Summary

  • A senior Israeli official has said hostages being held in Gaza won't be freed before Friday

  • A pause in fighting was expected to begin on Thursday, but an Israeli government source told the BBC it has also been delayed

  • The Israeli foreign minister earlier said he expected the first hostages to be received on Thursday

  • Under the planned agreement, 50 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas will be released and 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails freed

  • Israel has continued its ground and air operation in Gaza - and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to win "absolute victory" over Hamas

  • Israel began attacking Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed the border on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 others hostage

  • Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 14,000 people - including more than 5,000 children - have been killed in Israel's campaign

Live Reporting

Edited by Alex Binley

  1. Palestinian media: Several killed in Israeli strikes on Nuseirat refugee camp

    In the last few hours we've seen reports from Palestinian news outlets of several people killed from Israeli strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

    News agency Wafa said 17 people were killed, while news outlet Palestinian Information Center put the figure as 15 with "a large number" still under the rubble.

    Israeli authorities have yet to comment. We haven't been able to verify this yet, but we'll bring you more updates as soon we can.

    Map of refugee camps in Gaza

  2. Biden says he believes hostage deal could be near

    Joe Biden crosses his fingers in response to a journalist's question about a prospective hostage dealREUTERS

    The US President crossed his fingers when asked about a hostage deal

    The US president's comments on a potential hostage deal came during a Thanksgiving ceremony several hours ago.

    When asked by a reporter whether a deal was near, Biden crossed his fingers and said: "I believe so".

    This followed a White House national security official Jon Finer saying on Sunday that negotiators were "closer than we have been perhaps at any point since these negotiations began weeks ago".

    Qatar's PM on the weekend also said the goal of bringing back the hostages was within reach.

  3. Hamas leader says they are close to a deal with Israel - reports

    In the last hour we've seen reports quoting Hamas's leader saying they are approaching a deal with Israel.

    Negotiations between the two sides have been taking place in Qatar which is acting as a mediator.

    Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh had said the group had "delivered its response to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and we are close to reaching a truce agreement", according to wire news agencies and Palestinian news outlets.

    There has been no update from Israel.

    It comes after a US senior official said on Monday that a deal to release hostages taken from Israel during Hamas's attacks last month, in exchange for pauses in fighting, is "closer than ever before".

  4. If you're just joining us

    Tessa Wong
    Live page editor, Singapore

    If you're just joining us, you can catch up on our previous live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war here.

    And here's a quick summary of what we know so far:

    • The director of Gaza's Indonesian Hospital has told the BBC there is still “intermittent shooting” being heard at the site, which is still sheltering about 500 patients.
    • He also said an earlier attack on the building - which the WHO said killed 12 people - came from Israeli forces. The Israeli military said it had come under fire "from within" the hospital and retaliated, but insisted it did not fire shells.
    • US President Joe Biden says a deal that would see Hamas releasing hostages could be close. Asked by a reporter whether an agreement was near, he said: "I believe so".
    • The International Committee of the Red Cross - a humanitarian organisation which facilitated previous hostage releases - says its boss has travelled to Qatar to meet with Hamas, further raising hopes of a deal.
    • Twenty-eight out of 31 premature babies who were evacuated from the besieged al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Sunday have now been taken into Egypt. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 12 of them have been flown to Cairo for further treatment; all of whom are fighting "serious infections and other conditions".

    Together with my colleague Frances Mao, I'll be bringing you the latest developments as soon as we know them. Stay with us.