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Syria vows accountability after video of Sweida hospital killing

Syria's interior ministry on Monday said it would hold accountable those responsible for the apparent killing of an unarmed man at a hospital during violence last month in Druze-majority Sweida province, after a purported video of the incident emerged.

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Israel assassinates prominent Al-Jazeera reporter and 4 colleagues in Gaza

Al Jazeera said two of its correspondents, including a prominent reporter, and three cameramen were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday.

The Israeli military admitted in a statement to targeting Anas al-Sharif, the reporter it labelled as a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas.

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Netanyahu to hold press conference after Gaza decision

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a press conference with international media in Jerusalem on Sunday at 4:30 pm local time (13:30 GMT).

The press conference marks his first time to meet with the international press following his security cabinet's decision on Friday to expand the war in Gaza and take control of Gaza City.

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Israel far right presses Netanyahu for decisive win against Hamas

Israel's far right pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go harder against Hamas, ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting Sunday on the premier's bid to conquer Gaza City.

Twenty-two months into the war in Gaza, Israel is gripped by a yawning divide, pitting those calling for an end of the conflict along with a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see Hamas vanquished once and for all.

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Gaza civil defense says 10 killed across territory

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 10 people were killed across the Palestinian territory on Saturday, including civilians who were waiting to collect aid.

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Iraq divided over future of pro-Iran armed alliance

A bill in Iraq that would further formalize the role -- and perhaps, the autonomy -- of a powerful coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries has sparked a heated debate, fanned in part by U.S. pressure.

Few details of the bill that could decide the future of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance have been made public.

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Egypt and Qatar draw up new framework to end Gaza war and release hostages

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on a new framework which will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, according to two Arab officials who spoke to The Associated Press anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts.

The efforts have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, the officials said, as they are concerned about further regional destabilization if Israel’s government proceeds with a full reoccupation of Gaza, two decades after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the strip.

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Germany stops military exports that could be used in Gaza

Germany will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza "until further notice," Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Friday, in a strikingly quick response by one of Israel's strongest international backers to a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet to take over Gaza City.

The move by Germany, which has previously stopped short of tougher lines against Israel's government taken by some of its European Union allies, appeared likely to further isolate Israel in the wake of the controversial military takeover plan that has been decried by the United Nations and supporters of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

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Israel to 'take control' of Gaza City, sparking wave of criticism

Nations around the world on Friday expressed concern over Israeli plans to wrest control of Gaza City, saying that it would only worsen the conflict and lead to more bloodshed.

Here is what they said:

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Hamas says Israeli takeover of Gaza City 'means sacrificing' the hostages

Hamas warned the Israeli government on Friday that seizing control of Gaza City would amount to "sacrificing" the hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory.

"The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives," the group said in a statement. "They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them."

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