Truce Efforts Stall

Efforts to evacuate civilians as part of a six-month truce in flashpoint Syrian villages stalled Saturday when protesters blocked a key route, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Israel-Hamas fighting looked headed for escalation after US Secretary of State John Kerry failed Friday to broker a weeklong truce as a first step toward a broader deal and Israel's defense minister warned Israel might soon expand its Gaza ground operation "significantly."

Efforts to evacuate civilians as part of a six-month truce in flashpoint Syrian villages stalled Saturday when protesters blocked a key route, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Israel-Hamas fighting looked headed for escalation after US Secretary of State John Kerry failed Friday to broker a weeklong truce as a first step toward a broader deal and Israel's defense minister warned Israel might soon expand its Gaza ground operation "significantly."