Most Gaza residents are the descendants of Palestinian refugees driven to the enclave in a 1948 war. They harbor a deep fear of being uprooted again, and President Trump's remarks struck a raw nerve.

It wasn't immediately clear what legal authority Trump would have to execute his proposals, and they would likely be met by fierce resistance from Palestinians and from regional Arab countries.

Syria's interim president says the now departed Iranian forces were damaging to his country and also posed a threat to the wider Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House since President Trump's return to office, in a crucial meeting for the future of the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss "victory over Hamas," countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries in his meeting with President Trump.

Siegel is the first American to be released as part of this deal. A total of 18 hostages have been released since the ceasefire took effect. Hundreds of Palestinians have been released so far.

Three more Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released by Palestinian militants from captivity and returned to Israel, after being held for more than 15 months in Gaza.

Steve Witkoff helped negotiate the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. His visit to Gaza on Wednesday was the first by a senior U.S. official in more than a decade.

Sharaa was already de facto head of Syria's government ever since a coalition of rebel fighters swept through most of Syria and ousted Assad's regime.

Neymar struggled through physical injuries for most of his time in the Middle East, with a previous ACL rupture that kept him sidelined for a year.

The long trek home by Palestinians comes as mediators helped end twin crises over ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, close to the Israeli border in southern Lebanon, Israeli troops opened fire on protesters who were urging them to pull back from the area.

With a ceasefire agreement pausing the war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli troops have withdrawn from Gaza city centers. For the first time in eight months, NPR got a glimpse of Rafah this week.

Four female soldiers taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023 by Hamas were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday morning, and then transferred to the Israeli military.

The summer home of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad was once off-limits to ordinary Syrians. Now people are lining up to visit and wandering around the rooms — which are empty after being looted.