The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement despite progress reported by both sides in past days.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts as the two sides inch closer to a deal that could wind down the 14-month war in Gaza. It emerged last week that a ceasefire deal which would also see Israeli hostages freed was believed to be close,

The military said the missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, but police reported shrapnel from the interception fell in several towns. There were no reports of injuries.

A septuagenarian Israeli woman who was taken hostage during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 0ct. 7, 2023 has died. She was among the 250 hostages the Palestinian militant group took back into Gaza following the surprise attack that left about 1,

Faith leaders and residents in Bethlehem are grappling with how to mark the festive holiday while fellow Palestinians continue to be killed.

Hundreds gathered at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank as the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land marked the second Christmas Midnight Mass under the shadow of the war in Gaza.

Bethlehem prepared Tuesday to mark another somber Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Christmas were nowhere to be found: The festive lights and giant tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing.