Live Updates: Hamas to release 50 captives, Israel to free 150 Palestinian women, children

05:20 GMT - 50 Israelis, 150 Palestinians to be freed in prisoner swap

The Israeli cabinet has approved a plan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will bring a temporary ceasefire with resistance fighters in besieged Gaza and will see the release of some Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails.

Hamas will free 50 Israeli captives over the course of four days, during which there will be a pause in the war, according to Israeli prime minister's office.

Hamas and Israel agreed to four-day truce in war, said Hamas in statement welcoming the "humanitarian truce", adding it will release 50 Israeli captives in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children languishing in Israeli jails.

05:00 GMT - Protesters in the Netherlands stage sit-in in solidarity with Palestinians

Protesters have staged a sit-in in the Dutch city of The Hague to call for a cease-fire in besieged Gaza. They gathered at a train station, vowing to keep holding protests until a cease-fire is reached.

Accusing the Dutch government of being complicit in crimes committed by Israel, the crowd chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, protester Dagmar Bosma said they were holding the demonstration to raise their voice, especially ahead of the country’s election. "We will continue [protesting] until a cease-fire is reached, the [Israeli] occupation of Gaza ends, Palestine is liberated, and Palestinians have equal rights," she said.

4:19 GMT - Putin concerned over 'thousands of deaths' in Gaza

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed grave concern over the deaths of thousands of people, the mass expulsion of civilians and the humanitarian catastrophe that has erupted in besieged Gaza.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the BRICS group of major emerging economies via video link from Moscow, Putin said the escalation in the Middle East is a "direct consequence" of the US stance on "monopolising mediation functions" between Israel and Palestine, part of which was blocking the work of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators consisting of the European Union, UN, US and Russia.

"Because of the sabotage of UN decisions that clearly provide for the creation and peaceful coexistence of two independent and sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, more than one generation of Palestinians has been brought up in an atmosphere of injustice shown to their people, and Israelis cannot fully guarantee the security of their state," he noted.

4:00 GMT - Australia police arrest 23 pro-Palestine protesters

Australian police have arrested 23 pro-Palestinian protesters for blocking roads near one of the country's largest container ports in Sydney, authorities have said, after they protested against a ship owned by Israeli carrier Zim.

About 400 people had gathered near Port Botany for a planned unauthorised protest activity, New South Wales state police said.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags, chanted "free Palestine" to banging drums, and held signs "Boycott ZIM" and "End the Gaza Blockade", television footage showed.

Police forcibly removed some protesters from near the port's entrance.

3:34 GMT - Evidence points to Israeli war crimes in Gaza: researcher

A prominent researcher has said that evidence strongly indicates that Israel has committed war crimes in recent attacks on besieged Gaza.

Anthony Dworkin, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, reached the conclusion after conducting a comprehensive evaluation of Israel's latest attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

Dworkin pointed to the existence of two sets of rules, namely the laws of war and international humanitarian law, which determine what can and cannot be done in times of conflict.

2:50 GMT — Iran's president calls for 'international inquiry' into Israel's use of banned weapons

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called for the creation of a "special international inquiry" into Israel's use of banned weapons in besieged Gaza.

Raisi was speaking during a virtual summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies held at the organisation’s headquarters in South Africa, the official Iranian agency IRNA reported.

"Today, the whole world is in a struggle as we witness live the unprecedented violence and crime committed against Palestine in Gaza. What is happening in Gaza these days clearly reveals the injustice of the Western international system. The Gaza issue is a matter of humanity and justice," he said.