Israel-Hamas war live: IDF helicopter targets ‘terrorist squad’ in northern Gaza

Labour minister Afzal Khan has apologised for posing for a photo at the stall of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) at the party conference.

The shadow trade minister said: “I want to apologise for any offence caused by stopping by the PSC stall at this time. I unequivocally condemn the terrorist actions of Hamas and support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Apsana Begum, a left-wing Labour MP who backer Jeremy Corbyn, was also pictured at the stall. The PSC launched a protest outside Israeli Embassy, demanding Israel “end apartheid now”, after the Hamas attack.

Footage has shown the aftermath of an Israeli strike on southwest Gaza, which killed at least one person.

The attack happened in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has called on supporters of Palestine to stay at home, after protests in London. “There is no need, there’s no necessity for people to come out. It causes distress.”

He said that the protests were causing concern in the Jewish community, “who have often been on the receiving end of prejudice and threats of violence”, adding: “I would encourage them just to pause.”

Home secretary Suella Braverman has written to police chiefs to encourage them to step up patrols in areas with large Jewish communities amid concerns they could be subjected to antisemitic abuse.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that Hamas operatives had “nowhere to hide in Gaza” and that the air force was carrying out unprecedently intensive air strikes in the Palestinian enclave in waves every four hours.

“We will reach them (Hamas) everywhere,” chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.

Austria is arranging an evacuation of its citizens from Israel by military transport aircraft on Wednesday, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Tuesday.

Roughly 200 Austrians have so far informed the Austrian authorities that they wish to leave Israel, Nehammer told Puls 24 television on a trip to Turkey. The Foreign Ministry later asked Austrians in Israel who want to take up the offer of the evacuation flight to contact the Austrian embassy in Tel Aviv.

“It is happening in cooperation with the Austrian armed forces. A transport aircraft is available and the mission will begin tomorrow,” Nehammer said, adding that the flight would be to Cyprus.

A spokeswoman for Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg confirmed media reports that the military transport aircraft was a C-130 Hercules and that the flight’s destination would be Cyprus.

Austria said earlier on Tuesday that three of its dual citizens are missing and suspected to be among the prisoners taken into Gaza by Hamas.

Iran’s top authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Tehran had not been involved in the Hamas group’s weekend attack on Israel, but he hailed what he called Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence defeat.

In his first televised speech since the attack, Khamenei said “we kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime”.

More than a million Israeli civilians in the northern regions beneath Lebanon are fleeing southward over fears of a second front opening up, local outlets have reported.

Roughly 75 percent of Galilee residents have left their homes, according to local station Channel 12 news. It has a population of 1.6 million.

They added that in some border communities, nearly 90 percent of inhabitants have fled.

“Those who feel they cannot deal with the tension — not just today, but who are suffering accumulated trauma from years back — were advised two days ago that they should take their things and slowly, carefully head south,” a Channel 12 reporter said.

“The roads are open… The Homefront Command is permitting some kind of normal life in the area, but many have headed south toward the centre of the country.”

Fears of Hezbollah, stationed in southern Lebanon and who are in conversation with Hamas, opening up a second front have caused considerable anxiety among the Israeli population in its northern regions.

Israel would on Tuesday begin distributing thousands of assault rifles to volunteer first-response teams in border communities and mixed Jewish-Arab towns, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a social media post.

He said 4,000 Israeli-made rifles would be given out in the first round, with at least another 6,000 to follow. Volunteers would also eventually be equipped with helmets and flak jackets, he added.

Ben-Gvir’s announcement came as Israel reeled from armed cross-border infiltrations by Palestinians from Gaza and eyed possible internal friction between Israel’s majority Jews and 20 per cent Arab minority, many of whom identify with the Palestinians.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly indicated that a “significant number” of British-Israeli dual nationals have been caught up in the conflict – but declined to confirm reports about the numbers affected. “It is complicated. I’m uncomfortable giving numbers,” he told LBC

Cleverly also said the government was “standing ready” to support any British citizens who need to leave Israel – including working with Egypt to get people out of Gaza.

“We are working with the air industry and Israeli air traffic control to ensure that there are still commercial flights leaving Israel for those Brits who want to leave – and of course there are land borders from Israel into both Egypt and Jordan.

“With regard to Gaza, we maintain close coordination with the Egyptian government about the maintenance of the Rafah crossing, which is the land crossing from Gaza into Egypt. I know people have been leaving Gaza via that route.”