Middle East latest: Germany and France seek a 'new beginning' with Syria

The top diplomats from Germany and France were in Syria on Friday to send what the German minister called a clear signal that Europe and Syria can have a “political new beginning" after Islamist insurgents ousted Bashar Assad.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot met with Syria's de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and representatives of civil society.

Baerbock said all Syrians — regardless of ethnic or religious group — must have “a place in the political process” as well as rights and protection. Al-Sharaa has said it could take up to four years to hold elections in Syria because of the need for political dialogue and rewriting the country’s constitution.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli strikes killed at least 42 people including children overnight and into Friday, hospital staff said, as often-stalled ceasefire talks to end the Israel-Hamas war were set to resume in Qatar. Sirens sounded across Israel for missiles fired from Yemen.

Israel's bombardments and ground invasion of Gaza has killed more than 45,600 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who say women and children make up more than half the fatalities. The officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their tally.

The war was sparked by Hamas-led militants' attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and around 250 abducted. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza; at least a third are believed to be dead.

Here's the latest:

CAIRO — Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza said in a statement Friday that Israel’s military told staff and patients to immediately evacuate. The hospital didn’t give details.

A nurse at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza said the facility also received orders to evacuate.

The nurse said they were still in the hospital with 19 people, including eight patients, and that staffers had asked for ambulances to evacuate people who couldn't walk. The nurse spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

Israel’s military said that it wasn’t “operating to evacuate” either the Al-Awda or Indonesian hospitals.

“Messages were sent to reiterate to officials in the health authorities that there is no need to evacuate the hospital,” the military said about the Indonesian Hospital.

Neither side’s statements could be immediately verified. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movement of Palestinians in Gaza and has virtually sealed off the towns where the hospitals are located as it wages an blistering offensive there.

Last week, Israeli soldiers expelled wounded Palestinians from another northern Gaza hospital. Patients who were forced out of Kamal Adwan Hospital described harrowing conditions where Israeli soldiers made them strip to their underwear for hours in the cold winter weather. Israel said Hamas had been using the hospital as a base.

Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled contributed to this report.

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council is meeting to discuss the war’s effect on hospitals in Gaza, a contentious issue as the health system has been largely devastated.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk addressed the Security Council on Friday.

He said a recent report by his office documented “at least 136 strikes on at least 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza, which caused significant death and injury among doctors, nurses, medical staff and other civilians and damaged or destroyed many of the buildings targeted.”

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating out of hospitals and claims that Israeli forces try to protect the facilities. Last month, the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of systematically attacking Gaza’s healthcare system and restricting essential humanitarian assistance.

CAIRO — Hamas said in a statement that indirect ceasefire negotiations would resume Friday, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he authorized a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the military to continue the talks in Qatar.

The U.S.-led talks have repeatedly stalled. Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. But the militants, while greatly weakened, have repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces withdraw from areas.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that the Israelis sending another team to Doha for ceasefire talks is “a good step.” “We think a new deal is both urgent and possible,” he said on Friday afternoon.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed at least 10 people in areas across the Gaza Strip, health officials said.

A strike killed three people in a car in Zawaida in central Gaza, health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said.

An airstrike killed seven people, including four children and a woman, in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, according to the Civil Defense first responders who are affiliated with the Hamas-run government. The organization said another Israeli strike targeted a group of people at Al-Samer junction in Gaza City, killing at least two and wounding others.

Associated Press video shows over a dozen people gathered at the entrance of Al-Aqsa Hospital where those killed in Zawaida were transferred on three-wheeled vehicles with trailers. One man is seen screaming and crying as he holds a corpse, calling the dead man's name.

An ambulance rushed to the hospital entrance carrying an unconscious man on a stretcher along with a person trying to revive him. At the scene of the airstrike, people stood around the burned vehicle with shattered windows and bloodstains on its doors.

Freelance journalist Omar al-Derawi was among those killed on Friday. AP reporters saw friends and colleagues mourning over his body, with a press vest laid on his white funeral shroud.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said last month that more than 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel hasn’t allowed foreign journalists to enter Gaza except on military embeds.

DAMASCUS, Syria — As they met with Syria’s new leadership on Friday, the German and French foreign ministers pressed for an inclusive political transition that includes women and all ethnic and religious groups.

Annalena Baerbock said she and France’s Jean-Noel Barrot made clear that Europe will support a new Syria, “but Europe would not be a financier of Islamist structures.”

The pair met Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former insurgent group that is now the de facto rulers in Syria. HTS has for years sought to move away from past affiliation with al-Qaida and get off Western terrorism lists.

Baerbock said she has heard from Syrians often that “women’s rights are a yardstick for the future for everyone in a free society. Not only us but many Syrians will therefore judge the new rulers by their actions.”

BEIRUT — Lebanon's army said Friday that gunbattles erupted on the Lebanese-Syrian border when Syrians attempted to reopen an illegal border crossing using a bulldozer, wounding at least five Lebanese soldiers.

The Lebanese army said its personnel fired warning shots, prompting the Syrians to open fire, wounding one soldier. After the shooting, army units in the area implemented strict security measures and the episode was under investigation, the army said.

Later Thursday, the Lebanese army said there were renewed exchanges of fire and four more army personnel were injured.

Meanwhile, Syria’s de facto leadership under the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham announced new entry regulations for Lebanese citizens. Lebanese travelers must secure a residence permit or a Syrian sponsor and provide proof of funds worth $2,000 and a hotel booking. Previously, Lebanese citizens were allowed to enter with just a Lebanese ID card.

DAMASCUS, Syria — The French and German foreign ministers visited their countries' long-shuttered embassies in Damascus on Friday as part of the first visit to Syria by top diplomats from European Union countries since rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad last month.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also met with Syria's de factor leader and members of civil society.

“It was with great emotion that I am today at the site of the French Embassy in Damascus,” Barrot said as he inspected the damage that occurred at the embassy during 13 years of closure.

“A little less than a month ago, new hope was born thanks to the mobilization of Syrians, the hope of a sovereign, stable and peaceful Syria,” he said. "It is a real hope, but it is a fragile hope.”

Barrot earlier visited the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma and met with Patriarch John Yaziji.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 30 people, including children, were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes overnight, hospital staff said Friday.

Staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said that 10 women and seven children were among those killed in strikes on various locations in central Gaza, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al-Balah.

The strikes come a day after Israel killed dozens of people across the enclave, bringing the total of fatalities since Thursday to 56.

The Israeli army, which didn't immediately comment on the strikes, says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says a missile fired from Yemen has set off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and central Israel.

The attack early Friday woke millions of people and sent people scrambling to air raid shelters.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, though a faint explosion, likely either from the missile or from interceptors, could be heard in Jerusalem.

The Israeli Defense Forces later reported that a missile launched from Yemen into Israeli territory was intercepted. A report was received regarding shrapnel from the interception that fell in the area of Modi’in in central Israel. The details are under review.

Israel has carried out a number of long-range airstrikes in Yemen, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away. But the strikes have failed to stop the attacks. The Houthis have pledged to continue striking Israel until the war in Gaza ends.

REMOVES NUMBER OF KILLED - Palestinian boys examine a car targeted in an Israeli army strike that killed several of its occupants in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian boys examine a car targeted in an Israeli army strike that killed four occupants in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Abdallah Abu Libda carries the body of his 6-month-old nephew, Mohammad Abu Libda, as victims of overnight Israeli army strikes at multiple locations in the central Gaza Strip are prepared for funeral prayers at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. According to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, 30 people, including 10 women and 7 children, were killed in the attacks. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of four men killed in an Israeli army strike targeting a car are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

People stand outside their homes as members of the new security forces take part in an operation to detain men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of the ousted president Bashar Assad in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of the ousted president Bashar Assad are detained by members of the new security forces during an operation in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meets with representatives of civil society during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Detained men kneel down on the sidewalk as members of the new security forces take part in an operation to detain suspected people of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of the ousted president Bashar Assad in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock holds a press conference during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A member of the new security forces shakes hands with a boy during an operation to detain men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of the ousted president Bashar Assad in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meets with representatives of civil society during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People walk past a security building that belonged to the Assad regime which was burned during the rebel takeover, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meets with representatives of civil society during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, center, meets with representatives of civil society during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meets with representatives of civil society during an official visit, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

German and French Foreign Affairs ministers Annalena Baerbock, center right, and Jean-Noel Barrot, center left, talk with representatives of the White Helmets during a guided visit to the infamous Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 3, 2023.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki).

German and French Foreign Affairs ministers Annalena Baerbock, center left,, and Jean-Noel Barrot, right, listen to representatives of the White Helmets during a guided visit to the infamous Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 3, 2023.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki).

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot talks with a representative of the White Helmets during a visit to the infamous Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus Friday Jan. 3, 2023. The Saydnaya prison, a sprawling complex just north of Damascus became synonymous with some of the worst atrocities committed under the rule of now ousted President Bashar Assad.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki).

Colleagues and friends mourn over the body of freelance journalist Omar al-Derawi and other victims of overnight Israeli army strikes at multiple locations in central Gaza Strip, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. According to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, 30 people, including 10 women and 7 children, were killed in several attacks overnight in central Gaza. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

German and French Foreign Affairs ministers Annalena Baerbock, second from left, and Jean-Noel Barrot, second from right, talk with representatives of the White Helmets during a guided visit to the infamous Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 3, 2023.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki).

A wounded man is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli army airstrikes in the Nuseirat and Maghazi camps, in the central Gaza Strip, Thursday Jan. 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A wounded youth is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israeli army airstrikes targeted the Nuseirat and Maghazi camps in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A dead child is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israeli army airstrikes targeted the Nuseirat and Maghazi camps, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Young men cheer as members of the new security forces, primarily fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), fire into the air in celebration after spending most of the day searching for militiamen loyal to ousted President Bashar Assad who refused to surrender their weapons to the new authorities in Homs, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People stand outside their homes at a residential area as members of the new security forces take part in an operation to detain, according to the state media, militiamen affiliated with ousted president Bashar Assad in Homs, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

SYDNEY (AP) — Sixth-ranked Elena Rybakina has defended her former coach Stefano Vukov after he was provisionally suspended by the WTA as the governing body investigates a potential breach of its code of conduct.

Rybakina said this week that Vukov is rejoining her team but the WTA suspension means the Croat won't be accredited to enter player-only areas including practice courts and training areas.

On Saturday, the 2022 Wimbledon champion told a press conference in Sydney that Vukov “never mistreated me” in their years working together.

“The only thing I can say is, he never mistreated me. I respect him for everything he did from the very beginning when I was (ranked No.) 200 all the way what we did,” the 25-year-old Rybakina said.

Her current coach is Goran Ivanisevic as they prepare for the Australian Open.

“I’m working with Goran. I’m happy (with) the way we (are) working now for a couple of weeks," Rybakina said.

She said she's adding Vukov “because I know (him) for six years, and there is a lot of things we can do outside of the court too.”

“Of course I’m not really happy with the situation. I’m not happy with the comments which I see, especially from the people who are on the tour. It’s active coaches, commentators. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Vukov told The Athletic that he “never abused anyone.”

In a statement, the WTA confirmed that Vukov “is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA code of conduct.”

“As part of the provisional suspension, Mr. Vukov is not eligible to obtain a WTA credential at this time. While the WTA does not typically comment on active investigations, we believe it is necessary to clarify this matter due to recent public statements that misrepresent the situation.

"We will not provide further details at this point.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina plays a backhand to Poland's Iga Swiatek during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina plays a forehand to Poland's Iga Swiatek during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)