TEL AVIV (Reuters) -German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to halt the war in Gaza must be achieved by the start of next week at the latest but added that all the other issues would need time.

The first phase aims at a ceasefire, release of hostages and prisoners, restraint in the military conflict and bringing in supplies to Gaza - all of which are feasible, said Wadephul.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syria on Monday published preliminary results of an indirect vote for a new parliament, a key step in the shift away from ousted leader Bashar al-Assad but one that has sparked concerns about inclusivity and fairness under the country's new leaders.

Sunday's vote saw around 6,000 members of regional electoral colleges choose candidates from pre-approved lists, part of a process to produce nearly two-thirds of the new 210-seat body. President Ahmed al-Sharaa will later select the remaining third.

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -The Vatican's top diplomat sharply criticised Israel's "ongoing massacre" in Gaza in comments published on Monday - one of the Catholic Church's strongest condemnations of Israel's war against the militant group Hamas.

In an interview tied to the second anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, Cardinal Pietro Parolin also called those attacks "inhuman and indefensible" and urged Hamas to free remaining hostages.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

(Reuters) -Khalil Al-Hayya, the senior Hamas official who survived an Israeli raid on Qatar last month, was heading back to indirect talks with Israeli counterparts on Monday over President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza War.

Hayya, who lost a son in the current Gaza war and two sons in previous conflicts, has been based with other Hamas leaders in Doha.

Jokes about geriatric sex and endless profanity have been embraced by Saudi fans at the Riyadh Comedy Festival even as foreign comedians face a backlash for taking part.

The star-studded event, backed by a Saudi government body, has driven a wedge through the stand-up scene, as comics who staunchly defend free speech in the West are accused of hypocrisy.

It is one of a swath of new events in Saudi as the conservative kingdom, which has faced fierce criticism over its human rights record, tries to revamp its image and oil-reliant economy.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg landed in Greece on Monday alongside scores of fellow campaigners expelled from Israel after trying to ship aid to Gaza, AFP journalists saw.

The 22-year-old climate campaigner was one of hundreds of people who had boarded a flotilla that tried to break through an Israeli blockade of the war-stricken territory, with many complaining on their return to Europe of mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities.

Thunberg and 160 others landed at Athens International Airport, where crowds of activists welcomed them.

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to voluntarily maintain limits for a year on deployed strategic nuclear weapons "sounds like a good idea".

What would it mean for nuclear arms control and what are the main issues ahead?

WHAT DID PUTIN OFFER?

Having long declined to address arms control in isolation, Putin in September offered to voluntarily maintain for one year the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the New START Treaty, which expires on Feb. 5, 2026.

DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) -Iran and France indicated on Monday that talks on the release of two French citizens held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian national detained by France were progressing.

Iran has been holding Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris since 2022. An 18-year-old French-German cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, is also being held in Iran after his arrest in June.

By Ahmed Eljechtimi and Alexander Dziadosz

RABAT/CAIRO (Reuters) -Youth-led unrest that spread across Morocco last week revealed deep-seated anger over poverty and public services behind a storyline of ambitious infrastructure projects and modern stadiums opening ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

The protests in major cities – inspired by similar revolts in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru – devolved into riots in rural towns and remote cities. Three people were shot dead as they tried to storm a security headquarters, andover 400 were arrested, before the violence eased.

BERLIN (Reuters) -The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday that it was ready to act as a neutral humanitarian intermediary to help bring Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees back to their families.

"We are also prepared to bring aid into Gaza and distribute it safely to civilians in desperate need," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.

(Reporting by Friederike Heine, Editing by Miranda Murray)