War-weary civilians have looked up at a blackened sky in Port Sudan this week as the two-year war they had fled finally reached their once-safe haven on Sudan's Red Sea coast.

"Panic is setting in, people are terrified," Port Sudan native Sami Hussein Abdel Wahab told AFP as smoke billowed behind him.

Giant plumes of thick smoke have hung in Port Sudan's skies since Sunday, when the first drone strikes, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), struck the city.

The United States and Yemen's Huthis have agreed a ceasefire, mediators announced, saying the deal would ensure "freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea where the Iran-backed rebels have attacked shipping for months.

The agreement comes after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would end attacks against the Huthis after the rebels agreed to stop harassing ships, though he made no direct mention of recent attacks on ally Israel.

Four Palestinian photographers from Agence France-Presse (AFP) were finalists for their Gaza coverage in the "Breaking News Photography" category of the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious awards in US journalism.

The jury for the award, presented on Monday by Columbia University in New York, praised the "powerful images" from Gaza by Mahmud Hams, Omar Al-Qattaa, Said Khatib and Bashar Taleb.

Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on Tuesday said two of his forthcoming shows with Israeli-born rock musician Dudu Tassa had been cancelled due to "credible threats".

The guitarist and keyboardist had been due to perform two dates with Tassa in the western English city of Bristol and in London in June.

A pro-Palestinian activist movement that advocates political and economic action against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians welcomed the announcement.

Israel's military has called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in Gaza, which an official said entails the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory.

With one of the best equipped armies in the world, what forces are available to Israel?

A large part of the adult population has completed military service and they are required to remain reservists until at least the age of 41, depending on rank and branch of service.

But it is not compulsory for reservists to respond to the call-up.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday meets France's Emmanuel Macron in Paris on his first visit to Europe since taking power after the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes with Syria's new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, under increasing pressure from Europe to show their seriousness on protecting human rights as Damascus seeks the full lifting of Assad-era sanctions.

At Basel al-Sati's souvenir shop in a central Damascus market, socks bearing caricatures that ridicule ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his once feared family now sell like hot cakes.

"I want to bring joy to people who've been deprived of happiness for so many days and years," said Sati, 31, displaying pairs of white ankle-length socks.

"Everyone who comes from abroad wants to buy the socks -- some to keep as a souvenir, others to wear mockingly and take pictures," he told AFP.

"There are even some who buy them just to stomp on them," he said.

Israel drew international condemnation over its plans for an expanded Gaza offensive, as the country's far-right finance minister called Tuesday for the Palestinian territory to be "destroyed".

Israel's military had called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip, which an official said would entail the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory.

Pro-Palestinian activists aboard a boat damaged in an alleged Israeli drone strike have allowed a Maltese surveyor to inspect the vessel and six crew members have agreed to disembark, Malta's premier told parliament Monday.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that Malta could tow the stricken Conscience to port for repairs once a maritime expert has been allowed to board the ship and study the results of Friday's alleged attack.

A deadly shooting Monday at a Damascus club, days after another attack on the capital's nightlife, has sparked fears, adding to concerns that personal freedoms may be restricted under Syria's Islamist authorities.

Since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the international community has been pressing the new authorities to respect personal freedoms, protect minorities and include all components of society in its transition.