We’re pausing our coverage for today

We’re pausing our coverage on the Israel-Hamas war for today – but thanks for following along.

As we have been reporting, Israel carried out “extensive strikes” on Gaza overnight after talks to extend the ceasefire with Hamas failed to reach an agreement.

The IDF claimed it was targeting Hamas terrorists and issued evacuation orders for neighbourhoods in Gaza, leaving many to predict a ground invasion is to come. But the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave said more than 400 people had been killed, including women and children, and another 500 injured.

Here’s a recap of what’s happened today:

Israeli military continuing strikes

After a wave of strikes overnight, the Israeli military said it was continuing to strike “terror targets” today belonging to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant groups in Gaza.

It said the targets struck include “terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure” used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

Hostage families criticise Netanyahu claim

The families of Israeli hostages in Gaza criticised claims from the Israeli government that the airstrikes were carried out due to Hamas’s “refusal to release our hostages”.

The office of Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would act against Hamas with “increasing military strength” as a result.

But in response, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum questioned why the government chose to pull out of the previously agreed ceasefire deal.

UK, Saudi Arabia and France among countries condemning Israeli attacks

The UK foreign minister, David Lammy, called Israel’s strikes on Gaza “appalling”, while Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it denounced Israel resuming strikes on Gaza “in the strongest terms”.

France also condemned the strikes, with the country’s foreign ministry calling for an immediate halt to the violence.

Rafah border crossing closed

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza in Rafah closed today, a spokesperson for the European Commission said.

The crossing is one of the main points of entry for humanitarian aid going into Gaza.

This afternoon, Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall answered your questions in a Gaza Q&A – you can catch up on what he said here…

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to expand military operations in Gaza, with the stated goal of seizing and holding the entire territory. Officials said the campaign aims to defeat Hamas and recover Israeli hostages still held in the enclave.

The plan, described as gradual and long-term by officials, shifts the strategy from temporary raids to complete territorial control, marking a significant escalation in Israel’s war strategy. Military leaders expect the new operations phase to last several months, beginning with a focus on specific areas.

Israeli forces already control about a third of the Gaza Strip and resumed ground operations in March after a two-month ceasefire collapsed. The government has not offered a detailed vision for post-war governance in Gaza.

What is the military’s current plan and timeline?

The new plan includes calling thousands of reservists to support expanded ground operations. Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the military is increasing pressure on Hamas, pledging to destroy militant infrastructure above and below ground. The first phase includes expanding a buffer zone along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, giving Israeli forces greater operational depth.

Security cabinet member Zeev Elkin said a window remains for a ceasefire and hostage negotiations, particularly ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the region. Some Israeli officials suggested the offensive timeline may allow space for diplomatic engagement before Trump departs the Middle East on May 16.

How has the humanitarian situation changed?

Since the ceasefire ended in mid-March, Israel has maintained a blockade on humanitarian aid into Gaza. The cabinet reportedly approved a conditional plan to allow private companies to resume some aid deliveries, but major humanitarian organizations have refused to participate. The United Nations and aid groups said the proposed system would violate humanitarian principles by forcing agencies to operate through Israeli military-controlled hubs.

The Humanitarian Country Team, which includes U.N. agencies, said the plan threatens aid workers and civilians by concentrating relief efforts in militarized zones. Aid officials warned that Israel’s strategy risks worsening an already critical situation, particularly for those with limited mobility. Israel cut off all aid on March 2 and has faced growing international pressure to restore humanitarian access.

How many people have been affected so far?

The conflict began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel launched an intensive air and ground campaign. Gaza’s health ministry, operated by Hamas, reported that the conflict has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians. It has also displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million.

Despite ongoing operations, Israel has not secured the release of any of the 59 hostages believed held. Critics of the military campaign argued that prolonged fighting may jeopardize those hostages and trap Israel in a prolonged guerrilla conflict without a clear exit strategy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military is establishing a security corridor across the Gaza Strip between Rafah and Khan Younis. He said the move was to put pressure on the militant group Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it continues to hold in captivity.

Netanyahu added that Israel “is seizing territory, striking terrorists, and destroying infrastructure.”

The announcement came after Netanyahu’s defense minister said that Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to its so-called security zones. A wave of Israeli strikes, meanwhile, killed more than 40 Palestinians, including several women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.

Netanyahu’s statement followed comments from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz that the Israeli military’s offensive was now aimed at “seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones.”

Israel says such a buffer zone is necessary for security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab.

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A child gestures while holding a Hezbollah flag from the window of a car, at the entrance of Beirut’s southern suburbs, after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect, in Lebanon, on November 27. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, potentially ending more than a year of cross-border clashes with Hezbollah and months of a full-scale war that has killed thousands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were three main reasons he wanted the ceasefire: to “focus on the Iranian threat,” to give Israeli troops a breather, and to increase pressure on Hamas.

Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden and thanked him for his involvement in the agreement. Speaking from the White House, Biden laid out some details of the deal, and thanked President Emmanuel Macron of France, which also helped to broker the agreement.

Here’s what you need to know:

Reliance on UN resolution: The 60-day ceasefire aims to implement an 18-year-old UN resolution adopted to end a month-long war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006. The resolution stipulated that Israel must withdraw from southern Lebanon, and that the only armed groups south of the Litani river should be the Lebanese military and UN forces. In a symbolic milestone, Israeli soldiers in Lebanon reached the Litani river on Tuesday for the first time since launching a ground invasion in September.

Hezbollah will survive: A senior Hezbollah official and member of parliament told Reuters the group would remain active after its war with Israel ends, including by helping displaced Lebanese people return to their villages and rebuilding areas destroyed by Israeli strikes.

Many still can’t return home: Israel has warned displaced people in Lebanon not to return to their homes right away. Though the ceasefire stipulates that Israel must withdraw from Lebanon, the pullout will take time. And Netanyahu told mayors of Israel’s northernmost communities that he will not push those residents to return to their homes immediately.

11th-hour attacks: Israel’s military bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs 20 times in two minutes in the hours before the deal, in one of the most intense bombardments since the start of the war. Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 25 people on Tuesday, including at least 10 people in central Beirut.

What happens to Gaza? The Biden administration believes that the deal has the potential to be a “game changer” and revive Israeli negotiations with Hamas as the US renews its push to secure a ceasefire in the enclave, according to a senior administration official.

We’re pausing our coverage for today

We’re pausing our coverage on the Israel-Hamas war for today – but thanks for following along.

As we have been reporting, Israel carried out “extensive strikes” on Gaza overnight after talks to extend the ceasefire with Hamas failed to reach an agreement.

The IDF claimed it was targeting Hamas terrorists and issued evacuation orders for neighbourhoods in Gaza, leaving many to predict a ground invasion is to come. But the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave said more than 400 people had been killed, including women and children, and another 500 injured.

Here’s a recap of what’s happened today:

Israeli military continuing strikes

After a wave of strikes overnight, the Israeli military said it was continuing to strike “terror targets” today belonging to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant groups in Gaza.

It said the targets struck include “terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure” used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

Hostage families criticise Netanyahu claim

The families of Israeli hostages in Gaza criticised claims from the Israeli government that the airstrikes were carried out due to Hamas’s “refusal to release our hostages”.

The office of Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would act against Hamas with “increasing military strength” as a result.

But in response, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum questioned why the government chose to pull out of the previously agreed ceasefire deal.

UK, Saudi Arabia and France among countries condemning Israeli attacks

The UK foreign minister, David Lammy, called Israel’s strikes on Gaza “appalling”, while Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it denounced Israel resuming strikes on Gaza “in the strongest terms”.

France also condemned the strikes, with the country’s foreign ministry calling for an immediate halt to the violence.

Rafah border crossing closed

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza in Rafah closed today, a spokesperson for the European Commission said.

The crossing is one of the main points of entry for humanitarian aid going into Gaza.

This afternoon, Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall answered your questions in a Gaza Q&A – you can catch up on what he said here…