TRANSCRIPT
Hezbollah have confirmed the death of one of their senior commanders in southern Lebanon, following an Israeli air strike in the area.
Mohammed Nasser was the latest casualty after exchange of attacks in the area which have been ongoing for the last nine months.
The military group said it replied to Nasser's death by launching over 100 missiles towards Israeli military targets.
Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says they are prepared to handle any attack.
"We are striking Hezbollah very hard every day and we will also reach a state of full readiness to take any action required in Lebanon, or to reach an arrangement from a position of strength. We prefer an arrangement, but if the situation forces us, we will be ready to fight."
There have been attempts by the global community to de-escalate the situation at Israel's border with Lebanon due to fears that it could escalate to an all-out war.
It comes as Israel continues its military operation in Gaza.
Yesterday, the Israeli military ordered all people to evacuate from the Khan Younis region, which has an estimated population of around 250,000 people.
Andrea De Domenico, Head of Office for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [[OCHA]] in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, says 90 per cent of the population in Gaza has been affected by the war.
"At the moment, we estimated that nine of every ten people in the Gaza Strip had been internally displaced at least once, if not up to ten times, unfortunately, since October. And, you know, I was speaking with colleagues that we have recently, recruited to, to scale up our operations, and they were telling me themselves that they have been with their families moving, you know, nine, ten times, you know, a few times in the north, few times in, in Khan Younis, then go back to Rafah, now up again to Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. So it is a constant movement."
Mr De Domenico says the evacuation order has put another road block in attempts to establish a corridor for the provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"In the last weeks we have been discussing a lot with the Israeli and the humanitarian community, how to resume our ability to bring assistance in from Karem Abu Salem, so inside Gaza and distribute throughout the strip. And we have been engineering a lot of solutions and trying and testing, improving and failing at times - at times - and now with this evacuation order, all this has been, again, wiped out."
Israel is under increasing pressure to accept a recent response by Hamas to a ceasefire proposal, brokered by Egypt, Qatar [[cutter]] and the U-S.
The proposal is said to include the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas as one of its key features.
The federal government passed a motion in parliament last night to recognise the Palestinian state in a two-state solution after the war.
The motion was brought forward by Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts.
"The Albanese government has been clear that we will recognise Palestine as part of a peace process in support of a two-state solution and a just and enduring peace. We want to see a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. No Australian government has ever expressed such strong support for a Palestinian state. This is reflected in what we tried to put to the Senate last week. We're doing more than just lecturing and condemning people. We are working with countries around the world that want a just and enduring peace in the region."
The Opposition and the Greens voted against the motion.
The Greens critical of the government's position to not recognise the Palestinian state unconditionally.
Greens M-P Max Chandler-Mather says the government should impose sanctions on Israel for its actions in Gaza.
"Let's be very, very, very clear about this. Every time Israel carries out a massacre, every time Israel kills Palestinian men, women and children, and then they look around the world and they don't receive a single sanction, a single sanction to stop, they are emboldened and they keep acting. This motion is a joke. It is a joke. As part of a peace process. What peace process? Israel is carrying out a genocide. Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. It's not a peace process."
It comes as Labor MP Fatima Payman is set to make an announcement regarding her political future.
Ms Payman was suspended indefinitely from the Labor party on Wednesday after she decided to cross the floor and join the Greens on their motion to officially recognise the Palestinian state, saying she would do it again.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he expects the Western Australian senator to make the announcements within the next few days.
"Senator Payman of course, has made a decision to place herself outside the Labor party. That's the decision that she made. I expect further announcements in coming days, which will explain exactly what the strategy has been over now more than a month."
Meanwhile, human rights groups have condemned a move by the Israeli government to declare a 12.7 square-kilometre land seizure in the West Bank.
It is the largest seizure of land in the region in over three decades.
The area is part of the Jordan Valley and was named as state property by Israel in June.
The Peace Now group says the move further hinders hopes of putting an end to the conflict in Gaza.
