Egyptian officials have announced that a cease-fire agreement has been reached between Israeli and Hamas forces, which will take effect at 9 p.m. local time Wednesday.

The cease-fire agreement, brokered by Egypt, ends eight days of deadly fighting between Israelis and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, accompanied by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, announced the cease-fire in a news conference Wednesday afternoon. more >>

Despite word earlier this week that Hamas and Palestinian leaders were negotiating with Israel to put an end to the latest deadly conflict, both sides have continued trading fire. Meanwhile, Christian organizations and concerned individuals have been calling for prayer in hopes of seeing peace restored to the Middle East region.

The Pilgrim Center of Hope, a Catholic Evangelization Ministry for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, shared in an opinion piece that one of the primary actions concerned believers can take is to pray for Christians caught in the conflict – whom the organization calls "the descendants of the first followers of Jesus."

"Pray! Pray for the Mother Church of the Holy Land. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are united with us in the Christian solidarity of the mystical Body of Christ – the Church: 'If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy' (1 Corinthians 12:26)." more >>

As the death toll in the Israel–Hamas conflict rose to 97 Monday morning, Egypt's prime minister has said that negotiations for a truce were being discussed, with the Arab League and countries around the world hoping the deadly aerial assaults will soon come to an end.

"Negotiations are going on as we speak and I hope we will reach something soon that will stop this violence and counter-violence," Prime Minister Hisham Kandil said in Cairo during the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit.

"I think we are close, but the nature of this kind of negotiation (means) it is very difficult to predict," Kandil added. Egyptian intelligence Chief Mohammed Shehata has been trying since Saturday to force a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but over the weekend Israeli rockets killed another 24 civilians in Gaza, where the main fighting rages on. more >>

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas are on the verge of all out war, a number of organizations have reported, after the Islamist organization fired a rocket that killed three Israelis north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, in response to the Jewish state killing the group's military leader.

In new developments on Thursday it has also been reported that Palestinian militants have launched rockets from Gaza at Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv. However, despite sirens being sounded and residents fleeing for cover, Israeli military have reported that neither of the two missiles launched had hit the city.

The missile attacks on Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial center, marks a further significant escalation of tensions in the region. more >>

From battleships to bayonets, President Obama tried to give Mitt Romney a lesson in foreign policy in Monday night's final presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. However, just hours before the debate began, the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll found Obama's national security lead over Romney had dwindled to a dead heat at 47-46 percent.

"One of the two candidates was responsible for killing Osama bin Laden and enjoys popularity overseas, while the other one bungled a European trip and has a thin résumé when it comes to international issues," wrote Sean Sullivan in Monday's Washington Post. "But based on the latest numbers, it would be difficult to tell one from the other."

Like in the second debate, Obama came out aggressive from the get-go, spending most of the night attempting to give Romney a lesson in foreign policy. It seemed somewhat of a flashback when four years ago, GOP nominee John McCain, a decorated war hero with years of foreign policy experience sought to school the new Illinois senator with no foreign policy experience. more >>

Organizers of the National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Oct. 7, are encouraging millions around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and what some believe is a "divine" link between America and Israel.

"This is a significant recognition of the importance of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem by our country's best known and perhaps oldest 'Day of Prayer'; it is also recognition by the prayer leaders of this country of the divine link between our country and Israel," organizers of the event have said.

"Although the purpose of their gathering is to cry out to God for revival and blessing on America, they also realize that they have a responsibility to also cry out for God's land if they want to see His full blessings on ours." more >>