Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel despite criticism over its war in Gaza because Israel has shown support for Taiwan unmatched by other countries in the Middle East, the island democracy's foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday.

Taiwan will be "friendly to countries that are friendly to us," Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung said. He said that a declaration signed earlier this year by 72 members of the Israeli parliament in support of Taiwan's inclusion in key international organizations is an example of Israel's support.

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked a pair of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers sent to halt the rampage, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

It was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers in the West Bank.

Iraqis were voting on Tuesday in a parliamentary election that comes at a crucial moment for the country and the region. The outcome of the vote will influence whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani can serve a second term.

The election comes against the backdrop of fears over another war between Israel and Iran and potential Israeli or U.S. strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq. Baghdad seeks to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with Tehran and Washington amid increasing pressure from the Trump administration over the presence of Iran-linked armed groups.

A bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinian captives passed a first reading in Israel's parliament on Monday -- a measure that applies to Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis.

Yemen's Houthi rebels are signaling they've stopped their attacks against Israel and shipping in the Red Sea as a shaky ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip.

In an undated letter to Hamas' Qassam Brigades published online by the group, the Houthis offered their clearest signal that their attacks have halted.

Syria is joining the American-led international alliance against the Islamic State, a U.S. official said Monday hours after its president held a historic meeting with Donald Trump at the White House.

"During the visit, Syria announced that it is joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," becoming the 90th member of the alliance and "partnering with the United States to eliminate ISIS remnants and halt foreign fighter flows," the senior administration official said.

Iraqis headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a parliamentary election marked by tight security and a boycott by a major political bloc.

A total of 8,703 polling stations were open across the country for the general election. Members of the security forces and displaced people living in camps cast their ballots in early voting on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would strongly enforce its ceasefire agreements in Lebanon and Gaza, vowing that "whoever seeks to harm us, we harm them".

"We are determined to enforce with an iron fist the ceasefire agreements where they exist against those who seek our destruction, and you can see what happens every day in Lebanon," Netanyahu told lawmakers in parliament on Monday.

The United Arab Emirates is not planning to join the international stabilization force for Gaza because it lacks a clear framework, a senior official said on Monday.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.

"The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under the hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the ministry said.