South Korea expressed hope Thursday for a diplomatic solution for peace and stability in the Middle East, following the announcement on the ceasefire deal committing to pausing the war in the Gaza Strip.

until Israeli occupation forces completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” said Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society on X. The civil rights group also said that the individuals and the ...

After intense negotiations, Israel and Hamas have reached a deal that would see a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down from what it called a “last minute crisis.

Hamas released four hostages, all female soldiers, and Israel 200 Palestinian prisoners as the latest cease-fire exchange occurred on Saturday.

Crowds of Palestinians fill Gaza’s main coastal road as they stream north. With their belongings on their backs, they smile, hug and sing, overjoyed at the prospect of returning home after more than a year of war.

Israeli troops pull back but maintain a watchful eye on the tens of thousands of Gazans who had been displaced during the 15 months of fighting.

Long lines of Palestinians -- some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip -- were making their way home on Monday.

Bloodshed over the weekend highlighted the brittleness of the cease-fires in both places. Still, Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah each have reasons to postpone a new escalation, at least for a few weeks.

Palestinians began arriving in northern Gaza, months after Israel ordered them to flee. The Israel-Hamas truce was holding after it appeared to falter over the weekend.

In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, in what the United Nations’ human rights agency has since described as an “unprecedented level of killing and injury of ...