Latest developments in Israel-Hamas war

Israel pressed on with its war against Hamas in Gaza on Thursday, striking dozens of targets as the death toll across the besieged territory surged.

Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

The militants also took around 250 hostages, of whom 105 have been released and several killed, including by friendly fire.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza and sent in ground troops in an offensive that has killed at least 20,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian territory's Hamas government.

On day 76 of the war, here are five key developments from the past 24 hours:

- Hamas says crossing chief killed -

An Israeli strike killed the head of the Palestinian side of the newly reopened Kerem Shalom border crossing on Thursday, Hamas authorities said.

After weeks of pressure, Israel approved the temporary reopening of Kerem Shalom on December 15 to enable direct aid deliveries to Gaza, rather than through the Rafah crossing from Egypt.

Bassem Ghaben and three other people were killed in a strike on the crossing, the health ministry said.

Israeli officials did not immediately comment.

Separately, the Israeli army said on Thursday that it had killed 2,000 militants in Gaza since December 1.

- Palestinians 'summarily killed': reports -

The United Nations human rights office, OHCHR, said it had received reports that Israeli troops "summarily killed" at least 11 unarmed Palestinians in a possible war crime in Gaza.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the claims "yet another example of the... prejudiced approach against Israel that the OHCHR has adopted for years now."

- Diplomats talk aid, ceasefire -

On a visit to Cairo, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron repeated his call for a "sustainable ceasefire where Hamas is no longer able to threaten Israel".

He also said: "Everything that can be done must be done to get aid into Gaza".

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Jordan to discuss with King Abdullah II humanitarian and medical aid, the French presidency said.

Macron is expected to reiterate "the urgency of establishing a new and immediate truce leading to a permanent ceasefire", the presidency said.

- Food 'emergency' -

Every person in Gaza is expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in the next six weeks, a report by the UN's hunger monitoring system said Thursday.

The report warned 50 per cent of the population faced a food "emergency" by February 7, while at least one in four would be in catastrophic conditions.

- Security Council to vote -

The UN Security Council was attempting on Thursday to pass a resolution calling for a halt in fighting.

The White House said the United States was "actively working" on the wording of the resolution, amid a sticking point over who should monitor aid deliveries.

The United Arab Emirates is sponsoring the proposed resolution, which calls for "the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities".

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