Israel seeks to evacuate Palestinians jammed into a southern Gaza city ahead of an expected invasion. Russia, Ukraine swap 100 prisoners each -statements.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he ordered the military to plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli invasion of the densely populated Sourthern Gaza. Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold, and Israel plans to send in troops to complete its war plan against the group. (Associated Press)

Russia and Ukraine stated on Thursday that they have swapped 100 prisoners of war from each side with the United Arab Emirates acting as intermediary. Most of the returning POWs were captured during the three-month defence of the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol in May 2022, early on in the war. (Reuters)