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Blinken 'deplores' American death in West Bank, says US to act 'as necessary'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday deplored the death of an American citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and promised action "as necessary."

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Family demands independent probe into 'Israeli military' killing of American

The family of a Turkish-American woman shot dead while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank demanded an independent investigation into her death on Saturday, accusing the Israeli military of killing her "violently."

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was "shot in the head" while participating in a demonstration in Beita in the West Bank on Friday.

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Pro-Palestinian US activist shot and killed by Israeli troops in West Bank

The United States said Friday it was "urgently" seeking information on the death of a US citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where a Palestinian official said she was shot in the head.

"We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

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German FM says 'purely military approach' not the solution in Gaza

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday that a military approach alone was not the solution to Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"The past weekend has dramatically demonstrated that a purely military approach is no solution to the situation in Gaza," she told reporters after meeting with her Israeli counterpart, referring to the recovery of six more dead hostages announced on Sunday.

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Israeli forces withdraw from West Bank's Jenin after major military operation

Israeli forces appeared Friday to have withdrawn from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, after a more-than weeklong military operation that has left dozens dead and a trail of destruction.

Overnight, Israeli armored personnel carriers were seen leaving the camp from a checkpoint set up on one of the main roads, and an Associated Press reporter inside the camp saw no evidence of any remaining troops inside as dawn broke early Friday morning.

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Netanyahu gives starkly different take on Biden's hopes for Gaza deal

The Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were sharply at odds over prospects of reaching a deal for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, with Netanyahu saying it was "exactly inaccurate" that a breakthrough was close.

"There's not a deal in the making," Netanyahu said in an interview Thursday with "Fox and Friends." His public skepticism comes as U.S. officials said they were working on a revised proposal to address remaining disputes between Israeli and Hamas leaders after the weekend discovery of six dead hostages added urgency to the talks.

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Netanyahu demands open-ended control of Gaza's border with Egypt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza's border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail cease-fire efforts.

Netanyahu's comments came as the United States is developing a new proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release, hoping to break a long deadlock and bring an end to the nearly 11-month-old war.

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Israeli strikes kill 5 in occupied West Bank

Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people, including the son of a prominent jailed militant.

Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. The Palestinians fear a widening of the war in Gaza.

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Israeli strike on tent camp kills 4 men and injures 2 children

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli strike on a tent camp killed four men and wounded two children.

The strike early Thursday hit an encampment near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Hospital officials confirmed the toll and an Associated Press reporter saw the bodies.

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12 Syrian soldiers killed in suicide attacks

Twelve Syrian soldiers have been killed by an Al-Qaida linked group in northwest Syria, according to a war monitoring organization, the highest such death toll in the region this year.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that "12 members of the regime forces, including an officer, were killed following suicide attacks carried out by special forces from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS), targeting regime forces positions in the north of Latakia province" adjacent to Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in the northwest.

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