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Palestine

December 7, 2025

Ramallah 3:19 am

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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

Israeli army tanks take position in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip as smoke billows over Gaza during Israeli bombardment on May 6, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: May 7, 2024, 8:29 am

Israel takes control of Rafah crossing as Hamas accepts Egypt-Qatar cease-fire proposal

The group issued a statement Monday saying its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, delivered the news in a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden greet Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Biden meets with Jordanian king as Israel begins Rafah evacuation

Ahead of his lunch with Jordan's King Abdullah II, President Joe Biden "reiterated his clear position on Rafah" in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Gaza’s Orthodox Christians spend grim Easter praying for Palestinian rebirth

The few remaining Christians in Gaza are observing a joyless Easter this week.

Youths gather atop an elevated area in al-Zahra in the central Gaza Strip on April 23, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Dangers for Palestinian aid workers stall deal on US-built Gaza pier

Israel’s role in providing security for the maritime endeavor has raised questions over the safety and neutrality of the Palestinian aid workers involved.

Pro-Palestinian supporters continue to demonstrate with a protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City.

Analysis

Despite crackdown, protesters ‘haven’t lost the plot' on Gaza war, says Columbia journalist

Al-Monitor’s coverage of the police action against Columbia demonstrators; Netanyahu’s Saudi temptation; Palestinian leaders chart statehood.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Members of the Saraya al-Quds walked through alleyways during the funeral of Mateen Debaya, killed during an Israeli raid, in the Jenin refugee camp, near the West Bank city of the same name, in the occupied West Bank, on Oct. 14, 2022.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad denounce PA over killing of fighter in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority is unpopular in the West Bank, and the incident occurred as its leading Fatah faction is seeking to reconcile with Hamas and other armed groups.

China's President Xi Jinping talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas (R) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 6, 2013.

Analysis

What’s behind China’s decision to host Hamas-Fatah talks?

China has not achieved any breakthroughs in its efforts to mediate between Fatah and Hamas but is seeking a greater role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in part due to its rivalry with the United States, says one expert.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A woman writes "complicit" and "boycott" on a Starbucks window.

Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC continue to feel effects of Gaza war boycotts

Starbucks on Tuesday lowered its expectations for full-year sales and profits after a disastrous quarter that saw a marked drop-off in customer traffic.

Palestinians inspect the damage to buildings after Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 29, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pressure builds for Gaza cease-fire as Israel readies to invade Rafah

As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch a Rafah incursion "with or without a deal.”

ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images

How EU-West Bank police mission hopes to advance two-state solution

Newly appointed EUPOL COPPS chief Karin Limdal is tasked with helping Palestinian law enforcement institutions reform to facilitate the implementation of the two-state solution and Palestinian statehood.

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - APRIL 12: A general view of the International Court of Justice April 12, 2006 in The Hague, the Netherlands. (Photo by Michel Porro/Getty Images)

ICJ rejects Nicaragua's request for action against Germany over support for Israel

Nicaragua filed its case against Germany last month over alleged violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Demonstrators against the war in Gaza rally in support of Palestinians on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, on April 25, 2024.

Gaza protests spread to over 25 US universities with hundreds arrested

The Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University has sparked similar protests throughout the country.