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Palestine

December 19, 2025

Ramallah 3:55 pm

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US special envoy Tom Barrack, Jerusalem, Dec. 15 2

Analysis

Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back

The struggle between the Israeli prime minister and the envoy is an acknowledgment by Israeli leaders that "what will happen is what Trump wants to happen."

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

Donald Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner (L), White House special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting between President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured) at a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

How the Trump administration reshaped US diplomacy toward Hamas

Unlike previous administrations, Trump’s team has engaged directly and openly with the Palestinian group — without congressional or public blowback.

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Latest News

Interview

Cyprus weighs joining Gaza force but 'not enough clarity' on mission, FM says

Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos speaks to media at a Ministerial Council meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on December 4, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. (GEORG HOCHMUTH/AFP via Getty Images)

Constantinos Kombos

Cypriot Foreign Minister

Analysis

Differences over Hamas, Turkey and Iran overshadow Netanyahu-Trump summit

US President Donald Trump (L) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, Washington, Sept. 29, 2025.

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

Exclusive

Hamas official says group needs guarantees on war's end and statehood to disarm

Basem Naim, member of Hamaspolitical bureau speaks during an interview with AFP in Istanbul on February 8, 2025. Hamas has no desire to return to war with Israel, a senior official with the Palestinian group told AFP on February 8, 2025, nearly three weeks into a fragile ceasefire that halted fighting in Gaza. "Returning to war is certainly not our wish nor our decision," Basem Naim said in an interview. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

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

Jared and Joyce webinar

The Israel-Hamas war: Live Q&A with Pentagon Correspondent Jared Szuba

Become a Pro member today to attend this webinar on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 12 pm ET.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Why is Hamas chief Haniyeh visiting Egypt after Iran meeting in Qatar?

Pressure is building on Israel to halt the fighting to allow access to humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.

Egyptian school children stand on a pier in the port town of Ismalia, 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo, as the US guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan transits the Suez from the Red Sea towards the Mediterranean on its way back home after a six-month counter-piracy operation around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Day 74 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 19

Smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli strike on Rafah near the border with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip on December 1, 2023, after battles resumed between Israel and the Hamas movement. A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on December 1, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed, accusing Hamas of violating the operational pause. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

What does Israel's killing of Hamas financier Subhi Ferwana mean?

The Israeli military said Subhi Ferwana transferred millions of dollars to Hamas.

Ariel Hermoni/Israel's Defense Ministry

Day 73 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Dec. 18

Israel's Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu presents the new government to parliament at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2022.

Day 72 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Dec. 17

TOPSHOT - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) gestures after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a guest book during his visit at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

In balancing Turkey's interests, Erdogan walks tightrope between West, Hamas

Despite his high-pitched criticism of Israel, Erdogan is expected to tread cautiously on ties with Hamas, unwilling to add further strain on Turkey’s relations with the West and jeopardize trade with Israel.

Yakov Argamani, father of 26-year-old Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, speaks to media outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, now informally called the "Hostages Square", in Tel Aviv on Dec. 16, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Israeli army was on December 16 investigating the killing of three hostages which it said had been mistakenly identified as a threat by soldiers, an incident that sparked protests in Tel Aviv.

Day 71 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Dec. 16

Bethlehem nativity

In Bethlehem, despair dulls Christmas as nativity scene depicts Gaza

The war in the Gaza Strip has left an impact in Bethlehem, where Christmas celebrations have been canceled in sorrow for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

US chases breakthrough in Gaza hostage impasse

A senior Hamas official claimed the group has been holding four female soldiers since the truce collapsed, when Biden administration says the militants recategorized civilian women set for release as soldiers.

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 18: A child attends a demonstration in support of Palestine amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, which the Israeli government says targets Hamas, the Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organization governing the Gaza Strip, on November 18, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. According to Hamas' health ministry, over 11,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began retaliation for the group's deadly attack on October 7, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 240 other

Analysis

In midst of Gaza carnage, could outside solidarity spur Hamas to go global?

Even if Hamas as a military threat remains largely confined to the region, the ideology it promotes has an opportunity to capitalize on Gaza's grievances, gain more traction than at any point in recent memory.

Colin P. Clarke

By Colin P. Clarke

In Pittsburgh, US, reporting on counterterrorism, militancy

Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by Israeli strikes on their homes in the village of Khuzaa, near Abasan east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 27, 2023.

Day 70 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Dec. 15