of the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated by smearing each other with brightly colored powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on
A young Palestinian waits to collect donated food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)Families of hostages held in Gaza are pleading with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that any agreement to end the war must include the freedom of all the hostages.
There are 58 hostages left in Gaza, of whom Israel believes approximately a third are still alive.Ayelet Samerano, the mother of Yonatan Samerano, whose body is being held in Gaza, was among the family members who met with Netanyahu on Thursday. She said the news that only 10 hostages and several bodies would be released had once again plunged the families into indescribable uncertainty.“It’s again a selection, you know, all the families, we are right now standing and thinking, is it going to be my son? Isn’t it? What will be after part of them will come, what will be with the rest?”
Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday, while Hamas has had a cooler response.“If they (Hamas) want guarantees, we will give them guarantees that after the last hostages will back to Israel, we will stop the war,” Samerano said. “I’m telling you, Netanyahu, say yes. All our countries say yes, the families say yes. All the families, when we are saying, stop the world and give us the hostages back.”
Palestinians lie on stretchers at the Baptist Hospital after being injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians lie on stretchers at the Baptist Hospital after being injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)An important next step is testing whether today’s vaccine, Shingrix, also offers dementia protection, Nagel said. Another research group recently reported some evidence that it does. Vaccine manufacturer GSK last month announced a collaboration with UK health officials to track seniors’ cognitive health as they get vaccinated.
Geldsetzer also hopes to further study that earlier shot to see if the type of vaccine might make a difference.Shingrix is a onetime vaccination, given in two doses a few months apart. The CDC recommends it starting at age 50 for most people but also for younger adults with certain immune-weakening conditions – including those who years ago got that first-generation shingles vaccine. Fewer than 40% of eligible Americans have gotten vaccinated.
Side effects including injection-site pain and flu-like fever and achiness are common. The CDC cautions if you’re currently fighting another virus such as the flu or COVID-19, to wait on a shingles shot until you’re well.While there’s no proven prevention for dementia, doctors also recommend other commonsense steps to lower the risk. Stay socially and cognitively active. And control high blood pressure and, for people with diabetes, high blood sugar, both of which are linked to cognitive decline.