An Israeli government spokeswoman on Thursday said high profile Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti would not be exchanged as part of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal reached by Israel and Hamas.

When asked by a journalist whether Israel had agreed to release Barghouti, government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told a briefing that: "I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release."

The price of silver reached more than $50 an ounce Thursday for the first time since 1993 in the wake of sister safe-haven gold soaring to record highs.

Ukraine announced on Thursday it was ordering the evacuation of children and their guardians from towns and villages in and around the eastern frontline city of Kramatorsk, citing an uptick in Russian drone attacks.

"Due to the deterioration of the security situation in certain areas of the Kramatorsk city community, the mandatory evacuation of families with children has been announced," the city council announced in a statement on social media.

Spain's weather agency on Thursday issued its highest alert for heavy rains in Alicante in the eastern region of Valencia, where deadly floods struck last year, warning of "extraordinary danger".

AEMET said the red alert would be in effect from 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Friday in Mediterranean coastal regions of the province of Alicante, as well as in the neighboring region of Murcia.

The European Commission said on Thursday it was "concerned" by China's announcement of new controls on the export of rare-earth technologies and items.

"The commission expects China to act as a reliable partner and to ensure stable, predictable access to critical raw materials," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill told reporters.

Lebanon has arrested 32 people in recent months on suspicion of providing Israel with information on Hezbollah that facilitated strikes on the group, a judicial official told AFP on Thursday.

More than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of open war saw Israel pummel the group's arsenal and kill a slew of senior commanders, and it has kept up strikes even after a November truce.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen survived a twin confidence vote Thursday in the European Parliament -- challenges that posed no serious threat to her leadership but underscored tensions in the assembly.

Neither of the two motions of censure against the European Commission president secured the minimum 361 out of 720 votes -- with 179 lawmakers backing the one brought by the far-right Patriots and 133 endorsing the challenge by The Left.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that an agreement to secure the release of hostages in Gaza will take effect only after receiving cabinet approval.

"Contrary to Arab media reports, the 72-hour countdown will begin only after the agreement is approved in the cabinet meeting, which is expected in the evening hours," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

France on Thursday hosts foreign ministers from Arab and European countries for talks on helping the Palestinians once the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas ends, a meeting that comes hours after the two sides agreed a ceasefire deal.

Israel and Hamas earlier agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group. It is a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

The world just had its third-hottest September on record, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday, as global average temperatures remained stuck near historic highs for yet another month.

"The global temperature in September 2025 was the third warmest on record, nearly as high as in September 2024, less than a tenth of a degree cooler," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at Copernicus.