Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, gathered Arab and Muslim leaders for the summit as the kingdom has sought to exert its influence to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza.

The emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) comes after Hamas militants' bloody October 7 attacks that Israeli officials say left about 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, and 239 taken hostage.

Speaking to the Security Council, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation on the ground as desperate.

"A ceasefire with Hamas means surrender," he told Fox News, adding there was no "timetable" for the military offensive.

German authorities have cracked down on pro-Palestinian groups since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, and refused to authorize many pro-Palestinian protests, saying the curbs are to stop public disorder and prevent public antisemitism.

The Indonesian Navy is readying KRI dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat for a humanitarian mission to treat war victims in Gaza.

Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stressed that Israel has every right to defend itself from aggression, and that he opposes a ceasefire as it would give Hamas, the Islamist group responsible for the attacks against Israel, time to "regroup."

While a plan has yet to emerge, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday outlined in the most comprehensive comments on the issue to date Washington's red lines and expectations for the besieged coastal territory.

The Indonesian government has granted five-year academic scholarships to 22 Palestinian cadets, promising future programs to support Palestinian development.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi is laying the initial groundwork for an extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting set for Saudi Arabia next week, as the humanitarian condition in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen.

Grab faces boycott over perceived Israel support due to cofounder's wife's social media posting about a trip to Israel. The company clarifies its stance on human rights and donates Rp 3.5 billion (US$224,215) for Gaza relief.

The Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), the volunteer organization that funds the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, has denied an accusation by the Israeli military that its facility has been used by Hamas to launch attacks.

"Ahed Tamimi was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence and terrorist activities in the town of Nabi Salih" near Ramallah, an army spokesman told AFP. "Tamimi was transferred to Israeli security forces for further questioning."

It first emerged in 1967, when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem.

Global concern has soared over the spiraling Gaza death toll, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again vowed that "there won't be a ceasefire until the hostages are returned".

Thousands of Indonesians and a number of religious organizations gathered on Sunday at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta to hold an interfaith demonstration in support of Palestinians and to make a plea for a cease to the siege in Gaza.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the aid was geared toward the demands and needs of people in Gaza, based on reports mentioning that people are suffering from dehydration and waterborne diseases.

In a rare display of a public split, Arab foreign ministers at a press conference pushed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to persuade Israel to agree to a ceasefire.

Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, after the militant group killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 others hostage in an Oct. 7 assault in southern Israel.

Three Indonesian volunteers working in the Gaza Strip have pledged to stay behind amid the Israeli assault, top diplomat Retno LP Marsudi has said, as an evacuation operation entered its third day with partial success.

The evacuees had arrived in Cairo, she said in a press conference.

At a campaign event on Wednesday Biden was urged by a member of the audience to call for a ceasefire in the war. Biden replied: "I think we need a pause."

Ahead of top US diplomat Antony Blinken's scheduled visit to Israel Friday, the country's military said it had "completed the encirclement" of Gaza's largest city -- signalling a new phase in the month-long war against Hamas.

While a boycott may hurt Indonesia more, analysts concur that the country may need to make a stronger diplomatic gesture to push for changes in the war-torn region.

Israeli authorities say 1,400 people, many of them civilians, were killed and more than 230 hostages taken in the October 7 attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

The Foreign Ministry is evacuating Indonesian citizens from Gaza via Egypt’s Rafah border amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "continue until victory" over Hamas, whose brutal October 7 attack sparked the latest conflict, the deadliest in decades of unrest between the two sides.

The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza is now struggling with the limited amount of fuel it has and may be forced to shut down operations if a supply cannot come by the end of the week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were appealing to the Senate Appropriations Committee for billions of dollars in military assistance to support Israel, Ukraine and other security costs.

The Israeli military said 11 soldiers were also killed in fighting in Gaza on Tuesday, the biggest one-day loss for the armed forces since Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 300 soldiers and some 1,100 civilians.