Israel-Hamas war LIVE: IDF says it has now ‘split Gaza into two’ as UN agencies issue rare joint statement calling for a ceasefire

Efforts underway to resume evacuations over Rafah crossing

Efforts were under way on Sunday to resume evacuations of foreign nationals and injured Gazans through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, suspended since Saturday after a deadly attack on an ambulance, Egyptian, U.S. and Qatari officials said.

The crossing to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is the only exit point from Gaza not controlled by Israel.

Aid trucks were still able to travel into Gaza, two Egyptian sources said.

So far, roughly 1,100 people have left the Gaza Strip through the crossing since Wednesday under an apparent agreement among the United States, Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas.

It was not immediately clear on Monday if the crossing would reopen.

Britain orders staff to leave embassy in Lebanon due to 'security' amid fears the country could be sucked into Israel war, sparking civil unrest

Britain’s Foreign Office has declared it will withdraw some British embassy staff from Lebanon amid concerns that fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah would spiral out of control.

The FCDO said this morning it had already advised Britons against all travel to Lebanon due to the conflict between neighbouring Israel and Gaza, and encouraged any Britons still in the country to leave while commercial flights remain.

But the temporary withdrawal of embassy staff marks a ramping up of safety precautions as Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) traded fire with Hezbollah militants at the border over the weekend.

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Knife-wielding Palestinian is shot dead after stabbing female Israeli soldier

A knife-wielding Palestinian assailant stabbed and seriously wounded a female Israeli soldier before being shot dead in east Jerusalem today, police said.

‘A terrorist armed with a knife arrived at Shalem police station and stabbed a female soldier… border police forces neutralised the terrorist by shooting,’ police said.

Police said a female soldier was seriously wounded and another suffered light injuries. The Israeli emergency services said they had provided medical treatment to the wounded, both aged 20.

The assailant was identified by police as a young Palestinian from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya.

It added that ‘another suspect’ had been arrested near the scene of the attack, which has been cordoned off.

The attack marks the latest violence to flare up in the area as Israel deepens its military offensive in Gaza.

On October 30, a Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli police officer before being shot dead in east Jerusalem, the police said.

Recap: Blinken's unannounced visit to Iraq

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday, as he tours the Middle East attempting to tamp down tensions.

After an earlier visit to the West Bank, Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening for his first visit to the country as the US top diplomat and held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.

Blinken said he had a good, candid conversation with the Iraq government.

Washington wants to prevent a wider regional conflict from spilling over and has stepped up diplomacy with regional countries whose populations have been angered by Israel’s assault on Gaza.

But Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning on Saturday night that the expected Blinken visit would be met with ‘an unprecedented escalation.’

IN PICTURES: Palestinians search through the rubble after Israeli air strikes on Gaza

Angelina Jolie's father Jon Voight blasts her 'lies' about Israeli war against Hamas

Actor Jon Voight has ripped anti-Israel posts by his famous daughter Angelina Jolie – branding them ‘lies’ and saying ‘the Israeli army must protect thy soil.’

Jolie has strongly condemned the IDF’s response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians.

But in a video posted online, Voight, 84, did not hold back in his criticism of his daughter Jolie, saying: ‘I am very disappointed that my daughter, like so many, has no understanding of God’s honor, God’s truths.’

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More than 200 people killed in airstrikes overnight, Hamas-run ministry says

Intense Israeli strikes killed more than 200 people overnight in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry in the besieged Palestinian territory has said.

‘More than 200 martyrs were reported in the overnight massacres,’ the ministry said in a statement, adding the death toll only covered Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and not the southern region.

Israel said this morning its fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets and its troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours.

King of Jordan says 'urgent medical aid' air-dropped into Gaza

Jordan’s air force air-dropped vital medical supplies to a field hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip, King Abdullah II said early Monday.

‘Our fearless air force personnel air-dropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza,’ he said on X, formerly Twitter.

‘This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza,’ he said, adding: ‘We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren.’

'Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza': Israeli military says territory is split in two

Gaza lost communications in its third total outage of the Israel-Hamas war, while Israel’s military said it encircled Gaza City.

The IDF says it has divided the besieged coastal strip into two.

‘Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,’ Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters, calling it a ‘significant stage’ in Israel’s war against the Hamas militant group ruling the enclave.

Israeli media reported troops were expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours, and strong explosions were seen in northern Gaza after nightfall.

IDF: Our hostages remain top priority

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has said freeing the hostages inside Gaza remains the Israeli military’s top priority.

‘We are going to defeat Hamas. We are going to free our hostages,’ he said during a press briefing, shown below.

Is it believed around 240 hostages are currently in Gaza. Hamas officials in the territory claims a number have been killed in IDF airstrikes.

WATCH: Israeli soldiers push back terrorist attack and defeat Hamas tunnels by calling in airstrike

IDF soldiers were marching through Gaza when they were attacked by terrorists who sprang out of a nearby underground hatch.

Video shows the Israeli troops pushed the enemy back through the opening but rather than follow them inside, they called in an airstrike.

Watch the video below:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GJtKXXyzLb4%3Frel%3D0

Irish-Israeli girl whose father said 'it was a blessing' the eight-year-old was killed rather than abducted by Hamas 'IS alive and being held hostage', her shocked family say

An eight-year-old girl who was believed to have been slaughtered in Israel by Hamas terrorists is now thought to be alive and among those held hostage in Gaza .

Emily Hand, a young Irish-Israeli girl, was reported to have been one of the at least 130 people killed in the deadly massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where she spent the night of October 6 to October 7 at a sleepover at her friend’s house.

In the aftermath of the attack, in an interview that went around the world, her Irish-born father Thomas Hand said that he was glad to hear that she was dead as he was terrified of how she would have been treated by Hamas terrorists.

But after a month of mourning thinking she had been killed, her family today revealed Israeli authorities had told them the schoolgirl is a hostage of Hamas, and is likely being held somewhere in in the besieged Gaza Strip.

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Britain withdraws some staff and family members from embassy in Lebanon due to 'security situation' in region

Britain’s Foreign Office has said some staff and family members have been temporarily withdrawn from the British embassy in Lebanon due to the ‘security situation’ in the region.

Guidance on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website said: ‘FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon due to risks associated with the conflict between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

‘There are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and air strikes in South Lebanon, on the boundary with Israel. Tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon.

‘There is also a risk of civil unrest. There have been large protests outside embassies, including outside the US and French embassies on October 17. Further protests are expected. British nationals should exercise caution and avoid areas where demonstrations may be held.

‘Due to the security situation, some staff at the British embassy and all family members of staff have been temporarily withdrawn. The embassy continues with essential work including services to British nationals.’

Israel has clashed with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah since the October 7 attack, raising fears the war in Gaza could spread to the wider region.

Israel-Hamas war: What you need to know on Day 31 of the on-going conflict

Israel continued its massive bombing campaign after the Palestinian militants staged the worst attack in the country's history a month ago.

In their October 7 attack, Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 240 others hostage.

The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 9,770 people, many of them women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign since the war began.

Israel now says it has split Gaza in two, encricling Gaza City in the north. The IDF says it plans to see the whole of the north free of civilians, who it has repeatedly urged to flee to the south of the territory.

As the bombardment continues, UN aid agencies have released a rare joint statement calling for a ceasefire to the conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained firm on his position, vowing that 'there won't be a ceasefire until the hostages are returned'.

Meanwhile, Britain's foreign office has said it is withdrawing some embassy staff from Lebanon amid fears the conflict could broaden.

Here's what else you need to know of day 31 of the conflict:

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