Palestinian leaders are in uproar after the US State Department's website removed the territories from its list of countries and areas, following a slew of pro-Israel actions by President Donald Trump.

The official website no longer has a separate entry for the Palestinian Authority. An archived version of the website from the 2009-2017 presidency of Barack Obama shows that "Palestinian Territories" were listed among countries and areas both on the opening page and in the section of the Near East bureau.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Wednesday two overnight suicide bombings killed three Palestinian police officers in the strip, placing the Palestinian enclave in a state of alert.

The bodies of five migrants including a Moroccan child were recovered off Libya's coast Tuesday while up to 20 others were missing after a Europe-bound boat sank, the navy said.

The leaders of Russia and Turkey said Tuesday they shared deep concerns over fighting in northwestern Syria, with Ankara warning it would take the steps necessary to protect its troops there.

An Israeli soldier carefully eyes the narrow, damp tunnel carved from surrounding rock through a tightly strapped black headset. 

Chad has handed down jail terms to 243 rebels who crossed into the country from Libya in February before their incursion was halted by French air strikes, the government said Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan met for talks in Moscow on Tuesday as they seek common ground on the deadly fighting in northwestern Syria.

The Kurdish authorities in northeast Syrian said Tuesday their forces had started to withdraw from outposts along the Turkish border after a US-Turkish deal for a buffer zone there.

They said work had begun Saturday on "the first practical steps -- in the Ras al-Ain area -- in removing some earth mounds and withdrawing a group of (Kurdish) People's Protection Units and heavy weapons".

Clashes between anti-government fighters and regime forces killed 51 combattants on both sides in northwestern Syria Tuesday, a war monitor said.

Russia-backed regime fighters have for weeks been chipping away at the edges of the jihadist-run stronghold of Idlib -- a province that borders Turkey -- after bombarding it for months.

Israel is ready to use "all means necessary" to defend itself against Iranian threats "on several fronts,", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.