War news headlines

It appeared the unlucky statesman had been caught in a crossfire, but investigations revealed something more sinister.

The US President has denied he demanded Israel delay its ground invasion of Gaza.

A furious diplomatic spat between Israel and the United Nations is escalating, with Israeli officials calling for the resignation of Secretary General Antonio Guterres after he said Hamas' October 7 attacks on the country "did not happen in a vacuum."

Following the meeting in Beirut, a brief statement said Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah agreed with Hamas' Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad's leader Ziad al-Nakhleh on the next steps.

It comes as Israeli airstrikes on the besieged strip reportedly killed more than 700 people in a day.

Israeli diplomats have taken umbrage at Antonio Guterres after he called for an immediate ceasefire and said "clear violations of international humanitarian law" have been witnessed in Gaza.

Israel's deputy ambassador to the US admits his country may pay "a dear price" for defending itself against Hamas but says it will not come close to that it is already paying with the loss of lives.

Australian Defence Force personnel and aircraft are heading to the Middle East as Israel's anticipated ground invasion of Gaza looms.

United Nations chief warned at a high-level meeting that the situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour, with the risk of the Gaza war spreading through the region increasing.

Yocheved Lifshitz has described her ordeal after being kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group, saying she "went through hell".

Aid agencies are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as doctors warn an Israeli blockade on fuel means many more vulnerable babies and wounded people in hospitals will soon die.

LIVE UPDATES: The tech company confirmed the move, as the country prepares for a potential ground invasion into Gaza.

ABC managing director David Anderson said he was not going to say sorry despite the defamation loss.

Israel has stepped up its bombardment after letting in some few relief trucks.

The black ink is a small sign of the fear and desperation felt by parents in the densely populated enclave.

Antony Blinken is fearing the fighting is about to spread – and has blamed one country for the expected escalation.

Israeli warplanes have struck targets across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinian civilians have been told to seek refuge.

The two-week-old war with Hamas has threatened to spiral into a broader conflict.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza has opened, allowing desperately needed aid to flow to civilians running short of food, medicine, water.

Melbourne grandparents have told of the moment war erupted around them, while they were visiting relatives in Israel, as almost 100 Australians return home on last repatriation flight.

Uri Raanan of Illinois told The Associated Press that he spoke to his daughter by telephone.

Amid the fighting, Israel's defence minister said the country did not have plans to maintain control over civilians in Gaza after its war against the Hamas militant group.

Israel bombarded Gaza early on Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety.

The current crisis in the Middle East could disrupt global oil supplies and push prices higher, according to the Associated Press.

Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their October 7 assault on Israel, a militant video and weapons seized by Israel show.

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defence minister told ground troops to "be ready" to invade.

Israeli airstrikes have pounded locations across the Gaza Strip, including parts of the south that Israel had declared as safe zones.

The government urged Australians wishing to leave to depart by commercial aircraft as soon as possible.

Israel said it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the first crack in a 10-day siege on the territory.

Joe Biden has touched down at Tel Aviv ahead of a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu.

It's one of only two mercy flights to bring Australians home, with the government confirming there wouldn't be any more.

If confirmed, the attack would be by far the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008.

Ukraine on Tuesday claimed to have carried out one of the most destructive attacks on Russian air assets since the beginning of the war

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would not confirm whether they launched strikes in those areas.

Accusations of war crimes have rung loud in recent months, even reaching among the most powerful people in the world.

US leaders are mounting an urgent effort to prevent Israel's war against Hamas and a resulting civilian catastrophe in Gaza from escalating into a widening regional conflict.

More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion.

The slackening suggests the Russian effort to capture Avdiivka has "deflated".

LIVE UPDATES: The Israeli military says Hamas and other Palestinian militants are holding 199 hostages in Gaza – higher than previous estimates.

The myriad tunnels under Gaza are best known as passageways used to smuggle goods from Egypt and launch attacks into Israel.

Three repatriation flights carrying hundreds of Australians have left left Tel Aviv airport overnight.

Water and food are running out as tens of thousands of Palestinians attempt to flee crippling airstrikes and an Israeli ground offensive.

There are fears fuel stocks powering hospital generators could run out today.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered for rallies in Australian cities, with the events ending peacefully according to police.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing south through the battered streets of Gaza after the Israeli military told them to leave northern areas of the densely populated strip.

Palestinians struggled to flee from areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli military while grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the region.

Father worries for his missing daughter, who went to the Tribe of Nova music festival before Hamas militants turned the party into a killing ground and she was left running for her life with a fractured leg in a moon boot.

The royal family turned out in full uniform for Spain's national day.

The United Nations undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, publicly criticised Israel's evacuation order, suggesting that it was completely unviable.

The powers first used during the Cronulla riots in 2005 allow police to search anyone without cause.