The European Commission said on Thursday it was "concerned" by China's announcement of new controls on the export of rare-earth technologies and items.

"The commission expects China to act as a reliable partner and to ensure stable, predictable access to critical raw materials," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill told reporters.

Lebanon has arrested 32 people in recent months on suspicion of providing Israel with information on Hezbollah that facilitated strikes on the group, a judicial official told AFP on Thursday.

More than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of open war saw Israel pummel the group's arsenal and kill a slew of senior commanders, and it has kept up strikes even after a November truce.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen survived a twin confidence vote Thursday in the European Parliament -- challenges that posed no serious threat to her leadership but underscored tensions in the assembly.

Neither of the two motions of censure against the European Commission president secured the minimum 361 out of 720 votes -- with 179 lawmakers backing the one brought by the far-right Patriots and 133 endorsing the challenge by The Left.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that an agreement to secure the release of hostages in Gaza will take effect only after receiving cabinet approval.

"Contrary to Arab media reports, the 72-hour countdown will begin only after the agreement is approved in the cabinet meeting, which is expected in the evening hours," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

France on Thursday hosts foreign ministers from Arab and European countries for talks on helping the Palestinians once the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas ends, a meeting that comes hours after the two sides agreed a ceasefire deal.

Israel and Hamas earlier agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group. It is a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

The world just had its third-hottest September on record, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday, as global average temperatures remained stuck near historic highs for yet another month.

"The global temperature in September 2025 was the third warmest on record, nearly as high as in September 2024, less than a tenth of a degree cooler," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at Copernicus.

Israel's cabinet will meet on Thursday at 1500 GMT to discuss a plan to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza, a government statement said after U.S. President Donald Trump's announced a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

"Government meeting at 18:00 (1500 GMT). Agenda – Plan for the release of all Israeli hostages," an announcement posted on the government website said.

World leaders on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas, which could help end the two-year war in Gaza.

- Palestinian Territories -

Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living hostages, in a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

An artillery attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed 12 people at the main hospital in the besieged city of El-Fasher, two medical sources told AFP on Wednesday.

A doctor and a nurse were among the dead, the medics said, requesting anonymity for their safety.