Two of the 13 Palestinian militants exiled following the siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem are due to arrive in Ireland later today.

The Government is currently finalising arrangements for the arrival of two Palestinian militants exiled from their homeland following the month-long siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Ireland is to take two of the 13 Palestinian militants involved in the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

An Irish peace activist, who was arrested by Israeli forces at the end of the siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is due home later today.

Ireland has agreed to admit one of the 13 Palestinian militants deported from the West Bank following the recent siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

The Government has confirmed that the EU presidency has asked it to admit one or more of the Islamic militants recently deported from the West Bank.

The clean-up is underway around the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

The first public mass will be held at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem after a 39-day standoff ended yesterday.

Cyprus is to take in 13 suspected Palestinian militants holed up in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

The outlines of an agreement to resolve the 35-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem were taking shape today, but the sides remained at odds on several issues including how many of the wanted Palestinians inside the Christian shrine would be deported.

There has been an explosion near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Twenty eight Palestinians are due to leave the besieged Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem today under a deal negotiated with the Israeli military.

Violence punctuated negotiations to resolve a three-week standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian, while Israeli tanks briefly entered the city of Hebron early today.

A Palestinian man inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has been shot by an Israeli soldier.

Heavy gunfire broke out tonight between Israeli forces and armed Palestinians holed up inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as religious leaders warned the three-week-old crisis was getting worse.

Israel today told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that it would welcome a fact-finding mission to look into Israeli military action in Jenin and other Palestinian cities, a UN spokesman said.

The Israeli army has reportedly begun an offensive against the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where more than 200 Palestinian police and gunmen have been hiding along with priests and civilians since Tuesday.

Israel was ready to pull its troops out of Bethlehem today if Palestinian gunfire stops, a senior official said.