Hours after Pope Francis' death was announced, Israel's Foreign Ministry posted a short message on X: "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing." Several hours later, it was deleted without explanation.

Coming at a time of effusive global mourning over Francis' death, the decision to delete the post appeared to reflect the tensions that have emerged between Israel and the Vatican over Francis' frequent criticism of Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the deletion.

Israel's military said Saturday it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, whose Houthi rebels have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war, as well as a drone approaching "from the east".

"Following the sirens that sounded recently in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted" before "crossing into Israeli territory", a military statement said.

Hamas seeks an agreement to end the Gaza war that would include the one-time release of all remaining hostages and a five-year truce, an official from the Palestinian group said Saturday.

"Hamas is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a delegation from his group was set to meet mediators in Cairo later in the day.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has voted to establish the position of vice president, potentially paving the way for a successor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Gaza's civil defense agency reported on Friday that the death toll from an Israeli air strike the day before on a house in the north of the Palestinian territory had risen to 23.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences on behalf of Israel following the death of Pope Francis.

Hundreds of clerics from Syria's Druze minority on Friday are heading to Israel where they will conduct a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine, the second such visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Jordan announced Wednesday a sweeping ban on the Muslim Brotherhood that could include shutting down the country's largest opposition party, after accusing the Islamist group of planning attacks.

The Islamic Action Front, a political party linked to the regionwide Brotherhood, won the most seats in parliamentary elections held last year against the backdrop of mass protests against Israel over its war with Hamas.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 28 people, mostly women and children, the territory's Health Ministry said Thursday.

Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground war over a month ago. It has sealed off Gaza's 2 million Palestinians from all food and other imports since the beginning of March to pressure Hamas to release hostages.

Senior Palestinian officials loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting to vote on the creation of a vice presidency and could choose a possible successor to the unpopular 89-year-old.

The two-day meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council, beginning Wednesday, comes as Abbas seeks relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.