Israel and Hamas dig in as pressure builds for a cease-fire in Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday blasted a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire that his country's top ally, the United States, chose not to block. He said the resolution had emboldened Hamas and he vowed to press ahead with...

A deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be taking shape. What would it look like?

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas are inching toward a new deal that would free some of the roughly 130 hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a weekslong pause in the war, now in its fifth month. U.S. President Joe Biden says a deal could go into effect as early as Monday,...

The families of a few Israeli hostages don't want a deal to bring them home. They want Hamas crushed

JERUSALEM (AP) — Chants of “Now! Now! Now!” ring out at nearly every protest in Israel imploring the government to do everything possible to win the immediate release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas. But a small group of hostages' families is pushing a different message:...

Blinken says a Hamas-Israel deal is still possible even though the sides remain far apart

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement between Israel and Hamas was still possible, despite the two sides being far apart on the central terms for a deal. Blinken was in the region trying to...

Israel and Hamas are far apart on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal. What are the sticking points?

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas are examining proposed terms for a deal meant to bring about a cease-fire in the 4-month-old war in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages still held there and the freeing of many Palestinians from Israeli prisons. The two...

Qatar gets 'positive' response from Hamas on cease-fire plan as group reiterates its broader demands

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Hamas' response to the latest plan for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages was “generally positive,” key mediator Qatar said Tuesday, as the militant group reiterated its demand for an end to the war, something Israel has thus far ruled out. ...

Live updates | Hamas is expected to respond soon to a proposal that includes hostage releases

A senior Hamas official said Friday the group will respond “very soon” to a proposal that includes extended pauses in Gaza fighting and phased exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Hamas and other militants in Gaza are holding dozens of hostages,...

Russia and Ukraine swap scores of POWs despite tensions over a plane crash last week

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged about 200 prisoners of war each, the countries said Wednesday, despite tensions stemming from last week's crash of a military transport plane that Moscow claimed was carrying Ukrainian POWs and was shot down by Kyiv's forces. ...

Russia’s Defense Ministry says Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 195 prisoners of war each

Israeli forces dressed as civilian women and medics kill 3 militants in a West Bank hospital

JENIN, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medics stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in a dramatic raid that underscored how deadly violence has spilled into the territory from the war in Gaza. Prime...