The Israeli military said Wednesday it had approved the "framework" for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, days after the security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza City.

Egypt said Tuesday it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day truce, as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war.

Syrian and Jordanian foreign ministers and a U.S. envoy agreed on Tuesday to form a working group to help Damascus uphold a ceasefire in Sweida province, rocked by recent sectarian clashes.

Iran's police detained 21,000 suspects during the 12-day air war between Israel and Iran in June, state media reported on Tuesday.

A report by state TV quoted a police spokesperson, Gen. Saeed Montazeralmahdi, as saying people reported the suspects to the authorities. "The arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war indicated high awareness and participation of people in providing security," he said.

Madonna has urged the pope to travel to Gaza and "bring your light to the children before it's too late."

The superstar posted her appeal to the pontiff on social media Monday, saying her son Rocco's birthday prompted her to make the post. Rocco turned 25 Monday.

Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid on Tuesday backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza.

In a dense urban landscape, with likely thousands of Hamas fighters lying in wait, taking Gaza City will be a difficult and costly slog for the Israeli army, security experts say.

Condemnations poured in from the United Nations and media rights groups on Monday after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a Hamas militant.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday was vandalized with graffiti condemning Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, authorities said, triggering widespread condemnation from religious leaders and politicians.

Iraq on Monday announced a nationwide power outage as rising temperatures pushed demand on the electricity grid to unprecedented levels.