(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNADoha: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met today with Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa at the US National Security Council HE Brett McGurk. Developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories were discussed during the meeting. His Excellency affirmed the State of Qatar's categorical rejection of the repeated crimes of the Israeli occupation forces by targeting civilian objects, including hospitals, schools, and population centers in the Gaza Strip, and considered it a dangerous escalation that portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region. His Excellency also stressed the continued efforts of the State of Qatar in mediation to release the hostages, noting that the continued bombing doubles the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and complicates mediation efforts. The meeting was attended by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs HE Barbara Leaf.

The Israeli army has struck the UN's Al-Fakhoura school in an attack that has left 50 people dead according to an official from Gaza's health ministry. The evacuation order comes as Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate central and southern Gaza, which the Israeli army has designated a non-combat zone where Gazans can flee. Two Israeli airstrikes that struck the city of Khan Younis this morning killed 28 people, with dozens injured and buried under the rubble. Another airstrike in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza killed six, with many others wounded. Since the start of Israel's siege and bombardment of Gaza, 12,000 people have been killed, including over 5,000 children.

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, CanadaZip Code

The win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome moved Italy into second in Group C behind already-qualified England. Qualifying would help the European champions bury the ghosts of last year's traumatic failure to qualify for a second straight World Cup. North Macedonia had become Italy's bogey team after denying Italy a spot in Qatar and drawing the previous group match in September. The spectre of another disaster reared its head when Jorginho missed yet another penalty in Italy colours five minutes before the break. Old demons could have come back to haunt Italy, but almost immediately Chiesa doubled the lead with a thumping low drive.

ROME (AP) — Federico Chiesa scored two first-half goals and defending champion Italy beat North Macedonia 5-2 Friday to gain a measure of revenge and move closer to qualifying for the European Championship. Italy now needs only a draw against Ukraine on Monday to secure a spot at next year’s tournament in Germany. North Macedonia kept Italy from qualifying for last year’s World Cup with a 1-0 playoff win over the Azzurri in Palermo. Italy and Ukraine now each have 13 points but Italy holds the advantage after beating Ukraine 2-1 in September. England, which beat Malta 2-0 and has 19 points, won the group.

Lobbyists for big emitters in the Global North must not be allowed to push false solutions on COP28. In late November, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) will be launched in Dubai. Such tendencies have already been observed at previous climate events, including most recently at the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in early September. But the final document issued by the summit – the Nairobi Declaration – did not reflect a consensus and the best interest of African nations. As we move towards COP28, the mistakes of the Africa Climate Summit and other similar climate events should not be repeated.

An atmosphere of Byzantine mysticism pervades the new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of New York, which has as its theme the influence of Byzantium in Africa. It is a large, international production with over 200 rare exhibits, such as the icon of Saint George from Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt (photo), which showcase a less illuminated area of history through the osmosis of Byzantine culture with its then flourishing societies North and East Africa. The Christian Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople was also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, which continued for almost a millennium after the fall of the empire’s western part.

Greek authorities say one woman has died and 19 people have been rescued after a dinghy carrying migrants to Greece capsized off an islet in the eastern Aegean Sea near the Turkish coastATHENS, Greece -- One woman died and 19 people were rescued after a dinghy carrying migrants to Greece capsized off an islet in the eastern Aegean Sea near the Turkish coast Friday, Greek authorities said. A coast guard statement said the woman was found unconscious in the water and was pronounced dead in hospital on the nearby island of Samos. The coast guard said no further people were reported as missing. Eighteen of the survivors were picked up off the islet of Agathonissi, and another was rescued by the Turkish coast guard in Turkish waters and handed over to a Greek patrol boat. Others attempt to skirt around Greece and head directly to Italy instead, either from Turkey or from north Africa.

Privacy OverviewThis website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-GazaThe release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas is the pathway to “pause” the war in Gaza, a top US official said on Saturday. “The release of hostages is the pathway to a pause in the fighting. To pause the fighting, release the hostages, the women, the children, the toddlers, the babies,” he said. AFP“I want to stress that once the hostages are released you will see a significant change.”Mr McGurk said there was not enough aid coming into the Gaza Strip to meet the needs of civilians. "We are working to get humanitarian aid into Gaza but the surge in humanitarian relief, the surge in fuel, the pause and fighting will come when hostages are released," Mr McGurk said.

Israeli Army Strikes South Gaza After North; Over 2 Dozens Killed In Khan Younis | WatchIsrael has expanded its military operations in southern Gaza after ravaging the northern part. At least 26 people have been killed in a strike on a residential building in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as Palestinian news agency Wafa reports. Israel also dropped leaflets over Khan Younis, telling people to evacuate to shelters, suggesting military operations there were imminent. Follow the Hindustan Times Channel on WhatsApp for News Alerts, Top Stories and Editor picks. Join Us Today - https://www.bit.ly/3PQ4kSv Subscribe to the Hindustan Times YT channel and press the bell icon to get notified when we go live.

The qualifiers for the European Championship 2024 are underway with all top teams vying for a spot in the premier competition. Some sides, including EURO 2016 winner Portugal and FIFA World Cup 2018 winner France, have secured qualification. As the next round of European qualifiers begin, here are the group standings at the moment:Group A standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Spain 7 6 0 1 22 4 18 18 2 Scotland 7 5 1 1 14 5 9 16 3 Norway 7 3 1 3 11 15 -4 8 4 Georgia 7 2 2 3 11 15 -4 8 5 Cyprus 8 0 0 0 3 28 -25 0Group B standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 France 6 6 0 0 13 1 12 18 2 Netherlands 6 4 0 2 10 7 3 12 3 Greece 7 4 0 3 12 6 6 12 4 Ireland 7 2 0 5 9 9 0 6 5 Gibraltar 6 0 0 6 0 21 -21 0Group C standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 England 7 6 1 0 21 3 18 19 2 Italy 7 4 1 2 15 9 6 13 3 Ukraine 7 4 1 2 11 8 3 13 4 North Macedonia 7 2 1 4 9 18 -9 7 5 Malta 8 0 0 8 2 20 -18 0Group D standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Turkiye 7 5 1 1 13 6 7 16 2 Croatia 7 4 1 2 12 4 8 13 3 Wales 7 3 2 2 9 9 0 11 4 Armenia 7 2 2 3 9 10 -1 8 5 Latvia 8 1 0 7 5 19 -14 3Group E standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Albania 7 4 2 1 12 4 8 14 2 Czechia 7 3 3 1 9 6 3 11 3 Poland 8 3 2 3 10 10 0 11 4 Moldova 7 2 4 1 7 7 0 10 5 Faroe Islands 7 0 1 6 2 13 -11 1RELATED: FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers points table: CAF standings, Libya tops Group D, Egypt leads Group AGroup F standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Austria 8 6 1 1 17 7 10 19 2 Belgium 7 5 2 0 17 4 13 17 3 Sweden 7 2 1 4 12 12 0 7 4 Azerbaijan 7 2 1 4 7 12 -5 7 5 Estonia 7 0 1 6 2 20 -18 1Group G standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Hungary 7 4 3 0 13 6 7 15 2 Serbia 7 4 1 2 13 7 6 13 3 Montenegro 7 3 2 2 8 8 0 11 4 Lithuania 8 1 3 4 8 14 -6 6 5 Bulgaria 7 0 3 4 5 12 -7 3Group H standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Denmark 9 7 1 1 19 8 11 22 2 Slovenia 9 6 1 2 18 8 10 19 3 Kazakhstan 9 6 0 3 15 10 5 18 4 Finland 9 5 0 4 16 9 7 15 5 Northern Ireland* 9 2 0 7 7 13 -6 6 6 San Marino 9 0 0 9 2 29 -27 0Group I standings:Position Teams Matches Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Switzerland 8 4 4 0 21 9 12 16 2 Romania 8 4 4 0 13 4 9 16 3 Israel 8 3 3 2 8 9 -1 12 4 Kosovo 8 2 4 2 9 8 1 10 5 Belarus 8 1 3 4 7 14 -7 6 6 Andorra 8 0 2 6 3 17 -14 2Group J standings:

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s 2021 legislative redistricting plan violates the rights of two Native American tribes because it dilutes their voting strength, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte said the redrawn legislative districts violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. North Dakota Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe, who is named in the lawsuit, did not immediately comment on the ruling. North Dakota has 47 legislative districts, each with one senator and two representatives. Lawmakers who were involved in the 2021 redistricting process have previously cited 2020 census numbers meeting population requirements of the Voting Rights Act for creating those subdistricts.

Watch Hamas Snipers Hunt Israeli Soldiers In Gaza | Hezbollah Strikes In North, 4 Israelis HurtHamas' Al-Qassam Brigades released a video of its sharpshooters attacking Israeli ground soldiers in the Gaza strip. The footage also shows attacks by Hamas militants with mortar shells on Israeli forces inside the Gaza buildings. Hindustan Times independently cannot verify the authenticity of the video. The war in Gaza has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians since October 7 when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel and killed around 1200 people including soldiers and civilians and abducted more than 200 into Gaza. Watch the video for more.

[ii] Scholz emphasized that the security of Israel and its citizens is a matter of German responsibility to atone for the Jewish Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime in the 1940s. [iii] Germany’s unique historical responsibility towards Israel is underscored by the concept of “Staatsräson” (reason of state), a term used by former Chancellor Angela Merkel and reiterated by her successor, Olaf Scholz. The German government has expedited the processing of export applications for military equipment to Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attack. German authorities, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have described and characterized pro-Palestinian protests and marches in Germany as potentially using anti-Semitic slogans and glorifying violence. The government has taken a hard-line stance against such protests, with the German state outright banning most pro-Palestinian demonstrations.