Summary

  • Israel's renewed bombardment of Gaza is continuing for a second day, as the military warns civilians in some areas to evacuate

  • Residents of Khan Younis say the southern city has experienced its heaviest bombardment since the start of the war

  • Aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza from Egypt for the first time since the ceasefire fell apart on Friday

  • Israel says it has pulled its negotiating team out of Qatar, which was mediating talks over a further pause in the fighting

  • The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 193 people have been killed since the bombing restarted; the Israeli military says it's struck 400 targets across the Strip

  • Sirens were also heard in parts of Israel on Friday and Saturday, with rockets fired from Gaza intercepted

  • The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October killed 1,200 people, with around 240 others taken hostage

  • Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 15,000 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign, including about 6,000 children

  1. Here's what you need to knowpublished at 18:14 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    We'll be pausing our live coverage now, so here's a quick round up of the day's events:

    • Air strikes have been carried out around Gaza for the second day following the end of the week-long ceasefire deal on Friday
    • People in Khan Younis say Israel has carried out the heaviest bombing on the southern Gaza city since the war began
    • Residents in areas east of Khan Younis were earlier told by the Israeli military to evacuate further south
    • The Israeli military says it has hit more than 400 targets since fighting resumed on Friday
    • Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says nearly 200 people have been killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes
    • The number of people killed in Gaza since the start of the war has exceeded 15,200 people, the ministry also says
    • Talks in Qatar to resume the ceasefire have collapsed and Israeli negotiators have been ordered to leave the capital Doha
    • Around 100 humanitarian aid lorries have entered Gaza via Egypt, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent
    • But aid agencies say it is not enough and warn the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza remains dire

    If you'd like to read more about the latest situation in Gaza, the main story here will be kept updated with any developments.

    Thanks for joining us.

  2. Defence minister says Israel operating in parts of Gaza they have not fought in beforepublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Earlier today, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli forces have expanded their offensive and are operating in areas they have not fought in before.

    Speaking during a visit to the Hamas border, Gallant said Israel's aim is "for the complete elimination of Hamas".

  3. In pictures: The state of the main road between Khan Younis and Rafahpublished at 17:16 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    The main road between Khan Younis and Rafah has been heavily damaged during Israel's bombardment of the southern Gaza Strip.

    Hundreds of Palestinians have been ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate their homes and head for Rafah on the Egyptian border ahead of imminent strikes.

    Palestinians walk past a crater following an Israeli airstrike on the main road between Rafah and Khan Younis on the southern Gaza StripImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Palestinians walk past a crater following an Israeli airstrike on the main road between Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip

    A group of Palestinians stand next to heavy damage on the main road betweeb Rafah and Khan Younis on the southern Gaza StripImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    A group of Palestinians, including one on a horse cart, travel on the damaged main road between Rafah and Khan Younis

    A Palestinian man stands in a crater filled with water after an Israeli airstrike on a main road in southern GazaImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    A Palestinian man stands in a crater filled with water after an Israeli airstrike

    Palestinians drive a cart past a crater on the road damaged during Israel's bombardment of GazaImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Palestinians drive a cart past a crater on the road damaged during Israel's bombardment of Gaza

  4. Harris: Israel 'must respect international and humanitarian law'published at 16:59 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    US Vice-President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a press conference held on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai, 2 December 2023Image source, Reuters

    Earlier we heard from US Vice-President Kamala Harris saying the US would not permit the forced relocation of Palestinians - she was speaking during her meeting with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on the fringes of the COP28 climate summit.

    A few hours later, she spoke to reporters in Dubai, saying that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, but she said “international and humanitarian law must be respected”.

    Harris said Israel must do more to protect civilians and that too many Palestinians had been killed. "So we all want this conflict to end as soon as possible, and to ensure Israel's security and ensure security for the Palestinian people. We must accelerate efforts to build an enduring peace."

  5. Israel's strategy 'best described as clearly designated un-safe areas'published at 16:28 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Paul Adams
    Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

    Two days into the resumption of military operations in Gaza, it’s becoming clearer how Israel says it intends to avoid civilian casualties - which are once again rising rapidly.

    Israel is no longer calling on Palestinians to move to al-Mawasi, a thin strip of territory along the Mediterranean coast which officials for weeks described as the only “safe zone.”

    “Unfortunately, we’ve not seen huge amounts of people going there,” Major Peter Lerner told me this afternoon, “so we are adjusting our operational assessment of the situation on the ground.”

    During his visit to Israel on Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Israel to take steps to protect civilians, including “clearly and precisely designating areas….where they can be safe.”

    But the new concept is probably best described as clearly designated un-safe areas, with Israel’s new grid map of the Gaza Strip showing areas where Israel intends to carry out military operations on any given day.

    Mark Regev, a senior advisor to Israel’s prime minister, said Israel’s messaging – including leaflets, phone calls and online messages – would mean that Gazans would always know where to go to be safe.

    “News travels fast,” he told journalists. “The minute one person hears it, it goes to another family and then another family.”

    But with airstrikes still happening up and down the Gaza Strip, Gazans feel that no-where is genuinely safe.

    Maj Peter Lerner said Israel would continue to hit other “high quality targets”.

  6. Who are the hostages released by Hamas?published at 15:55 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    A composite of some of the people taken hostage by HamasImage source, Family handouts

    During the seven-day ceasefire, Hamas agreed to release 110 people from Gaza - all of whom had been taken prisoner during its 7 October attacks on Israel. It was part of a deal in which 240 Palestinians were also released from Israeli jails.

    Seventy-eight of the hostages released by Hamas were Israeli women and children, while three Russian-Israelis, two women and one man not included in the deal, were also handed over.

    Some 23 Thai hostages and one Filipino were also freed as part of a separate deal between Hamas and the Thai government.

    You can read more about those released by Hamas here.

  7. Ceasefire talks have completely stalled, Palestinian official tells BBCpublished at 15:31 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Media caption,

    'Israel-Gaza talks in Qatar have collapsed'

    BBC correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf has spoken to sources in Qatar about the talks between Israel and Hamas.

    A Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire efforts has told the BBC the negotiations are completely stalled and there are currently no contacts or attempts to reach a humanitarian truce.

    According to our correspondent, the official said the Hamas delegation withdrew after presenting what they claimed were all the necessary proposals to reach an agreement, including the potential handing over of more civilian hostages and the bodies of two children killed in an Israeli air strike.

    "They accuse the Israeli delegation of rejecting all the proposals 'because Israel had already decided to resume the war'," our correspondent adds.

  8. Israel says it will facilitate aid into Gazapublished at 15:11 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Mark RegevImage source, AP

    A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will "facilitate humanitarian support" getting into Gaza as the fighting resumes.

    Speaking at a press conference, Mark Regev says Israel will "do everything we can to keep Gazan civilians outside of the crossfire" between the IDF (the Israeli military) and Hamas.

    He also urges humanitarian organisations to be on the ground in "designated safer areas where we expect civilians to congregate" until the fighting is over.

    Some 50 lorries carrying aid entered Gaza earlier today - the first since the ceasefire deal collapsed on Friday - but aid agencies have warned it is not enough.

    Around 200 lorries a day had been getting in for the week of the truce. Previously humanitarian organisations have warned more than 100 are needed daily to support the more than two million people who live in Gaza.

  9. In Pictures: Development near southern city hit by Israeli strikespublished at 15:04 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    As we've been reporting, southern Gaza has seen Israeli strikes following the collapse of the week-long ceasefire.

    Here, dozens of Palestinians are seen outside their homes in Hamad Town, a Qatari-funded development near the city of Khan Younis, after it was bombed by Israeli forces. Multiple sources indicate the residents were warned before the development was struck.

    A man carries mattresses as he walks away from the ruins of Hamad Town behind himImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    A man carries mattresses as he walks away from the ruins of Hamad Town behind him

    Residents sit on chairs or n the ground, looking at what's left of their homesImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Residents sit on chairs and on the ground a short distance away from the complex, looking at what's left of their homes

    Women and children with their belongings near the Hamas Town development after it was hit in Israeli strikesImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Women and children with their belongings after the development was hit

  10. Residents say Khan Younis hit by heaviest strikes so farpublished at 14:33 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Hugo Bachega
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    Smoke rises above buildings during Israeli strikes on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza StripImage source, Getty Images

    The next phase of the Israeli offensive will focus on southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering after fleeing the north.

    Overnight, residents say, Khan Younis experienced the heaviest bombardment since the start of the war. That is where Israeli officials believe members of the Hamas leadership are hiding.

    People in eastern areas of the city have already been ordered by the Israeli military to move to Rafah, further south.

    A ground offensive could be imminent. Despite the resumption of the fighting, US officials said they were still hopeful a deal was possible to pause the hostilities and secure the release of more hostages kidnapped on 7 October that remain in Gaza.

    But Israel announced it was pulling out its negotiators from Qatar, following the "impasse in the negotiations".

    The initial phase of the truce between Israel and Hamas involved women and children and saw three Palestinians being released from Israeli jails for every Israeli returned.

    Now, most of the around 140 captives are men and military personnel, and Hamas is said to be against their release under the same terms.

    Today, trucks with aid have been allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt again, after a day in which no supplies were delivered to the territory.

    But aid agencies say the humanitarian situation remains desperate. People are struggling to survive amid shortages of basic supplies, including food and water, and crowded hospitals are operating with limited resources.

  11. Macron to travel to Qatar for ceasefire talkspublished at 14:10 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Macron at a press conferenceImage source, Getty Images

    Speaking at the COP28 climate change summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will travel to Qatar in order to seek a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

    "This situation demands a redoubling of efforts in order to arrive at a durable ceasefire and to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas.

    "It is also needed to bring to the people of Gaza the aid that they urgently need."

    Macron said Israel's objective of a total destruction of Hamas "needs to be clarified" because it could lead to "ten years of war".

  12. US will not permit forced relocation of Palestinians - Kamala Harrispublished at 13:34 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023
    Breaking

    US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a high-level segment of the COP28 in Dubai, 2 December 2023Image source, Getty Images

    US Vice President Kamala Harris said that “under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza.”

    Her comments came during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, where she thanked him for his efforts to evacuate American citizens from Gaza.

    During their meeting in Dubai, on the sidelines of the COP28, Harris said peace efforts "can only succeed if they are pursued in the context of a clear political horizon for the Palestinian people towards a state of their own led by a revitalized Palestinian Authority".

    Harris made clear that Hamas cannot control Gaza and the US would remain committed to "relentlessly pursuing" the release of all hostages in Gaza.

  13. Current conditions don't allow for a meaningful humanitarian response, ICRC sayspublished at 13:12 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Pascal Hundt

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it fears the civilian population faces increased suffering following the resumption of fighting and has urged all parties "to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties and harm”.

    “Current conditions do not allow for a meaningful humanitarian response, and I fear it will spell disaster for the civilian population,” said Pascal Hundt, in charge of ICRC operations in Gaza.

    Hundt said: "The rules of international humanitarian law are clear and must be applied by all parties to the armed conflict.

    “Everything possible must be done to avoid or minimize damage to civilian homes and infrastructure such as medical facilities, water and electricity plants."

    He added that “hostages must be released.”

  14. Israel negotiators ordered to return from Qatarpublished at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023
    Breaking

    Israeli intelligence officers have been ordered to leave Qatar after ceasefire negotiations reached an "impasse", intelligence agency Mossad has said.

    In a statement carried by the Israeli prime minister's office, Mossad says its chief David Barnea "ordered his team in Doha to return to Israel" after being directed to do so by Benjamin Netanyahu.

    "The Hamas terror organization did not fulfil its part of the agreement, which included the release of all children and women according to a list that was provided to Hamas and approved by it," it adds.

    Qatar has been mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel since the war broke out, playing a key role in organising and extending the recent week-long temporary ceasefire and hostage releases.

  15. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say two members killed in Israeli strikes in Syriapublished at 12:33 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Two members of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) have been killed in Israeli strikes in Syria, according to Iranian state media.

    Announcing their deaths, the IRGC says Mohammed Ali Ataei Shoorcheh and Panah Taghizadeh were killed while carrying out an "advisory mission" in Syria.

    Iranian forces have helped support the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad for many years.

    Tehran is also a major backer of Hamas and powerful militia Hezbollah, who have also exchanged fire with Israel across the Lebanese border many times since 7 October.

  16. Hamas-run health ministry says 193 people killed since Fridaypublished at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023
    Breaking

    The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 193 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on the Strip on Friday.

    A further 652 people have been wounded since the end of the seven-day ceasefire, the update says.

    According to the ministry, the number of people killed in Gaza has exceeded 15,000 and more than 40,000 injured - 70% of whom it says are women and children.

  17. US sets clearer red lines for Israelpublished at 11:49 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Jeremy Bowen
    International Editor

    Palestinians travel toward safer areas to avoid air strikes in RafahImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Palestinians travel toward safer areas to avoid air strikes

    On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his starkest public statement yet about how Israel should fight the war.

    It is worth quoting at length, because it is a checklist of what the US expects from its closest ally.

    Mr Blinken said it meant "taking more effective steps to protect the lives of civilians, including by clearly and precisely designating areas and places in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and out of the line of fire".

    "It means avoiding further significant displacement of civilians inside of Gaza. It means avoiding damage to life-critical infrastructure, like hospitals, like power stations, like water facilities.

    "And it means giving civilians who've been displaced to southern Gaza the choice to return to the north as soon as conditions permit. There must be no enduring internal displacement."

    At the beginning of the war Joe Biden, the US president, visited Israel. While trying to wrap Israel in a warm and powerful embrace, he also warned his allies not to be blinded by rage as they sought justice, as America had been after the al-Qaeda attacks of 11 September, 2001.

    Mr Blinken's remarks suggest Joe Biden believes that Mr Netanyahu, with whom he has had a difficult relationship, did not listen.

    Read his full article here.

  18. First aid trucks allowed into Gaza since the fighting resumedpublished at 11:31 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023
    Breaking

    The Palestinian Red Crescent says the first humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza since the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on Friday.

    About 50 vehicles are reported to have been allowed through the Rafah crossing. Aid agencies say there's still a desperate shortage of supplies.

    The trucks are on their way to the Awja crossing for inspection before they continue their journey into the Gaza Strip, both Egyptian security and Red Crescent sources told Reuters.

    Before the war, aid agencies said around 100 trucks a day would be needed to sustain the civilian population of Gaza.

  19. Syria says Israel strike targeted area near Damascuspublished at 10:57 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Israel has carried out air strikes near Syria's capital Damascus, the Syrian defence ministry says.

    AFP news agency quotes local sources as saying that two Syrian pro-Hezbollah fighters were killed in the overnight raids. Hezbollah militants - like Hamas - are backed by Iran.

    Israel has renewed attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria since the start of the Gaza conflict. There have also been exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah forces across the Lebanese border.

    There is no word from the Israeli army on the latest strikes.

  20. UN says no aid has reached Gaza since temporary ceasefire endedpublished at 10:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 December 2023

    Juliette Touma, Spokesperson of UNRWA

    The United Nation's relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says no aid has reached Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended on Friday morning.

    Juliette Touma, the spokeswoman for the UNRWA, tells the BBC: “What we are fearful of is that we go back to where we were in the first weeks where there was an absolute ban, an hermetic siege, on the Gaza Strip - with consequences that continue to be felt even today."

    She says there are efforts to renew the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and calls for a ceasefire.

    “We are at the doorstep of a humanitarian man-made tsunami in the Gaza Strip,” Touma adds.