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Paris court to decide on validity of France's arrest warrant for Syria's Assad

The Paris appeals court is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to uphold an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar Assad that France issued last year for alleged complicity in war crimes during Syria's civil war.

French judicial authorities issued international arrest warrants last November for Assad; his brother Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division; and two Syrian generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. They include a 2013 chemical attack on then opposition-held Damascus suburbs.

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US army shows reporters pier project in Gaza as it takes another stab at aid delivery

With U.S. soldiers within shouting distance of Gaza's bombed-out coast, the American military is taking another stab at delivering aid to hungry Palestinians by sea.

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Palestinian who posed no threat was shot, beaten and tied to an Israeli army jeep

When Mujahid Abadi stepped outside to see if Israeli forces had entered his uncle's neighborhood, he was shot in the arm and the foot. That was only the start of his ordeal. Hours later, beaten and bloodied, he found himself strapped to the searing hood of an Israeli military jeep driving down a road.

The army initially said Abadi was a suspected militant, but later acknowledged he had not posed a threat to Israeli forces and was caught in crossfire with militants.

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Suspected Houthi attack targets ship in Aden Gulf, Iraqi militants attack Eilat

Suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels early Wednesday targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden, while a separate attack claimed by Iraqi militants allied with the rebels targeted the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, authorities said.

The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have reduced shipping drastically through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip.

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Israelis' lawsuit says UN agency helps Hamas by paying Gaza staff in dollars

Israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack are suing the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in U.S. dollars and thereby funneling them to money-changers in Gaza who allegedly give a cut to Hamas.

But the agency, known as UNWRA, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the staffers were paid in dollars by their own choice. Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank don't have their own national currency, and primarily use Israeli shekels.

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10 children per day losing one or two legs in Gaza

Ten children per day are losing one or both of their legs in the war in Gaza, the head of the U.N. agency supporting Palestinian refugees said Tuesday.

"Basically we have every day 10 children who are losing one leg or two legs on average," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.

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International media probe finds Israeli tank likely hit AFP Gaza office

A collaborative investigation by AFP and international media outlets published Tuesday points to Israeli tank fire likely being the cause of blasts that damaged the global news agency's Gaza bureau on November 2.

The Israeli military has indicated "the building was not targeted in any way", and in June said the incident that occurred less than a month into the Gaza war was under review.

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UN agency for Palestinian refugees says funding crisis has eased

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that most of its donors have resumed funding and new ones have emerged, so it has enough cash through the end of August but faces a shortfall of up to $140 million by year-end.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said an independent review of its operations has helped rebuild trust in the agency, which has broadened its donor base by adding contributor countries such as Algeria, Iraq, Jordan and Oman as well as individual giving from Singapore.

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Israel top court rules state 'must' enlist ultra-Orthodox Jewish students in army

Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.

The court ruled that in the absence of a law that distinguishes between Jewish seminary students and other draftees, Israel's compulsory military service system applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizens.

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Israeli strike kills 10 relatives of Hamas chief Haniyeh

Gaza's civil defense agency said an Israeli air strike early Tuesday killed 10 family members of Hamas's Qatar-based chief Ismail Haniyeh, including his sister.

The Israeli military, which is on a campaign to destroy Hamas over the October 7 attack, told AFP that it "was aware of the reports but we cannot confirm" them.

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