Body of an Israeli hostage is found in Gaza, army says

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says troops have recovered the body of an additional hostage from Gaza. The military said Wednesday the body of Yosef AlZayadni was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. It said it was examining whether a second body was that of another hostage. Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that two hostages’ bodies had been recovered. The men were taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The return of the body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza. Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead. However, AlZayadni was believed to still be alive before Wednesday’s announcement.

Russian missile attack in southern Ukraine has killed at least 13 civilians, officials say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say that a Russian missile attack in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least 13 civilians and injured about 30 others. Footage posted Wednesday on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel showed civilians lying in a city street littered with debris. They were being treated by emergency services and taken away on gurneys. Minutes before the attack, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov warned of a threat of high-speed missiles and glide bombs being fired at the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian has frequently launched aerial attacks on civilian areas during the almost three-year war. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.

An Italian journalist is freed from detention in Iran and returns home

ROME (AP) — An Italian journalist detained in Iran for three weeks has been freed and has returned home, after her fate had become intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer arrested in Italy and wanted by the United States. A plane carrying Cecilia Sala, 29, landed Wednesday at Rome’s Ciampino airport, where Premier Giorgia Meloni was on hand to welcome her alongside Sala’s family members. Sala’s companion, Daniele Raineri, posted a photo of a smiling Sala greeting Meloni in the airport. Sala’s liberation marked a major diplomatic and political victory for Meloni, whose recent visit to President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat greatly enhanced her stature internationally at a time when Italy was negotiating Sala’s release.

Egypt unveils ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts in Luxor

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has unveiled several discoveries near the famed city of Luxor including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years. They were unearthed at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut’s funerary temple on the Nile’s West Bank. Artifacts found at the tombs include bronze coins with the image of Alexander the Great dating to the Time of Ptolemy I, children’s toys made of clay, cartonnage and funerary masks that covered mummies, winged scarabs, beads and funerary amulets. Archaeologist Zahi Hawass told reporters that the discoveries could “reconstruct history” and offer an understanding of the type of programs ancient Egyptians designed inside a temple.