Humanitarian crises

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.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Rubio testified on the proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of State. (Photo by John McDonnell/Getty Images)

Analysis

US options constrained in Sudan as RSF snubs Washington, sanctions fail

Washington is attempting to broker a humanitarian truce between Sudan’s warring factions, but analysts warn there’s little sign either side is ready to stop fighting.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

A South African Airways (SAA) flight is seen on the tarmac before departing from the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sept. 23, 2021.

After 13 hours, 150 Gazans allowed to enter South Africa: What to know

The group were reportedly stranded for several hours after opting to leave the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meet Rama Duwaji, Mamdani's wife and New York’s first lady of Syrian descent

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, largely stayed out of the spotlight during the campaign but her Syrian heritage has shaped her views and upbringing.

Latest News

Interview

International Red Cross chief says Gaza conflict goes beyond anything he has ever seen

Members of the Red Cross stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as heavy machinery operates in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City on Oct. 27, 2025.

Pierre Krahenbuhl

Pierre Krahenbuhl

Director-General of the International Committee

Sudan PM orders state of alert as atrocity claims mount in Darfur

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

RSF’s el-Fasher takeover kills 2,300 in Sudan as UAE accused of aiding militia

Displaced Sudanese who fled el-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces rest near the the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Rafah reopening in limbo as Israel accuses Hamas of delaying return of hostages’ remains

General view of the Rafah Border Crossing on Oct. 9, 2025 in Rafah, Egypt.

Saudis organize medical aid to be loaded into a plane as Saudi Arabia begins sending field hospitals and medical aid to Lebanon.

After Qatar's $20M aid to army, Saudi relief agency grants $10M to Lebanon

Saudi Arabia is opening up to Lebanon following years of tensions over Hezbollah’s growing influence in the country.

A Sudanese girl who have fled from the war in Sudan with her family carry a box with some of her belongings after arriving at a Transit Centre for refugees in Renk, on February 13, 2024.More than 550,000 people have now fled from the war in Sudan to South Sudan since the conflict exploded in April 2023, according to the United Nations. South Sudan, that has itself recently come out of decades of war, was facing a dire humanitarian situation before the war in Sudan erupted and it is feared to not have the re

Sudan war death toll over 40,000 as 2 million face imminent starvation

New figures on Sudan’s crisis show conditions deteriorating as fighting expands in scope between warring generals.

Cindy McCain executive director of the UN World Food Program, is pictured at the UN Security Council in this undated image, in New York.

Interview

WFP’s McCain: 'No difference' in Gaza aid flow despite Israel’s tactical pause

Al-Monitor interviews World Food Program chief Cindy McCain about the hunger crisis gripping the Gaza Strip after more than eight months of war.

Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain

World Food Programme Executive Director

A ship transporting international humanitarian aid is moored at the US-built Trident Pier near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on May 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas group.

US to dismantle Gaza humanitarian pier again due to heavy seas

Bad weather has once again thwarted the Biden administration's attempt to stave off famine in the Palestinian enclave.

Members of the Sudanese army's Special Mission Forces battalion in the Northern State hold a parade in Karima city on May 19, 2024.

ICC seeks evidence on Sudan war crimes as displacement tops 10 million

The appeal comes as fighting between the Sudanese army and rival forces escalates, leaving a heavy toll on civilians.

Palestinians watch as a ship transporting international humanitarian aid docks at the US-built Trident Pier near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on May 18, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Pentagon says Gaza aid pier had no link to Israeli hostage raid

Unfounded claims that the United States or Israeli military used the Gaza aid pier for a raid that killed more than 200 Palestinians could put humanitarian aid workers in danger.

A displaced Palestinian child flies a kite near the border with Egypt in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 28, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

In Egypt, displaced Gazans organize in grassroots movements

Despite a precarious life without rights or financial resources, displaced Gazans in Egypt are organizing themselves into grassroots movements to respond to community needs and send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu in bind: Save his far-right coalition or save Israel from isolation

In an attempt to persuade them not to oppose the hostage deal now on the table, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling the extremist ministers in his cabinet not to take Biden’s plan at face value.

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

ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

As Israel tests red lines on Rafah, what will Biden tolerate?

Amid the mounting death toll in Rafah, many of Biden’s detractors say his shifting red line has become an effective green light for continued carnage in the Palestinian enclave.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A US soldier gives the thumbs-up as an Israeli digger attempts to extricate a US military vessel.

Why did US' humanitarian aid pier in Gaza fail?

The floating pier off the coast of Gaza meant to alleviate aid shortages was operational for just 12 days before it was destroyed by stormy weather.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows parachutes of humanitarian aid dropping over the besieged Palestinian territory on March 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Pentagon pauses humanitarian airdrops in Gaza, citing Israel's Rafah operation

The Biden administration's plan to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza is falling apart.

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni and Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference following their meeting on March 10, 2023 at Palazzo Chigi in Rome. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Once an ally, Italy’s Meloni sours on Israel's Netanyahu, repositions on Gaza

With regional stability at stake and a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Rome has adjusted its position and Netanyahu can no longer assume Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is in his political pocket.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs