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.

An Iranian woman leaves a pharmacy next to shuttered shops at Valiasr Square, Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2021.

Iranian pharmacy has new take on 'wall of kindness'

The measure helps poor people obtain medicine amid rising inflation in Iran.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: July 12, 2022, 11:32 am

UN Security Council extends Syria cross-border aid for six months

Aid agencies say the short-term extension puts more than 4 million Syrian lives on the line.

An undated image of the FSO Safer.

Analysis

World looks away as oil disaster looms off Yemen’s coast

Time is running out to prevent what Yemen envoy Tim Lenderking warns will be a "massive oil spill the likes of which the world has not seen."

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Russia vetoes UN measure renewing aid to northwest Syria

"People will die because of this vote," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the Security Council's failure to reauthorize the cross-border mechanism.

A Syrian woman with her child walks near a Syrian-bound truck loaded with humanitarian aid.

4 million Syrians on brink of starvation as UN aid mechanism draws to close

Millions of Syrians are helplessly waiting in desperation as UN aid entry into Syria draws to an end amid expectations that Russia will veto a resolution authorizing cross-border aid into the war-torn country.

An undated image of the FSO Safer.

US envoy urges funding for Yemen’s ‘ticking time bomb’

Envoy Tim Lenderking called on donor governments and the private sector to help prevent a dilapidated tanker in the Red Sea from spilling its cargo of oil.

A young woman runs while a fighter approaches a man.

Displaced Yemenis grow desperate in camps

Humanitarian organizations are struggling to meet the needs of millions of internally displaced Yemenis amid the ongoing war.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

US announces $800M in Syria aid as border-access vote looms

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged the international community to ensure the latest Syria aid "actually reaches those in need."

This photograph taken on March 23, 2022, shows an emergency room at an Israeli field hospital, in Lviv.

In policy shift, Israel will send Ukraine defensive equipment

After unsuccessful attempts at mediation between Russia and Ukraine, Jerusalem tilts toward Kyiv.

A convoy transporting humanitarian aid crosses into Syria from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing on Jan. 18, 2022.

Possible closure of Turkey-Syria crossing alarms aid groups

Fears are mounting about a looming humanitarian catastrophe amid concerns that Russia will close the last border crossing through which UN and NGO aid passes to reach millions of needy in north Syria.

Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images

Most of Israel's top leadership condemns war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine

Israel’s foreign minister, defense minister and health minister have all condemned what they named war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine, but the prime minister is still treading lightly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the US Congress by video to plead for support as his country is besieged by Russian forces, at the US Capitol, Washington, March 16, 2022.

Zelenskyy to give Zoom speech to Israeli Knesset Sunday

With the Knesset on recess and many parliamentarians on vacation, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said they will both attend the Zoom-delivered address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy March 20.