Middle East News

The two Americans killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip followed in the footsteps of scores of Jews from around the world who have volunteered to fight for Israel.

Palestinian-Americans in the Southland said Monday they are saddened and frustrated at the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip with some worried about their own family members there.

Lior Vaknin, 27, is no exception. He served as a special forces paratrooper in the Israeli army from 2006 to 2009, and then ran a startup in Israel.

Such an attack happened Monday afternoon to the Shuhada al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza, where several artillery shells slammed into buildings there.

One soldier was killed and two others were wounded. Izzettin Kucuk, the governor for Sanliurfa province, told the private Dogan news agency that the firefight broke out late Monday near the town of Ceylanpinar, which borders Syria.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.06 of a cent to 93.1 cents US as traders assess the liklihood of additional sanctions levied against Russia for its support of Ukrainian rebels who are largely blamed for shooting down a Malaysian airliner on Friday.

The leader of Germany's Jewish community says he is shocked by an "explosion of evil and violent hatred of Jews" shown by protesters at pro-Gaza demonstrations across the country.

Attacks overnight in two Iraqi cities killed at least 16 people, officials said Monday as authorities struggle to stop the Sunni militants' offensive that has left huge areas in northern and western Iraq outside of government control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he is sorry for civilian casualties in Gaza, but he lashed out at Hamas, asserting the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip is purposefully putting civilians in harm's way while also attacking innocent Israelis with rockets.

Secretary of State John Kerry points to what he calls `extraordinary circumstantial evidence'- including video of a rocket launcher with one missile gone - which he says implicates Russia-supported rebels in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. More than three days after the Malaysia Airlines jetliner crashed, international investigators ... (more)

Protestors gather infront of the White House in Washington during a demonstration against Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, Sunday, July 20, 2014.

Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back to the Middle East as the Obama administration attempts to bolster regional efforts to reach a ceasefire and sharpens its criticism of Hamas in its conflict with Israel.

In an appeal from the pulpit, the Rev. Al Sharpton is demanding justice for a man who died after an apparent police chokehold.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Palestinian-American teen left with stitches and bruises from his detention by Israeli security forces said Sunday he was beaten, kicked and blindfolded on a family trip to the Middle East after a cousin there was abducted and killed.

Smoke rises in the air as flame spread across buildings after Israeli strikes in Shijaiyah neighbourhood in Gaza City, Sunday, July 20, 2014.

French youth defying a ban on a protest against Israel's Gaza offensive have set fire to cars and garbage cans in a Paris suburb after a calm demonstration.

The Israeli Defense Force says it is expanding its incursion into Gaza. The IDF says its goal is to "strike a significant blow to Hamas' terror capabilities and restore security and stability to Israel's residents and civilians."

Lebanese state media says soldiers have killed a wanted militant suspected of involvement in a suicide bombing at a Beirut hotel last month.

Residents strolled through the smoldering rubble of their neighborhoods, some wearing surgical masks to protect their lungs from the smoke and ash lingering in the air of the riverside community they call... On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin was "out of town" when the world united and rejoiced in a way never seen before or since.

The shooting deaths of four thoroughbred horses in Utah are prompting outrage and a $5,000 reward for the prosecution of those responsible.