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Stormy Weather Prompts Egypt to Close Some Classes, Ports

Stormy weather has prompted Egyptian authorities to suspend classes Monday in the capital of Cairo and a handful of other provinces as a precautionary measure.

Authorities also closed the ports in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and the Suez Canal cities of Port Said and Suez.

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Defiant in War and Isolation, Hamas Plays Long Game in Gaza

Each month, hundreds of trucks heavy with fuel, cement and other goods cross a plowed no man's land between Egypt and the Gaza Strip — and Hamas becomes stronger.

Hamas collects tens of millions of dollars a month in taxes and customs at the crossing in the border town of Rafah, according to estimates. The funds help it operate a government and powerful armed wing while international aid covers most of the basic needs of Gaza's 2 million residents.

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KSA Allows Medical Evacuation of Iran's Yemen Envoy

Iran's ambassador flew out of the rebel-held Yemeni capital to receive Covid treatment in a rare exemption from an air blockade enforced by a Saudi-led coalition, Saudi and Iranian officials said.

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Two Rockets Strike inside Baghdad's Green Zone

Two rockets struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. embassy, causing property damage but no casualties, Iraq's military said early Sunday.

One rocket was destroyed by the embassy's C-RAM defense system. Another fell near a national monument, causing damage to two civilian vehicles, the statement said. An investigation was launched by Iraqi security forces.

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Settlers Attack Palestinian Villages after West Bank Killing

Jewish settlers have burst into several villages in the occupied West Bank, smashing homes and cars and beating up at least two people, Palestinian officials said. The attacks came a day after Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli man in a shooting ambush in the territory.

The death of settler Yehuda Dimentman, killed when gunmen opened fire on his car near a West Bank settlement outpost late Thursday, threatened to ignite further violence between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers. Two other passengers in Dimentman's vehicle were lightly wounded.

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Celebration and Protests Mark Tunisia's New Revolution Day

Official observances took place at the birthplace of Tunisia's 2011 revolution, while opponents and supporters of the country's president held rival demonstrations in the capital Friday, the new date the leader chose to mark Revolution Day.

A few hundred demonstrators gathered in Tunis on Friday morning to protest Tunisian President Kais Saied's consolidation of power over the summer and his subsequent actions that have raised fears of democratic backsliding.

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Israel Hunts Palestinian Suspects after W.Bank Settler Killing

Israeli soldiers carried out a manhunt Friday in the occupied West Bank, a day after the army blamed Palestinians for shooting dead an Israeli settler and wounding two others.

The army, which said Palestinian "terrorists" carried out the attack, has deployed three extra battalions as well as special forces.

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A Fragile Partnership in Iraq Tries to Prevent IS Revival

As a backhoe dug up the ground to build trenches, Iraqi soldiers scanned the vast farming tracts for militants; not far away, their Kurdish counterparts did the same.

The scene earlier this month in the small northern Iraqi farming village of Lheiban was a rare instance of coordination between the federal government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The two sides were fortifying a joint position aimed at defending the village against attacks by the Islamic State group.

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Syrian Refugee Heads for New Life in Italy Thanks to Pope

Syrian national Issa Shamma expressed gratitude and hope as he is getting ready to leave Cyprus to start a new life in Italy barely a week before Christmas.

Pope Francis who visited Cyprus earlier this month, would take 50 migrants from Cyprus to Italy, including Muslims, in a gesture of "solidarity," Cypriot authorities said.

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Christian Officials Accuse Israel of Holiday Discrimination

A spokesman for Christian churches in the Holy Land has accused Israel of discriminating against Christian tourists during the normally busy Christmas holiday season.

Israel last month closed its borders to foreign tourists in response to the outbreak of the omicron coronavirus variant.

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