The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel faced growing pressure Sunday to scale back its relentless military campaign against Hamas while American warships once again clashed with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, as the U.S. and its allies raced to contain multiple interconnected conflicts raging across the Middle East.
Information about the conditions of their captivity has been tightly controlled, but family members of the released hostages have begun to share details about their loved ones' experiences.
NBC News has dropped an East Jerusalem-based freelancer after she was arrested on suspicion of inciting and disseminating materials encouraging terrorism stemming from Facebook posts that glorify Hamas.