Hamas released eight hostages, including three Israelis and five Thais, on Thursday as part of a hostage-for-prisoner exchange, more than a year after they were taken captive during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Agam Berger, an Israeli army soldier, was released first in a highly choreographed ceremony in northern Gaza….
Follow live updates on the release of Israel and Thai hostages on Thursday. Eight of the 26 hostages that Hamas is expected to release in the coming few weeks are no longer alive, according to Israeli officials. Late on Sunday, Hamas provided Israel with long-awaited information about the status of the hostages listed for release…
Three military-ruled countries have officially withdrawn from the West African regional alliance known as ECOWAS, the bloc said on Wednesday, defying pressure from the group to return the countries to civilian democratic rule. The alliance, the Economic Community of West African States, offers its members visa-free travel, favorable trade tariffs and access to a $702…
A top Russian delegation arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for the first time since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government last month, as Russia looks to negotiate the future of its military bases in Syria with the country’s new leadership. Among the diplomats to arrive in the Syrian capital on Tuesday were Russia’s deputy foreign…
For the first time in over a year, tens of thousands of Palestinians have reached their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, giving way to a mixture of elation and despair. On Tuesday, emotional reunions with family members who remained in northern Gaza during the war continued throughout Gaza City. But the return home was…
When Ilya Rusinov returned to the Russian work force after rehabilitating a vertebra damaged in the Ukraine war, his first job was teaching in a school. But he had also launched a side project, a patriotic club he called Zveno, or “Squad,” that provides military training for different age groups, including teenagers. After struggling at…
A standoff between Ukraine’s defense minister and the official in charge of procuring weapons threatened to escalate on Monday, stirring dissent in the government at a critical time as it seeks to persuade President Trump to maintain American support in its war with Russia. The dispute erupted three days ago when the minister, Rustem Umerov,…
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Monday released a video of the Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud, whose delayed release had been at the center of one of the most significant disputes between Israel and Hamas since a cease-fire took effect a week ago. Ms. Yehud is believed to be one of the last remaining female civilians…
The Israeli military raided the Jerusalem home of a Hamas member released as part of an exchange for Israelis being held hostage in Gaza, detaining one person and roughing up others on Saturday evening, including a New York Times reporter conducting interviews at the scene. A squad of soldiers forced its way into the house…
Arbel Yehud is the female Israeli hostage at the center of the crisis testing the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. She was seized during the Hamas-led assault on Oct. 7, 2023, from her home in Nir Oz, a village in southern Israel near the border of the Palestinian enclave. Ms. Yehud, who was 28…