Hamas says that Palestinian groups have rejected the prospect of further hostage releases until Israel agrees to end the war in Gaza.

In an Arabic statement shared on Telegram, Hamas said: "There is a Palestinian national decision that there should be no talk about prisoners or exchange deals except after a comprehensive cessation of aggression."

It is unclear which other Palestinian factions the statement refers to. Islamic Jihad, a smaller group in the Gaza Strip, is also holding Israeli hostages.

Negotiations on bringing about a new truce in the war are currently taking place in Cairo, Egypt, though initial talks on Wednesday bore no fruit, with Hamas reportedly saying it would not agree to another temporary pause in fighting.

During a six-day ceasefire at the end of November, 105 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians held in jails. About 120 Israeli hostages are believed to still be in captivity.

Israel has repeatedly rejected a permanent ceasefire with Hamas, with national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying in a post on X , externalthat stopping the Israeli forces before Hamas is defeated and all the hostages are returned would constitute a "failure".

As we've been reporting, negotiations are continuing to try to secure a unanimous UN Security Council vote on a ceasefire in Gaza - due later today in New York.

But a former senior British diplomat has said it will be difficult for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to suspend hostilities with Hamas.

“He wants to completely eliminate Hamas as a military threat, as a political organisation, Mark Lyall Grant, who was the UK’s ambassador to the UN from 2009 to 2015, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He wants to get all the hostages released and he wants to kill the Hamas leadership in Gaza."

Lyall Grant believes Netanyahu will be reluctant to a agree to a new truce "until he’s achieved more of those objectives".

He points out that all UN Security Council's resolutions are legally binding, but not legally enforceable: "It’s possible that Netanyahu could ignore it, even if America had voted in favour of the resolution."

As we've just reported, the World Health Organization has said there are no hospitals left in northern Gaza that are still able to function.

Commenting on the situation in the strip, Sarah Elisabeth Davies, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jerusalem, said the medical system is "in survival mode".

Watch the video below for more details on the difficult situation for health workers on the ground.

Hezbollah and the Israeli army continue to exchange fire across the Israel-Lebanon border.

Lebanese state media report that a woman was killed by Israeli strikes in south Lebanon village early this morning, with fighter jets hitting targets some 20 kilometres from the border. The IDF said it was attacking Hezbollah infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Israel said Hezbollah fired rockets overnight into the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.

Tensions along the Lebanese border with Israel have increased since the 7 October Hamas attacks.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has a vast arsenal of weapons capable of striking deep into Israeli territory, though up until now their actions have been limited to cross-border strikes.

Imogen Foulkes
Geneva correspondent

More now on the situation in northern Gaza, which now lacks a functional hospital, according to the World Health Organization.

Hospitals in the north of the territory have become "hospices" where people are "waiting to die", according to the WHO’s team leader Sean Casey after a recent visit.

There is no surgical capacity left in the north, Casey said, meaning patients with serious injuries would die of wound infections.

He stressed the severe shortages of food and water, describing meeting people with severe untreated injuries who had begged him not for medicines, but for water.

Dr Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in Gaza, said he would like to see many more patients evacuated out of Gaza for treatment in Egypt or other countries.

Image source, Getty Images

The World Health Organization says northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to lack of fuel, staff and supplies.

"There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, tells reporters via video link from Jerusalem, according to Reuters news agency.

"Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional."

Hospitals and medical facilities have been caught up in the intense fighting raging across the territory while also facing a lack of supplies and power shortages.

After a visit to al-Ahli on Wednesday, teams from the WHO and the UN reported that the hospital was overwhelmed with people needing emergency care and bodies were lined up in rows in the courtyard.

In a post on X, external on Wednesday, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said until two days ago, the hospital was the last place performing surgery in northern Gaza but the operating theatres were now no longer functioning.

Only four hospitals in northern Gaza were left, providing very limited care, he added.

A Scottish Palestinian doctor whose family are stuck in Gaza is calling on the UK government to help them escape the war zone.

Dr Lubna Hadoura, who lives and works as a surgeon in Fife in Scotland, says British citizens should be able to sponsor dependants so they can flee.

Her elderly mother, three sisters, their husbands and children are trapped - some in Gaza City, others in Rafah. The UK government says it is helping people leave Gaza - but Hadoura believes more needs to be done.

As we mentioned earlier, Israel's military says it has discovered a new network of tunnels in the heart of Gaza City that are connected to the homes of Hamas's senior leaders.

Hamas hasn't commented on the Israel Defense Forces claims, but here are the main things we know about the tunnels underneath Gaza:

• The tunnels are thought to cover around 300 miles (500 kilometres) under Gaza
• They are believed to be up to 260 feet (80 metres) below the surface and have entrances located on the bottom floors of houses and public buildings
• Israel's forces say the tunnels are used as hide-outs for Hamas to plan operations against Israel
• It is possible a cross-border tunnel was used by Hamas during the 7 October attacks
• They were originally a way of smuggling goods across borders with Israel and Egypt

• Construction began before Israel withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005

You can watch BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera analysing videos inside the tunnels here.

Image source, Jehad El-Mashhrawi

BBC Arabic camera operator Jehad El-Mashhrawi and his young family had to flee their home in northern Gaza to escape Israeli bombing. Here he shares a vivid account of what they experienced on their journey south.

We left in such a hurry. We were in the middle of baking some bread and realised the houses opposite us were being bombed, one by one. I knew it would soon be our turn. We had packed some bags in case this happened but everything was so rushed we forgot to take them. We didn't even shut the front door.

We had waited to leave because we didn't want to move my elderly parents and we had taken years to save up to build our house in al-Zeitoun, but in the end we had to go. My baby son, Omar, died there in November 2012, killed when shrapnel hit our house in another war with Israel and I couldn't risk losing any more children.

I knew that in the south there was no electricity, no water and people had to queue for hours to use a toilet. But in the end, grabbing just a bottle of water and some leftover bread, we joined thousands of others making the dangerous journey down the Salah al-Din road to the south, where Israel said it was safe.

• Read the rest of his account here, which contains contains graphic descriptions which may be distressing

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting, talks are being held in Cairo, Egypt, in an attempt to broker a new truce and the further release of Israeli hostages.

Of the 240 or so hostages taken to Gaza during Hamas's 7 October attacks, about 120 of them are believed to still be in captivity.

During a six-day ceasefire at the end of November, 105 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Families of the remaining hostages are urging the Israeli government to reach a new truce so at least some of the captives can be freed.

Negotiations are resuming in Cairo today after initial talks on Wednesday bore no fruit. Hamas's leader reportedly told Egyptian mediators that no more Israeli hostages will be released until there's a permanent ceasefire.

Israel has repeatedly rejected a permanent ceasefire, insisting it will not stop the war until Hamas is dismantled.

Image source, Reuters

On Wednesday, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said that at least 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have now been killed since Israel began bombing in the territory in the wake of Hamas's 7 October attacks.

On average, nearly 300 people have died each day since the start of the conflict, excluding the seven-day ceasefire. The World Health Organization's regional emergency director Richard Brennan says he considers these casualty figures trustworthy.

Counting the dead is a challenge in any war zone, and doctors in Gaza say the death toll is likely to be significantly higher, as it does not include bodies buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings or those not taken to hospitals.

BBC Verify has looked in detail at the figures, how they compare with other conflicts and the impact on Gaza's young population. Read our full analysis here.

There'll be another attempt at the UN Security Council later today to hold a vote on a resolution calling for a suspension of fighting in Gaza.

Tense diplomatic negotiations are taking place over the wording of the resolution to avoid another US veto, with the main sticking point reported to be over the inspection and monitoring of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates, which authored the draft resolution, said yesterday that discussions were continuing at the highest levels. The country's ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, said on Wednesday the goal was to have a resolution with impact pass.

Asked about whether the US would again veto the resolution, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they were working to make sure the aid getting in to Gaza wouldn't be complicated by any efforts at the UN.

Earlier this month, the majority of the UN Security council supported an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with 13 of 15 members voting in favour. The US vetoed the demand, and the UK abstained.

Israel opposes a permanent ceasefire, insisting it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled.

Mark Lowen
Rome correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The UK's Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, will be in Egypt today, where he’s expected to push for more aid delivery into Gaza and urge all sides to reach what he calls “a sustainable ceasefire".

Cameron was in Jordan yesterday, whose leaders are demanding an immediate halt to the fighting in Gaza.

This is his second trip to the Middle East as foreign secretary and one in which he is trying a diplomatic balancing act.

Pulled one way by Israel, determined to fight Hamas to the death, and the other by the Arab world and many other countries demanding an end to the Israeli offensive, Britain is calling for a ceasefire that is “sustainable” - in other words, a long-term solution rather than a truce that leaves Hamas in place as a threat to Israel.

Having discussed the conflict with leaders in Jordan, Cameron will today meet Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo before heading close to the border with Gaza to see aid operations there, as he urges more humanitarian assistance and fuel to be allowed in.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Israeli forces say they have uncovered a network of tunnels in the heart of Gaza City with entrances connected to the houses of Hamas leaders.

Israel Defense Forces claim Hamas leaders have been using the well-built network of tunnels daily and in emergencies.

Images appear to show the tunnels could be accessed by spiral staircases and had heavy blast doors, electricity and plumbing.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

More now on the negotiations taking place over a new temporary truce in the war and the release of further hostages.

The US says "serious" negotiations are taking place in Cairo. But the initial talks on Wednesday in Cairo have not borne fruit.

The Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, reportedly told Egyptian mediators that no more Israeli hostages will be released until there’s a permanent ceasefire.

Israel maintains that the war won’t be over until Hamas is eliminated. Cairo says it will resume negotiations with Hamas.

Alex Therrien
Live reporter

Good morning and welcome as we resume our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. It's just gone 6.40 here in London and 08:40 in Israel and Gaza.

Here's a quick rundown of the latest lines:

• The US says "serious negotiations" are taking place on a new Gaza truce and the release of more Israeli hostages. But prospects of a new pause in fighting and the release of hostages remain uncertain after Hamas's leader reportedly rejected the prospect of a temporary pause during talks in Cairo on Wednesday
• Israeli forces say they’ve uncovered a network of tunnels in the heart of Gaza City with entrances connected to the houses of Hamas leaders
• On Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza government said 20,000 people had been killed there since Israel launched its military campaign against the group
• And the UN Security Council again postponed a meeting to discuss calls for "urgent humanitarian pauses" in Gaza

Stay with us for the latest news and analysis from us here in London and our correspondents in the region.

Patrick Jackson
Live page editor

We're pausing our coverage for a few hours. If you'd like to read more about what's going on in Israel and Gaza, here are a few stories we've put together:

• BBC Verify has taken an in-depth look at what the death toll in Gaza says about the nature of the war here
• Badly injured children in Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Hospital have shared their stories of living in constant fear of death
• Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell has written a piece looking at fresh signs that a new pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas could be possible

Patrick Jackson
Live page editor

Image source, EPA

We'll be pausing our live coverage soon but the page will be updated if any major developments break. Before we go, here are Wednesday's key points:

According to Hamas, more than 20,000 people in Gaza - almost 1% of the territory's population of 2.2 million - have been killed since 7 October when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel and the Israelis hit back.

Israeli air strikes and clashes with Hamas continued around the territory including bombing in the southern city of Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

Talks in Cairo over a fresh ceasefire did not secure a deal, with a Palestinian source telling the BBC Hamas hadrejected proposals for any kind of temporary truce in exchange for releasing hostages held in Gaza.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would fight on until Hamas was eliminated.

At the UN in New York, a vote on a draft Security Council motion calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses” in Gaza was postponed for the third day in a row.

The delays follow tense diplomatic negotiations over the wording of a text to avoid a US veto, with the main sticking point reported to be over the inspection and monitoring of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Pushing back on criticism of the White House's support for Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a strong international voice to condemn Hamas.

The Israeli military says it has found the tunnel network once used by Hamas’s senior leadership in Gaza City, which it describes as an "underground terrorist city".

In an update, the Israel Defense Forces says its troops have secured control over what it calls the "elite quarter" of Gaza's largest city - around Palestine Square in the al-Rimal area.

The IDF says after weeks of fighting its forces took control of the area in Gaza's largest city, which it says is where Hamas's "administrative and military leadership operated" - including political leaders like Ismail Haniyeh, and military commanders Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif.

It adds that Palestine Square is the centre of a "strategic tunnel network", which connects to the "underground infrastructure in the area of the Rantisi Hospital and the Shifa Hospital".

The IDF shared video footage of soldiers exploring a series of tunnels and satellite images with alleged entrances marked, but no evidence of them being connected to either hospital was provided.

It also says the tunnel shafts that form part of the "underground terrorist city" were built in the "residences and offices of senior officials", which were used to direct Hamas's "operational activity" and for "protected daily movement through the heart of Gaza City".

Israel’s prisons are running out of space amid a surge of arrests following Hamas’s 7 October attacks and Israel’s retaliation in Gaza.

A senior Israel Prison Service (IPS) official revealed on Monday that Israel had imprisoned more than 3,000 people since 7 October, according to a press release by the Knesset, external.

“We are very close to exhausting the space for inmates in prisons,” said Elyasaf Zakai, head of the IPS' Incarceration Branch.

There are 19,372 inmates in Israeli prisons currently, compared with 16,353 before 7 October, he said.

“The Israel prison service knows how to cope with imprisonment of 20,000 inmates at most, and we are very close to this number,” Zakai added.

It is unclear how many of those held are Palestinian but Israel is estimated by human rights groups to be holding thousands of Palestinians – in some cases without charge.

Typically Israel releases hundreds, sometimes thousands, of Palestinians in return for Israeli hostages. The seven-day ceasefire brokered last month saw Hamas release 105 hostages, while Israel freed 240 Palestinians from jail.