France's foreign minister Monday told his Israeli counterpart that all sides should respect a ceasefire started last week between Israel and Hezbollah, the French foreign ministry said.

Jean-Noel Barrot stressed to Israeli minister Gideon Saar in a phone call "the need for all sides to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon", the ministry said, after several Israeli strikes hit Lebanon since the ceasefire started Wednesday.

A Hamas delegation discussed a ceasefire in Gaza with Egyptian intelligence officials, two officials from the Palestinian Islamist group told AFP on Monday.

The "delegation met with the head of the Egyptian general intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, and a number of Egyptian intelligence officials, and discussed ways to stop the war and aggression, bring in aid, and open the Rafah crossing" at Gaza's border with Egypt, said a senior Hamas official who was part of the Cairo meeting on Sunday evening.

Pope Francis called on Lebanese politicians on Sunday to urgently elect a new president, with a view of restoring normal government functions in the country.

"I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the president of the republic immediately," the pontiff said at Saint Peter’s Square at the end of Sunday Angelus prayer.

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike killed one person in the country's south on Monday, while the Lebanese army said an Israeli drone wounded one of its soldiers in the east.

Lebanon's official National News Agency has repeatedly reported Israeli fire, including strikes, since a ceasefire went into effect Wednesday.

Israel's former defense minister Moshe Yaalon on Saturday accused the Israeli army of "ethnic cleansing" in the Gaza Strip, sparking an outcry in the country.

Hamas is open to discussing "all ideas and proposals," a senior official of the Palestinian militant group told AFP, as representatives arrived in Cairo Saturday for talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday that his country's security was key to the stability of the whole region.

Hundreds of people, many in tears, gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs late Saturday at the site where former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike two months ago.

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said Sunday he will leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria's government and armed forces, state media said, after a lighting advance by rebels.

The Israeli military carried out air strikes in Lebanon Saturday against alleged Hezbollah activities that it said "posed a threat," days into a fragile ceasefire between it and the Iran-backed group.