The ceasefire in Gaza saw its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, and the crucial Rafah border crossing reopened two days before discussions on the truce's far more difficult second phase begin.

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, giving him a chance to showcase his ties to Israel's closest ally and press his case for what should come next after 15 months of war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss "victory over Hamas," countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries in his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tuesday's meeting at the White House will be Trump's first with a foreign leader since returning to office. It comes as U.S. and Arab mediators begin the daunting work of brokering the next phase of an agreement to wind down the war in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of militant-held hostages.

Syria's interim president made his first trip abroad Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus' shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, landed in Riyadh alongside his government's foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. The two men traveled on a Saudi jet, with a Saudi flag visible on the table behind them.

U.S. President Donald Trump aid his administration has already had "very serious" discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take "significant" action toward ending the grinding conflict.

"We will be speaking, and I think will perhaps do something that'll be significant," Trump said in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office. "We want to end that war. That war would have not started if I was president."

Two hostages arrived in Israel after Hamas handed them over to the Red Cross on Saturday as part of the fourth round of hostage releases during the Gaza ceasefire deal. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons in return.

The truce, which began Jan. 19, is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

NASA's two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in.

Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore removed a broken antenna and wiped the station's exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents.

Tesla, IBM and Meta Platforms helped lead most U.S. stocks higher on Thursday following a rush of profit reports from some of the country's most influential companies.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, as four out of every five stocks in the index climbed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 168 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs round in a standout clash of the past two title winners after the draw was made Friday.

Man City, the 2023 champion, will host the first leg on Feb. 11 or 12 and the return game in Madrid is on Feb. 18 or 19. Madrid won a record-extending 15th European title last season.

Manchester United and Tottenham put their inconsistent domestic campaigns aside and advanced to the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.

Diogo Dalot tapped in a precise cross by Kobbie Mainoo on the hour mark and Mainoo netted eight minutes later for a 2-0 victory over Romanian champion FCSB in Bucharest.

Neymar has confirmed he will sign what is expected to be a short-term contract with his boyhood club, Santos, as the Brazil striker aims to recharge his career ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The 32-year-old Neymar said Thursday that he's returning to the Sao Paulo club, and local media reported that the deal will extend only to June 30.