JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how to instruct the military to meet his war goals in Gaza.

"We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said at the outset of a regular cabinet meeting.

By Markus Wacket

BERLIN (Reuters) -A senior lawmaker in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition on Monday said Berlin should consider sanctions on Israel including a partial suspension of weapons exports or the suspension of a European Union-wide political agreement.

The call by Siemtje Moeller, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary faction, reflects a sharpening of rhetoric from Berlin against Israel which has yet to yield any major policy changes however.

By Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hundreds of Lebanese gathered solemnly near Beirut's coast on Monday to commemorate a half-decade since the cataclysmic port blast of 2020, when more than 200 people were killed in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

Carrying Lebanese flags and portraits of some of the victims, many of those standing said they felt deeply disappointed that no one has been held to account for the devastating explosion.

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this week to decide on Israel's next steps in Gaza following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, with one senior Israeli source suggesting more force could be an option.

Last Saturday, during a visit to the country, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.

By Courtney Rozen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration said states and cities will not receive funding to prepare for natural disasters if they choose to boycott Israeli companies, according to an agency statement.

States must certify that they will not cut off “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to receive the money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the agency’s terms for grantees.

By AbdelHadi Ramahi

(Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates is facing surging temperatures this summer after its hottest spring ever, with temperatures soaring close to record highs at the start of August, according to data from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).

The extreme heat in the Gulf country is part of a broader global trend, as rising temperatures continue to reach new heights. Last year was the hottest ever recorded worldwide when global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial era levels.

By Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici

GENEVA (Reuters) -Hopes for a "last chance" ambitious global treaty to curb plastic pollution have dimmed as delegates gather this week at the United Nations in Geneva for what was intended to be the final round of negotiations.

Diplomats and climate advocates warn that efforts by the European Union and small island states to cap virgin plastic production - fuelled by coal and gas - are threatened by opposition from petrochemical-producing countries and the U.S. administration under Donald Trump.

Jordan has seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting its famed ancient city of Petra and other sites since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to officials.

Although Jordan does not border the Gaza Strip, it has been among several countries across the region impacted by the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Figures released by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority and reported Monday by the official Al-Mamlaka TV showed the number of visitors dropped by around 61 percent from 1,174,137 in 2023 to 457,215 last year.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Gaza on Monday, including 10 seeking aid, health authorities said, adding another five had died of starvation in what humanitarian agencies warn may be an unfolding famine.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Monday to update Israel's Gaza war plan, a day before a UN Security Council meeting on the fate of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory.

Addressing a cabinet meeting with the war well into its 22nd month, the Israeli leader told ministers that later in the week he would instruct the military on how "to achieve the three war objectives we have set".