All Middle East
Biden talks of Gaza 鈥榬ed line鈥� for Israel, but his options are limitedAs the pressures grow on President Joe Biden to restrain Israel in Gaza, his administration鈥檚 rhetoric has gotten tougher. In response, Benjamin Netanyahu is talking tough as well, but is the pressure having an effect?
First LookCease-fire talks with Israel and Hamas could resume as soon as SundayStalled cease-fire talks are likely to resume in Qatar as soon as Sunday, according to Egyptian officials. In recent days, Israeli officials and Hamas leaders have both signaled a desire to get the talks back on track.
鈥楬amas gambled with our lives鈥�: Gazans are now daring to speak outFor the first time since the war began in Gaza, resentment against Hamas is boiling to the surface in public expressions of anger and in social media, as residents increasingly are losing their reluctance to speak out.
Biden wants Mideast peace more than Israelis or Palestinians. That could backfire.U.S. diplomats seeking to resolve the Israel-Arab conflict have always held to a principle: 鈥淲e can鈥檛 want peace more than they do.鈥� Does Joe Biden agree?
First LookIsrael has a new kind of wartime visitor, evangelical 鈥榲oluntourists鈥�Evangelicals, long Israel鈥檚 among greatest supporters in the U.S. and abroad, are traveling there as war volunteers, providing extra hands for farms struggling to harvest. Propelled by faith, the 鈥渧oluntourists鈥� say they hope to show solidarity.
As hunger grips Gaza, law and order crumblesIn Gaza, desperate citizens and organized crime mobs are collapsing law and order in their search for food, as famine looms.
My flight over Gaza in a plane dropping food aidPalestinians in Gaza now rely almost entirely on airdropped aid to fend off famine. But that falls far short of needs, and can sometimes do more harm than good.
Another Gaza battlefront burns 鈥� in West Bank refugee campsFrom the first shots of the war in Gaza, Israel was warned its military tactics in densely populated civilian areas would only sow extremism. That destructive dynamic is replaying in West Bank refugee camps.
In Gaza, is Palestinian history repeating itself?Many Palestinians in Gaza, forced by Israeli assaults to flee their homes, fear a repeat of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) that created 700,000 refugees.
First LookiPhone Ponzi scheme sheds light on Iran鈥檚 tensions with the WestA Ponzi scheme in Iran targeted customers trying to buy banned updated versions of the Apple iPhone. Economic pressures have led Iran鈥檚 government to crack down on Western-based luxury goods, but consumer demand remains strong.
Family leaders and fighters, Israeli women rise to war鈥檚 challengesMonths after protesters marched in Tel Aviv dressed as handmaidens to thwart an attempted far-right judicial overhaul, Israeli women are shifting perceptions of gender roles, serving on the front lines of the war effort.
First LookPalestinian PM resigns. His replacement will shape post-war politics.Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced he will step down, amid signs President Mahmoud Abbas may be planning to name a more technocratic government to manage Palestinian affairs once the war in Gaza ends.
Can Biden coax Israelis out of trauma toward regional peace?The U.S. vision of a regional peace deal emerging from a Gaza cease-fire is finding little support among either Israel鈥檚 government or its people.
First LookGaza Health Ministry reports death toll rises to 29,000Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry says more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7聽when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
First LookEyeing Israel-Hamas spillover, Egypt builds border, walls in GazansAs the Israel-Hamas war intensifies, Egypt is constructing a wall along its border with Gaza to dissuade fleeing Palestinians from seeking refuge. The conflict鈥檚 spread so close to home has strained Egypt鈥檚 relationship with Israel.
FocusGaza: Why distrust of UN has deepened at a moment of greatest needThe need for international institutions, the U.N. foremost among them, amid conflict is clear: to deliver relief, apply international law, and save lives. Yet among both Israelis and Palestinians, distrust of the U.N. is profound.
As Israel zeroes in on Rafah, its aims 鈥� and concerns 鈥� are clearWhen Israel rescued two Hamas-held hostages from Rafah, the operation raised sharp concerns among Israel鈥檚 friends and partners that the long-signaled move into the overcrowded city had begun. Those concerns are adding to Israel鈥檚 own.
Tents in winter: Dislocated by war, Gazans struggle to find shelterIn Gaza, there is an increasingly frantic search for dwindling options for shelter even as Israel sets its sights on an overwhelmed and overcongested Rafah.
First LookArab states warn Israel against launching invasion of RafahPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he asked Israel鈥檚 military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in Rafah ahead of an invasion, setting off panic. More than half of Gaza鈥檚 2.3 million people are packed into the city on the border with Egypt.
The ExplainerUS confronts 鈥楢xis鈥�: Who are Iran鈥檚 allies? Can they be deterred?Alongside the war in Gaza, Iran鈥檚 regional allies and U.S. forces have engaged in scores of attacks and retaliations. Both the U.S. and Iran say they want to avert a wider war, but the clashes鈥� intensity has increased.
