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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

August 3, 2026

Al Bīrah 9:39 pm

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

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a meeting with members of international media at his office in Gaza City June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1BD07EC530

Hamas set to counter Israel’s systematic campaigns

The Hamas movement abroad has announced its intention to develop a plan aimed at countering Israel’s systematic campaigns that are affecting the movement at several levels.

Palestinian Hamas militants take part in the funeral of their comrade Mahmoud Al-Adham, 28, in the northern Gaza Strip July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC12004A1310

How will Hamas react to Israel’s admission of error in killing of militant?

Israel admitted that it mistakenly killed a Hamas operative near the border fence with Gaza, a move that Palestinians did not accept — although Hamas seems to have delayed retaliation to allow Israel to commit to the truce understandings.

Palestinian workers clear the rubble of a school that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the east of Gaza City December 3, 2014. According to housing minister Mufeed al-Hasayna, Gaza needs 8,000 tonnes of cement a day to meet demand. A new system set up with the United Nations to comply with Israeli requirements lets through at most 2,000, he said. At that rate, reconstruction would take more than 30 years, said Hasayna, one of four

Gaza constructors to work in Arab countries

The Palestinian Contractors Union has convinced Arab markets to employ Palestinian contractors, amid the regressing construction sector in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli court rules Abbas responsible for terror attacks

An Israeli court ruled that the Palestinian Authority is to be held responsible for terror attacks not carried out by its own people, prompting questions of how the ruling will affect PA security cooperation with Israel.

Gaza not soothed by minor Israeli trade concessions

Despite a truce understanding, tension is still high on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC1FC20FC200

Netanyahu says he’ll never evacuate West Bank settlements

By stating that Israel will never again evacuate settlements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially denied any intention of pursuing his 2009 recognition at his Bar Ilan speech of the two-state solution.

Palestinian students look at gender equality through cameras

A short film project in the West Bank urges high school students to examine gender issues through the lens of a camera.

How this Ramallah shop teaches women to fight against harassment

Palestinian-American Yasmeen Mjalli created BabyFist to speak out against street harassment in Ramallah, but the shop quickly turned into a safe space for women to share their stories and seek legal advice.

Qatar to fund Gaza's new industrial zone

The Israeli blockade has crippled Gaza's exports, but a new industrial zone funded by Qatar in Gaza might alleviate the coastal enclave's financial burdens.

Israel accuses Hamas of building explosives lab in West Bank

Israel has announced that it foiled a Hamas plan to establish an explosives lab in the West Bank, warning that Hamas still seeks to extend the armed resistance from Gaza to Ramallah.

A plaque remains on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office two days after President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton announced that the State Department would close the PLO office in Washington, U.S., September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1FFC939370

Are Trump team’s overtures to Palestinians serious?

After the failure of the Bahraini workhop, the Trump team is making overtures to the Palestinian president and suggesting the reopening of the Palestinian mission in Washington — but can this be taken serious?

Palestinian workers break rubble pieces to be recycled and used for construction, in Gaza City June 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1F8C76D860

Israel discretely increases number of entry permits for Gaza workers

Israel has increased the number of entry permits for Gaza laborers, after years of demands from farmers in the south of Israel.