Israel's cabinet meeting comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said there were last minute snags in finalizing the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to help the US negotiate with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told Fox News that China’s heavy dependence on Gulf oil makes Beijing eager to keep the crucial trade route open and stable as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a U.S.-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, a deal meant to enable broader U.S.-Iran negotiations but one that will see Israeli forces maintain positions deep inside southern Lebanon.

Washington is testing whether a shaky ceasefire can survive Hezbollah, Israeli strikes and a looming deadline.

Israel approved a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

A third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off in Washington Thursday, days before the expiration of a truce that reduced but did not stop the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Three paramedics at health centre among dead, while Israel also says it killed Hamas military chief in Gaza