5 Thai hostages arrive back home after being released by Hamas
THALI, Thailand — There were cheers and applause as Watchara Sriaoun stepped out of the white van, his hands clasped together to greet the crowd as he finally returned to his village in Thailand after being swept up in a war on the other side of the world. "I don't know how to describe it," said Watchara, 33. "It's like being reborn." Watchara and four other former Thai hostages arrived in Bangkok earlier Sunday, days after being released by Hamas after 15 months of captivity.
Israeli forces begin to withdraw from a key Gaza corridor, part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas
Israeli forces were withdrawing from a key corridor that bisects the Gaza Strip on Sunday as part of Israel’s commitments under a tenuous ceasefire deal with Hamas. “We are preparing to implement the agreement regarding Netzarim axis,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. The truce, however, faces a major test over whether the sides can negotiate its planned extension amid external pressures, including President Donald Trump’s controversial Gaza relocation plan, and tensions between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Dalai Lama's elder brother, who led several rounds of talks with China, dies at 97
The elder brother of the Dalai Lama and former chairman of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, Gyalo Thondup, who led several rounds of talks with China and worked with foreign governments for the Tibetan cause, has died. He was 97. Thondup died at his home in Kalimpong, a hill town in the Himalayan foothills of eastern West Bengal state, on Saturday evening, media reports said. No other details were immediately released about his death.
Over 150 women raped during Congo prison break, U.N. says
At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation. After fighters from the M23 rebel group advanced toward the eastern city of Goma the U.N. said inmates at the Muzenze prison took advantage of the chaos and started to escape on Jan. 27.
USAID freeze risks 'deadly consequences' as work halts in Gaza, agencies warn
Aid agencies are sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump’s mission to upend the U.S. Agency for International Development, which they say is already hampering efforts to provide assistance to Palestinians reeling from 15 months of war in Gaza. Medical supplies, food deliveries and other vital humanitarian supplies were already being held up in other parts of the world by the administration’s 90-day freeze on all foreign aid, and humanitarian organizations are warning that the situation in Gaza could become even more dire if there is a similar delay there
Hamas names hostages to be freed after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire
Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees after a delay that underlined the obstacles hanging over a fragile deal meant to end the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attack on Oct 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas said.
Dozens of countries reject Trump administration sanctions on ICC
Dozens of countries, including Germany, South Africa and Mexico, said Friday that President Donald Trump’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court would “erode the international rule of law.” The joint statement by 79 countries came hours after Trump signed an executive order slapping financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC staff and their family members, alleging the court has improperly targeted the United States and Israel.
Trump's Gaza comments hand jihadist terrorists a 'rallying cry,' experts say
President Donald Trump’s calls for the United States to “take over” and “develop” the Gaza Strip have handed jihadist terrorist groups a rallying cry to recruit and inspire attacks against Americans at home and abroad, security experts and former intelligence officials say. Trump’s comments this week, proposing that the United States would control the Palestinian enclave while its residents would be forced to relocate abroad, have caused shock and outrage around the world — and terrorists will pounce on that anger to attract more support and organize attacks, experts said.
Israeli soldier sentenced to 7 months in jail for abusing Palestinian detainees
An Israeli soldier who was found to have struck Palestinian detainees while they were restrained and blindfolded has been sentenced to seven months in jail by an Israeli military court. The Israeli military on Thursday announced the court had accepted a plea agreement with the soldier, a reservist who it said admitted to having “severely abused” Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman military detention center near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Trump defends Gaza proposal, says territory would be 'turned over' to U.S. by Israel
President Donald Trump doubled down on controversial plans for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, saying the Palestinian enclave would be "turned over to the United States by Israel" once the war there ends. The comments in a string of posts on Truth Social followed his proposal for the U.S. to "take over" and "develop" Gaza, which were derided by rivals and even questioned by close allies earlier this week. Israeli officials did not immediately comment on Trump's latest comments, though in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's initial proposal.