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Voice of America
US Sees Signs of Progress on Deal to Release Israeli Hostages, Pause War
WASHINGTON — U.S. negotiators are making progress on a potential agreement under which Israel would pause military operations against Hamas in Gaza for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages who were captured in the October 7 attack on Israel, according to two senior administration officials.
The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said Saturday that emerging terms of the yet-to-be sealed deal would play out over two...
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Iran Launches 3 Satellites Into Space
JERUSALEM — Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space, the latest for a program that the West says improves Tehran's ballistic missiles.
The state-run IRNA news agency said the launch also saw the successful use of Iran's Simorgh rocket, which has had multiple failures in the past.
The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
While Iran has not intervened militarily in...
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Netanyahu Under Pressure Over Israel Troop Losses, Hostages
JERUSALEMf — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a mounting crisis after Israel's worst day of troop losses in the Gaza war, as well as growing protests over his failure to bring hostages back.
The military's strategy in the Palestinian territory is under intense scrutiny following the death of 24 troops on Monday, Israel's biggest one-day loss since its ground offensive in Gaza started in late October.
Among those killed were 21 reservists, who died in a single...
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Israelis and Palestinians: Two Tales of Displacement After October 7
The October 7 terror attack by Hamas pushed Israelis out of their kibbutz on the border with Gaza. Palestinian workers employed in Israel found themselves without a place to go. VOA’s Celia Mendoza shares from East Jerusalem, Israel, the journeys of two men displaced by this conflict. Camera: Walid Sababa
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Pakistan Urges Iran to Investigate 'Horrifying' Slayings of 9 Citizens
islamabad — Pakistan confirmed Saturday that nine of its nationals were killed by gunmen in neighboring Iran, demanding an immediate investigation into the "terrorist incident" to punish the perpetrators.
Iranian media reported that the early morning shooting occurred in a home in the southeastern city of Saravan in Sistan-Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan.
"It is a horrifying and despicable incident, and we condemn it unequivocally," said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch,...
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Iraq, US in Talks to End Coalition Mission Targeting Islamic State
BEIRUT — The United States and Iraq held a first session of formal talks Saturday in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had sponsored “the commencement of the first round of bilateral dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America to end the mission of the Coalition in Iraq.”
The beginning of talks, announced by both...
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Gunmen Kill 9 People in Iran Near Pakistan Border
TEHRAN, Iran — Unknown gunmen shot to death nine people Saturday in the southeastern part of Iran that borders Pakistan, media reports said.
A report by the semiofficial Mehr news agency said the shooting took place in a home near the town of Saravan, in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. It added that the victims were not Iranian.
No official news outlet reported the shooting, and no group has yet taken responsibility for the attack.
HalVash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people,...
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ICJ Ruling Won’t Change US Policy on Gaza, Says White House
The White House says the preliminary order by the International Court of Justice that Israel must take urgent action to prevent genocide in Gaza, is consistent with the Biden administration’s approach to the war and will not change U.S. policy supporting Israel. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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US Advances Fighter Jet Sale to Turkey, Greece
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Friday formally informed Congress of its intention to proceed with the $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, taking a major step toward completing a long-delayed process that tested ties with Ankara.
The State Department sent the notification to advance the sale of 40 Lockheed Martin F-16s and nearly 80 modernization kits to Turkey, a day after Ankara fully completed ratification of the NATO membership of Sweden, a...
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UN Official Warns Growing Hostility Could Break Down Civil Order in Gaza
geneva — A senior United Nations official has warned that civil order could break down in Gaza if escalating hostilities force more and more Palestinians to flee to Rafah, an area crammed with 1.3 million people which prior to Hamas' brutal assault in Israel on October 7 accommodated fewer than 300,000.
"It is packed. There is no space. People are angry. There is no food. There can be a civil disorder, a breakdown of civil order," said Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human...
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Ramaphosa Says South Africa 'Vindicated' in Israel Genocide Case
Johannesburg — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday praised the International Court of Justice for essentially ruling that its case against Israel had merit.
South Africa is disappointed the ICJ did not order an immediate cease-fire, but the court did order Israel to take measures to avoid more deaths in Gaza and allow humanitarian access.
A significant majority of the 17 ICJ judges in The Hague ruled South Africa has a plausible case against Israel under the international...
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Several UN Agency Staff Fired for Alleged Ties to October 7 Attack on Israel
NEW YORK — The United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Friday that it fired several of its employees after Israeli authorities provided the agency with information alleging their participation in the October 7 Hamas terror attack inside Israel.
"To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth...
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Tanker Ship Reports Missile Fire in Red Sea Near Yemen
UNITED NATIONS — A commercial vessel operating in the Red Sea Friday reported that two missiles exploded in the water near its position as it sailed near Yemen, but caused no damage or injuries.
Safety organization United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations – UKMTO – said it received a report from the vessel that an explosion was heard and a missile was sighted about seven kilometers from the ship’s position, 111 kilometers from the Yemeni city of Aden.
The ship reported a second explosion...
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On TikTok, 'Tim Houthi Chalamet' Sends Yemen Rebels' Message to West
Sanaa, Yemen — Gazing smolderingly into the camera as he boards a hijacked ship, a young influencer is gaining attention as he promotes a controversial cause: Yemen's Houthi rebels and their attacks in the Red Sea.
Rashed Al-Haddad, 19, has become a minor celebrity for his social media posts, some set to triumphant music and showing him brandishing the red, white and black flag of Yemen, with a large ceremonial dagger thrust into his belt.
Though not a member of the Iran-backed group,...
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