Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and held captive for over two years are finally beginning to be released. Israeli public broadcaster Khan reported on the 13th (local time) that Hamas had handed over seven of the 20 surviving hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City, northern Gaza. This release follows the implementation of the first phase of ceasefire negotiations between Israel

The Indian government will reopen its embassy in Afghanistan, which had been closed after the Taliban, an Islamic militant organization, regained power—marking the first time in four years. According to Reuters and other media on the 11th (local time), India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced, after meeting with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi the previous day, that the small liaison office in Kabul would be upgraded and