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Turkey bars Israeli ships, flights from its territory

Turkey's top diplomat said Friday that Ankara had closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and planes, with a diplomatic source telling AFP the ban applied to "official" flights.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have been shattered by Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, with Ankara accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in the tiny Palestinian territory -- a term roundly rejected by Israel -- and suspending all trade ties in May last year.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addresses parliament during a special session on Gaza

US denies visas to Palestinian officials ahead of UN General Assembly

(Reuters) -The U.S. is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Friday.

The restrictions mean that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would likely not be able to travel to New York to deliver an address to the annual gathering, as he typically does.

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas looks on as he visits the Istishari Cancer Center in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman/File Photo

Putin to hold talks with Xi, attend SCO summit and military parade during China trip, Kremlin says

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with President Xi Jinping in China next week, attend a security summit, and be the "main guest" of Xi's at a military parade on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Putin will be in China, Russia's biggest trading partner, from August 31 to September 3, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, saying a four-day trip of its kind was very rare for the Russian leader.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a festive concert, held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. Sergei Bobylyov/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERS /File Photo

Turkey says it bars Israeli ships from its ports, restricting airspace

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey has decided to bar Israeli vessels from using its ports, forbid Turkish ships from using Israeli ports and impose restrictions on planes entering Turkish airspace, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday.

He provided few details in comments to parliament which appeared to summarise steps that Turkey has already taken against Israel over the war in Gaza or has started to implement.

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference following the inaugural meeting of the Balkans Peace Platform, a Turkish-led initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and cooperation across the Western Balkans, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

US to refuse visas to Palestinian officials at UN summit on state

The United States said Friday it will deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority to attend next month's UN General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognize a Palestinian state.

The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which is fighting a war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Israel adamantly rejects a Palestinian state and has sought to lump together the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority with rival Hamas.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025

Palestinian factions hand over weapons from Beirut camps: official

Palestinian factions in several Beirut refugee camps surrendered their weapons to the Lebanese army on Friday, an official said, as the government disarms non-state groups.

Ramez Dimashkieh, chairman of the official Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, told AFP that "the Palestine Liberation Organisation handed over three truckloads of weapons to the Lebanese army", including rockets and heavy weapons.

Trucks loaded with Palestinian weapons pull out of the Burj al-Barajneh camp in the Lebanese capital, completing the disarmament of Palestine Liberation Organisation factions in Beirut refugee camps.

Israel pounds Gaza City outskirts as military push quickens

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's military stepped up armed operations around Gaza City on Friday, ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries, as it announced the recovery of the body of Ilan Weiss, a hostage seized by Hamas.

Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas after nearly 23 months of war, while facing a global outcry over starvation in the besieged enclave.

FILE PHOTO: Palestinians gather near a cemetery as smoke rises following an explosion during an Israeli operation in Gaza City, August 28, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Critical medical supplies run out as cases of rare syndrome rise in Gaza, WHO says

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -The World Health Organization has run out of critical medical supplies in Gaza that it needs to treat a surge in cases of a rare paralysis-causing syndrome in the Palestinian enclave, the U.N. agency said on Friday.

There have been 94 documented cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Gaza since June, resulting in 10 deaths, although GBS had rarely been seen in the enclave before the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years ago, it said.

FILE PHOTO: View of humanitarian supplies for Gaza, with the logos of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and World Health Organization, stored at the Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, Egypt, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool/File Photo

Egypt rounds up teenaged TikTokkers in crackdown on social media

By Menna AlaaElDin, Mohamed Ezz and Yazan Kalach

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egyptian authorities have been rounding up teenaged TikTokkers with millions of followers, detaining dozens in recent weeks on accusations ranging from violating family values to laundering money.

Police have announced dozens of arrests and prosecutors say they are investigating at least 10 cases of alleged unlawful financial gains. They have imposed travel bans and asset freezes and confiscated devices.

Ramy Abdel Aziz, a social media advisor uses his mobile during an interview with Reuters on a wave of cases prompting Egypt to consider tighter regulations on social media platforms, at his office in Cairo, Egypt August 19, 2025. REUTERS/Sayed Sheashaa

Israel recovers body of hostage Ilan Weiss from Gaza, PM's office says

(Reuters) -Israel has recovered the body of hostage Ilan Weiss from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

The remains of a second hostage, whose name had yet to be released for publication, were also retrieved, the statement added.

Weiss, 55, a resident of Kibbutz Be'eri, in southern Israel, was kidnapped from his home and killed during the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas, the Israeli military said.

FILE PHOTO: Relatives of Ilan Weiss, a victim of the October 7 attack by Hamas, gather at his burned home during a ceremony marking one year since the deadly attack, in Kibbutz Beeri, southern Israel, October 7, 2024. Reuters/Amir Cohen/File Photo