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Palestine

July 8, 2026

Ramallah 2:04 am

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Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference.

Explainer

What does Hamas' move to dissolve its Gaza government mean?

Hamas has agreed to hand civilian administration over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, but the committee is not yet in Gaza and may not deploy until Hamas’ disarmament is resolved.

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Kiros has taken a hard stance against Israel and opposes all aid to the country as pro-Palestinian candidates make further inroads in the party.

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

In a new report, Amnesty International said that the escalating forced displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank is part of a state-led campaign to control the Palestinian territory.

Latest News

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Record Israeli arms exports highlight global rush for air defense

People stand in front of the Arrow 3 shield system during an event of the German Air Force to declare the Initial Operating Capability for the Arrow Weapon System for Germany at the Annaburger Heide Air Base in Schoenewalde / Holzdorf, eastern Germany, on Dec. 3, 2025.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Daoud Kuttab

Palestine Columnist

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Fatima AbdulKarim

In Ramallah, reporting on the West Bank

Ayadi Tayyiba

First women-run dairy factory opens in Gaza's Rafah

Women who are the sole breadwinners of their families are working in the newly-opened women-only dairy factory in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Staff of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists ahead of the upcoming general elections, at the commissions local offices in Ramallah, West Bank, April 6, 2021.

West Bank local elections bring Hamas, PFLP closer

Local elections in the West Bank seem to have boosted ties between Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which are running as allies.

A Palestinian youth washes his family's horse in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 24, 2020.

Culture

Gaza's horses still in shock from last year’s war

The Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip last year led to the death of several horses across the enclave and left dozens in a state of shock.

Smoke billows from the house of a Palestinian suspect after it was demolished by Israeli security forces, in the village of Silat al-Harithiya near the flashpoint town of Jenin, West Bank, March 8, 2022.

Jenin becomes hub of resistance to Israeli policies in West Bank

Israel targets Palestnian armed groups and fears resistance could spread to other cities in the West Bank.

Palestine elections

Palestinian female candidates struggle to change political, social attitudes

Despite efforts to encourage women to both vote and run in local elections in the West Bank, candidates say much work remains to be done.

Demonstrators gather to protest outside the Israeli Knesset.

Israeli citizenship law blocks Palestinian family reunification

Israel’s Knesset approved a controversial law barring Palestinians' family reunification, furthering the suffering of many Palestinians married to Arabs in Israel.

A security guard opens the main entrance to the Oasis Casino on May 3, 2001.

Jericho’s casino may reopen after 21 years

The Oasis Casino in the West Bank, once considered the largest gambling hall in the Middle East, has returned to the fore again amid talks about reopening the venue 21 years after it closed.

Mosque Gaza

Gazans outraged over millions of dollars spent building mosques

The upcoming inauguration of a mosque that was built at a cost of $2 million in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip has shocked residents whose homes have been destroyed by the repeated wars.

Mahmoud Abbas addresses UNGA in New York

Abbas strips Palestinian rivals of diplomatic passports

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has taken to revoking the diplomatic passports of his political opponents and granting them to his supporters.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) stands next to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a press conference, Ankara, Turkey, March 9, 2022.

Hamas fears setback in warming of Israel-Turkey ties

Hamas worries that an Israel-Turkey rapprochement could affect the movement’s presence and activities in Turkey.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) shakes hands with Hamas political director Khaled Meshaal before their meeting, Moscow, Russia, Feb. 27, 2007.

Hamas keeps quiet on Russian war in Ukraine

Hamas is keen on keeping mum about Russia’s war on Ukraine, following lessons learned from the Arab Spring.

Church of All Nations and Mary Magdalene Convent on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel.

Jerusalem churches fight new settlement plan

Church heads and officials in Jerusalem are fighting an Israeli plan to expand a national park on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem, where dozens of churches and Christian sites are located.