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Israeli army kills Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian man Monday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the army saying it returned fire after being shot at.

"Saleh Mohamed Sabra, 22, was killed by live bullets during an Israeli attack in Nablus," the ministry said, adding that another Palestinian was wounded by gunfire.

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Israel-Gaza ceasefire takes hold after days of deadly fighting

A fragile ceasefire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip appeared to be holding on Sunday, after a five-day clash that killed 33 Palestinians and two people in Israel.

The latest round of Gaza fighting was sparked Tuesday when Israeli jets killed three top commanders from the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to earlier rocket launches from Gaza. Those killings set off a barrage of militant fire and the conflagration threatened to drag the region into another all-out war until an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took hold late Saturday.

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Israel-Gaza fighting continues as 2 Palestinians killed in West Bank raid

Israel and Palestinian militants unleashed salvos of fire for a fourth day on Saturday, with the Islamic Jihad militant group launching rockets and the Israeli military pounding targets inside the Gaza Strip.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Gaza or Israel on Saturday. But in a reminder of the combustible situation in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military raided the Balata refugee camp in the northern city of Nablus, killing two Palestinians. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the two as 32-year-old Said Mesha and 19-year-old Adnan Araj. At least three other Palestinians were wounded in the raid, the latest of near-daily Israeli arrest operations against suspected militants in the territory.

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New UK Special Representative to Syria appointed

Ann Snow has been appointed UK Special Representative to Syria. She has taken up the role in succession to Jonathan Hargreaves.

Snow joined the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2009. She has served in Malaysia and worked on Iran, China and Counter Terrorism. She takes up the role after 15 months of full-time Arabic-language training.

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Amnesty: UN must keep moving quake aid to Syria after deadline

Amnesty International on Friday called on the United Nations to keep delivering crucial aid to quake-stricken Syrians via two crossings in rebel-held areas even if authorization from Damascus expires.

On February 6, a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 55,000 people across both countries.

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What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Gaza militant group now fighting Israel?

The cycle has become grimly familiar.

Over three days, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 28 people, including senior Palestinian militants, as well as children as young as 4 years old. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired over 600 rockets toward Israel, killing one person, setting off warning sirens as far north as the coastal city of Tel Aviv and sending tens of thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters.

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French prosecutors seek trial for Sarkozy over Libya financing for 2007 campaign

French prosecutors are seeking to send former President Nicolas Sarkozy and 12 others to trial on charges that his 2007 presidential campaign received millions in illegal financing from the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

After a decade of investigation, the French national financial prosecutor's office announced its decision Friday to seek a trial. It's now up to judges to determine whether to move ahead. In general, judges in France follow such prosecutors' requests, though not always.

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Fierce Gaza-Israel fighting renews as truce hopes fade

Israel and Gaza militants traded heavy fire Friday as hopes faded of securing a truce to end days of fighting that have killed dozens, all but one of them Palestinian.

The violence has been met with international calls for de-escalation, with the European Union pushing Thursday for an "immediate comprehensive ceasefire."

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Egypt, Jordan, France, Germany urge end to Israeli-Gaza fighting

Foreign ministers of France, Germany, Jordan and Egypt on Thursday called for an end to the violence between Israel and Gaza militants, who have been trading heavy fire for three days.

"The bloodletting must end now," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock after hosting talks with her counterparts.

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Saudi envoy: Yemen peace push 'serious' but next steps unclear

Warring parties in Yemen are "serious" about ending a devastating eight-year-old conflict but it is impossible to predict when direct talks, much less a breakthrough, might happen, Saudi Arabia's envoy told AFP.

"Everybody is serious. Serious means everybody is looking for peace," Mohammed al-Jaber said in his first extensive comments after meeting with Huthi leaders in Sanaa last month. But he added: "It's not easy to be clear about next steps."

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