Guterres demands reversal of Tel Aviv's decision on West Bank settlements

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City, and called for a halt to all settlement activity.

"It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza," Guterres said.

Guterres urged Israel to reverse a decision to expand "illegal" settlement construction in the West Bank.

Earlier, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, received the final go-ahead from a Defence Ministry planning commission.

Under the plan, around 3,400 additional settlement housing units would be built in E1 between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim.