Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday defended its October 7 attacks against Israel but admitted to "faults" and called for an end to "Israeli aggression" in Gaza, where the health ministry said the death toll passed 25,000.
Southern Gaza is the latest focus of Israel's battle to destroy the Islamist group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country's history.
Khaled Ibrahim dreams of a home on the outskirts of Samarra, but a concrete wall built to protect the Iraqi city is stopping him and hampering sorely-needed urban expansion.
Built more than a decade ago at the height of Iraq's civil war which tore apart the multi-faith, multi-ethnic country, authorities say the wall must remain to prevent the threat of jihadist violence, even as security has gradually improved across the country.
Thousands of people demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Demonstrators marched through the city's Habima Square, a frequent protest site, with some carrying signs calling Netanyahu "the face of evil" and demanding "elections now".
Protesters demanding the return of hostages also gathered in Haifa and outside the premier's Jerusalem residence.
Iran on Saturday accused Israel of a strike in Damascus that killed five Revolutionary Guards members, and vowed to avenge the latest attack on the Islamic republic's personnel abroad.
President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran would not let the "cowardly assassination" go unanswered.
Israel has been accused of intensifying strikes targeting senior Iranian and allied figures in Syria and Lebanon -- backers of the Palestinian militant group Hamas -- raising fears that fighting in the Gaza Strip could spread further.
Iran-backed militants launched ballistic missiles at a base hosting US forces in western Iraq, causing one Iraqi and possible American casualties, the US Central Command said Saturday.
"Multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase," CENTCOM said in a social media post, which placed the time of the attack at 6:30 pm Baghdad time (1530GMT) Saturday evening.
Most of the projectiles were intercepted by the base's air defense systems but "others impacted on the base," the statement said.
Protesters clashed with police in the Italian city of Vicenza on Saturday after a demonstration against the presence of Israeli exhibitors at an international jewellery fair.
Police used water cannon against demonstrators who fired smoke bombs and flares after violence erupted after a planned march by hundreds of people, some holding up banners saying "Free Palestine" and "Stop Bombing Gaza".
More than 1,300 exhibitors from almost 40 countries are showing at the Vicenzaoro fair, which opened on Friday and runs until Tuesday, according to organisers.
Marom sprinted towards a post perched in the mountains above Israel's border with Egypt, slamming her M16 rifle onto a defensive position as part of a training exercise.
The 21-year-old soldier became one of the first Israeli women to fight in a combat role in Gaza, where she recently spent two weeks.
Israel's ground offensive in the Palestinian territory, which came in response to unprecedented attacks by Hamas militants on October 7 against southern Israel, has shifted military attitudes towards women.
An Israeli strike on Damascus killed five people in a building where "Iran-aligned leaders" were meeting on Saturday, a war monitor said, as regional tensions soar over the Israel-Hamas war.
"An Israeli missile strike targeted a four-storey building, killing five people... and destroying the whole building where Iran-aligned leaders were meeting," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fighting raged across Gaza and Israeli units raided the West Bank on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced growing domestic criticism, rejected calls for post-war "Palestinian sovereignty".
Alongside fierce fighting in southern Gaza and across the besieged territory, strikes in Syria and Iraq raised fears of a wider conflagration.
Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry reported at least 165 people killed over the previous 24 hours -- more than double Friday's toll.
The US military carried out another round of strikes against Yemen's Huthi rebels on Friday, targeting missile launchers that were preparing for attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the White House said.
Washington is seeking to reduce the Iran-backed Huthis' military capabilities, but the Yemeni rebels are still able to continue their attacks despite a week of strikes, and they have vowed that they will keep targeting merchant vessels.
