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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

November 4, 2026

Ramallah 2:44 pm

23°C

Demonstrators hold a banner reading "Free Gaza, free world"

Analysis

Gaza progress, Syria pullback: What Turkey wants from Israel’s next government

Ankara sees room for limited improvement in ties if Israel’s next government eases Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and reduces military pressure on Syria.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Tents sheltering Palestinians displaced by the Hamas-Israeli war are pitched between the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip, Oct. 20, 2026.

Analysis

What Israel's election could mean for Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

The ouster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could provide Palestinians some relief, but is unlikely to improve their prospects for statehood.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine lies on a gurney in the emergency room of the government hospital in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah, as she is treated after being attacked by Israeli settlers while photographing Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives, in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah on Oct. 16, 2026.

Washington Post journalist hospitalized after Israeli settler attack in West Bank

The assault was one of several attacks on Friday as Palestinians gathered to harvest olives across the West Bank.

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Bar is suing for 3 million shekels ($970,000) over a Sept. 28 post on X in which Netanyahu blamed the former Shin Bet chief for Oct. 7 intelligence failures and accused him of withholding warnings.

Latest News

Explainer

Israel-UK relations hit new low over settlements, Gaza: What to know

The British Consulate General in east Jerusalem represents the British government in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during a protest against the recently announced British sanctions, aimed at economic activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, on Sept. 14, 2026, in Jerusalem.

West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves

Palestinian men sitting in and by a tractor look on after another man was injured by gunfire whilst being chased away by Israeli forces, in Aqraba in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Oct. 6, 2026.

Analysis

Three years after Oct. 7, Hamas’ grip on Gaza tests Netanyahu’s ‘total victory’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the state memorial ceremony for the third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack, at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, Oct. 5, 2026.

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

Israel bars UK Greens leader over Zionism-racism resolution: What to know

Green Party leader Zack Polanski delivers his speech during day one of the Green Party annual conference at Brighton Centre on Oct. 2, 2026, in Brighton, England.

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

Israeli sappers stand on a crane as they work on a house that the Israeli military said was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Beersheba, southern Israel October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC165705AE00

Escalation in Gaza challenges Israeli leadership

Heavy rockets fired from Gaza on Wednesday have sent Israel's military and political leaders into disarray while Egypt mediates a Hamas-Israel arrangement.

Palestinian property transfers to settlers anger Jerusalemites

The recent transfer of a Palestinian-owned property in the Old City of Jerusalem to settlers caused anger in the Palestinian territories, as the seller and buyer exchange accusations.

Palestinians eager to welcome UN Security Council mission

Palestinians hope that a UN Security Council visiting mission will make the trip to Gaza and the West Bank to experience their reality firsthand, but the United States might veto any such plans.

Gaza’s first maritime emergency service attends to protesters

The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip launched the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators injured by Israeli fire while protesting at sea.

Liberman pushes for Hebron construction as party numbers flag

Yisrael Beitenu's grim polling is prodding Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman further into dangerous militancy and allegiance to far-right nationalist interests.

A demonstrator holding a Palestinian flag gestures as he climbs over the Israeli fence during a protest calling for lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza, at the maritime border with Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC18961E5F10

Ongoing blockade will cause Gaza to explode in the face of Israel, Hamas warns

Employees are being laid off and shops are closing down in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip, while the World Bank warns that the economy is collapsing after a decadelong blockade.

Has Iran's influence increased in Palestinian arena?

Shortly after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad named Ziyad al-Nakhalah to be its new secretary-general and elected member of the political bureau, Nakhalah threatened Israel and launched an intra-Palestinian initiative in his first political discourse.

Why Palestinians put money in banks instead of investing

The Palestinian Monetary Authority recently announced that customer deposits in local banks have reached $12.2 billion, a large amount that some economists question, given the deteriorating economy in the Palestinian territories.

Does Bibi use Iran as dodge for occupation policies?

Akiva Eldar calls out Israeli prime minister for “Iran-phobia”; Netanyahu weighs elections; Gazans reject the PA; Israel, Qatar seek to prevent war in Gaza; Israeli barriers keep Palestinians from olive trees.

A tanker loaded with fuel for Gaza enters the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip April 4, 2012. The Gaza Strip's Hamas government and the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) agreed to an Egyptian-brokered deal on Tuesday to end a fuel crisis that has caused daily power cuts in the territory, officials said. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - GM1E8441FSU01

Liberman halts Qatar's $60 million fuel flow to Gaza Strip

Qatar's efforts to supply the fuel-starved Gaza Strip with diesel oil have been stymied, at least temporarily.

Will UK under Jeremy Corbyn recognize the State of Palestine?

Palestinians are pinning their hopes on the UK Labor Party winning general elections after the support for recognizing the State of Palestine shown by delegates and party leader Jeremy Corbyn at Labor’s annual conference.

Jewish group takes over another Jerusalem property

The chaos surrounding the issue of properties in Jerusalem point to a larger problem, namely the absence of a unified solid political leadership that can guide the city’s 330,000 Palestinians.

United Arab Emirates