INTENSE GUN BATTLES REPORTED IN SOUTHERN GAZA AS UN WARNS OVER AID

 Fierce Israeli tank fire and air strikes have been continuing in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which Israel sees as a stronghold of Hamas

Residents have reported intense gun battles between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters there

The Israeli army says it's struck targets across Gaza over the past 24 hours, and its troops have killed "dozens of terrorists" in Gaza City

As Israeli ground operations drive tens of thousands of people to flee, there are reports of an increased spread of diseases.

The UN has complained that the volume of aid reaching the territory remains "woefully inadequate". Israel insists it’s not limiting it and that the problem is with its distribution

At least 1,200 people were killed when Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October and about 240 others were taken hostage

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 21,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel started its retaliatory campaign.

Humanitarian needs in Gaza 'continue to massively grow' - UN

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Displaced family sheltering in a tent in Rafah, close to the border with EgyptImage caption: Displaced family sheltering in a tent in Rafah, close to the border with Egypt

The director of the UN aid agency UNRWA, Juliette Touma, has been telling the BBC "the humanitarian needs on the ground have continued to massively grow".

"We continue to have restrictions to access areas in the Gaza Strip where we should access on a regular basis, like the north of the Gaza Strip.

"There's very, very little commercial supplies coming into Gaza and there's no market, so more and more people are depending by the day, by the hour, on organisations like UNRWA.

"It’s safe to say that every single person in Gaza, a population of 2.2 million people is impacted one way or another."

Israel says it’s not limiting aid, and that the problem lies with its distribution.

IDF says troops engaging in 'fierce battles' 

In a morning update, the Israeli military says its navy and air force has hit targets throughout the Gaza Strip and its troops have been engaging in "fierce battles".

It says its forces in Gaza City killed "dozens of terrorists" over the past day in several battles.

Soldiers also destroyed two buildings used by Hamas in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, the IDF says.

This comes as Palestinians have been reporting intense Israeli tank fire and bombardments in Khan Younis in southern Gaza overnight.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that 187 people were killed in strikes in a 24-hour period.

THIS AND MANY MORE UPDATES AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67847427