Religion News

Hamas confirmed for the first time on Thursday that Israeli killed the head of its military wing, Mohammed Deif , in an airstrike last year. Deif was one of the alleged masterminds of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, head of its military wing, six months after Israel announced he was killed.

IQALUIT — A former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to indecent assault against seven Inuit children more than four decades ago has been sentenced to six years in prison.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Five Thai workers held captive in the enclave were also freed in a separate deal with Thailand.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan priest had his license revoked by the Anglican Catholic Church after he mimicked a straight-arm gesture performed by Elon Musk during a speech earlier this month that some have interpreted as a Nazi salute.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas-led militants released eight hostages on Thursday after more than 15 months in captivity, including an Israeli soldier, bringing to 15 the number of captives freed since the start of a ceasefire in Gaza more than a week ago.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Five Thai workers held captive in the enclave were also freed in a separate deal with Thailand.

LONDON (AP) — The Bishop of Liverpool has resigned following allegations of sexual assault and harassment, heaping more pressure on the Church of England as it seeks to move past the fallout from a separate scandal that toppled its former leader.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Thousands of Albanians gathered in the capital on Thursday to pay their last respects to Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Christian Church after the fall of the Communist party in 1990.

MONTREAL — Only one bullet hole remains in the wall of the Centre culturel islamique de Québec, eight years after a gunman stormed into the mosque and killed six Muslim men who had come to pray.