BAGHDAD: Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not turned into a permanent cease-fire, the Iraqi prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day Israel-Hamas truce.
Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel has drawn in Iran-aligned armed groups in the region including Lebanese Hezbollah and several Iraqi factions, who have mounted near-daily attacks on Israeli and US forces.

CAIRO: An international watchdog has urged the UN Security Council to consider all options to protect civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region after the latest attacks killed hundreds of civilians.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been at war against the Sudanese military since mid-April, when months of tension exploded into open fighting in Khartoum, and other urban areas.

DUBAI: Steeped in more than 5,000 years of history, Gaza has long been an archaeological treasure trove, with workers at construction sites regularly uncovering ancient gems.

Discoveries such as the monastery of Saint Hilarion, and Tel Umm el-Amr, arguably Gaza’s largest archaeological site, are perhaps unsurprising given Gaza’s proximity to holy places of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, three of the world’s biggest religions.

Gaza’s historical significance stems also from its location on ancient trade routes between Egypt and the Levant.

ANKARA: Turkish police on Monday detained 98 suspects over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK militant group, most of them on a charge of spreading PKK propaganda on social media, the Interior Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said the suspects were detained in simultaneous operations across 18 provinces, with most of the detentions being in southeastern regions.

RAMALLAH: In Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank, long the turf of President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, the green flag of Hamas is flying ever higher thanks to prisoner-hostage exchanges.

For three nights, Palestinians have celebrated the return of dozens of detainees freed from Israeli jails, in exchange for women and children seized during Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

That has seen the popularity of Hamas soar in the West Bank, run by Abbas’ Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

Ahmed Abdelaziz, 63, joined the celebrations on Sunday.