As it happened: Mayor opposes lighting up Sydney Town Hall in Israel colours; At least 77 Australians remain in Gaza; Second aid convoy reaches Gaza civilians

That's where we're going to leave our live rolling coverage of the conflict in Gaza today.

Here's what made headlines throughout the day.

The Gaza Strip has been subjected to its heaviest bombardment by Israel since Hamas' attack on October 7. The IDF says more than 300 targets were struck overnight, while dozens of Palestinians were killed following strikes on a refugee camp and the border city of Rafah.

That strike came after the Rafah crossing was opened to allow 14 trucks full of aid into the besieged enclave, following the 20 that were delivered yesterday. While the delivery was welcomed, aid groups say far more is needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the enclave that is home to 2.3 million people.

On Israel's northern border with Lebanon, the IDF says it launched strikes at Hezbollah targets. That comes amid fears the conflict will escalate and spread throughout the region.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Washington for his four-day official state visit to the US, where he will discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.

And the federal government says it is trying to help 77 Australians escape the Gaza Strip, a much higher number than previous estimates.

Our live blog will return tomorrow. In the meantime you can stay up to date with all the latest news at nine.com.au and 9news.com.au.

The IDF says it attacked over 300 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight.

In its most recent social media post, the Israeli military said the tunnels underneath the enclave were among the targets it launched air strikes at.

"In the last day, the IDF attacked over 320 targets throughout the Gaza Strip," the IDF wrote.

"Among the targets that were attacked... (were) tunnels in which the terrorist organisation Hamas operates, dozens of operational headquarters... military compounds used by the organisation and observation posts."

The IDF also wrote it "destroyed targets that could endanger the forces being prepared... for a maneuver in the Gaza Strip", another indication that an invasion of the enclave is imminent.

It's mid-morning in Gaza, and the most recent overnight strikes appeared to be the most sustained bombardment of northern Gaza in the past two weeks, according to a CNN team on the ground in southern Israel.

It comes as the Israel Defense Forces prepares for a potential large ground operation, with huge numbers of troops and tanks amassed at the border.

At least 26 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp – one of the largest in Gaza – the director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, Atef Al Kahlout told CNN.

In the southern city of Rafah, 29 people were killed after four houses were struck, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza spokesperson Ashraf Al Qidra.

The bombs hit buildings in Rafah, Khan Younis, central Gaza and Gaza City, including homes, the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza said.

The IDF said that it struck "dozens of Hamas terror targets in Gaza," without clarifying further.

The IDF says it has struck a number of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon during overnight attacks on the group.

"Our forces struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, including a military compound and an observation post," the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Four Hezbollah terrorist cells operating on the border with Lebanon were struck."

Oil prices have fallen quite sharply today after two weeks of notable rises since the escalation of the conflict in Gaza.

Both Brent and WTI crude oil have dropped about a per cent in the last day, down to $USD91.32 and $USD86.92 per barrel respectively.

The price had shot up over the past two weeks as tensions rose in the Middle East following Hamas' attack on Israel, fuelling concerns of supply issues should the conflict escalate further.

Prior to the attack and Israel's response, Brent crude was selling for under $USD85 per barrel.

IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus has indicated Israel is preparing for a war on two fronts, saying soldiers are faced with dealing not just with Hamas, but also potentially Hezbollah.

"The men and women in the field of the IDF have a tremendous challenge on two fronts: dealing with Hamas and dealing possibly with Hezbollah," he told CNN.

"These are very, very big tasks and it requires that everybody stay focused."

The IDF and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire on Israel's northern border over the last two weeks, but those exchanges are yet to escalate at a level similar to what is happening in Gaza.

Like Hamas, Hezbollah is an Iran-backed militant groups, and there are concerns it may look to escalate conflict with Israel should the IDF launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin have said the United States expects the Israel-Hamas war to escalate through involvement by proxies of Iran.

They also asserted the Biden administration is prepared to respond if American personnel or armed forces become the target of any such hostilities.

"This is not what we want, not what we're looking for. We don't want escalation," Blinken said earlier today.

"We don't want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we're ready for it."

Austin, echoing Blinken, said "What we're seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region".

He said the US had the right to self-defence "and we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action".

China is continuing to position itself as a potential peacemaker in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Zhai Jun, the country's special envoy to the Middle East, has been quoted in state media as saying China is ready to do "whatever is conducive" to broker a ceasefire and help encourage dialogue, according to Reuters.

Zhai is visiting the Middle East at the moment, and said the spread of conflict to Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria is concerning.

His comments come after he said last week that the current eruption of conflict in Gaza is the result of a lack of human rights for Palestinians.