A missile launched from a rebel-controlled area of Yemen has hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea.

The extent of the damage caused is not yet known but the projectile is said to have caused a fire on the deck of the ship, which is reported to be German-owned.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking vessels in Red Sea shipping lanes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza over two months ago, in a campaign they say aims to support the Palestinians.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke about the attacks at his press conference in Tel Aviv earlier, describing the Houthi rebels as a "threat to freedom of navigation to commercial shipping" and added that international partners were working to deal with the threat.

US, French and British warships are patrolling the area and have shot down several missiles fired at ships.

Joel Gunter
Reporting from the West Bank

In a family home in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, Yazen Alhasnat was rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Yazen, 17, had been released from prison the night before after being held for months under "administrative detention" - a security law that allows the Israeli state to imprison people indefinitely without charge.

"They have a secret file," Yazen said. "They don't tell you what's in it."

Israel has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks for its use of administrative detention. Before the Hamas attack on 7 October, the number of administrative detainees was already at a 30-year high of 1,300. It has since shot up to nearly 3,000.

Israel says its use of the law is a necessary preventative measure to combat terrorism. But human rights groups say it violates international law.

"Administrative detention should be a rare exception," said Jessica Montell, executive director of Israeli human rights organisation Hamoked. “But it is clear Israel is not using it that way.”

You can read more about Israel's use of administrative detention and the Palestinians subject to it here.

As we've been reporting, Israel's military has intensified its bombardment of Gaza, both north and south of the enclave, hitting Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.

This morning, casualties were seen being taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, as Palestinians reported heavy attacks along the coastal strip.

Children were reported to have been among those killed in strikes on Khan Younis and Rafah overnight.

Sullivan, speaking in Israel before he travels to the West Bank to meet the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, reiterated the US view that the Authority needs to adapt and respond to the changing situation.

"We do believe that the Palestinian Authority needs to be revamped and revitalised, needs to be updated in terms of its method of governance, its representation of the Palestinian people," he said.

"And that will require a lot of work by everybody who is engaged in the Palestinian Authority, starting with the (Palestinian) president."

He said it will ultimately be up to the Palestinian people to work through their representation, and it will be up to leaders of the Palestinian Authority to work through the "types of steps that they need to take to reform and update the Authority for the situation we face today".

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan goes on to say the US wants to see results on Israel's intent to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.

Sullivan says there's a "basic matter of dignity" that the Palestinian people "deserve as human beings", and he says that has been conveyed to the Israeli government.

He adds that Hamas continues to hold hostages in "dire circumstances", and that they are "using civilians are human shields, hiding behind hospitals and schools".

Sullivan reiterates that Israel has the right to "go after Hamas" while taking into account international law.

"I joined President Biden on his visit on 18 October, and our message then is the same as my message today, which is that the United States stands with Israel."

Image source, Reuters

At a press conference in Israel, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says he's had constructive conversations with Israel about the way it's waging war against Hamas, including a transition from "high-intensity" fighting to more "precise" targeting of the group's leaders.

Speaking to reporters, Sullivan wouldn't be drawn on timelines as to when the conflict might come to an end, although he says the US agrees it could take months.

He says the Israeli government has indicated it doesn't have any long-term plans to occupy Gaza but agrees that the Palestinian Authority needs to be revitalised in order for there to be an eventual "negotiated outcome".

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says it has captured and destroyed the headquarters of Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion based in an eastern district of Gaza City.

IDF Spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, external that Hamas fighters in the unit were "eliminated" by aircraft strikes, tanks and engineers who destroyed a tunnel in the complex.

The Shejaiya district has been the scene of intense fighting over the course of the conflict. Several residential apartment blocks there have been razed by the IDF and earlier this week, nine Israeli soldiers were killed in the area in an ambush.

In a further update on fighting elsewhere, the IDF says it also targeted "terrorist infrastructure in the heart of the city of Khan Younis". It also claims to have destroyed a weapons warehouse and a number of vehicles found in a tunnel, which it says were used in the 7 October attacks.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) says it has recovered the bodies of two Israeli soldiers who were taken hostage by Hamas during its 7 October attack on southern Israel.

Nik Beizer, 19, was on duty at an IDF base at Erez Crossing, a route between Gaza and Israel, when it was attacked.

Ron Scherman, also 19, was abducted while serving as a non-commissioned officer in the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration, the IDF said.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the IDF said: "We share in the grief of the families and will continue to support them."

You can read more about the people taken from Israel on 7 October here.

What the US hopes to achieve in West Bank discussionspublished at 08:29 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2023

08:29 GMT 15 December 2023

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

On recent trips by senior US officials, they have made a point of engaging with leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA), political rivals to Hamas who govern parts of the occupied West Bank.

There are two main reasons: they want to stop the conflict in Gaza from spreading further and plan for the day after the war, which Israel says is meant to topple Hamas from power.

Despite opposition from Israeli leaders, Washington envisages a role for the PA.

A US official said today’s discussions in Ramallah would look at “ongoing efforts to revamp and revitalise” the PA and ways to combat “extremist settler violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.

What adds to the complications for Washington is the unpopularity of the PA among Palestinians.

A poll this week indicated that this had only increased since the war began with some 60% calling for its dissolution.

The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is meeting the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later on today.

The focus of their talks is expected to centre on to discussions around the future governance of Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority governs part of the West Bank not under Israel's control, and is separate to the government that operates in Gaza, which is run by Hamas.

Yesterday Sullivan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that his country would fight its war with Hamas until they achieve an "absolute victory".

Sullivan told Netanyahu that the US would like to see a lower-intensity military campaign in Gaza, focusing on high-value targets to help protect civilians, according to US officials.

Appearing on Israeli TV, he said: "I'm not here to lecture or dictate. Israel is a friend and a partner. We sit down and we consult and we talk as friends."

Image source, Social media

Videos emerged on social media yesterday showing Israeli troops praying and singing down a microphone in a mosque in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, prompting the IDF to condemn the behaviour.

This morning, a senior politician in Israel said it's "shameful" that IDF soldiers were suspended after they sang Hebrew songs in a mosque, despite the IDF saying the soldiers acted against "codes of conduct within a religious establishment".

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted on X , externalthat the soldiers are “heroes” who “risked their lives for us in the Jenin operation".

Gvir also criticised Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “bringing politics into the IDF" and "hurting the morale of its fighters".

The IDF said those responsible "were immediately removed from operational activity".

Image source, Reuters

The intense bombardment of towns and cities in Gaza, including Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, by Israeli forces is continuing.

Palestinian health officials say four people, including two children, were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike on a house in Khan Younis early this morning, with reports of other wounded Palestinians being taken to Nasser hospital in the city.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said overnight Israeli airstrikes also killed and injured people in Rafah. One of the strikes is said to have hit a housing block near the Kuwaiti hospital in the city.

Thick, black plumes of smoke could be seen in southern Gaza from Israel after dawn on Friday. The cause of the smoke was not immediately known.

Many Gazans fled towards Rafah after Israel urged them to leave parts of Khan Younis - where hundreds of thousands had already fled from north Gaza earlier in the fighting. Israel believes Hamas leaders are hiding out in the south of the Gaza Strip.

France's foreign minister has expressed her sorrow at the news of the death of Elia Toledano, 28, a French citizen who was taken hostage by Hamas in the 7 October attack on Israel.

Catherine Colonna said "we share the pain of his family and loved ones" after Toledano's body was recovered by the Israeli military.

In a post on social media, external, Colonna went on to say that the release of all hostages is France's priority.

As we've reported, the Israeli military say their special forces have recovered the body of Elia Toledano, 28, who had been held by Hamas in Gaza since the 7 October attacks on southern Israel.

Toledano was among a number of people to be seized from the Supernova music festival close to the border with Gaza.

No details have been provided on how or when he died, but the military said an "identification procedure" had been carried out by medics, military rabbis and forensic experts.

Toledano was at the Supernova festival with friend Mia Schem, 21, who was released on 1 December as part of the temporary truce deal.

More than 130 hostages taken from Israel are thought to remain in Gaza, though some have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.

You can read more about the missing hostages here.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Israel has continued its heavy bombardment of Gaza overnight, with children reported to have been among those killed in strikes on Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.

Recently, the US - Israel’s closest ally - has shown increasing disquiet about the number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis caused by the war.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about shifting to a more precise phase of military operations had been “constructive”. Unconfirmed reports suggest the US is pressing for that by the end of the year.

In Washington, US President Biden said he didn’t want Israel to stop going after Hamas but wanted it “to be focused on how to save civilian lives.” Today, Sullivan is due to meet Palestinian Authority officials in the occupied West Bank.

In a separate development, Israeli special forces are said to have recovered the body of an Israeli hostage, Elia Toledano, who was snatched by Hamas from a music festival on 7 October. More than 100 hostages are still thought to be alive in Gaza.

Image source, Reuters

An official from the he United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees has described Gaza as becoming "unliveable".

Speaking to the BBC News Channel, Juliet Touma from UNRWA says recent bad weather is worsening the already dire conditions in the strip.

She says UNRWA have 150 more shelters but need to open more, as the existing ones are "overcrowded and cannot take people any more".

Touma goes on to explain people are "resorting to just building shacks” or living in their cars.

She says UNRWA are bringing aid into the region, but adds that the agency is restricted to Rafah because of "heavy bombardment" by Israel.

It's just gone 08:00 in Israel and Gaza, and 06:00 in London.

The ground incursion into Gaza's second city, Khan Younis, has been intensifying as Israel pounds the area.

Internet and phone networks across the Palestinian territory again went down yesterday, according to the region's main telecoms company.

A key moment to watch today will be when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan heads to the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders.

Sullivan yesterday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel would continue its war effort until "absolute victory".

Washington has strongly supported Israel's right to defend itself following the Hamas attacks in October but the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza has caused growing tension between the close allies.

Also in the West Bank, video has emerged of Israeli soldiers singing and praying into a microphone at a mosque in Jenin - prompting the defence spokesman to warn "anyone who does not conduct themselves according to IDF values will face corresponding measures".

In an update, the IDF says its special forces have retrieved the man's body during an operation in Gaza.

Elia Toledano, 28, was taken hostage at the Supernova music festival on 7 October, alongside his friend Mia Schem who was freed two weeks ago during the temporary pause in fighting.

Toledano's body has been returned to Israel, where it was identified by medical officers and police.

"The IDF sends the family its heartfelt condolences," a statement says.

Patrick Jackson
Live page editor

Dawn is breaking in Gaza and we can see a pall of dark smoke hanging over the strip on a live video stream, set up from across the boundary inside Israel.

My colleague in Sydney, Nicole Ng, has just cut this clip.

Patrick Jackson
Live page editor

It's 03:20 in Israel and Gaza, and 01:20 here in London. Over a live video feed from Gaza, shrouded in darkness, we have just seen a bright red flash in the distance. We can hear the chatter of machine-gun fire, and the whirring of drones or other aircraft is constant. It is clear that Israel's offensive against Hamas continues unabated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, that Israel will continue the war until "absolute victory".

The US called on Israel to scale down its war in the "near future", with Biden urging more to be done to protect civilian lives in Gaza.

Sullivan pushed the Israeli government on the timescales of the conflict after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told him it would last several more months.

Sullivan will head to the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah later on Friday for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders.

Washington has strongly backed Israel's right to defend itself following the Hamas attacks in October but mounting civilian casualties have caused growing tension between the close allies.