RAFAH, GAZA STRIP - Israeli forces have stormed the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, saying that the raid was conducted because the military had information Hamas fighters were hiding Israeli hostages in the facility, although it did not provide evidence for the claim.

The storming comes following a siege of the hospital through this week, with The New Arab's Arabic service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reporting that a Palestinian was killed and 14 others were injured during Israeli shelling of the orthopaedic department at the hospital this morning.

Israel continues striking Gaza's southern city of Rafah as it prepares for a ground offensive, amid growing international condemnation urging Tel Aviv not to conduct such an operation.

In a joint statement signed on Thursday the Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand called for the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza. They also urged Israel to hold back on any ground offensive against the city, which is crammed full of almost half of the Palestinian territory's population.

Elsewhere, border clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah have intensified on the Israel-Lebanon border, with Israeli strikes late on Wednesday killing 10 people, including eight Lebanese civilians and two Hezbollah members according to AFP. The strike follows a Hezbollah rocket barrage that killed an Israeli soldier.

Since 7 October, Israel's war on Gaza has killed 28,663 Palestinians, with a further 68,395 injured, according to Gaza's health authorities.