<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-former-president-mohamed-mursi-dies-report-228094">Egypt</a> has asked international police agency Interpol to track down a 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun artifact that was sold in London for $6 million despite fierce opposition from Cairo, government officials said.

Christie's auction house sold the 28.5-centimetre&nbsp;relic for $5,970,000 to an unknown buyer in early July at one of its most controversial auctions in years.

But less than a week after the sale, Egypt's National Committee for Antiquities Repatriation (NCAR) said after an urgent meeting that national prosecutors had asked Interpol "to issue a circular to trace" such artifacts over alleged missing paperwork.

"The committee expresses its deep discontent of the unprofessional behavior of the sale of Egyptian antiquities without providing the ownership documents and the evidence that proves its legal export from Egypt," the NCAR said in a statement.

The committee headed by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and attended by his predecessor Zahi Hawass as well as officials from various ministries also called upon Britain to "prohibit the export of the sold artifacts" until the Egyptian authorities were shown the documents.

It suggested the issue could have an impact on cultural relations, by referencing "the ongoing cooperation between both countries in the field of archaeology, especially that there are 18 British archaeological missions are working in Egypt".

The NCAR added it had hired a British law firm to file a "civil lawsuit" although no further details were given.&nbsp;

'Stolen from Karnak'&nbsp;

The London sale of the head of "Boy King" Tutankhamun angered Egyptian officials at the time and sparked a protest outside Christie's by about a dozen people who held up signs reading "stop trading in smuggled antiquities".

Hawass told AFP that the piece appeared to have been "stolen" in the 1970s from the Karnak Temple complex just north of Luxor and the Egyptian foreign ministry asked the UK Foreign Office and the UN cultural body UNESCO to step in and halt the sale.

But such interventions are rare and made only when there is clear evidence of the item's legitimate acquisition by the seller being in dispute.

Christie's argued that Egypt had never before expressed the same level of concern about an item whose existence has been "well known and exhibited publicly" for many years.

"The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation," Christie's said in a statement to AFP.

The auction house has published a chronology of how the relic changed hands between European art dealers over the past 50 years and told AFP that it would "not sell any work where there isn't the clear title of ownership".

Egypt has asked international police agency Interpol to track down a 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun artifact that was sold in London for $6 million despite fierce opposition from Cairo, government officials said.

Egypt has asked international police agency Interpol to track down a 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun artifact that was sold in London for $6 million despite fierce opposition from Cairo, government officials said. Christie's auction house sold the 28.5-centimetre relic for $5,970,000 to an unknown buyer in early July at one of its most controversial auctions in years. But less than a week after the sale, Egypt's National Committee for Antiquities Repatriation (NCAR) said after an urgent meeting that national prosecutors had asked Interpol "to issue a circular to trace" such artifacts over alleged missing paperwork. "The committee expresses its deep discontent of the unprofessional behavior of the sale of Egyptian antiquities without providing the ownership documents and the evidence that proves its legal export from Egypt," the NCAR said in a statement. The committee headed by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and attended by his predecessor Zahi Hawass as well as officials from various ministries also called upon Britain to "prohibit the export of the sold artifacts" until the Egyptian authorities were shown the documents. It suggested the issue could have an impact on cultural relations, by referencing "the ongoing cooperation between both countries in the field of archaeology, especially that there are 18 British archaeological missions are working in Egypt". The NCAR added it had hired a British law firm to file a "civil lawsuit" although no further details were given. 'Stolen from Karnak' The London sale of the head of "Boy King" Tutankhamun angered Egyptian officials at the time and sparked a protest outside Christie's by about a dozen people who held up signs reading "stop trading in smuggled antiquities". Hawass told AFP that the piece appeared to have been "stolen" in the 1970s from the Karnak Temple complex just north of Luxor and the Egyptian foreign ministry asked the UK Foreign Office and the UN cultural body UNESCO to step in and halt the sale. But such interventions are rare and made only when there is clear evidence of the item's legitimate acquisition by the seller being in dispute. Christie's argued that Egypt had never before expressed the same level of concern about an item whose existence has been "well known and exhibited publicly" for many years. "The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation," Christie's said in a statement to AFP. The auction house has published a chronology of how the relic changed hands between European art dealers over the past 50 years and told AFP that it would "not sell any work where there isn't the clear title of ownership".

Egypt asks Interpol to trace Tutankhamun mask over ownership docs

White House senior adviser <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-middle-east-adviser-kushner-to-meet-european-union-leaders-224272">Jared Kushner</a> said on Wednesday that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-doing-spectacular-job-donald-trump-231336">US President Donald Trump</a> is fond of Palestinian President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mahmoud-abbas-regains-health-could-be-discharged-by-tomorrow-138733">Mahmoud Abbas</a> and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture.

In a conference call with reporters, Kushner said, "Our door is always open" to the Palestinians.

The Palestinians have refused to talk to Kushner and other architects of a US peace initiative unveiled at a Bahrain workshop last week. Kushner at the Manama conference outlined a $50 billion economic revival plan for the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is dependent on Israel and the Palestinians reaching a political settlement to their decades-old conflict.

Trump's proposals to settling the thorny political issues remain secret and are to be released later this year. There are doubts among Palestinians as to whether his plan will include the long-standing goal of a "two-state solution" - Israel and Palestine existing side by side in peace.

"President Trump is very fond of President Abbas," Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, said. "He likes him very much personally. And at the right time if they’re willing to engage I believe that they’ll find that they’ll have an opportunity. Whether they will be willing to take that opportunity will be up to them."

Abbas, asked about Kushner's remarks in Ramallah, said he would resume dialogue with the United States should the latter assert its recognition of the two-state solution and the right of Palestinian refugees to return.

"You want a dialogue? If yes, then you need to recognize the two-state solution and that east Jerusalem is occupied and that the international legitimacy is the ground for any dialogue," Abbas said during an event at his Ramallah office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"Send me those words on a piece of paper and the next day I will show up at the White House. Otherwise, no," he said. "Therefore, we are not closing doors with the United States, we are keeping the door narrowly open. If they like it, they are welcome," he added.

In comments likely to raise concerns among Palestinians, Kushner hinted that his peace plan might call on Palestinian refugees to settle where they are and not return to lands now in Israel.

Whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war of Israel's founding, who with their descendants now number around 5 million, would exercise a right of return has been among the thorniest issues in decades of difficult diplomacy.

Israel has long ruled out any such influx as destabilizing, arguing that refugees should stay where they are or in a future Palestinian state. But prospects of such a state arising in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are themselves in doubt.

Asked by a Lebanese reporter whether the United States hoped Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees would accept them permanently in exchange for funding, Kushner declined to answer directly, saying the matter would be addressed later. But he suggested a comparison with Jews displaced from Middle Eastern countries in 1948, many of whom Israel took in.

"Look, you have a situation when this whole thing started where you had 800,000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries and you had 800,000, roughly, Palestinian refugees," Kushner said. "And what's happened to the Israeli - to the Jewish - refugees, is they have been absorbed by different places whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time.

"I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue, one that is fair," he said.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is fond of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is fond of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and willing to engage with him, but Abbas was cool to the gesture. In a conference call with reporters, Kushner said, "Our door is always open" to the Palestinians. The Palestinians have refused to talk to Kushner and other architects of a US peace initiative unveiled at a Bahrain workshop last week. Kushner at the Manama conference outlined a $50 billion economic revival plan for the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is dependent on Israel and the Palestinians reaching a political settlement to their decades-old conflict. Trump's proposals to settling the thorny political issues remain secret and are to be released later this year. There are doubts among Palestinians as to whether his plan will include the long-standing goal of a "two-state solution" - Israel and Palestine existing side by side in peace. "President Trump is very fond of President Abbas," Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, said. "He likes him very much personally. And at the right time if they’re willing to engage I believe that they’ll find that they’ll have an opportunity. Whether they will be willing to take that opportunity will be up to them." Abbas, asked about Kushner's remarks in Ramallah, said he would resume dialogue with the United States should the latter assert its recognition of the two-state solution and the right of Palestinian refugees to return. "You want a dialogue? If yes, then you need to recognize the two-state solution and that east Jerusalem is occupied and that the international legitimacy is the ground for any dialogue," Abbas said during an event at his Ramallah office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "Send me those words on a piece of paper and the next day I will show up at the White House. Otherwise, no," he said. "Therefore, we are not closing doors with the United States, we are keeping the door narrowly open. If they like it, they are welcome," he added. In comments likely to raise concerns among Palestinians, Kushner hinted that his peace plan might call on Palestinian refugees to settle where they are and not return to lands now in Israel. Whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war of Israel's founding, who with their descendants now number around 5 million, would exercise a right of return has been among the thorniest issues in decades of difficult diplomacy. Israel has long ruled out any such influx as destabilizing, arguing that refugees should stay where they are or in a future Palestinian state. But prospects of such a state arising in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are themselves in doubt. Asked by a Lebanese reporter whether the United States hoped Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees would accept them permanently in exchange for funding, Kushner declined to answer directly, saying the matter would be addressed later. But he suggested a comparison with Jews displaced from Middle Eastern countries in 1948, many of whom Israel took in. "Look, you have a situation when this whole thing started where you had 800,000 Jewish refugees that came out of all the different Middle Eastern countries and you had 800,000, roughly, Palestinian refugees," Kushner said. "And what's happened to the Israeli - to the Jewish - refugees, is they have been absorbed by different places whereas the Arab world has not absorbed a lot of these refugees over time. "I think that the people of Lebanon would love to see a resolution to this issue, one that is fair," he said.

Trump 'very fond' of Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas, willing to engage on a peace plan: Jared Kushner

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to make an effort to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-former-president-mohamed-mursi-dies-report-228094/amp">death of former president Mohamed Morsi</a>, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week.

Speaking at an election rally in Istanbul, Erdogan said Morsi "did not die, he was murdered," and called on the Organisation of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/turkey-positions-itself-as-a-prominent-backer-of-muslim-community-in-new-zealand-204311">Islamic Cooperation</a> to act on Morsi`s death. He added he will raise the issue at the G-20 summit in Japan at the end of the month.&nbsp;

Erdogan forged close ties with Morsi, Egypt's first civilian president and a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member.

But Ankara's relations with Cairo ties deteriorated after the Egyptian military, then led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Morsi in 2013. Sisi then became president.

Erdogan has sharply denounced the military takeover in Egypt and called it a "coup".

On Wednesday, he said he would follow up on the process related to Morsi's death.

"We will do whatever is needed for Egypt to be tried in international courts."

The attorney general's office in Egypt has said that Morsi was "transported immediately to the hospital", where medics pronounced him dead -- a version confirmed by a judicial source.

Morsi was buried on Tuesday, as rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for an independent probe into the causes of his death.

Erdogan on Tuesday joined in prayer at an Istanbul mosque for the former Egyptian leader.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to make an effort to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Morsi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to make an effort to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Morsi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week. Speaking at an election rally in Istanbul, Erdogan said Morsi "did not die, he was murdered," and called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to act on Morsi`s death. He added he will raise the issue at the G-20 summit in Japan at the end of the month. Erdogan forged close ties with Morsi, Egypt's first civilian president and a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member. But Ankara's relations with Cairo ties deteriorated after the Egyptian military, then led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Morsi in 2013. Sisi then became president. Erdogan has sharply denounced the military takeover in Egypt and called it a "coup". On Wednesday, he said he would follow up on the process related to Morsi's death. "We will do whatever is needed for Egypt to be tried in international courts." The attorney general's office in Egypt has said that Morsi was "transported immediately to the hospital", where medics pronounced him dead -- a version confirmed by a judicial source. Morsi was buried on Tuesday, as rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for an independent probe into the causes of his death. Erdogan on Tuesday joined in prayer at an Istanbul mosque for the former Egyptian leader.

Turkey's Erdogan to push for trial of Egyptian government over Morsi's death

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan.

The United States has billed the gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader diplomatic effort widely referred to as President &nbsp;Donald Trump's "deal of the century" to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The participation of Egypt and Jordan is considered especially important because they have historically been key players in Middle East peace efforts and are also the only Arab states to have reached peace agreements with Israel.

But Palestinians are boycotting the meeting, saying Trump's peace plan is likely to be heavily weighted in favour of Israel and to quash their aspirations for statehood in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israeli and US officials say Israel has yet to be formally invited, given discussions between Washington and Bahrain over what might be an appropriate makeup of an Israeli delegation.

"The Palestinian Authority urges Egypt and Jordan not to attend the Bahrain conference," Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government said on Facebook after US officials announced the two nations, along with Morocco, would attend.

Melhem urged "all brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw", adding that participation "would carry wrong messages about the unity of the Arab position" on rejecting Trump's plan.

While the precise outlines of the draft plan have yet to be revealed, Palestinian and Arab sources who have been briefed about it say it has jettisoned the two-state solution. The plan faces possible delays due to political upheaval in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must fight another election after failing to form a government.

US Pressure

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said this month that Cairo would not accept anything the Palestinians did not support.

Tareq Baconi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who is based in Jerusalem, said both Egypt and Jordan had faced heavy US pressure to go to Bahrain.

"This is a significant disappointment for the Palestinians because it is a breaking of the ranks in the Arab region. Their call to boycott has not been heeded," Baconi told Reuters.

After Israel, Egypt is the largest beneficiary of US military aid and received $1.3 billion in 2018. Pro-Western Jordan was allocated $443 million in US military assistance last year. Both countries border Palestinian areas and Israel.

US3 officials have said they are inviting economic and finance ministers, as well as business leaders from the region and around the world, to discuss investment in the troubled Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Global financial bodies including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will be represented.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also confirmed their attendance, a White House official said.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday that Lebanon would not attend because "the Palestinians will not participate, and we prefer to have a clear idea of the proposed peace plan, as we have not been consulted or informed about it".

In a letter on Monday to diplomatic missions, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian economic crisis, which the conference is to address, was actually the result of what he called a "financial war waged by the Trump administration" as well as Israeli occupation.

Washington ceased its aid to the Palestinians early this year, dealing President Mahmoud Abbas another blow after recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moving the US embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv.

"If anyone is interested in the economic development of Palestine, they should tackle the root causes that prevented Palestinians from reaching their full potential in our country," Erekat said.

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan.

Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their attendance at a US-led conference on June 25-26 in Bahrain, voicing concern it would weaken any Arab opposition to Washington's coming peace plan. The United States has billed the gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader diplomatic effort widely referred to as President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The participation of Egypt and Jordan is considered especially important because they have historically been key players in Middle East peace efforts and are also the only Arab states to have reached peace agreements with Israel. But Palestinians are boycotting the meeting, saying Trump's peace plan is likely to be heavily weighted in favour of Israel and to quash their aspirations for statehood in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli and US officials say Israel has yet to be formally invited, given discussions between Washington and Bahrain over what might be an appropriate makeup of an Israeli delegation. "The Palestinian Authority urges Egypt and Jordan not to attend the Bahrain conference," Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government said on Facebook after US officials announced the two nations, along with Morocco, would attend. Melhem urged "all brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw", adding that participation "would carry wrong messages about the unity of the Arab position" on rejecting Trump's plan. While the precise outlines of the draft plan have yet to be revealed, Palestinian and Arab sources who have been briefed about it say it has jettisoned the two-state solution. The plan faces possible delays due to political upheaval in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must fight another election after failing to form a government. US Pressure Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said this month that Cairo would not accept anything the Palestinians did not support. Tareq Baconi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who is based in Jerusalem, said both Egypt and Jordan had faced heavy US pressure to go to Bahrain. "This is a significant disappointment for the Palestinians because it is a breaking of the ranks in the Arab region. Their call to boycott has not been heeded," Baconi told Reuters. After Israel, Egypt is the largest beneficiary of US military aid and received $1.3 billion in 2018. Pro-Western Jordan was allocated $443 million in US military assistance last year. Both countries border Palestinian areas and Israel. US3 officials have said they are inviting economic and finance ministers, as well as business leaders from the region and around the world, to discuss investment in the troubled Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Global financial bodies including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will be represented. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also confirmed their attendance, a White House official said. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday that Lebanon would not attend because "the Palestinians will not participate, and we prefer to have a clear idea of the proposed peace plan, as we have not been consulted or informed about it". In a letter on Monday to diplomatic missions, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian economic crisis, which the conference is to address, was actually the result of what he called a "financial war waged by the Trump administration" as well as Israeli occupation. Washington ceased its aid to the Palestinians early this year, dealing President Mahmoud Abbas another blow after recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moving the US embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv. "If anyone is interested in the economic development of Palestine, they should tackle the root causes that prevented Palestinians from reaching their full potential in our country," Erekat said.

Palestinians urge Egypt, Jordan to reconsider going to US-led conference

Liverpool star <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/mohamed-salahs-50th-goal-for-liverpool-is-incredible-208326&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjAiMuToOHiAhVB7XMBHZlxAAAQFjAIegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kD4GlAXMPqn5hHNEBPCKR">Mohamed Salah</a> headlines the 23-man Egypt squad Mexican coach Javier Aguirre unveiled Tuesday for the African Cup of Nations.

The tournament runs from June 21- July 19, with Egypt's first match against Zimbabwe on June 21.

Squad

Goalkeepers: 
Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Ahmed al-Shennawy (Pyramids) and Mahmoud Abdelrahim Genesh (Zamalek)

Defenders: 
Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa/ENG), Omar Gaber (Pyramids), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hamdy el-Winsh (Zamalek), Baher ElMohamady (Ismaily), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ahmed Ayman Mansour(Pyramids), Mahmoud Alaa (Zamalek)

Midfielders: 
Waleed Soliman (Al Ahly), Abdullah al-Saeed (Pyramids), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Ali Ahmed Ghazal (Feirense/POR), Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Kasimpasa/TUR), Amr Warda (Atromitos/GRE), Nabil Emad Donga (Pyramids), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG)&nbsp;

Forwards: 
Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly), &nbsp;Ahmed Hassan Kouka (Olympiacos/GRE), Ahmed Ali Kamel (Al Mokawloon)

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah headlines the 23-man Egypt squad Mexican coach Javier Aguirre unveiled Tuesday for the African Cup of Nations. The tournament runs from June 21- July 19, with Egypt's first match against Zimbabwe on June 21.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah headlines the 23-man Egypt squad Mexican coach Javier Aguirre unveiled Tuesday for the African Cup of Nations. The tournament runs from June 21- July 19, with Egypt's first match against Zimbabwe on June 21. Squad Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Ahmed al-Shennawy (Pyramids) and Mahmoud Abdelrahim Genesh (Zamalek) Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa/ENG), Omar Gaber (Pyramids), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hamdy el-Winsh (Zamalek), Baher ElMohamady (Ismaily), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ahmed Ayman Mansour(Pyramids), Mahmoud Alaa (Zamalek) Midfielders: Waleed Soliman (Al Ahly), Abdullah al-Saeed (Pyramids), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Ali Ahmed Ghazal (Feirense/POR), Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Kasimpasa/TUR), Amr Warda (Atromitos/GRE), Nabil Emad Donga (Pyramids), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG) Forwards: Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hassan Kouka (Olympiacos/GRE), Ahmed Ali Kamel (Al Mokawloon)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah headlines Egypt squad for African Cup of Nations

Four European countries and&nbsp;Egypt&nbsp;sent&nbsp;aircraft to help&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;battle&nbsp;wildfires&nbsp;that have forced the evacuation of some small towns,<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-gets-more-time-to-form-new-israel-government-218385"> Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu </a>said on Friday, as a record heatwave looked set to worsen conditions.

Firefighting planes were coming in from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Croatia,&nbsp;Israel's Foreign Ministry said.&nbsp;Egypt, on the orders of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, had also sent two helicopters to assist&nbsp;Israel, Netanyahu told reporters.

Israel's Fire and Rescue Service said blazes in a key corridor between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were mostly under control but difficult weather remained a conflagration risk.

"As of this moment, this (containment) is being done in the best possible way, but the challenge is yet ahead of us given the weather conditions, the winds and the extreme heat," Netanyahu said.

The Palestinian Authority and Russia had also offered help, he said.

Some 3,500 residents of small towns in the fire's path were evacuated on Thursday, officials said. Dozens of homes have burned down.

Four European countries and Egypt sent aircraft to help Israel battle wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some small towns, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as a record heatwave looked set to worsen conditions.

Four European countries and Egypt sent aircraft to help Israel battle wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some small towns, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as a record heatwave looked set to worsen conditions. Firefighting planes were coming in from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Croatia, Israel's Foreign Ministry said. Egypt, on the orders of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, had also sent two helicopters to assist Israel, Netanyahu told reporters. Israel's Fire and Rescue Service said blazes in a key corridor between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were mostly under control but difficult weather remained a conflagration risk. "As of this moment, this (containment) is being done in the best possible way, but the challenge is yet ahead of us given the weather conditions, the winds and the extreme heat," Netanyahu said. The Palestinian Authority and Russia had also offered help, he said. Some 3,500 residents of small towns in the fire's path were evacuated on Thursday, officials said. Dozens of homes have burned down.

Europeans and Egypt send air support as Israel battles wildfires

Egypt's election board said today that referendum to extend President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rule until 2030 has been passed with 88.83 per cent votes.&nbsp;

Sisi, who became president in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 after eliminating all serious political competitors was&nbsp;widely expected to win backing for the proposed amendments.

The sweeping changes would extend his current term until 2024 and would also give him the right to stand for another six-year term.

Other controversial amendments on the ballot included boosting his control over the judiciary and giving the military even greater influence in Egyptian political life.

On the first day of the referendum, some voters told AFP their employers had encouraged them to vote "Yes" and transported them to polling stations in company buses.

In their initial report, an international observer team said: "there were no hurdles to voting".

Egypt's state-affiliated foreign media body on Sunday denounced instances of critical international coverage.

The referendum also proposes other changes to the five-year-old constitution, including creating a second parliamentary chamber and a quota ensuring at least 25 per cent of lawmakers are women.

The final results will be announced on April 27.

Egypt's election board said today that referendum to extend President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rule until 2030 has been passed with 88.83 per cent votes. Sisi, who became president in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 after eliminating all serious political competitors was widely expected to win backing for the proposed amendments.

Egypt's election board said today that referendum to extend President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rule until 2030 has been passed with 88.83 per cent votes. Sisi, who became president in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 after eliminating all serious political competitors was widely expected to win backing for the proposed amendments. The sweeping changes would extend his current term until 2024 and would also give him the right to stand for another six-year term. Other controversial amendments on the ballot included boosting his control over the judiciary and giving the military even greater influence in Egyptian political life. On the first day of the referendum, some voters told AFP their employers had encouraged them to vote "Yes" and transported them to polling stations in company buses. In their initial report, an international observer team said: "there were no hurdles to voting". Egypt's state-affiliated foreign media body on Sunday denounced instances of critical international coverage. The referendum also proposes other changes to the five-year-old constitution, including creating a second parliamentary chamber and a quota ensuring at least 25 per cent of lawmakers are women. The final results will be announced on April 27.

Egypt referendum extending Sisi's rule passed with 88.83% votes: Election board

Egyptians voted on Sunday for a second day on whether to back constitutional amendments that could see President <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/egyptians-vote-in-referendum-to-extend-president-sisis-rule-211955&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj2u4XM8uLhAhUD3Y8KHZlYDfcQFggLMAI&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ebz_2p93OwHAbYqAvxNIo">Abdel Fattah al-Sisi </a>stay in power until 2030.

The three-day referendum was called last week, a day after Egypt's parliament overwhelmingly endorsed the proposals, which would also bolster the role of the military and expand the president's power over judicial appointments.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-opposition-urges-people-to-reject-sisi-amendment-211713&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj2u4XM8uLhAhUD3Y8KHZlYDfcQFggOMAM&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0MMR0kLfxRMpF8d1QK8_fM">Sisi</a>'s supporters argue that he has stabilised Egypt and needs more time to reform the economy, but critics say they fear that the changes will stifle debate.

While the changes are expected to pass, observers say the turnout will be a test of Sisi's popularity, which has been dented by austerity measures since 2016. He was re-elected last year with 97 per cent of the votes.

An election commission spokesman said voter turnout on the first day was good, but he declined to give figures since disclosing partial results violates Egyptian law.

"The crowding that we see (at polling stations) indicates that all classes of people have participated," Mahmoud el-Sherif told a news conference.

A Reuters reporter saw voters receiving vouchers for groceries after leaving a central Cairo polling station, which they then exchanged for packages of cooking oil, pasta sugar and tea at a nearby charity.

It was not immediately possible to verify who was distributing the food.

Sherif said that the commission was monitoring the vote for any violations, which he said could constitute "electoral crimes".

"The commission has received no notifications or complaints of this kind so far," Sherif told Reuters.

The election commission says it has strict measures to ensure a fair and free vote, posting judges at each polling station and using special ink to prevent multiple voting.

If approved, the amendments would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and allow him to run again for a third six-year term in 2024.

They would also grant the president control over appointing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of candidates, and give Egypt's powerful military the role of protecting "the constitution and democracy".

Proponents of the changes have argued that Sisi, a former army chief, came to power with a huge mandate after mass protests in 2013 against Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's one year in office. With the economy improving, they say Sisi deserves more time to build on reforms.

Those who oppose the proposals say a central promise of the 2011 uprising that toppled then-President Hosni Mubarak is at risk: the principle of the peaceful transfer of power.

Some 61 million of Egypt's nearly 100 million population are eligible to vote. The result is expected within five days of the final day of voting. 
&nbsp;

Egyptians voted on Sunday for a second day on whether to back constitutional amendments that could see President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stay in power until 2030. The three-day referendum was called last week, a day after Egypt's parliament overwhelmingly endorsed the proposals, which would also bolster the role of the military and expand the president's power over judicial appointments.

Egyptians voted on Sunday for a second day on whether to back constitutional amendments that could see President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stay in power until 2030. The three-day referendum was called last week, a day after Egypt's parliament overwhelmingly endorsed the proposals, which would also bolster the role of the military and expand the president's power over judicial appointments. Sisi's supporters argue that he has stabilised Egypt and needs more time to reform the economy, but critics say they fear that the changes will stifle debate. While the changes are expected to pass, observers say the turnout will be a test of Sisi's popularity, which has been dented by austerity measures since 2016. He was re-elected last year with 97 per cent of the votes. An election commission spokesman said voter turnout on the first day was good, but he declined to give figures since disclosing partial results violates Egyptian law. "The crowding that we see (at polling stations) indicates that all classes of people have participated," Mahmoud el-Sherif told a news conference. A Reuters reporter saw voters receiving vouchers for groceries after leaving a central Cairo polling station, which they then exchanged for packages of cooking oil, pasta sugar and tea at a nearby charity. It was not immediately possible to verify who was distributing the food. Sherif said that the commission was monitoring the vote for any violations, which he said could constitute "electoral crimes". "The commission has received no notifications or complaints of this kind so far," Sherif told Reuters. The election commission says it has strict measures to ensure a fair and free vote, posting judges at each polling station and using special ink to prevent multiple voting. If approved, the amendments would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and allow him to run again for a third six-year term in 2024. They would also grant the president control over appointing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of candidates, and give Egypt's powerful military the role of protecting "the constitution and democracy". Proponents of the changes have argued that Sisi, a former army chief, came to power with a huge mandate after mass protests in 2013 against Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's one year in office. With the economy improving, they say Sisi deserves more time to build on reforms. Those who oppose the proposals say a central promise of the 2011 uprising that toppled then-President Hosni Mubarak is at risk: the principle of the peaceful transfer of power. Some 61 million of Egypt's nearly 100 million population are eligible to vote. The result is expected within five days of the final day of voting.

Egyptians vote for second day in referendum on keeping Sisi in power

Egyptians voted on Saturday in a three-day referendum on constitutional changes that could allow <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-opposition-urges-people-to-reject-sisi-amendment-211713">President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi</a> to stay in office until 2030 and boost the role of the powerful military.

Sisi's supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms. Critics say they concentrate more power in Sisi's hands and return Egypt to an authoritarian model.

While the changes are expected to pass, observers say the turnout will be a test of Sisi's popularity, which has been dented by austerity measures since 2016. He was re-elected last year with 97 per cent of the votes, on 41 per cent turnout.

Polls closed at 1900 GMT and at the time, the national election commission had not yet given official figures for the turnout on the first day.

The country's small but vocal opposition called on supporters to vote against the changes instead of boycotting the polls like they did in the presidential election.

Former presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabahy and Khaled Ali both posted photos of themselves with ballot papers marked No.

People carrying flags and wearing T-shirts saying "do the right thing" - the slogan plastered on thousands of posters across the capital ahead of the referendum - meanwhile campaigned for a Yes vote.

A double-decker bus blasting patriotic music circled around polling stations close to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 2011 uprising that ended former President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

"I believe that everything the president has done was for the good of the country, and I believe that we want the march to continue," Mona Quarashi, head of a local development NGO, said before she voted in downtown Cairo.

But a hairdresser in a Cairo suburb said he did not vote.

"I cannot participate in a farce like this," said Zaki Mohamed, 45. "Does it makes sense to have a referendum on articles in the constitution without studying these articles and for whose interest? We have gone many years back, back to the authority of the individual."

If approved, the amendments would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and allow him to run again for a third six-year term in 2024.

They would also grant the president control over appointing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of candidates. They would task the military with protecting "the constitution and democracy and the fundamental makeup of the country and its civil nature".

"POWER GRAB"

Opponents say the changes are being rushed through without proper public scrutiny. Officials say Egyptians from all walks of life were given a chance to debate the amendments, and that all views were factored into the final proposals.

"This is the final deathblow after all the ambitions we had after the 2011 revolution," said Khaled Dawoud, a member of the opposition Civil Democratic Movement.

Sisi came to power after spearheading, as defence minister, the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi as president in 2013. He was elected as president a year later and won the second four-year term last year.

Under Sisi, Egypt has witnessed a crackdown on dissent that rights groups say is unprecedented in its recent history. Media and social media are tightly controlled.

Lina Khatib, head of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme, said the amendments "pave the way for a power grab" by Sisi.

"This has grave implications for prospects of democracy in Egypt in the medium term and makes it difficult for alternative political voices to contest power in the long term," she said.

Egypt's 596-member parliament, dominated by Sisi's supporters, approved the amendments on Tuesday, voting by 531 to 22 in favour.

Some 61 million of Egypt's nearly 100 million population are eligible to vote. Polls open at 0700 GMT on Sunday for the second say of voting. The result is expected within five days of the final day of voting.

Egyptians voted on Saturday in a three-day referendum on constitutional changes that could allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stay in office until 2030 and boost the role of the powerful military.

Egyptians voted on Saturday in a three-day referendum on constitutional changes that could allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stay in office until 2030 and boost the role of the powerful military. Sisi's supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms. Critics say they concentrate more power in Sisi's hands and return Egypt to an authoritarian model. While the changes are expected to pass, observers say the turnout will be a test of Sisi's popularity, which has been dented by austerity measures since 2016. He was re-elected last year with 97 per cent of the votes, on 41 per cent turnout. Polls closed at 1900 GMT and at the time, the national election commission had not yet given official figures for the turnout on the first day. The country's small but vocal opposition called on supporters to vote against the changes instead of boycotting the polls like they did in the presidential election. Former presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabahy and Khaled Ali both posted photos of themselves with ballot papers marked No. People carrying flags and wearing T-shirts saying "do the right thing" - the slogan plastered on thousands of posters across the capital ahead of the referendum - meanwhile campaigned for a Yes vote. A double-decker bus blasting patriotic music circled around polling stations close to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 2011 uprising that ended former President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. "I believe that everything the president has done was for the good of the country, and I believe that we want the march to continue," Mona Quarashi, head of a local development NGO, said before she voted in downtown Cairo. But a hairdresser in a Cairo suburb said he did not vote. "I cannot participate in a farce like this," said Zaki Mohamed, 45. "Does it makes sense to have a referendum on articles in the constitution without studying these articles and for whose interest? We have gone many years back, back to the authority of the individual." If approved, the amendments would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and allow him to run again for a third six-year term in 2024. They would also grant the president control over appointing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of candidates. They would task the military with protecting "the constitution and democracy and the fundamental makeup of the country and its civil nature". "POWER GRAB" Opponents say the changes are being rushed through without proper public scrutiny. Officials say Egyptians from all walks of life were given a chance to debate the amendments, and that all views were factored into the final proposals. "This is the final deathblow after all the ambitions we had after the 2011 revolution," said Khaled Dawoud, a member of the opposition Civil Democratic Movement. Sisi came to power after spearheading, as defence minister, the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi as president in 2013. He was elected as president a year later and won the second four-year term last year. Under Sisi, Egypt has witnessed a crackdown on dissent that rights groups say is unprecedented in its recent history. Media and social media are tightly controlled. Lina Khatib, head of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme, said the amendments "pave the way for a power grab" by Sisi. "This has grave implications for prospects of democracy in Egypt in the medium term and makes it difficult for alternative political voices to contest power in the long term," she said. Egypt's 596-member parliament, dominated by Sisi's supporters, approved the amendments on Tuesday, voting by 531 to 22 in favour. Some 61 million of Egypt's nearly 100 million population are eligible to vote. Polls open at 0700 GMT on Sunday for the second say of voting. The result is expected within five days of the final day of voting.

Egypt votes in referendum that could keep Sisi in power until 2030

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cast his vote on Saturday as polls opened in a referendum on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-parliament-backs-measures-that-could-extend-sisis-term-until-2030-211047">constitutional amendments</a> that would extend his rule.

Sisi cast his ballot at a polling station in the eastern Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, state television showed.

His supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms, but critics argue they concentrate more powers in Sisi's hands and return Egypt to an authoritarian model.

Egypt's 596-member parliament is dominated by Sisi's supporters and the changes are <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-opposition-urges-people-to-reject-sisi-amendment-211713">widely expected to pass</a>.

The referendum bucks the trend of the region's mini-Arab Spring, in which mass pro-democracy protests this month swept away veteran presidents in Algeria and Sudan.

Sisi made his grab for power in the turbulent years after the original Arab Spring protests of 2011 toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, who was followed in office by Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Sisi overthrew Morsi in 2013 and the following year won his first term as president. He was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 per cent of the vote after standing virtually unopposed.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cast his vote on Saturday as polls opened in a referendum on constitutional amendments that would extend his rule. Sisi cast his ballot at a polling station in the eastern Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, state television showed.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cast his vote on Saturday as polls opened in a referendum on constitutional amendments that would extend his rule. Sisi cast his ballot at a polling station in the eastern Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, state television showed. His supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms, but critics argue they concentrate more powers in Sisi's hands and return Egypt to an authoritarian model. Egypt's 596-member parliament is dominated by Sisi's supporters and the changes are widely expected to pass. The referendum bucks the trend of the region's mini-Arab Spring, in which mass pro-democracy protests this month swept away veteran presidents in Algeria and Sudan. Sisi made his grab for power in the turbulent years after the original Arab Spring protests of 2011 toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, who was followed in office by Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Sisi overthrew Morsi in 2013 and the following year won his first term as president. He was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 per cent of the vote after standing virtually unopposed.

Egyptian President Sisi votes as polling begins in referendum to extend his presidential term

A coalition of opposition political parties in Egypt on Thursday urged voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that could allow President <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-sisi-meets-libyan-strongman-haftar-in-cairo-state-media-210327&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj_qZHnwtvhAhXMQI8KHXTCA7YQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2dq6ggwB2ysiw-DKcvaZQH">Abdel Fattah el-Sisi</a> to stay in power till 2030.

"We want people to go and say no," Al Jazeera quoted Abdel-Aziz al-Husseini of the Karam party, as saying.

The Civil Democratic Movement, including liberal and left-leaning parties, called the amendments an "assault on democracy".

The three-day referendum will begin on Saturday. According to the constitution of Egypt, the president can contest for a maximum for two terms in which each term varies from four to six years.

Khaled Dawood, an opposition leader and former head of the liberal Dostour, or Constitution Party, said if the referendum passes, "our dream and hope to have a president who is elected once every two terms will come to an end''.

''Unfortunately, the Egyptian regime is not learning the lessons of the 2011 revolution or experiences in Algeria and Sudan," he said.

Political analysts have also accused Sisi of misusing the state funds and power to launch crackdown on his political opposition.

Opposition parties have claimed that they were banned from hanging banners in the streets to call on voters to reject the amendments and said they have only used social media to reach out to people.

The 64-year-old came to power in 2014 after overthrowing then-President Mohamed Morsi.&nbsp;

A coalition of opposition political parties in Egypt on Thursday urged voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power till 2030.

A coalition of opposition political parties in Egypt on Thursday urged voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power till 2030. "We want people to go and say no," Al Jazeera quoted Abdel-Aziz al-Husseini of the Karam party, as saying. The Civil Democratic Movement, including liberal and left-leaning parties, called the amendments an "assault on democracy". The three-day referendum will begin on Saturday. According to the constitution of Egypt, the president can contest for a maximum for two terms in which each term varies from four to six years. Khaled Dawood, an opposition leader and former head of the liberal Dostour, or Constitution Party, said if the referendum passes, "our dream and hope to have a president who is elected once every two terms will come to an end''. ''Unfortunately, the Egyptian regime is not learning the lessons of the 2011 revolution or experiences in Algeria and Sudan," he said. Political analysts have also accused Sisi of misusing the state funds and power to launch crackdown on his political opposition. Opposition parties have claimed that they were banned from hanging banners in the streets to call on voters to reject the amendments and said they have only used social media to reach out to people. The 64-year-old came to power in 2014 after overthrowing then-President Mohamed Morsi.

Egypt: Opposition urges people to reject Sisi amendment

Egypt's parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the constitution that could keep President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power until 2030, though they still have to be endorsed in a referendum to take effect.

The changes would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and then allow him to run again for a third term, which would last six years. The amendments would also bolster the role of the military in political life and increase the president's power over the judiciary, critics of the changes say.

The 596-member parliament, which is dominated by Sisi supporters, voted 531 to 22 in favour of the amendments.

A date for the referendum has not yet been confirmed, but Cairo is full of banners encouraging Egyptians to participate.

Sisi's supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms. His critics say they concentrate more powers in the hands of a leader accused by rights groups of presiding over a relentless crackdown on freedoms.

Egypt's parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the constitution that could keep President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power until 2030, though they still have to be endorsed in a referendum to take effect.

Egypt's parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the constitution that could keep President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power until 2030, though they still have to be endorsed in a referendum to take effect. The changes would extend Sisi's current term to six years from four and then allow him to run again for a third term, which would last six years. The amendments would also bolster the role of the military in political life and increase the president's power over the judiciary, critics of the changes say. The 596-member parliament, which is dominated by Sisi supporters, voted 531 to 22 in favour of the amendments. A date for the referendum has not yet been confirmed, but Cairo is full of banners encouraging Egyptians to participate. Sisi's supporters say the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms. His critics say they concentrate more powers in the hands of a leader accused by rights groups of presiding over a relentless crackdown on freedoms.

Egypt's parliament backs measures that could extend President Sisi's term until 2030

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed ben Abdelrrahmane Al-Thani has called for the strict enforcement of the UN arms embargo on both sides of the conflict in Libya.

"The war won't stop with the appeals launched from the first day which (Libyan commander Khalifa) Haftar has ignored -- nor, as Tripoli has called for, by freeing the (UN-backed) government from the embargo," Thani said in an interview published in Tuesday's La Repubblica.

Thani, during a visit to Rome, said the international community could end the fighting by enforcing the embargo against Haftar and preventing those countries that had supplied him with modern weapons and munitions from continuing to do so.

Asked if he meant Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, he noted that all three countries had close links with Haftar and had a stake in creating a regime like their own in Libya.

"And I ask the question: can someone explain how Haftar's troops were able to cover 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) of the desert towards Tripoli without anyone realising?"

Ten days ago, Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize the Libyan capital -- home to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed ben Abdelrrahmane Al-Thani has called for the strict enforcement of the UN arms embargo on both sides of the conflict in Libya. "The war won't stop with the appeals launched from the first day which (Libyan commander Khalifa) Haftar has ignored -- nor, as Tripoli has called for, by freeing the (UN-backed) government from the embargo," Thani said in an interview published in Tuesday's La Repubblica.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed ben Abdelrrahmane Al-Thani has called for the strict enforcement of the UN arms embargo on both sides of the conflict in Libya. "The war won't stop with the appeals launched from the first day which (Libyan commander Khalifa) Haftar has ignored -- nor, as Tripoli has called for, by freeing the (UN-backed) government from the embargo," Thani said in an interview published in Tuesday's La Repubblica. Thani, during a visit to Rome, said the international community could end the fighting by enforcing the embargo against Haftar and preventing those countries that had supplied him with modern weapons and munitions from continuing to do so. Asked if he meant Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, he noted that all three countries had close links with Haftar and had a stake in creating a regime like their own in Libya. "And I ask the question: can someone explain how Haftar's troops were able to cover 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) of the desert towards Tripoli without anyone realising?" Ten days ago, Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize the Libyan capital -- home to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Enforce UN arms embargo on Libya: Qatar

Leila's brother Amr was hanged in February.&nbsp;

The news of his impending execution -- one of many carried out under incumbent President <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-sisi-raises-minimum-wage-to-help-assuage-economic-hardships-206801&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiyh_DA0MzhAhUUi3AKHTXtDZgQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Pue2z8EpDAM8Boh6JZguR">Abdel Fattah al-Sisi </a>-- shook her.

"I found out at night that he would be hanged the next day," Leila told AFP, which has used pseudonyms in this story to protect families' identities.&nbsp;

"We were all in shock. My mother was hysterical," Leila said.&nbsp;

"It was a very tough night. I wouldn't wish it on anyone".

Amr was accused, along with eight others, of assassinating former prosecutor general Hisham Barakat, who was killed in a car bomb in June 2015.

Leila said Amr was preparing to get married -- buying suits and readying a new home -- when he was arrested in February 2016, in the family residence in a major southern Egyptian town.

She alleges he disappeared for two weeks, and that the family only found out where he was thanks to lawyers, and relatives of other prisoners.&nbsp;

Amr said she saw signs of torture, including scars, on her brother's body during jail visits.&nbsp;

Executions -- always by hanging -- have risen sharply under Sisi, who won a second term in March last year.&nbsp;

So far this year, fifteen people have been executed in two separate trials, calculations by AFP show.&nbsp;

And between early 2017 and late 2018, Egypt executed 92 people, according to a recent report by local rights groups Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Adalah for Rights and Freedoms.

These numbers are far higher than for previous governments, including that of former dictator Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in the 2011 Arab Spring protests.

A total of 11 people were executed in the last three full years of Mubarak's rule, according to Amnesty International.

'Arbitrary killings'&nbsp;

At a February summit with European Union leaders in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, Sisi vehemently defended the use of the death penalty.

"You are not going to teach us about our humanity...respect our humanity...as we respect yours," he said.

The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on executions Agnes Callamard told AFP the increased "use of the death penalty ... (constitutes) arbitrary killings" that are designed to crush dissent.&nbsp;

AFP spoke to families of men executed, and others who are on death row.&nbsp;

After the Sisi-led military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, experts note Egyptian judges have been more authoritarian, in line with an ongoing government crackdown which has incarcerated thousands.

"We are witnessing a rise in death sentences from tens per year before 2011 to hundreds per year after 2013," Sahar Aziz, a law professor at Rutgers University, told AFP.

London-based rights group Reprieve estimates that at least 2,159 individuals were provisionally sentenced to death between 2014 and 2018.&nbsp;

Hundreds of sentences have subsequently been commuted, but many remain on death row.

In March 2014 -- just prior to Sisi's elevation to the presidency in June that year -- the UN said Egypt's mass death sentences contravened international law.

The Egyptian legal system is based on Islamic sharia law, which legitimises capital punishment.

A high level Egyptian judicial source with knowledge of the death sentences handed down said, "there is no politicisation of these cases whatsoever".

"We are implementing Islam according to its laws and you're getting upset? If you are a terrorist who killed, then you must also be killed," he told AFP.&nbsp;

He preferred not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

An Amnesty report this week ranks Egypt sixth globally in the number of people executed in 2018 behind China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Iraq.

Many of the death sentences were handed down at mass trials involving hundreds of defendants and lasting just days.

'Taste of injustice'

"How many court sessions are needed to ensure that every prisoner is given a fair trial to explain their side of the story?" said Osama.

His father Abbas Al Minyawi is on death row (names have again been changed to protect identities).

He was one of 183 defendants accused of storming a Cairo police station and killing 11 policemen and two civilians.&nbsp;

Minyawi and 19 others in the 'Kerdasa massacre' case do not know when they will be executed.

"My dad was sentenced to death -- and also my mother in a way was also condemned to die with this news," Osama told AFP.

"The taste of injustice is bitter," he added.

The "troubling speed" at which the death penalty has been used indicates that Egypt’s legal process has been politicised as part of the authorities' crackdown, law professor Aziz contended.

UN special rapporteur Callamard said, "the circumstances leading to the imposition of these sentences and their execution are a great matter of concern".

She also blamed international powers for failing to hold Egypt accountable for its flagrant use of capital punishment.

"This (international) deafening silence has become an integral part of the spiralling human rights violations in Egypt".

For the relatives of those executed, such as Leila, painful memories endure.

"He wasn't the same person I remember when I saw him in the morgue," Leila said of her brother.&nbsp;

"He was so beautiful. He was sleeping peacefully."

Leila's brother Amr was hanged in February. The news of his impending execution -- one of many carried out under incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi -- shook her.

Leila's brother Amr was hanged in February. The news of his impending execution -- one of many carried out under incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi -- shook her. "I found out at night that he would be hanged the next day," Leila told AFP, which has used pseudonyms in this story to protect families' identities. "We were all in shock. My mother was hysterical," Leila said. "It was a very tough night. I wouldn't wish it on anyone". Amr was accused, along with eight others, of assassinating former prosecutor general Hisham Barakat, who was killed in a car bomb in June 2015. Leila said Amr was preparing to get married -- buying suits and readying a new home -- when he was arrested in February 2016, in the family residence in a major southern Egyptian town. She alleges he disappeared for two weeks, and that the family only found out where he was thanks to lawyers, and relatives of other prisoners. Amr said she saw signs of torture, including scars, on her brother's body during jail visits. Executions -- always by hanging -- have risen sharply under Sisi, who won a second term in March last year. So far this year, fifteen people have been executed in two separate trials, calculations by AFP show. And between early 2017 and late 2018, Egypt executed 92 people, according to a recent report by local rights groups Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Adalah for Rights and Freedoms. These numbers are far higher than for previous governments, including that of former dictator Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in the 2011 Arab Spring protests. A total of 11 people were executed in the last three full years of Mubarak's rule, according to Amnesty International. 'Arbitrary killings' At a February summit with European Union leaders in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, Sisi vehemently defended the use of the death penalty. "You are not going to teach us about our humanity...respect our humanity...as we respect yours," he said. The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on executions Agnes Callamard told AFP the increased "use of the death penalty ... (constitutes) arbitrary killings" that are designed to crush dissent. AFP spoke to families of men executed, and others who are on death row. After the Sisi-led military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, experts note Egyptian judges have been more authoritarian, in line with an ongoing government crackdown which has incarcerated thousands. "We are witnessing a rise in death sentences from tens per year before 2011 to hundreds per year after 2013," Sahar Aziz, a law professor at Rutgers University, told AFP. London-based rights group Reprieve estimates that at least 2,159 individuals were provisionally sentenced to death between 2014 and 2018. Hundreds of sentences have subsequently been commuted, but many remain on death row. In March 2014 -- just prior to Sisi's elevation to the presidency in June that year -- the UN said Egypt's mass death sentences contravened international law. The Egyptian legal system is based on Islamic sharia law, which legitimises capital punishment. A high level Egyptian judicial source with knowledge of the death sentences handed down said, "there is no politicisation of these cases whatsoever". "We are implementing Islam according to its laws and you're getting upset? If you are a terrorist who killed, then you must also be killed," he told AFP. He preferred not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. An Amnesty report this week ranks Egypt sixth globally in the number of people executed in 2018 behind China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Iraq. Many of the death sentences were handed down at mass trials involving hundreds of defendants and lasting just days. 'Taste of injustice' "How many court sessions are needed to ensure that every prisoner is given a fair trial to explain their side of the story?" said Osama. His father Abbas Al Minyawi is on death row (names have again been changed to protect identities). He was one of 183 defendants accused of storming a Cairo police station and killing 11 policemen and two civilians. Minyawi and 19 others in the 'Kerdasa massacre' case do not know when they will be executed. "My dad was sentenced to death -- and also my mother in a way was also condemned to die with this news," Osama told AFP. "The taste of injustice is bitter," he added. The "troubling speed" at which the death penalty has been used indicates that Egypt’s legal process has been politicised as part of the authorities' crackdown, law professor Aziz contended. UN special rapporteur Callamard said, "the circumstances leading to the imposition of these sentences and their execution are a great matter of concern". She also blamed international powers for failing to hold Egypt accountable for its flagrant use of capital punishment. "This (international) deafening silence has become an integral part of the spiralling human rights violations in Egypt". For the relatives of those executed, such as Leila, painful memories endure. "He wasn't the same person I remember when I saw him in the morgue," Leila said of her brother. "He was so beautiful. He was sleeping peacefully."

Egypt inmates dread noose as executions rise under Sisi

Egypt will remove subsidies on most energy products by June 15, it told the International Monetary Fund in a January letter released by the IMF on Saturday as part of a review of Cairo's three-year, $12 billion loan programme with the lender.

This will mean increasing the price to consumers of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil, which are now at 85-90 per cent of their international cost, said the letter, which is dated January&nbsp;27th.

The letter from Egypt's finance minister and central bank governor was included in an IMF staff report dated January&nbsp;28th and published following the disbursement in February of the fifth out of six tranches of the loan.

The loan programme began in 2016 and is tied to reforms that have included a sharp devaluation of the Egyptian pound and the introduction of a value-added tax. They have helped steady Egypt's economy but also put millions of Egyptians under increased economic strain.

Fuel prices have increased steadily over the past three years. LPG and fuel oil used for electricity generation and bakeries are not included in the commitment to reaching full cost recovery through subsidy cuts, the letter said.

The government said in its letter that after starting to link less-used Octane 95 petrol to international prices - which it accomplished in April - it would introduce similar indexation mechanisms for other products in June, with the first price adjustments expected in mid-September.

The government noted it had also put in place a hedging mechanism to protect against shocks in oil and other commodities. In its review, however, the IMF "advised caution in using financial instruments with upfront costs that protect only temporarily against extreme price movements", referring to hedging.

Since starting the IMF loan programme, Egypt has borrowed heavily from abroad.

In its letter, the government said it intended to reduce its general debt from a projected 86 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of June to 72 per cent by June 2023. Debt was equal to 93 per cent of GDP in June 2018.

It also committed to fully eliminating arrears held by the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) by the end of June this year. The arrears stood at $1.043 billion at the end of 2018.

Egypt said it had capped the government's ability to borrow from the central bank via an overdraft account at $3.82 billion&nbsp;in 2018/19, equal to 10 per cent of the previous three years' revenue, as a way of managing liquidity and reducing inflation.

The central bank would gradually phase out subsidised lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises and social housing programmes and instead these programmes would be financed directly from the state budget, the letter said.

The sale of stakes in at least 23 state-owned enterprises over between 24 and 30 months starting in April 2018 was expected to raise around 80 billion Egyptian pounds, it added.

The IMF said in its review that Egypt's reform programme was "broadly on track".

"The progress on structural reforms has been mixed, but the programme objectives remain achievable," it said.

"Sustained efforts are needed to advance critical reforms in competition, industrial land allocation, transparency and governance of state-owned enterprises, and public procurement."

A recent tightening of global financial conditions had worsened the balance of risks, with Egypt vulnerable to any unexpected increase in oil prices, the IMF said.

"Calls on state-guaranteed loans, which have been increasingly used to finance large infrastructure projects by public entities, or other contingent liabilities could also put pressure on public debt," the report said.

The IMF did not explain the delay in publishing the review.

Egypt will remove subsidies on most energy products by June 15, it told the International Monetary Fund in a January letter released by the IMF on Saturday as part of a review of Cairo's three-year, $12 billion loan programme with the lender.

Egypt will remove subsidies on most energy products by June 15, it told the International Monetary Fund in a January letter released by the IMF on Saturday as part of a review of Cairo's three-year, $12 billion loan programme with the lender. This will mean increasing the price to consumers of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil, which are now at 85-90 per cent of their international cost, said the letter, which is dated January 27th. The letter from Egypt's finance minister and central bank governor was included in an IMF staff report dated January 28th and published following the disbursement in February of the fifth out of six tranches of the loan. The loan programme began in 2016 and is tied to reforms that have included a sharp devaluation of the Egyptian pound and the introduction of a value-added tax. They have helped steady Egypt's economy but also put millions of Egyptians under increased economic strain. Fuel prices have increased steadily over the past three years. LPG and fuel oil used for electricity generation and bakeries are not included in the commitment to reaching full cost recovery through subsidy cuts, the letter said. The government said in its letter that after starting to link less-used Octane 95 petrol to international prices - which it accomplished in April - it would introduce similar indexation mechanisms for other products in June, with the first price adjustments expected in mid-September. The government noted it had also put in place a hedging mechanism to protect against shocks in oil and other commodities. In its review, however, the IMF "advised caution in using financial instruments with upfront costs that protect only temporarily against extreme price movements", referring to hedging. Since starting the IMF loan programme, Egypt has borrowed heavily from abroad. In its letter, the government said it intended to reduce its general debt from a projected 86 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of June to 72 per cent by June 2023. Debt was equal to 93 per cent of GDP in June 2018. It also committed to fully eliminating arrears held by the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) by the end of June this year. The arrears stood at $1.043 billion at the end of 2018. Egypt said it had capped the government's ability to borrow from the central bank via an overdraft account at $3.82 billion in 2018/19, equal to 10 per cent of the previous three years' revenue, as a way of managing liquidity and reducing inflation. The central bank would gradually phase out subsidised lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises and social housing programmes and instead these programmes would be financed directly from the state budget, the letter said. The sale of stakes in at least 23 state-owned enterprises over between 24 and 30 months starting in April 2018 was expected to raise around 80 billion Egyptian pounds, it added. The IMF said in its review that Egypt's reform programme was "broadly on track". "The progress on structural reforms has been mixed, but the programme objectives remain achievable," it said. "Sustained efforts are needed to advance critical reforms in competition, industrial land allocation, transparency and governance of state-owned enterprises, and public procurement." A recent tightening of global financial conditions had worsened the balance of risks, with Egypt vulnerable to any unexpected increase in oil prices, the IMF said. "Calls on state-guaranteed loans, which have been increasingly used to finance large infrastructure projects by public entities, or other contingent liabilities could also put pressure on public debt," the report said. The IMF did not explain the delay in publishing the review.

Egypt to slash fuel subsidies as IMF programme set to end

Mohamed Abu Amer, a landscape gardener, was working in downtown Cairo when national security agents took him away on February 6, 2018, his family said.

For almost six months Amer's family waited for news of the 37-year-old father of two. Their messages to the Public Prosecutor and the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and the national security agency, went unanswered.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/46-suspected-jihadists-killed-in-sinai-clashes-egypt-army-202636">Also read:&nbsp;46 suspected jihadists killed in Sinai clashes: Egypt army</a>

Then on July 31, the ministry announced on its Facebook page that Amer was among five terrorists killed in a shootout earlier that day when police approached their hideout 40 km north of Cairo. Amer was wanted for the murder of a national security agent, the statement said.

It's a version of events his family doesn't buy. Amer was no terrorist and he died in the custody of the state, not in a gun battle, his relatives insist. "I know that what they are saying is untrue," said a relative. "He was with them for six months."

Amer was one of 465 men killed in what the Interior Ministry said were shootouts with its forces over a period of three and a half years, a Reuters analysis of Interior Ministry statements has found. The announcements reviewed by Reuters appeared on the ministry's social media or were published by the state news agency.

The killings began in the summer of 2015. In June that year, Islamist militants had assassinated Egypt's chief prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, an ally of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Sisi responded with a sweeping anti-terrorism law that shielded the police and military from prosecution for the proportionate use of force. Human rights groups say it was the start of a brutal crackdown. A researcher at an Egyptian organization that documents human rights abuses said police embarked on a spate of "extra judicial killings knowing that no one will hold them accountable."

In 108 incidents involving 471 men, only six suspects survived, according to Interior Ministry statements from July 1, 2015, to the end of 2018. That represents a kill ratio of 98.7 per cent. Five members of the security forces were killed, the statements said. Thirty-seven were injured.

The Interior Ministry issued crime scene photographs with some of the statements. They showed bloodied bodies with assault rifles or shotguns on the ground beside them. Almost all of the statements said arms and ammunition were recovered at the scene. Some said Islamic State flyers were found.

But in interviews with Reuters, the relatives of 11 of the dead men contradicted the official accounts. Their sons, brothers or husbands had been plucked by police or national security agents from the streets or their homes and disappeared, they said, in some cases for several months. Then came news of their deaths in an Interior Ministry Facebook post or statement.

The families said none of the young men carried arms. But some were supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that was outlawed in 2013 after Sisi led the military in toppling Egypt's first Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohamed Mursi.

Reuters showed three forensic experts mortuary images of two of the 11 dead men. These specialists cast doubt on the Interior Ministry's account of the two men's deaths.

Three witnesses to one deadly encounter – the shooting of two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Kamal and Yasser Shehata, in a Cairo apartment block in 2016 – disputed the Interior Ministry's report of a gun battle with its forces. There was no exchange of fire or gun-fight, these witnesses said.

The US&nbsp;State Department's latest annual report on human rights in Egypt, released in March, said abuses included arbitrary or unlawful killings by the government or its agents, forced disappearances and torture. The United States, nevertheless, has unfrozen $195 million in military aid to Egypt which it had previously withheld in part because of concerns over Egypt's human rights record. US&nbsp;officials reason that security cooperation with Egypt is important to US&nbsp;national security.

Kate Vigneswaran, senior legal adviser at the International Commission of Jurists' Middle East and North Africa programme, said the killings described by Reuters could "constitute extrajudicial executions, a serious crime under international law." Evidence that victims were shot at close range would "indicate that the use of lethal force was not a response to a legitimate threat, but rather premeditated and deliberate conduct by the security forces to execute individuals outside the protection of the law."

Kevin Jon Heller, associate professor of public international law at Amsterdam University, said if the victims were civilians, "this would be the classic crime against humanity of murder: killing civilians as part of a widespread or systematic attack."

The Egyptian government didn't respond to questions for this article. Reuters provided officials with a detailed account of its analysis of the Interior Ministry statements and other findings of this article. They had no comment.

A road trip

Cousins Souhail Ahmed and Zakaria Mahmoud had no connection with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political organization, their family said. In July 2017 the men, both in their twenties, set off from their homes in the Nile city of Damietta for a holiday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.

The 600 km road trip would take them southwards from Damietta, close to the Mediterranean, along the Suez Canal and then the Gulf of Suez. For Ahmed, a student, it was a rare adventure. Hurt in a car crash a few years earlier, he still walked with a limp and stayed at home much of the time, a relative said.

Ahmed called home a few hours into the trip and told his mother that they had stopped to get sugarcane juice as they headed for a checkpoint in Ismailia province, on the Suez Canal. It was the last time the family heard from them.

Five days later, the Interior Ministry announced in a Facebook post that the cousins were among four Islamist militants killed in a shootout when security forces approached their hideout in an Ismailia village on July 15. Relatives found the bodies of the men at a mortuary in the town of Ismailia the next day.

The families of the two young men say the government's version of events makes no sense.

"They are not Brotherhood supporters at all," said the relative. They "were not supporters of anyone." Ahmed "was like all young men, he dreamed to marry at a young age and have a family." Mahmoud was a carpenter.

Reuters showed photographs and video of the bodies to three forensic experts – Professor Derrick Pounder, a pathologist who has consulted for Amnesty International and the United Nations, and two other international experts who declined to be identified. All three cast doubt on the Interior Ministry's account that the deaths were the result of a shootout.

Mahmoud had three gunshot wounds to the head. One bullet entered beside his right nostril and exited just below his lower lip. "That would place the shooter overlooking, above and to the right of the victim if the victim was standing, which would seem unlikely in an exchange of gunfire," Pounder said. "A more likely scenario is that the victim was kneeling with the shooter standing close on the right side."

The two other gunshot wounds were to Mahmoud's forehead, almost symmetrically placed just below the hairline to the left and right, which suggested final "coup de grace shots," according to Pounder.

Authorities said in the statement the cousins were part of a "group of fugitive terrorists" and died in a single incident. "As soon as security forces approached them, they were surprised by gunshots in their direction which they dealt with, resulting in the killing of four terrorist elements," the Interior Ministry said.

Yet the cousins' bodies exhibited different stages of decomposition. Mahmoud's death appeared to have been very recent, the experts said, but Ahmed had died 36 to 48 hours before the images were taken. There were no obvious antemortem injuries or gunshot wounds to Ahmed's body and no obvious cause of death, Pounder said.

"There was no shootout"

From July 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, the Interior Ministry issued statements reporting the deaths of 465 men, almost all of them suspected militants, in gun battles with its forces. That compared with just five such deaths in the first half of 2015, before the murder of Barakat, the chief prosecutor.

The Interior Ministry statements were strikingly similar. In every instance, the ministry said its forces approached or raided the hideout of the terrorists or criminals having secured an arrest warrant or taken "all legal measures." The terrorists or criminals opened fire, and security forces responded.

Most of the dead men were in their 20s; the youngest was 16, the oldest was 61. The Interior Ministry classified 320 of the slain men as terrorists and 28 as criminals or drug dealers.

It said 117 were members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood spread its political activism and charity work across the Middle East in the decades that followed. But in recent years countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia have cracked down on its activities, declaring it a terrorist group. The Brotherhood, which insists it is a peaceful movement, has largely gone underground.

Around a quarter of the deaths reported by the Interior Ministry, 104, were in the North Sinai region that borders Israel and Gaza, and where Egypt is battling an insurgency by Islamist militants.

The Interior Ministry statements didn't name 302 of the dead men, nor did they give precise locations for many of the shootings. Many were in remote desert or mountain areas. Reuters managed to speak to three witnesses to one incident in a Cairo apartment in 2016.

The Interior Ministry announced on October 3, 2016, that its forces had killed a Muslim Brotherhood leader and his aide in a raid on the apartment. The ministry said Mohamed Kamal, 61, a member of the group's leadership council, and Yasser Shehata, 47, shot at police and died when officers returned fire.

Reuters asked three neighbours about the events of that evening. None of them had seen or heard a gun fight. A woman living nearby said the only shots came several hours after police had entered the apartment. A person who was in the apartment block was adamant: "There was no shootout."

A lawyer speaking on behalf of the two men's families told Reuters an official autopsy showed the two men were shot in the head. Reuters was not able to independently verify the autopsy conclusion.

Some Interior Ministry statements were accompanied by crime scene photographs. These included the aftermath of a shooting in November 2018. The Interior Ministry said security forces killed 19 men in a shootout in the desert, west of Minya, Upper Egypt. The ministry said the dead were members of a cell responsible for a deadly attack on Christians two days earlier.

Forensic expert Pounder reviewed 20 of the photographs. He said 11 of the bodies appeared to have been moved after death. He pointed to blood and drag marks in the sand. Depressions in the sand suggested two of the men were shot while in a kneeling position, he added. Photos of other bodies were inconclusive.

An Egyptian judicial source said some police felt the courts were too slow, which led some officers to take justice into their own hands. "They call it 'prompt justice,'"&nbsp;he said. Police often moved weapons and other objects at the crime scene to cover up executions, the source said. "The police are the ones who gather the information, and there is no way they will cooperate in collecting evidence that would incriminate their colleagues."

Reuters analysis of the Interior Ministry statements showed that deadly shootouts often followed an attack by Islamist militants. For example, in December 2018, a day after the deadly bombing of a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza, the ministry announced that its forces had killed 40 people in three separate incidents.

Gamal Eid, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, said Egypt was trapped in a lethal cycle of extrajudicial killings and revenge attacks. "The more extrajudicial killings take place, the more there will be desire for revenge," he said.

A member of the state-funded National Council of Human Rights, George Ishak, said: "There is a state of panic because of terrorism, but it shouldn't be like this. This fear has to stop."

A verdict overturned

In 2013, Khaled Emam, a 37-year-old weightlifting trainer, was sentenced in absentia to one year in jail for taking part in anti-government protests, his family said. To avoid arrest, he moved with his wife and two sons into an apartment in Cairo's southeastern Mokattam district, away from the family home.

Emam was snatched from the street in June, 2017, his family said when he was fetching medicine for one of his sons. Witnesses told his family that masked men leaped from a minibus and grabbed him.

The family filed a complaint with the local police and wrote to the authorities asking for information. They got no response.

Then, on October 2, 2017, the Interior Ministry issued a statement that its forces had killed three men in a shootout in a graveyard. It named two of them – both friends of Emam. Two security sources confirmed to Reuters that Emam was also killed.

At Cairo's Zeinhom mortuary, a relative found his body. It was bruised and showed signs of torture, the relative said. "There were injuries around his joints, his arms were detached from his shoulders. Half of his lower jaw was missing along with several of his upper teeth."

One week after Emam's death, an appeals court overturned the guilty verdict and his one-year jail term, the relative said. The family hasn't filed a complaint about Emam's death for fear of reprisal. "I know that I will not get justice," the relative said.

Mohamed Abu Amer, a landscape gardener, was working in downtown Cairo when national security agents took him away on February 6, 2018, his family said. For almost six months Amer's family waited for news of the 37-year-old father of two.

Mohamed Abu Amer, a landscape gardener, was working in downtown Cairo when national security agents took him away on February 6, 2018, his family said. For almost six months Amer's family waited for news of the 37-year-old father of two. Their messages to the Public Prosecutor and the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and the national security agency, went unanswered. Also read: 46 suspected jihadists killed in Sinai clashes: Egypt army Then on July 31, the ministry announced on its Facebook page that Amer was among five terrorists killed in a shootout earlier that day when police approached their hideout 40 km north of Cairo. Amer was wanted for the murder of a national security agent, the statement said. It's a version of events his family doesn't buy. Amer was no terrorist and he died in the custody of the state, not in a gun battle, his relatives insist. "I know that what they are saying is untrue," said a relative. "He was with them for six months." Amer was one of 465 men killed in what the Interior Ministry said were shootouts with its forces over a period of three and a half years, a Reuters analysis of Interior Ministry statements has found. The announcements reviewed by Reuters appeared on the ministry's social media or were published by the state news agency. The killings began in the summer of 2015. In June that year, Islamist militants had assassinated Egypt's chief prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, an ally of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Sisi responded with a sweeping anti-terrorism law that shielded the police and military from prosecution for the proportionate use of force. Human rights groups say it was the start of a brutal crackdown. A researcher at an Egyptian organization that documents human rights abuses said police embarked on a spate of "extra judicial killings knowing that no one will hold them accountable." In 108 incidents involving 471 men, only six suspects survived, according to Interior Ministry statements from July 1, 2015, to the end of 2018. That represents a kill ratio of 98.7 per cent. Five members of the security forces were killed, the statements said. Thirty-seven were injured. The Interior Ministry issued crime scene photographs with some of the statements. They showed bloodied bodies with assault rifles or shotguns on the ground beside them. Almost all of the statements said arms and ammunition were recovered at the scene. Some said Islamic State flyers were found. But in interviews with Reuters, the relatives of 11 of the dead men contradicted the official accounts. Their sons, brothers or husbands had been plucked by police or national security agents from the streets or their homes and disappeared, they said, in some cases for several months. Then came news of their deaths in an Interior Ministry Facebook post or statement. The families said none of the young men carried arms. But some were supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that was outlawed in 2013 after Sisi led the military in toppling Egypt's first Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohamed Mursi. Reuters showed three forensic experts mortuary images of two of the 11 dead men. These specialists cast doubt on the Interior Ministry's account of the two men's deaths. Three witnesses to one deadly encounter – the shooting of two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Kamal and Yasser Shehata, in a Cairo apartment block in 2016 – disputed the Interior Ministry's report of a gun battle with its forces. There was no exchange of fire or gun-fight, these witnesses said. The US State Department's latest annual report on human rights in Egypt, released in March, said abuses included arbitrary or unlawful killings by the government or its agents, forced disappearances and torture. The United States, nevertheless, has unfrozen $195 million in military aid to Egypt which it had previously withheld in part because of concerns over Egypt's human rights record. US officials reason that security cooperation with Egypt is important to US national security. Kate Vigneswaran, senior legal adviser at the International Commission of Jurists' Middle East and North Africa programme, said the killings described by Reuters could "constitute extrajudicial executions, a serious crime under international law." Evidence that victims were shot at close range would "indicate that the use of lethal force was not a response to a legitimate threat, but rather premeditated and deliberate conduct by the security forces to execute individuals outside the protection of the law." Kevin Jon Heller, associate professor of public international law at Amsterdam University, said if the victims were civilians, "this would be the classic crime against humanity of murder: killing civilians as part of a widespread or systematic attack." The Egyptian government didn't respond to questions for this article. Reuters provided officials with a detailed account of its analysis of the Interior Ministry statements and other findings of this article. They had no comment. A road trip Cousins Souhail Ahmed and Zakaria Mahmoud had no connection with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political organization, their family said. In July 2017 the men, both in their twenties, set off from their homes in the Nile city of Damietta for a holiday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. The 600 km road trip would take them southwards from Damietta, close to the Mediterranean, along the Suez Canal and then the Gulf of Suez. For Ahmed, a student, it was a rare adventure. Hurt in a car crash a few years earlier, he still walked with a limp and stayed at home much of the time, a relative said. Ahmed called home a few hours into the trip and told his mother that they had stopped to get sugarcane juice as they headed for a checkpoint in Ismailia province, on the Suez Canal. It was the last time the family heard from them. Five days later, the Interior Ministry announced in a Facebook post that the cousins were among four Islamist militants killed in a shootout when security forces approached their hideout in an Ismailia village on July 15. Relatives found the bodies of the men at a mortuary in the town of Ismailia the next day. The families of the two young men say the government's version of events makes no sense. "They are not Brotherhood supporters at all," said the relative. They "were not supporters of anyone." Ahmed "was like all young men, he dreamed to marry at a young age and have a family." Mahmoud was a carpenter. Reuters showed photographs and video of the bodies to three forensic experts – Professor Derrick Pounder, a pathologist who has consulted for Amnesty International and the United Nations, and two other international experts who declined to be identified. All three cast doubt on the Interior Ministry's account that the deaths were the result of a shootout. Mahmoud had three gunshot wounds to the head. One bullet entered beside his right nostril and exited just below his lower lip. "That would place the shooter overlooking, above and to the right of the victim if the victim was standing, which would seem unlikely in an exchange of gunfire," Pounder said. "A more likely scenario is that the victim was kneeling with the shooter standing close on the right side." The two other gunshot wounds were to Mahmoud's forehead, almost symmetrically placed just below the hairline to the left and right, which suggested final "coup de grace shots," according to Pounder. Authorities said in the statement the cousins were part of a "group of fugitive terrorists" and died in a single incident. "As soon as security forces approached them, they were surprised by gunshots in their direction which they dealt with, resulting in the killing of four terrorist elements," the Interior Ministry said. Yet the cousins' bodies exhibited different stages of decomposition. Mahmoud's death appeared to have been very recent, the experts said, but Ahmed had died 36 to 48 hours before the images were taken. There were no obvious antemortem injuries or gunshot wounds to Ahmed's body and no obvious cause of death, Pounder said. "There was no shootout" From July 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, the Interior Ministry issued statements reporting the deaths of 465 men, almost all of them suspected militants, in gun battles with its forces. That compared with just five such deaths in the first half of 2015, before the murder of Barakat, the chief prosecutor. The Interior Ministry statements were strikingly similar. In every instance, the ministry said its forces approached or raided the hideout of the terrorists or criminals having secured an arrest warrant or taken "all legal measures." The terrorists or criminals opened fire, and security forces responded. Most of the dead men were in their 20s; the youngest was 16, the oldest was 61. The Interior Ministry classified 320 of the slain men as terrorists and 28 as criminals or drug dealers. It said 117 were members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood spread its political activism and charity work across the Middle East in the decades that followed. But in recent years countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia have cracked down on its activities, declaring it a terrorist group. The Brotherhood, which insists it is a peaceful movement, has largely gone underground. Around a quarter of the deaths reported by the Interior Ministry, 104, were in the North Sinai region that borders Israel and Gaza, and where Egypt is battling an insurgency by Islamist militants. The Interior Ministry statements didn't name 302 of the dead men, nor did they give precise locations for many of the shootings. Many were in remote desert or mountain areas. Reuters managed to speak to three witnesses to one incident in a Cairo apartment in 2016. The Interior Ministry announced on October 3, 2016, that its forces had killed a Muslim Brotherhood leader and his aide in a raid on the apartment. The ministry said Mohamed Kamal, 61, a member of the group's leadership council, and Yasser Shehata, 47, shot at police and died when officers returned fire. Reuters asked three neighbours about the events of that evening. None of them had seen or heard a gun fight. A woman living nearby said the only shots came several hours after police had entered the apartment. A person who was in the apartment block was adamant: "There was no shootout." A lawyer speaking on behalf of the two men's families told Reuters an official autopsy showed the two men were shot in the head. Reuters was not able to independently verify the autopsy conclusion. Some Interior Ministry statements were accompanied by crime scene photographs. These included the aftermath of a shooting in November 2018. The Interior Ministry said security forces killed 19 men in a shootout in the desert, west of Minya, Upper Egypt. The ministry said the dead were members of a cell responsible for a deadly attack on Christians two days earlier. Forensic expert Pounder reviewed 20 of the photographs. He said 11 of the bodies appeared to have been moved after death. He pointed to blood and drag marks in the sand. Depressions in the sand suggested two of the men were shot while in a kneeling position, he added. Photos of other bodies were inconclusive. An Egyptian judicial source said some police felt the courts were too slow, which led some officers to take justice into their own hands. "They call it 'prompt justice,'" he said. Police often moved weapons and other objects at the crime scene to cover up executions, the source said. "The police are the ones who gather the information, and there is no way they will cooperate in collecting evidence that would incriminate their colleagues." Reuters analysis of the Interior Ministry statements showed that deadly shootouts often followed an attack by Islamist militants. For example, in December 2018, a day after the deadly bombing of a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza, the ministry announced that its forces had killed 40 people in three separate incidents. Gamal Eid, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, said Egypt was trapped in a lethal cycle of extrajudicial killings and revenge attacks. "The more extrajudicial killings take place, the more there will be desire for revenge," he said. A member of the state-funded National Council of Human Rights, George Ishak, said: "There is a state of panic because of terrorism, but it shouldn't be like this. This fear has to stop." A verdict overturned In 2013, Khaled Emam, a 37-year-old weightlifting trainer, was sentenced in absentia to one year in jail for taking part in anti-government protests, his family said. To avoid arrest, he moved with his wife and two sons into an apartment in Cairo's southeastern Mokattam district, away from the family home. Emam was snatched from the street in June, 2017, his family said when he was fetching medicine for one of his sons. Witnesses told his family that masked men leaped from a minibus and grabbed him. The family filed a complaint with the local police and wrote to the authorities asking for information. They got no response. Then, on October 2, 2017, the Interior Ministry issued a statement that its forces had killed three men in a shootout in a graveyard. It named two of them – both friends of Emam. Two security sources confirmed to Reuters that Emam was also killed. At Cairo's Zeinhom mortuary, a relative found his body. It was bruised and showed signs of torture, the relative said. "There were injuries around his joints, his arms were detached from his shoulders. Half of his lower jaw was missing along with several of his upper teeth." One week after Emam's death, an appeals court overturned the guilty verdict and his one-year jail term, the relative said. The family hasn't filed a complaint about Emam's death for fear of reprisal. "I know that I will not get justice," the relative said.

Egypt kills hundreds of suspected militants in disputed gun battles: Report

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday against growing hatred of Muslims, less than a month after a deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand killed at least 50 people.

His remarks came during a speech at Egypt's Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, where he met Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb.&nbsp;

"Around the world, we are seeing ever-rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia," the UN secretary general said.&nbsp;

He cited the March 15 New Zealand mosque attacks by a white supremacist as well as a 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and is believed to be the deadliest against Jews in US history.&nbsp;

Guterres warned of a surge in hate speech he said was "entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media".&nbsp;

"We see it spreading in liberal democracies and as well as in authoritarian states."

Guterres is on a two-day trip to Egypt, Following his visit to Al-Azhar, he was scheduled to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.&nbsp;

On Sunday, he attended an Arab League summit in Tunisia.&nbsp;

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday against growing hatred of Muslims, less than a month after a deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand killed at least 50 people.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday against growing hatred of Muslims, less than a month after a deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand killed at least 50 people. His remarks came during a speech at Egypt's Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, where he met Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb. "Around the world, we are seeing ever-rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia," the UN secretary general said. He cited the March 15 New Zealand mosque attacks by a white supremacist as well as a 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and is believed to be the deadliest against Jews in US history. Guterres warned of a surge in hate speech he said was "entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media". "We see it spreading in liberal democracies and as well as in authoritarian states." Guterres is on a two-day trip to Egypt, Following his visit to Al-Azhar, he was scheduled to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On Sunday, he attended an Arab League summit in Tunisia.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warns against rising anti-Muslim hatred

President Donald Trump will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on April 9 for talks on strengthening their strategic partnership and working on shared priorities in the Middle East, the White House said on Friday.

The White House said in a statement the two leaders would discuss "building on our robust military, economic and counterterrorism cooperation" as well as regional economic integration and "Egypt’s longstanding role as a lynchpin of regional stability."

The visit by al Sisi comes at a time of renewed tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza after a rocket fired from the coastal enclave wounded seven Israelis near Tel Aviv.

Israel responded with air strikes and warnings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was prepared to wage a broad military campaign in Gaza if needed.

Trump on Monday signed a decree recognizing Israel`s annexation of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 war. The decision, which was criticised by Arab states, came as Israel gears up for elections on April 9.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Golan decision would help resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians by removing uncertainty. White House advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt have been working to put together a peace proposal to address the conflict.

President Donald Trump will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on April 9 for talks on strengthening their strategic partnership and working on shared priorities in the Middle East, the White House said on Friday.

President Donald Trump will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on April 9 for talks on strengthening their strategic partnership and working on shared priorities in the Middle East, the White House said on Friday. The White House said in a statement the two leaders would discuss "building on our robust military, economic and counterterrorism cooperation" as well as regional economic integration and "Egypt’s longstanding role as a lynchpin of regional stability." The visit by al Sisi comes at a time of renewed tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza after a rocket fired from the coastal enclave wounded seven Israelis near Tel Aviv. Israel responded with air strikes and warnings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was prepared to wage a broad military campaign in Gaza if needed. Trump on Monday signed a decree recognizing Israel`s annexation of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 war. The decision, which was criticised by Arab states, came as Israel gears up for elections on April 9. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Golan decision would help resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians by removing uncertainty. White House advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt have been working to put together a peace proposal to address the conflict.

Trump to host Egypt's Sisi on April 9: White House

Israel launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years.

After a day of intense cross-border fighting, Palestinian officials said Egypt had mediated a ceasefire, though the frontier did not remain calm for long.

Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel after the late-night truce was supposed to take effect, sending residents running for shelter. In Gaza, Palestinians reported Israeli planes attacked at least two targets.

Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza, and smaller Palestinian factions put out a statement that Egypt had mediated a ceasefire even as the rockets were fired. Israeli officials did not comment on whether a truce had been reached.

Monday's violence began when seven Israelis were wounded near Tel Aviv by a morning rocket attack. The Gaza health ministry said five Palestinians were later wounded by a wave of retaliatory strikes.

Dozens of explosions rocked the coastal enclave and ambulance sirens echoed in the mostly empty streets. In one Gaza neighbourhood, people rushed to buy bread in anticipation of a long escalation. The office of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was one of the initial targets hit, although he was likely to have been evacuated in advance.

Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets into Israel late into the night. Some were shot down by Israeli defences and others landed in empty areas.

The escalation came just two weeks before an election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a decade in power, campaigning on a tough line against Palestinian militants.

Beset by corruption scandals, he faces a strong challenge from a centrist coalition led by a top general.

Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, saying he would fly home right after meeting President Donald Trump.

"Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this," Netanyahu said. "And as we speak... Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression."

Trump told reporters with Netanyahu at his side that Israel has the "absolute right" to defend itself.

In the last Gaza war in 2014, more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to the Gaza health ministry, were killed in seven weeks of fighting. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel were killed.

Hamas attack

The Israeli military said Hamas launched the rocket that destroyed a house in Mishmeret, a village north of Tel Aviv. There was no claim of responsibility for the early morning attack.

The military said Hamas fired the rocket from about 120 kilometres away, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since the last war in Gaza in 2014.

Israel has waged three wars on Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets from Gaza are a frequent occurrence, but Israel's swift mobilisation of extra troops to the border area was unusual.

The two sides have managed to avert all-out war for five years, most recently with the help of Egyptian mediation after a major escalation in November last year.

Some of the other initial targets struck in Gaza, likely to have been evacuated, were the internal security office of Hamas, a naval base, a training camp and an insurance office in Gaza city, Palestinian security officials said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint from both sides and said that, together with Egypt, the United Nations was trying to help defuse the situation.

Wide range of scenarios

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated seven people after the morning missile strike, including an infant, a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl and a 60-year-old woman suffering from blast injuries, burns and shrapnel wounds.

The Israeli military said it was assigning two brigades to the Gaza area and some reservists were being called up. Reuters journalists saw troops moving towards the border, where the military also closed several roads to civilian traffic.

"We are prepared for a wide range of scenarios," chief spokesman Ronen Manelis said.

Israeli towns near Gaza and Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial capital, opened bomb shelters in anticipation of rocket strikes.

The rocket attack coincided with tension ahead of the March 30 anniversary of the start of weekly Gaza protests at the frontier in which some 200 Gazans have been killed and thousands wounded by Israeli fire. One Israeli soldier has been killed.

Israel says it has no choice but to use deadly force at the protests to prevent militants from breaching the border fence.

Gaza is home to 2 million Palestinians, most of them descendants of people who fled or were driven from homes in Israel when it was founded in 1948. The protesters demand the right to return to land from which their ancestors fled.

Israel seized Gaza in a 1967 and pulled out its troops in 2005. Since Hamas took over two years later, Israel has maintained a security blockade, along with Egypt, that has reduced Gaza's economy to what the World Bank calls a collapse.

Netanyahu's visit to Washington, after Trump said it was time to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, was seen at home as a bid to boost the right-wing Likud leader's chances of a fifth term.

At their White House meeting, Trump signed a declaration codifying US recognition of Israel's hold on the strategic plateau, a dramatic shift from decades of US policy. Syria called the move "a blatant attack" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Netanyahu's election prospects have been clouded by graft allegations against him. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Israel launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years.

Israel launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years. After a day of intense cross-border fighting, Palestinian officials said Egypt had mediated a ceasefire, though the frontier did not remain calm for long. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel after the late-night truce was supposed to take effect, sending residents running for shelter. In Gaza, Palestinians reported Israeli planes attacked at least two targets. Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza, and smaller Palestinian factions put out a statement that Egypt had mediated a ceasefire even as the rockets were fired. Israeli officials did not comment on whether a truce had been reached. Monday's violence began when seven Israelis were wounded near Tel Aviv by a morning rocket attack. The Gaza health ministry said five Palestinians were later wounded by a wave of retaliatory strikes. Dozens of explosions rocked the coastal enclave and ambulance sirens echoed in the mostly empty streets. In one Gaza neighbourhood, people rushed to buy bread in anticipation of a long escalation. The office of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was one of the initial targets hit, although he was likely to have been evacuated in advance. Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets into Israel late into the night. Some were shot down by Israeli defences and others landed in empty areas. The escalation came just two weeks before an election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a decade in power, campaigning on a tough line against Palestinian militants. Beset by corruption scandals, he faces a strong challenge from a centrist coalition led by a top general. Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, saying he would fly home right after meeting President Donald Trump. "Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this," Netanyahu said. "And as we speak... Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression." Trump told reporters with Netanyahu at his side that Israel has the "absolute right" to defend itself. In the last Gaza war in 2014, more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to the Gaza health ministry, were killed in seven weeks of fighting. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel were killed. Hamas attack The Israeli military said Hamas launched the rocket that destroyed a house in Mishmeret, a village north of Tel Aviv. There was no claim of responsibility for the early morning attack. The military said Hamas fired the rocket from about 120 kilometres away, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since the last war in Gaza in 2014. Israel has waged three wars on Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets from Gaza are a frequent occurrence, but Israel's swift mobilisation of extra troops to the border area was unusual. The two sides have managed to avert all-out war for five years, most recently with the help of Egyptian mediation after a major escalation in November last year. Some of the other initial targets struck in Gaza, likely to have been evacuated, were the internal security office of Hamas, a naval base, a training camp and an insurance office in Gaza city, Palestinian security officials said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint from both sides and said that, together with Egypt, the United Nations was trying to help defuse the situation. Wide range of scenarios Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated seven people after the morning missile strike, including an infant, a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl and a 60-year-old woman suffering from blast injuries, burns and shrapnel wounds. The Israeli military said it was assigning two brigades to the Gaza area and some reservists were being called up. Reuters journalists saw troops moving towards the border, where the military also closed several roads to civilian traffic. "We are prepared for a wide range of scenarios," chief spokesman Ronen Manelis said. Israeli towns near Gaza and Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial capital, opened bomb shelters in anticipation of rocket strikes. The rocket attack coincided with tension ahead of the March 30 anniversary of the start of weekly Gaza protests at the frontier in which some 200 Gazans have been killed and thousands wounded by Israeli fire. One Israeli soldier has been killed. Israel says it has no choice but to use deadly force at the protests to prevent militants from breaching the border fence. Gaza is home to 2 million Palestinians, most of them descendants of people who fled or were driven from homes in Israel when it was founded in 1948. The protesters demand the right to return to land from which their ancestors fled. Israel seized Gaza in a 1967 and pulled out its troops in 2005. Since Hamas took over two years later, Israel has maintained a security blockade, along with Egypt, that has reduced Gaza's economy to what the World Bank calls a collapse. Netanyahu's visit to Washington, after Trump said it was time to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, was seen at home as a bid to boost the right-wing Likud leader's chances of a fifth term. At their White House meeting, Trump signed a declaration codifying US recognition of Israel's hold on the strategic plateau, a dramatic shift from decades of US policy. Syria called the move "a blatant attack" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Netanyahu's election prospects have been clouded by graft allegations against him. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Israel, Hamas clash over Gaza, then truce reached

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday he had nominated Major General Kamel al-Wazir as transport minister to replace Hisham Arafat, who resigned after a train crash that killed at least 22 and injured dozens.

Wazir was head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, one of the main owners of the new administrative capital outside Cairo and a builder of large infrastructure and national projects.&nbsp;

Arafat resigned on February 27 following the crash, which took place at Cairo's main train station when a locomotive failed to stop, smashed through the buffers and burst into flames.

Sisi said his decision to appoint Wazir was pending parliamentary approval.&nbsp;

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday he had nominated Major General Kamel al-Wazir as transport minister to replace Hisham Arafat, who resigned after a train crash that killed at least 22 and injured dozens.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday he had nominated Major General Kamel al-Wazir as transport minister to replace Hisham Arafat, who resigned after a train crash that killed at least 22 and injured dozens. Wazir was head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, one of the main owners of the new administrative capital outside Cairo and a builder of large infrastructure and national projects. Arafat resigned on February 27 following the crash, which took place at Cairo's main train station when a locomotive failed to stop, smashed through the buffers and burst into flames. Sisi said his decision to appoint Wazir was pending parliamentary approval.

Egypt's Sisi nominates Major General Kamel al-Wazir as transport minister

Dozens killed and injured in crash and fire at Cairo train station

The death toll from a suicide bombing in the Egyptian capital rose to three on Tuesday after an officer who was gravely injured in the attack succumbed to his wounds, a security official told EFE.&nbsp;

The third policeman died hours after a suspect being chased by the police blew himself up in Cairo's al-Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood, near al-Azhar mosque, late on Monday.

According to the Interior Ministry, the blast left another two members of the security forces injured.

The authorities identified the suicide bomber as foreign national Hassan Abdullah, 37, but gave no further details about his nationality.

Police had previously identified the man as the perpetrator of an attempted bombing last Friday at al-Istiqama mosque in the western part of Cairo, just as worshippers were leaving following noon prayers, the ministry said in a statement.

Egypt's state television aired footage of police chasing the suicide bomber, who was riding a bike. The assailant detonated his explosive device once he was detained by police.&nbsp;

Following the attack, police forces cordoned off the area to search for other possible explosive devices planted around the scene.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far.

On Jan. 5, a police officer died as he tried to deactivate a bomb discovered near a Christian church in Cairo just two days ahead of the Coptic Christmas.

That incident came a week after the deaths of three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian guide when a bomb went off a tour bus en route to the Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of the capital.

The Giza blast was Egypt's first attack against tourists using explosives since late 2015, when a bomb blew a Russian airliner out of the skies above Sinai, killing all 224 people aboard.

Egypt responded to the Giza incident with raids near Cairo and in Sinai that resulted in the deaths of 40 suspected extremists.

This nation of nearly 100,000 people has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, following a series of terrorist attacks against Coptic Christian churches in the Nile delta.

The Egyptian affiliate of Islamic State has claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist activity in the country during the last five years.

The death toll from a suicide bombing in the Egyptian capital rose to three on Tuesday after an officer who was gravely injured in the attack succumbed to his wounds, a security official told EFE.

The death toll from a suicide bombing in the Egyptian capital rose to three on Tuesday after an officer who was gravely injured in the attack succumbed to his wounds, a security official told EFE. The third policeman died hours after a suspect being chased by the police blew himself up in Cairo's al-Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood, near al-Azhar mosque, late on Monday. According to the Interior Ministry, the blast left another two members of the security forces injured. The authorities identified the suicide bomber as foreign national Hassan Abdullah, 37, but gave no further details about his nationality. Police had previously identified the man as the perpetrator of an attempted bombing last Friday at al-Istiqama mosque in the western part of Cairo, just as worshippers were leaving following noon prayers, the ministry said in a statement. Egypt's state television aired footage of police chasing the suicide bomber, who was riding a bike. The assailant detonated his explosive device once he was detained by police. Following the attack, police forces cordoned off the area to search for other possible explosive devices planted around the scene. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far. On Jan. 5, a police officer died as he tried to deactivate a bomb discovered near a Christian church in Cairo just two days ahead of the Coptic Christmas. That incident came a week after the deaths of three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian guide when a bomb went off a tour bus en route to the Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of the capital. The Giza blast was Egypt's first attack against tourists using explosives since late 2015, when a bomb blew a Russian airliner out of the skies above Sinai, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt responded to the Giza incident with raids near Cairo and in Sinai that resulted in the deaths of 40 suspected extremists. This nation of nearly 100,000 people has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, following a series of terrorist attacks against Coptic Christian churches in the Nile delta. The Egyptian affiliate of Islamic State has claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist activity in the country during the last five years.

At least 3 policemen killed in Cairo suicide bomb attack

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who led an active, reformist tenure as African Union chair, on Sunday passed the baton to Egypt, seen as more likely to focus on security issues than expanding the body's powers.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi officially took over the rotating post of ceremonial head of the AU at the start of a two-day summit in Addis Ababa.

The meeting highlighted the "links between the Mediterranean and Lake Victoria," as a metaphor for sub-Saharan Africa.

"Egypt has an interest in Africa, they want to strengthen their position on the African continent and they don't want to be seen as a country only focused on the Arab world," said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies.

Kagame's leadership of the AU focused on institutional and administrative reforms. Sisi, however, is expected to focus more on security, peacekeeping and post-war reconstruction, issues closely tied to the AU's 2019 theme of "Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons".

"The road is still long" in terms of reaching the AU's goal of "silencing the guns" by 2020, Sisi told delegates on Sunday. He announced he would hold a "forum for peace and development" in the town of Aswan, southern Egypt, in 2019.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday that peaceful elections in DR Congo, Mali and Madagascar, peace deals in South Sudan and the Central African Republic and the truce between Ethiopia and Eritrea, were however signs of a "wind of hope" on the continent.

Guterres also hailed the solidarity shown in Africa, where countries house nearly a third of refugees and displaced people in the world.

"Despite the continent's own social, economic and security challenges, Africa’s governments and people have kept borders, doors and hearts open to millions in need," he said.

"Unfortunately, this example has not been followed everywhere."

The chairmanship of the AU rotates between the five regions of the continent, and South Africa will take over from Egypt next year.

Reforms and resistance

While multiple crises on the continent will be on the agenda of heads of state from the 55 member nations, the summit will also focus on institutional reforms and the establishment of a continent-wide free trade zone.

While the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) was agreed by 44 nations in March 2018, only 19 countries have so far ratified the agreement. It requires 22 to ratify it for it to come into effect.

The single market is a flagship of the AU's "Agenda 2063" programme, conceived as key to transforming the continent's economies.

Cairo is backing the initiative, but analysts say it will be less likely to focus on the financial and administrative reforms pushed by Kagame.

Kagame, who has been leading institutional reforms since 2016, pushed for a continent-wide import tax to fund the AU and reduce its dependence on external donors, who still pay for more than half the institution's annual budget.

But member states have resisted both this and moves to strengthen the powers of the AU Commission, its executive organ. In November 2018, most states rejected a proposal to give the head of the AU Commission the power to name deputies and commissioners.

Egypt, like fellow regional heavyweights Nigeria and South Africa, is not keen on a powerful AU, one African diplomat told AFP.

Cairo has "never forgotten" its suspension in 2013 after Egypt's army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had in 2012 became the country's first democratically elected president, the diplomat said.

"Traditionally, leaders of big powers have not really helped the position of AU chairperson, as they don't want an AU which is too strong or too intrusive," said Elissa Jobson of the International Crisis Group.

Kagame suffered a setback after expressing "serious doubts" on behalf of the AU about the results of the Democratic Republic of Congo's recent presidential election, which was officially won by Felix Tshisekedi.&nbsp;

The country's Catholic church had also questioned the result.

But the DRC's constitutional court validated the results anyway and continental heavyweights South Africa, Kenya and Egypt acknowledged Tshisekedi's victory.

"This whole thing was an embarrassment for the AU, it showed the limitations of what the AU chairperson can do," said Jobson.

Amnesty International expressed fears that Egypt's chairmanship could undermine human rights in the AU.

"During his time in power President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has demonstrated a shocking contempt for human rights," said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North Africa Campaigns Director.

"Under his leadership, the country has undergone a catastrophic decline in rights and freedoms," she added.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who led an active, reformist tenure as African Union chair, on Sunday passed the baton to Egypt, seen as more likely to focus on security issues than expanding the body's powers.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who led an active, reformist tenure as African Union chair, on Sunday passed the baton to Egypt, seen as more likely to focus on security issues than expanding the body's powers. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi officially took over the rotating post of ceremonial head of the AU at the start of a two-day summit in Addis Ababa. The meeting highlighted the "links between the Mediterranean and Lake Victoria," as a metaphor for sub-Saharan Africa. "Egypt has an interest in Africa, they want to strengthen their position on the African continent and they don't want to be seen as a country only focused on the Arab world," said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies. Kagame's leadership of the AU focused on institutional and administrative reforms. Sisi, however, is expected to focus more on security, peacekeeping and post-war reconstruction, issues closely tied to the AU's 2019 theme of "Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons". "The road is still long" in terms of reaching the AU's goal of "silencing the guns" by 2020, Sisi told delegates on Sunday. He announced he would hold a "forum for peace and development" in the town of Aswan, southern Egypt, in 2019. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday that peaceful elections in DR Congo, Mali and Madagascar, peace deals in South Sudan and the Central African Republic and the truce between Ethiopia and Eritrea, were however signs of a "wind of hope" on the continent. Guterres also hailed the solidarity shown in Africa, where countries house nearly a third of refugees and displaced people in the world. "Despite the continent's own social, economic and security challenges, Africa’s governments and people have kept borders, doors and hearts open to millions in need," he said. "Unfortunately, this example has not been followed everywhere." The chairmanship of the AU rotates between the five regions of the continent, and South Africa will take over from Egypt next year. Reforms and resistance While multiple crises on the continent will be on the agenda of heads of state from the 55 member nations, the summit will also focus on institutional reforms and the establishment of a continent-wide free trade zone. While the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) was agreed by 44 nations in March 2018, only 19 countries have so far ratified the agreement. It requires 22 to ratify it for it to come into effect. The single market is a flagship of the AU's "Agenda 2063" programme, conceived as key to transforming the continent's economies. Cairo is backing the initiative, but analysts say it will be less likely to focus on the financial and administrative reforms pushed by Kagame. Kagame, who has been leading institutional reforms since 2016, pushed for a continent-wide import tax to fund the AU and reduce its dependence on external donors, who still pay for more than half the institution's annual budget. But member states have resisted both this and moves to strengthen the powers of the AU Commission, its executive organ. In November 2018, most states rejected a proposal to give the head of the AU Commission the power to name deputies and commissioners. Egypt, like fellow regional heavyweights Nigeria and South Africa, is not keen on a powerful AU, one African diplomat told AFP. Cairo has "never forgotten" its suspension in 2013 after Egypt's army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had in 2012 became the country's first democratically elected president, the diplomat said. "Traditionally, leaders of big powers have not really helped the position of AU chairperson, as they don't want an AU which is too strong or too intrusive," said Elissa Jobson of the International Crisis Group. Kagame suffered a setback after expressing "serious doubts" on behalf of the AU about the results of the Democratic Republic of Congo's recent presidential election, which was officially won by Felix Tshisekedi. The country's Catholic church had also questioned the result. But the DRC's constitutional court validated the results anyway and continental heavyweights South Africa, Kenya and Egypt acknowledged Tshisekedi's victory. "This whole thing was an embarrassment for the AU, it showed the limitations of what the AU chairperson can do," said Jobson. Amnesty International expressed fears that Egypt's chairmanship could undermine human rights in the AU. "During his time in power President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has demonstrated a shocking contempt for human rights," said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North Africa Campaigns Director. "Under his leadership, the country has undergone a catastrophic decline in rights and freedoms," she added.

Kagame steps down, Egypt's Sisi takes helm at African Union

In pics: Egypt unveils ancient burial site, home to 50 mummies

If dedication alone was a passport to glory, 76-year-old Egyptian swimmer Nagwa Yousef Ghorab would have won capfuls of medals by now.

She first took to the pool at age four and became her country's under-16 backstroke and freestyle champion at 14.

She had to stop competing domestically at 18 because Egypt at that time ran no championships for adult swimmers - but she kept on training through the decades.

"I am proving to you and to everyone that age is no obstacle if you have the will, and if you have positivity in life," Ghorab told Reuters.

Adult competition finally resumed in Egypt in 2005, and she reached the international podium for the first time ten years later, winning two bronze medals at an event in Russia.

"It had been inside me for 60 years, waiting to be released," she said. "...I wanted to excel at an international level. I did not want anyone to beat me. After all, I was competing in the name of my country."

Now in training for a championship in South Korea, her coach, Haytham Sabry, says she has the heart of a 20-year-old.

"She is determined when it's cold and when it's hot. She still shows up every day to train. There is no championship that she does not wish to participate in," he said.

If dedication alone was a passport to glory, 76-year-old Egyptian swimmer Nagwa Yousef Ghorab would have won capfuls of medals by now. She first took to the pool at age four and became her country's under-16 backstroke and freestyle champion at 14.

If dedication alone was a passport to glory, 76-year-old Egyptian swimmer Nagwa Yousef Ghorab would have won capfuls of medals by now. She first took to the pool at age four and became her country's under-16 backstroke and freestyle champion at 14. She had to stop competing domestically at 18 because Egypt at that time ran no championships for adult swimmers - but she kept on training through the decades. "I am proving to you and to everyone that age is no obstacle if you have the will, and if you have positivity in life," Ghorab told Reuters. Adult competition finally resumed in Egypt in 2005, and she reached the international podium for the first time ten years later, winning two bronze medals at an event in Russia. "It had been inside me for 60 years, waiting to be released," she said. "...I wanted to excel at an international level. I did not want anyone to beat me. After all, I was competing in the name of my country." Now in training for a championship in South Korea, her coach, Haytham Sabry, says she has the heart of a 20-year-old. "She is determined when it's cold and when it's hot. She still shows up every day to train. There is no championship that she does not wish to participate in," he said.

'Age is no obstacle' - Egyptian woman swimmer still a champion at 76

The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with president Mahmud Abbas poised to take <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/israel-retaliates-after-rocket-fired-into-gaza-army-189938">multiple measures against Gaza</a> to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas.

The moves raise concerns of more suffering for Gaza's two million residents, already under an Israeli blockade and facing severe electricity shortages, while a cornered Hamas could renew violence against Israel.

Analysts say the measures will also widen the gap between Hamas-run Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Abbas's government has limited self-rule.

Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah party have been at loggerheads since the Islamists seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war in 2007, a year after sweeping parliamentary elections.

Hamas has since fought three bloody wars with Israel and fears of a fourth remain.

Multiple reconciliation attempts between the Palestinian factions have failed but Egypt thought it had made a breakthrough in late 2017 when the two sides agreed to eventually share power.

As part of that agreement, Hamas withdrew from border crossings between Gaza and Egypt and Israel, allowing the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to return and the Egyptian border to be reopened regularly.

The reconciliation agreement has since collapsed acrimoniously.

On Sunday, the PA announced it would withdraw from the Egyptian border crossing, creating a dilemma for Cairo about whether to leave it open with Hamas in control.&nbsp;

So far they have indicated they will. Senior officials close to Abbas said he is looking for other measures to punish Hamas.

Among these could be removing staff from the crossings between Israel and Gaza — making it hard for the Jewish state to allow anything into the territory without dealing directly with Hamas, which it and many other countries label a terrorist organisation.

They could also include cutting salaries to families of Hamas prisoners or rescinding Palestinian passports for Hamas employees.

Abbas has also pledged to dissolve the Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament, which though it hasn't met since the 2007 split is still nominally the basis for new laws.

"Very important decisions against Hamas are being discussed," a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

It follows a series of arrests of those affiliated with Fatah in Gaza, according to Abbas allies.

The official said the PA spent around $ 100 million per month in Gaza, including for electricity subsidies, and was looking to cut back significantly.

"Those that want to rule Gaza must bear the responsibility of governing it," the official said.

Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior Abbas ally, and negotiator of the 2017 reconciliation agreement told AFP "the leadership is considering a number of measures".

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the Islamists had seen similar threats before.

"Any type of sanctions such as electricity, preventing medicine, closing the border or cutting the salaries are intended to blackmail residents into rising against Hamas and they fail," he told AFP.

"This is the most that Abbas can do."

The Palestinians have faced stark challenges over the past two years, with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-us-policy-on-palestine-conflict-has-changed-over-time-159087">US President Donald Trump</a> leading what he has called the most pro-Israel administration in the country's history.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government has meanwhile continued to expand settlements in the West Bank.

Abbas's government froze contacts with the Trump administration after it recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017.

The deepening split between the two factions weakens their ability to respond to such pressure, said Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.

He said the PA withdrawal from the border crossings was part of a "package of measures designed to try and squeeze Hamas."&nbsp;

"It is not irreversible but it is certainly a very negative step. This is short-term thinking triumphing longer-term strategy."&nbsp;

Nadia Hijab, president of the Al-Shabaka Palestinian think-tank, said the infighting prevented a united front against Israeli policies.

"Palestinians fear that this latest move will cement the division and lead to a complete break between Gaza and the West Bank, something Israel has been pushing," she said.

Both sides were "playing politics with people's lives instead of taking on Israel's 50-year-plus occupation," she said.&nbsp;

At least 241 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since mass protests along the border began in March 2018. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed.

The protests had calmed in recent months after Hamas and Israel struck an agreement that saw Qatari aid allowed into the territory.

This week, it was reported that Israel had blocked the third tranche of Qatari funding, which could lead to increased tensions.

"If the Israelis do block the money, then I think it is almost a certainty you will see Hamas increasing the tension on the border," Lovatt said.

Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah party have been at loggerheads since the Islamists seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war in 2007.

The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with president Mahmud Abbas poised to take multiple measures against Gaza to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas. The moves raise concerns of more suffering for Gaza's two million residents, already under an Israeli blockade and facing severe electricity shortages, while a cornered Hamas could renew violence against Israel. Analysts say the measures will also widen the gap between Hamas-run Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Abbas's government has limited self-rule. Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah party have been at loggerheads since the Islamists seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war in 2007, a year after sweeping parliamentary elections. Hamas has since fought three bloody wars with Israel and fears of a fourth remain. Multiple reconciliation attempts between the Palestinian factions have failed but Egypt thought it had made a breakthrough in late 2017 when the two sides agreed to eventually share power. As part of that agreement, Hamas withdrew from border crossings between Gaza and Egypt and Israel, allowing the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to return and the Egyptian border to be reopened regularly. The reconciliation agreement has since collapsed acrimoniously. On Sunday, the PA announced it would withdraw from the Egyptian border crossing, creating a dilemma for Cairo about whether to leave it open with Hamas in control. So far they have indicated they will. Senior officials close to Abbas said he is looking for other measures to punish Hamas. Among these could be removing staff from the crossings between Israel and Gaza — making it hard for the Jewish state to allow anything into the territory without dealing directly with Hamas, which it and many other countries label a terrorist organisation. They could also include cutting salaries to families of Hamas prisoners or rescinding Palestinian passports for Hamas employees. Abbas has also pledged to dissolve the Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament, which though it hasn't met since the 2007 split is still nominally the basis for new laws. "Very important decisions against Hamas are being discussed," a senior official said on condition of anonymity. It follows a series of arrests of those affiliated with Fatah in Gaza, according to Abbas allies. The official said the PA spent around $ 100 million per month in Gaza, including for electricity subsidies, and was looking to cut back significantly. "Those that want to rule Gaza must bear the responsibility of governing it," the official said. Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior Abbas ally, and negotiator of the 2017 reconciliation agreement told AFP "the leadership is considering a number of measures". Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the Islamists had seen similar threats before. "Any type of sanctions such as electricity, preventing medicine, closing the border or cutting the salaries are intended to blackmail residents into rising against Hamas and they fail," he told AFP. "This is the most that Abbas can do." The Palestinians have faced stark challenges over the past two years, with US President Donald Trump leading what he has called the most pro-Israel administration in the country's history. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government has meanwhile continued to expand settlements in the West Bank. Abbas's government froze contacts with the Trump administration after it recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017. The deepening split between the two factions weakens their ability to respond to such pressure, said Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank. He said the PA withdrawal from the border crossings was part of a "package of measures designed to try and squeeze Hamas." "It is not irreversible but it is certainly a very negative step. This is short-term thinking triumphing longer-term strategy." Nadia Hijab, president of the Al-Shabaka Palestinian think-tank, said the infighting prevented a united front against Israeli policies. "Palestinians fear that this latest move will cement the division and lead to a complete break between Gaza and the West Bank, something Israel has been pushing," she said. Both sides were "playing politics with people's lives instead of taking on Israel's 50-year-plus occupation," she said. At least 241 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since mass protests along the border began in March 2018. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed. The protests had calmed in recent months after Hamas and Israel struck an agreement that saw Qatari aid allowed into the territory. This week, it was reported that Israel had blocked the third tranche of Qatari funding, which could lead to increased tensions. "If the Israelis do block the money, then I think it is almost a certainty you will see Hamas increasing the tension on the border," Lovatt said.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas plans anti-Hamas measures as split widens

The Palestinian Authority said Sunday it was withdrawing staff from the Rafah border post with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip to protest against "brutal practices" by rival faction Hamas.&nbsp;

"This decision comes in the light of recent developments and brutal practices of the de facto gangs" in the Gaza Strip, said the PA's civil affairs authority in a statement, quoted by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

It accused Hamas of "summoning, arresting and abusing our employees", leading it to conclude that their presence was futile, the statement said.&nbsp;

Islamist movement Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 in a near civil war with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party.

But the Palestinian Authority took control of Rafah in November 2017, as part of a deal that saw Egypt reopen a border that had been entirely shut from August that year and largely sealed for years before that. &nbsp;

"Since we took over the Rafah crossing, Hamas has been obstructing the work of our crew there," the statement said.

It said Egypt had made the reopening of Rafah — the only land crossing from the Gaza Strip to non-Palestinian territory beyond two posts with Israel — conditional on the PA being in-charge of it.&nbsp;

A Hamas spokesman said the PA's decision to withdraw "constitutes a new step by Mahmud Abbas in separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip".&nbsp;

The PA is based in the city of Ramallah and only governs parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank, which is separated from the Gaza Strip by internationally recognised Israeli territory.

In late December, a Fatah spokesman accused Hamas of carrying out mass arrests of its members in the Gaza Strip. Hamas denied the allegation.

Several attempts to reconcile Fatah and Hamas have failed in recent years.&nbsp;

The internationally recognised PA has tightened pressure on Hamas in recent months by reducing the salaries of civil servants in Gaza, which has been squeezed by a long Israeli blockade.

The Palestinian Authority took control of Rafah in November 2017 as part of a deal that saw Egypt reopen a border.

The Palestinian Authority said Sunday it was withdrawing staff from the Rafah border post with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip to protest against "brutal practices" by rival faction Hamas. "This decision comes in the light of recent developments and brutal practices of the de facto gangs" in the Gaza Strip, said the PA's civil affairs authority in a statement, quoted by official Palestinian news agency WAFA. It accused Hamas of "summoning, arresting and abusing our employees", leading it to conclude that their presence was futile, the statement said. Islamist movement Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 in a near civil war with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party. But the Palestinian Authority took control of Rafah in November 2017, as part of a deal that saw Egypt reopen a border that had been entirely shut from August that year and largely sealed for years before that. "Since we took over the Rafah crossing, Hamas has been obstructing the work of our crew there," the statement said. It said Egypt had made the reopening of Rafah — the only land crossing from the Gaza Strip to non-Palestinian territory beyond two posts with Israel — conditional on the PA being in-charge of it. A Hamas spokesman said the PA's decision to withdraw "constitutes a new step by Mahmud Abbas in separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip". The PA is based in the city of Ramallah and only governs parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank, which is separated from the Gaza Strip by internationally recognised Israeli territory. In late December, a Fatah spokesman accused Hamas of carrying out mass arrests of its members in the Gaza Strip. Hamas denied the allegation. Several attempts to reconcile Fatah and Hamas have failed in recent years. The internationally recognised PA has tightened pressure on Hamas in recent months by reducing the salaries of civil servants in Gaza, which has been squeezed by a long Israeli blockade.

Palestinian Authority pulls staff from Rafah border crossing

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/honduras-guatemala-and-el-salvador-are-doing-nothing-for-us-says-trump-vowing-to-end-all-aid-187084">'Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/honduras-guatemala-and-el-salvador-are-doing-nothing-for-us-says-trump-vowing-to-end-all-aid-187084">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/honduras-guatemala-and-el-salvador-are-doing-nothing-for-us-says-trump-vowing-to-end-all-aid-187084">,' says Trump vowing to end all aid</a>

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-bomb-blast-kills-3-vietnamese-tourists-guide-near-giza-pyramids-187090">Egypt: Bomb blast kills 3 Vietnamese tourists, guide near Giza pyramids</a>

Three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus as it travelled close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo, officials said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-gun-battle-underway-between-security-forces-terrorists-187085">J&amp;K: Gun battle underway between security forces, terrorists in Pulwama's Rajpora</a>

A gun battle is underway between security forces and terrorists in Rajpora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. The police have launched a search operation in the region to track the terrorists.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/security-beefed-up-in-bangladesh-before-polls-on-sunday-187092">Security beefed up in Bangladesh ahead of polls on Sunday</a>

As Bangladesh prepares to go for polling on December 30 to elect a new Parliament in the country, armed forces have been deployed in 389 'upazilas' or administrative region till January 2.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-australia-3rd-test-day-4-187077">INDvsAUS, 3rd Test, Day 4: Australia at 64-3 after 22 overs, need 335 runs to win</a>

Chasing 399 for an improbable win, Australia were reduced to 44 for two at lunch. This was after India declared their second innings at 106 for eight with Pat Cummins taking career-best figures of 6-27.&nbsp;

'Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for US,' says Trump vowing to end all aid President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border.

'Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for US,' says Trump vowing to end all aid President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border. Egypt: Bomb blast kills 3 Vietnamese tourists, guide near Giza pyramids Three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus as it travelled close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo, officials said. J&K: Gun battle underway between security forces, terrorists in Pulwama's Rajpora A gun battle is underway between security forces and terrorists in Rajpora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. The police have launched a search operation in the region to track the terrorists. Security beefed up in Bangladesh ahead of polls on Sunday As Bangladesh prepares to go for polling on December 30 to elect a new Parliament in the country, armed forces have been deployed in 389 'upazilas' or administrative region till January 2. INDvsAUS, 3rd Test, Day 4: Australia at 64-3 after 22 overs, need 335 runs to win Chasing 399 for an improbable win, Australia were reduced to 44 for two at lunch. This was after India declared their second innings at 106 for eight with Pat Cummins taking career-best figures of 6-27.

News brief: Big stories of the day

In pics: Egypt unearths tomb of ancient high priest

Women in Egypt on Sunday continued to wear their helmets and shoulder pads amid a battle of gender stereotypes surrounding American football in the North African country.

Female American football athletes endured prejudiced comments; men saying the field was not a place for women and that they belong in the kitchen.

"Their answer was sexist because they were unable to imagine a women playing American football," said Nour Ibrahim, a member of Cairo Wolves, one of the first all-female American football teams in Egypt.

Ibrahim, a daughter of an Egyptian mother and an American father, fell in love with the oval ball during a student exchange program in a small town in the state of Mississippi, the United States, and when she returned to Egypt in 2015, she contacted the Cairo Wolves.

After three years of not giving up, Ibrahim got to see how the number of the all-female teams has gone from zero to eight and the number of players to 500.

Ibrahim explained a tryout was organized by the Cairo Wolves after a post on Facebook, which had "a great impact."

"The post reached lots of people. To reach the point of the tryout it took some convincing and some people of the team agreed to shut us up," the 26-year-old added.

Some 30 women, several of whom were veiled, showed up to tryouts ready to take the field with helmets and shoulder pads.

American football was first introduced in Egypt in 2008 by Ahmed al-Rifaey, an Egyptian that was trained in the US and came back home to make the sport popular.

Women in Egypt on Sunday continued to wear their helmets and shoulder pads amid a battle of gender stereotypes surrounding American football in the North African country.

Women in Egypt on Sunday continued to wear their helmets and shoulder pads amid a battle of gender stereotypes surrounding American football in the North African country. Female American football athletes endured prejudiced comments; men saying the field was not a place for women and that they belong in the kitchen. "Their answer was sexist because they were unable to imagine a women playing American football," said Nour Ibrahim, a member of Cairo Wolves, one of the first all-female American football teams in Egypt. Ibrahim, a daughter of an Egyptian mother and an American father, fell in love with the oval ball during a student exchange program in a small town in the state of Mississippi, the United States, and when she returned to Egypt in 2015, she contacted the Cairo Wolves. After three years of not giving up, Ibrahim got to see how the number of the all-female teams has gone from zero to eight and the number of players to 500. Ibrahim explained a tryout was organized by the Cairo Wolves after a post on Facebook, which had "a great impact." "The post reached lots of people. To reach the point of the tryout it took some convincing and some people of the team agreed to shut us up," the 26-year-old added. Some 30 women, several of whom were veiled, showed up to tryouts ready to take the field with helmets and shoulder pads. American football was first introduced in Egypt in 2008 by Ahmed al-Rifaey, an Egyptian that was trained in the US and came back home to make the sport popular.

Egyptian women take on American football

19 Islamist terrorists killed in Egypt

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