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Islamic Jihad Says Only Way to Free Israeli Hostages is Gaza Withdrawal, Prisoner Deal

Palestinian women walk next to destroyed houses following Israeli military operation in Al Maghazi refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 17 February 2024. (EPA)
Palestinian women walk next to destroyed houses following Israeli military operation in Al Maghazi refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 17 February 2024. (EPA)
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Islamic Jihad Says Only Way to Free Israeli Hostages is Gaza Withdrawal, Prisoner Deal

Palestinian women walk next to destroyed houses following Israeli military operation in Al Maghazi refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 17 February 2024. (EPA)
Palestinian women walk next to destroyed houses following Israeli military operation in Al Maghazi refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 17 February 2024. (EPA)

The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Saturday the only way to return Israeli hostages is through Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, ending its offensive and reaching a deal for exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

The spokesman of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group, made the remarks in a video posted on Telegram, Reuters reported.

Islamic Jihad is a smaller ally of the militant Islamist group Hamas, which led a rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

At least 37,296 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign to eliminate Hamas, according to the Gaza health ministry.

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Arab World

US Condemns Attack on Home of the Leader of Autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
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US Condemns Attack on Home of the Leader of Autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)

The United States on Saturday condemned a drone attack on a residence of the leader of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, blaming Iranian militia proxies in Iraq.

"These actions by Iran and its proxies are a direct assault on Iraq's sovereignty, stability, and unity," a statement from State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

"We categorically reject the indiscriminate and cowardly terrorist acts that Iran and its terrorist proxies have unleashed in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and throughout Iraq," he added.

The Iraqi government has promised to investigate Saturday's drone attack that targeted Barzani's second home.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke with Barzani, on Saturday called the attack "unacceptable" and described the rise in attacks on Iraqi institutions as "worrying."

Since the launch of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran on February 28, Iraq has been drawn into a regional conflict it has sought to avoid.

Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq claim responsibility on a daily basis for drone attacks and rocket strikes targeting the US military presence, both within Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

These attacks have targeted the US Embassy in Baghdad and personnel for an international anti-extremist coalition deployed in Iraq.

Arab World

Israeli Military Says Another Soldier Killed in Southern Lebanon

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 25 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 25 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Israeli Military Says Another Soldier Killed in Southern Lebanon

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 25 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 25 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

The Israeli ‌military ‌said early Sunday ‌that ⁠one of ⁠its ⁠soldiers ‌was ‌killed during ‌combat ‌in southern ‌Lebanon.

"Sergeant Moshe Yitzchak hacohen Katz, aged 22, from New Haven, Connecticut, a soldier of the 890th battalion, Paratroopers Brigade, fell during combat in southern Lebanon," a military statement said.

Five Israeli soldiers have now been killed in fighting in south Lebanon since Hezbollah began launching rocket attacks against Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Israel’s attacks continued in Lebanon.

On Saturday, the Israeli military killed three journalists in the south, including Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, one of the network's most prominent war correspondents, who had covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades.

The Israeli military accused him of operating within Hezbollah "under the guise of a journalist."

Lebanese authorities, including President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, condemned the killings as war crimes.

Israel also carried out raids in southern Lebanon that killed nine paramedics, according to the health ministry.

Arab World

Israeli Strikes Hit Two Gaza Police Checkpoints, Killing Six, Medics Say

26 March 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Israeli warplanes launch an airstrike near a camp sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (dpa)
26 March 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Israeli warplanes launch an airstrike near a camp sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (dpa)
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Israeli Strikes Hit Two Gaza Police Checkpoints, Killing Six, Medics Say

26 March 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Israeli warplanes launch an airstrike near a camp sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (dpa)
26 March 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Israeli warplanes launch an airstrike near a camp sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (dpa)

Two ‌Israeli air strikes on two checkpoints of the Hamas-led police force killed at least six Palestinians including a child, local health officials said, in the latest round of violence despite a US-brokered ceasefire that is now more than five months old.

Medics said Israeli planes ‌attacked two ‌police checkpoints in Khan Younis ‌in ⁠the southern Gaza ⁠Strip, killing three policemen and three civilians, including a girl, and wounding four others.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the recent strikes.

The military has ⁠killed over 680 Palestinians ‌in Gaza since ‌a ceasefire with Hamas came into ‌effect in November, local health officials ‌say.

More than 72,000 have been killed since the war started in October 2023. Israel is now also waging ‌a war, alongside the US, against Iran, and is carrying ⁠out ⁠a new campaign against Hezbollah in which Israel forces have invaded southern Lebanon.

Violence in Gaza has persisted despite the ceasefire and amid Israel's war with Iran. Health officials in the territory say at least 50 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the Iran conflict began a month ago.