Netanyahu vows 'absolute victory' over Hamas ahead of expected pause in fighting - BBC News
A pause in fighting was expected to begin on Thursday, but an Israeli government source told the BBC it has also been delayed.
Hostage deal: A hotly anticipated hostage deal between Hamas and Israel - which includes a four-day pause to fighting - has been left up in the air. Hamas had announced there'd be a four-day pause beginning at 10am on Thursday - but an Israeli source has since told the BBC there's been a setback.

It came after a security adviser to the Israeli government said there'd be no Israeli hostages released by Hamas before Friday.

Criticism of pause time: Families of those being held in Gaza have said every captive "needs to come home", but the UN's Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa said a four-day pause - in which more aid would be allowed to go into the enclave - is simply not enough.

Aid crisis: Lorries carrying aid are now queuing up at the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza in anticipation of the pause in hostilities. Earlier, the executive director of Unicef - the UN's agency for children - said Gaza now faces a crisis of "child wasting" - a term used to describe the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.

Fighting continues: On the ground, Israel has continued its ground and air operation in Gaza - and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to win "absolute victory" over Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is "slowly but surely" dismantling the military framework of Hamas.

What happens now? Our colleagues on the ground are continuing to gather information about the hostage deal and what its potential delay means.