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Customs inspectors at Athens International Airport seized 14,700 smuggled cartons of cigarettes. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the United States and European countries were not doing enough to pressure Israel to agree a ceasefire in Gaza, after Palestinian militant group Hamas' move to accept a truce proposal.

More than 100 Turkish hoteliers and tourism agencies flocked to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai this week as Türkiye seeks to attract more holidaymakers from the Middle Eastern countries.

The Greek National Tourism Organization's (GNTO) efforts to increase tourism flows from the Arab world to Greece are in full swing, with the GNTO attending the Arabian Travel Market trade show in this context.

GNTO Secretary-General Dimitris Fragakis stated that "the Arab countries are the main target of the organization's strategy in opening to new markets.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has held discussions with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the capital Abu Dhabi.

Israeli airstrikes targeted areas in Rafah on Thursday, as reported by Palestinian residents, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed US President Joe Biden's warning of withholding weapons from Israel if it attacks the southern Gaza city.

Israel launched fresh strikes in the Gaza Strip Friday after negotiators pursuing a long-stalled truce agreement left talks in Cairo without having secured a deal.

AFP journalists in the Gaza Strip early Friday witnessed artillery strikes on Rafah on the territory's southern border with Egypt, while witnesses reported air strikes and fighting in Gaza City further north.

Israeli forces have reportedly taken control of the Rafah border crossing on the Palestinian side, adjacent to the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. A spokesman for Gaza's border authorities told Reuters the checkpoint on its Palestinian side was closed because of the presence of Israeli tanks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a truce proposal backed by Hamas, citing its misalignment with Israel's demands. The announcement followed Hamas's endorsement of a specific ceasefire proposal, which Israeli negotiators deem insufficient compared to previously discussed options.

Israel carried out strikes on the Gazan city of Rafah overnight as it sought to put "pressure" on Hamas ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal endorsed by the group.

The Israeli army said it took "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday and that troops were scanning the area.