US President Donald Trump is set to formally announce the first charter of his so-called "Board of Peace", a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1-billion price tag for permanent membership.

The board, which Trump will launch with what has been billed as a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza.

But a draft of the charter seen by AFP does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.

- What will it do? -

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Militant group Islamic State claimed an explosion that officials said killed a Chinese national and six Afghans, while injuring several more as it tore through a Chinese-run restaurant in a heavily guarded part of Afghanistan's capital.

Monday's blast took place in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area that is home to offices, shopping complexes and embassies, police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said. It is considered one of the safest neighbourhoods in the city.

Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State was negotiating a handover of the Al-Hol camp, which houses IS-linked civilians, to Syrian authorities, three Syrian sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

One of the sources, a Syrian official, said the talks were focused on a smooth transition of control from Kurdish security forces who had been holding the camp, to avoid any security risks or detainees fleeing.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Mahmoud Hasano and Khalil Ashawi; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

ANKARA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will soon decide whether to join U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace initiative after having received an invitation, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

"We have received an invitation. Our President is being invited as a founding member, on behalf of Turkey (and) will likely make his decision on this matter very soon," Hakan Fidan said in a televised interview with state media.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Israeli forces have ordered dozens of Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October's ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said on Tuesday the military was expanding the area under its control.

Residents of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, said the leaflets were dropped on Monday on families living in tent encampments in the Al-Reqeb neighbourhood.

ATHENS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens.

With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training center on Greek territory and have held joint military drills in recent years.

(Reporting by Elefterios Papadimas; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

Syria's government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed a new ceasefire on Tuesday as Washington said the SDF's purpose in fighting Islamic State group jihadists was largely over.

The announcement came after the army sent reinforcements to the Kurds' Hasakeh province stronghold in the northeast, and Kurdish forces withdrew from the Al-Hol camp which houses thousands of people with suspected IS links, including foreign women and children.

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Israel foreign minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Israel was invited by the United States to join the board of peace initiative.

(Reporting by Omri Taasan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge

GENEVA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on Iran in the coming days, with proponents aiming to discuss "alarming violence" used against protesters, a document showed on Tuesday.

An Iranian official said authorities have verified at least 5,000 deaths in the protests which are the biggest demonstrations since 2022, prompting U.N. rights chief Volker Turk to condemn the violence.

Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an "unprecedented attack".

UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces "stormed into" the compound shortly after 7:00 am and ejected security guards before bulldozers arrived and began demolishing buildings.