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Ban Arrives in Doha, Urges Israel to 'Do Far More' to Spare Gaza Civilians

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged Israel to "exercise maximum restraint" and spare the lives of civilians in its campaign in Gaza, where Sunday's Palestinian death toll passed 100.

He also condemned the "atrocious action" of Israel in Shejaiya, near Gaza city, where a blistering hour-long assault at dawn left 62 people dead and at least 250 people wounded.

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Obama Voices 'Concern' over Gaza Deaths, Sends Kerry to Cairo

President Barack Obama expressed concern over the loss of life in Gaza in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday, and said Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Cairo to seek an end to the fighting.

Obama, who condemned attacks by Hamas on Israel, "also raised serious concern about the growing number of casualties, including increasing Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza and the loss of Israeli soldiers," the White House said, adding that Kerry will travel "soon" to the Egyptian capital.

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Gaza's Shejaiya: A Moonscape Strewn with Bodies

The ambulances and firetrucks of Gaza's emergency services gathered on the edge of the Shejaiya district to await news of a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

The word arrived at 1030GMT -- a two-hour truce to allow the retrieval of the dead and wounded, as well as evacuate the terrified people who remained inside the district after a night of non-stop Israeli tank fire.

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60 Syrian Troops Dead in Battle to Retake Gas Field from IS

At least 60 soldiers have died as the army battles to retake a gas field in central Syria where jihadists killed 270 people, a pro-regime newspaper reported on Sunday.

Al-Watan, citing a military source, give a toll of "60 martyrs" for a counter-offensive against the Islamic State (IS) group around Shaar gas field that a security official said was launched Friday.

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Egypt Summons Turkish Envoy over Gaza Criticism

Egypt's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires over criticism of Cairo's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in neighboring Gaza.

Turkey and Egypt withdrew their ambassadors last year after the military ousted Egyptian Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, who had forged closer ties with Turkey's devout premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Egypt Court Cuts Jail Term of Prominent Activist

An Egyptian appeals court in Alexandria on Sunday reduced a two-year jail sentence for award-winning activist Mahienour el-Massry for holding an illegal protest to six months, her lawyer said.

After the army ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi last July, the authorities launched a harsh crackdown on both Islamists and the secular opposition.

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Britain Hopes for 'Proper' Probe into Sudan Editor's Beating

Britain expressed hope on Sunday for a "proper" probe into an assault by armed men who left a Sudanese newspaper editor in hospital.

Gunmen raided the al-Tayar daily on Saturday evening and severely beat chief editor Osman Mirghani, who had called for normalization of ties with Israel.

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Kuwait Calls for End to Gaza Bloodshed, Backs Truce

Kuwait called on the international community Sunday to apply pressure on Israel to "stop its aggression" on Gaza following a visit by Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal to the Gulf state.

Kuwait, which holds the rotating presidency of both the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also announced its backing for an Egyptian truce proposal which was turned down by Hamas.

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Erdogan Urges U.S. to Engage in 'Self-Criticism' over Gaza

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called on its NATO ally the United States to engage in "self-criticism" after it labeled his comments on Israel's Gaza assault "offensive."

"If America still says 'Israel is using its right to self-defense' it is America that needs to engage in self-criticism," Erdogan told the TGRT news channel.

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Assad Reappoints Woman VP but Mum on Sharaa

Syrian President Bashar Assad has reappointed Najah al-Attar as his vice president but made no mention of his other deputy, the veteran diplomat Faruq al-Sharaa.

Attar, 81, the only woman to reach that post, took the oath on Sunday, a day after Assad issued a decree re-appointing her as his deputy, the official SANA news agency reported.

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