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Hamas to return another hostage body as accusations of truce breach intensify

Hamas said it would hand over another hostage body Tuesday, as the Palestinian militant group faced accusations of breaching the Gaza ceasefire after returning only the partial remains of a previously recovered captive to Israel.

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Syria says seized 11 million captagon pills coming from Lebanon

The Syrian interior ministry said Tuesday it seized about 11 million captagon pills in the southern countryside of Homs.

The pills were smuggled in a car coming from Lebanon, Syria's national news agency said.

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Israel says received body of Gaza hostage from Red Cross

Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip had received on Monday the remains of a hostage from the Red Cross returned as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal.

"Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffin of a fallen hostage that was handed over to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip," a statement from the prime minister's office said, adding that the body would be transferred to Israel for identification.

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Japan PM will nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, White House says

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will nominate U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said Tuesday.

Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January, and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world, a role that experts, however, downplay.

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Zelensky urges Trump to pressure Xi to cut support to Russia

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cut his support for Russia when the two leaders meet later this week.

"I think this may be one of (Trump's) strong moves, especially if, following this decisive sanctions step, China is ready to reduce imports" from Russia, Zelensky told journalists, including AFP, at a briefing released Tuesday.

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UN, France slam Israel after attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The United Nations and France have condemned Israeli fire near U.N. peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon, after an incident during which peacekeepers neutralized an Israeli reconnaissance drone.

"We are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol, and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kfar Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations," said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, referring to the incident in southern Lebanon.

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Israel says Red Cross, Egyptian team and Hamas searching for hostage bodies in Gaza

Israel said on Monday it had allowed a team including Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers, and a Hamas member to search for the bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza.

"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the (Israeli army) Yellow Line position in Gaza under close (Israeli army) supervision to identify the location of our hostages," Israel government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists.

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Putin says ties with North Korea developing 'as planned'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his country's ties with North Korea were developing "as planned" as he hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin.

A video posted on the Kremlin's Telegram account showed Putin greet and shake hands with Choe, before remarking: "Everything is going as planned."

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Israel lifts state of emergency for communities neighboring Gaza

Israel has lifted the state of emergency for areas near the border with Gaza for the first time since Hamas's October 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday.

"I have decided to adopt the (Israeli military's) recommendation and to lift, for the first time since October 7, the special state on the home front," a statement from Katz's office said.

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Families of missing Israeli hostages demand pause in Gaza truce plan

The families of Israeli hostages on Monday demanded that the next steps in the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire be put on hold until Hamas returns the remaining bodies of dead captives.

"Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

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