Image source, EPA

The Thai ministry of foreign affairs has given the media an update on the Thai hostages being held in Gaza.

It says it has received confirmation from the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv that one of the remaining nine Thai nationals who was believed to be held hostage has now been located, safely, within Israel, where he or she had been all along.

The number of remaining Thai hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October is therefore eight.

A total of 23 Thai nationals were released by Hamas during the week-long truce with Israel, which lasted from 24 November to 1 December.

• Read more: Why were so many Thais caught up in the Israel-Gaza war?

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, Getty Images

There is growing pressure on Israeli officials from the families of the 138 hostages still being held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.

Some of their representatives have published a letter to the war cabinet which states: "We have received solid intelligence that there are abductees whose condition has deteriorated and are now in immediate danger."

"We demand that you act with urgency, initiative and creativity to reach a deal for the immediate release of all the abductees," it goes on.

Observers say that a three-hour meeting last night between cabinet ministers and dozens of recently released hostages and relatives of those still held captive turned tense.

Some accused the government of putting politics before the wellbeing of their loved ones.

In a recorded statement, the Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: "As the IDF expands its operations to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, we have not lost sight, not for one moment, of our critical mission to rescue our hostages, to do everything in our power to bring our hostages home."

Following sirens that sounded in Eilat in southern Israel, Israel’s military said its missile defence system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that was launched towards Israel over the Red Sea.

The missile did not enter Israeli territory, the army said.

Some of those being held hostage in the Gaza Strip are facing an “immediate danger to life”, families of the detained have said in a letter to Israel’s war cabinet, in which they demand immediate action to secure their release.

The letter says that of those being held, at least a third are suffering from “underlying illnesses that require regular medical treatment”, and that the lack of treatment is leading to an “immediate danger to life” or “irreversible complications such as stroke or heart attack”.

It adds that many of those being detained received injuries during the attacks, including “gunshot wounds, amputations, shrapnel penetration and more”.

“We received solid intelligence that there are abductees whose condition has deteriorated and are now in immediate danger due to untreated injuries or illnesses,” it adds.

Image source, EPA

Israel’s Ministry of Defense says it has received "the 200th cargo plane carrying military equipment for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)".

A press release by the ministry says over 10,000 tons of military equipment have been delivered to Israel since the start of the war, including armoured vehicles, weapons, personal protective equipment, medical supplies and ammunition.

It adds that efforts to obtain the equipment are being led by the ministry’s US Procurement Mission.

The United States is Israel’s largest military backer, providing about US$3.8bn (£3bn) of defence aid per year.

Image source, Israel Ministry of Defence

Israel’s military has been launching attacks on targets in Lebanon, including with tanks and artillery fire, while its aircraft has also struck what it described as a military command centre and military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.

The IDF says it was responding to attacks from Lebanese territory towards its positions in northern Israel.

Since the war began, Hezbollah – an Iran-backed group that wields considerable military and political power in Lebanon – has frequently targeted Israeli positions from across the border.

Image source, Getty Images

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that it is important to minimise civilian casualties in the conflict in Gaza, a statement from the Japanese government said.

"Prime Minster Kishida stated continued growth in the number of civilian casualties should be avoided, and that it is important to calm the situation swiftly, minimise civilian casualties and observe international law including international humanitarian law," a Foreign Ministry announcement says.

In response, Netanyahu set out Israel's position on the military operation in Gaza, the announcement says, without elaborating.

Adnan El-Bursh
BBC Arabic, reporting from Khan Younis

Ever since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, and Israel's subsequent campaign of bombardment, life has been torn asunder.

I'm now alone with my team in the southern city of Khan Younis while my family is in central Gaza.

Khan Younis was the most secure place for the satellite truck I use to report from, with a good signal, until a few days ago. But now it is on the front line of this war.

I've always been proud to be a journalist but my options are running out. Life is closing in on me.

I was able to travel up to central Gaza every few days to see my family until recently. But now, the Israeli military have shut one road and the second one is very dangerous.

I'm originally from the north but I fled south with my family after being ordered to do so by the Israeli army, who said the south was a "safe place".

Now, Israel is warning us of a "dangerous ground operation" in Khan Younis and telling us we must move further south to Rafah, right on the border with Egypt.

Despite everything that has happened to me and my family since the start of the war, this is the first time I feel completely lost. All willpower and control has been ripped from me.

I'm used to keeping my family safe and secure, coming up with a plan. Now I'm torn by indecision.

Should I go to Rafah, keep working and hope my family will be OK? Or should I try to get back to them, stop reporting and if it comes to the worst, at least we die together?

I hope no-one else ever has to face this awful choice which is not a choice at all.

Image source, Reuters

As Israeli tanks try to push deeper into the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, BBC's Newshour has spoken to Ghada, a Palestinian journalist in the western part of Khan Younis.

"The situation is so horrible... air-strikes every minute and tank-shells... everything is shaking.

"Israel has said this is a safe place for now, but it is not safe.. we cannot move too much.. People are trying to flee to Rafah," Ghada said, referring to the Gaza's southernmost city on the border with Egypt.

"We have had no electricity for a few days - today I came to the hospital where I could charge my phone." She added that the water in the city is polluted, and that it's exposing people to diseases.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the fighting in the north of Gaza to take shelter in Khan Younis, after Israel told them to leave the north of the strip. Earlier this week, the UN said around 1.8 million people are internally displaced in Gaza.

Image source, Reuters

Israel appears to be intensifying it ground operations in many areas across the Gaza Strip, particularly around Khan Younis, but also in other areas.

Here are some of the latest developments:

• Israel's military is continuing its advance towards southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where it believes some of Hamas’s leadership could be hiding. Fighting is also ongoing in other areas including the Jabalia refugee camp and Shejaiya in northern Gaza
• The head of UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, says more than 600,000 people are under evacuation orders in southern Gaza, nearly half of which have already been forced to leave their homes. Philippe Lazzarini also warned that “there is nowhere to go” as shelters are over capacity

• Israel has urged civilians to move to Rafah near the Egyptian border, or to al-Mawasi, a thin strip of land along the Mediterranean coast. In an apparent reference to al-Mawasi, Unicef spokesman James Elder told the BBC that the "humanitarian areas" designated by Israel are “tiny patches of land” with no water or shelter
• The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 73 people have been killed in central Gaza in the past 24 hours, while more than 100 injured people were taken to the al-Aqsa hospital
• Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed there are still 138 hostages being held in Gaza, and called on the international community to do more to secure their release

Away from the fighting in southern Gaza, the IDF says it carried out an overnight raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.

The IDF says it located two tunnel shafts and three "bomb-making labs", and it detained 10 "wanted Palestinians".

It also says it seized several firearms, weapons, and other equipment.

The IDF says troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen in the area, "returning fire at armed suspects and those hurling explosive devices", leaving one IDF soldier lightly hurt.

The IDF says another 16 suspects were detained in other parts of the West Bank.

Attacks have surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by Hamas's assault on southern Israel on 7 October, and Jenin has been repeatedly raided by Israel as part of a drive against militants.

Image source, .

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

Image source, Reuters

The UN’s human rights chief says Palestinians are living in "utter, deepening, horror".

Volker Turk was speaking in Geneva, where he told journalists that in the conflict in Gaza there was a heightened risk of "atrocity crimes".

He also warned both Israel and Hamas leaders against what he said were "dehumanising statements" which could be seen by a competent court as "incitement to atrocity crimes".

Turk also addressed the reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas, which he said he took extremely seriously. They must be investigated, he added, because the victims must have justice.

He revealed that he had written to the Israeli government in the second week of October, offering to deploy a team of UN human rights monitors to investigate the attacks on Israel. He said he had yet to receive an answer, but still hoped for a response.

Israel has traditionally refused to cooperate with UN human rights investigators, claiming they are biased.

Israel’s relationship with international organisations like the UN and the ICRC has worsened recently, amid claims by Israel that they are neglecting the suffering of Israelis in the Hamas attack, and sensitivity from Israel over aid agencies’ vocal concerns about the conduct of the war in Gaza.

This week Israel said it would not renew the visa of the resident UN humanitarian coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territories, because it had lost trust in her.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, .

Sixty-year-old Khalil Ahmad abu Sulaym says the situation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis is “dire”.

“Last night we couldn’t sleep and even at this moment, we don’t know where to go. We’ve been displaced for 55 days,” he says.

Khalil says he has moved to different parts of Khan Younis in efforts to find somewhere safer, but has not considered trying to flee the city despite “relentless bombing”.

“I want to remain in Khan Younis until I am killed here. Even if they try to force me, I will not leave. Even if it means facing death,” he says.

He adds that "nowhere in Gaza is safe".

Yesterday, Israel said its troops had reached "the heart of Khan Younis" - the largest southern city - on the "most intense" day of fighting in its ground operation.

Image source, @AvichayAdraee/X

The IDF says it has found one of the largest stockpiles of Hamas weapons in the northern Gaza Strip comprised of hundreds of rockets, launchers, grenades, drones and explosive devices.

The IDF spokesman for the Arabic media, Avichay Adraee, said the weapons were found near a clinic and a school.

The IDF claimed to have found hundreds of missiles and launchers, dozens of anti-armour missiles, dozens of explosive devices, long-range missiles that were "directed to be launched towards the centre of the State of Israel", and dozens of hand grenades and unmanned aerial vehicles.

"All weapons were seized by the forces, some of which were detonated in the field, while others were sent to follow up the investigation."

He said the "terrorist infrastructure was found near civilian buildings within the civilian population" providing "further evidence of the terrorist organisation Hamas's ridiculous use of the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields".

Image source, .

After weeks of fighting focused on northern Gaza – particularly around Gaza City – much of Israel’s military campaign is now concentrated on the enclave’s south, and its largest city of Khan Younis.

Israeli believes some senior Hamas leaders could now be hiding in the city, which is the hometown of the overall commander of the group's military wing, Mohammed Deif, and the group's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

People in Khan Younis - hundreds of thousands of whom were forced to flee northern Gaza earlier in the war - are being ordered by Israel to evacuate and head towards Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the nearby al-Mawasi area on the coast.

But Israel’s campaign also continues in the north, including around the Jabalia refugee camp - Gaza’s largest before the war - which Israel claims was being used by Hamas as a base. It’s unclear how many civilians remain at Jabalia, but it has been the target of Israeli air strikes in recent weeks.

Another area of focus for Israel is around Shejaiya, regarded as another Hamas stronghold, close to Gaza City.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

We’ve just been speaking to Muhammad Mahmoud Kafina in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, who says he “will not move” again.

Muhammad, 76, arrived in Khan Younis three weeks ago, after his home in Gaza City was destroyed in bombing.

“The road was very hard on that day, very harsh. We were holding up our IDs and walking… I was walking with my head down and kept on reciting the Quran,” he recalls.

Muhammad describes the current situation in Khan Younis as “very hard” but says it is “much better than Gaza City where we were facing death every hour”.

“There is constant bombing on Khan Younis but it is not as strong as it was in Gaza City - it does not reach the strength of destruction,” he says, adding that he has not yet seen any Israeli tanks or troops.

“For myself, I do not want to get displaced again but my wife keeps on telling me ‘lets get out of here’, but I say that I will not go... I will not move at all.”

There has been fierce fighting in Khan Younis, with the Israeli military on Tuesday saying they had reached the heart of the city.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 73 people have been killed in central Gaza in the past 24 hours.

In an update, the health ministry says 73 bodies and 123 injured people were taken at the al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza in the past day.

We'll bring you more information as we have it.

Israeli forces going full speed ahead despite US pressurepublished at 10:05 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2023

10:05 GMT 6 December 2023

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor, reporting from Israel

Image source, Reuters

One way of measuring what is happening in Gaza is to look at what the US have said very clearly they want the Israelis to do.

That is: to kill fewer Palestinian civilians, to fight in a different way, not to cause displacements of large numbers of people in what is a very small area.

But on all those points, the Israelis are not doing what the Americans say.

It’s politically awkward for US President Joe Biden, but I think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calculating that they can go their own way and the Americans will continue to support them.

And if you look at the scale of what they are doing in Gaza, the Israelis have said that yesterday they carried out 250 air strikes.

Being even a mile away from just one air strike is pretty appallingly terrifying - 250 is an entirely different degree of impact. And I think one of the purposes of that, apart from their stated top priority of pursuing Hamas, is that they want to show the population that when the Israelis say "move" - you need to move.

They have declared today there will be a pause around the middle of the day to allow people to relocate. But this is essentially – as one UK government minister said – kettling people into smaller and smaller areas.

And as the UN has said, because of what’s going on, it is no longer meaningful to describe the aid operation there as being effective.

They can no longer get to the people who need help and they are not able to supply what’s required – it sounds really chaotic, difficult and dangerous.

And the Israelis, despite the pressure from the Americans, are going full speed ahead.

Image source, X/IDF

Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed there are still 138 hostages being held in Gaza, and called on the international community to do more to secure their release.

“Our intelligence has been monitoring the situation of our hostages, and I can say with absolute certainty that every moment in Hamas captivity endangers their lives,” Hagari said in a briefing.

“Every day, every hour, every minute is critical."

Hagari said that the international community “must take action”, and that the Red Cross must have access to the hostages.

“The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will do everything in its power to bring them home. We call on others to do the same,” he said.

A total of 110 hostages taken during the 7 October attacks on Israel have been released - 78 were freed during a six-day ceasefire at the end of November as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s military continues to advance towards the centre of Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, as Israeli officials believe some of Hamas's leadership are hiding there.

Here's a look at the latest images from the Gaza Strip today.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters