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       A three-ship convoy the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Saturday with 400 tonnes of food and other supplies as concerns about hunger in the territory soar.

       The vessels and a barge were carrying ready-to-eat items like rice, pasta, flour, legumes, canned vegetables and proteins.

       Also on board were dates, which are traditionally eaten to break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

       US charity World Central Kitchen said the ship, named Jennifer, was due to follow the inaugural voyage of the Cyprus-Gaza sea route earlier this month by the Open Arms vessel that delivered 200 tonnes of food and water.

       The United Nations and partners have warned that famine could occur in devastated, largely isolated northern Gaza as early as this month.

       Humanitarian officials say deliveries by sea and air are not enough and that Israel must allow far more aid by road.

       The top UN court has ordered Israel to open more land crossings and take other measures to address the humanitarian crisis.

       The fighting has displaced over 80 per cent of Gaza’s population and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine, the UN and international aid agencies say.

       Israel’s military said it continued to strike dozens of targets in Gaza, days after the United Nations Security Council issued its first demand for a cease-fire.

       During an airdrop on Friday, the US military said it had released over 100 thousand pounds of aid that day (over 45 thousand kilos) and almost a million pounds overall (453 thousand kilos) as part of a multi-country effort.

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       Dutch police detained a man Saturday after he left a nightclub where hostages had been held, apparently bringing a peaceful end to a tense, hours-long standoff.

       “The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested. We cannot give more information at the moment,” police said in a message on X.

       The man walked out of the club and was ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed before being led into a waiting police car.

       Earlier, three young hostages left the Cafe Petticoat in the central town of Ede. A fourth person was released shortly before the suspect was arrested.

       Heavily armed police and special arrest teams, some wearing masks, had gathered outside the popular club. Some 150 nearby homes were evacuated.

       Before the latest developments, Ede Mayor René Verhulst called the standoff a “terrible situation for all these people. My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely.”

       Ede is a rural market town 85 kilometres southeast of Amsterdam. The municipality said that all shops in the centre of the town would remain closed while the situation continued. Trains to and from the town's station also were halted.

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       Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said.

       The last-minute decision has added to concerns about his frail condition during the busy period.

       Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed meditations that are read aloud at each station. But just as the event was about to begin, the Vatican announced that Francis was following the event from his home at the Vatican.

       “To conserve his health in view of the vigil tomorrow and Mass on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis at the Colosseum this evening from the Casa Santa Marta,” a statement from the Vatican press office said.

       The Vatican's Press Office posted on X that Pope Francis prayed from his residence rather than the Colosseum to "preserve his health."

       While Francis had also skipped the event in 2023 because he was recovering from bronchitis and it was a cold night, his decision to stay home this year suggested his plans had changed suddenly.

       87-year-old Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling what he and the Vatican have described as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold all winter long.

       For the last several weeks he has occasionally asked an aide to read aloud his speeches, and he skipped his Palm Sunday homily altogether.

       On Saturday, he is scheduled to preside over a lengthy evening Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s, one of the most solemn events in the liturgical calendar.

       He is also due to preside over Easter Sunday Mass in the piazza and deliver his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) speech rounding up global crises and threats to humanity.