Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, April 26-Xinhua

Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, April 26

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2026-04-27 06:02:45

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM -- The total number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since early March has risen to 2,509, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday.

The ministry added that at least 7,755 people have been wounded since March 2, as the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on the country despite a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. (Lebanon-Israel-Death Toll)

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that they will run together in this year's elections, aiming to unseat incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said in a statement that the move intends to "unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections." (Israel-Election-PM)

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TEHRAN -- Conveying Iran's conditions for ending the war to Pakistan, as a mediating country, is among the key purposes of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi's return to Islamabad, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.

According to Tasnim, Araghchi's return to Pakistan is not related to nuclear negotiations with the United States. Instead, the foreign minister is expected to discuss bilateral relations with Pakistan, along with other issues such as Iran's enforcement of a new legal system on the Strait of Hormuz, seeking war compensation, guarantees against repeated "aggression by the warmongers," and lifting the U.S. naval blockade. (Iran-Pakistan-Diplomacy)

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RAMALLAH -- The Palestinian Central Elections Commission on Sunday announced final results from local elections held in 183 municipalities across the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah.

Commission chairman Rami Hamdallah said at a news conference in al-Bireh that the vote took place under "extremely complex" conditions but was conducted with "integrity and transparency." (Palestine-Local Election-Results)