Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Talks to advance President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war have been on hold since last week when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran, sparking a broader Middle East war, three sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said.

Trump's Gaza plan has hinged in part on whether Hamas would lay down their arms in exchange for amnesty, a step intended to pave the way for reconstruction and further Israeli military withdrawals. White House mediators have been backchanneling between Israel and Hamas on the disarmament question.

Negotiations on this and other issues were paused when the Iran war began on February 28, the three sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks. The pause in disarmament talks has not been previously reported.

The Palestinian health ministry said that Israeli settlers shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the second deadly incident reported in as many days.

A ministry statement said Thaer Faruq Hamayel, 24, and Farea Jawdat Hamayel, 57, were killed by settler fire in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

It did not say when the incident occurred or provide further details.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since October 2023. It has continued despite the ceasefire.

Israel's military said on Friday that a "firing component" launched by its navy unintentionally struck a fuel truck belonging to a United Nations agency in Gaza the previous day, an incident that prompted the agency to publicly call for a full investigation.

The United Nations Office for Project Services, which oversees fuel distribution in Gaza, said that the empty fuel truck was struck on Thursday around 5am from the direction of the sea, causing damage to the vehicle. There were no injuries.

"Our teams are taking extraordinary risks every day to keep humanitarian operations and life-sustaining services running," UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a statement, calling for an investigation into the incident.

"They should not have to do that under fire," he said.

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has reassured local religious groups that he will withdraw from US President Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace' if the platform does not benefit Palestinians, a government ‌statement said on Friday.

The participation of Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, on the board, and its decision to contribute troops for a Gaza stabilisation force, has drawn criticism from experts and Muslim groups at home, who say it compromises its long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.

Prabowo gathered the groups' leaders for a meeting on Thursday evening where he reiterated his reasoning behind joining the board, according to a statement put out by the government communication office.

Prabowo will withdraw from the board if it does not benefit Palestinian and Indonesian interests, the statement quoted Hanif Alatas of the Islamic Brotherhood Front as saying.

"The president said that if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine...and ‌that it is not in line with Indonesia's national interests, he will withdraw," Hanif said in the statement.

The Indonesian Ulema Council, a leading clerical body, had previously called for Indonesia to exit the board due to the US role in the ongoing ⁠Iran war.

Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim group, said Indonesia's government could use the board to encourage de-escalation in the Middle East.

"Indonesia could declare that the (board's) agenda is on hold until there are talks on de-escalation and peace from the American-Israeli war against Iran," its chief Yahya Cholil Staquf said in a statement issued by Prabowo's office late on Thursday.

All Board of Peace discussions have been halted due to the war, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono has previously said.

Israeli government agency COGAT said it will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing starting on Tuesday for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

COGAT said on Saturday that crossings into the Gaza Strip, vital for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the movement of patients in need of medical evacuation, were closed as Israeli and US forces attacked Iran.

Air India will halt its Israel service for a week from March 1 after flagging security concerns, Anadolu reported, citing Israeli media reports on Friday.

Israel’s Channel 12 said the carrier will keep flights suspended during that period and will only restart operations once a security review is completed.

The suspension comes days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Israel on February 25 and held meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Israel’s Supreme Court decided in a ruling that a government ban on 37 foreign NGOs working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank will be frozen until it reaches a final decision.

"Without taking any position, a temporary interim order is hereby issued," the court said in a ruling responding to a petition from the NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam, seeking to reverse the ban after Israel’s government revoked their status in Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met the Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine, Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, on the sidelines of the OIC Executive Committee meeting in Jeddah.

DPM reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and strongly condemned Israeli military assault in the Gaza Strip and illegal actions in the Occupied West Bank.

Both leaders also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, emphasising the need for unhindered humanitarian access and urgent reconstruction efforts.

Americans for the first time sympathise more with Palestinians than Israelis in their conflict, according to a Gallup poll released Friday, after the devastating Gaza war.

Overall, 41% of Americans sympathise more with the Palestinians and 36% sided with Israel, the poll said, with the rest undecided or saying they favoured both or neither.

The gap is not statistically significant, but it marks the first time since Gallup asked the question more than two decades ago that Israel was not on top.

It also marks a sharp difference from just a year ago, when Israel led in sympathies 46% to 33%.