Israelis fear for hostages as Qatar says Gaza mediation on hold
Voice of America
People march in a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 9, 2024 against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, marking 400 days since their capture.
Israeli protesters expressed concern for the hostages in Gaza on Saturday, after Qatar said it was pausing as a key mediator for a cease-fire that would help bring the captives home.
Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Dec. 25, 2024. (Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry/Handout via Reuters)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te waves with the Taiwanese flag during a flag-raising ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan, Jan. 1, 2025.
FILE - Getachew Reda, representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, looks on during a news conference at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation offices in Pretoria, South Africa, on Nov. 2, 2022.
FILE - A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters.
Students march on New Years Eve during a protest that erupted after a concrete canopy fell two months ago and killed 15 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 31, 2024.
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FILE - Ivorian soldiers conduct an urban reconnaissance exercise under the supervision of French special forces at Camp Loumbila, Jacqueville, Ivory Coast, on Feb. 16, 2022. Ivory Coast said on Dec. 31, 2024, that French troops will leave the country in the next month.