The Palestinian militant group Hamas has said it would kill the Israeli hostages it holdsif Israel resumes fighting in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli intelligence, Islamist organizations in Gaza are still holding 24 hostages and 35 bodies of abductees.
"Any escalation of aggression" against the Palestinian people would lead to the killing of a number of those abducted, a Hamas spokesperson said.
The US government confirmed it had held direct talks with Hamas about the release of hostages who hold American citizenship, changing long-standing US policy on talking to groups classified as terrorist organizations.
Geneva conference on Palestinian civilians canceled due to low participation
A conference in Geneva meant to discuss the protection of civilians in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has been canceled after too few countries had accepted the invitation to attend it, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.
This comes after the UN General Assembly had asked Switzerland to convene the gathering to reaffirm the Geneva Conventions — the basis of international humanitarian law — due to concern for the Palestinians.
The meeting had to be canceled after no ministers from countries that are signatories to the conventions announced their participation.
Israel labeled the planned conference as "part of the legal warfare" against the country.
Israel to allow some Palestinians to attend Ramadan prayers
Israel will permit some Muslims over 50 and children to attend the Friday Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Those allowed are men aged 55 or older, women aged 50 or older and children up to the age of 12.
According to the statement, Muslims holding an Israeli citizenship will face no limitation.
Muslims regard the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is part of the Haram al-Sharif complex, as the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. The site in the Old City of Jerusalem is also sacred to Jews and known as the Temple Mount.
This week is the first Friday in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
China rejects Trump's Gaza plan, foreign minister says
Addressing US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians in neighboring countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his country is against such a move, also reiterating China's support for the two-state solution.
"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes place again and again simply because the two-state solution is only half achieved," Wang said. "The state of Israel has long been a reality, but the state of Palestine is still far beyond reach."
Wang added that China supports the peace plan by Egypt and other Arab countries.
