French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a US defamation lawsuit against Candace Owens, a rightwing influencer and podcaster who has said France’s first lady “is in fact a man”.

Dozens of western nations, including France, called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza on Monday as Israel launched fresh attacks on the central city of Deir el-Balah. The countries' joint statement said the Israeli aid distribution system in the Palestinian enclave "deprives Gazans of human dignity" and urged a negotiated ceasefire.