Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

The Israeli army said it had found the bodies of nine Palestinian fighters recently killed in what it call attempts to dismantle the tunnel network in the southern Gaza Strip.

During operations in eastern Rafah, soldiers "located nine additional [fighters] who had been eliminated in the underground infrastructure", the army said in a statement.

"Thus far, over 30 [fighters] who attempted to flee the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah have been eliminated."

Multiple sources told AFP that negotiations were underway regarding the fate of dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in southern Gaza's tunnels, beneath areas under Israeli military control.

On Wednesday, Hamas called on mediating countries to pressure Israel to allow safe passage.

The United Nations said that the killing of two Palestinians, shot dead in the West Bank while seemingly surrendering to Israeli forces, was an "apparent summary execution".

"We are appalled at the brazen killing by Israeli border police yesterday of two Palestinian men in Jenin," UN rights office spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva, calling the incident "yet another apparent summary execution".

He said UN rights chief Volker Turk was calling for "independent, prompt and effective investigations into the killings of Palestinians", and for those responsible for killings and other violations in the West Bank to "be held fully to account".

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police — which oversees the border guard unit — said they attempted to apprehend "wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces".

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir backed the forces who opened fire, saying: "Terrorists must die!"

The UN rights office spokesman said the incident came as "killings of Palestinians by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank have been surging, without accountability, even in the rare cases when investigations are announced".

Israeli forces killed 13 people on Friday in an operation in southern Syria, the deadliest since Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power nearly a year ago, which they said was targeting an Islamist group.

The Israeli army said an exchange of fire in the operation to detain group members in the Syrian village of Beit Jin left six Israeli soldiers wounded, with three of them in a serious condition.

The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the operation as a "war crime" and accused Israel of wanting to "ignite the region".

The death toll rose to 13 later on Friday morning, according to the director of health for Damascus province Toufic Hassaba, cited by state news agency SANA, after state television said earlier that 10 were killed.

"Following the clashes, the Israeli occupation forces shelled the area with artillery and drones," village official Abdul Rahman al-Hamrawi said.

DAMASCUS: Israeli forces have killed 10 people in an operation in southern Syria, the deadliest since Bashar al-Assad's fall from power nearly a year ago.

The Israeli army said an exchange of fire in an operation to detain reported "militants" from neighbouring Lebanon in the Syrian village of Beit Jin left six Israeli soldiers wounded, three of them in serious condition.

Since a coalition overthrew longtime ruler Assad in December last year, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes and incursions into Syria.

Syrian state television reported women and children among those killed.

"The number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression... has risen to 10, including women and children, while others remain trapped under the rubble," it said.

Israeli military has announced plans to demolish as many as 24 of buildings in occupied West Bank's Jenin camp citing "operational purposes", Al Jazeera reported.

The authorities, Israeli army said, has notified Jenin residents of the demolition campaign.

MOSCOW: Russia has expressed concerns over US plans for Gaza saying they could overshadow, cover uncontrolled "experiments" on the occupied territory, reported Anadolu Agency.

"We hope that this decision will not become a facade for uncontrolled experiments on occupied Palestinian territory, transforming into a final verdict on the legitimate rights of Palestinians to self-determination, Israeli hopes for security, and peaceful coexistence in the region," said

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova while commenting on the recent vote on Trump's plan in the UNSC.

"The obligations of Israel as the occupying power, including refusal to annex Palestinian lands and the withdrawal of its forces, are not fixed," Zakharova said, adding that the Gaza plan fails to address the articipation of the Palestinian National Administration in governing the sector or in determining the future of the Palestinians on the basis of the two-state formula.

"I'd like to recall that the war and suffering of the civilian population in the enclave could have been stopped long ago if Washington hadn't systematically vetoed six times over the past two years draft resolutions requiring an immediate ceasefire," she added.

The Israeli army and police said Thursday they were reviewing an incident in the occupied West Bank in which two Palestinians were shot after apparently surrendering to Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Authority said two men aged 26 and 37 were killed by Israeli fire, and condemned the incident in Jenin as a "war crime" and a "brutal" summary execution.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir swiftly backed the forces who opened fire, saying: "terrorists must die!"

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and police said they attempted to apprehend "wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces".

"The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.

"Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.

"The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies."

An Israeli settler accused of beating a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank with a stick and seriously injuring her was charged on Thursday with terrorism, Israel's justice ministry said.

The assault, which took place in October in Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, was filmed by a foreign volunteer, with the footage widely circulated on social media within hours.

According to a justice ministry statement quoting the indictment, Ariel Dahari, 24, from the Oz Yair outpost, "assaulted a Palestinian woman and other olive pickers in an olive grove".

"He struck the woman, a resident of the village who had come for the harvest, in the head and body with a wooden stick, and continued to hit her even when she fell to the ground, causing her significant injuries requiring medical attention," the indictment added.

The man was charged with "terrorist acts deliberately causing aggravated injuries", "terrorist acts as part of an organised group causing aggravated injuries", and "deliberate damage to a vehicle as part of an organised group, motivated by a racist motive".

The prosecution has requested an extension of the defendant's custody.

France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning what they described as a “massive increase” in settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The four governments warned that destabilising activity threatens the success of the 20 Point Plan for Gaza and undermines prospects for long-term peace and security in the region.

According to figures from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settler attacks reached unprecedented levels in October, with 264 incidents recorded — the highest monthly total since the United Nations began tracking such violence in 2006. The statement stressed that these attacks must stop, noting that they spread fear among civilians, obstruct peace efforts, and ultimately jeopardise Israel’s own security.

The ministers urged the Israeli government to meet its obligations under international law and protect Palestinians living under occupation. While acknowledging condemnations of violence by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other senior officials, the European powers insisted that words must be matched by concrete action. They called on Israel to hold perpetrators accountable and to address the root causes of settler aggression.

The statement also reiterated opposition to annexation and settlement expansion, welcoming US President Donald Trump’s stance against annexation. It highlighted the recent approval of the E1 settlement project in August 2025, which would fragment the West Bank, and noted that more than 28,000 new housing units have been approved since January — an all-time high. The governments urged Israel to reverse its settlement policies, warning that such measures violate international law and further erode the possibility of a two-state solution.

Finally, the four nations criticised Israel’s continued withholding of tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority, calling the practice unjustifiable. They pressed for the release of funds, expansion of banking co-operation, and increased Shekel transfers to sustain Palestinian public services. Weakening the PA, they cautioned, risks financial collapse, undermines reform efforts, and destabilises the region. Reaffirming their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, the European powers stressed that only a just and comprehensive settlement can secure lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.