BAGHDAD -- Arab leaders on Saturday called for an immediate halt to the war in Gaza and voiced their rejection of forced displacement of Palestinians.
In the final statement of the 34th Arab League Summit, which kicked off in the Iraqi capital Baghdad earlier in the day, the leaders of the bloc's 22 member states demanded "an immediate halt to the war in Gaza and all hostilities exacerbating civilian suffering." (Iraq-Arab League-Summit)
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GAZA -- At least 64 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Civil Defense in Gaza said.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that seven young men were killed and several others wounded when Israeli artillery shelled a group of Palestinians trying to reach their homes in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. (Gaza Strip-Israeli Attacks-Casualty)
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DAMASCUS -- Syria's defense authorities announced late Saturday the integration of armed units into the national defense framework.
In a statement, Murhaf Abu Qasra, the chief of the Syrian defense authorities, said the move follows months of coordinated efforts aimed at unifying Syria's various military factions under a centralized command. (Syria-Armed Units-Merger)
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GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel resumed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha, according to senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi.
Mardawi said the talks are being held under Qatari and U.S. mediation in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and finalize a hostage exchange deal, without preconditions. (Hamas-Israel-Indirect Negotiations) ■
