Israel's military says the remains of a hostage in Gaza have been turned over and are now in Israel. Tuesday's handover is the latest sign of progress under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Ahead of the announcement, Hamas had returned the remains of 20 hostages to Israel under the ceasefire. If the latest remains are confirmed, that would leave the remains of seven in Gaza. The ceasefire began Oct. 10 and is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.

The world's leading authority on hunger crises says famine has spread to two regions of war-torn Sudan. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification says famine is happening in el-Fasher, a major city in the Darfur region, and in Kadugli, a town in the South Kordofan province. Paramilitary forces rampaged through the besieged el-Fasher last week, reportedly killing hundreds of people. Sudan has been torn apart since April 2023 by a power struggle between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The United Nations says more than 40,000 people have been killed, but aid groups believe the true number could be much higher.

Israel has returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians, according to the Red Cross. It comes a day after militants returned the remains of three Israeli soldiers killed in a Hamas-led attack in October 2023. The exchange is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Since the truce began in October, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 20 hostages, with eight still in Gaza. For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians, totaling 270 since the ceasefire started.

Israel has handed over the bodies of 30 Palestinians, according to the Red Cross and Gaza hospital officials, a day after Palestinian militants turned over the remains of two hostages to Israel. A doctor at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis confirmed receiving the bodies and said they were all unidentified. The exchange of Palestinian remains for hostage remains is the latest indication that the fraught Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is moving forward, despite deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza this week and the death of an Israeli soldier.

Israel's intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip this week marked the most serious challenge yet for a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Gaza health officials said over 100 Palestinians were killed, including dozens of civilians. Israel said one of its soldiers was killed in an attack that helped prompt the fierce Israeli strikes. But by early Wednesday, the ceasefire had been restored almost as quickly as it had unraveled. Hamas handed over the remains of two dead hostages on Thursday, in another positive sign for the truce. The chain of events underscored the fragility of the truce between Israel and Hamas after two years of war, but also showed how intent the U.S. is on keeping it going.

Israel's military says the ceasefire is back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory. Local health officials in Gaza said on Wednesday that the strikes killed 104 people, including 66 women and children. They were the deadliest since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10 and marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date. Israel said its overnight strikes were in retaliation for the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah. Israel also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire when the militant group this week handed over body parts that Israel said were partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to carry out "powerful strikes" in Gaza. This decision comes after an Israeli official reported that Hamas fired on Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Hamas has delayed handing over another hostage's body in response to Israel's planned strikes. On Monday, the Palestinian militant group handed over body parts that Israel identified as the remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war, which Netanyahu called a violation of the ceasefire. The ceasefire, which began on Oct. 10, has been fragile, with previous flare-ups. The situation remains tense, with ongoing challenges to the ceasefire. Associated Press reporters heard tank fire and saw explosions in various parts of Gaza, including in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah.