top stories: ongoing gaza strikes continue despite trump's calls for a halt, with hopes for hostage release soon (bbc, al jazeera). russia's missile attacks kill five in ukraine, targeting energy sites (bbc, al jazeera). syria holds its first post-assad elections, though not in all provinces for security reasons (bbc, al jazeera). georgia protesters storm presidential palace in tbilisi amid political turmoil (bbc, al jazeera). nearly 1,000 climbers trapped on everest due to heavy snow (bbc). source: bbc news and al jazeera.