Image source, EPA

Prior to his announcement of an international taskforce to protect shipping in the Red Sea, following attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu thanked Austin for the US "taking action" to keep the Red Sea open for commercial vessels, adding: "This is a threat to the freedom of navigation of the entire world." US warships - along with French and British ships - have been patrolling the Red Sea area and have shot several missiles out of the sky.

Austin said the US military was "leading a multinational task force to support the basic principle of freedom of navigation", adding that "Iran's support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop".

Several major shipping lines have suspended navigation through the Red Sea, including Maersk and energy corporation BP, after the rebels targeted ships they believed were heading for Israel. The Red Sea is one of the world's most vital shipping routes.

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Image source, Reuters

A resident of Jabalia, in northern Gaza, has been speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme, saying they are "sheltering in a school and bombing is ongoing from all sides".

Jabalia has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli strikes, and Hamas officials said on Monday that 110 Palestinians had been killed there on Sunday.

They said they also had no food or water, and were sleeping in overcrowded tents: "Almost 12 individuals in a single 3 sq m tent. And lots of people have also been wounded because of the shrapnel.

"My child has been injured and his leg had to be amputated... and we don’t have the nurses or the paramedics to look after him. All we get is painkillers to alleviate the pain."

The resident added: "Children are dying, and just behind the school, between the outer wall of the school and the windows, there we have to bury all those who died - children and women. So just outside the school doors, we now have mass graves."

Image source, UK Parliament

Alicia Kearns, a senior member of the UK's ruling Conservative Party and chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, has told the BBC “Israel has lost its moral authority”.

Kearns said "international humanitarian law in my view has been broken" and Israel has gone "beyond self-defence".

She added she was “deeply uncomfortable" that the UK had abstained on key votes at the UN Security Council "because we need to get the wording right".

Kearns added her voice to calls for a pause in fighting, saying there should be a new immediate humanitarian truce and “from one truce you move to an extended truce and then hopefully towards a ceasefire".

Image source, MoD/Crown copyright/PA

The US government has announced an international coalition to focus on security in the Red Sea, following a spate of attacks on commercial ships in a vital shipping lane.

In a statement, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says the "reckless Houthi attacks" from Yemen at merchant vessels "threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law".

Several major shipping firms have suspended operations in the area following a series of attacks on ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in recent days and weeks.

"The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade," he says.

The shipping route connects ships coming from Asia and eastern Africa to Europe via the Suez Canal in Egypt, which is the main access point for the Mediterranean Sea for vessels travelling from the Indian Ocean.

Countries that "seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation", Austin says, must work together to prevent the Houthis from launching ballistic missiles and drones at commercial ships in international waters from Yemen.

He adds the mission, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, will include the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

The Israeli military has shown journalists what it says is the largest ever Hamas tunnel it has found in Gaza, with an entrance close to the Erez checkpoint - the main pedestrian crossing point into Israel.

On Sunday, Reuters filmed inside the tunnel, which it said was about three metres wide and deep. The Israel Defense Forces said it was 50m deep and about 4km (2.5 miles) long.

The IDF also released footage it said was "seized during ground operations in Gaza" and claimed it showed Muhammad Sinwar, the brother of Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, driving a car inside the tunnel.

The IDF also shared video it said was filmed by Hamas during the construction of the tunnel. The BBC has not been able to verify these two videos or the claims about the tunnels.

Image source, Lotan Cooper

The spokesperson for Kibbutz Nir Oz, the home of the three hostages shown in a Hamas video on Monday, has released a statement, calling for their immediate release.

"We appreciate any sign of life from the hostages, but time is running out," the statement says.

"The immediate release of all those abducted, through any potential negotiation avenue, is urgently required.

"Each passing day exacerbates their situation."

Amiram Cooper, Chaim Peri and Yoram Metzger have been named as the men in the video, which the BBC is not showing.

The statement from their kibbutz describes 85-year-old Amiram Cooper as a founding member of Nir Oz. A father of three and a grandfather of nine, he is an economist and poet. His wife Nurit Cooper was also taken to Gaza and was later released.

Chaim Peri is 79 years old. A father of five children and a grandfather of 13, he saved his wife, Osnat, who was hiding in the safe room, the kibbutz said.

80-year-old Yoram Metzger is a father of three children and a grandfather of seven. His wife, Tamar (Tami) Metzger was also abducted and later released.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari has called the video of three elderly hostages released by Hamas tonight as "a criminal, terrorist video" which shows "Hamas's cruelty towards innocent, very elderly civilians who are in need of medical care".

The footage shows three elderly Israeli men who were seized by Hamas during the 7 October attacks and are being held in Gaza.

The BBC does not broadcast the full details of hostage videos. The men have been named as Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger and Amiram Cooper.

Hagari added: "The world must act in order to deliver medical aid and check on the state of the hostages."

"Our heart is with all hostages and their families, all the time."

Image source, Reuters

The US says the first commercial lorries entered Gaza on Saturday, for the first time since the Israel-Gaza war broke out more than two months ago.

It's "a critical step towards improving the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza that we see not just humanitarian aid delivered, but also commercial goods that can be sold in stores and markets," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Miller did not offer details on the quantities or operators but said the lorries were largely bringing in food, which is desperately needed as the conflict continues.

Miller added the deliveries were important but not by themselves sufficient - and the US will keep working with Israel, Egypt and other countries in the region to increase aid getting into Gaza.

These commercial lorries - that entered via Rafah - are alongside the usual UN-led deliveries of aid. The Israeli government has not yet commented on the US announcement, but separately Israel has opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow aid to enter Gaza directly from Israel for the first time since the war - which Miller said was the result of "intensive diplomacy".

More now on the UN Security Council vote - which we now know has been postponed from tonight until tomorrow.

The vote on the Gaza draft resolution is now expected to take place at 10:00 local time (15:00 GMT) in New York.

The draft resolution has been put forward by the United Arab Emirates and is calling for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip".

As we reported earlier, there is a group of Palestinian Christians trapped in a church in Gaza City where they have been sheltering from fighting. People inside, including family of British MP Layla Moran, say an Israeli sniper shot and killed two people there over the weekend and injured eight more.

The BBC has heard from a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says Israel "does not want to see a single civilian caught up in the crossfire".

Mark Regev says the area around the church is an "intensive combat zone", where Israeli forces have taken casualties and are engaged in "constant firefights" and close-quarters fighting with Hamas.

After noting it would be best if civilians had left the area, Regev says Israel will "make an utmost effort" to make sure those in the church are "safe and out of the firing".

Asked if he was blaming people for not leaving northern Gaza, he denies this and says Israel's knowledge it would become a warzone was "why we urged people to leave".

"Hamas has deliberately endangered civilians by using schools, churches and mosques to shoot out of, because they want to use Gaza's civilians as human shields," Regev adds.

Image source, .

The UN Security Council vote on the UAE's Gaza resolution calling for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" has been postponed until tomorrow.

It was due to be this evening but throughout the day there has been diplomatic wrangling over the proposal, with the motion being pushed back and back.

The US is said to be seeking to tone down the words of the draft resolution, which as it stands also demands that Israel and Hamas allow aid access to Gaza via land, sea and air routes.

The draft resolution also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and affirms support for a two-state solution.

The US government, as one of five members of the security council with permanent veto powers, blocked a previous resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza.

Image source, Telegram

The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, has released a video of three elderly men being held hostage in Gaza.

The video, shared on the Telegram messaging app, shows Chaim Peri (79), Yoram Metzger (80) and Amiram Cooper (85) - with Peri addressing the camera and calling for their release.

Prisoners of war and hostages are protected under international humanitarian law and so the BBC does not broadcast the full details of material which may have been filmed under duress.

More now on the reported shooting in a Gaza church over the weekend - the US government now says it has raised concerns with Israel over the reports.

Speaking to reporters a little while ago, national security spokesman John Kirby said the US had been "closely following these alarming reports" over this weekend.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic authority in the region, said a mother and daughter were shot dead by an Israeli sniper.

Kirby also addressed the rumours of a possible new hostage deal, saying he cannot say talks are at a point where an agreement is imminent.

Image source, Reuters

With the death toll in Gaza climbing ever nearer to the 20,000 mark, the UN's refugee chief warns current estimates are falling well below the actual number of fatalities.

The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 18,700 people have been killed in the enclave since the start of the war.

"We've yet to see what's under the rubble," Martin Griffiths says in an interview with the Financial Times, external. "These estimates of [around 18,000] dead — once you start digging under the rubble, the statistics change radically."

He gives the example of the earthquakes in Turkey earlier this year, when the death toll "nearby doubled" following a gruelling search and rescue operation to recover the bodies trapped under the collapsed buildings.

With deadly Israeli bombardment continuing both in the north and south of Gaza, Griffiths believes the conflict is yet to reach its halfway mark , adding: "We’ve got weeks and weeks to go of this savage war.”

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

BBC Arabic has been talking to people in al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the centre of Gaza, where many have been displaced during the fighting.

One woman, who doesn't give her name, says there is "constant bombardment " - and the humanitarian aid that arrives "is not enough because we have a large number of children".

She hopes there will soon be different kinds of essentials for children - "such as Pampers, milk and snacks - because Palestinian children are now unable to enjoy such treats.

El Mukhtar Ghassan Mohamed Mousa, also at the camp, urged Gaza's neighbour Egypt (from where aid comes into the Palestinian enclave) to send more. He says:

Another man, named Oday, says he can't find "anything" he needs in supermarkets. "There is ongoing war," he says of the situation. "I go to the supermarket and I can't find anything... I can't find anything and I just want some chips or biscuits."

If you are just joining us or need a recap, here are the latest developments over the last few hours.

• Speaking at a news conference in Tel Aviv alongside his Israeli counterpart, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that America's commitment to Israel was unwavering and "no individual, group or state should test" their resolve
• He also said that he wasn't in Israel to "dictate timelines or terms" for the war in Gaza, which he described as "Israel's operation"
• He added that Hamas should "never again be able to project terror from Gaza into Israel"
• Israel's Yoav Gallant, standing next to Austin, confirmed that Israel would not "control Gaza in any civilian way" following the war
• He also said that the most pressing humanitarian issue in the Strip was the presence of the hostages being held there by Hamas and other Palestinian groups. He added that Israel would continue to operate in Gaza with different levels of intensity
• Meanwhile the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 19,452 people have been killed since the war broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October
• Speaking earlier on Monday, UK PM Rishi Sunak said that "too many civilian lives had been lost in the war", as he stressed that Israel had the right to defend itself "against what was an appalling terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas"
• Civilians trapped in a church in Gaza are living with an "unreal" sense of fear, according to a relative of one of those confined there. A mother and daughter were killed by IDF shooters there on Sunday, according to Pope Francis, who condemned the attack
• The UN Security Council in New York is expected to vote tonight on a new resolution calling for an "urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities"

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, in Jerusalem

The director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, has a mandate to sound out the prime minister of Qatar on a possible new round of hostage negotiations.

The two men were instrumental, along with Egypt’s spy chief, in securing the deal that saw more than 100 hostages walk free from captivity in late November, in exchange for the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, an increase in aid to Gaza and a pause in the fighting.

But this time it will be harder still. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since the last deal, along with dozens of Israeli soldiers, and the Hamas starting position, far from crumbling under military pressure, appears to have hardened.

Sources close to them have told the BBC that this time they don’t want a short-term truce, they want a comprehensive ceasefire. Other sources say that Hamas will insist on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza before releasing any hostages.

The Israeli media report that the Security Cabinet may be prepared to release some of their more high-value prisoners in exchange for the hostages, some of whom include Israeli military personnel.

But even if, somehow, a deal is reached it still leaves unresolved the question of who or what will run Gaza when the war ends and how a future resurgence in violence can be prevented.

There have been reports in recent days that efforts are under way to try and agree another temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, to recover hostages held in Gaza.

On Monday, Reuters said it had been told by two US officials that Qatar's prime minister was meeting with the CIA and Israel's Mossad spy agency. Qatar was crucial as a mediator in last month's temporary truce.

But a Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire talks has told the BBC that negotiations "haven’t begun yet", despite Israel's "repeated announcement that it is proceeding with negotiating steps".

The source says Hamas told mediators that any negotiation "would not include discussing new truces, but rather a comprehensive ceasefire, and it would not negotiate any more humanitarian pauses."

More than 100 people taken captive by Hamas in October were freed from Gaza during a week-long temporary ceasefire last month.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, .

Videos shot inside the Nasser Hospital last night capture the scenes of panic after staff said a children’s ward was hit by an Israeli artillery shell that did not explode.

A 13-year-old girl, Donia Abu Mehsen, was killed. She had already lost her parents and siblings and had to have her leg amputated following an earlier strike.

Journalists recently filmed Donia appealing for treatment overseas. “My dream is to become a doctor and treat our children,” she said.

This small hospital in Khan Younis is increasingly finding itself near the front line as Israel’s military has pushed into southern Gaza.

Yesterday, just hours before the hospital was hit, British emergency specialist Dr Chris Hook spoke to the BBC at the site as he reached the end of a gruelling month in Gaza with Doctors Without Borders.

“There’s not enough space, not enough supply, there’s not enough staff to treat all these injuries and more keep coming,” Dr Hook said.

“The scale of injury and death, alongside such massive displacement of people in such a small area is unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. I've never seen so many injuries of such significant nature and the destruction of healthcare services to such an extent.”

The Israeli military has not commented on whether the hospital was a target. But it has said it was attacking terrorists and their infrastructure in Khan Younis which is seen as a Hamas stronghold.