Accused gunman Dezi Freeman is probably still alive as the police manhunt for him enters day 21, a criminologist and forensic expert says.

Xanthe Mallet was speaking with Today this morning after Victoria Police said the search for Freeman in the state's high country had been the biggest tactical operation in Australian policing history.

"My sense … would be that he's possibly still on the run. He may have people assisting him," she said.

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Freeman allegedly shot dead police officers Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, and injured a third last month, sparking a huge manhunt.

Last Friday, specialist tactical police from across Australia and a contingent of New Zealand officers launched an extensive search in rugged terrain around the town of the Porepunkah, where Freeman had been living.

But police conceded they are no closer to finding Freeman as he remains at large for a third week.

Mallett says Freeman could be dead or bunkered down, but he could also have travelled some distance from Porepunkah, forcing police to widen the search zone.

Police have characterised the accused gunman as a skilled outdoorsman who has extensive knowledge of the local area.

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Mallett says she thinks police have been overwhelmed by more than 1000 calls from the public reporting possible leads, but they hold the key to finding Freeman.

"They need those calls. They need the public's help because that I think is going to be one of the key ways we're going to find him.

"Somebody will come across him at some point."

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A man has died after a truck and car collided on Queensland's Darling Downs.

Emergency services were called to the New England Highway near The Summit after reports a Mack truck and a Mitsubishi Pajero had crashed.

Both vehicles were knocked off the road and caught fire.

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The driver and sole occupant of the Mitsubishi, a 60-year-old Collingwood Park man, died at the scene.

The driver and sole occupant of the truck, a 65-year-old man from New South Wales, sustained minor injuries.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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The Israeli military struck multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, after warning people to leave several neighbourhoods, in the latest round of destruction since Israel ordered a complete evacuation of the city earlier this week.

Israel's assault on Gaza City appeared to be accelerating, with the military issuing evacuation orders for several towers in Gaza City within just a few hours on Sunday morning.

The strikes came ahead of a meeting called by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss efforts to avoid harming the hostages still held in Gaza when the Israeli military undertakes a ground operation planned to take control of Gaza City, according to a source familiar with the matter.

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The meeting will be attended by the Israeli foreign and defence ministers as well as the leadership of the Israeli military and security services, the source said. There are thought to be about 20 hostages still alive in the enclave, some of whom are believed to be in Gaza City.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the region on Sunday, arriving in Tel Aviv in the morning, then visiting the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem in the afternoon.

Among the buildings struck Sunday was Al Kawthar Tower near Gaza's port. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was being used by Hamas to observe the movements of Israeli troops in the area. It said that before the strike, "steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including advanced warnings to the population, the use of precise munitions (and) aerial surveillance."

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Al Kawthar – an 11-storey building – is one of several high-rises that have been destroyed or severely damaged by Israeli strikes since the IDF extended operations into Gaza City earlier this month and ordered nearly a million people in the area to head south.

Hours later, after another warning was posted on X by the Israeli military, a multi-story building in Gaza City was struck but not demolished. The high-rise, known as al Mohna Tower, is in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood.

Another building at the Islamic University in Gaza was struck and destroyed by several missiles, according to images and video from the scene. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted a video of the strikes targeting the six-storey building on X, saying: "The 'Islamic' University in Gaza is going up in smoke. Eliminating the sources of incitement and terrorism."

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At least 74 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Saturday, hospital officials said, with more than 50 of those killed in Gaza City.

Al Shati camp in Gaza City was targeted late Saturday, as Israeli strikes intensified. Videos of the aftermath show a large fire had broken out in an area where people were sheltering.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been left homeless after the Israeli military intensified its action in the city over the past week, the Gaza Civil Defence said in a statement on Thursday. Israeli forces have destroyed more than 130 residential buildings in the enclave's largest city over the same period, according to Civil Defence.

CNN has recorded the destruction of at least a dozen high-rise buildings in central Gaza since September 5.

The Palestinian health ministry said Sunday that 64,871 people had been killed in Gaza since Israeli military operations began after Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023 – and 164,610 had been injured.

Israel's escalating assault on Gaza City came as Rubio arrived in the country for discussions about the war and the hostages. On Sunday, he visited the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem with Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Rubio is scheduled to officially meet Netanyahu on Monday. The Israeli leader is expected to raise his government's potential West Bank annexation plans with Rubio, according to three Israeli sources.

Also on Monday, the leaders of several Arab and Islamic countries are expected to attend an emergency summit in Doha as a show of support to Qatar, after Israel conducted a strike on its capital city earlier this week.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Sunday that the Israeli strikes will "not deter" it from continuing "sincere efforts" to mediate an end to the war in Gaza.

"The barbaric and demagogic practices of Israel will not deter us from continuing to make sincere efforts with Egypt and the United States to stop this unjust war," Al Thani said.

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The South Australian motorsport community has been rocked by the death of a much-loved father and competitor.

Father-of-two Shane Mann, 50, died after suffering a medical episode in the support paddock of the AirTouch 500 at The Bend Motorsport Park yesterday.

Mann was a driver in the Aussie Racing Cars category.

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The incident was unrelated to his car.

Aussie Racing Cars race two was cancelled after Mann's death.

His beloved number 21 car led the grid on its formation lap earlier today.

The front row of the grid for race three was left vacant in Mann's honour too.

The tight-knit Australian racing community is feeling the impact of Mann's sudden death.

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Mann has been described as a "true racer at heart" in a statement shared by Aussie Racing Cars.

"Shane wasn't just a competitor, he was a husband, father, friend and smiling face," the statement reads.

"His passion and presence will be deeply missed."

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An over-the-counter supplement used to treat an eye disease has been found to potentially have anti-cancer properties.

The dietary supplement slowed tumour growth and boosted the effects of immunotherapy to destroy cancer in tests on mice.

Susan Rau has been taking a supplement every day for the past 10 years to slow the progression of her macular disease, which impacts up to two million Australians.

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"My mother had late stage macular disease and she had lost quite a lot of her central vision as a result," Rau told 9News.

One of the key ingredients is zeaxanthin.

It's found naturally in dark leafy vegetables and many other foods including corn, tangerines and egg yolks.

That same nutrient, commonly used to protect vision, could also help the immune system fight cancer.

Researchers from the University of Chicago identified zeaxanthin in a large library of other nutrients and compounds.

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In mice, the dietary supplements slowed tumour growth and when combined with immunotherapy, the effects were more significant, according to the researchers.

Experts here in Australia are curious.

"I think the results are really interesting, but all we know at the moment is it has been tested in mice and in cells in the laboratory," said Lifehouse Cancer Centre Associate Professor Kate Mahon.

"It'll be great to see it has a benefit in humans but we really need to test that in clinical trials first to find that out."

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Police have shared dramatic new vision from the frontline of their 20-day manhunt for accused gunman Dezi Freeman.

Specialist police, guided by the dog squad, crawled through a tiny cavity less than one metre high as they combed an intricate labyrinth of caves and mine shafts in Mount Buffalo Park, near Porepunkah.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett today said the search for Freeman after he allegedly gunned down officers Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, and injured a third has been the "largest tactical policing operation ever undertaken" in Australia.

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A total of 125 specialist tactical police, comprising officers from Australian state and territory forces and New Zealand police, carried out the latest operation – the largest of its kind in Australian history, according to police – around the Porepunkah area last Friday.

Barrett said officers had traversed "incredibly rugged areas" during the search, including navigating rivers, falls and plantations and calling through caves.

"It's an extensive area, really difficult terrain," he said.

Police have conceded they are no closer to finding Freeman ahead of the search entering its third week tomorrow.

"We consider he might still be in the area. It's a possibility he may be harboured or he may be dead too," Barrett said.

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The police have offered a $1 million reward for information that leads to the capture of the man.

Earlier this month, investigators said some people had knowledge of where Freeman was hiding from police.

Barrett said police were open to "all options" about his location.

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Travel warnings lifted

Police have lifted travel warnings for Porepunkah, but are reminding residents and visitors to remain vigilant as the search for Freeman continues.

Members of the public had been earlier advised to avoid the small town in the Victorian high country.

Barrett said the move was to enable local residents to "return to a state of normality".

Locals have breathed a collective sigh of relief as the normally thriving town struggled for nearly three weeks under major travel restrictions.

"It's been hard, we lost I'm guessing, in the 20 thousands in turnover," Cherry Walk Cafe owner Leanne Boyd told 9News.

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Emergency crews were called to the scene just after 6.15pm this evening.

Amrat Dhounsi was told he has three months to get his affairs in order before leaving NZ.

Almost 13,500 homes lost power when the storm tore through overnight.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today announced a new $12 billion investment into a defence hub near Perth to build submarines under the AUKUS agreement.

The funding for the Henderson Defence Precinct, south of the WA capital, is about half of what the $25 billion facility will eventually need over the next decade to host and maintain nuclear-powered submarines.

Albanese announced the investment today at the precinct, alongside Defence Minister Richard Marles and WA Premier Roger Cook.

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"This brings our additional investment in defence over the next decade to $70 billion," said Albanese

"When complete, this precinct will deliver continuous naval ship building and AUKUS here in WA."

The federal government says the facility will create 10,000 jobs as well as providing opportunities for local businesses.

Albanese said the $12 billion investment showed Australia was playing its part in regional defence amid calls by the Trump administration to raise military spending.

"Australia has always pulled our weight. We pay our way and we contribute to our alliance each and every day," he said.

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The Coalition said it has welcomed the investment, but claimed it was too slow in coming to fruition.

"The reality is ground should have been broken on this facility years ago," Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor said in a statement.

"On the government's timeline, this investment will not go far enough to support the rotation of US and UK submarines until late in the decade, if not longer, when threats could arise far sooner".

He accused the government of misleading Australians by calling the outlay an "early investment".

The AUKUS defence agreement signed by Australia, the US and Britain was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region.

It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines, including three to five second-hand US Virginia-class submarines. Britain and Australia would cooperate to build their own SSN-AUKUS submarines.

Marles said today's announcement would be welcome by Australia's partners in AUKUS.

"And so I've got no doubt this decision will be welcomed in the United States as it will be welcomed in the United Kingdom because it is another step forward down the AUKUS path," he said.

"But fundamentally, what we are doing here is an Australian announcement and it is based on meeting the timing needs that we have to maintain the momentum around this facility."

Today's announcement comes ahead of Albanese's trip to the UN General Assembly in New York, and an anticipated potential meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The prime minister is expected use that trip to secure Trump's personal backing of the AUKUS pact, which is being reviewed by the Pentagon.

But in June, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Trump administration was launching a review into the AUKUS agreement.

There are concerns that the US won't provide Australia with its first Virginia-class submarine by the early 2030s as planned because American submarine building is behind schedule.

The Australian government confirmed in late July it had paid the Trump administration a second $800 million instalment on the AUKUS deal.

The first $800 million was paid in February.

The submarines are expected cost Australia up to $380 billion.

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