Comment on Pope seeks prayers for Middle East

What should we make of the ceasefire that could have been concluded months ago, saving thousands of Palestinian lives in Gaza and the lives of at least some of the hostages held by Hamas and their allies? One can only celebrate that, at least for six weeks, Palestinian civilians in Gaza might no longer face regular bombardment, starvation, and deprivation at the hands of Israeli forces.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire deal that will pause fighting in Gaza for six weeks and lead to the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, President Joe Biden confirmed Wednesday afternoon. Hamas and its allied militant groups are expected to release 33 hostages seized from Israel during the attacks of October 7, 2023, Biden announced Wednesday, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

It’s the end of a standoff that had veered from the bizarre to the downright embarrassing. Early on Wednesday morning, hundreds of investigators finally entered the fortified compound in Seoul where South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had been holed up since his mid-December impeachment over an earlier declaration of martial law that prosecutors contend amounted to insurrection. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In executing their arrest warrant—the first against a sitting South Korean President—law enforcement officials avoided a repeat of tense scenes from Jan.

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host whom Donald Trump has nominated to be Defense Secretary, came under fire on Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing, where he faced questions about his history of alleged sexual assault and excessive drinking, his views on women in the military, and his role in the pardoning of men accused of war crimes.

If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed. In this first phase Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza, and many Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes as stepped-up aid flows in. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The question is if the ceasefire will survive beyond that first phase. That will depend on even more negotiations meant to begin within weeks.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 18 people overnight, including six women and four children, health officials said Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas appeared to be narrowing in on a ceasefire deal to end the 15-month war and release dozens of hostages. Officials have expressed mounting optimism that they can conclude an agreement in the coming days after more than a year of talks that have repeatedly stalled. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels meanwhile fired a missile at central Israel, setting off sirens and sending people fleeing to shelters without causing any casualties.