U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, signaling the possible end of the two-year-long war in Gaza that began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel on Tuesday after fire from Gaza as Israelis began to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old synagogue in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve, providing new evidence of Jewish continuity in the Golan region during the Roman and Byzantine periods, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the University of Haifa announced Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that Iran is advancing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking major U.S. cities, saying the Islamic Republic could soon “put New York City, Boston, Washington, or Miami under their atomic guns.”

As Jewish communities around the world solemnly marked the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, massacre, Hamas released a new propaganda video celebrating the attack as a “glorious day of crossing.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare phone conversation Monday focusing on regional stability, the Gaza peace proposal backed by Washington, and ongoing Middle East tensions, according to official statements from both sides.

While Hamas publicly declared its willingness to accept major portions of President Donald Trump’s peace initiative, deep divisions within the group threaten to derail what could be the most significant breakthrough since the war began nearly two years ago.

Hamas has announced it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages, both alive and dead, and hand over governance of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats under a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

Israel has intercepted the largest Gaza-bound flotilla in years, detaining dozens of international activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, in a dramatic escalation over the besieged territory, organizers and officials confirmed Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday it killed three Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon over the past two days, as tensions escalate along the northern border and Washington moves to bolster Lebanon’s official security institutions.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are close to fully encircling Gaza City, urging remaining residents to flee south through Israeli checkpoints in what he described as their “last opportunity” before the city is sealed off.

A senior Hamas official told the BBC on Wednesday that the group is likely to reject U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled 20-point ceasefire and peace proposal for Gaza, saying the package “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people.”

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern ultimatum Tuesday, warning Hamas it has only “three or four days” to accept his new 20-point Gaza peace plan or face destruction at the hands of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare apology Monday to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani for an Israeli strike in Doha earlier this month that killed a Qatari guard during an attempted assassination of Hamas leaders.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Monday unveiled what he described as a “comprehensive and fair” 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza immediately, secure the release of hostages, and set the foundation for rebuilding the enclave under international oversight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly endorsed the proposal, calling Trump “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”