Israel-Gaza latest: 'Extraordinarily generous' deal on table for Hamas as negotiators to meet again

More pictures have been published overnight of US authorities building a pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid by sea.

The US Central Command published the pictures on X, saying construction of the floating pier was underway. 

The US and Israel have both said they hope to have the pier in use by early May.

Reuters news agency  previously reported the estimated cost of the pier has risen to $320m (£278m), double the initial figure, according to a person familiar with the matter.

"The cost has not just risen, it has exploded," senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee, said when asked about the costs.

"This dangerous effort with marginal benefit will now cost the American taxpayers at least $320m to operate the pier for only 90 days." 

The pier will initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go up to 150 trucks daily when it is fully operational.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is set to restart its work in Gaza - four weeks after seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli military strike. 

The victims included three British nationals who were part of the charity's security team. 

WCK have distributed more than 43 million meals in Gaza and accounted for more than 60% of all international non-governmental aid.

Read more below...

Good morning and welcome back to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and the wider Middle East crisis. 

A ceasefire deal between the two warring parties seems closer than at any stage recently - with Antony Blinken claiming that Israel has tabled an "extraordinarily generous" proposal. 

Joe Biden called Egyptian and Qatari leaders last night to discuss the latest offer, while a French diplomatic source said a deal was "not far off" being agreed, with just a few details remaining. 

That being said, this will feel like deja vu to many, with talks having rumbled on for some months. 

Let's bring you up to speed on the other key developments from the past 24 hours:

• At least 25 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah - including a five-day-old baby, according to Palestinian health officials;
• US secretary of state Antony Blinken took part in talks on Gaza in Saudi Arabia;
• Israel expressed concerns over reports the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants on charges related to the war in Gaza;
• The EU's foreign policy chief said several European states are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May;
• Lord Cameron said Hamas must leave Gaza for a two-state solution to become a possibility;
• World Central Kitchen has restarted their work in Gaza - weeks after seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli strike.

That's it for our coverage this evening. 

We'll be back in the morning for more updates on the conflict. 

At least 25 people have died in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, according to Hamas-led Palestinian health officials. 

Health officials also say a separate round of airstrikes on two houses in Gaza City, which is further north in the enclave, killed at least four people and injured several others.

The strike on the other house killed two brothers, they added.

This video shows the devastation in Rafah today. 

An update on ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas to bring you now. 

A French diplomatic source has told Reuters there has been a convergence on the number of hostages released in return for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, but that obstacles remained on the longer term nature of truce. 

"We're not far off from a deal, but that's not the first time," the source added.

What's in the truce deal?

Another source briefed on the talks said Israel's proposal entails a deal to accept the release of fewer than 40 of the roughly 130 hostages believed to be still held.

This would be in exchange for freeing Palestinians jailed in Israel. 

Lord Cameron, the UK's foreign minister, claims this deal includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

A second phase would then consist of a "period of sustained calm" - Israel's compromise to a Hamas demand for permanent ceasefire.

The US secretary of state has urged Hamas to accept Israel's latest offer - which he described as an "extraordinarily generous" proposal.

As we reported earlier, Israel has expressed concern around suggestions the International Criminal Court could be about to issue arrest warrants on charges related to the war in Gaza.

In response to Israeli media reports the ICC might soon publish the warrants for senior Israeli officials, the country's foreign minister warned Israeli embassies to bolster security because of the risk of a "wave of severe antisemitism".

This comes as Wstern officials said Israel has tabled an "extraordinarily generous" ceasefire deal.

So what does it all mean?

Here, our Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall talks us through how today's developments fit together... 

At least five Israeli military units are responsible for gross violations of human rights, the US State Department has said. 

Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters all of the alleged violations took place before 7 October last year, and none was recorded in the Gaza Strip. 

Four of the units have "effectively remediated" their actions, Mr Patel said, before adding that conversations between Washington and the Israeli authorities were ongoing regarding the fifth unit. 

No further details have been shared. 

A US Navy ship involved in building a pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid by sea appears to be at work, according to satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press.

The USNS Roy P Benavidez is about 8km (5 miles) from the pier being built by the Israeli military.

A satellite image by Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the vessel.

The US and Israel have both said they hope to have the mobile pier in place and in use by early May.

Reuters news agency reports the cost estimate has risen to $320m (£278m), double the initial figure, according to a person familiar with the matter.

"The cost has not just risen, it has exploded," senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee, said when asked about the costs.

"This dangerous effort with marginal benefit will now cost the American taxpayers at least $320m to operate the pier for only 90 days." 

The Pentagon has said the operation involves about 1,000 US service members, mostly from the army and navy.

The pier will initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go up to 150 trucks daily when it is fully operational.

The UN said last week the daily average number of trucks entering Gaza during April was 200 and that there had been a peak today of 316.

A senior US official said last week humanitarian aid coming off the pier would need to pass through Israeli checkpoints on land - despite inspections by Israel in Cyprus beforehand.

The prospect of checkpoints raises questions about possible delays even after aid reaches shore. 

A ship off Yemen has been damaged after an explosion nearby, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations has said. 

The explosion was reported 54 nautical miles northwest of al Mukha, near Taiz. 

Both ship and crew are safe, UKMTO said. 

The vessel, which is a merchant ship, is heading to the next safe port of call. 

UKMTO did not offer any further detail, but the Yemeni Houthi group have been targeting ships in the region for some months. 

The report appears to be offering further detail on our 11.57am post, given the time of the incident and the area it was reported. 

The Houthis are part of an Iran-aligned regional alliance, which also includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The group governs swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand miles from Israel.

The Houthis say they are targeting any and all ships they believe are linked, operated, owned, flagged or travelling to or from Israel. 

The Houthis have not commented on this latest attack in the area.