Relatives of Israelis abducted by the Palestinian extremist militia Hamas in 2023, on Monday staged rallies to mark 500 days of their captivity. The day’s events began with the blockade of central streets in several towns and cities,

A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise increase that apparently comes in return for Israel allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip.

Hamas militants have named the next three Israeli male hostages to be released as part of a fragile ceasefire deal that had teetered in recent days amid a major dispute that raised the specter of fighting resuming in the devastated Gaza Strip.