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April 20, 2026

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Meloni

Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced her country's military cooperation agreement with Israel will no longer be automatically renewed.

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law

A group of foreign ministers struck out at a new Israeli law requiring the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism in military courts.

Israeli settler violence graffiti

Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military

Knesset member Ram Ben-Barak of centrist Yesh Atid told Al-Monitor that the government must permit the use of administrative detention for extremist settlers to curb the violence.

Muslim worshippers break their fast outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed.

Wartime closures at Jerusalem holy sites raise fears of lasting shift among Palestinians

Palestinians say sweeping restrictions during Ramadan and ahead of Eid reflect security concerns, but there is concern they could ultimately reshape access to worship in the Old City.

Latest News

Analysis

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority

Displaced Palestinians gather for a fast-breaking Iftar meal amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Feb. 23, 2026.

Abeer Ayyoub

By Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

'No meaningful protection': Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks

People walk through a heavily damaged street in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

Analysis

Why Turkey’s exclusion from Gaza force may be a strategic blessing

ANKARA, TURKEY - JANUARY 21: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among world leaders that have been invited by United States President Donald Trump, to join the Gaza Board of Peace, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also included as an appointed member. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Supporters and relatives of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants react while watching a live TV broadcast on the release of Israeli hostages, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 19, 2025.

Relief over hostage release briefly overshadows Israel's political divide

As Israel celebrated the homecoming of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher Sunday, the far right continues to oppose the mediated deal with Hamas.

TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the district court in Tel Aviv for his hearing on corruption charges on December 10, 2024. Netanyahu, the first sitting prime minister of Israel to face a criminal trial, testified for the first time when his corruption case resumed on December 10 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why did Netanyahu agree to Gaza deal, and what are next steps?

The last hurdle before Israel makes the hostage deal official is the Supreme Court.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

People check the rubble of buildings hit in Israeli strikes the previous night in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 16, 2025, following a truce announcement amid the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Gaza's 15-month war in numbers: Over 46,000 killed, nearly 1.9M displaced

Though the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will mean an end to the fighting, the devastating consequences of the war will drag on for years in both Gaza and Israel.

Displaced Palestinians gather outside their tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on January 16, 2025, one day after the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas to end the 15-month Gaza war. Qatar and the United States announced on January 15 a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas that will take effect on the weekend, adding that they hoped it would pave the way for a permanent end to the war in Gaza. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP) (Photo b

Gaza celebrates end of longest Israel-Hamas war with overwhelming joy

Though their losses are incalculable, the people of Gaza were overjoyed by the announcement of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

US President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks on the recently announced ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

How the Gaza ceasefire deal came together

At the last minute, negotiators in Doha managed to seal the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that had eluded the Biden administration for more than 15 months.

This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli army tank stationed on a hill overlooking northern Gaza on January 16, 2025, following the announcement of a truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Israel's cabinet was expected to meet on January 16, to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported, a day after mediators announced an agreement they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war. (Photo by Menahem KA

Israel, Hamas trade accusations of blocking Gaza deal: What we know

Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of blocking the deal announced on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages due to disagreements over the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Smoke plume rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 13, 2025 amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Gaza ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas

Three Americans — Keith Seigel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander — are among the hostages set to be released from Hamas captivity.

ICJ

Who is Julia Sebutinde, pro-Israel judge in line for ICJ presidency?

The International Court of Justice’s vice president, Julia Sebutinde, seems likely to fill the shoes of outgoing head Nawaf Salam.

An Israeli soldier looks at a memorial wall for Israeli people and soldiers who were killed since the Oct. 7 deadly Hamas attack.

Here are main Netanyahu and Hamas compromises in proposed Gaza deal

Details are beginning to surface about a potential deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on Jan. 14, 2025.

Blinken offers blueprint for post-war Gaza in final speech

The outgoing chief US diplomat laid out his vision for Gaza’s future as negotiators appeared on the brink of a cease-fire.

A man stands by burnt vehicles at the site of a reported attack by Israeli settlers in a residential area on the outskirts of Ramallah city in the occupied West Bank, on November 4, 2024. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli settlers vandalize Palestinian property across West Bank: What we know

The attacks follow the deadly shooting of Israelis in the territory and coincide with raids by both Israeli and Palestinian forces against armed groups.

A picture taken on July 15, 2021, shows an abandoned Israeli army post in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank near the border with Jordan (background). - As scientific warnings of dire climate change-induced drought grow, many in Israel and Jordan cast worried eyes at the river running between them and the critical but limited resources they share. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel sees surge in Iran weapons smuggling to West Bank via Jordan

With its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria all but paralyzed, Iran is encouraging a Palestinian uprising against Israel in the West Bank.

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