Trump was the 'greatest friend' Israel had ever had in the White House, Netanyahu said
US President Donald Trump has told cheering Israeli lawmakers that "this is the historic dawn of a new Middle East", after helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
During the first such address by a US president since 2008, Trump said Monday was a "day of profound joy" after "two harrowing years".
Trump's address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, comes on the day that the last 20 living hostages held in the Palestinian enclave were released by Hamas.
Israel is releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 other Palestinians detained during the two-year military operations in Gaza.
During a whirlwind trip to the region, Trump is also expected to attend a peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other world leaders.
After hearing politicians' chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump" in the Knesset, the American president said the occasion would represent "not only the end of a war" but also the possibility of a new age for "what will soon be a magnificent region".
Trump was introduced to parliament by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saluted his counterpart's various acts of solidarity with Israel.
Trump was the "greatest friend" Israel had ever had in the White House, Netanyahu said.
"Everything changed" in the American attitude to Israel's military campaign in Gaza when Trump was re-elected as US president last year, Netanyahu added.
The Israeli prime minister thanked Trump for his "unremitting help" in securing the return of the remaining hostages - part of a group of 251 people seized during the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas.
Trump went on to offer a tribute of his own to his counterpart, saying: "He's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that's what makes him great."
Earlier, the US president declared the "war is over" in Gaza, after two years of fighting, as he flew to the region from the US on board Air Force One.
The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. The next phases are still to be negotiated.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the ceasefire would hold, and that a "board of peace" he is due to head would quickly be set up to administer the territory.
In his remarks to parliament, Netanyahu said he was "committed to this peace".
Also welcomed to the Knesset alongside Trump were other key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The names of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner received particularly loud cheers from Israeli MPs, for their own roles in brokering the ceasefire. Kushner was accompanied by his wife Ivanka Trump.
Members of Trump's audience wore red caps. Instead of Trump's signature slogan "Make America Great Again", they read "Trump the Peace President".
Trump was told by the parliamentary speaker that there was "no-one" more deserving of next year's Nobel Peace Prize.
But some Israeli lawmakers who want the war in Gaza to continue did not attend.
Freed hostage Eitan Mor's emotional reunion with family
Hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees were welcomed with tears and screams of joy as they were released by Israel to be reunited with their families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The release involved about 250 prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without trial.
As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.
They were freed as part of an exchange in which 20 Israeli hostages, and the remains of some deceased hostages, were released by Hamas.
"He is ready to embrace freedom," said Amro Abdullah, 24, who was waiting for his cousin Rashid Omar, 48, who was arrested in July 2005 and sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli court after being found guilty murder and other crimes.
"I want peace," Mr Abudullah said. "I want to live a happy life, safe and peaceful, without occupation and without restrictions."
It is thought about 100 prisoners were released into the West Bank, with many others set to be deported and a small number freed into East Jerusalem.
Reuters
Israel made clear before the release process it wanted to avoid the jubilant scenes that surrounded prisoners arriving in Ramallah during previous hostage deals, when large crowds waved Hamas flags.
Many families were reluctant to speak to the media, saying they had been warned against doing so by the Israeli military.
In Gaza, families gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in hope of being reunited with their loved ones. A field hospital adjacent to the main hospital building was set up to receive them.
"This is a very beautiful feeling - happy, a day of joy," said Muhammad Hasan Saeed Dawood, 50, who told the BBC he was there to collect his son who he says was arrested by Israeli forces at a checkpoint.
"We call it a national holiday, that our detainees are being released despite the cost of the war, the martyrs, the injured, and the destruction in Gaza."
Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who was also there to collect his son who he said had been detained for about three months, said: "There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow."
"We came here waiting for their release. We came here expecting them to arrive at 10:00am, and now it is past 12:00pm, and we are still waiting, on edge."
Ahead of the release in Ramallah, ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society set up in preparation to treat any injured prisoners.
"The crying and the silence, this shows you how the families are feeling," said Ibrahim Ifani, 23, a volunteer nurse for the organisation.
"For all the people in Palestine, it's a deep, deep emotion," he said.
Multiple medics and family members said the prisoners who were released in Ramallah had had faced beatings in recent days prior to their release.
The BBC cannot verify claims of mistreatment in Israeli prisons. But Israel's top court said last month that Palestinian prisoners were not being given adequate food.
"Their rights were violated in the most serious ways," said Aya Shreiteh, 26, from the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
"Most of the prisoners in the past year were subjected to deliberate starvation and exposure to illness," she told the BBC.
"Their bodies are frail from starvation, and they've suffered from beatings."
"But today gives us hope that there will always be an inevitable freedom, no matter the circumstances," she added.
The hostage and prisoner exchange formed part of phase one of Donald Trump's peace plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Israel launched a retaliatory military offensive which saw more than 67,682 Palestinians killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
A ceasefire took hold on Friday - and negotiations are now expected to follow over the latter phases of Trump's peace plan.
Anita Anand (left) with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi
India and Canada have agreed a host of steps at talks between their foreign ministers in Delhi aimed at restoring ties that plummeted after a Sikh separatist leader was assassinated on Canadian soil.
Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand, making her first official visit to India, met her counterpart S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi told her the visit would strengthen "efforts to impart new momentum" to the two countries' partnership.
Canada is home to nearly 1.7 million people of Indian origin and the developments were being watched anxiously in both countries.
After the meeting of their foreign ministers in Delhi, the two sides announced a series of measures, including starting ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment.
"Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances," a joint statement said.
Signs of a thaw have appeared this year since Mark Carney took over as Canadian prime minister.
In June, Carney and Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada. Two months later, the countries appointed new high commissioners to each other's countries.
Anand and Jaishankar also met each other on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September.
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Jaishankar said India-Canada ties had been making steady progress
On Monday, Jaishankar said that India-Canada bilateral relations have been steadily progressing in the last few months.
"When we look at Canada, we see a complementary economy. We see another open society. We see diversity and pluralism," he said, adding that this was "the basis for a close sustainable and long-term co-operative framework".
"We are collectively committed to advancing this relationship now and in the long term, particularly when it comes to our mutual priorities in the Indo-Pacific," Anand said.
The two countries will resume the Canada–India CEO Forum, which brings together executives from both countries to increase bilateral trade and investment. The announcement comes as Delhi deals with a punitive 50% tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods.
Anand is also set to meet India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss boosting trade ties, before visiting Mumbai to speak to business leaders about investments and economic opportunities.
She will then travel to China and Singapore as part of Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy that focuses on deepening the country's engagement in the region.
A ceasefire deal has taken effect in Gaza that should see Hamas release all the 48 Israeli and foreign hostages it is still holding after two years of war, 20 of whom are assumed to be alive.
All but one were among the 251 people abducted during the Palestinian group's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.
Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 67,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Hostages who are thought to be alive
Ariel Cunio, 28, was abducted in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Ariel's brother Eitan, who escaped the Hamas-led gunmen, said the last message from Ariel said: "We are in a horror movie." Ariel's partner, Arbel Yehud, was freed in January 2025 under a deal that saw Hamas hand over 25 living and eight dead hostages during a two-month ceasefire.
David Cunio, 35, another of Ariel's brothers, was also kidnapped from Nir Oz. David's wife Sharon Aloni Cunio and their then-three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly were among the 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. Sharon's sister Danielle Aloni and her daughter Emilia were also freed. In February 2025, David's family said released hostages had told them that had recently seen him alive.
Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twin brothers, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with their neighbour, Emily Damari. Ziv was held with Emily for 40 days before they were separated. She was released in January 2025 during the last ceasefire. Gali and Ziv's family said they had been informed by other hostages released in early 2025 that they were still alive.
Matan Angrest, a 22-year-old Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, was in a tank that was attacked near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October. One video showed a crowd pulling him from the tank unconscious and injured. Earlier this year, his family said they had been told by released hostages that he was suffering from chronic asthma, untreated burns and infections.
Reuters
Matan Zangauker, 25, was taken with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky from Nir Oz. Ilana was released during the November 2023 ceasefire. In December 2024, Hamas released a video showing Matan in captivity. He said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments, shortages of food, water and medicine.
Eitan Horn, 38, an Israeli-Argentine dual national, was kidnapped along with his elder brother Yair from Nir Oz. Yair was freed in February 2025 during the last ceasefire. Hamas released a video at the time showing Eitan and Yair hugging and breaking down in tears ahead of the latter's release. "Every day we imagined what we'd do if we were freed," Yair recalled recently.
Nimrod Cohen, 21, was serving as an IDF soldier when his tank was attacked by Hamas at Nahal Oz. In February 2025, his family were told by one of the released hostages that he was still alive in captivity but in poor physical and mental shape. After the new ceasefire was agreed, his mother Viki posted on social media: "My child, you are coming home."
Omri Miran, 48, was abducted from his home in Nahal Oz. His wife, Lishay, said she last saw him being driven away in his own car. She and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma, were not taken with him. In April 2025, Hamas released a video showing Omri marking his 48th birthday. In response: Lishay said: "I always said and I always knew, Omri is a survivor."
Reuters
Dozens of people were taken hostage during the attack by Hamas gunmen on the Nova music festival. Among those believed to be still alive in captivity are:
Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25, had been at the festival with a friend, who said they had remained to help people escape the gunfire before running themselves. In May 2025, Hamas published a video showing Yosef and another hostage, Elkana Bohbot. Yosef is seen sitting beside Elkana, who is lying on the ground. An intravenous drip is hooked up to the wall next to Elkana.
Elkana Bohbot, 36, was working at the festival when he was abducted. "In our last conversation on the morning of the massacre at 07:00, I told him, 'It's not just missiles, come home,' and he promised he would return," his wife Rikva said in March 2025. The previous month, Israeli media cited a released hostage as saying Elkana, who has asthma, was being held in inhumane conditions and had developed a severe skin disease.
Avinatan Or, 32, was kidnapped at the festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, but they were immediately separated. Noa and three other hostages were rescued in an Israeli military operation in central Gaza in June 2024. In March 2025, Avinatan's family said they had received a sign that he was still alive. His British-Israeli mother, Ditza, has said she just wants to put her ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat again.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, attended the festival with his brother, Gal, who said the last time they saw each other was just before Hamas launched its first barrage of rockets into Israel at the start of the attack. Gal evaded the gunmen on the ground, but Guy was kidnapped. Last month, Hamas released a video showing Guy and another hostage, Alon Ohel, being driven around Gaza City in late August as the Israeli military prepared to launch an offensive there.
Alon Ohel, 24, has Israeli, German and Serbian citizenship. Hamas footage showed him being taken away as a hostage from the Nova festival. Alon was not seen in another video until August 2025, when he was filmed being driven around Gaza City with Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Last month, Alon's family approved the publication of a still from a new video which they said showed he had gone blind in one eye.
Eitan Mor, 25, was working as a security guard at the festival. His father Mor said he saved dozens of people before being kidnapped by Hamas gunmen. In February 2025, Eitan's family said they had received a sign of life from him. Three months later, they said a released hostage who spent time with him in a tunnel had told them how he had acted as a "spokesman to the captors" and "lifted everyone's spirits".
Maxim Herkin, 37, is an Israel-Russian dual national who was invited to the festival at the last moment. His two friends were among the 378 people killed in the attack. In April 2025, Maxim appeared in a Hamas video along with Bar Kupershtein - the first signs of life from either man since they were taken hostage. The following month, Maxim was seen alone in another video and appeared to be bandaged up. Hamas said was the result of an Israeli air strike.
Bar Kupershtein, 23, was working at the festival and stayed behind during the attack to help treat casualties. He told his grandmother that he would head home as soon as they were finished. But he was later identified him in a video of hostages. They heard no further information about him until April 2025, when he was seen in a video with Maxim Herkin.
Segev Kalfon, 27, was running away from the festival with a friend when he was taken hostage by Hamas gunmen. Two months later, the Israeli military found a video of the abduction. In February 2025, released hostage Ohad Ben Ami told Segev's father, Kobi, that they had been held captive with four other men in a tunnel in "terrible conditions".
Evyatar David, 24, was at the festival and on the morning of the attacks. He texted the family to say "they are bombarding the party". His family say they later received a text from an unknown number, containing video footage of Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. In August 2025, Hamas published a video of an emaciated and weak Evyatar in a tunnel. The footage caused outrage in Israel and deep concern among his family. "He's a human skeleton. He was being starved to the point where he can be dead at any moment," said his brother Ilay.
Rom Braslabski, 21, was working on security for the festival. According to an account published by Hostages and Missing Families Forum, he was trying to rescue an injured person in the attack when he was caught in a volley of fire. In August 2025, Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a video of Rom, in which he is seen crying as he says he has run out of food and water. He says he is unable to stand or walk, and "is at death's door". Medical experts said he was suffering from "deliberate, prolonged, and systematic starvation".
EPA
Hostages whose conditions are unknown
Bipin Joshi, 24, a Nepalese agriculture student, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Alumim. Footage from 7 October 2023 showed him walking inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. His family received no signs of life for a year, until the Israeli military shared a video showing him in captivity around November 2023. The family released the footage just before the new ceasefire was announced, describing it as "proof of life".
Tomer Alon Nimrodi, 20, was an education officer in the IDF at the Erez Crossing on 7 October. The last time his mother, Herut, saw him was in a video of his abduction posted on social media that day. Since then, she has received no signs of life and his fate is unknown.
Hostages who are confirmed dead
Tamir Adar, 38, was a member of Nir Oz's community security squad who was killed while fighting Hamas gunmen during the 7 October attack, his kibbutz announced in January 2024. The body of the farmer and father-of-two is being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Sonthaya Akrasri, 30, was a Thai agricultural worker killed in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, Thailand's foreign ministry said in May 2024, citing the available evidence. His body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Muhammad al-Atarash, 39, was a sergeant-major in the IDF and served as a tracker. In June 2024, the IDF confirmed the father-of-13 from the Bedouin village of Sawa was killed while fighting Hamas gunmen near Nahal Oz on 7 October and that his body was being held in Gaza.
Sahar Baruch, 24, was kidnapped from Be'eri. In January 2024, the IDF announced that he had been killed during a rescue attempt by Israeli forces in Gaza. It was not clear whether he was killed by Hamas or Israeli gunfire.
Uriel Baruch, 35, was abducted from the Nova festival. In March 2024, the father-of-two's family said they had been informed by the IDF that he was killed in captivity in Gaza.
Itay Chen, 19, was an Israeli-American who was serving as a soldier in the IDF on 7 October. The IDF said he was killed during Hamas's attack on Nahal Oz base and that his body was taken back to Gaza as a hostage.
Amiram Cooper, 85, was abducted from Nir Oz. The IDF said in June 2024 that he had been killed along with three other hostages - Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Peri and Yoram Metzger - during military operations in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza.
Oz Daniel, 19, was a sergeant in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade and was killed during a battle with Hamas gunmen near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October. His body was taken to Gaza as a hostage, according to the IDF.
Ronen Engel, 54, was kidnapped from Nir Oz on 7 October along with his wife, Karina Engel-Bart, and their daughters, Mika and Yuval. Karina, Mika and Yuval were released during the ceasefire in November 2023. The following month, the IDF confirmed that Ronen has been killed in captivity.
Meny Godard, 73, was killed during the attack on Be'eri with his wife, Ayelet, and his body was taken to Gaza as a hostage, his family said in February 2024. In March 2025, the IDF said some of Meny's remains had been found at a Palestinian Islamic Jihad outpost in Rafah, but that the group was believed to be holding the rest.
Ran Gvili, 24, was a sergeant in the Israel Police who was killed while fighting Hamas-led gunmen in Kibbutz Alumim on 7 October. His body was subsequently taken to Gaza as a hostage, according to the IDF.
Tal Haimi, 41, was part of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak's rapid response team and was killed during the attack there on 7 October. The father-of-four's body was taken to Gaza, where it is still being held.
Asaf Hamami, 41, was a colonel in the IDF and commander of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade. He was killed near Kibbutz Nirim on 7 October and his body is being held in Gaza, according to the IDF.
Inbar Hayman, 27, was kidnapped during the attack on the Nova festival and was killed by Hamas in captivity, her family said. She is the last female hostage being held.
Guy Illouz, 26, was shot twice during the attack on the Nova festival and died of his wounds after being taken hostage, his family said. Released hostages are said to have confirmed his death.
Reuters
Eitan Levi, 53, was a taxi driver who was killed by Hamas gunmen on a road close to the Gaza perimeter on 7 October. His body was then taken to Gaza, where Palestinians were filmed beating and kicking it.
Eliyahu Margalit, 75, was killed by Hamas fighters in Nir Oz on 7 October, the IDF confirmed in December 2023. His body is being held in Gaza.
Joshua Mollel, 21, was a Tanzanian student who was undertaking an agricultural internship at Kibbutz Nahal Oz when it was attacked on 7 October. The Tanzanian government confirmed in December 2023 that he was killed that day and that his body was being held by Hamas.
Omer Neutra, 21, an Israeli-American and grandson of Holocaust survivors, was serving as an IDF tank commander near Gaza when Hamas attacked on 7 October. The IDF later said he was killed that day and his body taken to Gaza.
Dror Or, 48, and his wife, Yonat, were killed in the attack on Be'eri, the kibbutz confirmed in February 2024. Two of his three children, Noam and Alma, were taken hostage and were released as part of the November 2023 ceasefire deal. Dror's body is being held in Gaza.
Daniel Peretz, 22, was a captain in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade. Originally from South Africa, he was killed in an attack on his tank near Nahal Oz on 7 October and his body was taken to Gaza, the IDF said.
Suthisak Rintalak, 43, was a Thai agricultural worker killed in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, Thailand's foreign ministry said in May 2024, citing the available evidence. His body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Lior Rudaeff, 61, was killed while attempting to defend Nir Yitzhak from attack on 7 October, the kibbutz said. His body is being held as a hostage.
Yossi Sharabi, 53, was kidnapped from Be'eri along with his brother, Eli. In January 2024, the kibbutz announced that the father-of-three had been killed in captivity in Gaza. The following month, the IDF said an investigation had found that he was likely to have been killed when a building collapsed following an Israeli strike on another building nearby. His body is being held by Hamas. Eli, who was released in February 2025, told the BBC last week how important it was for the family to have a funeral and closure.
Arie Zalmanowicz, 85, was abducted from Nir Oz on 7 October. In November 2023, Hamas released a video showing him saying he felt unwell. The following month his kibbutz said he had died in captivity.
Hadar Goldin, 23, was a lieutenant in the IDF's Givati Brigade who was killed in combat in Gaza in 2014. His body has been held hostage by Hamas since then.
Nexperia is based in the Netherlands and operates factories worldwide, including in the UK
The Dutch government said on Sunday that it had taken the "highly exceptional" decision to intervene at Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia over a potential "risk to Dutch and European economic security."
The Netherlands-based firm's owner Wingtech said on Monday that it will take actions to protect its rights and will seek government support.
The development threatens to raise tensions between the European Union and China, which have increased in recent months over trade and Beijing's relationship with Russia.
The Dutch government said its economic affairs ministry had invoked its Goods Availability Act over "acute signals of serious governance shortcomings" within Nexperia.
The law is designed to allow the Hague to intervene in companies under exceptional circumstances. These include threats to the country's economic security and to ensure the supply of critical goods.
The intervention is meant to prevent a potential situation in which Nexperia's chips would become unavailable in an emergency, said the Dutch government.
It added that Nexperia's operations posed a "threat to the continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilities."
The company's production can continue as normal, it added.
Nexperia makes semiconductors used in cars and consumer electronics.
The government statement did not detail why it thought the firm's operations were risky. The BBC has contacted Dutch authorities for clarification.
Shanghai-listed shares in Nexperia's parent company Wingtech fell by 10% on Monday morning.
Wingtech is among the firms the US has placed on its so-called "entity list". Under the regulations, US companies are barred from exporting American-made goods to businesses on the list unless they have special approval.
In September, the US commerce department further tightened its restrictions, adding to the entity list any company that is majority-owned by a Chinese firm.
The passenger bus veered off the N1 highway and plunged down an embankment
Forty-two Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals have died after a bus taking them home overturned on a South African road, authorities have said.
The crash happened on Sunday night as the bus was moving through "a mountainous section" of the N1 highway in South Africa's Limpopo province, local transport officials said.
"It [then] veered off the road along a steep mountain pass and plunged down an embankment," they added.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned the high death toll, which includes seven children, and said this was not only a tragedy for the country but for "our sister states of Zimbabwe and Malawi" as well.
The cause of the accident is unknown but an investigation has been launched.
According to reports, the bus was travelling from the city of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
It is not clear how many people were travelling on the bus when it crashed, or its capacity.
As well as the seven children, 18 women and 17 men died, while 49 people were injured, authorities confirmed.
Government officials, including Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, are set to visit the scene of the crash as well as the injured passengers.
Jin Mingri, who founded the influential Zion Church is 2007, is among those detained
The US has called for the release of 30 leaders of one of China's largest underground church network who were reportedly detained over the weekend in overnight raids in various cities.
The list includes several pastors and Zion Church founder Jin Mingri who was arrested in the early hours of Saturday after 10 officers searched his home, US-based non-profit ChinaAid said.
The Chinese Communist Party promotes atheism and tightly controls religion - still, some Christian groups are calling this the most extensive crackdown against the faith in decades.
Christians have long been pressured to join only state-sanctioned churches that are led by government-approved pastors and toe the party line.
It is unclear if the detainees have been formally charged.
"Such systematic persecution is not only an affront to the Church of God but also a public challenge to the international community," Zion Church said in a statement.
Urging China to release the church leaders, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Sunday that "this crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches".
Former US vice-president Mike Pence and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo have also released statements on X condemning the arrests.
When asked about the arrests at a press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was not aware of the case.
He added: "The Chinese government governs religious affairs in accordance with the law, and protects the religious freedom of citizens and normal religious activities. We firmly oppose the US interfering in China's internal affairs with so-called religious issues."
This could be yet another source of friction in the US-China relationship with trade tensions once again ramping up between the world's two biggest economies over tariffs and export controls.
Already, there is doubt over whether a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, which was expected to happen in South Korea later this month, will proceed.
Under Xi, Beijing has cracked down even more on religious freedom, especially against Christians and Muslims.
At a national conference on religion in 2016, he called on the party to "guide those [who are] religious to love their country, protect the unification of their motherland and serve the overall interests of the Chinese nation".
Among them is Zion Church, which Mr Jin started in 2007 with just 20 people. Its network now includes some 10,000 people in 40 cities across the country, making it one of the largest underground churches in China.
In September 2018, the Party officially banned the church after it resisted government pressure to install security cameras at its property in Beijing. Mr Jin and several church leaders were detained briefly.
Many of its branch congregations across the country have since been investigated and shut down. Mr Jin's family relocated to the US for safety, while he remained in China to pastor his flock. Authorities have barred him from leaving the country.
Still the church continued to gather in small groups and shared its sermons online.
ChinaAid has called this roundup of Christian leaders - which involved police across several cities - unprecedented, and the "most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution" against Christians in over four decades.
"This new nationwide campaign echoes the darkest days of the 1980s, when urban churches first re-emerged from the Cultural Revolution," said ChinaAid's founder Bob Fu, referring to a period of mass purges in the 1960s and 1970s which triggered violence and huge upheaval across China.
In a letter seeking prayers, Mr Jin's wife Liu Chunli wrote that her heart is "filled with a mix of shock, grief, sorrow, worry, and righteous anger".
Mr Jin "simply [did] what any faithful pastor would do... He is innocent!" she wrote, adding that her family's hopes for a reunion after being separated for more than seven years have been dashed yet again.
Several house churches in China have also issued statements calling for the release of those detained.
Sean Long, a Zion Church pastor based in the US, said Mr Jin had been prepared for a crackdown of this scale.
In a Zoom call weeks ago between the two pastors, Mr Long had asked what would happen if Mr Jin was put in prison and all the church's leaders detained.
Mr Jin had replied: "Hallelujah! For a new wave of revival will follow then!"
Police have cautioned parents and guardians to ensure children do not have access to firearms (stock photo)
An 11-year-old boy has allegedly shot and killed a farm worker while attempting to shoot at guinea fowls on a farm in South Africa, police say.
According to the police, the child "accidentally discharged" the firearm, though the exact circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation.
His 43-year-old father has been arrested and is expected to be charged with negligent handling of a firearm. The two are due to appear in court on Monday.
Police said they were alerted to the shooting and on arrival at the scene discovered the body of a man believed to be in his 30s lying on his side with a gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene.
Saturday's shooting in Thabazimbi, Limpopo province, has renewed concern over firearm safety and parental responsibility in the country. The firearm was seized as evidence.
"This heart-breaking incident serves as a reminder that firearms must be handled with the utmost care and stored securely at all times," Limpopo police chief Thembi Hadebe said.
She added that parents and guardians have a responsibility to ensure that "children do not have access to firearms under any circumstances".
Local media report that the incident has deeply shocked the local farming community and raised public concern about the risks of children accessing weapons in rural households.
Earlier this month, police said they had opened a murder charge against an eight-year-old boy after he fatally shot his seven-year-old cousin with his father's firearm in Eastern Cape province.
His 48-year-old father was charged with failure to safeguard the firearm.
Mourners gather for a vigil at the Maple Valley Baptist Church in Tennessee in memory of 16 people presumed dead after a blast at an explosives factory
In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".
Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.
This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".
"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".
A concrete barrier on the side of a road reads "Pray for AES families".
Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.
"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.
Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.
Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.
Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the community mourns family, friends, neighbours and coworkers.
The town had been holding out hope for good news after the explosion on Friday morning shook homes across the area, clouded the skies with smoke and drew a surge of hundreds of state and national first responders to an otherwise sleepy community tucked behind forests along a busy motorway.
But after nearly two days with no sign of survivors and the explosion site still considered dangerous for first responders, even the previously optimistic Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the time had come to switch to a recovery - rather than rescue - strategy.
"At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid," Davis, who has held back tears at news conferences, said. "We are dealing with remains."
Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft told the BBC on Saturday night that rapid DNA analysis was still ongoing, but that after a search by 300 first responders, authorities had enough confidence in their assessment of the scene to notify families that their loved ones were likely deceased.
No cause of the blast has yet been identified, and agents from the national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating. It could take as long as a month for federal investigators to reach the main site of the explosion, ATF official Brice McCracken told the BBC.
The volatile nature of the explosive materials has also hampered the emergency response, officials said, as controlled detonations to render the site safe are also expected in the coming days.
Watch: Tennessee town comes together to confront tragedy
Tiffany Story says her cousin was also among the victims, along with four other people that she knew, including someone she once used to babysit for.
"Everybody knows everybody here," an emotional Mrs Story told the BBC. "With everybody being so close, it's very comforting to have family. That's what we are - whether [by] blood, not blood, this whole community is family."
"There's probably never gonna be any answers" to the tragedy, she said.
Janie Brown said she also knew victims at the site. "They were loved by their families and by the community," she said outside another prayer vigil at the Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in nearby McEwen.
"It's just a sad, sad day," she said.
Residents told the BBC the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) company employed about 80 workers, and is one of the only private well-paying jobs around in these counties. For many here, the plant was known as a reliable first job for themselves or close friends.
A recent job opening advertised a $19-per-hour salary for an entry-level manual labour job, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25.
The factory has seen other difficulties, but none at such a scale as this.
In 2014, an explosion at the company killed one person, and a 2019 workplace safety inspection led to relatively minor financial penalties, which the company settled, according to online records.
Residents who spoke to the BBC had mostly positive feelings towards the company, and local police say they had no previous reports of unsafe working conditions.
Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Tim Ferris praised his congregation's response to the tragedy.
"One thing about a small community is that when something like this happens, they rally around each other, and they come close to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to administer to these people, to care for them, provide for them.
Mourners gather for a vigil at the Maple Valley Baptist Church in Tennessee in memory of 16 people presumed dead after a blast at an explosives factory
In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".
Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.
This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".
"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".
A concrete barrier on the side of a road reads "Pray for AES families".
Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.
"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.
Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.
Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.
Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the community mourns family, friends, neighbours and coworkers.
The town had been holding out hope for good news after the explosion on Friday morning shook homes across the area, clouded the skies with smoke and drew a surge of hundreds of state and national first responders to an otherwise sleepy community tucked behind forests along a busy motorway.
But after nearly two days with no sign of survivors and the explosion site still considered dangerous for first responders, even the previously optimistic Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the time had come to switch to a recovery - rather than rescue - strategy.
"At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid," Davis, who has held back tears at news conferences, said. "We are dealing with remains."
Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft told the BBC on Saturday night that rapid DNA analysis was still ongoing, but that after a search by 300 first responders, authorities had enough confidence in their assessment of the scene to notify families that their loved ones were likely deceased.
No cause of the blast has yet been identified, and agents from the national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating. It could take as long as a month for federal investigators to reach the main site of the explosion, ATF official Brice McCracken told the BBC.
The volatile nature of the explosive materials has also hampered the emergency response, officials said, as controlled detonations to render the site safe are also expected in the coming days.
Watch: Tennessee town comes together to confront tragedy
Tiffany Story says her cousin was also among the victims, along with four other people that she knew, including someone she once used to babysit for.
"Everybody knows everybody here," an emotional Mrs Story told the BBC. "With everybody being so close, it's very comforting to have family. That's what we are - whether [by] blood, not blood, this whole community is family."
"There's probably never gonna be any answers" to the tragedy, she said.
Janie Brown said she also knew victims at the site. "They were loved by their families and by the community," she said outside another prayer vigil at the Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in nearby McEwen.
"It's just a sad, sad day," she said.
Residents told the BBC the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) company employed about 80 workers, and is one of the only private well-paying jobs around in these counties. For many here, the plant was known as a reliable first job for themselves or close friends.
A recent job opening advertised a $19-per-hour salary for an entry-level manual labour job, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25.
The factory has seen other difficulties, but none at such a scale as this.
In 2014, an explosion at the company killed one person, and a 2019 workplace safety inspection led to relatively minor financial penalties, which the company settled, according to online records.
Residents who spoke to the BBC had mostly positive feelings towards the company, and local police say they had no previous reports of unsafe working conditions.
Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Tim Ferris praised his congregation's response to the tragedy.
"One thing about a small community is that when something like this happens, they rally around each other, and they come close to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to administer to these people, to care for them, provide for them.
Tomahawk missiles would boost Ukraine's ability to strike targets deep inside Russia
US President Donald Trump is considering sending Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying it would provide "a new step of aggression" in its war with Russia.
When asked on Air Force One if he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine, Trump replied "we'll see... I may".
It follows a second phone call at the weekend between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who pushed for stronger military capabilities to launch counter-attacks against Russia.
Moscow has previously warned Washington against providing long-range missiles to Kyiv, saying it would cause a major escalation in the conflict and strain US-Russian relations.
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles), which would put Moscow within reach for Ukraine.
Trump spoke to reporters as he flew to Israel. He said he would possibly speak to Russia about the Tomahawks requested by Ukraine.
"I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, that we may very well, we may not, but we may do it."
"Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so," the president said.
Kyiv has made multiple requests for long-range missiles, as it weighs up striking Russian cities far from the front lines of the grinding conflict.
In their phone calls Zelensky and Trump discussed Ukraine's bid to strengthen its military capabilities, including boosting its air defences and long-range arms.
Ukrainian cities including Kyiv have come under repeated heavy Russian bombardment with drones and missiles. Russia has particularly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing power cuts.
Paramjit Singh is in detention and faces the threat of deportation
For over two months, Paramjit Singh, 48, a US green card holder battling a brain tumour and a heart condition, has been held in a detention centre by US immigration authorities.
Mr Singh, an Indian passport holder, has lived in the US on a green card since 1994. He lives in Indiana with his family, who own a chain of gas stations. His wife and two children are US citizens.
But Mr Singh now faces the threat of deportation.
On 30 July, he was detained by immigration authorities at Chicago O'Hare International Airport while returning from a trip to India and has since been in their custody.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities have cited two decades-old cases as reasons for his detention, but Mr Singh's family and lawyer say there are no active cases against him.
They accuse immigration authorities of using old cases to delay his release and allege he lacks proper medical care despite a brain tumour and heart condition.
"Paramjit Singh is not getting the medical help he needs. He is only getting medical check-ups," his lawyer, Louis Angeles, told the BBC.
The BBC has asked ICE for a response to these allegations.
Kirandeep Kaur
Paramjit Singh and his wife Kirandeep Kaur, who is a US citizen
Mr Singh has regularly visited India without immigration issues, his niece Kiran Virk told the BBC. This time, his family waited seven hours at Chicago airport for his arrival.
Ms Virk says immigration officials told them Mr Singh was detained over a 1999 case. He was held at the airport for five days despite family appeals, before being moved to a Clay County detention centre in Indiana.
The case involves Mr Singh using a public phone without paying. Court records show he served 10 days in prison and paid a $4,137.50 fine. The conviction has blocked his US citizenship.
Ms Virk alleges immigration authorities said at a court hearing that Mr Singh still faced a one-and-a-half-year sentence, with only 10 days dismissed.
Immigration authorities also say that Mr Singh was convicted of a forgery offence in Illinois in 2008, but his family contends that there are no such charges against him.
Ms Virk said that the authorities cited the forgery case to stay Mr Singh's release on a $10,000 bond granted by an immigration judge.
She said a private detective hired by the family found no criminal records for a person named Paramjit Singh in the state, suggesting authorities may have mistaken him for someone else.
The BBC has asked ICE for a response to the family's claim that there is no forgery case against Mr Singh in Illinois.
Mr Singh's lawyer told the BBC he plans to challenge the detention, calling it "unethical".
"We are also taking legal steps to block him from being deported from the US," Mr Angeles told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh's family is increasingly worried about his health, as his second brain tumour surgery has been delayed due to detention, Ms Virk says.
She says the family struggles to contact Mr Singh at the detention centre, where limited phones and his poor health make communication difficult.
Mr Singh's case is set to be heard on 14 October.
His detention comes amid a wider crackdown by US President Donald Trump's administration on immigration, and especially illegal immigrants in the US.
Trump has said he wants to deport the "worst of the worst", but critics say immigrants without criminal records who follow due process have also been targeted.
In September, Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother who spent more than three decades living in the US was deported to India, sparking anger among the Sikh community.
US President Donald Trump has said "the war is over" as he travels to Israel for the release of hostages from Gaza under the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking on board Air Force One, he said the ceasefire would hold and a "board of peace" would quickly be set up for Gaza, which he said looked like a "demolition site".
He also praised the roles of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar, one of the mediators.
The deadline for Hamas to release all the hostages it is still holding in Gaza is midday local time (10:00 BST). Later on Monday, Trump will travel to Egypt for an international summit aiming to end the war.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military response, including more than 18,000 children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the 20-point peace plan brokered by Trump, with the next phases still to be negotiated.
Twenty of the Israeli hostages are believed to be alive, and Hamas is also due to hand over the remains of up to 28 deceased hostages.
Israel should also release around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, while increased amounts of aid should enter the Strip. An Israeli government spokesperson said they would be released once the living hostages reach Israeli territory.
Trump told reporters the ceasefire was "going to hold", adding "everybody is happy, and I think it's going to stay that way".
On Saturday hundreds of thousands of Israelis attended a rally in Tel Aviv and chanted their gratitude to the US leader.
Many details for the later phases of the peace plan could be hard to reach agreement on - such as the governance of Gaza, the extent of Israeli troop withdrawal, and the disarming of Hamas.
Trump will land in Israel on Monday, where he will address the country's parliament the Knesset.
He will then travel to lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh alongside Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt's foreign ministry said a "document ending the war in the Gaza Strip" was expected to be signed.
Leaders from more than 20 countries are expected to attend, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
What do people in the West Bank think about the ceasefire deal?
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that once the hostages were returned, the military would destroy underground tunnels in Gaza built by Hamas.
Aid trucks began entering Gaza on Sunday and hundreds more were queuing at the border.
Palestinians crowded around the convoys arriving in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Speaking to the BBC earlier on Sunday, Unicef's James Elder said dozens of trucks had entered the Strip but that this fell short of what was needed.
The UN estimates that at least 600 aid trucks are needed every day to start addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in parts of the territory, including Gaza City.
Israel, however, rejects the IPC report, and its foreign ministry says the conclusions are "based on Hamas lies". Israeli military aid body Cogat says the report ignores the "extensive humanitarian efforts undertaken in Gaza".
EPA
Palestinians take aid supplies from a truck that arrived in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip
Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have described scenes of devastation, with many of them finding their homes reduced to rubble. Rescue workers have warned there could be unexploded ordnance and bombs in the area.
Amjad Al Shawa, who heads a Palestinian organisation coordinating with aid groups, estimated 300,000 tents were needed to temporarily house 1.5 million displaced Gazans.
Hamas has recalled about 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to local sources.
At least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, in one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.
At least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, in one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.
Masked Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city's Jordanian hospital, witnesses said.
A senior official in the Hamas-run interior ministry said security units surrounded them and engaged in heavy fighting to detain them. The ministry said eight its members were killed in "an armed assault by a militia".
Medical sources said 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been killed since fighting began on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said the clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in southern Gaza City after a Hamas force of more than 300 fighters moved to storm a residential block where Dughmush gunmen were entrenched.
Residents described scenes of panic as dozens of families fled their homes under heavy gunfire, many of them displaced multiple times during the war.
"This time people weren't fleeing Israeli attacks," one resident said. "They were running from their own people."
The Dughmush family, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has long had a tense relationship with Hamas, and its armed members have clashed with the group on several occasions in the past.
The Hamas-run interior ministry said its forces were seeking to restore order, warning that "any armed activity outside the framework of the resistance" would be dealt with firmly.
Both sides traded accusations over who was responsible for triggering the clashes.
Hamas earlier said Dughmush gunmen killed two of its fighters and wounded five others, prompting the group to launch an operation against them.
However, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas forces had come to a building that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where the family had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra neighbourhood were destroyed in the recent Israeli attack.
The source claimed that Hamas sought to evict the family from the building to establish a new base for its forces there.
Reports suggest armed Hamas units have already deployed across several districts, some wearing civilian clothes and others in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police. The Hamas media office denied it was deploying "fighters in the streets".
At least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, in one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.
Masked Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city's Jordanian hospital, witnesses said.
A senior official in the Hamas-run interior ministry said security units surrounded them and engaged in heavy fighting to detain them. The ministry said eight its members were killed in "an armed assault by a militia".
Medical sources said 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been killed since fighting began on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said the clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in southern Gaza City after a Hamas force of more than 300 fighters moved to storm a residential block where Dughmush gunmen were entrenched.
Residents described scenes of panic as dozens of families fled their homes under heavy gunfire, many of them displaced multiple times during the war.
"This time people weren't fleeing Israeli attacks," one resident said. "They were running from their own people."
The Dughmush family, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has long had a tense relationship with Hamas, and its armed members have clashed with the group on several occasions in the past.
The Hamas-run interior ministry said its forces were seeking to restore order, warning that "any armed activity outside the framework of the resistance" would be dealt with firmly.
Both sides traded accusations over who was responsible for triggering the clashes.
Hamas earlier said Dughmush gunmen killed two of its fighters and wounded five others, prompting the group to launch an operation against them.
However, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas forces had come to a building that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where the family had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra neighbourhood were destroyed in the recent Israeli attack.
The source claimed that Hamas sought to evict the family from the building to establish a new base for its forces there.
Reports suggest armed Hamas units have already deployed across several districts, some wearing civilian clothes and others in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police. The Hamas media office denied it was deploying "fighters in the streets".
Mourners gather for a vigil at the Maple Valley Baptist Church in Tennessee in memory of 16 people presumed dead after a blast at an explosives factory
In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".
Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.
This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".
"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".
A concrete barrier on the side of a road reads "Pray for AES families".
Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.
"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.
Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.
Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.
Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the community mourns family, friends, neighbours and coworkers.
The town had been holding out hope for good news after the explosion on Friday morning shook homes across the area, clouded the skies with smoke and drew a surge of hundreds of state and national first responders to an otherwise sleepy community tucked behind forests along a busy motorway.
But after nearly two days with no sign of survivors and the explosion site still considered dangerous for first responders, even the previously optimistic Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the time had come to switch to a recovery - rather than rescue - strategy.
"At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid," Davis, who has held back tears at news conferences, said. "We are dealing with remains."
Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft told the BBC on Saturday night that rapid DNA analysis was still ongoing, but that after a search by 300 first responders, authorities had enough confidence in their assessment of the scene to notify families that their loved ones were likely deceased.
No cause of the blast has yet been identified, and agents from the national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating. It could take as long as a month for federal investigators to reach the main site of the explosion, ATF official Brice McCracken told the BBC.
The volatile nature of the explosive materials has also hampered the emergency response, officials said, as controlled detonations to render the site safe are also expected in the coming days.
Watch: Tennessee town comes together to confront tragedy
Tiffany Story says her cousin was also among the victims, along with four other people that she knew, including someone she once used to babysit for.
"Everybody knows everybody here," an emotional Mrs Story told the BBC. "With everybody being so close, it's very comforting to have family. That's what we are - whether [by] blood, not blood, this whole community is family."
"There's probably never gonna be any answers" to the tragedy, she said.
Janie Brown said she also knew victims at the site. "They were loved by their families and by the community," she said outside another prayer vigil at the Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in nearby McEwen.
"It's just a sad, sad day," she said.
Residents told the BBC the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) company employed about 80 workers, and is one of the only private well-paying jobs around in these counties. For many here, the plant was known as a reliable first job for themselves or close friends.
A recent job opening advertised a $19-per-hour salary for an entry-level manual labour job, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25.
The factory has seen other difficulties, but none at such a scale as this.
In 2014, an explosion at the company killed one person, and a 2019 workplace safety inspection led to relatively minor financial penalties, which the company settled, according to online records.
Residents who spoke to the BBC had mostly positive feelings towards the company, and local police say they had no previous reports of unsafe working conditions.
Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Tim Ferris praised his congregation's response to the tragedy.
"One thing about a small community is that when something like this happens, they rally around each other, and they come close to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to administer to these people, to care for them, provide for them.
A mass shooting at a crowded bar in the southern US state of South Carolina has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials said.
Hundreds of people were gathered at the popular bar on St Helena Island in the early hours of Sunday morning when gunfire broke out, leading multiple victims and witnesses to run to nearby businesses for shelter, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's office.
Four people were declared dead at the bar and at least 20 were injured, including four who were sent to local hospitals in critical condition, the sheriff's office said.
The incident is still under investigation, and the sheriff's office is looking into possible suspects, it said.
When police and first responders arrived, they found several people suffering from gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
It's not clear if the shooting was random or targeted, and a spokesperson for the sheriff's office declined to share more details.
The bar where the shooting took place, Willie's Bar and Grill, offers Gullah-inspired cuisine and says on its website that it aims to spread the "heartwarming spirit of the Gullah Geechee culture". The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on plantations along the south-eastern US coast, including in South Carolina.
"COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County," South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace wrote on X.
"Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence."
Willie's did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
The US has taken a tough line on immigration since President Donald Trump took office in January
Mali has announced that US nationals visiting the West African country will be required to post a bond of up to $10,000 (£7,500) for business and tourist visas, in response to a similar requirement the Trump administration has imposed on its citizens.
The US embassy in Mali said on Friday the fee had been introduced to reinforce Washington's "commitment to protecting America's borders and safeguarding US national security".
Mali's foreign ministry said on Sunday the bond had been imposed unilaterally, and it had decided to "establish an identical visa programme" for US citizens.
The visa policy shift comes despite moves to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In July, US officials visited Mali to discuss counterterrorism cooperation and economic partnerships, including potential access to Mali's gold and lithium reserves.
Relations deteriorated after a coup in Mali in 2021 led to Gen Assimi Goïta sweeping to power.
He pivoted the West African state towards Russia in a bid to stem a growing insurgency by jihadists.
He expelled French troops, and brought in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, which is under Moscow's defence ministry. They have since been replaced by Africa Corps.
Last week, Burkina Faso's military government refused to take in deportees from the US, as Washington suspended issuing visas in the West African nation.
Foreign affairs minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré questioned if the embassy's decision was "blackmail" after he said he had rejected a US proposal to take in migrants from third countries.
The Trump administration has turned to African countries as a destination to deport migrants to as part of its crackdown on immigration.
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, according to US media reports.
Keaton, who was born in Los Angeles, shot to fame in the 1970s through her role as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather films.
She was also known for starring in Father of the Bride, First Wives Club and Annie Hall, which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1978.
The actress, whose Hollywood career spanned more than 50 years, died in California, her family confirmed to People magazine. A source also confirmed her death to the New York Times.
Paying tribute, her First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: "The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.
"She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was ... oh, la, lala!"
Actor Ben Stiller paid tribute on X, writing: "Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever. An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person."
Keaton was nominated for three further Oscars - all in the best actress category - for her work in Something's Gotta Give, Marvin's Room and Reds.
She never married and had two adopted children - a daughter, Dexter, and a son, Duke.
A Taliban soldier stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, in 2022
The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.
Casualties are not yet clear in what the Taliban called "retaliatory operations", after it said Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks "unprovoked", accusing them of firing at civilians. Pakistani forces would respond "with a stone for every brick", he warned.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban reject. The escalation came as the Afghan Taliban foreign minister was in India for an historic visit.
Both sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.
Saying he "strongly condemns" the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: "The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.
"Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood," he said in a post on X.
A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.
Pakistan's military has not officially commented, but a security source told the BBC firing took place at several locations along the Pakistani-Afghan border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha.
A police official stationed near the Zero Point in Kurram district told the BBC that heavy weapons fire began from the Afghan side around 22:00 local time (17:00 GMT).
He said they had received reports of intense gunfire from multiple locations along the border.
Pakistan bombed a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, in Afghanistan's south-east, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday. Locals there told the BBC's Afghan service that a number of shops had been destroyed.
A top Pakistani general alleged Afghanistan was being used as a "base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan".
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of permitting the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, to operate from their land and fight against the Islamabad government in a bid to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of governance.
The Taliban government has always denied this.
The latest escalation came as the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India for a week-long visit. In a diplomatic thaw, Delhi said that it would reopen the embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago when the Taliban returned to power.
"Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with a malicious eye," Naqvi warned.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
Qatar also issued a statement, expressing concern over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions and saying that it "urges both sides to prioritise dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint".
Donald Trump's latest threat to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods is "a typical example of US double standards", China's government has said.
A Commerce Ministry spokesperson also said China could introduce its own unspecified "countermeasures" if the US President carries out his threat, adding it was "not afraid" of a possible trade war.
On Friday, Trump hit back at Beijing's move to tighten its rules for exports of rare earths, accusing China of "becoming very hostile" and trying to hold the world "captive".
He also threatened to pull out of a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping scheduled for later this month.
Trump's comments on Friday rattled financial markets, with the S&P 500 share index closing down 2.7%, its steepest fall since April.
The president's words renewed fears of a trade war between the US and China.
In May, the two sides had agreed to drop triple-digit tariffs on each others' goods. which had raised the prospect of trade halting between the two countries.
This left US tariffs on Chinese goods facing an added 30% levy compared with the start of the year, while US goods entering China face a 10% tariff.
China's latest remarks – released by the Commerce Ministry in the form of written responses to journalist's questions – echoed language from the height of the recent trade conflict.
They criticised US export restrictions on chips and semi-conductors as well as defending China's own export controls on rare earths as "normal actions" to safeguard national security and that of all nations.
The spokesperson said that for "a long time", the US had "overstretched the concept of national security, abused export control measures" and "adopted discriminatory practices against China".
"Resorting to tariff threats is not the right way to engage with China," the spokesperson said.
"China's position on a tariff war has always been consistent: we do not want one, but we are not afraid of one."
This was seen as key move, as the country processes about 90% of the world's rare earths, which are used in goods such as solar panels and smartphones.
The recent comments from Washington and Beijing are being seen by some as a means of strengthening positions ahead of future trade talks.
It is unclear whether a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, expected at a summit in South Korea later this month, will still proceed.
The security forces have been accused of using excessive force against protesters
The office of Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina has said an attempt to seize power illegally and unconstitutionally is under way in the country.
Hours later, an army unit known as CAPSAT claimed that it had taken over the leadership of the military command, and was now in control of all the armed forces - land, air, and naval.
This is the same unit that played a crucial role in the 2009 Malagasy political crisis, which helped Rajoelina rise to power.
Madagascar was first hit by protests on 25 September against water and power cuts, but they have escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, corruption, and the cost-of-living crisis.
Rajoelina's statement said "there is an attempt to seize power at this time in the territory of the Republic, in complete violation of the Constitution and democratic principles," in a translation.
He condemned "in the strongest possible terms" what he called an attempt to destabilise the country. He also called on all of the nation's key forces to unite in defending the constitutional order and national sovereignty.
CAPSAT said it had appointed a new chief of staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, according to a statement issued on its Facebook page.
On Sunday morning, there were reports of a shoot-out at the CAPSAT camp after officials from the gendarmerie visited it for discussions. No further details have emerged of the incident.
On Saturday, some soldiers had left their barracks on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo, to join protesters in front of the city's town hall.
CAPSAT had condemned the use of force by security forces in handling recent protests in Antananarivo.
On Saturday, a statement from the presidency had assured the nation that Rajoelina and the new prime minister - an army general he appointed last week - were in control of the situation.
Patrick Herminie, on right, has promised to heal divisions after a tough election campaign
Seychelles' main opposition leader Patrick Herminie has won presidential elections, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan in a runoff vote, according to official results released by the electoral commission.
Herminie gained 52.7% of the vote, compared with Ramkalawan's 47.3%.
In his victory speech, Herminie promised to lower the cost of living, revive public services, and unite the island nation, saying the result marked "a new chapter for all Seychellois".
After losing his bid for a second term, Ramkalawan congratulated Herminie on his victory, saying he leaves "a legacy that makes many presidents blush".
The election went to a run-off after neither candidate won an outright majority in the first round two weeks ago.
A former parliamentary speaker, Herminie was charged with witchcraft in 2023 in what he said was a politically motivated attempt to thwart his presidential ambitions.
The charges were dropped in 2024, paving the way for him to run for office.
"I will be the president of all Seychellois, and I will end divisions by ceasing preferences and giving everyone the opportunity to thrive," Herminie said in his victory speech.
Ramkalawan is the latest incumbent to lose elections in Africa, with Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera voted out of power last month amid growing discontent with the rising cost of living.
Herminie's party, United Seychelles (US), won parliamentary elections with a solid majority last month, regaining control after previously losing it to Rakalawan's Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS).
Hamas security forces on the streets of Gaza City on Saturday
Hamas has recalled about 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to local sources.
The Palestinian group also appointed five new governors all with military backgrounds, some of whom previously commanded brigades in its armed wing.
The mobilisation order was reportedly issued via phone calls and text messages which said the aim was to "cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel" and told fighters to report within 24 hours.
Reports from Gaza suggest that armed Hamas units have already deployed across several districts, some wearing civilian clothes and others in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police.
Tensions rose sharply and quickly after two members of Hamas's elite forces were shot dead by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood. One of them was the son of a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing, Imad Aqel, who now heads the group's military intelligence.
Their bodies were left in the street, triggering anger and raising the prospect of a major armed response by Hamas.
Hamas members later surrounded a large area where more than 300 Dughmush gunmen were believed to be holed up, armed with machine guns and improvised explosives.
This morning Hamas killed one Dughmush clan member, and reportedly kidnapped another 30.
Some of the clan's weapons were looted from Hamas depots during the war, while others had been in the clan's possession for years.
The Hamas mobilisation had been widely anticipated amid growing uncertainty about who will govern Gaza once the war ends.
This is a key issue that could complicate the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for Hamas to disarm.
A Hamas official abroad declined to comment directly on reports of the security deployment, but told the BBC: "We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation. Our weapons are legitimate... to resist occupation, and they will remain as long as the occupation continues."
A retired security officer who served for years with the Palestinian Authority in Gaza said he feared the territory was sliding towards another round of internal bloodshed.
"Hamas hasn't changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive," he told the BBC.
"Gaza is flooded with arms. Looters have stolen thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition from Hamas stores during the war, and some groups have even received supplies from Israel.
"This is a perfect recipe for civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a movement desperate to reassert control over a shattered and exhausted population."
Khalil Abu Shammala, a human rights expert who lives in Gaza, said it remained to be seen whether Hamas would accept handing over control on the ground or seek to obstruct the plan's implementation.
"There is undoubtedly widespread fear among many Gazans of potential internal fighting, given the many conditions that could fuel it," he said.
He said Hamas had been forced to accept the peace plan by the severe pressure it was under.
"I believe its continued attempts to maintain influence by any means, including involvement in security affairs, could ultimately jeopardise the agreement and plunge Gaza's residents into even greater suffering," he said.
These developments since the ceasefire earlier this week have sparked deep concern among Gazans already worn down by two years of a devastating conflict.
A Taliban soldier stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, in 2022
The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.
Casualties are not yet clear in what the Taliban called "retaliatory operations", after it said Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks "unprovoked", accusing them of firing at civilians. Pakistani forces would respond "with a stone for every brick", he warned.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban reject. The escalation came as the Afghan Taliban foreign minister was in India for an historic visit.
Both sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.
Saying he "strongly condemns" the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: "The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.
"Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood," he said in a post on X.
A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.
Pakistan's military has not officially commented, but a security source told the BBC firing took place at several locations along the Pakistani-Afghan border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha.
A police official stationed near the Zero Point in Kurram district told the BBC that heavy weapons fire began from the Afghan side around 22:00 local time (17:00 GMT).
He said they had received reports of intense gunfire from multiple locations along the border.
Pakistan bombed a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, in Afghanistan's south-east, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday. Locals there told the BBC's Afghan service that a number of shops had been destroyed.
A top Pakistani general alleged Afghanistan was being used as a "base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan".
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of permitting the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, to operate from their land and fight against the Islamabad government in a bid to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of governance.
The Taliban government has always denied this.
The latest escalation came as the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India for a week-long visit. In a diplomatic thaw, Delhi said that it would reopen the embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago when the Taliban returned to power.
"Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with a malicious eye," Naqvi warned.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
Qatar also issued a statement, expressing concern over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions and saying that it "urges both sides to prioritise dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint".
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, according to US media reports.
Keaton, who was born in Los Angeles, shot to fame in the 1970s through her role as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather films.
She was also known for starring in Father of the Bride, First Wives Club and Annie Hall, which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1978.
The actress, whose Hollywood career spanned more than 50 years, died in California, her family confirmed to People magazine. A source also confirmed her death to the New York Times.
Paying tribute, her First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: "The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.
"She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was ... oh, la, lala!"
Actor Ben Stiller paid tribute on X, writing: "Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever. An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person."
Keaton was nominated for three further Oscars - all in the best actress category - for her work in Something's Gotta Give, Marvin's Room and Reds.
She never married and had two adopted children - a daughter, Dexter, and a son, Duke.
A Taliban soldier stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, in 2022
The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.
Casualties are not yet clear in what the Taliban called "retaliatory operations", after it said Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks "unprovoked", accusing them of firing at civilians. Pakistani forces would respond "with a stone for every brick", he warned.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban reject. The escalation came as the Afghan Taliban foreign minister was in India for an historic visit.
Both sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.
Saying he "strongly condemns" the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: "The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.
"Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood," he said in a post on X.
A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.
Pakistan's military has not officially commented, but a security source told the BBC firing took place at several locations along the Pakistani-Afghan border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha.
A police official stationed near the Zero Point in Kurram district told the BBC that heavy weapons fire began from the Afghan side around 22:00 local time (17:00 GMT).
He said they had received reports of intense gunfire from multiple locations along the border.
Pakistan bombed a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, in Afghanistan's south-east, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday. Locals there told the BBC's Afghan service that a number of shops had been destroyed.
A top Pakistani general alleged Afghanistan was being used as a "base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan".
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of permitting the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, to operate from their land and fight against the Islamabad government in a bid to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of governance.
The Taliban government has always denied this.
The latest escalation came as the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India for a week-long visit. In a diplomatic thaw, Delhi said that it would reopen the embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago when the Taliban returned to power.
"Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with a malicious eye," Naqvi warned.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
Qatar also issued a statement, expressing concern over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions and saying that it "urges both sides to prioritise dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint".
Donald Trump is directing US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay military personnel despite the federal government shutdown.
The president said on Saturday that Hegseth must make sure troops do not miss out on their regular paycheque, scheduled for Wednesday. The directive comes as other government employees have already had some pay withheld and others are being laid off.
"I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The Republican and Democratic parties blame each other for failing to agree on a spending plan to reopen the government.
Trump's message asks Hegseth to "use all available funds to get our Troops PAID" on 15 October, when military personnel would see their pay withheld for the first time since the shutdown began on 1 October.
Many US military employees are considered "essential", meaning they must still show up for duty without pay. Some 750,000 other federal employees - about 40% - have been furloughed, or sent home, also without pay.
Furloughed employees are legally supposed to receive back-pay after a shutdown ends and they return to work, but the Trump administration has insinuated this might not happen.
"The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy," Trump posted on Saturday.
Democrats have refused to vote for a Republican spending plan that would reopen the government after nearly 12 days shut down, saying any resolution must preserve expiring tax credits that reduce health insurance costs for millions of Americans and reverse Trump's cuts to Medicaid, the healthcare program for elderly and low-income people.
Republicans accuse Democrats of unnecessarily bringing the government to a halt, and blame them for the knock-on effects caused by the federal work stoppage.
Finding a way to pay for military salaries could help reduce some of the political risk for congressional leaders if the shutdown drags on.
EPA
In an effort to pressure Democrats, the Trump administration has also begun laying off thousands of government workers, an unprecedented move during a shutdown.
"The RIFs have begun," White House Office of Management Director Russell Vought announced in a post on X on Friday morning, referring to an acronym for "reductions in force".
The administration disclosed later on Friday that seven agencies had started firing more than 4,000 people, making good on the president's repeated threats to use the shutdown to further his long-held goal of reducing the federal workforce.
The reductions included dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to the BBC's US partner CBS news, citing sources familiar with the situation.
The agency's entire Washington DC office was laid off, the sources told CBS, adding that among the laid-off employees were those working on the CDC's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, the agency's Ebola response and immunisations. There were also reductions in the human resources department, they said.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, told CBS that the let-go workers were not essential, and that "HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda".
Employees at the Treasury Department and in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the Department of Homeland Security were also among those laid off on Friday, those agencies confirmed.
The American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, two major unions representing federal workers, have filed a lawsuit in northern California, asking a judge to temporarily block the layoff orders.
"It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country," AFGE president Everett Kelley said.
A spokesman from the White House budget office told the BBC on Saturday that the layoffs were just the beginning.
"These RIF numbers from the court filing are just a snapshot in time," he said. "More RIFs are coming."
In a court filing opposing the unions' request for a temporary restraining order, the justice department revealed that agencies such as the Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency could also see staff cuts.
The government lawyers said the labour unions had failed to establish that their members would be irreparably harmed by the layoffs, which is needed for the judge to grant the restraining order. But they said a restraining order would "irreparably harm the government".
Hundreds of thousands of people have held a rally in Tel Aviv, ahead of the expected release of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
Addressing the crowds, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the hostages "are coming home" and praised Donald Trump for making a Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal possible.
In Gaza, Palestinian officials said about 500,000 people had returned to northern Gaza - which lies in ruins - in the past two days, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Meanwhile Egypt confirmed it would host a summit on Monday to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war.
More than 20 leaders including Trump would attend the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are confirmed to be travelling to Egypt on Monday.
Trump is expected to visit Israel on Monday before heading to Egypt. His daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner also addressed the Tel Aviv rally on Saturday.
Under the ceasefire and hostage release deal announced on Thursday, Hamas was given 72 hours - until 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday - to release all the 48 hostages it is still holding after two years of war, 20 of whom are assumed to be alive.
Aviv Havron, whose family members were murdered and others kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas, told the BBC in Tel Aviv: "It's so important for the community... that they come back. Without this, we can't restart our lives.
"My sisters and two brothers in law were murdered. Seven of my family members were kidnapped - my older sister was kidnapped, her daughter, her grandchildren. Four bodies of Be'eri [community] members are still in Gaza,."
Reuters
Crowds at the Tel Aviv rally unfurled a banner praising Trump
Shulamit and David Ginat, who also attended the Tel Aviv rally, told the BBC all the hostages must be saved.
"They're our brothers and sisters. We want to heal again. We want to stop the war, stop the pain and heal again," Shulamit said.
Many in the crowd yelled "Thank you, Trump!" - but also booed when Witkoff mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking just afterward, the couple said they were angry at him over the failure to prevent the 7 October attack, the war and the failure to bring the hostages home sooner.
"He wants to continue the war only because he wants to stay prime minister," David said.
In Gaza, Hamas has called up thousands of fighters to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to local sources.
The Hamas mobilisation had been widely anticipated amid growing uncertainty about who will govern Gaza once the war ends and fears of internal violence. There have also been reports of armed clashes between Hamas and Gaza clans.
Displaced Palestinians have continued to move north in Gaza in large numbers, in many cases arriving to find their homes destroyed.
"There is no house anymore. Everything is gone," lawyer Mosa Aldous said over the phone from Gaza City.
EPA
About 500,000 Palestinians have now returned to Gaza City, the civil defence says
Raja Salmi, 52, told AFP she reached Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood to find her home also gone.
"I stood before it and cried. All those memories are now just dust," she said.
Under the terms of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, the amount of aid entering Gaza is due to be scaled up but the World Food Programme (WFP) told the BBC that a surge of aid lorries had "not yet" entered Gaza, reporting only two to three lorries entering the territory daily.
With full access, WFP, a UN agency, said it intended to restore its regular food distribution system, boosting aid through 145 distribution points across Gaza.
Cogat, the Israeli military body overseeing the entry of aid into Gaza, said 500 trucks had entered on Thursday of which around 300 were distributed inside Gaza by the UN and other organisations.
A recent report by the world's leading hunger monitor Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), backed by the UN, estimated that 500,000 people in Gaza - a quarter of the territory's population - were suffering from famine.
Israel has repeatedly denied that starvation is taking place in Gaza, and Netanyahu has said that where there is hunger, it is the fault of aid agencies and Hamas.
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 on southern Israel.
Israel responded by launching a military offensive that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
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