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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

December 5, 2025

Ramallah 8:20 pm

16°C

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, UNRWA’s Tamara Alrifai said the upcoming Turkey office would help the agency to expand its operations not only in Gaza but also in Syria.

JERUSALEM - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on the day of Trump's address on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

As he stalls Gaza plan, will Netanyahu pick his far-right coalition over Trump?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won’t publicly go against the Gaza plan of President Donald Trump, but he keeps stalling on discussing the parameters for the implementation of the plan’s second phase.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s spy chief holds talks in Egypt over trapped Hamas militants

Turkey’s spy chief met with Qatari, Egyptian officials as the Gaza ceasefire process stalls over Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels.

Latest News

UN Security Council endorses US plan for Gaza security force

UN Security Council votes for US resolution on the Gaza peace plan

Germany lifts Israel arms embargo: What changed in Berlin?

(COMBO) This combination created on February 24, 2025 of file pictures shows the leader and top candidate for Chancellor of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party Friedrich Merz (L, on February 24, 2025 in Berlin) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (on December 9, 2024 in Jerusalem.. Friedrich Merz, who is expected to be Germany's next chancellor after his conservative CDU/CSU bloc won national elections, said on February 24, 2025 that he would make sure Benjamin Netanyahu "can visit" G

Analysis

Ahead of MBS visit, Saudis link Israel normalization to 3 asks from Trump

US President Donald J. Trump leaves the Saudi Royal Court with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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

After 13 hours, 150 Gazans allowed to enter South Africa: What to know

A South African Airways (SAA) flight is seen on the tarmac before departing from the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sept. 23, 2021.

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

YOUSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Israel expands Gaza offensive as dozens reported killed at aid sites

Israel has announced an expanded Gaza military operation after accusing Hamas of rejecting the latest US ceasefire proposal.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud (R) receives his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, prior to their meeting in Riyadh on April 25, 2025.

Israel blocks Saudi, UAE and other FMs from West Bank visit: What to know

The move to block the visit comes amid heightened international pressure on Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza and make progress toward Palestinian statehood, a key condition for normalization with Riyadh.

A hungry young boy eats raw noodles as dislocated Palestinians carry the humanitarian aid they have received from a United Nations distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025, following a chaotic incident in which Gazans stormed the aid center, leading to the withdrawal of the American company overseeing the operation after losing control of the situation. The scene underscores the desperation and urgency surrounding the humanitarian crisis as

Why a US-backed Gaza plan is sparking accusations of weaponizing aid

Humanitarian experts say an obscure paramilitary contractor led by a former CIA official may be aiding Israel’s military in using food as a weapon of war in Gaza.

People watch as smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on May 25, 2025.

Gaza ceasefire seen imminent as Witkoff finalizes Hamas-Israel deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that he accepts the recent proposal by American envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to secure the release of 10 abductees and establish a two-month ceasefire in Gaza.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff delivers remarks during the swearing in ceremony for interim US Attorney for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington.

Trump envoy optimistic about Gaza ceasefire as US prepares new terms

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had "good feelings" about prospects for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

UAE summons Israeli envoy over Jerusalem march, provocations

The United Arab Emirates has summoned Israel’s ambassador over recent tensions and violence in east Jerusalem, marking the first such diplomatic protest by the Gulf state since 2022.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

US-backed Gaza aid body launches as Witkoff pans Hamas truce proposal: What to know

Hamas said it accepted a US proposal on a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which both Israel and the US denied, as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is quickly deteriorating.

MARTIN BERTRAND/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

EU could partially suspend Israel's association agreement within weeks: Sources

European diplomats told Al-Monitor that in view of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the European Commission is expected to present options to member states for pressuring Israel on the issue.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A truck carrying humanitarian aid drives through the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 22, 2025

US-backed aid group begins controversial relief operation in Gaza

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has faced controversy since its establishment over its plan to deliver aid to Gazans through a limited number of distribution points, without the involvement of UN agencies.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

29 in Gaza die from starvation says PA; UNICEF warns 9,000 children malnourished

Under international pressure, Israeli has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza as Palestinian officials report starvation-related deaths.

FBI agents cordon off the scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025.

What we know about Elias Rodriguez, suspect in attack on Israeli Embassy staff in DC

The 30-year-old man from Chicago is suspected of killing Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.