Ivana Kottasová

(CNN) — The Israeli military said Monday that Omer Maxim Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen who was previously believed to be alive and held hostage in Gaza, was killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

A large photograph of Rami is displayed in the Al-Halhouli family home.

Nadia’s eyes were full of tears as she crossed the border from Syria to Lebanon. She was finally going to see her son. A 14-year-old boy the last time she saw him; he is now 22 and living in Germany.

Damascus, Syria (CNN) — At Umayyad Square in central Damascus, tens of thousands of people had the party of a lifetime on Friday. Filling the roundabout to the brink, they partied late into the evening, celebrating the moment many thought would never come: the exit of their brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad.

“The donkey is gone! Donkey! Donkey!” the crowd chanted at one point, with many still in disbelief that the deposed president’s pejorative nickname can be shouted out loud in the open, rather than whispered in secrecy.

Damascus, Syria (CNN) — At Umayyad Square in central Damascus, tens of thousands of people had the party of a lifetime on Friday.

Damascus, Syria CNN — At Umayyad Square in central Damascus, tens of thousands of people had the party of a lifetime on Friday. Filling the roundabout to the brink, they partied late into the evening, celebrating the moment many thought would never come: the exit of their brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Editor's note: This story contains graphic and disturbing descriptions of violence. Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —

Russia has jailed dozens of Ukrainian faith leaders in occupied areas, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. After threatening them with lengthy prison sentences, torture and even death, Russian and Russian-installed authorities have forced many others into exile.

Five people, including a nine-year-old child, were killed when a man drove a car into a crowded Christmas market in Germany.