A majority of European countries now recognise the State of Palestine, following official declarations in New York on Monday by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and others, after nearly two years of war in Gaza.

Portugal says it will recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday, making it the latest Western nation preparing to shift policy as the war in the Gaza Strip shows no sign of stopping.

A flotilla bound for Gaza carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists set sail Monday from Tunisia after repeated delays, aiming to break Israel's blockade and establish a humanitarian corridor to the Palestinian territory.

Nadeen Ayoub, the first Palestinian to compete in Miss Universe, will step onto the stage at the height of one of the most harrowing periods in her people's history, determined to show they are more than headlines of war.

Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said late Tuesday that another of their boats had been struck in a suspected drone attack off Tunisia's coast.

A Hamas source told AFP on Monday that the Palestinian militants had agreed to a new proposal from mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza, devastated by more than 22 months of war between the Islamist group and Israel.

AP, Reuters, AFP, and BBC say staff in the enclave are running out of food amid an Israeli blockade

After Israel killed a string of its leaders, Hamas anointed new commanders to top ranks, this time shrouding their identities in secrecy to protect them from assassination.

Adra, who directed No Other Land, told the United Nations that there were settler attacks on communities all across the West Bank.

Israeli forces kill three militants in West Bank raid; Palestinian sources report woman among dead as violence escalates.

Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday in a widely condemned public ceremony in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The future of Gaza’s reconstruction remains uncertain as the region approaches a critical ceasefire deadline.