Israel and Hamas have initiated the first of several hostage and prisoner exchanges that will take place as part of a ceasefire deal.

President Biden released a statement following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire announcement Wednesday, saying release of American hostages will be included in the agreement.

Watch our documentaries on the evolution and impact of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the overarching Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the sprawling ramifications, and how the most recent chapter in this long and volatile history has played out.

The group is set to release the more than 90 hostages over the coming weeks as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.

For the Islamist militant group, armed struggle now looks like a dead end. Its future in Gaza depends on the civilian politburo.

Hamas gunmen are guarding aid convoys in Gaza, and its police patrol city streets, sending a clear message: Hamas remains in charge.

Global peacemakers are praying the Israel-Hamas ceasefire will hold "so we do not return to the daily horror."

The first phase of the deal reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday includes a pause in the war and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody.

But the negotiations appear to have gotten further than at any time since November 2023, when Hamas released more than 100 of its captives during a weeklong ceasefire. But this week, everyone is ...

As the first phase of the ceasefire agreement is being finalised in Doha, Qatar, by the mediators, it is likely Hamas that Hamas will release the 33 hostages who were taken from Israel during the October 7,

President-elect Donald Trump said mass deportations will begin “very quickly” after taking office, one of a number of plans he discussed in a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday.