A bill in Iraq that would further formalize the role -- and perhaps, the autonomy -- of a powerful coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries has sparked a heated debate, fanned in part by U.S. pressure.

Few details of the bill that could decide the future of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance have been made public.

Nations around the world on Friday expressed concern over Israeli plans to wrest control of Gaza City, saying that it would only worsen the conflict and lead to more bloodshed.

Here is what they said:

Hamas warned the Israeli government on Friday that seizing control of Gaza City would amount to "sacrificing" the hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory.

"The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives," the group said in a statement. "They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them."

Turkey on Friday urged the international community to prevent Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, saying it was a "heavy blow" to peace and security.

"We call on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs to protest a government decision to disarm the group.

Lebanese media shared footage of similar rallies late Thursday, in other areas of the country where Hezbollah holds sway, while troops deployed to maintain order.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday Lebanon's government had taken a "historic" decision this week by moving to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, which Washington has pushed for.

In a post on X, Barrack congratulated Lebanese leaders "for making the historic, bold, and correct decision this week to begin fully implementing" a November ceasefire which ended more than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, and stipulated that weapons in Lebanon be restricted to government agencies only.

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on the country's east on Thursday killed at least six people, in the latest attack despite a November ceasefire in a war with militant group Hezbollah.

"The Israeli strike on Masnaa Road resulted in a preliminary toll of six deaths and ten injuries," the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on Thursday that peacekeepers "discovered a vast network of fortified tunnels in the vicinity of Tayr Harfa, Zibqin, and Naqura" in south Lebanon, including "several bunkers, artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers, hundreds of shells and rockets, anti-tank mines, and other explosive devices."

Prime Minister Salam said in June that the Lebanese Army had dismantled more than 500 Hezbollah military positions and weapons depots in the south.

As Thursday's key cabinet meeting on the U.S. paper for Hezbollah's disarmament got underway, Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc called on the government to "correct the situation it has put itself and Lebanon in by slipping into accepting American demands that inevitably serve the interests of the Zionist enemy."

Lebanon's cabinet convened again on Thursday to discuss the thorny task of disarming Hezbollah, a day after the Iran-backed group rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons.

Relatives of Israeli hostages set sail on Thursday in a flotilla to approach the besieged Gaza Strip, according to an AFP journalist aboard one vessel, with organizers saying they hoped to "get as close as possible to their loved ones".

More than 20 people boarded several boats that departed from the coastal city of Ashkelon carrying yellow flags and posters bearing the images of the hostages, as they shouted their names.