World Health Organization staff and their families were stripped and interrogated at gunpoint as they sheltered from an Israeli offensive in central Gaza.

With an international conference on the Palestinian question scheduled for next week at the United Nations, the Knesset votes Wednesday on a

Hundreds of people have been killed in days of violence in southern Syria which began with clashes between members of the Druze minority group and Bedouin tribes and drew a military intervention from Syria.

Humanitarian officials see a pattern of Israel retaliating against those who criticize its conduct in Gaza and toward Palestinians.

The joint statement comes as Palestinians face worsening starvation, daily massacres at "aid sites" and the ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance.