GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Shifa Hospital was once the cornerstone of the health system in the Gaza Strip. Now, after 21 months of war and two major Israeli raids, it barely functions.

Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal within one or two weeks but such an agreement is not likely to be secured in just a day's time, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday.

Thirteen women and two men who survived captivity by Hamas said they experienced or witnessed sexual violence while held hostage in Gaza, according to a new report by a group of Israeli researchers known as the Dinah Project.

Francesca Albanese, a lawyer and independent U.N. official for human rights in Gaza and the West Bank, has described the war in Gaza as “genocide.”

Israel and Hamas are believed to have agreed that 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others should be released during the first 60 days of a cease-fire, but they have not reached a consensus on how many Palestinian prisoners should be freed during the same period. Up to 20 hostages are still thought to be alive.

Stance won't be explicit in text in order to keep heat on Hamas during permanent ceasefire talks, sources say; PM, Trump sanguine on agreement though Hamas says progress elusive The post US said to tell mediators it won’t let Israel resume Gaza war,

Israel's defense minister has outlined plans to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt that Palestinians would not be allowed to leave once entering,

Israel struck an upbeat note about the prospects for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza on Wednesday, falling in behind US President Donald Trump and his optimism for an end to 21 months of bitter fighting in the Palestinian territory.