Pope Francis continues to improve in the hospital, Vatican says
Flowers and candles are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia, in Rome on February 27, 2025. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON and oROME) — Pope Francis’ condition continued to improve on Thursday, with the pontiff alternating between high-flow oxygen therapy and ventimask, according to the Vatican.
“Given the complexity of his clinical condition, further days of clinical stability are needed to clarify the prognosis,” the Vatican said.
The pope dedicated the morning to respiratory physiotherapy and rest. After a session of physiotherapy, in the afternoon, he gathered in prayer in the chapel of the private apartment on the 10th floor, receiving the Eucharist. The pope then dedicated himself to work activities, according to the Vatican.
The Vatican said that the pope “slept well during the night and is now resting” peacefully on Thursday morning as the pontiff begins his 14th day in hospital.
Pope Francis’ condition improved slightly on Wednesday, though officials said they “remain guarded” over his prognosis, according to the Vatican.
The slight renal insufficiency the pope had in recent days has subsided and a Tuesday CAT scan of the chest showed a normal evolution of the pulmonary inflammatory picture.
The blood chemistry and blood cell count tests carried out Wednesday have confirmed the pope’s improvement, but he remains on high-flow oxygen therapy and did not have any asthmatic-like respiratory crises.
The pontiff, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, was diagnosed with pneumonia last week, according to the Vatican.
After being held by Hamas terrorists for 470 days, the first three hostages released on Sunday as part of the ceasefire deal were reunited with their mothers and airlifted to a hospital, according to Israeli officials.
The now-former captives — Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 — were turned over by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that has been in the works for months.
“Today’s ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages is a result of a principled and effective policy that we’ve presided over for months,” President Joe Biden said in an address from the White House on Sunday. “And we got it — we got here without a wider war in the Middle East [that] many predicted.”
The first phase of the deal will see the release of 33 hostages being held in Gaza, dead and alive, starting with women, children and the elderly, officials said. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel will also be released in exchange for the hostages. Biden said that by the 16th day of the deal, talks will begin about the second phase of the agreement, which will include releasing remaining Israeli male hostages, civilians and soldiers.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal on Wednesday, marking an end to more than 15 months of deadly conflict. The agreement was announced in Doha, Qatar, after months of negotiations between Israel and Hamas were mediated by facilitators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. It was approved by the Israeli Cabinet on Friday.
Here’s what we know about the freed hostages so far:
Romi Gonen, 24
Gonen was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, from the Nova music festival that was attacked by Hamas terrorists, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
Gonen, of Kfar Vradim in northern Israel, is known for her love of dancing, traveling and enjoying life, according to the organization. One of five children of Meirav and Eitan Gonen, Romi Gonen was described by the organization as energetic, funny, family-oriented and full of life.
Doron Steinbrecher, 31
Steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse who has cared for animals since childhood when she helped at the school’s petting zoo, the organization said. She loves sports and was known to jog every Saturday morning around her kibbutz, according to the group. Her family described her as a devoted aunt, who is beloved by her nephews. Her parents are Roni and Simona, and she has one sister, Yamit, and a brother, Dor.
Steinbrecher is an Israeli-Romanian dual national who turned 31 in captivity, officials said.
Steinbrecher and Damari were both captured on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants who attacked their Kfar Aza kibbutz close to the Gaza border.
Emily Damari, 28
Damari is a British citizen who was living at the Kfar Aza kibbutz. Her friends describe her as well-loved and popular, a friend to everyone, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters. The organization said Damari enjoys barbecuing and karaoke nights, and loves hats.
Damari was also a central figure in the local Kfar Aza youth community and was praised for always being there for her friends, the group said.
Damari was kidnapped from her home along with Steinbrecher and two other friends, Gali and Ziv Berman, who remain in captivity, the organization said.
In over a year of war between Israel and Hamas, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza and almost 110,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. However, more than 14,000 children and 8,000 women have been killed, according to the health ministry.
The Israel Defense Forces said they have killed more than 15,000 combatants throughout the course of the war, which was sparked by the unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel. More than 1,200 people were killed and another 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
During a weeklong ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in late November 2023, Hamas freed more than 100 people. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Several hostages in Gaza have also been freed in the months since, while the bodies of others have been recovered.
The release of three American-Israeli hostages who are alive will be included in the ceasefire agreement, though in two different phases, a senior White House official told reporters on Wednesday.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Keith Siegel, 65, are both expected to be released, with Sigel qualifying for release due to age, and Dekel-Chen qualifying because of injury, according to the official, who said Dekel-Chen was shot on Oct. 7, 2023, when the conflict began with a terrorist attack by Hamas in southern Israel.
Edan Alexander, 20, will be in the second phase of releases because of his service with the IDF, according to the official. The official said he spoke with Alexander’s father recently and that the U.S. remains fully committed to getting him released.
“We are committed to getting all Americans, these are American-Israeli citizens, all of them out of Gaza, whether living or remains. That is our commitment,” the official said.
Following the ceasefire announcement last week, Biden released a statement noting how American citizens held hostage by Hamas will be included in the ceasefire release agreement.
“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he is determined to bring seven American hostages home, three of whom are believed to be alive, he said.
Hostages with American citizenship who have died and whose bodies are believed to remain with Hamas include Itay Chen, 19; Omer Neutra, 22, and married couple Judith Weinstein, 70, and Gadi Haggai, 73.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Many residents of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are expected to return to their homes in the coming days and weeks, with most of the fighting in both areas paused under Israeli ceasefire agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Under Israel’s multi-phased deal with Hamas, some hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started to be released. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to continue amid the first phase of the deal, which was slated to last about six weeks.
Israeli troops to remain in Syria for ‘unlimited period of time’
The IDF will remain on the summit of Hermon and in the security zone for an indefinite period, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
“The IDF will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the security zone for an unlimited period of time to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria — from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis, and we will not be dependent on others for our defense,” Katz said.
Israel warns Lebanese residents to avoid areas near border
Israel issued a warning to Lebanese residents on Tuesday, telling them to avoid multiple areas near the Israeli border as it redeploys in various locations in southern Lebanon.
At least 22 were killed over the weekend.
“The deployment process is taking place gradually and in some sectors it is being postponed and requires more time in order to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to re-establish its strength in the field,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
”Hezbollah, as usual, puts its narrow interests above the interests of the Lebanese state and tries through its mouthpieces to heat up the situation, despite being the main reason for the destruction of the south,” the IDF said.
Palestinians on returning home: ‘It feels like we’re reborn!’
Emotional scenes played out all over the Gaza Strip on Monday as families and friends reunited for the first time in over 15 months after the Israeli military allowed movement between northern and southern Gaza.
A sea of people swept the shoreline heading north along the sandy remains of the coastal highway. Many traveled on foot trudging through sand, a Palestinian flag flickering in the wind above them.
“It feels like we’re reborn!” Om Wael, a grandmother from Gaza City, told ABC News as she carried her granddaughter in her arms, with a look of joyful determination on her face.
“Even if our home is flattened, we’re so happy to return to our city, to our homes, unharmed. Thank God,” she said.
Mirvat Ajur, 29, from the Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, told ABC News that she walked for about five hours until she reached central Gaza.
“It was a difficult journey, but the people were very happy, singing, clapping and dancing in joy at returning to their homes,” she said.
Approximately 300,000 people made the journey home, according to figures released by Gazan authorities. Samira Halas, 55, was among them.
“I know that my home is damaged and burned, but I want to return to it,” Halas, from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, told ABC News, describing the destruction she saw upon her return “like an earthquake had hit it.”
“I want to live in those burned and destroyed rooms,” she continued. “I am like a fish dying far from the sea.”
-ABC News’ Ruwaida Amer and Zoe Magee
At least 300,000 return to northern Gaza
At least 300,000 Palestinians returned home to northern Gaza on Monday, according to the Gaza government office, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.
135,000 tents needed in Gaza
As people return to northern Gaza on Monday, the Gaza government said it “immediately and urgently” needs at least 135,000 tents because 90% of the buildings have been destroyed.
The government called on the international community to help provide “basic supplies” for Palestinians.
8 dead hostages among 33 being released in 1st phase: Israel
Of the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire, eight have been killed by Hamas, according to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer.
Seven hostages have already been released since the start of the ceasefire, meaning 18 more living hostages will be released by Hamas in the coming weeks.
More hostages are set to be released on Thursday and Saturday, Mencer said.
Threats to ceasefire will ‘bear the full cost,’ Israeli minister says
Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would “firmly” enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.
“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost,” he said in Hebrew on social media. “We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”
Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza
Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.
Long lines of Palestinians — some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip — were seen making their way home.
Those returning home were moving along two main routes.
Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.
Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.
A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian
1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at ‘dozens of suspects’ in central Gaza
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.
Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired “warning shots” at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects” who the IDF said posed a threat to them.
Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF’s statement.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel’s Netanyahu
Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.
“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” according to the statement.
Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is “fully committed” to ensuring that Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” according to the statement.
Additionally, the defense official said that “both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended to Feb. 18
The White House announced Sunday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until Feb.18.
Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a signing ceremony at the Supreme Council of Russia and Belarus, December 6, 2024, in Minsk, Belarus. President Putin is having a one-day trip to Belarus. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko — a close ally of President Vladimir Putin — warned that the Kremlin “will never” accept a European troop deployment to Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv continue to maneuver for advantage in U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations.
In a wide-ranging interview with blogger Mario Naufal published late Tuesday, Lukashenko praised President Donald Trump’s forthright approach to Russia’s war on Ukraine and suggested Putin was ready to make peace.
Any proposal is unlikely to win Russian support if it includes the deployment of European forces into Ukraine, Lukashenko said.
“Russia will never agree to this,” he said. “At least, this is Russia’s position today. Especially since the leadership of the European Union, primarily in the person of Germany and France, is taking a very aggressive position at the moment.”
But the Belarusian leader also countered attacks by Trump and Putin on the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while offering Belarus as a location for peace negotiations. Unsuccessful ceasefire talks were held in Belarus in the hours and days after Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
“There is no need to push Zelenskyy now,” Lukashenko said, as quoted by the Belta state-owned news agency. “We need to convince and come to an agreement with Zelenskyy, because a large part of Ukrainian society is behind Zelenskyy.”
“If you want, come. Here, it is nearby — 200 kilometers from the Belarusian border to Kyiv,” Lukashenko added. “We will come to an agreement calmly, without noise, without shouting.”
“Tell Trump: I am waiting for him here together with Putin and Zelenskyy. We will sit down and come to an agreement calmly,” he said. “If you want to come to an agreement.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded positively to the offer of talks in Minsk. “This issue has not been brought up or discussed in any way,” Peskov told reporters Wednesday, as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency. “This is our main ally. Therefore, for us it is the best place for negotiations.”
Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO and its members of seeking to use Ukraine as a launching pad for aggression against Russia. Putin cited NATO expansion since the collapse of the Soviet Union as a key Russian grievance in the run up to his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lukashenko appeared to play down that issue. “It is not so much about NATO expansion to the east, but about the threats that were created in Ukraine,” he said of Putin’s decision to launch the 2022 attack.
Leaders in Kyiv have framed the proposed and contentious U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal as a means to securing long-term American backing, and as a possible bridge to lasting U.S. security guarantees. Lukashenko suggested that the deal, which seems to have become a cornerstone of Trump’s Ukraine strategy, may unsettle the Kremlin.
“I have not discussed these issues with Russia and Putin,” he said. “But, most likely, this could be alarming if Russia feels that these agreements will go beyond the framework of economic relations.”
Lukashenko repeatedly appealed directly to Trump, who he described as an “incredible person” and a political “bulldozer.”
The Belarusian leader also encouraged the U.S. to align closer with Russia — a prospect that has unsettled European and Ukrainian leaders since Trump’s return to the White House. Indeed, Trump’s decision this week to freeze all U.S. military aid to Ukraine left officials in Kyiv and across Europe reeling.
“The U.S. is the first country in the world, high-tech, rich,” Lukashenko said. “They are capable of many things. Russia understands this. And Russia will strive to establish very good relations with the United States of America.”
“In order for the planet to be in balance, so that there are no incomprehensible wars, like in the Middle East or in Ukraine, so that there are no conflicts, an alliance between Russia and the United States is possible and very important,” he added. “An alliance for economic development. It is possible and important. It will last a long time.”
The Belarusian leader appeared to chastise Trump for his unique political style, warning that the president must deliver on his promises.
“There are too many statements that should not have been made at all,” Lukashenko said. “You need to cool down after the elections. And you need to take steps in the interests of U.S. voters, first of all, and, secondly, the entire world community.”
“You don’t have much time to prove to American society that you are capable of something,” he continued. “If you don’t do this, the Republicans will suffer a crushing defeat in the next elections. And it will be justified.”
