"Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

Sharaa assumed power as transitional president last week, after leading a rebel campaign that ousted longtime Iran-backed leader Bashar al-Assad, whose ties with the rest of the Arab world were strained throughout the nearly 14-year Syrian war.

Ahead of his departure, Netanyahu told reporters he would discuss "victory over Hamas", contending with Iran and freeing all hostages when he meets with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

The five were among 31 Thai nationals captured and taken hostage during the Palestinian militant group’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Three Israelis and five Thai captives are slated for release Thursday under a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.

A sea of humanity moved through the now-open Netzarim Corridor into the north, watched over by Israeli tanks. Some pulled carts weighed down with mattresses and other essentials. Others carried what belongings they could.

The breakthrough preserves a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, which has devastated the Gaza Strip and displaced nearly all its residents, paving the way for more hostage-prisoner swaps under a deal aimed at ending the more than 15-month conflict.

There was no immediate reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but a far-right minister welcomed Trump's "great" idea.

The hostage-prisoner exchange is part of a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that took effect last Sunday, and which is intended to pave the way to a permanent end to the war.

Over the past week, United Nations officials have reported "minor incidents of looting" but they say they are hopeful that these will cease once the aid surge has worked its way through.

Hundreds of Jenin residents fled their homes as the military demolished a number of houses on the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city on Thursday.

Indonesia’s senior diplomat has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to make haste on securing lasting peace in Gaza as the truce between Israeli forces and Palestinian militant group Hamas entered its third day.

The government has never heard of a proposal suggesting that United States president-elect Donald Trump might relocate some Palestinians in Gaza to Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta said on Monday, as the long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas takes effect.

Most of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once by the Israel-Hamas war to other parts of the territory.

Indonesia has joined a chorus of countries calling for swift implementation of the ceasefire deal and restoration of access to humanitarian aid agencies, including UNWRA.

Lew's 15 months as President Biden's envoy overlapped with a war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel followed by an Israeli assault on Gaza. He spoke on Tuesday before a deal was reached.

One of the biggest hang-ups were the "incredibly complicated" lists for the exchanges of hostages held by Hamas with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a senior official of the Biden administration said.

After mediators said a deal had been reached, Israel's leadership said the "final details" were being worked on.

US President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a phone call Tuesday that both sides needed to show "flexibility" to get a deal over the line, according to a statement from Sisi's office.

Biden said he had helped Israel defeat adversaries including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both backed by Iran. The US president also hailed Washington's support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024. 

The deal would need approval from House of Representatives and Senate committees and includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells. The package also includes small-diameter bombs and warheads, according to the sources. 

Heavy rains and flooding have overwhelmed displacement sites and makeshift shelters, while families are left exposed to harsh conditions, struggling to repair tents damaged from months of use, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Their baby was one of the seven children who died from the cold within the span of a week, the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said on Monday.

"The Prime Minister has now been transferred to a protected underground recovery unit. He is expected to remain in the hospital for observation in the next few days," his office said.

The Palestinian health ministry said contact with staff inside the hospital in Beit Lahiya, which has been under heavy pressure from Israeli forces for weeks, had been lost.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media he was at the airport during the strike, adding that "one of our plane's crew members was injured".

The Indonesian Hospital is one of the Gaza Strip's few still partially functioning hospitals, on its northern edge, an area that has been under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months.

Under the old regime, jokes about elections, the dollar or even mentioning the president's name could mean arrest or worse.

Gone were the sparkling lights, the festive decorations, and the towering Christmas tree that had graced Gaza City for decades.

The Ramallah-based ministry said seven were killed in the Tulkarem refugee camp and one in the nearby Nur Shams camp after the military launched a sweeping raid early on Tuesday.