Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Amid global outrage over an attack that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, the Israeli military has said it is investigating the possibility that weapons stored in a facility near the location hit might have exploded after an airstrike in Rafah on Sunday, triggering a blaze in a tent camp for displaced residents.

The bombing, which resulted in the massive fire in the camp in the Tel Al-Sultan district, led to widespread international condemnation and renewed criticism of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, with world leaders and humanitarian groups calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking at a briefing today, Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said the explosives used in the attack – 17-kg munition, which he described as the “smallest our jets can use” – could not have sparked a fire of that scale.

“Weapons stored in a compound next to our target, which we didn’t know of, may have ignited the fire,” he said, providing no evidence, adding that the investigation continued.

Hagari said the attack hit a structure where two senior Hamas commanders were meeting, and that pictures posted on social media in the aftermath appear to show secondary explosions, which could have been caused by the weapons allegedly stored nearby.

The target, he said, was 1.7km from the area that had been designated as a humanitarian zone by the Israeli military, and 180m from the tents. At least 45 people were killed in the attack, including many women, children and the elderly, according to Gaza health authorities.

The update is unlikely to change the view of those who are critical of Israel’s tactics in Gaza, who say the military assumes the risk of killing large numbers of civilians when carrying out airstrikes knowing how densely populated the territory is.

Image source, EPA

We'll be closing this live page soon so here's a look at what's been happening today:

• Eyewitnesses and local journalists in Rafah have reported that Israeli tanks have seized control of the al-Awda roundabout, which is a key landmark housing major banks, government institutions, businesses, and shops
• The Hamas-run health ministry says a total of 21 people have been killed and 64 injured in a strike on a displaced persons camp in west Rafah this afternoon
• The IDF denies striking the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi today
• It comes after at least 45 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah on Sunday
• Israel called Sunday's strike a "tragic mishap" and faced widespread international condemnation
• But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) now say weapons stored near the camp could have been responsible for the extent of the blaze, adding that it was "too early to determine" the cause of the fire
• Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland and Norway all officially recognised a Palestinian state - despite a furious reaction from Israel

As we reported earlier, the Hamas-run health ministry says 21 people were killed and 64 injured by a strike on a camp for displaced people in west Rafah.

In a short statement on X, the Israeli military says: "Contrary to reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not attack the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi."

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group has released a video showing an Israeli hostage alive, Israeli media reports.

The man has been identified by Israeli media as 28-year-old Sasha Trupanov, a Russian-Israeli dual national.

He's seen speaking in Hebrew in the 30-second clip, though it's unclear when the footage was taken.

Trupanov was taken from his family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October, along with his grandmother, mother and his partner.

The three women were freed during a brief truce between Hamas and Israel in November, which led to the release of 105 hostages.

Image source, Getty Images

The Israeli military says it is investigating the possibility that Sunday's deadly blaze at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, was caused by a weapons store being hit by its air strike.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the attack which has led to widespread international condemnation.

Responding to Israel's claims, Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, told the BBC: "This is lying. And they have been lying all along. There were air strikes on an area that Israel knows very well that it is a safe zone for people taking shelter in Rafah.

"In fact, it was the Israeli army who directed people to go to al-Mawasi, the very area they bombarded in the weekend, on Sunday, and they bombarded again today, killing and injuring dozens of civilians. The images are gut-wrecking really, it's heart-breaking."

Israel is yet to publicly respond to Zomlot's comments.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Weather conditions are "expected" to impact the US military pier set-up to help deliver aid to Gaza, according to a former Pentagon official involved with the plan.

The US military began building the floating pier - which is attached to Gaza's shoreline by a temporary causeway - several weeks ago.

On 17 May, the US military confirmed that the first shipments of humanitarian aid were delivered into Gaza via the pier, but last weekend four vessels supporting the pier became unmoored in "heavy sea states", beaching two of them.

Mick Mulroy, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and one of the founders of Fogbow, a private firm involved in the Gaza pier plan, told the BBC that weather-related delays were "expected" to "pose challenges".

"But those challenges can be overcome, and the mission itself is worth the effort," he said. "People are in desperate need of aid and this is one means to deliver it."

In a separate incident last week, three US soldiers taking part in the Gaza pier mission were injured, one of whom was in critical condition and evacuated to a hospital in Israel.

Image source, BBC Arabic's Gaza Today programme

Despite the destruction of most of the universities in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on 7 October, one local master's student is not giving up hope.

Dr Imad al-Kahlout, a professor from al-Azhar University, told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Today programme a thesis by the student - who has not been named - had been discussed in a displacement camp in the southern city of Rafah.

“This discussion was for a master’s thesis, the first of its kind in light of the war on Gaza, and in light of the absence and complete cessation of the educational process," he said.

Al-Kahlout stressed that "it was not just a discussion of a scientific thesis, but rather... a message to the world that education is one of the pillars of life, societal growth and construction".

"We want to say that we will never leave our land, and that education will not stop despite the demolition, bombing, and destruction of all components of educational life and the destruction of the university buildings of al-Azhar University and other universities," he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the last operating hospital in Rafah could become non-functional if Israel launches a "full incursion" into the southern Gazan city.

"If the incursion would continue, we would lose the last hospital in Rafah," Richard Peeperkorn, the UN agency's representative for Gaza and the West Bank, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency from Geneva.

He added that a contingency plan would "not prevent what we expect: substantial additional mortality and morbidity".

Peeperkorn did not publicly name the hospital.

We are now getting more information on this afternoon's strike in Rafah.

The Hamas-run health ministry says 21 people have been killed and 64 injured in the southern Gazan city.

The spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, has also spoken out about today's strikes on Rafah, calling it "a massacre", Wafa news agency reported.

Image source, PA Media

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron says the strike in Rafah on Sunday looked "very, very concerning, very worrying".

"We’re asking for that to be investigated rapidly," he told reporters, adding that the Israelis "already said it was a tragic mistake".

Cameron says he wants to see a pause in the fighting, hostages released and for aid to be let in to Gaza, and then a ceasefire.

He adds that he supports a two-state solution to the conflict, but says that it shouldn't come "at the start of this process".

Image source, IDF

A bit more from the IDF briefing earlier.

The briefing was played footage taken from an IDF aircraft of what Hagari said was the strike itself, which showed two figures moving around outside a warehouse-like structure.

He said Hamas had previously launched rockets from that location and an intercepted phone call was played purporting to be from a Gazan in the aftermath of the blast discussing the presence of Hamas weapons. The BBC has not verified this audio.

Hagari says the IDF investigation is ongoing and, while it's "too early to determine" the cause of the fire, any outcome "won't make this situation any less tragic".

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent

The Israeli military says it is investigating the possibility that weapons stored in a nearby compound caught fire after an Israeli air strike in Rafah on Sunday, triggering a blaze in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians that killed dozens of people.

Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the munition used in the strike could not have ignited a fire of this size alone.

Hagari said the strike hit a structure where two senior Hamas commanders were meeting, and said the target was outside the area that had been designated as a humanitarian zone by the Israeli military.

The attack led to widespread international condemnation, with world leaders and humanitarian groups calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

There are reports of more deaths in another blast at an encampment of displaced people in Rafah.

The apparent explosion killed 21 people, Reuters and AFP report, citing Palestinian officials.

Graphic footage on social media purports to show the aftermath of the incident - BBC analysis of the footage shows it seems to be from today, but we have not verified the location.

We're looking into this incident and will bring you more details as soon as we have them.

Smoke over mosque in western Rafahpublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 28 May

14:53 BST 28 May

Video shared across Arabic-language social media shows smoke rising over the Taiba mosque in western Rafah this morning.

The mosque is in Tal as Sultan and is more than 4km from al-Awda roundabout - and around 1.5km from the Kuwaiti camp where 46 people were killed in an airstrike on Sunday night. It is also 1.25km from the Indonesian Field Hospital, struck overnight.

As with the video of tank tread marks on the road in western Rafah, we can be confident the video is from this morning given the cloudy weather.

Using frames from the video to search for other copies, the earliest we have yet seen was posted around 6am BST (8am in Gaza) by the social media account 'Eye On Palestine'. Although there are claims the smoke is from an artillery strike, we are yet to see evidence of what has caused it.

Image source, Social media

Tank tread marks in western Rafahpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 28 May

14:43 BST 28 May

As well as reports of Israeli tanks in the centre of Rafah, footage from this morning on Arabic-language Telegram channels shows tread marks from tanks in western Rafah.

The video from which the below still was taken shows damage to the surface of Abu Baker Al Seddeq road, in front of the Temraz petrol station - approximately 3km west of al-Awda roundabout, and 300m from the Indonesian Field Hospital, which was damaged overnight.

The camera also turns left to show smoke rising in the centre of town.

We can be confident the video was filmed this morning, as no other copies of it had been recorded by Google as of midday (BST, 2pm in Gaza). Plus, the cloudy weather is a match for today as recent days have had minimal cloud cover in Rafah.

Image source, Telegram

More Palestinians have fled temporary shelters in Rafah following air strikes and tank fire by Israeli forces overnight.

According to officials in Gaza, at least 16 people were killed.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

Israeli ground troops have now advanced into the heart of Rafah - locals say they’ve reached a roundabout that’s a key landmark.

Overnight, they also seized control of the highest hilltop along the Gaza-Egypt border after reported gun battles with Hamas-led fighters.

Intense Israeli air strikes and artillery fire have sent thousands more Palestinians fleeing from the west of the city, including from a tent camp where an Israeli bombing on Sunday ignited a huge blaze.

Israel has kept up its attacks despite a ruling by the top UN court last week ordering it to stop its Rafah offensive.

On the world stage, the country finds itself increasingly isolated. On Tuesday, Spain, Ireland and Norway are officially recognising a Palestinian state - despite a furious reaction from Israel.

Verifying the latest footage from Rafahpublished at 13:40 British Summer Time 28 May

13:40 BST 28 May

BBC Verify is checking footage posted to Palestinian social media channels showing signs of strikes in parts of Rafah.

On Monday, footage emerged of two people lying motionless on the street around 50 metres from the city's Kuwaiti hospital. Media reports say that two people were killed in a drone strike at this spot.

We were able to identify the location using landmarks such as a minaret belonging to a mosque directly adjacent the hospital building. But we are yet to verify the cause of the incident.

Another clip posted overnight shows a small column of smoke rising from the Indonesian field hospital - a distinctive building located around a mile away from the site of Sunday night’s refugee camp strike.

In a nearby area of the city, we have also seen smoke rising close to the Taiba mosque - identifiable by distinctive twin minarets.

There are also clips of people being brought into hospitals.

We will continue to review footage to gain a better understanding of the situation in Rafah.

Image source, EPA

A merchant vessel is taking on water off the coast of Yemen after being damaged in a missile attack, according to maritime security agency Ambrey.

It said the ship was hit by three projectiles 54 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, while passing through the Red Sea and was tilting to one side as a result.

Separately, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations - which provides British military intelligence to the maritime trade industry - reported an incident 31 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen.

The agency published no further details and it is unclear whether its report refers to another incident.

The Houthi rebel group in Yemen has repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over recent months, which it says is in support of Gaza.

The US and UK, with support from other nations, have carried out airstrikes on their positions in an attempt to reduce their ability to disrupt trade.

The Houthis have not publicly commented on the attack.

Image source, Getty Images

Spain and Norway now both recognise a Palestinian state.

Norway has hailed its recognition of a Palestinian state as a "special day", with foreign minister Espen Barth Eide saying his country "has been one of the most fervent defenders of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years."

"The day that Norway officially recognises Palestine as a state is a special day for Norway-Palestine relations," Eide added, saying it was "regrettable that the Israeli government shows no sign of constructive commitment" to a two-state solution.

Spain also formally recognised a Palestinian state in a decision approved by its cabinet earlier today, a government spokeswoman said.

Pilar Alegria added the cabinet had "adopted an important decision to recognise a Palestinian state", which had "one objective: to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace".

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said before meeting his cabinet that the "recognition of the State of Palestine is not only a matter of historic justice... Is it also an essential requirement if we are all to achieve peace."

The move, he said, was "not against anyone, least of all Israel".

Spain's foreign ministry has also said Madrid, Dublin and Oslo would issue a "firm" response to Israeli rebukes.