JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia has denied visas to Israeli gymnasts, costing them a spot in a world championship in Jakarta this month, a sports official in the Southeast Asian nation said on Friday, amid outcry over Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The Israeli team was set to participate in the World Artistic Gymnastics championship from October 19 to 25 in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel.

By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan will build a new multi-layered air defence system called "T-Dome" to defend itself against enemy threats and increase defence spending, President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, calling on China to renounce the use of force to seize the island.

Democratically governed Taiwan has faced increased military and political pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory over the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) -The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, in a year overshadowed by a months-long campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump to win what is arguably the world's most prestigious award.

By Steve Holland and Ismail Shakil

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States will deploy 200 troops as part of a joint task force for Gaza stability, with no Americans on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, two senior U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the 200 would be the core of a task force that would include representatives from Egypt's military, Qatar, Turkey and probably the United Arab Emirates.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, in a rare interview with an Israeli network Thursday, expressed hope that peace would prevail between Palestinians and Israelis following the signing of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

"What happened today is a historic moment. We have been hoping -- and continue to hope -- that we can bring an end to the bloodshed taking place in our land, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem," Abbas told Israel's Channel 12.

The United Nations said Thursday it had a detailed 60-day plan to rush aid into Gaza once a ceasefire is declared to start helping Palestinians in the war-ravaged territory.

"Our plan, detailed and tested, is in place," said Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian operations.

"Our supplies, 170,000 metric tons, food, medicine and other supplies, are in place. And our team, courageous and expert and determined, are in place," Fletcher told a press conference by video link from Saudi Arabia.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to leave for the Middle East sometime on Sunday, after Israel and Hamas reached a deal to release hostages held in Gaza.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of Trump's initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza that has upended the Middle East.

(Reporting By Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw)

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, one of the main organizers of the international aid flotilla to Gaza, said Thursday that the movement to get life-saving relief to the devastated Palestinian enclave would continue, after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas.

"There is nothing in the ceasefire agreements to indicate that the illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel, the United States, or any other nation will end," he told reporters upon his return to Brazil.

"As long as there is no justice for the Palestinian people, the flotilla will continue."

CAIRO (Reuters) -Exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said on Thursday the group has received guarantees from the United States, Arab mediators, and Turkey that the war in Gaza has permanently ended.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza that has upended the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that expanding Israeli settlements threatened a Palestinian state and US-led peace efforts, as France hosted Arab and European ministers to find ways to boost the Palestinians after a Gaza ceasefire deal was announced.

Macron hailed the ceasefire deal as a "great hope" for the region, but said the "acceleration" of settlement construction in the occupied West Bank was an "existential threat" to a Palestinian state.