U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler said on Tuesday there was a better chance of securing the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza following the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas a day earlier.

The planned release of the last living U.S. hostage still in captivity followed direct contact between Hamas and Trump administration officials, the group said.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Sunday in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump. The an

Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thunderous applause and an electric atmosphere, to deliver his first Sunday blessing and an address calling for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV was elected as the Catholic Church's 267th leader on Thursday. The temporary chimney atop the Sistine Chapel released a plume of white smoke on Thursday evening local time, signaling that the 133 cardinals working inside had reached a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV has called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid.