By Lyndal Rowlands

      Senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri has been killed in an Israeli drone strike on southern Beirut, Lebanon, Hamas says. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility.

      Hezbollah says the attack on Lebanon’s capital, which killed at least six people “will not pass without punishment”.

      The Palestinian Red Crescent said an Israeli strike on al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza has killed at least five Palestinians.

      At least 22,185 people have been killed and at least 57,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll from the October 7 attack in Israel stands at 1,139.

    If you’re just joining us

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

    Here are some of the main developments overnight:

      Hamas says its deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and at least five others were killed in a drone strike on an apartment in Beirut, Lebanon.

      Lebanon will submit a complaint against Israel at the UN over what it called a “blatant” Israeli strike in its capital.

      Members of Israel’s parliament were reportedly told not to speak about the assassination of al-Arouri; Israel has yet to claim responsibility.

      The US rejects the “irresponsible” remarks by two Israeli ministers on the removal of Palestinians from Gaza.

      The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency session on Wednesday as Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping continue.

    Hamas ‘neither defeated nor destroyed’ as Israel changes tactics in Gaza: Monitors

    The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) said that Israel’s withdrawal of five brigades from northern Gaza indicates the start of what Israel has described as a new phase in its war on the Palestinian territory.

    According to the US-based military think tanks, this new phase of fighting entails the end of major combat operations and a transition to “targeted raids” by the Israelis.

    However, Hamas is “neither defeated nor destroyed” as a military force and the change in Israeli tactics will “allow Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities and infrastructure”, the ISW and CTP said in their latest battlefield assessment.

    “Hamas maintains a conventional military structure, meaning that it should be able to quickly replace commanders who have died in the war,” the war monitors said.

    Palestinian fighters also launched “a large salvo” of rockets at Tel Aviv from Gaza on December 31, which demonstrated that Hamas retains its rocket capabilities despite Israeli military operations. Several rockets were also fired at Israel on January 2.

    Commenting on the targeted killing of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in southern Beirut on Tuesday, the ISW and CTP said that Israeli officials are now preparing for “a very significant response”, according to an Israeli media report.

    Israel announces death of another soldier in northern Gaza

    The 21-year-old killed in combat in the north of the Gaza Strip was a major with the Combat Engineers Corps, the Israel military said.

    According to the UN, between December 30 and January 1 three Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in Gaza.

    The three deaths bring the overall death toll to 171 Israeli soldiers killed and 983 injured since the invasion of the Palestinian territory began more than two months ago.

    It was not known if the latest death announced on Wednesday was calculated in the total reported by the UN.

    Gaza Health Ministry lists 26 names for medical evacuation

    The Gaza Ministry of Health has published the names of 26 people who have been approved for medical evacuation from Gaza through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt today.

    The patients listed have severe injuries, including an eighteen-month-old baby with burns to the face and hands.

    Only about 1 percent of the total people reported injured amid Israel’s war on Gaza have been evacuated, the UN said in late December.