Gaza live: Israel continues bombing central Gaza

Israel's foreign minister said on Saturday that a planned incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah could be suspended should there be a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

"The release of the hostages is the top priority for us," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz during an interview with local Channel 12 television.

Asked if that included putting off a planned operation to eliminate Hamas battalions in the city of Rafah, Katz answered, "Yes."

He went on to say: "If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation."

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said on Saturday that it had targeted northern Israel with drones and guided missiles after Israeli strikes on "civilian homes" killed three people, including two of its members.

A Hezbollah statement said the group "launched a complex attack using explosive drones and guided missiles on the headquarters of the Al Manara military command and a gathering of forces from the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade".

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas released video footage on Saturday of two men held captive in Gaza and seen alive in the footage.

Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum identified the two in a statement as Omri Miran, 47, and Keith Siegel, 64, who were abducted by militants during the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.

The latest video came just three days after Hamas released another video showing captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin alive.

Siegel and Miran appeared to speak under duress.

"I have been here in Hamas captivity for 202 days. The situation here is unpleasant, difficult and there are many bombs," Miran is heard saying in the footage, indicating it was taken earlier this week.

"It's time to reach a deal that will get us out of here safe and healthy… Keep protesting, so that there will be a deal now."

Siegel, who also spoke in the video, broke down as he talked of their captivity.

"We are in danger here, there are bombs, it is stressful and scary," he said, burying his face in his arms as he cried. "I want to tell my family that I love you very much. It's important to me that you know that I am fine.

Three Palestinian civilians were killed on Saturday afternoon and others wounded during Israeli air strikes on refugee camps in central Gaza, according to Wafa news agency.

Wafa's correspondent reported that Israeli jets bombed a house east of al-Bureij refugee camp, killing one and wounding several others.

Israeli strikes also hit a house in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing two more civilians. 

Protesters took to the streets of London for the latest mass march against Israel's war on Gaza.

The march was co-organised by a number of groups, including the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War coalition and Friends of al-Aqsa. 

"Today, our foremost demand resonates loud and clear: an immediate cessation of arms exports to the occupying state," said Adnan Hmidan, of the Palestinian Forum in Britain. 

"Since 2015, Britain has been complicit in supplying weapons and spare parts for warplanes that rain destruction upon our people, worth hundreds of millions of pounds."

Lebanon is moving towards accepting the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction to prosecute violations on its territory since 7 October.

Beirut has accused Israel of repeatedly violating its sovereignty and breaching international law over the last six months, during which Israeli forces and Lebanese group Hezbollah have traded fire across the border. 

At least 70 civilians, including children, rescue workers and journalists have been killed along the border, including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by an Israeli tank on 13 October.

On Friday, Lebanon's caretaker cabinet voted to instruct the foreign affairs ministry to file a declaration accepting the ICC's jurisdiction to probe and prosecute crimes committed on Lebanese territory since 7 October.

The foreign ministry was also instructed to include in its complaints about Israel to the United Nations a report prepared by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) into Abdallah's killing.

While neither Lebanon or Israel are members of the ICC, filing a declaration to the court would grant it jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes over a specified period.

"The Lebanese government has taken a landmark step toward securing justice for war crimes in the country," said Lama Fakih at Human Rights Watch.

"This is an important reminder to those who flout their obligations under the laws of war that they may find themselves in the dock."

British troops could be deployed in Gaza to assist with aid deliveries, after the US said it would not be sending any of its own ground forces.

The US previously said a "third party" would be responsible for driving trucks along a floating causeway onto the beach, a role the BBC has learned could be filled by British forces.

The BBC on Saturday quoted Whitehall as saying no decision had yet been made and that the issue had not yet been raised with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

US President Joe Biden first announced the plans for a floating pier in Gaza to deliver aid in March.

The US said it would coordinate the security of the temporary pier with Israel and that the temporary port would increase the amount of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the war-battered enclave by "hundreds of additional truckloads" per day.

Read more: UK troops could be sent into Gaza to help with aid deliveries

Ahead of general elections in South Africa next month, 13 political parties in the country have pledged solidarity with Palestinians. 

The parties endorsed a statement backing #Week4Palestine, an international campaign to be held during the first week of May. 

Africa4Palestine said in a press statement: "Solidarity with the Palestinian people in the struggle against Israeli colonialism and the demand to end the siege is clearly a significant issue in election campaigns. 

"South Africans have shown that they will support parties who are unafraid to demand an end to the genocide of Palestinians, the gains made by the South African government to support Palestinians will be built on and not undermined." 

The pledge was signed by the African National Congress, the Economic Freedom Fighters and several other parties. 

Iran’s foreign minister has said the crew of a seized ship linked to Israel have been given consular access and are expected to be freed, Iranian media reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Portuguese-flagged container vessel MSC Aries, with its 25 crew members on board, in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 April.

The action was taken days after Tehran said it would retaliate following an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus that killed seven IRGC members. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reportedly told his Portuguese counterpart in a telephone call that the "humanitarian issue of the release of the ship's crew is of serious concern to us".

He said the crew would be turned over to their ambassadors in Tehran, though there was no indication of when this would occur.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other international officials will be in the Saudi capital this weekend for Gaza ceasefire talks on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting, the WEF's president said on Saturday.

"We do have the key players now in Riyadh and hopefully the discussions can lead into a process towards reconciliation and peace," Borge Brende said at a press conference in Riyadh.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Qatar's prime minister, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Egypt's foreign minister, Oman's crown prince and Bahraini officials will be amongst those in attendance.

Egypt's foreign minister, Brende said, will update officials on talks held by Egyptian negotiators in Israel on Friday.

"There is now a bit of momentum for negotiations on the hostages and also a possible ceasefire," Brende said.

Israeli forces have killed at least 34,388 Palestinians and wounded 77,437 others in Gaza since 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday.

The new death toll comes after 32 Palestinians were killed and 69 others wounded over the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

Aid shipments from Cyprus to Gaza resumed late on Friday, following a pause on shipments over the death of aid workers.

A small cargo vessel left the port of Larnaca with aid donated by the United Arab Emirates, a Cypriot source told Reuters.

The World Central Kitchen paused aid earlier this month after seven of its workers were killed by Israeli air strikes in early April, halting the direct shipments into Gaza from Cyprus.

In his latest column for Middle East Eye, academic Chris Phillips argues that the UK remains a firm ally of Israel, even if suggests it might recognise a Palestinian state. 

"After more than six months of war, one thing is clear: London remains a firm ally of Israel, and if anything, that closeness is growing. At times, Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been a 'critical friend', even suggesting the UK might recognise a Palestinian state to pressure Israel. But at all the key moments, British support has been steadfast. 

"This was seen most recently when the Royal Air Force was deployed to help intercept Iranian drones launched towards Israel. It was also seen when the UK repeatedly insisted on Israel's right to defend itself, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak repeatedly refused calls for an immediate ceasefire. 

"London doesn't view the issue as dichotomous, believing it can support both Israelis and Palestinians - but the war has exposed just how much it values ties with the former."

You can read the full column below. 

Opinion: 'Labour or Tories, the UK will always back Israel'

Israeli forces have shot and killed two Palestinian men and wounded two others at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

The Israeli military said the men had opened fire on them from a vehicle on Saturday morning. It also published pictures of automatic rifles it said were used to shoot at soldiers. 

Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the area to recover the bodies, according to Wafa news agency.