Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

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.

Israeli security forces shot two Palestinian men on Thursday who appeared to be surrendering and unarmed during a raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestine TV news footage showed.

In the footage, the men are seen exiting a building surrounded by armed Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, lifting their shirts and lying on the ground in an apparent surrender. The forces then appeared to direct the men back inside the building before opening fire at close range.

A Reuters journalist in the vicinity saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.

The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that the two men were killed in the shooting, identifying them as 26-year-old Montasir Abdullah and 37-year-old Yusuf Asasa.

The Israeli military and Israel Police issued a joint statement announcing that they had opened an investigation after forces opened fire towards suspects who had exited a building.

The statement did not give any reason for why the forces opened fire, nor say that the two men had lain on the ground before they were directed back inside the building and shot.

Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub, speaking by phone, accused Israeli forces of carrying out a "cold-blooded execution" of two young men who he said were unarmed and had surrendered.

He said those who opened fire should face accountability, but expressed doubt that Israeli authorities would conduct a genuine investigation.

Negotiations are underway with mediators to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told AFP.

"The current proposal would grant them safe passage to areas not under Israeli control, helping to ensure this does not become a friction point that leads to further violations or the collapse of the ceasefire," the source added.

"This issue has been discussed[...] with Egyptian officials, including Intelligence Minister Hassan Rashad, this week," a Palestinian source familiar with the talks said.

Pope Leo lamented that the world was seeing an unusual number of bloody conflicts during his first trip to Turkiye as Catholic leader on Thursday, and he warned that a third world war was being "fought piecemeal" with humanity's future at risk.

Francis, who led the global Church for 12 years, often said the conflicts raging across the globe reflected a new "piecemeal" world war and pleaded for the end of wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and across Africa, among others.

Lebanon, which has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East, has been rocked by the spillover of the Gaza conflict.

Rights group Amnesty International warned that Israeli atrocities in Palestine have not ended and “authorities are still committing genocide there”, Al Jazeera reported.

“In fact, Israeli authorities are continuing their ruthless policies, restricting access to vital humanitarian aid and essential services, and deliberately imposing conditions calculated to physically destroy Palestinians in Gaza,” said Amnesty’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard.

“The world must not be fooled. Israel’s genocide is not over,” she said.

Israeli forces launched a new round of air attacks on southern and central Gaza, hitting areas beyond the designated “yellow line” from which they were expected to withdraw under the repeatedly breached ceasefire arrangement, as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues without pause, Al Jazeera reported.

Thursday morning’s strikes targeted residential areas in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and parts of eastern Khan Younis.

These latest attacks add to the hundreds of strikes that Gaza’s civil defence has described as clear violations of the fragile, seven-week truce.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops carried out another series of overnight raids and arrests in several areas, including Qalqilya, Tubas, Hebron, Tulkarem and Nablus.

During the operation in Tubas, Israeli forces conducted field interrogations and assaulted at least 25 people, who subsequently required medical care, a Palestinian Red Crescent official told the Wafa news agency.