Former long-serving Labor premiers Daniel Andrews and Mark McGowan have been recognised in this year's King's Birthday honours list.

The duo were both appointed to the Order of Australia as Companions – the highest award in the order – and were two of 737 people on this year's honours list.

Also recognised were incoming governor-general Samantha Mostyn, Test cricket great Glenn McGrath, late former opposition leader Simon Crean, and presenter Hamish Blake.

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Andrews, who was Victorian premier for nine years before resigning last year, was recognised for his "eminent service to the people and Parliament of Victoria, to public health, to policy and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development".

McGowan also called time on a highly successful career in state politics in 2023 after six years as premier. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia "for eminent service to the people and Parliament of Western Australia, to public health and education, and to international trade relations".

The two former premiers attracted both fervent support and intense criticism for their stringent approaches to lockdowns and border closures during the pandemic.

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"I would like to congratulate all those recognised in today's honours list," Governor-General David Hurley said.

"Some names are well-known, but the vast majority are not – they are people who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a difference in our community."

"Through today's recognition we shine a light on their efforts, the impact they have and the difference they make. 

"On behalf of all Australians, I thank recipients for their service and congratulate them on their recognition.

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Today's is the last honours list Hurley will oversee, and his replacement, businesswoman Samantha Mostyn, was among the recipients for a wide range of achievements, ranging from social justice and gender equity to reconciliation and environmental sustainability.

Former federal Labor leader and union figure Simon Crean, who died last year, was also made a Companion of the Order of Australia.

He held a seat in federal parliament for more than 20 years, serving in the cabinet of prime ministers Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, but was perhaps best known for his strident resistance to Australia's involvement in the War in Iraq during a two-year stint as opposition leader.

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Away from politics, former Australian cricket star Glenn McGrath was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his work in raising awareness of and funding for breast cancer treatment through his McGrath Foundation.

The foundation was established by McGrath and his first wife, Jane, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, aged 31. She died in 2008. 

The New South Welshman, who held the world record for the most Test wickets by a fast bowler when he retired from the game in 2007, was also recognised for his services to cricket as an international coach – even though he's never coached a national team.

Three-time AFL premiership winner Bachar Houli also made the honours list for his role in the Islamic community and for promoting multiculturalism, as did comedians Hamish Blake and Jimmy Rees for "service to the arts as an entertainer, and to the community".

Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia. If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at www.gg.gov.au.

At least 274 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were wounded in the Israeli raid that rescued four hostages held by Hamas, Gaza's Health Ministry says.

The military on Sunday said its forces came under heavy fire during the complex daytime operation deep inside the territory.

The killing of so many Palestinians, including women and children, in an operation that Israelis celebrated as a stunning success because all four hostages were rescued alive, showed the heavy cost of such operations, on top of the already soaring toll of the eight-month-long war ignited by Hamas' October 7 attack.

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Scores of hostages are believed to be held in densely populated areas or inside Hamas' labyrinth of tunnels, making such operations extremely complex and risky. A similar raid in February rescued two hostages while leaving 74 Palestinians dead.

The complex raid deep into Nuseirat, a built-up refugee camp in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, was the largest rescue operation since October 7, when Hamas and other militants stormed across the border, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage.

Israel launched a massive offensive in response that has killed over 36,700 Palestinians, according to the ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its counts.

It said nearly 700 people were wounded in Saturday's raid. The ministry did not say how many of the casualties were women and children, but Associated Press reporters saw several being treated at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah in the aftermath of the raid.

Israelis celebrated the return of Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41, after Israeli forces raided two locations at once while under fire.

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Argamani had been one of the most widely recognised hostages after being taken, like the three others, from a music festival. The video of her abduction showed her seated between two men on a motorcycle as she screamed, "Don't kill me!"

Her mother, Liora, who has brain cancer, had released a video pleading to see her daughter. Israel's Channel 13 said Argamani was moved to the hospital where her mother is treated.

In Gaza, medics described scenes of horror and chaos as wounded people poured into nearby hospitals that were already struggling to treat the wounded from days of heavy Israeli strikes in the area.

"We had the gamut of war wounds, trauma wounds, from amputations to eviscerations to trauma, to TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), fractures, and obviously, big burns," said Karin Huster of Doctors Without Borders, an international charity working in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the facilities that received dead and wounded.

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"Kids completely grey or white from the shock, burnt, screaming for their parents. Many of them are not screaming because they are in shock."

The Israeli military said it had attacked "threats to our forces in the area," and that a special forces officer was killed in the rescue operation.

Israel's military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, told reporters on Saturday that the hostages were being held in two apartments, about 200 metres away from each other, in the heart of the Nuseirat camp.

He said the forces had trained repeatedly on a model of the apartment buildings.

Hagari said the forces moved in simultaneously in broad daylight on both apartments, believing this ensured the best element of surprise.

But he said the rescuers came under heavy fire as they moved out, including from gunmen firing rocket-propelled grenades from within the neighbourhood.

He said the military responded with heavy force, including from aircraft, to extract the rescuers and freed hostages.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at critics of the operation in a post on X.

"Only Israel's enemies complained about the casualties of Hamas terrorists and their accomplices," He said.

Of the 250 hostages abducted on October 7, about half were released in a weeklong ceasefire in November.

About 120 hostages remain, with 43 pronounced dead. Survivors include about 15 women, two children under 5 and two men in their 80s.

Saturday's operation brought the total number of rescued hostages to seven, including one who was freed shortly after the October attack. Israeli troops have recovered the bodies of at least 16 others, according to the government.

The latest rescue lifted some spirits in Israel as divisions deepened over the best way to bring hostages home.

Many Israelis urge Netanyahu to embrace a ceasefire deal US President Joe Biden announced last month, but far-right allies threaten to collapse his government if he does.

Netanyahu, whose support has fallen, rushed to the hospital to greet the freed hostages and his office released a stream of photos and videos of him meeting the families.

But thousands of Israelis again gathered on Saturday evening for the latest anti-government demonstration and calls for a ceasefire agreement.

It was unclear what effect the rescue might have on apparently stalled ceasefire efforts.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East next week, seeking a breakthrough.

International pressure is mounting on Israel to limit civilian bloodshed in its war in Gaza. Palestinians also face widespread hunger because fighting and Israeli restrictions have largely cut off the flow of aid.

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Police say a body believed to be that of missing TV presenter Michael Mosley has been found on a Greek island.

A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity today (tonight AEST) because of an ongoing investigation, said the body was found on a rocky coast by a private boat and that formal identification was pending.

The British television presenter disappeared while on holiday on the island of Symi, which is on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea and about 6.5 kilometres from Turkey.

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A search and rescue operation has been under way since Wednesday.

Mosley, 67, is believed to have gone for a coastal walk along Saint Nicholas Beach on Wednesday afternoon while on holiday on the island, which is a popular destination for hikers.

Mosley is well-known in Britain for his regular appearances on television and radio and for his column in the Daily Mail newspaper.

He is known outside the UK for his 2013 book The Fast Diet, which he co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer.

The "5:2 diet" set out how people can lose weight fast by minimising their calorie intake for two days in a week while eating healthily on the other five.

Rescuers were earlier focusing their search efforts on a maze of tunnels known as 'The Abyss'.

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At least 100 rescuers and volunteers, including a helicopter, were scouring the area between Agios Nikolaos and the island's main town in search of the 67-year-old.

In a statement yesterday, Mosley's wife Clare said the days in which her husband went missing were "the longest and most unbearable".

"The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael," she said.

The couple's four children were on their way to the island to aid in the search. 

He later introduced the Fast 800 diet, a rapid weight loss program, and has made a number of films about diet and exercise.

Mosley often pushed his body to extreme lengths to see the effects of his diets.

He lived with tapeworms in his guts for six weeks for the BBC documentary Infested! Living With Parasites.

– Reported with Associated Press 

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Nine Entertainment Co chairman and former federal treasurer Peter Costello has resigned from his role and stepped down from the company's board.

Costello, who was appointed in 2016, will be succeed by current deputy chair Catherine West, who has worked in the media and entertainment industry for over 30 years in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.

In an email to all staff on Sunday afternoon, Nine CEO Mike Sneesby said the board wished to thank Costello for his contribution to Nine over more than a decade, including eight years as chairman.

"Mr Costello played a key role in Nine milestones such as its successful re-listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2013, securing the landmark news media bargaining code and the transformative merger with Fairfax Media," Sneesby said.

"I want to thank Peter for his contribution to Nine over more than a decade.

"As the announcement makes clear, he has played an important role in the big Nine milestones over that time – a period marked by dramatic digital transformation for the media industry and our company.

"Our deputy chair Catherine West has been appointed as chair and will lead existing plans for board renewal.

"It has been a challenging few weeks for our company and I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of you for your hard work."

Costello thanked the board for their support over the last decade and particularly during the events of the last few weeks.

"After nearly eleven years on the board of Nine Entertainment Company (NEC) and more than eight years as chair, I had flagged retiring from the board some time after the July Olympics and by the AGM in November at latest," wrote Costello.

"Last year, the company retained a search firm to identify new directors. The work is well advanced.

"I have today informed the board of NEC that I will pull forward that timing, stand down as chair and resign as a director.

"The deputy chair Catherine West has been working with the search firm and is well placed to chair the company and conclude the process of refreshing the board.

"The board has been supportive through the events of the last month and last few days in particular. But going forward I think they need a new chair to unite them around a fresh vision and someone with the energy to lead to that vision for the next decade."

West added: "On behalf of the board I want to thank Peter for his dedication and commitment to Nine.

"Peter has led the transformation of Nine from a free-to-air network to a fully integrated media company with traditional and digital media assets across television, streaming publishing, audio and marketplaces.

"As chairman, he has always put the needs of the company first and his decision to stand down and pass on the baton of leading Nine at this time is in line with that approach."

Costello was treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, and was the longest serving treasurer in Australia's history.

Last week Costello denied assaulting a journalist who was asking him questions in Canberra Airport about Nine's handling of allegations following the departure of TV news boss Darren Wick.

Nine is the publisher of this website.

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