GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Israel battled into the fifth week Saturday of its war to crush Hamas, showing no signs of letting up even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced a rising tide of anger in meetings with Arab foreign ministers.
Blinken reaffirmed US support for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting in Gaza to ensure desperate civilians get help a day after Israel’s hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the idea short shrift.

AL-MUKALLA: The Yemeni riyal fell to a new low of 1,540 against the dollar in Yemeni government-controlled territories on Saturday, bringing it closer to its all-time low of 1,700 per dollar.

Money traders and media reports said that the Yemeni riyal breached a record low of 1,500 against the dollar for the first time in years, compared to a prior low of 1,400 in July. 

AMMAN: Some 5,000 Jordanians protested Friday in the capital Amman, calling on King Abdullah II to press for a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, AFP correspondents said.

DUBAI: The UAE warned on Friday against the risk of a regional spillover from the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza, highlighting its efforts to secure an “immediate and full” humanitarian ceasefire to facilitate aid.
Speaking at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi, Noura Al-Kaabi, the UAE minister of state at the ministry of foreign affairs, said it was important to look at the war within the broader context of the rising geopolitical challenges and the underlying issue of terrorism.

NEW YORK CITY: Palestine’s envoy to the UN on Friday slammed the organization’s humanitarian chiefs for failing to call clearly for a ceasefire in Gaza.