New rules in Israel for registering non-governmental organisations, under which more than a dozen groups have already been rejected, could have a catastrophic impact on aid work in Gaza and the West Bank, relief workers warn.

The NGOs have until December 31 to register under the new framework, which Israel says aims not to impede aid distribution but to prevent "hostile actors or supporters of terrorism" operating in the Palestinian territories.

When Sudanese nurse Asmaa returned to the Darfur city of El-Fasher, she found only bodies where her neighbours once lived and no sign of the family she had come to save.

The Rapid Support Forces, battling Sudan's military since April 2023, seized the army's last stronghold in Darfur on October 26 in a bloody offensive marked by executions, atrocities, pillaging and rape.

More than a month after Iraq's parliamentary elections, the country's top leaders remain locked in talks to form a government while facing pressure from Washington to exclude Tehran-backed armed groups.

Amid seismic changes in the Middle East, where new alliances are forming and old powers waning, Iraqi leaders face a daunting task: navigating relations with US-blacklisted pro-Iranian factions.

- What does the US want? -

The US has held significant sway over Iraqi politics since leading the 2003 invasion that ousted long-time ruler Saddam Hussein.

(Removes attribution to Israeli police from first paragraph)

JERUSALEM, ​Dec 19 (Reuters) - Israel has ​charged a Russian citizen with spying for Iran, ⁠including photographing Israeli ports and infrastructure under the direction of Iranian intelligence agencies, Israel's domestic security ​agency the Shin Bet said on Friday.

The ‍Russian individual was then ​paid in digital currency, the agency said in a joint statement.

By Cordelia Hsu

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - As two gunmen opened fire on hundreds celebrating Hanukkah on ​Sydney’s Bondi Beach, 14-year-old Chaya Dadon’s mind was ​clear.

Across from where she had taken cover from the gunshots under a bench, Dadon saw two children ⁠stranded out in the open, beside their wounded parents.

"I knew in that moment, I felt like Hashem was sitting right next to me," she said in an interview with Reuters, using ​a Hebrew name for God. "He was whispering into my ear,'This is your ‍mission: go save those kids'."

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A man credited with saving lives for wrestling a ​gun from one of the alleged attackers ​during a mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach received a cheque for more than ⁠A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday, after tens of thousands of people contributed to a donation website.

Ahmed al Ahmed hid behind parked cars before charging at ​one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his weapon and knocking ‍him to the ground. Ahmed ​suffered gunshot wounds after apparently being fired on by a second perpetrator and remains in hospital after undergoing surgery.

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Jewish community gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday ​for prayers, while hundreds of swimmers and surfers ​paddled out into the water to honour the 15 victims killed after alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire at ⁠people celebrating Hanukkah.

Authorities have said Sunday's shooting, Australia's deadliest in almost 30 years, appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State, and police have ramped up patrols and policing in ​an effort to prevent further violence.

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australian ​police said ​that seven men detained ⁠in Sydney's southwest on Thursday had ideological connections ​to the ‍two gunmen who ​allegedly fired at hundreds celebrating Hanukkah in Bondi Beach, killing ⁠15 people.

"We don't have definitive links between the individuals who committed these atrocities on Sunday and this yesterday ​apart from ⁠potential ⁠commonality in some thinking, but no associations at this stage," New South ‌Wales state Police Deputy ​Commissioner Dave Hudson told ABC Radio on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec ​18 (Reuters) - The ​United Nations ⁠General Assembly on Thursday elected Barham ​Salih, a ‍former Iraqi ​president who fled persecution under Saddam Hussein, ⁠asthe next U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Salih was elected without a vote ​by the ⁠193-member ⁠assembly after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominated him ‌to succeed Italy’s ​Filippo Grandi, who has led the agency ‍since 2016.

Salih will begin a ‌five year ‌term on January 1, 2026.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, ⁠Editing by Franklin Paul)

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday plans to sign ​into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defense ​policy bill, despite its provisions providing new aid to Ukraine and reining in his ability to ⁠dial down U.S. involvement in the defense of Europe.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than Trump ​requested.