Pope Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing on Sunday, appearing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of delighted crowds in what marks his highest-profile appearance yet since being discharged from hospital.

The 88-year-old pontiff has not led the main Holy Week and Easter services but has made brief appearances over the Easter weekend, including spending 30 minutes at a prison in Rome on Thursday and a visit to St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening.

Francis, who spent 38 days in hospital with double pneumonia where he came close to death, is unable to speak for long periods due to his respiratory difficulties and is undergoing physiotherapy to help regain his voice. The pope also has difficulty raising his arms.

But on Easter Sunday he was able to offer the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the “City [of Rome] and to the World”. Only the pope can offer this blessing which includes the offer of an indulgence, a remission for the effect of sins.

His voice sounded weak but he appeared without the nasal canula he has been wearing to receive oxygen.

Prior to his Easter Sunday appearance, the Pope had a brief private meeting with Vice President JD Vance.

“The meeting, which lasted a few minutes, provided an opportunity to exchange Easter greetings,” said the Vatican in a statement.

Since his discharge from hospital last month the pope has been making surprise appearances and has shown a determination to resume his duties. Doctors have advised him to avoid large crowds during his two months recovery period.

The Vatican also released the text of the Pope’s Easter Sunday message where Francis appealed for an end to conflicts across the world, particularly in Gaza. He lamented the “death and destruction” taking place which had created “a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.”

Francis said: “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!”

The Israeli military says “professional failures” led to the killing of 15 paramedics and first responders in an incident in Gaza in March, according to an investigation released Sunday.

The group – most of whom worked for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) – were shot dead before being buried in a mass grave, sparking international condemnation.

The Israeli probe identified several failures during the incident, as well as breaches of orders and a failure to fully report the incident, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

The IDF said the troops did not engage in “indiscriminate fire” during the incident, but they opened fire on what they believed to be a “tangible threat” amid what the military called “operational misunderstandings.”

As a result of the investigation, the commanding officer of the 14th Brigade received a letter of reprimand, while the deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion involved in the incident was dismissed from his position. The IDF relieved the deputy commander because of his responsibility for the incident and for providing an “incomplete and inaccurate report” about what happened.

“The IDF regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” a statement read.

“Existing protocols have been clarified and reinforced – emphasizing the need for heightened caution when operating near rescue forces and medical personnel, even in high-intensity combat zones.”

The troops opened fire on three separate occasions on Sunday, March 23. In the first shooting, Israeli soldiers shot at a vehicle the IDF says was identified as belonging to Hamas. Two Palestinians were killed and one temporarily detained.

An hour later, the troops opened fire once again, this time targeting the convoy of PRCS ambulances and Civil Defense vehicles, killing 15 people, according to the investigation.

Initially, the IDF claimed the vehicles were driving suspiciously without headlights or emergency signals.

But video from the cell phone of one the emergency responders clearly showed that the convoy was driving in a single-file line and the ambulances had their lights on. Despite the release of the video, the IDF investigation still said it was difficult to identify the ambulances.

“Due to poor night visibility, the deputy commander did not initially recognize the vehicles as ambulances,” the IDF said. “Only later, after approaching the vehicles and scanning them, was it discovered that these were indeed rescue teams.”

The IDF said that six of those killed were identified “in a retrospective examination as Hamas terrorists,” raising the question of whether the troops opened fire on ambulances before knowing if there were any militants amongst the vehicles. The military did not identify which of those killed it believed were terrorists or provide any evidence.

About 15 minutes later, the troops opened fire on a Palestinian United Nations vehicle. The investigation concluded this was a result of “operational errors” and was “in breach of regulations.”

“The examination determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an operational misunderstanding by the troops, who believed they faced a tangible threat from enemy forces,” the IDF said. In its initial account of the events, the Israeli military said the two Palestinians killed in the first incident were members of Hamas. It’s unclear if Israel is now walking back that claim.

“The third incident involved a breach of orders during a combat setting,” the IDF said.

The bodies were then removed and buried in a mass grave along with the ambulances and other vehicles. The IDF defended the field commanders’ decision to remove the bodies but acknowledged “the decision to crush the vehicles was wrong.”

“There was no attempt to conceal the event, which was discussed with international organizations and the UN, including coordination for the removal of bodies,” the IDF said.

The PRCS declined to comment on the investigation.

In the wake of the attack, the organization said the incident “can only be considered a war crime punishable under international humanitarian law, which the occupation continues to violate before the eyes of the entire world.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of creating a “general impression” of a ceasefire while continuing to pummel parts of the front line, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a brief cessation in fighting for Easter.

Putin’s surprise announcement on Saturday, ordering his forces to “stop all military activity” along the front line from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday (11 a.m. ET) until midnight on Monday (5 p.m. Sunday ET) was met with immediate skepticism from Ukraine, although Kyiv agreed to the truce.

Questions were raised over Putin’s motives in calling the brief halt to hostilities, which came soon after the Trump administration threatened to abandon peace efforts without tangible signs of progress.

By Easter Sunday morning, the ceasefire had already been violated multiple times, Zelensky said. Ukraine’s military said that while activity along the front line had decreased, the fighting had not stopped.

Between 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, when the ceasefire went into effect, and midnight, there were 387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces, Zelensky said in a post on X.

“Overall, as of Easter morning we can state that the Russian army is attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelensky said, citing a report from General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

In Russia’s Kursk region – the scene of a shock Ukrainian incursion last year – Moscow’s forces conducted artillery strikes and used drones, he added.

“Everywhere our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation. Ukraine will continue to act symmetrically,” Zelensky said.

In a post later Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s military had recorded an increase in Russian shelling and the use of “kamikaze” drones since 10 a.m. local time. “In practice, either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favorable PR coverage,” he added.

There does appear at least to be a let-up in the near-daily, deadly aerial attacks on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had not recorded any aerial threats from missiles or drones from Russia since Saturday night, while Russia’s Defense Ministry did not report any drone or missile attacks on Russia overnight.

For its part, Russia’s defense ministry said Sunday that its forces had been “strictly observing” the ceasefire since 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, and accused Ukraine of violating the pause in fighting over 1,000 times.

The ministry said that Ukrainian units had shot at Russian positions 444 times during the night, carried out over 900 drone attacks and used 48 plane-type UAVs.

“As a result, there were deaths and injuries among the civilian population and damage to civilian objects,” a statement from the ministry claimed.

The Ukrainian leader has called for the ceasefire to be extended to 30 days, in line with a US-led proposal last month. On Sunday morning, he said that the proposal still stands, despite the accusations of repeated violations.

“Russia must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table. We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground.”

Ukraine’s Armed Forces have stated that they will comply with orders to limit fire on Russia’s army, but would not show restraint if fired on first.

A commander on the ground warned Sunday: “Yesterday we were told to limit fire against the Russians. If they don’t assault or provoke us, we don’t fire. If they move or fire at us, we can answer.”

Putin said the ceasefire was on humanitarian grounds but added that his troops would respond to any “provocations.”

A 14-year-old girl was killed by a lioness outside the Kenyan capital Nairobi when she was snatched at a ranch bordering the southern edge of a national park, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said Sunday.

The lioness then entered a house and attacked the girl, who was inside with a second teenager. “There is no evidence of provocation from the victims,” Udoto said.

The second teenager immediately raised the alarm, prompting KWS rangers and emergency teams to respond to the incident. Upon arrival, the team traced bloodstains leading to the Mbagathi River, where the girl’s body was recovered with injuries on her lower back.

Authorities have set a trap and deployed teams to search for the lioness. They are also trying to reinforce security measures, including electric fencing and AI-powered early warning systems to notify communities of nearby animal movements, Udoto said.

Separate animal attack

In a different incident on Friday, an elephant attacked a 54-year-old man while he was grazing livestock at a forest in Kenya’s Nyeri County. The man sustained chest injuries, fractured ribs and internal trauma, and was declared dead upon arriving at a hospital, KWS said.

The agency added that both attacks underscore a need for “continued investment in human-wildlife conflict mitigation – through strategic interventions, early warning systems, and strengthened collaboration with affected communities.”

KWS teams are still investigating the attacks, but preliminary findings suggest both are “linked to broader ecological pressures and human encroachment on wildlife habitats,” Udoto said.

KWS suspects the lioness was disoriented or diverted from her normal hunting behavior due to a scarcity of prey in her natural range and increasing human activity around the park, Udoto added.

The elephant, meanwhile, attacked the victim after he entered the forest to graze livestock. “It was the human activity that encroached upon the animal’s range, creating conditions for conflict,” Udoto said.

“KWS conveys its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and continues to work closely with local law enforcement and communities to enhance the safety of people living near protected wildlife areas,” the agency said.

Lion and elephant attacks are considered relatively rare, but they can happen in isolated areas, near national parks and game reserves.

Lion attacks account for less than 2% of all reported incidents involving humans and wildlife, Udoto said. Elephant-related incidents are more common and tend to happen during dry seasons, when the animals migrate in search of water and food and encounter farmland or settlements, Udoto added.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has proposed a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, offering to repatriate hundreds of Venezuelans who were deported from the United States in exchange for “political prisoners.”

In a post on X, Bukele offered to exchange 252 Venezuelans currently detained in El Salvador’s mega prison for “an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners” he says Venezuela holds, including family members of opposition leaders.

“Unlike our detainees, many of whom have committed murder, others have committed rape, and some have even been arrested multiple times before being deported, your political prisoners have committed no crime,” Bukele said in the post, which was directed at Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. “The only reason they are imprisoned is because they opposed you and your electoral fraud.”

The US and El Salvador say most of the deportees locked up in El Salvador’s Cecot prison are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and some are members of the MS-13 Salvadoran gang. But officials have provided scant evidence to show the inmates have ties to those criminal groups.

Venezuela’s leader has described the deportation of the mostly Venezuelan migrants as a “kidnapping,” and denied they are criminals while backing calls for their return.

The Salvadoran leader named some of the “political prisoners” incarcerated in Venezuela, including Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of exiled opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González.

González, who fled the country after claiming to have defeated Maduro in July’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was detained in Venezuela’s capital in early January, just days before Maduro was inaugurated.

He also mentions Corina Parisca de Machado, the mother of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who he says is facing political pressure.

Bukele also proposed swapping four political leaders seeking asylum in the Argentine Embassy in Venezuela. The group has been sheltering at the facility for more than a year, accused of terrorist activities and treason for working with Machado, who says they did nothing wrong.

Also included in Bukele’s proposed agreement are journalist Roland Carreño, lawyer and activist Rocío San Miguel, and nearly 50 detained citizens from other countries, including the US.

Bukele’s proposal comes amid heightened scrutiny about the Salvadoran’s willingness to accept hundreds of migrants who the Trump administration claims are gang members or violent criminals.

One of the region’s most popular leaders, Bukele has called himself “the world’s coolest dictator” and the “philosopher king” as he suspends certain civil liberties to go after his country’s gangs.

That has earned him the ire of international human rights organizations, which allege large-scale abuses in his crackdown on crime. But it has also earned him popularity inside El Salvador; Bukele, 43, won reelection last year by a landslide.

This is a developing story and will be updated.