Day 10 of the latest Israel-Hamas war

Jerusalem: More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas' leadership after its deadly incursion.

Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis. Israeli forces, supported by US warships, positioned themselves along Gaza's border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished neighbourhoods but failed to stop militant rocket fire into Israel. The war that began October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel. Currently: 1. Water has run out at UN shelters across Gaza and overwhelmed doctors at the territory's largest hospital struggled to care for patients they fear will die once generators run out of fuel. 2. US President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days, though no travel has yet been confirmed. 3. An urban battle during Israel's 2014 war against Hamas offers a glimpse of the type of fighting that could lie ahead.

Here's what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war: IRAN SAYS HAMAS IS READY TO RELEASE HOSTAGES IF AIRSTRIKES STOP JERUSALEM — Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that Hamas potentially was ready to release the nearly 200 hostages it is holding if Israel stops its campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The militant group hasn't acknowledged making such an offer.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani spoke at a news conference in Tehran. Iran's theocracy is a main sponsor of Hamas in its fight against Israel, Tehran's regional archenemy. Hamas officials “stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistant groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza,” Kanaani said. Hamas has said it will trade the captives for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel in the kind of lopsided exchange deals that have been reached in the past. Iran has warned it could enter the war as well if Israel launches a widely anticipated ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. Already, the Lebanese Shiite militia group Hezbollah, which is also sponsored by Iran, has launched missiles into Israel, though it insists that represents a “warning” for Israel rather than its full entry into the war.

“We heard from the resistance that they have no problem to continue resisting,” Kanaani said, referring to Hamas. “They said the resistance holds military capability to continue resisting in the field for a long time.” BLINKEN IS BACK IN ISRAEL AFTER TOUR OF ARAB STATES TEL AVIV, Israel — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to Israel for the second time in less than a week to consult with senior Israeli officials about discussions he had with Arab leaders over Israel's war with Hamas.

Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday after a six-nation tour of Arab states during which he heard the concerns of Arab leaders about an impending Israeli ground invasion of Gaza causing a humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians and possibly igniting a broader regional conflict. His talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his national security team come as the White House is weighing a potential trip to Israel by President Joe Biden as early as this week. Blinken will also meet separately with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and opposition leader Yair Lapid. Biden, Blinken and other senior US officials have pledged unwavering support for Israel as it responds to deadly Hamas attacks that have killed more than 1,400 Israelis since last week.

But as Israel's plans for a massive military response to eradicate Hamas have gelled, Arab states and others have become increasingly alarmed at the prospect of mass civilian casualties and a major humanitarian crisis. After visiting Israel last Thursday to express US solidarity, Blinken toured the region, meeting with the leaders of Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, all of whom have said civilians must be protected and given assistance to survive the Israeli operation.

As those concerns have grown, the US has also stepped up its emphasis on the importance of Israel respecting the laws of war regarding the treatment of civilians as it pursues Hamas. Blinken and other US officials have been exploring ideas on setting up safe zones in the Gaza Strip and ensuring that badly needed humanitarian supplies reach civilians there. Blinken has twice extended his diplomatic mission and plans to return to Jordan after his stop in Israel. UK WORKING TO PREVENT THE CONFLICT FROM SPREADING LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he is working with other leaders from around the world to ensure the Israel-Hamas conflict does not spread. Sunak, who has spoken by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and met King Abdullah of Jordan in London on Sunday, said “nobody wants to see regional escalation. And certainly the Israeli prime minister does not, when I've spoken to him.” Sunak said Britain has sent Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to “make sure that no arm shipments, for example, have been sent to other terrorist organisations in the region.”

Sunak also said he had raised with Netanyahu “the need to minimise the impact on civilians” of Israel's offensive against Hamas. “And the humanitarian situation is one which of course we're concerned about, and that I've raised in all the calls and interactions I've had with other leaders from across the region,” Sunak said. HEZBOLLAH TAKES OUT ISRAELI BORDER SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS BEIRUT — Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group has started destroying surveillance cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border with Lebanon. Hezbollah's military media arm released a video Monday showing snipers destroying surveillance cameras placed on five points along the Lebanon-Israel border, including one outside the Israeli town of Metula. Hezbollah's aim appears to be to prevent the Israeli army from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side of the border.

THE UN HEALTH AGENCY RUSHES MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO LEBANON BEIRUT — The World Health Organisation says it has sent two shipments of medical supplies to Beirut in preparation for a potential escalation of the so-far sporadic clashes on the border between armed groups in Lebanon and Israeli forces. The UN agency said in a statement Monday that it “has expedited the delivery of critical medical supplies to Lebanon in order to be ready to respond to any potential health crisis.” Two shipments containing “enough surgical and trauma medicines and supplies to meet the needs of 800 to 1,000 injured patients” arrived in Beirut from Dubai Monday the statement said.

Lebanon's health system has been overstretched since the country fell into a severe economic crisis four years ago. Many medical professionals have left the country and hospitals have faced supply and equipment shortages. The WHO noted that clashes on the border have already resulted in civilian casualties. “If these clashes escalate, more civilians will be at risk, and they will need immediate access to lifesaving medical care,” the statement said. Since the outbreak of the latest Hamas-Israel war on October 7, armed groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have launched missiles at sites in northern Israel, while Israel has hit sites in southern Lebanon with airstrikes and shelling.

Strikes from the Lebanese side have killed one Israeli soldier and one civilian, while Israeli strikes have killed three civilians on the Lebanese side — including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah — as well as four Hezbollah fighters. Two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed Monday in clashes with Israeli forces after crossing the border between the two countries. ISRAEL SAYS 199 HOSTAGES ARE BEING HELD IN GAZA JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says Hamas and other Palestinian militants are holding 199 hostages in Gaza — higher than previous estimates. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman, said Monday that the families have been notified. He did not specify whether that number includes foreigners, or say who is holding them. Most are believed to be held by the Hamas militant group, which rules Gaza.

NORWAY SAYS IT HAS 170 NATIONALS WHO WANT HELP TO LEAVE GAZA COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Norwegian government says that as of Sunday evening there are 170 of their nationals who want assistance from Norway to leave Gaza. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that “the situation in Gaza is unclear and is getting worse with every passing hour.” Speaking of leaving Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Huitfeldt said “we cannot guarantee that it will be possible for Norwegian citizens to cross (there). The border can be both opened and closed at short notice.” The possibilities to leave the area via Lebanon “have been limited in a short time,” Huitfeldt said because “several airlines have stopped their flights.”

ISRAEL ORDERS PEOPLE NEAR LEBANON BORDER TO EVACUATE JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has ordered people living in 28 communities near the Lebanese border to evacuate. The order Monday comes as there's been increasing cross-border fire between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. The military order affects communities that are within 2 kilometres of the border. Hezbollah has said the increased strikes were a warning and did not mean Hezbollah has decided to enter the war.

WHO SAYS LIFESAVING AID IS AWAITING ENTRY AT RAFAH CROSSING BAGHDAD — The World Health Organisation said lifesaving assistance, including health supplies to serve 300,000 patients, is awaiting entry through the Rafah crossing into Gaza. The crossing was closed because of airstrikes earlier in the war, and US has been trying to broker a deal to reopen the crossing to allow foreigners to leave and allow in humanitarian aid amassed on the Egyptian side. The WHO, in comments to The Associated Press, reiterated calls for the immediate and safe delivery of medical supplies, fuel, clean water and food, and other humanitarian aid into Gaza through Rafah crossing. It expressed concern about limited water and sanitation in the territory, particularly at hospitals where patients' lives can be lost due to infection and disease outbreaks. WHO said four hospitals in northern Gaza are no longer functioning as a result of damage and 21 hospitals are under an Israeli evacuation order.

FLIGHT OF 130 THAI EVACUEES ARRIVES FROM ISRAEL BANGKOK — A Thai Air Force plane carrying 130 evacuees from Israel arrived early Monday in Bangkok. The evacuation flight on an Airbus A340, carrying 127 men, two women and a girl, was the first of of a planned six flights by Thailand's air force. Small batches of evacuees had previously arrived on commercial flights. As of Saturday, 7,058 Thais in Israel had registered for voluntary repatriation, while 83 indicated their intention to remain in Israel, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Sunday that 28 Thais are reported to have been killed in the attack on southern Israel by Hamas, and another 17 abducted. There are about 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, mostly employed as agricultural labourers, and some 5,000 had been working in the area that was affected by the violence.