Territorial Disputes

Israel intensified its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza's south as the ruined Palestinian enclave's health ministry announced 29,313 deaths in the war so far.

The United States says the United Nation's top court should not order the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories as it considers a request for its opinion on the legality of the occupation.

Washington has rejected the latest United Nations Security Council draft resolution on the conflict, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

The United States has proposed an alternative draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and opposing a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.

The coke plant was claimed after Russian forces took over the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Sunday.

Israel is continuing to telegraph a ground offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge since the beginning of the conflict.

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency published grainy footage on Telegram purporting to show several naval drones approaching a large vessel at night and at least one large explosion.

Key mediators in the Gaza conflict are warning of repercussions if Israel launches a ground invasion in Rafah as 44 Palestinians are reported dead in air strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate the population of Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza town.

In a high-profile speech laying out Australia's Indian Ocean strategy, the foreign minister warned against political interference and economic coercion, urging China to be more transparent about its military build-up.

Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Hamas ceasefire deal that would ensure the return of hostages still held in Gaza.

A rebel group in Indonesia's eastern region of Papua orders its armed faction deep in the jungle to release a New Zealand pilot held hostage for the past year.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis say they have fired missiles at two more vessels in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships.

The development towards a new halt in fighting comes as Israel's evacuation orders now cover two-thirds of Gaza, according to a UN monitor. 

The Israel-Gaza war has spilled over in Lebanon, Jordan and the Red Sea, fuelling fears of a wider war in the Middle East. Let's take a look at the key players and how the conflict is escalating.

US President Joe Biden imposes sanctions on four Israeli men accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank, signalling growing US displeasure with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Fears of regional escalation are growing as the Israel-Gaza war drags on, with data showing political violence has increased across the Middle East. These are the four main hotspots.

Hamas said the proposed deal would see the group first release men, children, the elderly and wounded while humanitarian delivery would resume in Gaza. 

Israel's army identified the main target of the hospital raid as a member of the Islamist militant movement, with the other two being from a local group of gunmen.

The strikes targeted an underground storage site, missiles and other military capabilities.

Israeli forces have stormed a hospital and placed another under siege in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, as families of the Israeli hostages storm a parliamentary committee. 

The grim milestone came as the UN secretary-general condemned Israeli forces for the extent of civilian deaths, and Israel's cabinet approved a plan for tax funds earmarked for the Gaza Strip to be held by Norway.

A series of reported strikes in Syrian capital Damascus killed five members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to the group. 

Both Middle Eastern nations have signalled a desire to cool tensions, after tit-for-tat strikes that saw 11 people killed between the two states. 

The Labor backbencher's comments come after Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to scale back Israel's military assault in Gaza or take steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.