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.”

Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem declared Saturday that the group will not disarm, as supporters marked one year since the killing of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike.

The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping 21-point plan aimed at ending the Gaza war and securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, according to multiple reports.

Microsoft announced Thursday that it has stopped providing certain cloud and AI services to a division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, after an internal review confirmed elements of a report alleging that the IDF’s elite Unit 8200 used its Azure platform to store and analyze millions of Palestinian phone calls.

For the first time worldwide, desalinated seawater is being pumped into a freshwater lake, as Israel launches full-scale operation of its “Reverse Carrier” project, transferring Mediterranean water into the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) to safeguard the nation’s long-term water security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address at the United Nations General Assembly, warning world leaders that Iran’s ballistic missile ambitions threaten not only Israel but also the global order. He hailed Israel’s recent military victories as one of history’s “most stunning comebacks” and condemned nations recognizing a Palestinian state, calling it a “mark of shame.”