Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said in his first public address since the unrest started that his government was willing to "engage in dialogue".

Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up.

Police shot tear gas at protesters in the center of the capital Antananarivo, where some 10,000 clashed Tuesday with police, although life had mostly returned to normal in the rest of the city by later that afternoon, according to AFP journalists on the ground.

The Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla on Wednesday after warning it against entering waters it says fall under its blockade, with Thunberg's ship among those stopped from going further.

Establishing relationships with Israel can only be done after it recognizes the independence of the State of Palestine, said the Foreign Ministry after President Prabowo Subianto appeared in a campaign to push United States President Donald Trump’s peace plan in Gaza.

In recent weeks, reports of Blair's involvement raised eyebrows among advocates due to the history of British imperialism in the region and in particular Blair's involvement in the invasion of Iraq that was premised on claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which were proven false.

Indonesia has offered troops as part of a future Gaza force, while Pakistan has been eager to woo Trump and improve its relationship with Washington.

Organisers said on Sunday that Greek vessels had now joined their enterprise, meaning that the flotilla, which counts some 47 civilian boats, was "complete". 

Attempts to delay the return of all sanctions on Iran failed on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN this week.

For the research in the leading medical journal BMJ, 78 humanitarian healthcare workers mostly from Europe and North America answered survey questions describing the severity, location and cause of the wounds they saw during their stints in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, who has opposed a Palestinian state for decades, mocked Western support for Abbas and called the Palestinian Authority "corrupt to the core."

Although France had authorised Israeli use of its airspace, according to a French diplomatic source who spoke to AFP, flight-tracking data showed Netanyahu's aircraft instead took a southern path.

The news agency said releasing all hostages and taking steps towards addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave were also discussed as priorities at the meeting. 

In his statement at the United Nations’ summit on Palestine, President Prabowo Subianto declared Indonesia’s readiness to recognize Israel once it “recognizes the independence of the statehood of Palestine”.

The president is due to recognize a Palestinian state in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, following up on a pledge he made in the summer that angered Israel.

Foreign Minister Sugiono kicked off this week’s whirlwind of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in the United States by calling on member states to step up protections for humanitarian workers, co-hosting the launch of a related declaration while spotlighting the plight of aid personnel in Gaza.

Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza, which has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

Israel and the United States will boycott the summit, said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, describing the event as a “circus.” “We don't think it's helpful. We think it's actually rewarding terrorism,” he told reporters on Thursday. 

The source told AFP that the deal had been in the works for years and that Saudi Arabia expected Pakistan's arch-rival India to understand the kingdom's security needs. 

A growing number of longtime Israeli allies have shifted positions in recent months as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented 2023 attack.

Israel's bid to capture Gaza City has sparked international outrage, with the territory already devastated by nearly two years of war and gripped by a UN-declared famine.

The enhanced defense ties come as Gulf Arab states grow increasingly wary about the reliability of the United States as their longstanding security guarantor. Israel's attack on Qatar last week heightened those concerns.

The Israeli military unleashed a massive bombardment of Gaza City before dawn on Tuesday and pushed its troops deeper into the Gaza Strip's largest urban hub.

The bombing resulted in the death of six people, none of whom were the top Hamas officials Israel was targeting, according to the militant group and Israeli sources quoted by national media.

A United Nations commission accused Israel of committing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.

Indonesia condemned Israel’s strike on Qatar as a “horrific and cowardly” breach of international law, urging Arab and Islamic nations to mount a united response against Tel Aviv’s continued aggression in the region.

Rubio showed no daylight between himself and Netanyahu on a visit to Jerusalem on Monday, saying Israel could "count on our unwavering support" for its military push in the devastated Palestinian territory.

The Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel's attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

Foreign Minister Sugiono on Monday reaffirmed Jakarta’s solidarity with Qatar and Palestine, arriving in Doha to represent Indonesia at an emergency Arab-Islamic summit called amid surging regional tensions sparked by Israel’s recent attack on Qatar. 

Rubio, a devout Catholic, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, an evangelical Protestant pastor, donned kippas on their heads with Netanyahu as they reached out in silent prayer to touch the Western Wall.