Middle East
Gaza cease-fire enters second day with more hostages to be exchanged and critical supplies delivered
Hamas is expected to swap more of its hostages for prisoners held by Israel on the second day of a cease-fire.
Avalanche in west Iran kills 5 mountain climbers and injures another 4
Iran’s state news agency says an avalanche killed five mountain climbers and injured four others from an all-Iranian climbing team in west Iran Rescue teams recovered the bodies of five climbers from San Boran peak, some 300 kilometers (about186 miles) southwest of the capital Tehran, IRNA news agen
Hamas releases 10 Thai hostages, 4 of whom had not been listed as abducted
Hamas freed 10 Thai nationals who were seized in the group’s surprise attack on southern Israel last month.
Gaza shrinks for Palestinians seeking refuge. 4 stories offer a glimpse into a diminished world
Gaza has always been a small, crowded space with no exits. Now the world for Palestinians there has shrunk to the size of whatever refuge they can find: a jammed shelter, a car, the walls of a shared apartment, or floors and benches in hospital corridors.
Live Updates | Gaza truce begins a day later than planned
A four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza on Friday with an exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Israel summons Spanish, Belgian ambassadors following criticism during visit to Rafah
The Israeli government says it will summon the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors following remarks by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Belgian counterpart Alexander de Croo on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Marrakech kicks off film festival in the shadow of war in the Middle East
The Marrakech International Film Festival began on Friday, bringing American and international movie stars to the Arab world as war in the Middle East has led to the cancellation of other film festivals.
On Day One of Gaza cease-fire, Hamas and Israel carry out first swap of hostages and prisoners
On the first day of a four-day Gaza cease-fire agreement, Hamas released 24 hostages abducted by militants from southern Israel seven weeks ago.
AP Week in Pictures: Global | Nov. 17 - Nov. 23, 2023
NOVEMBER 17 - 23, 2023
From elections in the Netherlands, to the war in Gaza, to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
From elections in the Netherlands, to the war in Gaza, to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
Hundreds of German police raid properties of Hamas supporters in Berlin and across the country
Hundreds of police officers are searching the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany with the majority of the raids taking place in Berlin.
New AP analysis of last month’s deadly Gaza hospital explosion rules out widely cited video
The Associated Press is publishing an updated visual analysis of the deadly Oct. 17 explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital.
IAEA head says the barring of several nuclear inspectors by Iran is a ‘serious blow’ to monitoring
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says that Iran’s decision in September to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors from monitoring its disputed nuclear program is constituting “a very serious blow” to the agency’s ability to do its job “to the best possible level.”
Live updates | Israel says hostage release will not take place before Friday, as talks are ongoing
Israel’s national security adviser says cease-fire talks with the Hamas militant group are ongoing, and a hostage release will not take place before Friday.
What does the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas look like?
A cease-fire to facilitate the release of dozens of people taken hostage during Hamas’ raid on Israel is expected to bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and a glimmer of hope to the families of the captives.
Israeli official says talks continuing, hostage release won’t take place before Friday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday.
Major Iranian-backed militant group vows to expand conflict if U.S. airstrikes continue
A major Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq has warned it may strike additional U.S. targets after U.S. warplanes killed multiple militants in response to the first use of a short-range ballistic missile against U.S. forces at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
Iran arrests gunman who opened fire near parliament
Iran’s state media says police have arrested a gunman who opened fire near the nation’s parliament in central part of the capital, Tehran.
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon kill 2 journalists for a pan-Arab TV channel, 4 Palestinian militants
A Beirut-based pan-Arab TV channel says an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed two of its journalists who were covering the violence along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, more than 45,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Israel. Families were slowly picking up the pieces and finding ways to cope.
Queen Camilla praises the role of journalists in society at Foreign Press Association’s awards event
Britain’s Queen Camilla has praised the role of journalists in society as she delivered the keynote address at the Foreign Press Association’s annual awards ceremony in London.
Cyprus’ president says his country is ready to ship aid to Gaza once a go-ahead is given
The president of Cyprus says his country is ready to “immediately” begin shipping large quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza in vessels that can navigate shallow water once conditions on the ground allow for it.
Live updates | WHO official says Gaza hospital situation ‘catastrophic’
A top World Health Organization official described the hospital situation in Gaza as ‘catastrophic’ on Monday, saying most are no longer functioning and what remains will likely be overwhelmed by thousands of births expected in the next month.
With the world’s eyes on Gaza, attacks are on the rise in the West Bank, which faces its own war
When Israeli warplanes swooped over the Gaza Strip following Hamas militants’ brutal attack on southern Israel, Palestinians say a different kind of war took hold in the occupied West Bank.
Biden says ‘revitalized Palestinian Authority’ should eventually govern Gaza and the West Bank
President Joe Biden says that achieving a cease-fire amid Israel’s war with Hamas “is not peace” and that an important key to lasting stability is a reunited Gaza Strip and West Bank that can be governed under “a revitalized Palestinian Authority.”
French Holocaust survivors are recoiling at new antisemitism, and activists are pleading for peace
Survivors of Nazi atrocities have joined young Jewish activists in Paris to sound the alarm about resurgent antisemitic hate speech, graffiti and abuse linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Thousands march in Jerusalem to press Israel’s government to do more to free hostages held in Gaza
Thousands of family members and supporters of some 240 hostages held in Gaza have streamed into Jerusalem on foot to castigate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war with Hamas.
First group of wounded Palestinian children from Israel-Hamas war arrives in United Arab Emirates
The first planeload of Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip has reached the United Arab Emirates, part of a pledged relief effort by the country to aid 1,000 children.
Israeli drone fires missiles at aluminum plant in south Lebanon
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli drone has fired two missiles at an aluminum plant outside the market town of Nabatiyeh, causing a fire and wide damage.
Jordan’s foreign minister offers blistering criticism of Israel as its war on Hamas rages on
Jordan’s foreign minister has offered blistering criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, describing it as “blatant aggression” against Palestinian civilians that threaten to engulf the wider Middle East.
Canadian security forum honors ‘the people of Israel’ following the deadly Hamas attack
A Canadian security forum has presented an award to the people of Israel for for 75 years of democracy following the Hamas incursion into the country that left some 1,200 people dead and 240 abducted.
The world’s attention is on Gaza, and Ukrainians worry war fatigue will hurt their cause
With the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas, the world’s attention has swung away from the nearly 2-year-old conflict in Ukraine.
How the US strikes a delicate balance in responding to attacks on its forces by Iran-backed militias
The Biden administration is balancing efforts to deter militants in the Middle East without triggering a broader regional conflict.
The UN stops delivery of food and supplies to Gaza as a communications blackout hinders coordination
Aid agencies halted cross-border deliveries of humanitarian supplies even as they warned people may soon face starvation.
Live updates | Limited telecom services return to Gaza, but the UN lacks fuel for aid delivery
Limited phone and internet services began working again Friday across Gaza after fuel was delivered to restart generators that power the networks.
Biden seizes a chance to refocus on Asia as wars rage in Europe and the Mideast
With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, it can be hard for President Joe Biden to focus on Asia, even though that was his original foreign policy goal.
Hostage families fear their loved ones will be an afterthought as the battle for Gaza rages
Abbey Onn lost her aunt and a young cousin when Hamas attackers rampaged through Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7.