Yemen's Houthi rebels welcomed news of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza even as a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas was reported to be holding up Israeli approval of the long-awaited ceasefire agreement.

A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has targeted central Israel, sounding sirens and causing people to flee into bomb shelters. The Israeli military said several attempts were made to intercept a missile that was launched from Yemen and “the missile was likely intercepted”.

The rockets from Gaza have mostly fallen silent. The Iran-backed Houthis are stepping up their missile attacks, sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis scrambling for shelter in the middle of the night,

The leader of Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group would monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza and continue its attacks on vessels or Israel if it is breached.

"We announce that we will suspend our military operations against [Israel]," the Nujaba Movement's leader said.