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Palestine

July 26, 2026

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Culture

How Argentina-Spain World Cup final became debate over Israel, Palestine

Governments and fans alike have turned teams and players into symbols of political division.

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

Latest News

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

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

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

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.

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.

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

Russia’s strategic vision for Israel

Russia considers itself a potential major partner to Israel and a key player in bringing stabilization to the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSY99P

What will Netanyahu tell Trump?

With combative coalition partners watching his every move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might focus on the Iranian issue when meeting US President Donald Trump, as this will serve him well in the Israeli public opinion.

How Hamas prisoners elect leaders behind bars

Even locked in Israeli prisons, Hamas members contribute to the movement's decision-making process by holding leadership elections every two years.

Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard during a rally marking Palestinian Prisoner Day, in Gaza City April 17, 2016. The sign reads, "The enemy will not know news about you unless it pays heavy prices." REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2AARA

Israel, Hamas swap blame for failed prisoner exchange talks

Both Hamas and Israel want to reach a prisoner exchange deal, but talks appear to be at an impasse over a group of Palestinian prisoners released in a previous exchange but later rearrested.

QALQILYA, -: Palestinian bride Saja (L) and her groom Abdel Rahim Abu Aisha are photographed as they walk past the Israeli "security barrier" before taking their marriage vows in the West Bank town of Qalqilya 10 March 2004. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paid a visit today to the controversial separation barrier being built by Israel around Jerusalem, his bureau said. Sharon was accompanied by regional military commander General Moshe Kaplinsky as well as his national security advisor Giora Eiland, the offic

Palestinian singles find love through matchmaking service

Although a marriage matchmaking service is a novel idea for the traditional Palestinian society, a new center in Ramallah that matches couples has no problem finding clients.

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a welcoming ceremony during the Group of 20 (G20) leaders summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey, November 15, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTX30909

What is Merkel's Mideast role in Trump-Putin era?

Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s nationalistic policies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being viewed by many as the new leader of the free world and a future key player in the Middle East.

Pictures of Palestinian Hamas militants held in Israeli jails are seen through a fence during a rally marking Palestinian Prisoner Day, in Gaza City April 17, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2AAQR

What's behind coordinated attacks by Hamas inmates in Israeli jails?

Faced with a huge crisis, Hamas is trying to divert local pressure in the Gaza Strip away from its leadership by increasing unrest among Hamas prisoners in Israel.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands alone on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street as he arrives to visit Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May in London, February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls - RTX2ZTWJ

Is Netanyahu counting on Israel's High Court to save him?

Turkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continuing to avoid his and his party's responsibility for the Regularization law, is hoping the High Court will strike it down.

Dancers from the Ahli Club for Circassian Dance perform at the Southern theatre during the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts in the ancient city of Jerash, north of Amman, Jordan, July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTSJSOA

How Circassians maintain identity in changing Golan

Many Circassians who lost their homes in Quneitra, Syria, opened their doors to Al-Monitor at nearby Madinat al-Baath, where they recounted their stories.

Palestinian labourers use jackhammers at a quarry in the West Bank village of Shioukh near Hebron April 10, 2007. Stone and marble factories and quarries, located mainly in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Hebron, are at the core of the Palestinian industrial sector. According to the Union of Stone and Marble Industry, the industry employs about 15,000 administrative, skilled and unskilled labourers. Picture taken April 10, 2007.
REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun (WEST BANK) - RTR1P0SM

Is the Palestinian economy trending up?

After two years of sharp decline, the index for industrial production in Palestine rose slightly in 2016.

Palestinian members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, display home-made rockets during an anti-Israel military parade, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 21, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX2MFG5

Who profits from Gaza unrest?

Israel is concerned that Hamas is planning a major strategic attack on the Israeli homefront, which would force the IDF to invade Gaza.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh flashes the victory sign during a ceremony to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran's Azadi square February 11, 2012. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on the anniversary of the revolution that the Islamic Republic would soon announce "very important" REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSAR

Hamas insists ties with Iran strong, despite regional polarization

Iran continues to provide financial and military support for Hamas amid a positive atmosphere that promises stronger ties and efforts to defuse the sectarian tension while bilateral meetings between the two are still being held outside Tehran, according to the movement’s representative in Iran.