Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Following Israel’s decision to become the first country to recognise Somaliland — part of the unified Somali Republic since 1960 — the Arab League convened an emergency meeting, Middle East Eye reported. 

The meeting was held at the League's headquarters in Cairo and chaired by the UAE.

A joint statement issued after the meeting stated that Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, the Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Yemen, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemn Israel move, as it was already declared a de facto state in 1991.

Its sovereignty had not been recognised by any permanent UN member state until this week.

On Monday, the UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency session to discuss Israel's recognition.

The death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has climbed to 71,266, the Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry reported that four people were killed by Israeli fire over the past 48 hours, while the bodies of 25 others were recovered from rubble and transported to hospitals during the same period.

It added that at least 414 people have been killed since the ceasefire announced in October, underscoring the continued loss of life despite the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, an Israeli official told AFP, in what is seen as a crucial visit for the next steps of the fragile Gaza truce plan.

It will be Netanyahu's fifth visit to see key ally Trump in the United States this year.

His trip comes as the Trump administration and regional mediators push to proceed to the second stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions are reportedly mounting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump’s top advisers, with the US team growing “increasingly frustrated” over fears Netanyahu is trying to undermine the peace process, Anadolu reported, citing an Axios report.

Citing the report, Trump’s inner circle, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, peace envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, has become deeply aggravated, believing Netanyahu is “slow-walking” the agreement and actively taking steps that could undermine the ceasefire in Gaza.

A White House official was quoted as saying Netanyahu has essentially “lost” the backing of Trump’s core team. The report added that while the US president wants the deal to move “faster”, Trump himself remains the only key supporter.

The Gaza war death toll has risen to at least 411 since the beginning of the truce agreement in October; whereas, 1,112 Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli forces, Al Jazeera reported.

Wafa reported earlier this week that two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, also east of Gaza City in the Shujayea neighbourhood.

Israeli restrictions on vital humanitarian aid have also persisted in defiance of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, denying displaced Palestinians essential goods and temporary housing during a period of harsh winter storms.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that at least 50% of health facilities are partially working in in Gaza due to medicine and equipment shortages, Middle East Eye reported.

In a statement, the organisation said more than 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and lactating women are vulnerable to acute malnutrition by April 2026.

WHO also demanded an “urgent and unconditional” supply of medicine and medical aid in Gaza.

A major Gaza hospital has suspended several services because of a critical fuel shortage in the devastated Palestinian territory, which continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, it said.

Devastated by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza district of Nuseirat cares for around 60 in-patients and receives nearly 1,000 people seeking medical treatment each day.

"Most services have been temporarily stopped due to a shortage of the fuel needed for the generators," said Ahmed Mehanna, a senior official involved in managing the hospital.

"Only essential departments remain operational: the emergency unit, maternity ward and paediatrics."

Gaza's Civil Defence reported the recovery of 25 bodies from the debris of a residential building northwest of Khan Younis, Al Jazeera said.

In a statement carried by the Safa news agency, the Civil Defence said the remains were retrieved with help from forensic teams and included the body of journalist Hiba al-Abadleh and her mother, who were killed in January 2024. The bodies were later buried in official cemeteries.

The home belonged to the al-Astal family, according to the Civil Defence.

More than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza remain missing under rubble, according to the National Committee for Missing Persons, which has described the enclave as “the world’s largest mass grave”. Israel has continued to prevent the entry of adequate equipment and machinery necessary for their recovery.