Militants fire 1,600 rockets from Gaza as ‘plans for ground invasion drawn up’ – follow live

The latest figures on deaths in the latest outbreak of violence have been released.

In total, 74 people have been killed: 67 Palestinians and seven people in Israel. Overall more than a dozen children have died.

The UK is demanding Hamas stops its rocket attacks saying de-escalation is the “only way” to stop casualties and deaths in the region.

“The simple truth is that the only way they can minimise civilian casualties is for the weapons to stop,” Foreign Office minister James Cleverly told BBC Breakfast.

“That’s why we demand Hamas to stop flying the rockets and we are encouraging a de-escalation so that Israel does not feel the need to make military strikes into Gaza.

“And that’s the only way really that we are going to stop the casualties, stop the injuries and stop the deaths.”

While Israel has a right to defend itself it must do so “proportionately”, he added in a later interview with LBC.

Yesterday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said his group’s message to Israel was: “If they want to escalate, the resistance is ready, if they want to stop, the resistance is ready.”

Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations had been in contact with Hamas to urge calm, he added.

Catch up on yesterday’s developments

An alarmed United Nations has warned of the possibility of “all out war” in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas as a third consecutive day of violence saw the death toll climb above 70, writes Bel Trew.

World leaders urged both sides to pull back from the edge and Joe Biden, facing his first major foreign policy test as US president, backed Israel and said he was hopeful the trading of airstrikes and rocket fire would end soon, following a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“My expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself,” Mr Biden told reporters after the call.

Militants have fired some 1,600 rockets towards Israel from Gaza in just a few days, according to the Israeli military.

That is one-third the total fired in the 50-day-long war in 2014, a barrage James Cleverly, the UK’s Middle East minister, called “unprecedented”.

However, about 400 fell short and landed inside the enclave, spokesperson Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said.

Six civilians in Israel have been killed and one soldier.

Israel has hit “600 military targets” in Gaza including rocket manufacturing sites as well as larger storage facilities, Lt Col Conricus added.

Israeli media reported on Thursday that Israel’s army chiefs will approve plans for a possible ground invasion of Gaza later today.

An army spokesperson did not confirm or deny whether such an invasion was imminent, but told foreign reporters that “additional troops have been called down … comprised of three regular brigades, one infantry and one armour”.

He said that “preparing themselves for ground operations” was part of the battle procedure.

Even if agreed by military chiefs, the plans for ground invasion would then need to be presented to the country’s political leadership for approval.

Israel has prepared combat troops along the Gaza border and was in “various stages of preparing ground operations” a military spokesman said, a move that would recall similar incursions during Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008-2009.

“The chief of staff is inspecting those preparations and providing guidance … we have a division headquarters and three manoeuver brigades down in Gaza preparing themselves for that situation and for various contingencies,” Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said.