Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid on Thursday in a chaotic incident that the Hamas-run health ministry said killed 112 people, drawing sweeping condemnation worldwide.

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his US counterpart Joe Biden discussed the need to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip, achieve a ceasefire, exchange captives and facilitate access to humanitarian aid during a phone conversation on Thursday, said the Egyptian presidency.

GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israeli forces opened fire Thursday on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid on a coastal road west of Gaza City, killing 104 people and wounding more than 760, Palestinian officials said.

Arab countries have actively facilitated mediation and promoted talks in the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and are expected to play a positive role in Gaza's reconstruction in the future, experts said.

GAZA - More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its offensive against Hamas in October, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Thursday as the Israeli army fired at a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid in western Gaza, killing at least 104 people.

DAMASCUS -- Israel conducted missile attacks on areas south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Wednesday night, according to witnesses and state TV.

State TV reported that the Syrian air defenses managed to shoot down the majority of the Israeli missiles.

GAZA - The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,954 as the Israeli military killed 76 in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday.

A Chinese envoy at the United Nations said on Tuesday that China will make "tireless" efforts to restore peace, save lives and ensure that humanitarian aid makes it to Gaza.

THE HAGUE - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday concluded the public hearings on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and began its deliberation.

UNITED NATIONS - The world body wants to see a strengthened and empowered Palestinian government, said a UN spokesman in response to the resignation of the government led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

Reports of a possible temporary cease-fire deal in the Israel-Palestine conflict have been welcomed by analysts as they noted that starvation is taking a toll on civilian lives amid an ongoing food crisis in Gaza.

RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh's government, reported the Palestinian News Agency Wafa.

RAMALLAH - Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday he submitted government resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas.

CAIRO - Two rounds of talks will be held in Qatar and Egypt respectively to reach an agreement on a truce in the Gaza Strip that is currently under massive Israeli siege and bombardment, Egypt's Al-Qahera News reported on Sunday.

GAZA -- At least 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza City on Sunday, medical sources and eyewitnesses said.