French President Emmanuel Macron says that 26 of Ukraine's allies have pledged to deploy troops as a "reassurance force" for the war-torn country once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia. Speaking after a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing" in Paris, Macron says the countries have committed to deploying troops in Ukraine — or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air — to help guarantee the country's security the day after a ceasefire or peace is achieved. Earlier Thursday, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the the U.S. envoy for peace talks, Steve Witkoff.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say that more than 64,000 have been killed in the nearly two-year war. Hamas and Israel meanwhile reiterated their incompatible demands for ending the fighting sparked by the militant group's attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Local hospitals said Thursday that Israeli strikes killed 28 people overnight. Israel is pressing ahead with its planned offensive in famine-stricken Gaza City. In the occupied West Bank, Israelis established a new settlement in a Palestinian city, according to an anti-settlement monitoring group.

The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 63,000 as Palestinians face the start of Israel's expanded offensive in Gaza City. The count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians killed in the 22-month war between Israel and Hamas. The ministry says five people have died from malnutrition-related causes over the past day, raising the toll to 322, including 121 children, since the war began. A military official says Israel intends to continue helping aid reach Gaza City during the offensive, but a U.N. humanitarian group fears "a horrific impact" on people already deprived of basic needs.

Authorities say a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital has killed at least 21 people and wounded 48. The attack early Thursday on Kyiv was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in weeks as U.S.-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction. A Ukrainian official says Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and struck at least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv. This is the first major combined attack on Kyiv since U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to discuss ending the three-year war in Ukraine.

The director of the U.N. World Food Program says it's "very evident" after a visit to Gaza that there is not enough food and that mothers and children are starving. Cindy McCain, the program's executive director, tells The Associated Press that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says he is "concerned" about the issue. International experts have declared a famine in Gaza City and say it is likely to spread without a ceasefire and the full restoration of humanitarian aid. Israel rejects the famine declaration and has called claims of starvation a propaganda campaign by Hamas.