French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, prompting similar moves from other Western nations, angered Israel and its U.S. ally by putting a two-state solution back at the heart of diplomatic efforts to end the devastating war in Gaza.

In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Macron wrote that "our determination to see the Palestinian people have their own state is rooted in our conviction that lasting peace is essential to the security of the state of Israel."

Dozens of families have fled a historically Alawite neighborhood of Damascus under threat of death, amid fears for the community's future in the Syrian capital under Islamist rule, residents told AFP.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Saturday she was "not optimistic" the bloc would take action against Israel over the war in Gaza due to splits between member states.

Israel's foreign minister hailed as a "bold step" Friday a U.S. decision to deny Palestinian officials visas for next month's U.N. General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognize a Palestinian state.

"We thank (President Donald Trump) and the administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again," Gideon Saar posted on his official X account.

The last photos taken by Mariam Dagga show the damaged stairwell outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip where she would be killed by an Israeli strike moments later.

Dagga, a visual journalist who freelanced for The Associated Press, was among 22 people, including five reporters, killed Monday when Israeli forces struck Nasser Hospital twice in quick succession, according to health officials.

Turkey announced Friday it was closing its airspace to Israeli government planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military while closing its ports to maritime trade between third countries and Israel.

The announcement by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan came on top of a ban on direct trade between Turkey and Israel announced in May of 2024.

The Israeli military on Friday said it had recovered the remains of two hostages during an operation in the Gaza Strip.

"In an IDF (Israeli military) operation, the body of Ilan Weiss was recovered, along with remains linked to another fallen hostage whose name has not yet been released, from the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.

Israel's military has suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, saying on Friday that the city was now "a dangerous combat zone."

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the "endless catalogue of horrors" in Gaza, calling for accountability and warning of potential war crimes.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Israel attacked the capital Sanaa on Thursday, four days after a round of deadly bombings against the Iran-backed group.

"Israeli aggression on the capital Sanaa", the Houthi news channel Al-Massirah posted on X, without providing details.