The father of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages in favour of prolonging the war for his political interests.

“We listened to Netanyahu’s words from the Hostages Square [in Tel Aviv], and we are deeply disappointed,” Hagai Angrest, father of soldier Matan, told Maariv daily.

“Across the world, everyone is saying that a ceasefire and the return of the hostages should be the top priority. Yet we see a prime minister who is abandoning the soldiers and sending more into battle.

Pope Francis has said a "growing climate of anti-Semitism around the world is worrisome," while also condemning the Gaza situation and reiterating his call for a ceasefire.

"I think of the people of Gaza and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation," read the pope's traditional Easter address, delivered by a collaborator as Francis sat in his wheelchair at the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.

Lebanon's health ministry has said one person was killed in an Israeli strike in the country's south, the latest such raid despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

An "Israeli enemy strike on a vehicle in Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad", located inland between the southern cities of Sidon and Tyre, killed "one person and wounded another", the health ministry said in a statement.

Palestine has condemned Israeli police assaults on Christians during the Holy Saturday celebrations as "racist” and “a blatant violation of the freedom of worship and access to holy sites."

Israeli police clashed with Palestinian Christians during the Holy Saturday observances at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed at least 44 more Palestinians in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 51,201, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that 145 more wounded people were transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 116,869 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

At least 10 Palestinians were killed as Israel's attacks on Gaza targeted residential homes and tents sheltering displaced families, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Nine people, including women and children, were killed when an Israeli air strike hit a home belonging to the Darwish family in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, medical officials told Anadolu.

In the south of the enclave, an Israeli drone targeted a displacement tent in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, killing a Palestinian woman and injuring four others, including children.

The Civil Defence in Gaza confirmed that its teams retrieved the woman’s body and evacuated several wounded children and elderly victims from the site.

Meeting in Istanbul, Groups of Parliaments in Support of Palestine urged Israel's Knesset to withdraw all laws and legislative initiatives that are incompatible with its obligations under international law and to ensure an immediate and lasting ceasefire for the implementation of all phases of the ceasefire agreement declared in Gaza on January 15.

A declaration released following the meeting of 14 parliament speakers, including from Türkiye, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, said: "We call for the implementation of the two-state solution in a reliable, sustainable, and irreversible manner, whereby two independent and sovereign states live side by side in peace and security, integrated into the region."

The Houthi group announced that three victims were killed and two wounded in US air strikes that targeted the province of Sanaa in central Yemen.

"The American aggression launched a strike on the Al-Nahda neighbourhood in the Al-Thawra District in central Sanaa, resulting in the martyrdom of two people," said the Houthi-affiliated 26 September news site.

Former Israeli Air Force Chief Nimrod Sheffer announced that he was dismissed due to his signing a petition that urged an end to the war to secure the return of hostages from besieged Gaza, said media reports.

Israel's Channel 12 quoted reserve Major General Nimrod Sheffer who said: "I was dismissed from the reserves because of the petition."

At least 35 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes across besieged Gaza, as the Israeli army continues its genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave.

According to medical sources and eyewitness accounts, the Israeli air strikes targeted a home, displacement tents, and groups of civilians in various parts of Gaza.