Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.

Hamas and Hezbollah experienced major losses at the hands of Israel in 2024, while the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria sent shockwaves throughout the region.

A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead. In Lebanon, the parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday he hopes to have good things to report about hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by the time Trump is sworn in as U.S. president on Jan.

The president-elect did not elaborate on what actions he might take if the captives are not released by the time he takes office.