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Palestine

December 28, 2025

Ramallah 2:27 am

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Analysis

Gaza realities test Trump’s 2025 Middle East ambitions

During its first year, the second Trump administration confronted wars in Gaza and Sudan, forged new ties with Syria and grappled with the growing nuclear threat from Iran.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump (not seen) in the State Dining Room at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

In 2025, Netanyahu saved his coalition but stalled on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon

With 2025 ending, Israelis are frustrated over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to fully end the Gaza war, solve the Hezbollah problem, reach a deal with Syria or find a way to constructively impact talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

Trump has upper hand over Netanyahu, but is it enough for Gaza?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling on the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, but at the end of the day, Trump has much more leverage over Netanyahu.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Latest News

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Facing Israeli pushback, Turkey recalibrates public messaging on Gaza force

Saeed Jaras / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US special envoy Tom Barrack, Jerusalem, Dec. 15 2

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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

People watch as rockets are fired during a military drill by Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza City on December 29, 2020. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Is Hamas exploiting Libya chaos to smuggle arms into Gaza?

The Times reported that a Hamas envoy to Libya has set up an arms-smuggling group to funnel weapons to the Gaza Strip, which was categorically denied by Hamas.

Palestinian health workers unload the first arriving shipment of doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 coronavirus disease, on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing south of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 17, 2021. - An initial batch of coronavirus vaccines, enough to fully innoculate 1,000 people, arrived in Gaza after Israel had blocked the shipment earlier in the week. The Israeli military department responsible for civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian

Gaza receives first batch of vaccines

Israel approved the shipment after reportedly considering tying the delivery to the release of Israeli captives in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

Marwan Barghouti insists on running for president in Palestinian elections

Fatah leaders are scrambling to convince imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti to run in the Fatah list for the legislative elections, and renounce his bid to run for the presidency.

Islamic Jihad will boycott Palestinian elections

The Islamic Jihad announced it will not participate in the upcoming elections under the political auspices of the Oslo Accord, claiming the decision has nothing to do with Iran.

Hadi, the father of Mohammad one of the four victims of the extended Bakr family gather at their house in al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on February 7, 2021, surrounded by posters in memory of four children who were killed while playing on the beach during the 2014 Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. - The International Criminal Court's ruling that it has jurisdiction over the situation in the Palestinian territories opens the way to it investigating alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Israeli-Pa

ICC ruling means war crimes investigations go both ways

The International Criminal Court’s ruling that it has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories has pleased many residents but alarmed others that Palestinian leaders could face investigations they fear will be political.

Russian interactions with Palestinians seen as all talk, no action

Russia is showing its reach with Palestinian factions in advance of elections, but there is still no sign that Moscow is having an impact.

This picture taken from the Israeli side of the Mitar checkpoint on September 17, 2020 shows Palestinian workers crossing out of Israel a day ahead of Rosh-Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and of a nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing a spike of coronavirus cases. - Israel has the world's second-highest virus infection rate after Bahrain, according to an AFP tally over the past fortnight, and on September 18 it is set to be the first country to impose a second lockdown. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by H

Conflicting messages leave Palestinian workers outside Israel jobless

Conflicting messages from Israeli authorities cause tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers to be stuck in the West Bank, unable to reenter Israel for work.

Clashes in West Bank during anti-Israeli settlement protests

The Palestinian Authority reported several incidents throughout the territory. It follows other violent clashes in recent weeks between the Israeli military and Palestinians.

A trip down memory lane in this ancient neighborhood of Nablus

A tour in al-Yasmineh (Jasmine) neighborhood in the old city of Nablus takes you to the different civilizations that have passed through Palestine over the centuries.

on June 13, 2015, Gaza City, Gaza. The devastation across Gaza can still be seen nearly one year on from the 2014 conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants. Money pledged by the international community six months ago to rebuild Gaza has not materialised leaving many Palestinians impoverished and still suffering with the poor economy. United Nations official figures said that the 50 day war left at least 2,189 Palestinians dead, including more than 1,486 civilians, and 11,000 injured. 67 Israeli sold

Gazans outraged over million-dollar mosque reconstruction

The reconstruction of a mosque at a cost of $1 million in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip has shocked Gaza's largely impoverished population.

Can Hamas run — and win — on its record in Gaza?

With legislative elections just three months away, Hamas is trying to rally its factions and constituents on a unified program.

Sahar Qawasmeh (C), member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) representing the Fatah movement, watches the coverage of the Egypt-hosted Palestinian National Dialogue at her home in the the West Bank city of Hebron on February 8, 2021. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt back as ringmaster as Palestine talks progress

Egypt seems to be regaining its regional status as peacemaker in the Palestinian file as ties warm with its allies.