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.

Workers put final touches on the "PMC Wagner Centre", associated with businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC (private military company) mercenary group, ahead of its opening in Saint Petersburg on October 31, 2022. - The centre offers free of charge spaces for inventors, project developers, IT specialists, experimental manufacturers and start-ups aimed at improving Russias defensive capacity, including information-wise. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP) (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Get

Analysis

France alarmed over Wagner’s role in Sudan as Russia expands in Africa

Following instances of instability in Mali and Burkina Faso that saw Russia's influence rise in Africa, France is closely working with Egypt to reach a cease-fire and avoid similar scenario in Sudan.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16, 2023.

Alarm in Washington as Sudan slips into chaos

More than 180 people are dead after three days of heavy fighting between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force.

The Horn of Africa

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

2023 Mideast happiness rankings: UAE, Israel happiest as Lebanon hits bottom

The Middle East and North Africa region remains the least happy region after sub-Saharan Africa globally, but several regional nations have become happier in comparison to the previous period.

flooding in turkey

Turkey floods kill at least 14 in earthquake-hit zones

At least 14 people have died in flash floods that struck Turkey's earthquake zone, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in tents.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Will Turkey's multibillion-dollar earthquake fund help reelect Erdogan?

Turkey's president has pledged to rebuild the earthquake-hit regions within a year, hoping that the ambitious plan will help him win over disenchanted disaster victims.

A chef holds a platter of kanafe during Hatay kanafe festival, July 23, 2019.

Culture

Turkey's Hatay kanafeh delicacy granted EU special status

Turkey’s earthquake-hit multicultural Hatay province receives recognition for its renowned Mesopotamian dessert.

Hairdressers give haircuts to people displaced by the earthquake at tent camp on February 19, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of February 6, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday. The quakes caused widespread destruction in southern Turkey and northern Syria and has killed more than 40,000 people. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Turkey's earthquake victims hit by exorbitant rent spikes, topping 60%

Turkey’s Justice Ministry is working on a draft amendment that would introduce jail terms of two to five years for landlords gouging prices in times of natural disasters.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu holds a photograph depicting censorship while attending a session on a government-sponsored bill that criminalizes "disinformation" at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on October 13, 2022, in Ankara. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey: Journalists bullied, censored by government over earthquake coverage

The post-quake experience of Turkey’s media offers clues as to what forms of censorship Ankara could employ in the upcoming election season.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) visits the area of a crushed wagon.

Turkey and Greece maintain post-disaster diplomacy after train crash

As Ankara condoles Athens over the fatal train crash, Turks praise the Greek transport minister's resignation and lament at Turkish government officials for not taking responsibility over quake failures.

dog turkey

Culture

Husky dog rescued from rubble 23 days after Turkey earthquakes

The dog’s overall health is good despite dramatic weight loss, volunteers say.

People displaced by conflict receive food aid and provisions to meet their basic needs.

Breaking | Last Updated: February 27, 2023, 5:04 pm

US announces $444 million to Yemen as humanitarian needs soar

Despite the fresh US assistance, a donors conference for Yemen raised less than one-third of what the United Nations said is needed to avert further humanitarian crisis.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (L) and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (R) give a press conference at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, Damascus, Syria, Feb. 27, 2023.

Egypt's FM Shoukry visits Syria, Turkey in renewed earthquake diplomacy

The top Egyptian diplomat's visit to Syria and Turkey marks a first after almost a decade.