Axis of Resistance, an alliance that includes Hezbollah - its most important force - as well as militias in Iraq, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, the Houthis, and Hamas.

Blinken also says "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict are "critical" for protecting civilians and have been an "important area of discussion" with Israeli leaders.

He says the US believes such pauses will enable more aid to flow into Gaza.

"We see it as a way also… of creating a better environment in which hostages can be released," he says.

But he says the exact details of how the pauses would work are still being ironed out.

Blinken adds that a number of "legitimate questions" were raised by Israeli officials around the pauses, including how they can be used to maximise the delivery of aid, help free hostages, and not be taken advantage of by Hamas.

Image source, Reuters

Elsewhere, we're hearing from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken - the country's top diplomat - who is speaking in Tel Aviv.

Blinken says he returned to Israel to engage in "intense diplomacy with our partners" to make sure an attack like Hamas's on 7 October never happens again.

He says a number of important steps need to be taken to make this possible, including preventing the conflict from escalating and spreading to other areas in the region.

Secondly, he says more needs to be done to protect Palestinian civilians, and that the nature of how Israel conducts its campaign to defeat Hamas matters.

Blinken says civilians should not suffer the consequences for Hamas's brutality.

He adds that sustained flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza must be increased.

Image source, Reuters

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah has been speaking for a few minutes now. He has been praising the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people. Our correspondents in the region are watching the speech and will be providing analysis of what he says and what it might mean for the ongoing conflict.

In the meantime, here's a bit more about the reclusive leader of a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the UK, US, Israel and a number of other countries.

A Shia cleric who has led Hezbollah since 1992, Nasrallah played a key role in turning it into a political - as well as military - force.

He has close links with Iran and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which date from 1981, when Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, appointed him his personal representative in Lebanon.

Nasrallah has not appeared in public for years, purportedly for fear of being assassinated by Israel.

However, he remains revered by Hezbollah and delivers televised speeches every week.

Find out more about what Hezbollah is and how powerful it is here.

Image source, Getty Images

Turning away from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for a moment, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, says 72 of its staff have now been killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.

One of those was a disabled colleague in her mid-20s who was killed in northern Gaza along with her family, spokeswoman Juliette Touma tells the BBC.

The UN is hosting 700,000 people in overcrowded shelters - with up to 100 people sharing one toilet in some shelters, Touma adds.

She reiterated the UN's call for a ceasefire, saying it was "overdue". Israel has rejected calls for a ceasefire. And several countries, including the UK and US - whose Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel at the moment - have not joined in the UN's calls for a ceasefire, instead calling for "pauses" to let humanitarian aid in.

Image source, EBU

The head of Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has started speaking. It's his first speech since the war broke out.

His whereabouts are a mystery - but thousands of people are watching him speak, including crowds of supporters gathering in Beirut, Lebanon's capital.

Hezbollah - which, like Hamas, is considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, the US and others - is the largest political and military force in Lebanon.

Earlier we reported that Israel's military said they are on "very high alert" along Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

Ahead of a speech planned shortly from the head of Hezbollah, Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Richard Hecht said the Israel Defense Forces are "deployed and ready" in the north, adding "we are in a defensive posture".

"We’re saying to the Lebanese people - don’t sacrifice your future for Hamas."

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, the leader of Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is expected to address his followers in the next few hours. But what is Hezbollah and why does it matter in this current conflict?

A powerful armed and political force

Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim organisation which is both politically influential and in control of the most powerful armed force in Lebanon.

The movement was established in the early 1980s by the region’s most dominant Shia power, Iran, to oppose Israel, whose forces had occupied southern Lebanon during the country’s civil war.

Hezbollah has participated in national elections since 1992 and has become a major political presence.

Deadly attacks

Its armed wing carried out a series of deadly attacks on Israeli and US forces in Lebanon, and when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah took credit for pushing them out.

Since then, Hezbollah has maintained thousands of fighters and a huge missile arsenal in southern Lebanon and continues to oppose Israel's presence in disputed border areas.

It is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.

History with Israel

In 2006, a full-blown war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, triggered when Hezbollah carried out a deadly cross-border raid.

Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon to try to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah. However, it survived and has since increased its number of fighters and obtained new and better weapons.

Blinken came with a message - and Israel was ready with a responsepublished at 12:20 Greenwich Mean Time 3 November 2023

12:20 GMT 3 November 2023

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came to Tel Aviv to tell Israeli leaders they needed to do more to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza – and Israeli leaders were ready with a response.

Standing before press cameras in the historic home of Israeli founding father David Ben-Gurion, President Isaac Herzog shook Blinken’s hand and held up flyers that he said provided a warning to Palestinians in Gaza that they were in an area that was targeted for an impending Israeli attack.

“The shelters in northern Gaza and the Gaza district are not safe,” the flyer read. “Hamas and the terror organisations operate from within the shelters, hospitals and schools in this area. Therefore, your presence in this is not safe!”

Blinken responded by reiterating that while Israel has a right to self defence, “how Israel does this matters”.

As the two men spoke, protesters could be heard shouting on a loudspeaker from a nearby street – families of Israelis who had been taken hostage in Gaza. It was a stark reminder of the human toll the conflict has taken, and the anger that is simmering among some in the Israeli population.

“Our heart goes out to them,” Herzog said.

The US secretary of state has spent much of the day meeting with the Israeli war cabinet – a closed-door morning gathering that was only scheduled for one hour but had run well into the afternoon.

Image source, PA Media

More now from that statement from Scotland's first minister, after it was confirmed his parents-in-law Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, from Dundee, have crossed into Egypt after being stuck in Gaza since the war broke out.

Humza Yousaf and his wife thanked the Foreign Office team who helped his in-laws, adding: "Although we feel a sense of deep personal relief, we are heartbroken at the continued suffering of the people of Gaza.

The statement goes on: "Families in Gaza and Israel are suffering after the loss of entirely innocent men, women and children.

"We pray for them all, and pray that the international community at last focuses on achieving a lasting peace in the region: one that recognises that the rights and lives of Palestinians and Israelis are equal."

Image source, PA

We've just heard that the family of Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf have left Gaza for Egypt, having been trapped in the territory since Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel.

They are among more than 100 people listed in the UK section of people allowed out of Gaza today.

A statement from Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla reads: "We are very pleased to confirm that Nadia's parents were able to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing this morning.

In his comments a few minutes ago, Blinken also said that they were thinking "every single moment of our hostages".

"So many, both Israelis, Americans, other nationals - and we're determined to do everything we can to bring them back safely to be with their families and loved ones," Blinken added.

The short press briefing then ended.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke alongside Israeli President Herzog a few moment ago.

The top diplomat said these were "difficult days" but it was good to be back in Israel to show solidarity with the country.

"We stand strongly with Israel... it has the right and obligation to defend itself and to ensure the events of 7 October never happen again," Blinken told reporters.

He said that, at the same time, "how Israel does this matters" and it was important everything was done to protect civilians "caught in the crossfire of Hamas's making".

He also said assistance had to reach those who desperately need it in Gaza, adding that both countries had a shared determination to work on that together.

We've just heard from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who showed journalists a leaflet he said was being distributed to Gaza's civilians warning them to relocate ahead of strikes.

He said the Israeli military had sent six million text messages, made four million phone calls, and dropped 1.2 million pamphlets. We were unable to see the writing on the leaflet he held up but we have seen others dropped on northern Gaza warning civilians to leave for their own safety.

Herzog said that Israel was abiding by international law, including by alerting civilians in advance of the Jabalia attack - a strike which reportedly killed dozens in northern Gaza, including a Hamas commander according to the IDF.

His comments come after UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said there had been "clear violations of international law" in Gaza.

In a speech at the UN last week, he did not accuse either side by name but referred to the alleged use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and to Israel's evacuation order to the more than one million residents of northern Gaza.

BBC Verify has looked at the bombing of southern Gaza - after civilians were told to go there for their safety.

We have just heard from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli President Isaac Herzog who made a brief statement to the media after a morning of meetings.

We will bring you their comments - stay with us.

The Scottish First Minister, Humza Yousaf's mother-in-law and father-in-law are on the list of foreign nationals who have been granted permission to leave Gaza today.

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla have been trapped in the territory since the deadly attacks by Hamas in Israel.

In recent days being on the list has not been a guarantee that people have been able to leave.

The BBC is continuing to monitor whether the couple are able to make it through the Rafah crossing and into Egypt.

You can read the full story here.

Dr Emilee Rauschenberger holds both UK and US citizenships and was able to leave Gaza yesterday.

"On Thursday, there was a large number of Americans on the list. Me and my children hold dual UK and American citizenships, my husband does not," she tells the BBC's Today programme.

"We went to the border, my husband [who is a British citizen] was helping us as far as we could go before we had to depart. He ended up being included in the list since he was with the family."

Dr Rauschenberger says it was a very unique exception because they saw many families that had been split up.

The border was "chaotic," as lots of people did not have cars or could not find taxis to go there.

"There was no system at the crossing, every individual goes to the security officials and telling them the number they were given, and if the official finds their name on the list, they are allowed to leave."

Image source, EPA

We are waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken soon - he has been meeting with the Israeli PM and the war cabinet in Tel Aviv this morning and is in Israel to call for "concrete steps" to minimise harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip.

He is also bringing a message from President Joe Biden, who last night addressed the need for a break in conflict to get aid into Gaza. "I think we need a pause," Biden said at a campaign event on Thursday.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later clarified that such a humanitarian pause would be "temporary, localised and focused, focused on a particular objective or objectives, humanitarian aid in, people out".

Both Israel and the US have rejected a blanket ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel, which they said would allow Hamas to regroup and resupply.

President Biden has previously expressed his "unwavering support" for Israel and its right to defend itself.

We've been hearing from Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari, who says in his morning update they are on "very high alert" along Israel's northern border.

There has been violence at Israel's northern border with Lebanon in recent weeks between the Hezbollah Islamist group and Israeli army. Later today the head of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, US and others, is set to make a speech, breaking weeks of silence.

"Yesterday we conducted a wide attack and struck a number of Hezbollah terror cells in response to a massive fire by Hezbollah... that injured civilians," said Hagari, according to Reuters.

"We will continue to respond harshly against any attack on Israeli civilians. We are on high preparedness in the northern border, on very high alert to respond to any event, today and in the coming days.”

Imogen Foulkes
Geneva correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The UN said this morning it would launch an appeal on Monday for $1.2bn to support 2.7 million people - the entire 2.2 million population of Gaza and 500,000 in the West Bank - until the end of this year.

This is a staggering increase on the appeal of $294m that the UN made on 12 October, but reflects what it describes as an "increasingly desperate" situation.

The funds, if the UN gets them, will go towards supplying and restoring food, water, health, and shelter.

"The cost of meeting the needs of 2.7 million people is estimated to be $1.2bn," said OCHA.

However the UN said today that its ability to help would depended not just on money, but on "safe and sustained access to all people in need, wherever they are; sufficient flow of humanitarian supplies; and - importantly - fuel".

Israel has so far not permitted fuel deliveries into Gaza, saying Hamas may use it to continue its attacks.