The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power.

Pope Leo XIV has celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff, urging peace through dialogue and calling for an end to conflicts worldwide.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting at wider military action in devastated Gaza even as some former army and intelligence chiefs call for an end to the war.

Hamas says it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual-nationals who had died in captivity.

Officials from USAID say the the Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. humanitarian agency have frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in contractual payments to aid groups.

An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a close confidant to lead negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire with Hamas.

Officials say Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement.

For the world, 2024 was riven by conflict on two fronts.

One of the Vatican's Nativity scenes raised eyebrows when it was unveiled because it featured a keffiyeh, the Palestinian headscarf.