Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United States is in the process of withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing three U.S. officials.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Last week, the U.S. military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening U.S.-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.

A top UN official warned Wednesday that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to "gradual de facto annexation."

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the West Bank where the Palestinians exercise limited autonomy under past deals.

President Donald Trump, shifting his tone yet again, warned Britain on Wednesday not to "give away" a key Indian Ocean base, saying it would be vital if the United States attacks Iran.

Trump, who is considering strikes on the Islamic republic, lashed out hours after the State Department offered the latest US support to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Under the agreement, Britain would instead pay to lease the strategic joint US-UK base at Diego Garcia for a century.

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will host a Board of Peace meeting on Thursday in Washington, where he will announce that member states have pledged more than $5 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza, the White House said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that member states had committed to provide thousands of personnel for an international stabilization force for Gaza.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Feb 18 (Reuters) - The United States is imposing visa restrictions on 18 Iranian officials and telecommunications industry leaders, the State Department said on Wednesday, in the latest such move against Tehran.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Costas Pitas)

The director of the Berlin Film Festival on Wednesday rejected accusations from more than 80 film industry figures that the festival had helped censor artists who oppose Israel's actions in Gaza.

In an open letter published on Tuesday, Oscar-winning actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton were among dozens who criticised the Berlinale's "silence" on the issue and said they were "dismayed" at its "involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza".

The White House warned on Wednesday that Iran would be "wise" to do a deal with the United States as President Donald Trump once again hinted at military action.

The two sides recently resumed indirect talks, mediated by Oman, after Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month.

A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.

By Feras Dalatey

DAMASCUS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Fewer than 1,000 families remain at a camp where relatives of suspected Islamic State militants had been held in Syria's northeast, the camp's former director said on Wednesday, with thousands having fled last month as government forces seized control of the area from Kurdish-led fighters.

Al-Hol, near the Iraqi border, was one of the main detention camps for relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters who were detained during the U.S.-backed campaign against the jihadist group in Syria.

The massive US military buildup in the Middle East, including warships, fighter jets, and refueling aircraft, lays the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran -- should President Donald Trump give the order.

Trump -- who ordered strikes on Iran last year -- has repeatedly threatened Tehran with further military action if ongoing talks do not reach a replacement for the nuclear deal the US president tore up in 2018, during his first term in office.

Leila Shahid, the first woman diplomat representing Palestine abroad, died in southern France aged 76, her family said Wednesday.

"She died today," her sister Zeina told AFP, without providing further details.

Born in Lebanon in 1949, Shahid was the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) abroad, beginning her career in Ireland before also becoming representative in the Netherlands.

She served as envoy in France and later as the representative at the European Union.