Israel-Palestine at war: live updates as almost 1,000 confirmed dead overall, US says it will send aircraft carrier

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces has confirmed that Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza.

It is believed that dozens have been taken hostage, with the BBC reporting that some are thought to be holed up in some of the small towns near the Gaza Strip - and others have been taken back into Gaza.

The actions mark a major escalation in fighting.

It comes after the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, claimed that “senior officers” from Israel’s army had been captured.

The official number of Israelis killed in the attack by Hamas has risen from 40 to 70, the country's emergency services has said. 

Israel’s Channel 12 reports that at least 100 Israelis have been killed, but 70 is the latest official figure.

At least 198 people have been killed and 1,610 wounded in Gaza in the Israeli retaliation to the Hamas attack, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

At least 40 people have been killed in a wide-ranging Hamas incursion in Israel, according to the country’s national rescue service.

It is claimed that 52 Israelis have been taken into the Gaza Strip.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has congratulated Hamas for the operation, saying it had “divine backing”.

The group said the attack is a response to “Israel’s crimes” and attacks on holy places and that “the will of the Palestinian people and the rifle of the resistance is the only alternative to face occupation”.

Hezbollah said that its military command in Lebanon is following the developments on the ground and is in direct contact with the Palestinian command and they are both “evaluating the situation and the ongoing operation”.

European leaders have voiced solidarity with Israel as they condemned the Hamas attack on the country.

The head of the European Union’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the attack “is terrorism in its most despicable form”. She said that “Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the militants’ rocket fire and the escalating violence “shock us deeply”. He added that “Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands beside Israel”.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he “firmly” condemns the “terrorist attacks” against Israel and expressed “my full solidarity with the victims, their families and their loved ones”. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said Italy’s government condemns the attacks on Israel “with utmost firmness”.

“At risk are the life of people, the security of the region and the resumption of any kind of political process,” Mr Tajani said in a social media post.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry voiced its support for Israel’s “right to defend itself and its people” in a post on social media.

The ministry said it “strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks against the civilian population in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv”.

Israel’s emergency service has issued an urgent appeal for blood from citizens amid increasing reports of deaths and injuries.

Pictures show Israelis donating blood at a hospital in Tel Aviv.

It comes after a barrage of rockets were fired and fighters from Islamist militant group Hamas infiltrated Israel - a major escalation in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Israel has retaliated and launched air strikes on Gaza.

Things are moving fast and the situation continues to develop, but here are is what we know so far:

President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine has commented on the unfolding situation, saying his citizens have a right to defend themselves against their "occupiers".

He said: "Protection must be provided to our people, and we affirm the right of the Palestinians to defend themselves against the terrorism of settlers and occupation forces."