Egypt's top court hears an appeal Thursday by three jailed Al-Jazeera journalists as expectations of their release grew amid a thawing of Cairo's ties with Qatar, the channel's base.

Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed of the satellite news broadcaster's English service were arrested in December 2013 in a case that triggered global outrage.

Egypt on Monday welcomed the dialogue between al-Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah, calling for supporting and assisting Lebanon.

In a statement published by state-run al-Ahram newspaper, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said: “We hope that this dialogue maintains stability in Lebanon and paves the way for resolving the problems of this important Arab country.”

Rallies were held in London and The Hague on Monday in support of three Al-Jazeera journalists as they marked a year in prison in Egypt.

An Egyptian court Monday banned an annual Jewish pilgrimage in the Nile Delta province of Baheira honoring a Moroccan rabbi, saying it went against local traditions, a judicial official said.

A court in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria issued an indefinite ban on celebrations marking the birthday of Yacoub Abu Hasira, held annually in January since 1979, the year Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty.

Australian Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste marked a year in prison in Egypt on Monday, with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop downplaying hopes that he will be released before a January 1 appeal.

Bishop last week expressed some optimism that Greste, convicted in June along with two Al-Jazeera colleagues for defaming Egypt and aiding banned Islamists, could soon be free.

An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday reduced the jail sentences for 23 pro-democracy activists found guilty of taking part in an unlicensed protest from three years to two, their lawyers said.

Gunmen killed a policeman and wounded three others in a drive-by attack on a patrol in Egypt's second city Alexandria on Sunday, a security official told Agence France Presse.

"Armed men aboard a minibus opened fire on them and then made off," the official said.

An Egyptian appeals court Saturday reduced jail sentences given to eight men over a gay wedding video that went viral on the Internet to one year each, from three years.

Their arrests in September were part of a series of highly publicized raids targeting suspected homosexuals in the conservative country.

Gunmen on a motorbike killed a policeman and wounded another in a drive-by shooting in the Egyptian capital on Saturday, the interior ministry said.

"Armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on the police before fleeing," ministry spokesman Hani Abdel Latif told AFP.

Egypt has banned the Hollywood biblical epic movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings" citing historical inaccuracies, the culture minister said Friday, a day after a similar move by Morocco.