JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is supporting armed groups of Palestinians in Gaza in what it says is a move to counter Hamas. But officials from the U.N. and aid organizations say the military is allowing them to loot food and other supplies from their trucks.

It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory's health ministry.

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel.

The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday, as Israeli airstrikes killed 55 people,

Nattapong Pinta was captured alive and was likely killed during the first months of captivity, the Israeli military says.