Arab Solidarity with Palestine
Several Arab countries expressed solidarity with Palestine. Saudi Arabia is leading Arab group meetings at the UN about the situation between Palestine and Israel. UAE expressed concern over the escalating violence between the two foes. The Tunisian Presidency also issued a statement supporting Palestinians.

Tornadoes Strike China
Two tornadoes in China killed at least seven people on Friday. In Wuhan, six people died and more than 200 others were injured. About 90 minutes earlier, another tornado struck the town of Shengze.

WHO Warns the World
Amid calls for the Olympics to be canceled, Japan extended a state of emergency. India, meanwhile, started deploying Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. The World Health Organization on Friday warned that the second year of the pandemic was set to be “far more deadly than the first.”

US: GERD Talks 'Must Resume'
The US State Department on Friday said talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam “must resume urgently”. This comes after US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, concluded his recent tour to Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea.

Egypt Supports Gaza
Egyptian authorities announced on Friday that the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will be opened to receive those wounded. Hospitals in North Sinai have also been given orders from Egypt’s Ministry of Health to prepare to receive the injured.