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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

July 30, 2026

Ramallah 6:08 am

23°C

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.

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

A picture taken early on May 12, 2021, shows a huge crater in the main street in Gaza City, following Israeli airstrikes on the Hamas-run territory overnight. Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip have hit the homes of high-ranking members of the Hamas militant group, the military said Wednesday, with the territory's police headquarters also targeted.

IDF arrests senior Hamas official in West Bank

Jamal Taweel sought to reestablish a Hamas office in Ramallah, the IDF said.

Pro Palestinian protesters face off with a group of Israel supporters and police in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021 in New York City.

Israeli-Hamas conflict continues to reverberate in US

US backers of Israelis, Palestinians argue their cases.

SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Airstrikes, closures devastate Gaza's livestock

The Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and the closing of the crossings hit the animal husbandry sector in the besieged enclave particularly hard.

SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

TikTok becomes vital weapon in Palestinians' digital war

As Twitter and Facebook suspended accounts supporting the Palestinian cause in the recent escalation, Palestinians turned to TikTok to mobilize international sympathy and fight the Israeli narrative.

A picture taken on December 12, 2017, shows a partial view of the US consulate building complex in Jerusalem with the US flag flying.

Biden to open US Consulate in Jerusalem, restore ties with the PA

The US administration’s decision to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem was welcomed by the Palestinians, as it paves the way for restoring ties between the United States and the Palestinian Authority, which deteriorated during the Trump era.

Hamdan and Assad

Syria's Assad, Hamas weigh rapprochement

The Hamas movement seems divided as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hosted a delegation of Palestinian factions leaders and praised all resistance factions, after years of estrangement with Hamas.

Palestinian volunteers and municipal workers clear the rubble of the Hanadi compound, recently destroyed by Israeli strikes, in Gaza City's Rimal district, on May 25, 2021.

How big can Biden administration go with aid to Gaza?

A World Bank economic strategy for the West Bank and Gaza released just before the recent Israel-Hamas exchange deserves a closer look.

A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 15, 2021. The 13-floor Jala Tower housed the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news and the Associated Press news agency.

Female journalists speak from Gaza front lines

Journalists in Gaza, including many women reporters, remained dedicated to their work documenting violations against civilians despite the dangers and difficulties they faced.

Palestinian volunteers sweep the rubble of buildings, recently destroyed by Israeli strikes, in Gaza City's Rimal district on May 25, 2021.

Volunteers clear rubble from Gaza's streets

In cooperation with community associations and with masses of individual volunteers, the Gaza City municipality is leading a massive effort to clear the enclave of rubble left by the recent Israeli airstrikes.

Palestinian children fill up gallons with water in Gaza City on May 20, 2021.

Israeli campaign in Gaza worsens water crisis

Gazans were already suffering from water scarcity even before the Israel escalation that damaged most of the water plants and pipelines.

A Palestinian child rides his bicycle in front of the ruins of a building destroyed during recent Israeli bombing in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 26, 2021.

Gaza reconstruction deepens PA-Hamas dispute

The Palestinian Authority wants to handle the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip through international funds, which Hamas rejects.

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades

Hamas gains support, little else in battle with Israel

Many Gazans are now questioning what they first celebrated as a victory for Hamas.