By SAMY MAGDY and JOSEPH KRAUSS, Associated Press

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it.

“I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution — a temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict,” Steve Witkoff said in Washington on Wednesday, adding that a new U.S. proposal would soon be delivered to the warring parties.

Hamas, meanwhile, said it had agreed with Witkoff on a “general framework” of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an influx of aid, and a transfer of power from the organization to a politically independent committee of Palestinians.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Israel, however, has publicly ruled out any such agreement, saying it would only agree to temporary pauses in the fighting to facilitate the release of hostages. Israeli media have quoted officials as denying that any agreement along the lines described by Hamas is on the table.

What do Israel and Hamas want?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. He has said Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population.

Palestinians and most of the international community have rejected plans to resettle Gaza’s population, a move experts say would likely violate international law.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages — its only bargaining chip — in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to give up power to a committee of politically independent Palestinians that could oversee reconstruction.

Hamas is still holding 58 hostages. Around a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March.

Israeli mounted police disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest marking 600 days since Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas into the Gaza Strip, call for their release and an end to the war, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The dispute over whether there should be a temporary ceasefire to release more hostages — as Israel has called for — or a permanent one — as Hamas wants — has bedeviled talks brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar for more than a year and a half, and there’s no indication it has been resolved.

What is the latest ceasefire proposal?

Witkoff has not publicized his latest proposal, but a Hamas official and an Egyptian official independently confirmed some of the details. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

They say it calls for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March. Israeli forces would pull back to the positions they held during the ceasefire Israel ended that month.

Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine.

Palestinian women wait with their sick children for medical care in an overcrowded clinic in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehand Alshrafi)

Why is it so hard to end the war?

Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. More than half the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel has rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies.

Related Articles

Trump commutes federal life sentence of founding Gangster Disciples kingpin Larry Hoover

Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu

Former Connecticut governor, who resigned amid corruption scandal, pardoned by Trump

Federal trade court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law

Fired federal tech staffers file retaliation claim to a panel whose chairwoman Trump also fired

Israel’s ensuing military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians, with hundreds of thousands living in squalid tent camps and unused schools.

Hamas has been vastly depleted militarily and lost nearly all of its top leaders in Gaza. It likely fears that releasing all the hostages without securing a permanent ceasefire would allow Israel to launch an even more devastating campaign to ultimately destroy the group.

Israel fears that a lasting ceasefire and withdrawal now would leave Hamas with significant influence in Gaza, even if it surrenders formal power. With time, Hamas might be able to rebuild its military might and eventually launch more Oct. 7-style attacks.

A broader resolution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears more distant than ever.

The Palestinians are weak and divided, and Israel’s current government — the most nationalist and religious in its history — is opposed to Palestinian demands for a state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.

The last serious peace talks broke down more than 15 years ago.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

At markets in the spring, abundant, well-priced bunches of herbs can be just as tempting as strawberries and asparagus. But bringing them home often means that one’s best intentions collide with the harsh realities: Herbs can go from sprightly to swampy before you have time to use them up. The simple tips that follow can help you make sure they never go to waste.

1. Choose your herbs wisely.

Herbs at a grocery store in New York, April 24, 2025. Avoid herb bunches with wilted, limp or waterlogged leaves, and look for well-hydrated stems. (James Estrin/The New York Times)

Look for the freshest herbs you can find, which can last longer in the fridge and freezer, suggests Nasim Alikhani, the chef of Sofreh in Brooklyn, New York, and author of the cookbook “Sofreh.”

Herbs should be perky and vibrant, with plump, well-hydrated leaves and stems. (Avoid bunches with wilted, limp or waterlogged leaves, or discolored areas.) If possible, skip herbs in small plastic packages: Their condition can be hard to gauge.

2. Prep your herbs for storage right away.

Like flowers, herbs can’t wait to be released from their packaging. Once you’re home, spread out the loose herbs and pluck away any wilted or browned leaves that may have been hiding (the adage about rotten apples applies here, too).

“If you have one bit of cilantro leaf that’s been chewed up or damaged in some way, that’s going to be a focal point for bacteria,” said Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist at Rutgers University.

Alikhani also likes to rinse her herbs before storing them, which has another advantage: You’ll be more likely to cook with herbs if you know they’re washed and ready to go. But make sure they’re well dried — Alikhani uses her salad spinner, but you can also blot them with paper towels — as “residual moisture will travel with the herbs,” contributing to bacterial growth, Schaffner said.

3. Keep soon-to-be-used herbs hydrated.

Herbs in glasses of water. Keeping herbs in a glass of water is a solid strategy if using them on the sooner side. Food styled by Yossy Arefi. (Yossy Arefi/The New York Times)

If you’re planning to use all your herbs in the next day or two (pesto, perhaps?), go for a simple approach. Alikhani just washes them without drying and adds them to a quart container of ice-cold water at the back of her fridge. To ensure the herbs absorb the water well, give the stem ends a trim before immersing them.

4. For longer storage, pack strategically.

Well-dried herbs are wrapped in paper towels before being tucked into a resealable food storage bag and placed in the fridge. Herbs can keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. Food styled by Yossy Arefi. (Yossy Arefi/The New York Times)

Herbs can keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. They’ll last longest when they have “enough moisture to keep them fresh but not so much moisture that they turn into a soupy, swampy mess,” Schaffner said.

To maintain that balance, Alikhani recommends wrapping well-dried herbs in a paper towel before tucking them into a resealable food storage bag in the fridge. But Schaffner cautions that may retain too much moisture. “My recommendation is just to make sure that everything is as dry as possible before placing into the bag,” he said. Whatever you choose, be sure to use a generously sized bag or container to ensure air circulation, and seal it well.

5. Handle living herbs with care.

FILE – Herbs are harvested in Nashville, Tenn., July 12, 2023. If you have an herb garden (or windowsill), aim to harvest them early in the day. (William DeShazer/The New York Times)

You might assume a plant will stay fresh longer than cut herbs, but without proper care, it can fade quickly. If you have herbs growing in your garden (or on your windowsill), aim to harvest them early in the day, and use sharp kitchen shears to avoid damaging them.

If bringing home a hydroponic plant, remove it from its wrapping, then trim any wilted leaves or mushy-looking roots. Place the plant in a jar with water coming up just past its roots, and set it on a windowsill that gets indirect sunlight. Change the water every day or two to keep the roots healthy.

6. Use herbs as vegetables, not just garnishes.

No matter how deftly you handle herbs, their freshness is fleeting, so use them with abandon while you have them. Persian cooks like Alikhani already tend to follow this approach: “We buy herbs by pounds in Iran,” she said. “They are not garnishes — they are our food.”

These strategies will help you use up your haul long before they wilt:

— Stir handfuls of chopped herbs through … everything. Pots of warm rice, soup, stew, pasta or risotto turn instantly vibrant when finished with herbs.

— Let them star in salads. Take a cue from Greek maroulosalata and add a generous helping of chopped dill, cilantro or parsley (including the tender stems) to your next salad. Or just make herb salad (aka tabbouleh).

— Add herbs to ground-meat recipes. Stirring plenty of finely chopped herbs into ground-meat mixtures for meatballs, burgers and meatloaf doesn’t just add flavor — it also helps keep them tender when cooked.

— Blend up an all-purpose green sauce. Creamy, silky, tangy or spicy green sauces tend to work with any combination of herbs. Use them as a marinade; a topping for grilled or roasted meat or seafood; or a dip for bread or vegetables.

— When in doubt, turn to eggs. Frittata, quiche and savory egg pie would never say no to a handful of herbs. Egg recipes can go as green as you like.

— If herbs are past their prime, cook them down. Even tired-looking herbs can still infuse longer-cooking dishes with flavor (and their texture isn’t as important, since they’ll soften up as they cook anyway). Take a cue from Andy Baraghani’s ash reshteh, a Persian greens and noodle soup, and add a pile of chopped herbs to a braise, stew or soup as it cooks.

7. When all else fails, freeze them.

Having fresh herbs is good, Alikhani said, “But is it essential? No, it is not.” When you’re caught without fresh herbs, “freezing them saves the cook’s life.”

Start by packing finely chopped herbs tightly into an ice cube tray, then fill the tray almost to the top with olive oil or water, freeze until solid, and transfer to resealable bags to keep in the freezer for up to two months. The oil-based cubes are handy for enriching soups, stews and pastas, while the water-based ones can quickly infuse a smoothie, lemonade or frozen cocktail with flavor.

If you’d rather not put anything but water in your ice cube trays, use a freezer bag instead: Mix chopped herbs with a few spoonfuls of oil and transfer to a freezer bag, pressing to flatten into a thin, even layer. The flat layer of herbs freezes especially fast, which can be an advantage. “If you’re going to freeze something, you want to try to freeze it as quickly as possible,” Schaffner said, to preserve quality. When ready to cook, simply break off a piece.

For a more straightforward option, bundle up an herb “cigar” of parsley, dill or cilantro, wrap in plastic and freeze. When you need chopped herbs for a recipe, use kitchen shears to quickly snip off what you need. It may not be the same as fresh, but the flavor still lasts.

Maroulosalata (Green Salad With Feta and Dill)

Although the iconic Greek salad, colorful with tomatoes, feta and olives, might spring to mind when contemplating Greek salads, monochromatic maroulosalata (which translates to “lettuce salad”) is arguably the more popular option in Greece. The salad is simple and effortless: Toss sliced romaine hearts, fresh dill, crumbled feta and sliced scallions with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper, no separate dressing required. The key to this refreshing chopped salad is slicing the lettuce into delicate shreds, then soaking them in ice water to get them extra-crisp before draining, drying and tossing with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with grilled seafood, such as shrimp or fish, or as a sunny side salad with souvlaki or roast chicken. But this salad can also stand alone, as a light, summery supper on the hottest of days.

By Farideh Sadeghin

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 romaine hearts, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 10 cups)
Ice
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh dill fronds
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and cover with ice water. Let soak for 15 to 20 minutes to get crisp, then drain. Dry the lettuce either in a salad spinner or using towels, then transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the feta, dill and scallions, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and serve.

Related Articles

Recipes: Use blackberries to make a pie, tiny cakes and even a salad

Light and breezy: Five easy weeknight dishes that won’t weigh you down

The secret to restaurant-style chicken at home

Recipe: Poached salmon and broccoli Caesar salad make a healthy, hearty meal

Recipe: Pasta and Pea Soup is a tasty, simple dish with delightful brightness

Today is Thursday, May 29, the 149th day of 2025. There are 216 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Also on this date:

In 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th and final original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.

Related Articles

Trump commutes federal life sentence of founding Gangster Disciples kingpin Larry Hoover

Stylist says Cassie confided that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pressured her into sex marathons

Judge says US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional

Caves, other hideouts in mountains are part of hunt for fugitive known as ‘Devil in the Ozarks’

Ex-WWE executive agrees to help accuser in sex abuse lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE

In 1914, the Canadian ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec after colliding with the Norwegian cargo ship SS Storstad; of the 1,477 people on board the Empress of Ireland, 1,012 died.

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500, finishing in 29th place (A.J. Foyt won the race for his record fourth Indy 500 victory).

In 1985, 39 people were killed at the European Cup Final in Brussels, Belgium, when rioting broke out and a wall separating British and Italian soccer fans collapsed.

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev began their fourth summit meeting, in Moscow.

In 2004, the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated by President George W. Bush.

In 2009, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced music producer Phil Spector to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actor Lana Clarkson. (Spector remained in prison until his death in January 2021.)

In 2020, fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. (Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 on those charges as well as unintentional second-degree murder.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Basketball Hall of Famer Richie Guerin is 93.
Actor Anthony Geary is 78.
Singer Rebbie Jackson is 75.
Musician-composer Danny Elfman is 72.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, is 71.
Singer La Toya Jackson is 69.
Actor Ted Levine is 68.
Actor Annette Bening is 67.
Actor Rupert Everett is 66.
Musician Melissa Etheridge is 64.
Musician Noel Gallagher is 58.
Actor Laverne Cox is 53.
Singer Melanie Brown (Spice Girls) is 50.
Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony is 41.
Actor Riley Keough is 36.

Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair on Tuesday shared primary goal for this Vancouver match: Don’t loose to a team twice in a season.

Coming off a 3-1 loss to the Whitecaps on April 27, the Loons achieved the aim with a 0-0 draw with Vancouver on Wednesday at BC Place.

But MNUFC (7-3-5, 26 points) fell short of St. Clair’s next aim, moving ahead of first-place Vancouver (9-1-5, 32 points) by the end of the week. That would have taken a win over the ‘Caps and Seattle on Sunday.

Last month, Vancouver had a Concacaf semifinal against Miami three days after playing Minnesota and rotated its lineup. But as more regulars subbed into the second half, the Whitecaps rolled to a victory.

Vancouver put out less than its best lineup with the Concacaf final vs. Cruz Azul coming Sunday and were still extend its unbeaten run in MLS to 10 straight games.

Minnesota’s attack was disjointed in the first half and Eric Ramsay brought on forward Tani Oluwaseyi for midfielder Robin Lod and exchanged wingbacks Julian Gressel for Bongi Hlongwane.

MNUFC’s offense didn’t generate much more in the second half. Vancouver outshot Minnesota 21-4 overall and 3-1 on target.

Three tidbits

Owen Gene was named to the Guadeloupe preliminary roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup in June, but the 22-year-old says he wants to stay with MNUFC to help solidify a spot in the first team. … Darius Randell received his fourth loan from MNUFC2 to MNUFC for Wednesday’s match. … Joseph Rosales and Emmanuel Sabbi did not have an incident in this match. Last month, Sabbi accused Rolales of  saying a discriminatory comment toward him. It led to Rosales — who denied the allegation — being suspended three games by MLS.