Israeli troops shot and wounded a physically disabled Palestinian man in an attempt to arrest him in Hebron on Thursday, a prisoners' rights group said.

Motazz Obeidu, 32, was "seriously wounded by Israeli army gunfire during an arrest operation" at dawn in the southern West Bank city, the Ramallah-based Prisoners Club said, adding that Israel was "responsible for his life."

Kuwait's cabinet has approved a new media bill stipulating a 10-year jail term for religious offenses and a fine of more than $1 million for criticizing the emir, local media reported on Thursday.

The government of the oil-rich Gulf state, under pressure from Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition groups, has not released the "combined media law" but local newspapers published leaked details.

Six children were among at least 57 people killed in southern Syria as the army launched an all-out assault on two towns in Daraa province, a watchdog said on Thursday.

"At least six children, seven women, 16 rebel fighters, 16 other unidentified men and 12 army troops were killed on Wednesday, in fighting, shelling and summary executions waged after the army launched an assault on al-Sanamein and Ghabagheb," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syrian activists on Thursday dismissed as "blatant interference" a weekend call by al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri for an Islamic state to be established in the strife-torn country.

"The Local Coordination Committees in Syria completely reject the statement by ... Zawahiri in which he called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Syria," said the LCC, a network of peaceful activists on the ground.

Iraq has grounded and inspected a third Iranian aircraft bound for Syria in as many days, but found only humanitarian goods, a senior official said on Thursday.

The string of searches, the latest of which came Wednesday night, follow warnings by Baghdad last month that it would step up such inspections.

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad is to present his resignation to president Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, a senior Palestinian official said.

Abbas and Fayyad are known to have been at odds over a raft of issues but their relationship took a nose dive last month when Fayyad accepted his finance minister's resignation only for it to be rejected by Abbas.

Air strikes have hit bakeries and hospitals among other civilian targets in Syria, a watchdog reported Thursday, accusing the regime of killing thousands in such raids it said amounted to war crimes.

"Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war wilfully -- that is intentionally or recklessly -- are responsible for war crimes," HRW said in a report titled "Death from the Skies.”

A U.N. humanitarian official said on Wednesday a fresh round of Israeli sanctions on the Gaza Strip was hitting food supplies and would have "serious" effects if continued.

"In response to a deteriorating security situation in and around Gaza... Israel has announced a series of heightened restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, including closures of the Kerem Shalom crossing," U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator James W Rawley said.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has ordered the withdrawal of complaints filed against journalists for publishing rumors about him, said a statement posted Wednesday on the presidency's Twitter account.

"The president has ordered the withdrawal of all legal complaints filed against journalists for publishing rumors on him," the statement said.

Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Wednesday named the eldest son of ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh as the country's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, state television reported.

With the decision, Ahmed Abdullah Saleh is to leave the army and a rival of his, General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, becomes adviser to the president for military and security affairs, said the television.