RIYADH -- Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain met in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Friday to discuss the Palestinian issue and the developments in the Gaza Strip, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

While the report described the gathering as a "consultative brotherly meeting" without providing details, media reports suggested that the discussions were meant to focus on Gaza's post-war reconstruction to counter a recent proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from the enclave and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," a plan widely rejected by Arab nations. (Saudi Arabia-Arab Leaders-Palestinian Cause)

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JERUSALEM/GAZA -- Six Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas were released on Saturday as part of an ongoing ceasefire exchange, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement.

Two of the five hostages were transferred earlier on Saturday from a vehicle of al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, to vehicles of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah, southern Gaza, which later carried them to the IDF and the Israel Security Agency, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. (Israel-Hamas-Hostage Release)

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KHARTOUM -- At least 83 people have died during the past 72 hours due to a cholera outbreak in Sudan's White Nile State, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reported Saturday.

"The spread of cholera in White Nile has caused the deaths of 83 people, while 1,197 others have been infected, of whom 259 had recovered as of yesterday (Friday)," the non-governmental Sudanese Doctors Network said in a statement. (Sudan-Cholera Outbreak-Deaths)

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JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS -- The Israeli military said on Saturday it conducted airstrikes targeting border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of using the routes to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the crossings were exploited by Hezbollah "in attempts to illegally transfer arms," calling such activities "a blatant violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon" effective since Nov. 27, 2024. (Israel-Attacks-Syria-Lebanon-Border) Enditem

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