Israeli troops were "expanding" their operation in the Gaza Strip Monday, as Qatari mediators said they were inching closer to a deal to free some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas militants.

Israel has warned residents of Gaza's largest refugee camp Jabalia and a nearby coastal camp to evacuate, as the military said Sunday it was "expanding its operational activities in additional neighbourhoods... of the Gaza Strip."

After intense bombardment, an AFP journalist in Gaza saw columns of smoke rising from Jabalia on Sunday.

Emily turned nine on Friday. Like many little girls the world over, she loves to sing and to dance like Beyonce.

But unlike those other girls, Emily "spent her birthday in the Gaza tunnels", one of the scores of hostages snatched by Hamas during its deadly October 7 attack on Israel, according to her father Thomas Hand.

"She wouldn't even know it was her birthday. She doesn't know what day it is, and what date it is," Irish-born Hand told AFP Sunday, making a heart-rending appeal to the UK to bring Emily home.

Deep in Oman's parched interior, the ancient oasis town of Bahla abounds with myths of camel-eating, fire-mouthed hyenas and men turning into donkeys -- a reputation for magic and mystery that persists to this day.

Some superstitious Omanis still shun the isolated desert settlement because of its stories of "jinn", the spirits that have been part of Arab folklore since before the dawn of Islam.

More than seven months into Sudan's devastating war that has killed thousands and displaced millions, experts warn that the scarred and impoverished country faces the threat of breaking apart.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is waging war against the armed forces and there have been reports of new massacres in Sudan's western Darfur region.

Experts now warn the country could face a "Libya scenario", in reference to the north African country long divided between two rival administrations in its east and west.

Nicolai Hojgaard rebounded in the final round to take the DP World Tour Championship by two shots and collect his first title of the season.

"I put in so much hard work in the last couple years, and this has been a really good year if I look back on it. The only thing that was missing was a win, and to get it this week, against this field, is unbelievable," said Hojgaard.

The 22-year-old Dane took $3 million for winning the $10.5m event and climbed to second in the final Race to Dubai standings behind Rory McIlroy.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday Israel has suffered a "defeat" in its war against Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, and that it was "a fact".

Israel has been pounding the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

The Hamas government says Israel's bombing campaign and ground invasion have killed more than 12,300 people in the narrow Palestinian territory, including more than 5,000 children.

For the past six weeks, khaki-clad Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has appeared on Israeli television every evening: the commando-turned-communicator has become the face of Israel's war effort in Gaza.

With a standing-at-attention posture and close-cropped hair, the military spokesman's recitals of invasion updates have been a rare certainty in a nation wracked by its worst-ever attacks on October 7.

Palestinian medics evacuated 31 premature babies from Gaza City's war-torn Al-Shifa hospital Sunday in a high-risk operation, the UN said, pledging to also move patients and staff who remain there.

The hospital, Gaza's largest, has been described by the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) as a "death zone", after it sent a team to visit the facility on Saturday.

Mohammed Zaqut, director general of hospitals in Gaza, told AFP "all 31 premature babies in Al-Shifa hospital... have been evacuated" and said "preparations are under way" for them to enter Egypt.

At least two Palestinians were killed Sunday during Israeli army raids in the West Bank, the Red Crescent said, as violence surges in the occupied territory in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, a 45-year-old man was killed in Jenin, a stronghold of armed groups in the northern West Bank, and another person was killed in Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem further south.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not immediately comment.

Thirty-one premature babies were evacuated from Gaza's biggest hospital Sunday, the World Health Organization said, seeking to get the last patients and staff out of what it has dubbed a "death zone".

The evacuation came as Israel, which said it was stepping up military operations against Hamas militants, announced it had found a 55-metre tunnel under the Al-Shifa hospital and released footage it said showed "hostages" inside the facility.