A U.S.-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington's envoy to Israel said on Friday.

The U.S. confirms that Hamas plans to free Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, in hopes of advancing prospects for an enduring ceasefire.

Pope Leo XIV spoke directly about Gaza in his first Sunday address since being elected on Thursday, marking his first public comments as pope about the 19-month-old war between Israel and Hamas there.

New Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand accused Israel on Wednesday of using a lack of food as a political tool in its Gaza operation and urged further work on a ceasefire with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Palestinian enclave.

Hamas said Sunday that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings

Since Israel’s blockade began on March 2, food sources have been drying up. Aid groups have stopped food distribution. Bakeries have closed. Charity kitchens handing out bowls of pasta or lentils remain the last lifeline for most of the population, but they are rapidly closing for lack of supplies, the U.N. says.

A ceasefire deal between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the U.S., mediated by Oman, has secured a tentative end to attacks on American ships in the Red Sea, but details are slim on the concessions made

JERUSALEM - Hamas on Monday released Israeli American Edan Alexander after more than 19 months in captivity in the Gaza Strip, the result of direct talks between U.S. and Hamas

A senior Hamas official tells Newsweek that the Palestinian militant group saw "positive" potential in signs of a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after offering the U.S. leader a political win in the form of an American hostage release ahead of his Middle East trip.

Israel has not agreed to any ceasefire or release of prisoners with Hamas, but only to a safe corridor to allow the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.