Libya's parliament on Wednesday approved a unity government to lead the war-ravaged North African nation to December elections, a key step towards ending a decade of chaos.

Hamas on Tuesday held a leadership election in its Gaza Strip stronghold, a race with deep implications for its relations with Israel and other regional players, as well as upcoming Palestinian elections.

A Hamas official said the field had narrowed down to a tight race between Yehiyeh Sinwar, the group's current firebrand leader, and Nizar Awadallah, a co-founder of the movement. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal deliberations of the secretive group.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he was working to repatriate the remains of Eli Cohen, an Israeli agent executed in 1965 after working deep undercover in Syria.

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that tough U.S. sanctions on war-ravaged Syria make it more challenging for Damascus to return to the Arab League.

Half a year after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel, discreet Jewish communities in the Gulf Arab states that once lived in the shadow of the Arab-Israeli conflict are adopting a more public profile.

Kosher food is now available. Jewish holidays are celebrated openly. There is even a fledgling religious court to sort out issues such as marriages and divorces.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians face continued displacement each coming year that the conflict continues and economic conditions deteriorate, the Norwegian Refugee Council has said.

Economic deterioration and hardship are increasingly driving Syrians out of their homes, but the number of displaced will be higher if large military operations resume, according to a report by the humanitarian group.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president's office said Monday, with both having only mild symptoms of the illness.

In a statement, Assad's office said the first couple did PCR tests after they experienced minor symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 illness. It said Assad, 55, and his wife Asma, who is 10 years younger and announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, will continue to work from home where they will isolate between two to three weeks.

Libya's parliament meets Monday ahead of a vote on a new interim unity government for the divided country, a crucial step toward December elections and stability after a decade of violent turmoil. 

Israel on Monday launched a campaign to vaccinate some 100,000 Palestinians in the West Bank who hold permits to work in Jewish settlements in the occupied territory and inside the Jewish state.

Pope Francis concluded on Monday the first-ever papal trip to Iraq, which went off without a hitch despite security worries and a second wave of coronavirus cases in the country.