Rubio acknowledged difficulties in achieving peace in Gaza, saying that the ceasefire that went into effect in October with the release of hostages amounted to a "miracle."

More than 25 countries are expected to send representatives to the conference, which will include sessions on the command structure and other issues related to the Gaza force, according to United States officials.

South Africa, this year's host country, was not invited to join the meeting of the G20 deputy sherpas, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

Negotiations on consolidating the US-backed truce in the war in Gaza are at a "critical" moment, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said.

Israel said it would open the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt exclusively to allow residents to exit the Palestinian territory "in the coming days", a claim denied by Egypt which insisted that the key crossing be opened in both directions.

The United States this month took over the year-long presidency of the group of leading economies after largely boycotting South Africa's tenure, including the November summit, in an escalation of its attacks on Pretoria.

"The Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield," Daniel Gold, head of defence ministry research and development, told a defence summit in Tel Aviv.

While awaiting President Prabowo Subianto’s official order on Indonesia’s deployment to the international stabilization force (ISF) in Gaza, the Army has begun selecting soldiers for the mission. 

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka called for fairer global finances, as he stood in for President Prabowo Subianto in South Africa amid growing divisions within the G20 following a United States boycott and the promise of a clean break next year.

In opening remarks to the Johannesburg summit, Ramaphosa said: "There's been overwhelming consensus and agreement that one of the other tasks we should undertake right at the beginning is to [...] adopt our declaration."

The summit hosted by South Africa runs from Saturday to Sunday at the Johannesburg Expo Centre amid geopolitical tension, including a boycott by United States President Donald Trump, who has accused the South African government of discriminating against white citizens.

The report describes soldiers storming homes, ransacking property and ordering families out via loudspeakers mounted on drones.

Trump's remarks, which contradicted US intelligence findings, threw into stark relief just how far his administration has shifted away from the traditional US support for human rights globally.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a US resident, was "extremely controversial," Trump said, while welcoming the Saudi heir to the throne in the White House.

The government continues to monitor and verify all information regarding the movement of Gazans said to be linked to Indonesia, while also ensuring that no visa permits have been misused.

On Monday, The UN Security Council voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution bolstering Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan that includes the deployment of an international force and a path to a future Palestinian state.

"We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35s," Trump told reporters when asked if Washington would agree to sell Riyadh the jets at Tuesday's meeting. "They've been a great ally," he added.

A peace plan authorizes the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The draft, which has been revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, "endorses" the plan, which allowed for a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to take hold on October 10 in the war-wracked Palestinian territory.

With a ceasefire having been brokered in the Palestinian enclave in October, President Prabowo Subianto is seeking to make good on the pledge he delivered at the UN General Assembly in September to send some 20,000 troops on a peacekeeping mission.

The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey called Friday for the UNSC to quickly adopt the resolution.

A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza, which Trump would theoretically chair, with a mandate running until the end of 2027.

President Prabowo Subianto and Jordan's King Abdullah, who is making a state visit to Indonesia from Friday, would discuss the initiative of US President Donald Trump.

Prabowo and Abdullah share a decades-long personal friendship that dates back to at least 1981, when they met during a joint military training at Fort Benning in the United States. On many occasions, Prabowo has described Abdullah as a close friend and a “true soldier”.

Much remains uncertain over the future of Gaza’s peacekeeping plan, with details on troop contributions and operational rules still in flux despite Washington’s active diplomacy in promoting its plans. 

Home to 2.7 million Palestinians, the West Bank has long been at the heart of plans for a future Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but successive Israeli governments have expanded settlements rapidly, fragmenting the land.

President Prabowo Subianto has said the Air Force’s newly arrived Airbus A400M heavy transport aircraft could be deployed for humanitarian missions, including possible evacuations of wounded civilians from war-torn Gaza.

The United States has drafted a United Nations resolution that approves a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according to the text seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Reconciliation between Palestinian militant group Hamas and its rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authroity will bear fruit as soon as possible, as inter-Palestinian unity would strengthen Palestine's representation in the international community, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after a meeting of Muslim nations top diplomats in Istanbul.

Fidan spoke after he and ministers from several Muslim-majority countries met in Istanbul to discuss the fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, as Hamas and Israel trade accusations of violations.