Latest Prisoner exchange News

Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a cease-fire in Gaza

Sep. 18, 2024 12:17 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed frustration Wednesday at surprise escalations that threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza, noting that the United States is assessing a deadly attack that caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode in Lebanon. ...

Blinken is heading back to the Middle East, this time without fanfare or a visit to Israel

Sep. 16, 2024 19:32 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire deal and release of hostages. ...

US historian leads charity run in Kyiv to highlight the plight of Ukrainian POWs

Sep. 14, 2024 07:57 AM EDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder on Saturday led a charity run in Kyiv to raise awareness of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia as the conflict approaches a third winter. The race came following a recent escalation...

Faked video targeting France and UAE likely Russian despite Moscow's links to Gulf Arab states

Sep. 13, 2024 03:25 AM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fake video that ricocheted across the internet claiming tensions between France and the United Arab Emirates after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's detention in Paris likely came from Russia, an analysis by The Associated Press shows, despite Moscow's efforts to...

Netanyahu gives a starkly different take on Biden administration's hopes for a Gaza deal

Sep. 05, 2024 18:09 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were sharply at odds Thursday over prospects of reaching a deal for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, with Netanyahu saying it was “exactly inaccurate” that a breakthrough was close. ...

US secures the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners

Sep. 05, 2024 17:22 PM EDT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The U.S. government announced Thursday that it secured the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners, who have arrived in Guatemala where they will apply for entry to the United States or other countries. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a...

US charges Hamas leader, other militants in connection with Oct. 7 massacre in Israel

Sep. 03, 2024 21:06 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Tuesday against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the Oct. 7, 2023, rampage in Israel, marking the first effort by American law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the attack....

Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure over Gaza and hostages: 'No one will preach to me'

Sep. 02, 2024 22:04 PM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11...

Two sworn enemies hold the key to ending the war in Gaza. Does either man want a deal?

Aug. 28, 2024 01:24 AM EDT

The latest flurry of Gaza cease-fire talks — the back-and-forth over now-familiar sticking points and appeals from around the world — obscures a grim truth about the monthslong efforts to end the Israel-Hamas war and free scores of hostages. Any deal requires the signatures of...

Negotiations so far more effective than rescues in bringing Israeli hostages home from Gaza

Aug. 27, 2024 16:59 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's military has rescued its eighth hostage from Gaza since the 10-month-old war began. While the rescue Tuesday set off celebrations, it also renewed calls from the families of hostages who are still being held in Gaza for a deal that would bring home their...