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Israel says intercepted missile from Yemen, drone 'from the east'

Israel's military said Saturday it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, whose Houthi rebels have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war, as well as a drone approaching "from the east".

"Following the sirens that sounded recently in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted" before "crossing into Israeli territory", a military statement said.

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Hamas official says group open to five-year truce in Gaza

Hamas seeks an agreement to end the Gaza war that would include the one-time release of all remaining hostages and a five-year truce, an official from the Palestinian group said Saturday.

"Hamas is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a delegation from his group was set to meet mediators in Cairo later in the day.

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PLO votes to create first ever vice president post

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has voted to establish the position of vice president, potentially paving the way for a successor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

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Rescuers say death toll from Israeli strike on north Gaza home rises to 23

Gaza's civil defense agency reported on Friday that the death toll from an Israeli air strike the day before on a house in the north of the Palestinian territory had risen to 23.

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Netanyahu offers condolences after pope's death

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences on behalf of Israel following the death of Pope Francis.

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Hundreds of Syrian Druze clerics head to Israel on pilgrimage

Hundreds of clerics from Syria's Druze minority on Friday are heading to Israel where they will conduct a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine, the second such visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

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Jordan bans Muslim Brotherhood in move that threatens its largest opposition party

Jordan announced Wednesday a sweeping ban on the Muslim Brotherhood that could include shutting down the country's largest opposition party, after accusing the Islamist group of planning attacks.

The Islamic Action Front, a political party linked to the regionwide Brotherhood, won the most seats in parliamentary elections held last year against the backdrop of mass protests against Israel over its war with Hamas.

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Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 28

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 28 people, mostly women and children, the territory's Health Ministry said Thursday.

Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground war over a month ago. It has sealed off Gaza's 2 million Palestinians from all food and other imports since the beginning of March to pressure Hamas to release hostages.

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Palestinians might appoint vice president to serve under aging Abbas

Senior Palestinian officials loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting to vote on the creation of a vice presidency and could choose a possible successor to the unpopular 89-year-old.

The two-day meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council, beginning Wednesday, comes as Abbas seeks relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

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Israeli strike kills 23 as Arab mediators seek long-term Gaza truce

An overnight Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed 23 people, as Arab mediators worked on a proposal to end the war with Hamas that would include a five to seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said Wednesday.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on the strike, which set several tents ablaze, burning people alive. The military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters are embedded in densely populated areas. Another six people were killed in separate strikes, including a pair of five-year-old twin girls.

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