Hello from The National in Abu Dhabi. Here is your morning newsletter with all the top stories from the Mena region.

GAZA/ISRAEL

The US is to go ahead with $1bn of weapons support for Israel. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is “appalled” by the Israeli military’s escalation of activity in and around Rafah. Palestinians are today marking the 76th year of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel. Read the latest developments here.

Severing ties with Israel was not discussed by foreign ministers of Arab League countries, as they worked to reach a unified position on Gaza ahead of the Arab League summit in Bahrain, a senior official said. The foreign ministers of Jordan and Syria discussed border security at the meeting, after threats from groups supported by Iran to infiltrate the kingdom.

Gaza's few remaining hospitals have warned they will go out of service unless they receive urgently needed fuel as Israel maintains its blockade of the strip.

Helping Palestinians fleeing Gaza could bring much-needed skills and qualifications to Britain, but London has been accused of a callous betrayal by not enabling access to the UK.

LIBYA

Libya's UN representative has urged the International Criminal Court's prosecutor, Karim Khan, to shift focus towards Gaza, saying a continuing investigation into Libya – now in its 13th year – has been fruitless.

IRAQ

An Iraqi army officer and four soldiers have been killed in an attack in central Iraq launched by ISIS.

Iraq’s latest oil and gas bidding round shows China’s growing influence in the Arab country’s energy sector, which faces challenges such as stagnant production and underdeveloped gas reserves, analysts say.

IRAN

An award-winning Iranian director, whose film is showing at the Cannes Film Festival, has fled Iran, only days after being sentenced to eight years in prison on national security charges.

TUNISIA

Tunisia’s Lawyers' Bar condemned what it called “the most dangerous attack” the legal profession has faced after police raids on its offices led to the arrest of two of its members.

UAE

The makers of the world’s first phase two AI-generated drug said the UAE can be at the heart of a new era in the fight against disease.

SAUDI ARABIA

Five UK ministers will be at the head of a huge British delegation visiting Saudi Arabia this week, as Britain seeks to strengthen trade and cultural ties with the kingdom.

PLUS …

The Middle East has been hit the hardest by a rise in global heatwave deaths over the past three decades, scientists have found.

Read about the complex history of the Palestinian keffiyeh.

David Lepeska asks: Could Turkey's conservative turn roil the suddenly calm Aegean?

AND …

A history of Arab cinema at the Cannes Film Festival.

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