Farida Abbas Khalaf, one of thousands of Yazidi women abducted, raped and brutalized by Islamic State group fighters, says the jihadists' departure has not made it safe to return to Iraq.

Turkey on Friday called on Russia and Iran to "stop" the Syrian bombardment of the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta after more than 400 civilians were killed there since Sunday.

The UN Security Council will vote Friday at 1600 GMT on a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations, diplomats said.

Dubai has said it is seeking international arbitration against Djibouti after the Horn of Africa nation terminated its concession at a key port that is the main transit route to landlocked Ethiopia.

Human Rights Watch is criticizing the way Turkey is conducting its offensive in northern Syria, saying it has failed to take necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties.

The New York-based group cites three attacks in the Afrin region in late January that it says killed a total of 26 civilians, including 17 children.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas appeared on local television Friday to downplay concerns over his health after undergoing what were described as routine tests in the United States.

In an interview with Palestine TV while in the US, 82-year-old Abbas rejected reports he had been rushed to hospital during his visit.

Warships, militia threats and multi-billion dollar deals: the scramble for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean is fuelling hope and tensions across a volatile region.

Seven Egyptian soldiers and 71 jihadists have been killed since the launch of a wide-ranging operation to quell an Islamic State group affiliate in Sinai earlier this month, the military said.  

Every morning, Umm Jamal stirs her coffee as heavy bombardment thuds overhead. This sparsely furnished basement in Syria's Eastern Ghouta has become her home since bombardment made life above ground too dangerous.

Like Umm Jamal, many in the rebel-controlled enclave outside the Syrian capital have been forced to live in spartan basements and makeshift shelters by fierce government shelling.

Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party accused the government of "spreading misinformation" about no civilian deaths in its latest Syrian offensive on Thursday, calling on Ankara to halt the operation.