Israel has halted humanitarian aid into Gaza, citing Hamas' diversion of supplies for military use. This move comes as Hamas continues to reject a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan that would have freed hostages in two phases.
For now, some of the 60,000 residents of northern Israel are returning to their homes they evacuated when the Iranian-backed Hezbollah attacked on the day after the October 7th Hamas massacre in 2023.
Young Jewish-American comedian Zach Sage could have had a more conventional Hollywood career. He features several Disney films and television projects on his resume and was a YouTube pioneer. Yet, his concern about rampant global antisemitism fueled by the war in Gaza took him to the West Bank, to the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
For Israelis, this will be the first weekend in six weeks that Hamas-held hostages, living or dead, will likely not be freed. Both the U.S. and Israel are sending top negotiators to Cairo to work out an agreement for the return of the remaining hostages.
Musician Georgian Banov and his wife Winnie have ministered to people in difficult circumstances for decades. Through their ministry, Global Celebration, they travel to garbage dumps, refugee camps, and war-torn areas, essentially to throw a party.
Hamas returned four more hostage bodies and Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners following a day of mourning as Israel buried the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two little boys – the youngest hostages murdered and held by Hamas for more than 500 days.
More than 100,000 Israelis lined the roads as the funeral cars carrying the bodies of slain former hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas made their way to the cemetery in southern Israel, not far from their home at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The crowd carried Israeli flags and orange balloons, depicting the color of the children's hair, now a symbol of honor and shared grief for the family.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often spoken about the seven-front war that Israel has been fighting since the Hamas massacre and kidnappings on October 7, 2023. Recently, however, Israel's U.S. ambassador expressed concern about a potential eighth front in the war: a military buildup by the Egyptian military in the Sinai.
As negotiations continue for a long-term solution in Gaza, a campaign of hatred is being led by Palestinian clerics. They're using sermons to call for genocide against the Jews.
President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East is on his way back to the region to press forward on ceasefire and hostage talks after Israelis experienced a grueling week with the return of four hostage bodies and six living hostages.