Back to the UN Security Council meeting in New York, where Israeli ambassador Danny Danon is speaking.
The meeting has been called to discuss the suffering of people in Gaza, a day after the US gave Israel an ultimatum to increase the flow of aid entering Gaza or risk losing military support.
Mr Danon claims Israel has “flooded Gaza with as much humanitarian aid as possible” and that the UN Security Council is “missing the real issue at hand”.
He says aid will never reach “all those in need as long as Hamas remains in power”, saying the militant group has “weaponised” the situation.
“Hamas is exploiting every opportunity to strengthen their hold while their own people suffer. This makes it incredibly difficult to ensure that the aid reaches its intended recipients,” Mr Danon says.
He says Hamas “moves through evacuation routes, hides in humanitarian zones and uses civilians as human shields”.
Mr Danon made the same argument to media before the meeting.
Death toll in strike that killed Lebanese mayor more than doubles
The number of people killed in an Israeli strike on Nabatieh in southern Lebanon has risen from six to 16, the Lebanese health ministry has said.
A further 52 have been wounded, it added.
Earlier, we told you the city’s governor had confirmed the local mayor had been killed in the attack, which hit a municipal building.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the strikes, saying they “intentionally targeted a meeting of the municipal council”.
The Israeli military said it had struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and dismantled “underground infrastructure” in the attack.
Cameron explains why he wants to sanction Israeli cabinet members
Lord Cameron revealed yesterday that he was planning to sanction two far-right Israeli cabinet members over comments they’ve made about the West Bank and the war in Gaza before the Tories lost the election.
Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir are part of ultranationalist parties in the coalition government and have a hardline approach to the conflict, dismissing calls from Western allies for a ceasefire.
Lord Cameron said he was laying the groundwork for possible sanctions while foreign secretary, hoping it might apply some “pressure” to Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the military campaign.
The former prime minister has now spoken to Kay Burley about his reasoning and the UK’s relationship with Israel.
Israel committing ‘cold-blooded, planned genocide’ in Gaza
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN says Israel has declared “all-out war against the Palestinian people”.
Speaking at today’s UN Security Council meeting in New York, Riyad Mansour accuses Israel of denying aid to Palestinians, “including the most vital for the survival of the population”.
He also criticises Israel’s attacks on UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been accused by Israel of harbouring Hamas terrorists.
The UN fired nine UNRWA staff members in August after an investigation found they may have been involved in the 7 October attack on Israel.
“To destroy the conditions of life in Gaza, Israel needs to make sure nobody can help restore then, even minimally,” Mr Mansour says.
“Israel’s attack against UNRWA is part of its assault against the Palestinian refugees it serves and the Palestinian civilian population it is trying to help survive.
“It is genocide. Cold-blooded, planned and executed genocide.”
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