The Israeli military said Wednesday it had approved the "framework" for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, days after the security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza City.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine and its allies must work together to pressure Russia into ending its invasion, ahead of talks in Berlin with European leaders and U.S. leader Donald Trump.

Ukraine on Tuesday ruled out withdrawing troops from its Donbas region as part of a peace deal with Russia, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested both sides would have to cede territory.

The Council of Europe urged its member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations.

Europe again increased its military aid to Ukraine in May and June, unlike the United States, and is depending increasingly on its defense industry rather than existing weapons stockpiles, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said Tuesday.

Ukraine said Tuesday it was engaged in "difficult" battles with Russian forces after Moscow had made rapid advances in a narrow but important section of the front line in the country's east.

Egypt said Tuesday it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day truce, as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war.

Syrian and Jordanian foreign ministers and a U.S. envoy agreed on Tuesday to form a working group to help Damascus uphold a ceasefire in Sweida province, rocked by recent sectarian clashes.

Nestled among shops in a bustling market in north Lebanon's Tripoli, Mohammed al-Shaar is at his workshop making traditional tarboosh hats, keeping up a family craft despite dwindling demand.

With a thimble on one finger, Shaar, 38, cuts, sews and carefully assembles the pieces of the conical, flat-topped felt hat also known as a fez, attaching a tassel to the top.

Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid on Tuesday backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza.