Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes on Russia Sunday, triggering a fire at a nuclear power plant as it celebrated Ukrainian independence day against a backdrop of fading hopes for recent peace efforts.

Israeli former defense minister Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to forge a unity government along with members of the opposition in a bid to help release the hostages held in Gaza.

Netanyahu's coalition government depends on support from far-right members who oppose ending the war and making any deal with Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.

Desperate Palestinians clutching pots and plastic buckets scrambled for rice at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after the United Nations declared a famine in the war-battered territory.

The chances of a Russia-Ukraine summit faded as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to tire of peace efforts and Moscow poured cold water on efforts to end the grinding war in Ukraine.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned on Friday after a cabinet meeting failed to agree to sanctions against Israel.

The head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and two other senior officers are being removed, officials said Friday -- the latest in a series of military firings this year.

The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said Friday that its Tripoli headquarters had come under rocket attack without causing any casualties or damage.

Hamas called on Friday for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the lifting of the Israeli siege on the territory after the U.N. declared a famine in parts of Gaza.

Iran said Friday its diplomats would meet counterparts from Britain, France and Germany next week for talks on its nuclear program, as the three countries weigh triggering snapback sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday slammed a U.N.-backed declaration that famine was present in parts of Gaza, calling the report "an outright lie".