Presenter, Female #1
Palestinian sources told Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza that a truce agreement could be announced tonight in Cairo. The sources said the articles of the truce state that both sides must stop all operations, including Israeli assassinations of Palestinian leaders. In exchange, Palestinian factions will stop firing rockets into Israel. The agreement includes facilitating use of the Gaza Strip's border crossings. Palestinian sources clarified that the guarantor of the agreement is Egypt.

Presenter, Female #1
This comes as an Arab ministerial delegation is visiting the Gaza Strip and entering through the Rafah crossing to express solidarity with the Strip. The delegation is headed by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi. He is accompanied by Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister. The ousted Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh informed the delegation of the importance of activating the decision to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip.

Guest, Male #1 (Ismail Haniyeh, Ousted Palestinian Prime Minister)
I remember that a decision was issued by Arab foreign ministers on the issue of lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip. I am taking advantage of the presence of my dear brother, the secretary-general of the Arab League, and our brothers the ministers, to start activating and implementing the decision that was issued by the Arab League to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip once and for all. The Arab response to this aggression must be the end of the siege on the Gaza Strip. This will also enable us, God willing, to retrieve our unity, and to end Palestinian division, and this is a strategic choice. Our strategic choice is national unity, ending the division, and to have one authority, one government, one leadership, and one confrontation, God willing.

Presenter, Female #1
On the ground, Israeli air strikes continued for the seventh consecutive day on the Gaza Strip, and led to the martyrdom of 19 people, including two photographers at al-Aqsa satellite channel. Our Al Jazeera correspondent said that seven martyrs fell in a new Israeli air operation waged on the Gaza Strip, which reached nearly 50 air raids.

Presenter, Female #1
On the other hand, al-Qassam and al-Quds Brigades said they fired dozens of rockets from Gaza today towards southern Israel. Nearly 20 rockets fell in the city of Be'r al-Sabaa, and the rockets that fell south of the city damaged a bus and several cars; it did not lead to any human injuries. In the city of Beit Lahiya, Israeli raids waged an air raid on the city which led to the martyrdom of four people and damaged a number of homes.

Presenter, Female #1
In the area of al-Waha, west of Gaza City, local sources said the Israeli air force waged two raids on the area, injuring a number of Palestinian farmers. An Israeli spy plane also waged a raid on the area of Mighraqa, south of Gaza City, leading to the martyrdom of one Palestinian and the injury of a child.

Reporter, Male #2
This is what remains of the Hejazi family's home in the Jibalya refugee camp. One missile was enough to turn the house into rubble and martyr the family's provider and two of his children, and injure the remaining members of the family. What remains of the children's books and toys responds to the Israeli army's claims that it only targets militants.

Guest, Male #3
Suddenly, an F-16 plane hit, and as you see the area is now rubble. You can see what the situation is like. Some people were injured, and others were martyred.

Reporter, Male #2
The destruction affected most of the neighboring homes and spread fear in the hearts of the residents.

Guest, Female #2
I was sleeping when the explosion happened, and then rocks fell on us. We went downstairs to my aunt's house, and today we left.

Reporter, Male #2
Targeting civilian homes and killing Palestinians has become a means for the Israeli occupation's army to find a victory it was unable to fulfill against the Palestinian resistance factions. The Israeli raids waged by warplanes and spy planes are continuing for the seventh consecutive day, increasing the number of martyrs and injured. Besides residential areas, the raids also reached the national Islamic bank, which was completely destroyed.

Reporter, Male #2
On the other hand, the Palestinian response to these raids continues with resistance factions firing dozens of rockets on Israeli cities and towns. This comes amid assurances by the Palestinian resistance that it will respond to the Israeli raids until it forces the occupation to accept the ceasefire according to the conditions of the resistance. Otham al-Bateeri, Al Jazeera, Gaza, Palestine.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan used harsh words against Israel, accusing it of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza. His remarks to his ruling AKP in Ankara underlined the hostility for Israel since relations between the two countries collapsed in 2010. Yesterday, Erdogan described Israel as a "terrorist state" in carrying out its bombardment on Gaza.

Israel has agreed not to launch a ground operation in Gaza for at least 24 hours, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to the region to help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The decision was made by the inner cabinet of nine senior ministers which met late last night, believing that a waiting period would give Israel greater legitimacy in the eyes of the international community should Israel decide that an invasion on the ground in Gaza is the only option left. Israel is reportedly seeking an initial 24 to 48-hour truce, which could then be used to negotiate the finer details of a full ceasefire agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, and told him of Israel's plans to allow for the possibility of a ceasefire, but said that if the firing continues, Israel will not hesitate to take broader action.

Rocket fire on Israel intensified following an overnight lull; more than 100 rockets and mortars were launched towards the western Negev, with 35 missiles intercepted by the Iron Dome system, which has seen unprecedented international interest. The Jerusalem area experienced its second alert, but the missile exploded in the Etzion bloc in the West Bank, several kilometers south of the city. Near the Gaza border, one IDF reserve officer was wounded by mortar fire. Home Front Minister Avi Dichter met with mayors and council heads from towns and villages under threat, noting that over 320 homes and some 100 vehicles have been damaged.

Press TV reports that for the first time in decades, Palestinian fighters have managed to send Grad rockets deep into Israel. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem came under attack with what are claimed to be Iranian-made Fajr-5 missiles. Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hailed the attacks on Israel by the Iranian-made Fajr-5 missiles. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi says there are signs of a possible end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying that diplomatic efforts are underway. Israel's minister for military affairs, Ehud Barak, has also said a ceasefire will be called shortly.

Presenter, Female #1
Armed groups in Syria committed a massacre against a family in Aleppo, as the British foreign minister announced his country's recognition of the Syrian opposition coalition, offering it one million pounds in support.

Reporter, Male #1
Nine people of the same family were killed in south Aleppo City by an opposition terrorist group, according the official Syrian news agency SANA. The agency said the terrorist group committed a massacre against the families of Abdel Rahman al-Jlaylati and his brother Abdel Majid by firing at their 10-member families in the neighborhood of Marjeh.

Reporter, Male #1
The official Syrian TV channel reported that government forces continued to raid the hideouts of terrorists in many Syrian regions, capturing a number of them in Basateen Daraya in the countryside of Damascus, and in different parts of Latakia Province, Idlib, Deir az-Zour, and in a number of neighborhoods in Aleppo and its countryside. On the other hand, a number of opposition gunmen announced the formation of a general intelligence service for the Syrian revolution to protect it in its confrontation with the Baath Party's intelligence apparatus.

Guest, Male #2 (Spokesman for the Syrian Revolution's Intelligence Service)
To provide logistical aid, and information to the brigades of the Free Army, and an operations room. To reveal the plans of the enemy, and to go after the regime's figures, and its remnants.

Reporter, Male #1
On the political front, British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced to parliament that Britain decided to recognize the new Syrian coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people. Hague said this decision was taken after the coalition's leaders offered assurances during their last visit to London. He clarified that he asked the leaders to assign a representative to Britain.

Guest, Male #3 (William Hague, British Foreign Secretary)
On the basis of assurances I received and consultations with European partners, Her Majesty's government has decided to recognize the national coalition of Syrian revolutionary and opposition forces as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. We will provide one million pounds of communications support, which could include satellite phones. At this stage, we will not provide the opposition with weapons.

Reporter, Male #1
Hague justified his country's support for the coalition by saying extremist groups will have no place in Syria's current crisis.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says that Turkey's talks with NATO member states to deploy a Patriot missile system along its border with Syria are now in their final stages. Ankara says the deployment of missiles is necessary to counter what it sees as potential military threats from Syria. Only the US, the Netherlands, and Germany have the appropriate Patriot missile system available.

France ends its combat mission in Afghanistan, two years before US-led foreign troops are scheduled to leave the country. The French military says troops have withdrawn from Kapisa, the strategic province northeast of the capital Kabul, as part of a quickened departure from the country. Paris decided to accelerate its withdrawal after a string of so-called "insider attacks" in 2011 and 2012, including a January assault in which an Afghan soldier shot dead five French troops at their base. France has lost 88 soldiers in Afghanistan. Some 1,500 soldiers will stay in the country into 2013 to take responsibility for repairing equipment.

Presenter, Female #1
Cautious calm is reigning in Tahrir Square in the center of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Last night, police intervened to disperse protestors who gathered in front of the Interior Ministry. Later, clashes erupted, and tear gas, rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails were used. Thousands of protestors amassed in Mohamed Mahmoud Street to commemorate the anniversary of clashes that took place a year ago, in the same place in which 40 people were killed. Tawfiq Ahmed reports from Cairo.

Reporter, Male #1
On the first anniversary of the bloody Mohamed Mahmoud events, the dramatic scene was repeated. Intermittent clashes near the Interior Ministry took place between police and protestors, injuring dozens from both sides.

Guest, Female #2
The situation is heated. The police are beating people; the police are throwing Molotov cocktails at us, and they are using live ammunition. I don't understand how a 25 or 30-year-old man can see a young boy with a Molotov cocktail and doesn't take it away from him.

Reporter, Male #1
Rocks, empty bottles and bottles on fire, tear gas, and live rounds are the usual weapons during such events. No one knows who caused the first spark and who the offenders are, and that means an unidentified person is usually blamed.

Guest, Male #2
I don't really understand what's going on. The revolution happened. The ministers were changed, the president was changed, everything in the country changed, but those people have not.

Guest, Male #3
All the injuries are caused by rocks. We only have two other cases, only two cases. There are some injuries because of tear gas.

Reporter, Male #1
There are different points of view about what is happening near the Interior Ministry. While some view it as the police's continued repression, others believe the event was unjustified and incomprehensible.

Reporter, Male #1
The reasons for the overwhelming anger that fills the hearts and minds of the protestors are not holding accountable those responsible for the events that caused the deaths of at least 40 people last year, in addition to what some are calling the "Festival of Innocence" that policemen received during the revolution. These are viewed as the cause of the outbreak of these heated events.

Presenter, Male #1
The execution of seven Iraqis by Saudi authorities was viewed by the Ministry of Human Rights as a flagrant violation of international human rights regulations, in terms of the way the executions were carried out, and the forceful extraction of confessions.

Presenter, Female #1
Some politicians attributed the execution to the deteriorating relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Amjad Talia has the details.

Reporter, Male #2
Saudis surprised the Iraqi community by executing seven prisoners by beheading them by sword. This comes amid attempts by both sides to reach a prisoner exchange agreement. Responsible parties in Iraq are suspicious of the mechanisms with which the execution was carried out. They say the mechanisms were rushed and inconsistent with the adopted legal system, and violate international human rights conventions, especially since the crimes for which the victims were executed are only punishable by death under Saudi law, laws that are still controversial in the international arena, and for which Riyadh's commitment to human rights was ranked in the bottom.

Guest, Male #3 (Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Minister of Human Rights)
We were surprised by the implementation of the death sentences against seven Iraqis. According to information received by the ministry, there is great discrepancy in these arbitrary sentences, and torture was used to extract confessions from the detainees. The sentencing was based on these confessions.

Reporter, Male #2
Saudi Arabia refuses to cooperate with Iraq on this issue. It has not responded to the demands of the Ministry of Human Rights to meet the Iraqi prisoners it holds, and to look into their conditions and legal processes.

Guest, Male #3
The Ministry of human rights, in addition to this procedure, asked the victims of detention and imprisonment to file complaints. The Ministry of Human Rights will work on these theses complaints through the Human Rights Organization in Geneva.

Reporter, Male #2
Iraqi members of parliament are linking the behavior of Saudi Arabia to its political goals in Iraq. They say the legal process was flawed, and called on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to intervene and to stop these arbitrary provisions.

Guest, Male #4 (Kamal al-Saedi, Member of Parliament)
There isn't a lawyer assigned to the accused in a manner that meets the will of the accused. The Saudi position on Iraqis here, who fled Saddam's rule, has historically been a position characterized by severe sectarianism. For this reason, I believe what is occurring there is an intentional operation. The execution in this manner must not be repeated, and the Foreign Ministry must, from now on, have a true role, and not underestimate these issues.

Reporter, Male #2
Iraq is announcing its respect for the national laws of every country, even if applied to its citizens, and is speaking against the implementation of laws in an arbitrary way while taking into account international conventions. This is what Saudi Arabia, which is among the nations that do not guarantee human rights, failed to do. In its latest execution of seven Iraqi citizens, it will increase its negative humanitarian stance before the international community. From Baghdad, Amjad Talia, Al-Iraqiya.

Presenter, Female #1
In Iraq, the illiteracy rate is over 20 percent, and the reason is decades of war, conflicts, and instability. The government recently launched a campaign aimed at eliminating illiteracy in a country that once had one of the best educational systems in the Middle East. Our correspondent in Baghdad, Rafid Jabouri, has the following report.

Reporter, Male #1
This is a sample of the seven million illiterate Iraqis. Three decades of conflicts and instability contributed to depriving them of an education. Today, they are eagerly trying to change this reality. They are attending lessons that are part of an Iraqi government project to eliminate illiteracy. I asked them about their motives.

Guest, Male #2
I want to learn. This has been my hope my whole life.

Guest, Female #2
I want to learn the Quran, I came to study it.

Guest, Male #3
The most important thing is to teach the children to read and write.

Reporter, Male #1
This women's center to eliminate illiteracy is located in a popular area in eastern Baghdad. Women of different ages come here to learn the basics of reading, writing, and math to know what they missed out on.

Reporter, Male #1
The percentage of women's illiteracy is higher than that of men. It is higher in the countryside than the city. Among the illiterate are also large numbers of government employees, civil, and military. For example, a quarter of military of defense employees are illiterate, and they are considered the main targets of the campaign. In the 1970s and 80s, Iraq carried out similar campaigns that significantly succeeded at reducing the rates of illiteracy, but it was mandatory. Will not making this campaign mandatory affect its success?

Guest, Male #4
Of course, but what we should do instead? We found that creating incentives and placing pressures could probably have an impact.

Reporter, Male #1
But there are thousands of illiterate people, thousands.

Guest, Male #4
Yes, that is true, but our national duty now is to teach them to read and write because they are employees.

Reporter, Male #1
But some doubt the capability to fulfill the campaign's goals.

Guest, Male #5
There is fear that this campaign will be lost to administrative and financial corruption. It was noticeable that there is deep concern to fix the streets, provide services, and to secure electricity. I don't think that eliminating illiteracy is less important than these services.

Reporter, Male #1
This is the first step of the project to eliminate illiteracy. The Iraqi government says that half a million people have been integrated into it, and it will take more than a year. However, the process of completely eradicating illiteracy, if it succeeds, and if the work continues at this pace, will take years. Rafid Jabouri, BBC, Baghdad.

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