A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was moving ahead with its plans for a ground operation in Rafah as the Israeli military said that it had mobilised two more reservist brigades for missions in Gaza.

A Palestinian civil defence team on Thursday called on the United Nations to investigate what it said were war crimes at a Gaza hospital, saying nearly 400 bodies were recovered from mass graves after Israeli soldiers departed the complex.

“There are cases of field execution of some patients while undergoing surgeries and wearing surgical gowns at the Nasser Medical Complex,” the civil defence forces said at a press conference, without presenting any evidence.

Palestinian authorities have this week reported finding hundreds of bodies in mass graves at Nasser hospital, the main medical facility in central Gaza, after Israeli troops pulled out of the city of Khan Younis.

Bodies were also reported to have been found at the Al Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, which was targeted in an Israeli special forces operation.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday he was “horrified” by the destruction of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities and by the reports of the mass graves, according to a spokesperson.

The Israeli military said claims by Palestinian authorities that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had buried the bodies were “baseless and unfounded”.

A picture shows thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky following an explosion amid Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

The image appears to show the aftermath of a strike on the village of Alma al-Shaab amid ongoing tensions on the border, exacerbated by the war in Gaza.

Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people.

More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city.

In central Gaza, four people were killed in Israeli tank shelling.

A ship’s captain reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a splash and smoke coming from the sea on Thursday around 15 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, Britain’s maritime agency said.

The UK  Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) added that the crew and vessel were safe and military authorities were supporting it.

Yemeni Houthi militants have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Houthis said on Wednesday they had carried out three military operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Britain’s maritime agency and the security firm Ambrey have received reports of an incident on Thursday around 15 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, advisory notes said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) advised ships to proceed with caution and report any incident.

Yemeni Houthi militants have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Houthis said on Wednesday that they had carried out three military operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.