Syria on Friday condemned an Israeli military operation in southern Syria that killed 13 people overnight as a "war crime".

"Syria denounces... the criminal aggression" of the Israeli army in the village of Beit Jin, the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that such acts aim to "ignite the region" in conflict.

Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed "in cold blood." The Israeli military said it was investigating.

The killings, captured in videos shown on two Arab TV stations, came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years. Israel says it is cracking down on militants, but Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israel of using excessive force and say dozens of unarmed civilians have been killed.

Dozens of Tunisian political figures were sentenced on appeal to up to 45 years in prison for plotting against the state, local media reported Friday, in a trial rights groups have condemned as politically motivated.

"The Court of Appeal in Tunis issued a final ruling early Friday against the defendants in what is known as the conspiracy against the state case," said radio station Mosaique FM, citing an official source, adding the terms ranged from five to 45 years.

Iraq said on Thursday it would investigate an attack on an Emirati-owned gas complex in the autonomous Kurdistan region, which disrupted gas supplies and caused power cuts.

Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, said in a statement that the caretaker PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had ordered "the formation of a high-level investigative committee" to look into the attack.

The appeal trial of dozens of Tunisian public and opposition figures, jailed on charges of plotting against the state, resumed on Thursday, said an AFP journalist in the courtroom.

Nearly 40 defendants were sentenced to prison in April on charges of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group".

The Palestinian militant group Hamas called on mediating countries Wednesday to pressure Israel to allow safe passage for dozens of its fighters holed up in tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip.

The request came after the Israeli military said it killed over 20 Hamas members over the past week "who attempted to flee from the underground terror infrastructure in the area", and apprehended eight more.

Children and families in Gaza scooped muddy water from their tents on Tuesday, trying to protect the few belongings that remain after two years of war.

Winter's heavy rains have left displaced Palestinians splashing in water that reaches their ankles, and blaming both Israel and Hamas for the misery that remains despite a ceasefire.

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 26 hostages. But the return of the last two hostages under the agreement's terms is progressing slowly.

Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel's two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned.

Israel's military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank, where a local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns.

The Israeli military and internal security service said in a brief joint statement that they had begun "a broad counter-terrorism operation" in the north of the Palestinian territory.

An explosion at a weapons depot in northwest Syria's Idlib province killed five people and wounded nine others on Wednesday, security forces said in a statement.

The Idlib region was a bastion of rebel and jihadist groups including foreign fighters before Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last December in a lightning offensive.