Palestine - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palestine cover image

Palestine

August 2, 2026

Ramallah 7:05 am

24°C

Palestinian Hamas militants arrive to secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages -an Israeli soldier and a Thai national- from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.

Analysis

How Hamas disarmament deal may test Iran's regional strategy

A possible Hamas decision to disarm would represent more than a Gaza development, testing Iran's decades-old strategy of projecting power through regional allies.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Flags of Spain and Argentina

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.

Latest News

Explainer

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

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

Interview

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

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

Ayman Odeh

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

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.

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

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 2.53.30 PM.png

#AskHamas campaign reaches out on Twitter

Hamas started on March 13 a social media campaign on Twitter with the hashtag #AskHamas to reach out to the Western public in a bid to move closer to talks with European countries.

A Palestinian vendor sells sweets at a market in Gaza City July 26, 2014. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip poured into the streets on Saturday to recover their dead and stock up on food supplies after a 12-hour humanitarian truce agreed by Israel and Hamas took hold. Israel's military pledged to hold fire for 12 hours from 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) but press on searching for tunnels used by militants. The Islamist group Hamas, which dominates Gaza, said all Palestinian factions would abide by the brief truce. REUTERS

Gaza's weight-loss centers

Obesity in the Gaza Strip has increased as of late, with many Palestinians in Gaza seeking to shed pounds with the help of weight-loss centers.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) prays at the start of a meeting for the Central Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, March 4, 2015. Palestinian leaders began a two-day meeting on Wednesday at which they could decide to suspend security coordination with Israel, a move that would have a profound impact on stability in the occupied West Bank. Relations between the two sides have grown dangerously brittle since the collapse of U.S.-brokered peace talks

Palestinian focus on isolating Israel, continuing ICC efforts

With Palestine joining the International Criminal Court and suspending the security cooperation with Israel, Palestinians hope to isolate the Israeli state internationally and make it pay for its occupation and war crimes.

A Palestinian worker fills up empty cigarettes manually with locally grown tobacco in a small factory in the town of Ya'bad near the West Bank city of Jenin October 8, 2012. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH) - RTR38XLE

Inside the West Bank's homemade cigarette industry

Palestinians increasingly smoke locally produced tobacco at cheap rates, causing a challenging situation for cigarette companies, tobacco growers and the Palestinian government.

A Palestinian bride has her hand decorated with a traditional henna design in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 27, 2013. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX15URG

Gaza's unhappy sister wives

Polygamy is on the rise in Gaza despite the dire economic straits of the Strip's residents.

<<enter caption here>> on September 16, 2014 in New York City.

Is there hope for long-term truce between Hamas, Israel?

There is talk about implementing the initiative proposed by UN special coordinator Robert Serry to impose a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, in return of ending the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Palestinians collect food supplies from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 20, 2012. A group of 38 aid agencies urged the international community to take action to secure a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent "another widespread humanitarian disaster." AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Many Gazans are turning to fraud to obtain assistance

Harsh economic conditions are forcing many Gazans to use deceptive methods to obtain aid, otherwise reserved for pregnant women, unemployed breadwinners and refugees.

Palestinians burn tires at the entrance to the Balata refugee camp, close to the northern West Bank city of Nablus, on January 21, 2013, as they call for the release of several gunmen arrested two days ago by Palestinian security. AFP PHOTO/JAAFAR ASHTIYEH (Photo credit should read JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images)

West Bank refugee camp threatens Palestinian leadership

Clashes between armed militants and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank's Balata camp could threaten the existence of the Palestinian government.

Fliers depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen on the ground during a right-wing rally in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square March 15, 2015. Israel's centre-left opposition is poised for an upset victory in the upcoming parliamentary election, with the last opinion polls before Tuesday's vote giving it a solid lead over Netanyahu's party. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR4TGF7

Israel's election focuses on politics of fear

With right-wing politicians calling Arab Israelis a fifth column, and a Joint List candidate comparing Zionism to the Islamic State, it seems that the common denominator in the Israeli elections is hatred of the other.

Palestinians gather at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip as they await permission to enter Egypt on March 10, 2015. Egypt is due to reopen its Rafah border crossing with Gaza for two days, for the fourth time since it was closed after a suicide bombing in the Sinai Peninsula in October 2014. AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Can Gaza's Islamic Jihad ease tensions with Egypt?

Palestinian Islamic Jihad has been exerting efforts to open the Rafah crossing, angering Hamas, which believes the initiative will divide the Palestinian resistance.

A picture taken on February 8, 2014 near Ein Gedi, in Israel shows the Dead Sea shoreline shaped by the decline in water levels as a result of the drying up. The Dead Sea, 400 meters below sea level, is the lowest point on earth and its mineral-rich waters and shores have been celebrated for their cleansing, healing and therapeutic properties. In the background is the Jordanian coast. AFP PHOTO THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Canal project from Dead Sea to Red Sea makes waves

The Bahrain canal project to link the Dead Sea to the Red Sea seems to be of great benefit to Israel, while Palestinians will mostly be affected negatively, politically and environmentally.

Palestinian lawmakers attend a session of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the West Bank city of Ramallah February 20, 2007. Hamas said on Tuesday it still hoped Washington would soften its position towards a Palestinian unity government following talks U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel (WEST BANK) - RTR1MLWX

Palestinian women demand quota increase

Palestinian feminist movements are discussing with PLO factions the possibility of increasing the female quota system, while women’s representation within Hamas remains timid.