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Khamenei makes first public appearance since Israel war

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country's recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported.

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Britain reestablishes full Syria ties as FM visits Damascus

Britain reestablished full diplomatic relations with Syria on Saturday, more than a decade after cutting ties, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy met the country's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus.

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Syrian authorities evacuate citizens amid major forest fires

Syrian rescuers evacuated residential areas in Latakia province because of major forest fires, authorities said on Friday.

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Efforts ongoing to halt Gaza war

"We'll see what happens. We're going to know over the next 24 hours," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One late Thursday when asked if Hamas had agreed to the latest framework for a ceasefire.

Hamas said Friday that it was holding discussions with leaders of other Palestinian factions to discuss a ceasefire proposal presented to it by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas said it will give its final response to mediators after the discussions have concluded.

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Dozens of Palestinians killed while waiting for aid

Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while a hospital said another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid.

Meanwhile, the U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 killings within the span of a month in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and as Palestinians try to reach aid at distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May.

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UN records 613 killings in Gaza near aid distribution points run by US group

Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while a hospital said another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid.

Meanwhile, the U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and as Palestinians try to reach aid at distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May.

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Syria says ready to work with US to return to 1974 disengagement deal with Israel

Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Friday that Damascus was willing to cooperate with Washington to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel.

In a statement following a phone call with his American counterpart Marco Rubio, Shaibani said he expressed Syria's "aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement".

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Putin tells Trump Iran, Mideast conflicts should be solved diplomatically

Russian leader Vladimir Putin stressed in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump that the Iran conflicts and others in the Middle East should be solved diplomatically.

"From the Russian side, the importance of settling all disputed issues, disagreements and conflictual situations be solved exclusively by politico-diplomatic means was stressed," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call.

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Trump says wants 'people of Gaza to be safe'

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he wanted "safety" for people in Gaza, as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week to push for a ceasefire.

"I want the people of Gaza to be safe more importantly," Trump told reporters when asked if he still wanted the US to take over the Palestinian territory as he announced in February.

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US contractors say colleagues firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.

Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers' internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.

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