Israel-Gaza latest: Bodies of three people killed at music festival, including Shani Louk, recovered in Gaza

By Mark Stone, US correspondent

A three-year-old Palestinian girl with an ultra-rare genetic condition has been forced backwards in her quest to leave Gaza for life-saving treatment.

Julia Abu Zeiter, whose story is being followed by Sky News, was moved with her family from a tent in the southern city of Rafah and relocated to a supposedly safer zone to the north and further away from the border they had hoped to cross.

Speaking to Sky News, her mother Maha said: "We were going through the travel procedures to leave Gaza. When the time for us to travel through Rafah crossing got close, the Israelis occupied the crossing, and they told us they want to invade Rafah."

She added: "I was between two fires, not knowing where to go. Do I go try to travel to treat my daughter or do I flee to another place?"

Read on here... 

Israel has assured the US they are willing to continue discussions before making any major decisions on plans to assault Rafah, a US official has said.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said national security adviser Jake Sullivan will raise the issue on a visit to Israel to meet Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Sullivan will stress the need to go after Hamas in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on the southern city, Mr Kirby said.

He said it was important that the Rafah crossing was opened immediately.

The Israeli military seized control of the crossing between  Gaza and Egypt earlier this month.

Hamas says the US-built aid pier off Gaza's coast is no alternative to opening all land crossings under Palestinian supervision.

It added that they reject any military presence on Palestinian land.

Trucks carrying aid rolled across the pier today for the first time in an operation the US says will scale up to 150 truckloads a day.

But Gaza is already on the brink of famine, according to international aid organisations.

Aid groups also say land crossings are much more effective, and at least 500 trucks a day are required to meet the basic needs of the population.

Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting have hindered the delivery of food and other supplies.

An investigation has been launched after a 450kg bomb fell from an Israeli fighter jet into an Israeli town this morning, according to reports.

Images showed the munition landed close to homes in Yated.

The Israeli military said it was intended for Rafah and described the incident as "unusual", reported the Times of Israel.

"Air Force technical teams arrived at the scene and began an in-depth investigation of the incident."

The Rafah strike was carried out moments later, the military said.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least five people including Lebanese militants, Hamas fighters and Syrian civilians, security sources told Reuters.

A series of strikes on a coastal town further north than the usual conflict area killed a Hezbollah member as well as two Syrian civilians, the security sources said.

They said a separate Israeli strike on Majdal Anjar, on Lebanon's eastern border with Syria, killed two Hamas fighters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across Lebanon's southern border for seven months in parallel with the Gaza war, but it has ramped up in recent days.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The recovery of the bodies of three hostages from Gaza is a "painful reminder" of those who are still in captivity, says a member of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Professor Hagai Levine said over the last day, rumours circulating about which bodies had been returned to Israel were "very painful for the families" of all the captives.

It was important to bring home the bodies of hostages to give their families closure, he said.

"We do not lose hope. We are preparing for the return of the hostages that are alive," he said.

"As long as we promote a solution to release the hostages, it will also help to prevent further bloodshed in Gaza."

Turning to the approach the Israeli government has taken, Mr Levine said the government "is not representing well the desires of the public".

"There is a majority in Israel that believe that we should now promote regional agreements and together with the moderate countries, not the extremists, we should kick out Hamas... and replace them with another kind of government.

"This could really bring peace and prosperity to the Palestinians and to Israelis and to the entire region and we feel that the government is not doing enough."

Shani Louk's father says the return of her body to her family has been a form of closure.

Nissim Louk told Haaretz his daughter "radiated light, to her and those who surrounded her, and in her death she still does".

"She is a symbol of the people of Israel, between light and darkness. Her inner and outer beauty that shone for all the world to see is a special one."

He said: "The tormented soul knows that there is a hole in the heart somewhere in Gaza. Today we got a final answer."

The bodies of three hostages were found in Rafah during a joint IDF and Israeli intelligence operation last night, says Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall.

The international community has warned strongly against an assault on the southern city, where more than a million civilians are sheltering, but Israel has vowed to press ahead.

One of Israel's justifications for going into Rafah is that it is where they say many of the hostages are being held, either dead or alive, Bunkall says.

"The logic is that as the Israeli military has pushed through Gaza from north to south, the hostages would have been moved.

"The thinking is, within the Israeli military and Israeli government, that there are more hostages being held inside Rafah.

"I'm sure that the discovery of these three bodies will probably encourage them in that respect because there are hostages still alive - there have been hostage videos released by Hamas in recent weeks." 

In November, the brother of Shani Louk, whose body was found today, told Sky News of their last phone call as she tried to escape Hamas.

Then came a video that shook the world. Shani's body was seen face down in a pick-up truck being paraded through Gaza.

"I never thought I was going to be in contact with this type of video, seeing my sister in that brutal position," Amit said.

"And just in that moment, the whole family just crashed."

Listen to him speak here...

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is "heartbroken" for the loss of Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk.

"My wife, Sara, and I grieve with the families," he said, adding: "We will return all our hostages."

President Isaac Herzog said: "My heart goes out in sympathy to the grieving and tormented families."

Foreign affairs minister Israel Katz added: "I send condolences and a big hug to the families, and gratitude to our heroic soldiers who are doing everything to bring all the hostages home."