Israel estimates that its imminent offensive on Gaza City would displace one million Palestinians, a senior military official said Wednesday, as Gaza's civil defense reported dozens killed across the territory.

In Jerusalem, meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli protestors took to the streets to call for a truce and hostage release deal after nearly two years of war.

France on Wednesday condemned an Israeli drone attack near U.N. Interim Force members in Lebanon, and called for the security of peacekeepers to be respected.

Israel has launched a new spy satellite that defense officials described as a strategic cornerstone, saying it will strengthen their surveillance capacity across the Middle East in the years ahead.

Military officials and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the satellite, launched late Tuesday, will enhance Israel's ability to collect images like the 12,000 gathered over Iran during a 12-day war earlier this year.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon said Wednesday that Israeli drones dropped four grenades near peacekeepers in "one of the most serious attacks" on its personnel since a November ceasefire.

The truce ended more than a year of hostilities and two months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah, but the United Nations has reported several attacks on its positions in south Lebanon since.

Amnesty International said Tuesday it had evidence of Syrian government personnel and affiliated fighters executing 46 members of the Druze minority during sectarian violence in July and demanded those responsible be held to account.

The bloodshed erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and tribal fighters from other parts of Syria.

French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad an six other top former officials over the bombardment of a rebel-held city in 2012 that killed two journalists, lawyers said Tuesday.

Marie Colvin, 56, an American working for The Sunday Times of Britain, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28, were killed on February 22, 2012 by the explosion in the eastern city of Homs, which is being investigated by the French judiciary as a potential crime against humanity.

The British pound slumped more than one percent against the dollar Tuesday on concerns over soaring borrowing costs for the UK government.

Sterling shed 1.2 percent to $1.3388, while the euro gained half a percent on the British currency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that any deal to resolve the conflict in Ukraine must not compromise Moscow's security.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as an "old friend" as the two held a series of meetings Tuesday at a time when their countries face both overlapping and differing challenges from the United States.

Ukraine on Monday urged China, a close ally of Moscow, to work towards peace in Ukraine during a visit to the country by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Given the significant geopolitical role of the People's Republic of China, we would welcome a more active role for Beijing in bringing peace to Ukraine based on respect for the U.N. Charter," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement.