US President Joe Biden said Friday he thought Hamas was motivated to attack Israel in part by a desire to stop that country from normalising relations with Saudi Arabia.

With an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza looming large, Israel has said it will step up its aerial strikes in the besieged Palestinian territory to create the “best conditions” for troops to move in.

Rafah (Gaza Strip) (AP): Israel's military spokesman said Israel plans to step up its attacks on the Gaza Strip starting on Saturday as preparation for the next stage of its war on Hamas.

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians running short of food, medicine and water in the territory that is under an Israeli siege.

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned home on Saturday on a special flight from Dubai after a four-year self-imposed exile in the UK to head his party and try to secure a record fourth term in the general elections expected to be held in January.

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime in the US for attacking a Sikh teenager on a bus here for wearing a turban, according to media reports.

Hamas on Friday freed two Americans -- a mother and her teenage daughter who had been held hostage in Gaza, the Israeli government said.

Former President Donald Trump was fined USD 5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.