Middle East

Pope urges Israelis, Palestinians, to seek dialogue after surge in violence

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to make greater efforts to seek dialogue following recent deadly bomb attacks in Jerusalem and clashes in…

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MENA emerges as world’s fastest-growing crypto adopter -study

DUBAI, (Reuters) - The Middle East and North Africa are the world's fastest-growing cryptocurrency markets, with the volume of crypto received in the region jumping 48% in the year to…

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Update – Israel re-opens Gaza crossings as truce with Palestinians holds

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel reopened border crossings into Gaza on Monday following an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with the militant Islamic Jihad group that ended the most serious outbreak of fighting around…

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UPDATE: Juventus, Atletico called-off Tel Aviv friendly on security fears, to be played in Contanissa on Sunday

Aug 6 (Reuters) - The match between Juventus and Atletico Madrid will be held on Sunday at the Juventus training grounds in Contanissa. Earlier Juventus and Atletico Madrid have called off their…

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Israel says Biden visit may augur common Mideast market, with Saudis

TEL AVIV, July 11 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday he hoped a regional visit by U.S. President Joe Biden this week will lead to a common Middle…

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Disney+ takes on rivals in Middle East streaming market

DUBAI, June 9 (Reuters) - Disney+launched its steaming service in the Middle East and North Africa on Wednesday, vying for market share in a region where the population is young but few…

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Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre ‘resurrected’ for Palm Sunday mass as pilgrims return

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prayers in Arabic and Latin echoed in the rotunda of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday as Christians from around the world were once again…

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Climate-related disasters pose ‘major’ growth threat in Middle East, Central Asia – IMF

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The frequency and severity of climate-related disasters are rising faster in the Middle East and Central Asia than anywhere in the world, posing a "major threat" to…

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Israel’s U.S., Arab partners close ranks on Iran and urge Palestine talks

The top diplomats of the United States and four Arab countries convened in Israel on Monday in a display of unity against Iran but also used the rare summit to…

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Two Arab gunmen kill two police officers in Israel and are shot dead – Israeli officials

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Two Arab gunmen killed two police officers on a city street in Israel on Sunday and were then shot dead, as the U.S. secretary of state and three…

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Blinken to attend Israeli-Arab summit, eyes Iran and Ukraine in Mideast tour

JERUSALEM, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicks off a Middle East trip on Sunday in Israel, where he will take part in a rare Arab-Israeli summit and…

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Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinian attackers -Israeli officials

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday and was then killed when officers opened fire at him, a police spokesperson said.…

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COVID infections, deaths on the rise in Middle East

Middle Eastern countries have seen a rise in coronavirus infections in the last six weeks because of low vaccination rates, officials at the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said. Reported…

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U.S. approves potential weapons sales to Mideast allies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved several potential weapons sales to Mideast allies including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon…

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Oil price climbs to more than 7-year high on Mideast tensions, tight supply

Oil prices rose more than $1 on Tuesday to a more than seven-year high on worries about possible supply disruptions after Yemen's Houthi group attacked the United Arab Emirates, escalating hostilities…

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COVID-19 cases surged in Mideast in early Jan but deaths fell – WHO official

CAIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A "shocking" surge in COVID-19 cases across the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean region is probably due to the Omicron variant, a WHO official said,…

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Photo Story – Middle East Mourning

Palestinians relatives of Isra Ekhzemiya mourn during her funeral at Qabatya village near the West Bank City of Jenin, 20 November 2021. According to medical sources, Isra was killed on…

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Pentagon chief seeks to reassure concerned Middle East allies

MANAMA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought on Saturday to reassure allies in the Middle East that President Joe Biden's administration was committed to the region…

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Ransomware takes center stage in U.S. official’s Middle East trip

U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo will travel to the Middle East on Friday, a Treasury spokesperson told Reuters, where he will seek to build partnerships on ransomware and cybersecurity…

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Israel says it will loan Palestinians money after highest-level talks in years

Israel will lend the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority more than $150 million after the sides held their highest-level meeting in years, Israeli officials said on Monday, while playing down prospects of any major…

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Israel strikes Hamas sites in Gaza in response to fire balloons – military

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, Israel's military said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the strike that targeted what…

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Risk of ‘catastrophic’ coronavirus surge in Middle East- WHO

A surge of coronavirus cases in several Middle Eastern countries could have dire consequences, aggravated by the spread of the Delta variant and low vaccine availability, the World Health Organisation…

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New Israeli government seals coalition deals as Netanyahu era approaches its end

The new Israeli government set to end Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year tenure as prime minister signed its final coalition agreements on Friday, pointedly including term limits. The coalition of parties from…

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U.N. Security Council urges ‘full adherence’ to Israeli Hamas ceasefire

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday called for “the full adherence” to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and stressed the immediate need…

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UPDATED – Israel and Hamas agree Gaza truce, to be monitored by Egypt

Israel and Hamas will cease fire across the Gaza Strip border as of 2 a.m. on Friday (2300 GMT Thursday), an official with the Palestinian Islamist faction said, bringing a…

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U.N. chief Guterres calls Gaza ‘hell on earth’ for children

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday described Gaza as "hell on earth" for children, appealing to Israel for rapid and unhindered aid access and telling the 193-member General Assembly he…

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EU to seek Israel-Palestinian peace talks with US, Russia – Malta foreign Minister Bartolo

An emergency European Union video meeting on Tuesday is set to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, offer more humanitarian aid and try to relaunch…

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Abbas gets his first phone call from Biden amid Israel-Gaza fighting

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received an "important" phone call on Saturday from U.S. President Joe Biden, Abbas's spokesman said, the first call between the two leaders since Biden took office…

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Update: Israel-Gaza conflict rages, U.S. tells Israel to protect media after tower hit

GAZA/JERUSALEM, May 15 (Reuters) - Israel pounded Gaza, destroying a tower block that housed media organisations and which it said had militant assets, while Palestinian rocket salvoes hit Tel Aviv…

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Malta’s Foreign Minister calls for ceasefire in Gaza to stop the killing of many innocent people including children

Malta's foreign minister Evarist Bartolo called for a ceasefire in Gaza on Saturday during a meeting with his counterpart from the Palestinian National Authority. The two ministers agreed on the…

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Three rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon, no damage – Israeli military

Three rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Thursday but landed in the Mediterranean sea, causing no damage or casualties, the Israeli military said. It said after the rocket attack…

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Gaza conflict intensifies with rocket barrages and air strikes

Palestinian militants fired more rockets into Israel's commercial heartland on Thursday as Israel kept up a punishing bombing campaign in Gaza and massed tanks and troops on the enclave's border. The four…

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EU urges Israelis and Palestinians to prevent broader conflict

BRUSSELS, May 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief on Wednesday called for an immediate end to violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories that has killed…

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U.S. airlines cancel flights to Tel Aviv amid escalating conflict

May 12 (Reuters) - United Airlines, Delta Air Lines , and American Airlines have canceled flights from the United States to Tel Aviv on Wednesday and Thursday, according to data…

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Arab League, Turkey condemn Israeli actions in Jerusalem, Gaza

The Arab League on Tuesday condemned deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to move urgently to stop escalating violence that it blamed…

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Death toll rises in Gaza and Israel in most intense hostilities in years

Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza into Wednesday morning as the Islamist group Hamas and other Palestinian militants fired multiple rocket barrages over the border at Tel…

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War crimes court concerned over violence in West Bank – prosecutor

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is concerned about escalating violence in the West Bank and the possibility that war crimes are being committed there, its prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said on Wednesday. "I note with great concern the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as…

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