The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told AFP Monday that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program were at a "difficult juncture" but dialogue would continue.

The UN Security Council voted on Friday to reimpose UN sanctions that had been frozen, after three European governments activated the "snapback" mechanism in a decade-old nuclear agreement accusing Iran of non-compliance.

Prominent British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was released from prison in Cairo, his family said on Tuesday, prompting an emotional reunion with his loved ones after a pardon from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Abdel Fattah, 43, was a leading figure in Egypt's 2011 uprising and an outspoken critic of the country's authorities who had been jailed for the better part of the past decade.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -The Gaza health ministry said two Gaza City hospitals have been taken out of service due to Israel's escalation of its ground offensive and damage caused by continued Israeli bombing, as tanks advanced deeper into the territory.

The ministry said in its statement that Al-Rantissi Children's Hospital was badly damaged a few days ago by an Israeli bombardment. At the same time, it reported Israeli attacks in the vicinity of the nearby Eye Hospital, which forced the suspension of services there, too.

By Pesha Magid

JABAL Al-BABA, West Bank (Reuters) -The land available to Atallah al-Jahalin’s Bedouin community for grazing livestock near Jerusalem has steadily shrunk, as expanding Jewish settlements on Israeli-occupied territory encircle the city and push deeper into the West Bank.

Now, the group of some 80 families faces eviction from the last patches of valley and scrubland they have called home for decades.

By Jun Yuan Yong

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore said on Monday it will impose targeted sanctions on leaders of Israeli settler groups and would recognise a Palestine state under the right conditions.

Western and other nations have been taking an increasingly hard line against settler groups and some Israeli officials they accuse of fomenting violence, while global recognition is growing of Palestinians' aspiration for an independent homeland.

(Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned high-profile Egyptian-British activist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, after a lengthy imprisonment and repeated hunger strikes that prompted international pleas for his release, Al Qahera news said on Monday.

Abd el-Fattah, 43, became Egypt's most prominent political prisoner after spending much of his adult life in and out of detention due to his activism, and a rare symbol of opposition to a far-reaching crackdown under Sisi.

Rubble and Hebrew graffiti mark Israel's presence in Syria's Quneitra province, where people accuse the southern neighbour's troops of demolitions, detentions and forced displacement -- defying ongoing security talks between the two sides.

"Israeli forces entered under cover of darkness and demolished my house, along with 15 others, with a bulldozer," said Mohammed al-Ali.

"They turned them into rubble within a few hours," said the 50-year-old from the southern town of Hamidiya.

Tens of thousands of people protested on Monday across Italy as part of a day of action to "denounce the genocide in Gaza", with blockades, strikes and marches that descended into clashes with police in Milan.

The demonstrations came on the same day as France and other countries prepared to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, following recognition by the UK, Australia and Canada on Sunday.

Italy's hard-right government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said it will not recognise a Palestinian state for now.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia still believes that a two-state solution is the only way to settle the conflict in the Middle East, the Kremlin said on Monday, after it was asked about a decision by some Western countries to recognise a Palestinian state.

Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, prompting a furious response from Israel.

ROME (Reuters) -Striking dockworkers blocked access roads to the port of Genoa in northern Italy on Monday, as part of protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Transport services also faced disruption and a number of schools across Italy were closed following strikes called by a group of unions in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In Genoa, in northwest Italy, some protesters waved the Palestinian flag during early morning gatherings around the port. Further down the coast in the Tuscan city of Livorno, an entrance to the port was blocked by protesting workers.