Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freed

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Eight more hostages were freed from the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led militants on Thursday in a sometimes chaotic process that briefly delayed Israel's release of 110 Palestinian prisoners and underscored the fragility of the ceasefire that began earlier this month. ...

Middle East latest: Eight hostages are released from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners

Hamas released eight hostages on Thursday — five Thai farm workers and three dual German-Israeli nationals — in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. This is the third round of exchanges in the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which is now in its...

Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Five Thai workers held captive in the enclave were also freed in a separate deal with Thailand. Thursday's prisoner-for-hostage swap marked the third round of...

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are released in the West Bank to a welcoming crowd in latest swap for Gaza hostages

Who are the hostages released as part of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire in Gaza?

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas-led militants released eight hostages on Thursday after more than 15 months in captivity, including an Israeli soldier, bringing to 15 the number of captives freed since the start of a ceasefire in Gaza more than a week ago. Agam Berger, 20, was among five...

Hamas will free 3 Israelis and 5 Thais in next hostage release Thursday

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, as well as five Thai nationals during the next hostage release set for Thursday, Israel and Hamas said Wednesday as their tenuous ceasefire moves ahead. The Israeli women are Arbel...

Israeli father says even in Hamas captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — For more than 470 days, Eitan Gonen publicly pleaded with his daughter to stay alive while in Hamas captivity. He didn't know if she would hear him, but he ended every interview he gave with the same hopeful message: Romi is coming home alive. When he...

Brittney Griner plans to sign with the Atlanta Dream, ending her 11-year run with Phoenix

Brittney Griner plans to sign with the Atlanta Dream, marking the end of her 11-year career with the Phoenix Mercury. Griner announced the move in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday night, and her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, confirmed to The Associated Press that the star...

Palestinians celebrate their return to northern Gaza after 15 months of war

WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed into Gaza’s most heavily destroyed area on Monday after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas, a dramatic reversal of their exodus 15 months ago. As a...

Taliban ambassador warns Rubio against bounty threat over Americans detained in Afghanistan

A Taliban ambassador on Monday warned the new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio against making threats after saying he would place bounties on Afghanistan’s rulers for their continued detention of U.S. nationals. A prisoner swap between the U.S. and Afghanistan last week freed...