All Middle East
In Gaza, military offensive and civilian chaos hinder food aidThe arrival of more food sparked hope in Gaza that famine might be avoided. But supplies are insufficient and distribution hard to organize.
In the land of couscous, pulled noodles from China create a stirZhao Jun opened his pulled noodle joint in Algiers to serve fellow Chinese migrant workers. Now more than half his clients are Algerian.
A year late, and their schools destroyed, Gaza鈥檚 students complete examsAfter a yearlong delay, students in Gaza have completed their high school graduation exams. But their futures remain circumscribed by war.聽
First LookUK, Australia, and Canada recognize a Palestinian stateThe move on Sunday prompted an angry response from Israel and reflects growing outrage at Israel鈥檚 conduct of the war in Gaza.
New Israeli West Bank settlements dim prospects of Palestinian stateIsrael has built settlements in the occupied West Bank for 50 years. It鈥檚 about to construct a Jerusalem suburb making a Palestinian state unfeasible.
What French-Saudi move at UN means for a future Palestinian stateThe French-Saudi initiative at the United Nations supporting an independent Palestine, while symbolically important, is not risk-free and is unlikely to lead soon to that long-sought goal. Yet it鈥檚 worth it, supporters say, to keep the discussion alive.
Amid Israel鈥檚 longest war, resentment grows over religious draft exemptionIn Israel, the shared burden of military service in 鈥渢he people鈥檚 army鈥� is a consensus value, and an exemption granted the ultra-Orthodox has long rankled. Amid the mounting costs of war in Gaza, moves to codify the exemption have fanned resentments.
Syria holds elections without a popular vote. Why Syrians are still hopeful.Syrian community leaders are choosing a parliament tasked with overhauling the country鈥檚 laws and setting a new constitution. If the process prioritizes technocratic expertise over parties and politics, Syrians hope it鈥檚 still a step toward a democracy.
In the Middle East, can old enemies make good neighbors?Israel and Syria are negotiating a security deal to bring peace to their border. The new Syrian government sees it as a path to international acceptance.
First LookIsrael steps up strikes on Gaza City. Residents have few options to flee.Israel has intensified airstrikes in Gaza City as part of an offensive to take over the city, which Israel claims is Hamas' last stronghold.
Israel ordered them to leave. Many in Gaza City say there is nowhere left to run.The Israeli military has ordered a total evacuation of Gaza City. But many lack the means to leave, or believe there is no safe place left to go.
After failed Israeli Hamas assassination, are Gaza peace talks possible?Israel鈥檚 failed attempt to kill its top Hamas negotiating partner in Qatar backfired聽鈥� and angered Washington. What did officials think it would achieve?
Why some Israeli journalists only now are turning a lens on Gaza devastationThroughout the war in Gaza, Israel鈥檚 media has focused on Israelis鈥� hardships on and since Oct. 7. It was what people wanted. Now, some journalists are admitting that coverage of Gazans as people has been irresponsibly minimal, distorting reality.
First LookIsraeli army tells Gaza residents to flee as it targets more high-rise buildingsAid groups warn that a large-scale evacuation would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza City, which is suffering from famine. Most families have already been displaced several times over the course of the Israel-Hamas war, and say they have nowhere left to go.聽
Why a weakened Hezbollah still poses a challenge to Lebanon鈥檚 governmentFor decades, Iran鈥檚 powerful ally Hezbollah limited Beirut鈥檚 power. Israel severely weakened the Shiite militia, yet as a new Lebanese government seeks to assert its authority, an easy compromise seems unlikely.
Cooking videos got these Gazans a global following. Now, there鈥檚 nothing to eat.Instagram creators like @renadfromgaza and @hamadashoo documented how Palestinians in Gaza ate in a time of war ...聽 until they had nothing to eat themselves.
First LookJudge bars Trump administration from deporting Guatemalan children, for nowThe judge ruled Sunday after their lawyers said the youngsters were loaded onto planes in violation of laws affording protections for migrant kids. The judge, in Washington, says the children need to be taken off the planes while the legal process plays out.
First LookHouthi rebel prime minister killed by Israeli airstrike in YemenThe Iranian-backed Houthis say an Israeli airstrike has killed Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.聽The Israeli military confirmed it targeted a Houthi military site in Sanaa Thursday where the Houthis say Mr. Rahawi was killed.
In famine-struck Gaza, another burden: An exhausting search for waterAmong all the shortages in war-ravaged Gaza, clean water is one of the most critical. Already facing the perils of famine and a new Israeli military offensive, families must engage in a daily hunt for water that often is barely usable.
A Syrian comedy renaissance? Stand-up blooms in Damascus after Assad鈥檚 exit.With the Assad regime gone, Syrian comedians are establishing a new comedy scene 鈥� and challenging social taboos 鈥� through their own brand of humor.
