Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will be debated at a two-day meeting of member broadcasters in Geneva starting Thursday, following calls to exclude the country over its Gaza war tactics.

Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part.

Others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also indicated they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - China will provide $100 million in aid to the Palestinians to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support reconstruction efforts, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi was speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after their meeting in Beijing.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Joe Cash; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Israel has identified the remains of the hostage it received from Hamas on Wednesday as Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the prime minister's office said on Thursday.

The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last of the living and deceased hostages to be returned, is still in Gaza.

The handover of the last hostages' bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the two-year Gaza war.

By Ahmed Rasheed, Maha El Dahan, Humeyra Pamuk and Anna Hirtenstein

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Iranian drones swept through the mountain air of northern Iraq's Kurdistan region in mid-July, homing in on their targets: oilfields run by Americans.

Fired by an Iranian-backed militia group within Iraq, likely in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites weeks earlier, one struck the Sarsang field operated by HKN Energy, a company owned by the son of Texas billionaire Ross Perot.

Another hit a nearby field run by Dallas-based Hunt Oil.

Like a ghost in the night, Bilal Shorba, the artist they call the "Syrian Banksy", slipped through the rubble of Daraya to paint his murals, praying that Bashar al-Assad's gunners wouldn't spot him.

Returning from exile to one of the devastated cradles of the Syrian revolution -- the only city that lost its entire population during the near-14-year civil war -- he was amazed that some of his work had survived.

Atop one of Egypt's Sinai mountains, near where the three Abrahamic faiths say God spoke with Moses, another unmistakable sound rings out: the incessant drilling of construction work.

In the remote, rugged terrain of southern Sinai, Egypt has undertaken a vast megaproject aimed at drawing mass tourism to the once serene mountain town of Saint Catherine.

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A Pentagon investigation has faulted U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for using Signal on his personal device to transmit sensitive information about planned strikes in Yemen, saying it could have endangered U.S. troops if intercepted, two people familiar with the document said on Wednesday.

The reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, part of US President Donald Trump's truce plan for the Palestinian territory, has long been on hold despite calls from the UN and aid groups.

Here are five things to know about this crucial crossing:

- Vital access point -

The Rafah crossing into Egypt is a crucial entry point for humanitarian workers and for lorries transporting aid, food and fuel, which is essential for daily life in a territory deprived of electricity.

By Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that a lasting peace with Israel could pave the way to normalising ties with the country and establishing economic ties but that those milestones remained far off given current tensions.

"Economic (talks) will be a part of normalisation, normalisation will follow peace. It cannot precede peace," Salam said, when asked about Israel's statements that it was hoping to build ties and economic cooperation with Lebanon.

ATHENS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The crew of the Greek-operated cargo ship Eternity C, which sank in the Red Sea in July after being attacked by Yemen's Houthis, have been released, an official with the ship's operator and a maritime security source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The crew of the Liberia-flagged Eternity C abandoned the ship before it sank following repeated strikes by the Iran-aligned militants with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades.