Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel's Oct. 7 accountability debate Houthis strike Yemen airport, claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia; How language barriers are bringing Syria’s Kurds and Arabs closer; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Why Netanyahu still resists an independent probe 3 years after Oct. 7 Alongside official memorial ceremonies taking place across Israel on Monday, civil society groups are holding protests calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take responsibility for the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel
West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves Between 80,000 and 100,000 Palestinian families in the West Bank rely on the olive harvest for primary or secondary sources of income, according to the United Nations. Palestine
Analysis Three years after Oct. 7, Hamas’ grip on Gaza tests Netanyahu’s ‘total victory’ Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas remains active, with the group estimated to have about 30,000 armed fighters, roughly the same as its estimated strength before the attack. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis How Netanyahu is capitalizing on MBZ meeting, FlyDubai attack to gain in election polls By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Analysis How FlyDubai attack exposes gaps in Israel-UAE security ties By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Herzog stands by Netanyahu on Gaza In an interview, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog explains that he backed the operation in the Gaza Strip in the interest of solidarity, but when the dust settles, nothing will have changed between him and the prime minister. Israel
Did an Israeli drone strike militants in Egypt? Eyewitnesses say an Israeli drone struck Egyptian militants in the Sinai Peninsula on July 23, despite Egypt’s official assertions that it was responsible for the strike. Egypt
Only Israel can break through diplomatic impasse The continued conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not due to an Arab rejection of Israeli existence, but to Israel’s rejection of Arab acceptance. Palestine
Israel’s agreement on Gaza must come from Abbas Four conditions are indispensable to ending Gaza's agony that, if met, will make it “obvious that Hamas’ way of terror brought nothing but devastation” and the way of Ramallah, negotiation and not violence “is the way for the Palestinian people to achieve its rights.” Palestine
Does Netanyahu's political future depend on Hamas? The Israeli prime minister is on shaky ground after acting against the will of his electorate concerning Gaza, but he has a historic opportunity to recreate himself as a leader by spearheading fresh new diplomatic moves that appeal to the Israeli center. Palestine
Gaza war stifles democracy in Israel The current Israel-Hamas conflict has generated an aggressive political patriotic discourse in Israel that has taken a heavy toll on Israeli democracy, in which those who dare to oppose the operation are expected to keep silent. Palestine
New alliances for a 2015 Middle East peace conference? The Gaza conflict demonstrates that Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Saudi Arabia share common regional interests, which could lead them to an international peace conference based on the Arab League's peace initiative. Saudi Arabia
Rouhani slams Israel for 'genocide' in Gaza At a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Israel's policy is simply to eradicate the Palestinians. Palestine
Israeli withdrawal will leave Hamas empty-handed Contrary to the two previous conflicts with Israel — when Hamas depicted the outcome as a great achievement — this time, the number of casualties and the destruction in the Gaza Strip will not allow it to claim victory. Palestine
Does Iran benefit from Gaza crisis? Iran reconsiders Hamas ties; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fixation on Iran may have distracted him from the threat from Hamas; Asmaa Al-Ghoul reports from Gaza; the Islamic State offers no support for Hamas. Qatar
Gaza's Eid celebrations turn to sadness The joyous occasion of Eid al-Fitr turned into a nightmare in the Gaza Strip, which faced the fiercest Israeli assault since the current war began on July 8. Palestine
Bereaved Israeli, Palestinian families call to stop war Ben Kfir, who lost his daughter in a 2003 terror attack, recounts to Al-Monitor his efforts at explaining to Israelis that only a diplomatic agreement will end the violence: “The infrastructure of terrorism is poverty, ignorance, despair and hopelessness.” Palestine