Middle East crisis: Israel seeking ‘right people’ to run Gaza after Hamas, say sources –as it happened

Senior official tells Reuters that Israel is seeking people not affiliated with Hamas to manage civilian affairs in areas of the Gaza Strip

Five people have been killed when a home in Rafah was targeted" during an intense bombing campaign across Rafah city", according to a report by Al Jazeera journalist, Hani Mahmoud.

Reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, Mahmoud said on Thursday that an intense bombing campaign across Rafah city" had stretched into the early hours of this morning". He said loud explosions could be heard from the northern part of the city" and that the sound was coming from the systematic demolition of homes".

Overnight, we're looking at attacks in the eastern part, the northern part and even the western part where literally hundreds of thousands of people have been sheltering.

A mosque nearby was destroyed completely, and we are looking at least three to four homes within its vicinity that have been severely damaged.