Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza voted for municipal councils on Saturday, the first elections since the Gaza war began.

With a narrow slate of contenders, turnout was initially low in the occupied West Bank where 1.5 million people were registered to vote.

But it was boosted by a last-minute surge, reaching 53.44 percent, the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission (CEC) said, just fractionally lower than in the previous ballot in March 2022.

April 24 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of abandoning internationally recognised diplomatic conventions in pursuit of its own interests, particularly in dominating energy markets, in an interview broadcast on Friday.

Lavrov, interviewed by Russian state television, said Washington, in its dealings with Latin America and the Middle East, was "taking us back to a world where nothing existed" in international law.

April 24 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, called for the resumption of talks to secure a rapid, sustainable agreement to the Middle East crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A statement said the ministers, in a telephone call, "expressed their shared view on the need to resume negotiations in order to promptly reach agreements on a long-term, sustainable resolution of the crisis, taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries in the region".

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying U.S. demands.

"They're making an offer and we'll have to see," Trump said during a phone interview.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Katharine Jackson; editing by Michelle Nichols)

April 24 (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed developments in the Washington-Tehran ceasefire agreement in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Qatari state news agency reported on Friday.

He added that Qatar would continue coordinating with partners to support mediation efforts led by Pakistan.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Editing by Chris Reese)

By Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department's top lawyer has argued that President Donald Trump's war with Iran was launched in self-defense and to defend U.S. ally Israel, arguing the bombing campaign was not the start of a new war but the continuation of an ongoing conflict.

State Department Legal Adviser Reed Rubinstein made the arguments in a statement released days before a May 1 deadline for the Trump administration to obtain approval for the war from Congress under the 1973 War Powers Act or move to end it.

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning for talks with Iran mediated by Pakistan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Leavitt said the Trump administration has seen "some progress" from the Iranian side in the last couple of days, without elaborating.

KYIV/MOSCOW, April 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner of war swap on Friday, sending back 193 captured personnel each in an exchange both sides said was facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

"It is important that there are exchanges and that our people are returning home," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on Telegram.

His chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, and Russia's defence ministry said the U.S. and the UAE had assisted with the exchange.

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan soon for talks with Iran's foreign minister, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday.

Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend but he will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress, according to CNN, which first recorded the travel plans.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya)

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, April 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights office said on Friday it has documented patterns of attacks on civilians in populated areas and residential buildings in Lebanon and Israel that may amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The report covers the first three weeks of the latest escalation, which began after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2, prompting Israel to respond with a large‑scale military offensive.