Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on an initial six-week truce in part by putting off their most intractable disputes to a nebulous second phase — which neither side is sure they will reach. Under the agreement, 16 days into the initial cease-fire, Israeli and Hamas officials are expected to begin negotiating next steps: an […]

As a truce took hold on Sunday in Gaza, potentially ending the longest and deadliest war in a century of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two men used the same metaphor to describe how they felt. “The weight on my chest has lifted,” said Ziad Obeid, a Gazan civil servant displaced several times during the war. “We have […]

In the early weeks of the war, her mother expressed concern that Israeli military operations in Gaza could endanger the hostages. Romi Gonen’s older sister, Yarden, told The New York Times in February that she regularly went to a plaza in Tel Aviv where families of hostages have held vigils. “None of us is doing […]

Putting aside that argument, there are certainly some diplomatic opportunities Mr. Trump can seize, though history and ominous recent warnings suggest that he may soften up his adversaries and his allies with threats of military action if he doesn’t get what he wants. (See: Iran, Greenland, Panama.) Here is a scorecard to keep handy in […]

The mediating country Qatar on Saturday announced a time for the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas to take effect the next day, setting off final preparations for a truce that much of the world hopes will end 15 months of destruction in Gaza. The deal should go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time […]

An unidentified gunman killed two high-profile judges outside Iran’s Supreme Court on Saturday in what the authorities are calling a terrorist attack, according to state-run media. The attacker opened fire on a square near the Supreme Court headquarters in the capital, Tehran, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moqiseh, […]

The cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas this week sets in motion the release of dozens of hostages that Hamas and its allies have been holding in Gaza since the start of the war more than a year ago. About 100 hostages, living and dead, are thought to be held captive in Gaza, most […]

Israel is due to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners over the course of the 42-day initial cease-fire, according to the terms of the agreement, beginning with at least 90 on Sunday in exchange for three Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Israelis say that many of the prisoners are terrorists and murderers. Many […]

Israel is due to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners over the course of the 42-day initial cease-fire, according to the terms of the agreement, beginning with at least 90 on Sunday in exchange for three Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Israelis say that many of the prisoners are terrorists and murderers. Many […]

For his first three years as the head of the C.I.A., William J. Burns was relentlessly focused on tripling the agency’s resources devoted to understanding China, and on countering Russia and its mysterious partnerships with Iran and North Korea. But in the last 16 months of his tenure, the diplomat-turned-spy was plunged back into his […]