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Nearly 100 Britons are listed among foreigners and Palestinians who will be allowed to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt on Friday.

The Palestinian Border Authority published a list that includes 92 British nationals among 127 names.

Two Irish dependants, one Moroccan, 31 Palestinians and one Palestinian dependant are also set to leave.

Israel-Gaza latest – live updates

Palestinians cross to the Egyptian side of the border crossing with the Gaza Strip Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. in Rafah Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
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Some Palestinians with foreign passports are being allowed into Egypt. Pic: AP

Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees in case Israel stops them returning after the war.

However, in the last few days, Palestinians with foreign passports have been allowed over Gaza‘s southern border at the Rafah crossing.

Some 342 Palestinians with foreign papers and 42 others crossed on Thursday, said the Palestinian Border Authority.

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It followed around 400 on Wednesday – when an unspecified number of British nationals were also allowed over for the first time.

The crossings come as Israel continues attacks as it aims to destroy Hamas after last month’s terror attack.

Troops completely encircled Gaza City on Thursday, said the country’s military, as it steps up ground operations after weeks of aerial attacks.

Chief of staff Herzi Halevy said troops were fighting “face-to-face” battles in “built-up, dense, complex areas”.

He said they were inflicting heavy losses on Hamas and destroying its infrastructure.

This photo released by the Israeli military shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip. Pic: AP
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This photo from the Israeli military shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip. Pic: AP

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

On Thursday, planes dropped leaflets telling people to evacuate the Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City’s centre.

“Time is up,” they read, warning that strikes “with crushing force” against Hamas were imminent.

Casualties are expected to rise as the fighting gets further into the densely packed streets of Gaza City

At least 20 people were also killed on Thursday when a school-turned-shelter was damaged in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations.

It said four of its shelters had been hit in the last 24 hours.

A Palestinian man reacts after being rescued from under the rubble in Bureij refugee camp. Pic: AP
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A Palestinian man reacts after being rescued from rubble in Bureij refugee camp. Pic: AP

Palestinians gather at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip,November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa
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Fifteen people are said to have died after strikes hit the Bureij area

Fifteen also died after an airstrike hit a residential building in the the Bureij refugee camp a few miles south of Gaza City, a civil defence spokesperson said.

It happened in the southern zone where Israel has told people to flee – but which has been repeatedly hit.

Israel says it takes great care to avoid civilian casualties but that Hamas deliberately embeds itself among the population.

More than 9,000 Palestinians have now died in less than a month – with 32,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

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‘At least 20 killed’ after school-turned-shelter damaged

The offensive was launched after Hamas murdered more than 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 in its cross-border attack 7 October.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken is heading back to the region on Friday to try to push President Biden’s suggestion of a humanitarian pause.

He will hold talks in Israel and Jordan but faces a hard time convincing Benjamin Netanyahu to stand down his forces.

The Israeli prime minister has not responded directly to Mr Biden’s idea but previously dismissed calls for a ceasefire.

Speaking on Thursday, he insisted: “We are advancing… Nothing will stop us.”

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Blinken: ‘How Israel does this matters’

The hope behind a pause is to let more foreign nationals to leave while also allowing more aid trucks to enter.

Gaza’s 2.3 million people are facing crippling shortages of food and water, while hospitals are on the verge of collapse and without critical supplies.

Despite strong support among Western governments for Israel’s right to hit back at Hamas, there is growing unease at the number of deaths – with key questions including whether the counterattacks are proportionate.

Read more:
British surgeon out ‘at last’ after being trapped in Gaza

Analysis – How many people have died in Gaza?

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Rocket strike hits northern Israel

A man mourns Israeli combat medic, staff sergeant Shay Arvas, who was killed in the northern Gaza Strip
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A man mourns Israeli medic staff sergeant Shay Arvas, killed in northern Gaza

On Thursday night, Israel’s military spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari reiterated its mission was only to wipe out Hamas.

“I want to make something very clear,” he said in a recorded video.

“Israel is at war with Hamas. Israel is not at war with the civilians in Gaza.”

Twenty one Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive.

Meanwhile, continued rocket fire from Gaza and skirmishes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants have forced an estimated 250,000 Israelis to evacuate border towns in the north and disrupted life for millions.

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

A number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.

The driver has been taken into custody after the incident shortly after 8pm local time on Saturday, police added.

People were in the area near 41st Avenue and Fraser Street for the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, named after a national hero of the Philippines.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.

A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially 'historic' meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope's funeral

Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.

The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.

The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
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The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.

Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.

Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.

Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
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The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Trump and Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica

But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.

The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.

The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.

There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.

U.S President Donald Trump attends the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters

Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.

He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.

Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”

The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.

They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.

“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.

In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.

They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.

Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.

In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
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The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.

We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.

But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.

Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.

Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
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The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.

They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.

The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.

Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.

If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.

This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.

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