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Gaza Doctor Seeks Apology from Israel for Daughters' Deaths

Izzeldin Abuelaish captured widespread sympathy in Israel when he lost three daughters and a niece in an Israeli strike during the 2009 war in the Gaza Strip. Now, the Palestinian doctor is seeking justice in Israel's highest court.

Abuelaish is scheduled to appear before the Supeme Court in Jerusalem on Monday in hopes of receiving an apology from Israel and compensation for his loss.

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Calls Mount for Israel to Free Palestinians on Hunger Strike

Israel has faced growing calls to release five Palestinians who have been on hunger strike for weeks to protest a controversial policy of holding them indefinitely without charge, including one who has been fasting for 120 days and is in severe condition.

Israel says the policy, known as "administrative detention," is needed to detain suspects without disclosing sensitive intelligence, while the Palestinians and human rights groups say it denies them due process. Suspects can be held for months or years without seeing the evidence against them.

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World Leaders Bolster Troubled Libya ahead of Key Election

France is hosting an international conference on Libya on Friday as the North African country heads into long-awaited elections next month, a vote that regional and world powers hope will pull the oil-rich nation out of its decade-old chaos.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and several world leaders will take part in the Paris conference, and are expected to push for transparent, credible elections. They will also urge the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya, as stated in last year's U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended fighting between rival factions in the country.

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Syria Inks Solar Plant Deal with UAE Firms

Syria has signed a deal with United Arab Emirates firms for the construction of a solar power plant near Damascus, state media said Thursday, in a sign of growing economic ties.

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Israel Holds 'War Drill' in Case of New Covid Strain

In what it called a world first, Israel on Thursday held a "war game drill" in case of an outbreak of a new lethal variant of Covid-19.

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Incoming CEO of Israeli Spyware Firm NSO Steps Down

The designated chief executive of NSO, the Israeli firm infamous for phone hacking, is resigning less than two weeks after being nominated, a source close to the company said Thursday.

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Gulf States in First Joint Naval Exercise with Israel

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are holding their first joint naval exercise with Israel, a year after normalizing ties with the Jewish state, the US Navy said on Thursday.

The five-day maneuvers in the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal,  are intended to "enhance interoperability between participating forces", a statement said.

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Algeria Welcomes 'Respectful' French Comments amid Row

Algeria has welcomed comments from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron expressing regret over a row sparked by his criticism of the former French colony.

Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra also confirmed Algerian officials would attend a conference on Libya in Paris, although not President Abdelmadjid Tebboune himself.

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Spanish Woman Admits to Aiding Banned Palestinian Group

A Spanish woman has admitted under a plea bargain reached in an Israeli military court that she raised large sums of money that were diverted to a banned militant group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Israel seized on the conviction as proof that it was justified in branding six Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist groups last month. But the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a separate group, court documents suggest the woman knew little about the scheme and she was not implicated in any militant activities by the PFLP.

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Iraqi PM Tours Baghdad Area Days after Assassination Attempt

Iraq's prime minister has toured a Baghdad neighborhood on foot, three days after he escaped an assassination attempt at his home in the Iraqi capital.

In his first public appearance outside his residence since the attack, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's office said some residents of the eastern neighborhood of Sadr City congratulated him for surviving Sunday's drone attack, in which he was lightly injured.

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