Analysis: With Saudi-Israel normalisation frozen for now, Riyadh has stepped up its public diplomacy over the Gaza war but is still treading cautiously.

A State Department spokesman said the visa restrictions were implemented because Israel has not done enough to rein in settler violence in the West Bank.

"An even more hellish scenario is about to unfold" in southern Gaza, the United Nations has warned, as Israel's military pushes deeper into the besieged Palestinian enclave. Israeli military said today has been "the most intense day since the beginning of the ground operation,