Palestinians

Turkey on March 14 condemned the decision by the Balkan state of Kosovo to open an embassy to Israel in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem.

Opening the embassy was an extremely "unfortunate" decision taken by the leaders of a people who endured great suffering to gain their independence, said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

Egypt called off a scheduled meeting between its foreign minister and top United States presidential adviser Jared Kushner on Aug. 23 after the United States decided to withhold millions of dollars in aid.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has condemned Israeli forces? targeting of Muslim groups inside Jerusalem?s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, pledging to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Ankara will continue to strive to boost international awareness of the plight of the Palestinians, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Egypt opened its Rafah border crossing to Gaza on Thursday to receive wounded Palestinians as Israel pounded the enclave with air strikes, an official at the border said.
      
Hospitals in north Sinai, which borders Gaza and Israel, have been placed on standby to receive the Palestinians, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.