Calling for an end to "Israeli occupation" and the "liberation" of the Palestinian territories, protesters took up multiple blocks in a city that serves as a crossroads for religions and nationalities spanning the world. The largely youthful protest -- which drew demonstrators of all origins, some sporting Palestinian flags and...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has reportedly decided to suspend peace talks with Israel and the United States, Bloomberg and Reuters quoted sources as saying. Although the talks have not been terminated, they are temporarily frozen until the violence in the region subsides, reports said. This decision comes as Israel...

The Russian leader's strategic dependence on China has only grown since his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine thrust his country into international isolation. Putin has hardly ventured beyond his country's borders since the war, with next week's trip the first to a major global power

Dubai, UAE - Gold prices surged over 3% on Friday, heading for their most robust weekly performance in seven months, as escalating tensions in the Middle East prompted investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets, Reuters reported on Friday.The price of spot gold increased by 3.2% to reach $1,928.15 per...

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Israel risked waging an "unacceptable" siege in Gaza comparable to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad during World War II, and called for mediation.Fears for Gaza's Palestinian inhabitants have grown since the Israeli army called for 1.1 million people -- nearly...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran said the United States "can not renege" on an agreement to transfer $6 billion in frozen funds through mediator Qatar following Hamas bloody assault on Israel.Tehran, which financially and militarily backs Hamas, has come under intense scrutiny since fighters of the Islamist group stormed across Israel's southern border...

"Our Palestinian people reject the threat of the occupation (Israeli) leaders and its call for them to leave their homes and flee from them to the south or Egypt," the group said in a statement.

"No to the occupation! No to America!" chanted demonstrators gathered in central Baghdad after Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr called for a protest "in support of Gaza" and against Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

In 1948 more than 760,000 Palestinians either fled or were forced off land claimed by the new state as the Israeli military razed more than 400 towns and villages. The exodus accelerated after the April 1948 massacre of more than 100 Palestinian villagers at Deir Yassin, near Jerusalem, by two...

In Gaza, UN officials said the Israeli military, whose troops are massing at the border, had told them the evacuation should be carried out "within the next 24 hours". It later admitted it would take more time, however, and did not confirm it had set the deadline.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is the only passage in and out of the coastal enclave not controlled by Israel. Israel has bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since Saturday in reprisal for a shock Hamas attack on Israel that has killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and looks...

Qatar, where Blinken will head immediately after Jordan, has longstanding ties with Hamas and has been seen as an intermediary in freeing the hostages. "We'll continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages," Blinken...

Israel's army said it has called for all Gaza City residents to evacuate their homes and head south of the territory "for their safety". "The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said on...

Blinken, a secular Jew, spoke in unusually personal terms during his visit, recalling how his grandfather escaped Russian pogroms and his stepfather survived Nazi concentration camps. He said Netanyahu showed graphic photographs from the Hamas attacks, including of a bullet-riddled baby, beheaded soldiers and young people burned alive in their...

Speaking from Beirut's airport, the top diplomat said that Iran's regional allies, known as the "axis of resistance", could respond if Israel's Gaza offensive escalates. "The continuation of war crimes against Palestinians and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axes," he told reporters. At least 1,200...

Cairo, Egypt- The first shipment of humanitarian aid arrived in Egypt's Sinai on Thursday from Jordan, state-affiliated media reported, to be transported into Gaza, which Israel has been bombarding for days following a surprise Hamas attack.Israel's army has hammered Hamas with thousands of strikes ahead of what is widely expected to...

Marrakesh, Morocco-- The war between Israel and Hamas has cast a shadow over the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco, with warnings on Thursday that it has darkened the outlook for an already sluggish global economy.The global lenders are holding their gathering, which brings together finance ministers and central bankers from...

Thousands of foreigners are stuck in Israel and across the Palestinian territories, where a full-blown war has erupted since Hamas launched their attack. With the violence having already claimed thousands of lives on both sides, several countries have launched operations to repatriate their citizens, while others plan to do so...

The three countries are additional stops on his visit that included meetings with King of Jordan and Mahmud Abbas. Blinken said he raised with Israel the humanitarian needs of the Gaza Strip, while pledging unwavering support to Israel.

The Paris-based agency, in addition to its analysis and advisory roles, coordinates the release of emergency stocks held by its 31 mostly advanced-economy member nations. A surprise weekend attack by Hamas on Israel has left thousands dead and rattled oil markets amid fears that other nations might intervene and possibly...

EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton raised the alarm in letters sent to Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, whose Meta group includes Facebook and Instagram. He demanded late on Tuesday each of them provides details within 24 hours on how "illegal content and disinformation" is being removed from their platforms in...

Washington, United States -- The second American aircraft carrier, the Dwight Eisenhower, will be placed in the Mediterranean Sea, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council of the White House John Kirby said at a regular briefing for journalists."As you also know, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R....

Hamas's weekend onslaught saw hundreds of fighters cross into the Israeli border in vehicles, by air and by sea, killing 1,200 people and seizing 150 hostages under the cover of a deluge of rockets. About another 1,200 people have been killed in thousands of Israeli strikes on Gaza, while a...

Israel has also imposed a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, cutting off electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Thursday that the supplies will not be resumed until Hamas militants free all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira has interrupted an Asia trip to travel "to New York to participate in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, called by Brazil... to address the situation in the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement.

Jerusalem--Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz vowed Thursday his country would not allow basic resources or humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas released the people it abducted during its surprise weekend onslaught."Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no fuel...

The latest fatalities bring to 29 the Palestinian death toll in the West Bank in violence related to the conflict since Hamas militants launched on Saturday an assault on Israel's south from the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Demanding that aid be immediately allowed to go into the besieged enclave, Arab foreign minister condemned Israel's siege of Gaza in the wake of the shock attack by Palestinian militants on Israel. It has imposed a "complete siege" on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply, food, electricity and...

Thierry Breton, EU commissioner and self-styled "digital enforcer", raised the alarm in letters sent to Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, and Mark Zuckerberg, whose Meta group includes Facebook and Instagram.

Reports about "40 babies murdered" have been reposted massively on social media sites since Tuesday, and used to condemn Hamas's armed offensive against Israel, which began on Saturday.

The three-member "war cabinet" would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, according to the statement. It said Gadi Eisenkot, also a former army chief from Gantz's party, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will serve as observers.

"Soldiers are responding with artillery and mortar shells toward the origin of the launching in Syria," an Israeli military statement said, on the fourth day of a war with Gaza-based Hamas militants that has sent regional tensions soaring. The military said there had been "a number of launches from Syria...

Fierce fighting has left thousands dead on both sides since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Saturday, spurring Israel's reprisal bombing campaign. "Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes," said UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update Tuesday, warning that "this number is expected...

Since 2008, Israel has conducted four major military operations in Gaza, resulting in significant casualties and widespread destruction.

"Equity markets are bouncing back on Tuesday after a risk-averse start to the week, buoyed... by some promising Fed commentary," said analyst Craig Erlam at trading firm OANDA.

Beirut, Lebanon -- In mosques, football stadiums and towns across the Arab world, pro-Palestinian sentiment has surged after a shock Hamas attack on Israel, sparking a groundswell of solidarity for the Palestinians.From Ramallah to Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo, people have distributed sweets, danced and chanted prayers in support of...

Geneva, Switzerland--Israel's total siege of the Gaza Strip, depriving civilians of goods essential for survival, is banned under international law, the United Nations human rights chief said on Tuesday.Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said people's dignity and lives had to be respected as he called for all...

Dubai, UAE--Condemning Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Qatar's top diplomat has urged Western countries to exert pressure on the Tel Aviv regime to immediately stop its attacks against Palestinians.According to Mehr News Agency, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks over the phone...

Israel is reeling under a deadly attack by Hamas fighters who stormed the border fence under a barrage of rocket fire on Saturday morning and killed more than 900 people inside Israel. In response Israel is carrying out a massive air and artillery bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza...

Potential talks on the fate of as many as 150 individuals held by Hamas gained greater urgency as the group threatened to start executing its hostages if Israel carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip without prior warning to residents. But a source said Qatar is leading efforts to...

With potential spikes in oil prices and uncertainty surrounding major projects like the IMEC, the world faces a complex economic future shaped by Middle Eastern tensions.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tells Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas that he was working to prevent an expansion of conflict between Israel and Gaza.

Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip and cut off the water supply as it kept bombing targets in the Palestinian enclave in response to the Hamas surprise assault it has likened to the 9/11 attacks. Israel has counted over 700 dead and launched strikes on Gaza that...

The attack and Israel's declaration of war in response to it have raised concerns that a potential broadening of the conflict could draw in the United States and Iran. "Key for markets is whether the conflict remains contained or spreads to involve other regions, particularly Saudi Arabia," said ANZ Group's...

The UN's World Food Programme expressed concern over the mounting challenges civilians, including vulnerable children and families, face in accessing essential food supplies, with food distribution networks disrupted by hostilities. The WFP is concerned about stocks in food shops and the impact of power cuts in the Gaza Strip.

Caught unawares by the surprise attack, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis to prepare for a "long and difficult war" with Hamas, raising concerns of a much wider conflict.

Washington, United States -- US President Joe Biden has ordered "additional support" for Israel after the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, the White House said Sunday, without giving further details."The President directed additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas," the White House said...

PARIS, FRANCE - The Gaza Strip is an impoverished Palestinian enclave that has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.It is ruled by Hamas (the Arabic acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement), now at war with Israel for the fifth time in 15 years.Here is what you need to know about Gaza:  5,000 years of...

Air France-KLM group's low-cost carrier Transavia announced it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday. Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was cancelling its Tel Aviv flights as the war intensifies between Israel and Palestinian militants.

World calls for restraint as Palestinian death toll reaches 370 and Israeli casualties cross 600, prompting Netanyahu to warn of a "long and difficult" battle against Hamas.