Gaza

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Netanyahu caved to Trump on Lebanon and what it means for Israel

Israelis express anger that the prime minister's maneuvering to stay out of jail has allowed the US to once again "hijack" foreign policy and national security decision-making.

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

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu review a military honor guard on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Hungary has long-standing ties with Israel, and they been further bolstered up since the start of the war in Gaza, sparked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Oct

With Orban’s defeat in Hungary, Israel loses European shield

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated a strong relationship with outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who even withdrew from the International Criminal Court because it issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.

Children and families gather to receive free meals shortly before Iftar during the holy month of Ramadan at a displacement camp in central Gaza City, on Feb. 27, 2026.

Iran war deepens Gaza crisis as prices soar, aid falters

Gazans fear that Israel could exploit the wider regional war to reenter Gaza, especially as buffer zones along the border continue to expand and civilians are targeted to keep them away.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Displaced Palestinians gather for a fast-breaking Iftar meal amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Feb. 23, 2026.

Analysis

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority

Hamas has so far stayed out of the escalating Iran war, despite its longstanding alliance with Tehran, reflecting a cautious strategic calculation.

Abeer Ayyoub

By Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Latest News

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

Analysis

JPMorgan to drop UAE from emerging market bond indexes: What to know

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

'No meaningful protection': Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks

People walk through a heavily damaged street in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

How did FIFA become part of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction effort?

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the extended format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Live Updates

Arab summit adopts Egypt’s alternative plan to Trump’s Gaza takeover: What to know

Arab states adopted an Egyptian plan calling for a “technocratic" committee to administer the Gaza Strip under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority as part of a broader two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas fighters gather at the site of the handing over of two Israeli hostages in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as part of the seventh hostage-prisoner release on February 22, 2025. Palestinian militants freed two Israeli hostages on February 22, among the last live captives eligible for release under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released. (Photo by Abood Abusalama / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ABOOD ABUSALAMA/Middle

Analysis

With Trump losing interest, Israel likely to buy time, extend phase one of deal

As US envoy Steve Witkoff shifts focus to Russia and Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas deal faces mounting hurdles ahead of phase 2 this Saturday, making it more likely to extend current status-quo.

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

OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

Gaza’s fragile calm teeters as Israel balks at full pullout

Israel and Hamas face a Saturday deadline to implement the next phase of the ceasefire, which includes the full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the release of the remaining hostages.

Truth Social. Photo collage created by Al-Monitor.

Trump’s AI Gaza video elicits mockery from Middle East social media users

The US president’s video depicting a future Gaza under American authority was widely shared on Arabic and Hebrew social media, with many Palestinian users criticizing it.

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 24: Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), arrives to a press conference sthe day after German parliamentary elections on February 24, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The CDU/CSU won with 28.5% and will seek to form a government coalition. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Analysis

Pro-Israel, Turkey-friendly in Syria: How Merz's win in Germany affects Middle East

Germany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, has called for more military support to Israel and criticized the current government over reduced arms exports to the country.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds flowers next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will US-Russia rapprochement increase odds of Israel striking Iran?

Israeli leaders hope the thaw in relations will lead Moscow to stem strategic cooperation with Tehran, leaving Iran vulnerable to an attack on its nuclear facilities after a US green light.

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

Palestinians walk past tents lining the streets amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 18, 2025.

US, Arab partners headed for clash over Gaza’s future

The Trump administration says the onus is on Arab states to produce a postwar vision of their own after they rejected a plan for US ownership of the Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) walks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as they meet at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 19, 2025.

UAE conveys frustrations to US' top diplomat Rubio over Gaza, Ukraine

Arab states have grown increasingly frustrated over the US administration's rhetoric about displacing 2.1 million Gazans from the enclave.

United Arab Emirates

Jabalia

World Bank puts Gaza reconstruction cost at $52B as Arab leaders mull plan

The World Bank has estimated that damage to physical structures alone will take around $30 billion to address, with housing accounting for 53% of the damage.

Ambassador of Israel to the US Ron Dermer speaks during the annual "Days of Remembrance" event at the Emancipation Hall of US Capitol April 29, 2019, in Washington, DC.

Netanyahu taps confidant to lead Gaza negotiations, replacing Mossad chief: What we know

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu removed Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar from the negotiating team, replacing them with loyalist Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is seen as having a direct line to the White House.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Trump turned to Saudi Arabia for US-Russia talks

The high-level talks are an opportunity for Saudi Arabia to burnish its credentials as the Middle East's power broker.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on February 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he returned to the White House last month. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Netanyahu rebuff Trump's envoy on Gaza talks as second phase looms?

US special envoy to the region Steve Witkoff is pushing the Netanyahu government to enter talks on the second phase of the deal, which should see the release of the rest of the hostages and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip.

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