Israel has returned the bodies of 30 more Palestinians to Gaza as part of an ongoing exchange deal under a US-brokered ceasefire plan, a hospital told AFP on Friday.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend a temporary ceasefire and will hold another round of peace talks in Istanbul next week, aiming to defuse tensions after a deadly flare-up this month.

U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise directive to begin nuclear weapons testing provoked global criticism on Friday, as it raised the specter of renewed superpower tensions.

A Turkish disaster response team is still waiting by the Gaza border for Israeli approval to enter the Palestinian territory to help with search and rescue operations, a defense ministry source said Thursday.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties with Berlin, which welcomed a large number of Syrian refugees during the country's 14-year civil war.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, dressed in black, rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription, an issue that has caused major strain in Israel's right-wing ruling coalition.

Hamas' armed wing said it would hand over the remains of two more hostages on Thursday as demanded under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that officials from Washington and Beijing would be meeting to hash out a possible "energy deal" between the two countries.

"China... agreed that they will begin the process of purchasing American Energy," Trump said on Truth Social following talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday ordered the armed forces to oppose any Israeli incursions in the country's south following an Israeli raid that killed a municipal worker.

Aoun ordered the army to "confront any Israeli incursion into liberated southern territory, in defense of Lebanese territory and the safety of citizens", during a meeting with the army chief, according to a statement from the presidency.

Israeli troops killed a Lebanese municipal worker on Thursday during a raid on a border village in the south, state media reported.

The incident in the town of Blida sparked condemnation by Lebanese officials and a protest by residents.