Gaza

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

Trump has upper hand over Netanyahu, but is it enough for Gaza?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling on the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, but at the end of the day, Trump has much more leverage over Netanyahu.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he speaks during an end-of-year press conference in the State Department Press Briefing Room in Washington, DC on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Rubio hints US could accept Hamas keeping small arms

The top US diplomat told Al-Monitor the focus of disarmament should be on the "weaponries or capabilities" that Hamas would need to threaten Israel.

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October has prompted some shipping companies to consider resuming services, but security concerns persist.

Saeed Jaras / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Facing Israeli pushback, Turkey recalibrates public messaging on Gaza force

Turkey’s top diplomat has suggested that being part of the Gaza stabilization force is not Ankara’s priority.

Latest News

Analysis

How Netanyahu ceded to Trump, agreed to Egypt's $35B gas deal

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. President Trump is in Egypt to meet with European and Middle Eastern leaders in what’s being billed as an international peace summit, following the start of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Qatar’s prime minister meets US officials as Gaza plan stalls

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) shakes hands with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the State Department in Washington, on Dec. 17, 2025.

Over 600 Israeli ex-security chiefs urge Trump to disarm Hamas, back PA in Gaza

President Donald Trump speaks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem.

Analysis

Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US special envoy Tom Barrack, Jerusalem, Dec. 15 2

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (L) talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s pressure campaign to block Turkey, Saudi Arabia from acquiring F-35s

On Dec. 1, Netanyahu met in his Jerusalem office with Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin, lead contractor for the F-35's production.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos speaks to media at a Ministerial Council meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on December 4, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. (GEORG HOCHMUTH/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Cyprus weighs joining Gaza force but 'not enough clarity' on mission, FM says

Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos also discussed using his country's maritime aid corridor to support Gaza's reconstruction.

Constantinos Kombos

Cypriot Foreign Minister

People take part in a demonstration at Hostage Square in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on Oct. 25, 2025, calling for the release of all the bodies of hostages held in Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel's Hostage Square takes new shape as one last body left in Gaza

Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, the epicenter of demonstrations for the release of the hostages, is evolving with the long-suffering movement that created it.

US President Donald Trump (L) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, Washington, Sept. 29, 2025.

Analysis

Differences over Hamas, Turkey and Iran overshadow Netanyahu-Trump summit

When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Washington, expect him to focus on Hamas' disarmament and rail against Turkey taking part in the international stabilization force in Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem.

Israel, US send mixed signals on Gaza phase 2 before Trump-Netanyahu meeting

The US president is expected to press Netanyahu to advance the second phase of the Gaza plan, halt plans for a large-scale strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon and compromise on issues related to Syria.

Basem Naim, member of Hamaspolitical bureau speaks during an interview with AFP in Istanbul on February 8, 2025. Hamas has no desire to return to war with Israel, a senior official with the Palestinian group told AFP on February 8, 2025, nearly three weeks into a fragile ceasefire that halted fighting in Gaza. "Returning to war is certainly not our wish nor our decision," Basem Naim said in an interview. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Hamas official says group needs guarantees on war's end and statehood to disarm

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stopped short of pledging that Hamas would not fire on international troops, but said the militant group has "no problem” with the stabilization force.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Smoke rises as fire burns, in an alleged site of IRGC's missile launch targeted by Israel on the mountains of Shiraz, Iran on June 21, 2025. Israel attacked Iran in early hours of June 13, and the exchange of fire between the two countries continues ever since. (Photo by Hiroon / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HIROON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel likely to strike Iran in 2026, European diplomats say

Israel might opt to strike Iran again next year if it assesses that the Tehran-based government is resuming high-level uranium enrichment.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C/L) welcomes President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at The Chigi Palace in Rome, on Feb. 24, 2025.

Meloni to attend GCC summit in Bahrain as Italy deepens Gulf ties

The summit is expected to focus on economic integration in the Gulf, but regional issues will likely loom just as large, including post-war Gaza and the conflict in Sudan.

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, UNRWA’s Tamara Alrifai said the upcoming Turkey office would help the agency to expand its operations not only in Gaza but also in Syria.

Tamara Alrifai

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump (2R) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at Ben Gurion International Airport on October 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Analysis

A Trump bargain: Pardon Netanyahu in exchange for Israel-Syria security deal?

President Trump is less concerned with the outcome of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s graft trial than with pressuring him to finalize a security deal with Syria.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Mansour Abbas, head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party, speaks to the press before casting his ballot at a polling station in the northern Israeli village of Maghar on November 1, 2022. - Israelis began voting in their fifth election in less than four years, with veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu campaigning for a comeback alongside far-right allies. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Trump’s Muslim Brotherhood move reignites Israel’s battle over Raam

Israeli officials hailed the decision by President Donald Trump to start the designation process of Muslim Brotherhood chapters, though the move risks generating havoc within Israeli politics.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

JERUSALEM - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on the day of Trump's address on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

As he stalls Gaza plan, will Netanyahu pick his far-right coalition over Trump?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won’t publicly go against the Gaza plan of President Donald Trump, but he keeps stalling on discussing the parameters for the implementation of the plan’s second phase.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs