Middle East

Many displaced Palestinians are uprooting themselves and their families again and moving to Deir al Balah, a city along Gaza’s coastline, as Israel plans for a possible invasion into Rafah.

The Chinese government did not say when the talks between the main Palestinian factions were held. Expectations for progress were low.

The U.S. secretary of state’s visit to Jordan comes as the Biden administration tries to pressure Hamas to accept a deal that would result in a temporary cease-fire in the war in Gaza and the release of some hostages.

Israel reduced the initial number of hostages it wants released to 33. If Hamas agrees to attend, negotiations on a cease-fire could resume in Cairo this week.

Several people were reportedly killed during Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah, Gaza, where more than a million displaced Gazans have fled.

The launches, nearly all of which Israel shot down, were an apparent attempt by the group to show it remains a threat even as the war has degraded its military capabilities in Gaza.

“The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas,” said Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.

Grief and rage over the war and Israel have led to demonstrations across the Arab world. Arrests suggest governments fear the outrage could boomerang.

The shooting of Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, known online as Um Fahad, comes amid tightening laws and increasingly conservative attitudes in the country.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was headed to Saudi Arabia in search of an agreement that would pause the fighting and free hostages held by Hamas.