Syria's finance minister has said Qatar will help the Islamist-led government to pay public sector salaries for the coming months through a mechanism he said had been exempted from U.S. sanctions.

There was no immediate announcement from either the Qatari government or the U.S. Treasury.

First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage.

Israeli forces entered two U.N. schools in annexed east Jerusalem Thursday to enforce their closure, an AFP photographer reported, as the United Nations confirmed three schools were closed in the city's Shuafat refugee camp.

The photographer reported that a closure notice in Hebrew was left at the entrance of at least one of the schools, and the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) which runs them said at least one of its staff was detained.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent recent hostilities from getting out of control. He spoke on his first visit to Europe since taking office in January, and as he seeks to broaden ties to Western countries.

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on parts of Syria last week, saying it aims to protect the country's Druze minority from coming under attack by pro-government gunmen.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on Wednesday, state media reported, on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, leaving only 21 believed to be still living.

"As of today, it's 21, three have died," Trump said of the hostages being held by Hamas, noting until recently it had been 24 people believed to be living. He did not elaborate on the identities of those now believed to be dead, nor how he had come to learn of their deaths. "There's 21, plus a lot of dead bodies," Trump said.

The war in Gaza may be on the cusp of a new phase after Israel approved plans over the weekend to intensify its operations. Which raises the question: After 19 months of bloodshed and destruction, why is there still no end in sight?

Israel and Hamas appear to only be growing further apart. Israel unleashed fierce strikes in March, shattering a truce that had freed hostages and sent in badly needed aid. Israel's new plans include seizing the strip, forcibly displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and asserting greater control over the distribution of aid in the territory, according to Israeli officials.

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 59 people, including women and children, hospital officials said Wednesday, as Israel prepares to ramp up its campaign against Hamas in a devastating war now entering its 20th month.

The strikes included one attack on Tuesday night on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, which killed 27 people, officials from the Al-Aqsa Hospital said, including nine women and three children. It was the fifth time since the war began that the school in central Gaza has been struck.

Israel drew international condemnation over its plans for an expanded Gaza offensive, as the country's far-right finance minister called Tuesday for the Palestinian territory to be "destroyed".

The United States and Yemen's Houthis have agreed a ceasefire, mediators announced, saying the deal would ensure "freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea where the Iran-backed rebels have attacked shipping for months.