By Alastair McCready and Lyndal Rowlands

      Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will not lower the intensity of fighting and are “deepening operations in southern Gaza”, with the air force hitting 100 targets in 24 hours.

      United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed Sigrid Kaag as Gaza’s aid coordinator, but the path ahead for humanitarian relief remains difficult with no breaks in fighting.

      Herzi Halevi, the Israeli army’s chief of staff, says the war on Gaza will continue for “many months”.

      In Gaza, at least 20,915 people have been killed and 54,918 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7. The revised death toll from Hamas’s attack on Israel stands at 1,139.

    If you’re just joining us

    It’s almost 7am (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

    If you’re just joining us, here are some of the key recent developments:

      Six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Nur Shams refugee camp, in Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports.

      The bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in northern Gaza were returned and buried in a mass grave in Rafah.

      “Gaza is blacked out again” with all telecommunications services again lost, Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel said.

      UN appoints Sigrid Kaag as senior humanitarian aid and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, after Israel revokes visas of other UN staff.

      Hamas forces in Gaza remains resilient and capable of reconstituting their armed capabilities despite losses in the war against Israel, military think tank says.

    Reports Israeli forces blocked ambulances after deadly West Bank drone strike

    Undoubtedly the biggest event of the night was in Tulkarem, where an Israeli drone strike killed six Palestinians and injured a number more.

    We are told by locals, and there is video on social media that tends to support this, that Israeli military vehicles stopped the Palestinian Red Cross/Red Crescent from getting anywhere near the injured.

    And, of course, in situations like that, it becomes a matter of life and death.

    Eventually, the ambulances were allowed through and a number of people were taken to the nearby hospital, at least two of them in critical condition.

    Also in Tulkarem, there were raids on a number of houses… and snipers were placed on the roof to make sure they had complete cover.

    But there were still sustained clashes and gunfire traded between the Palestinians who were protesting at the raids and the Israelis who were carrying them out.

    US welcomes new UN humanitarian coordinator appointment

    As we reported earlier, the UN has appointed Sigrid Kaag as the senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, a new role created by a UNSC resolution adopted on Friday.

    Kaag – a former deputy prime minister of the Netherlands – is expected to begin on January 8 2024, the UN said.

    It’s worth noting that UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Lynn Hastings left the country last week after Israel revoked her residence visa.

    Hastings had criticised Israeli restrictions on much-needed aid deliveries.

    “The conditions required to deliver aid to the people of Gaza do not exist,” she said on December 4.

    You can read more about how Israel has been denying visas to UN staff here.