All Middle East
The ExplainerThere鈥檚 a famine in Gaza. Who determined that, and how?The IPC is an international standard meant to measure the threat of starvation without bias. Many hope that Friday鈥檚 IPC report, which determined Gaza is experiencing famine, will spur an international aid response.
After war鈥檚 destruction, Syrian seamstresses bring ancient craft to lifeThe Syrian craft tradition of aghabani聽embroidery survived the destruction of the homes where it was practiced. Can seamstresses now make a living?
Meet the extremist running Israel鈥檚 settlement program: Bezalel SmotrichIsraeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is a second-generation West Bank settler who opposes a Palestinian state, talks of resettling Gaza, and uses his stature in Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition to relentlessly pursue pro-settlement policies. His plan is advancing.
Syria stops banning books. Readers rejoice.The book business is booming in Syria: Authors and titles banned during the Assad family鈥檚 dictatorial rule are now legal and flying off the shelves.
Israelis stage massive anti-war protest. Is their government listening?Israelis closed businesses, universities, and streets in a massive outpouring of rage and opposition to plans to expand the war against Hamas in Gaza. How much this pressures the government is still uncertain.
Saying women must end war, Israeli mothers 鈥榯ake a stand鈥� on Gaza borderIsrael is seeing a groundswell of protest against the war in Gaza. Following the government鈥檚 decision to send ground forces into Gaza City, a new women鈥檚 group, including mothers of combat soldiers, set up a protest camp on the border.
Nowhere left to go as Gaza City faces looming Israeli offensivePalestinians in Gaza City fear that Israel鈥檚 planned offensive against their town may force them from their homes forever. They say they are exhausted by war.
Israeli security Cabinet expands the war in GazaIsrael鈥檚 security Cabinet decides to expand Gaza War in bid to destroy Hamas
Israel has the power to avert famine in Gaza. Will it use it?Humanitarian professionals say famine can be averted in Gaza, but only if Israel allows much more food and other aid into the strip.
With Gaza suffering, Europe and Arab states take big diplomatic steps 鈥� togetherFor years, Arab states wanted Europe to recognize Palestine; Europe wanted Arab states to rein in Hamas. Now, they have stepped forward together to do something hard for each.
Amid starvation in Gaza, Israelis begin to question erratic food aid policyThe hunger crisis in Gaza has many asking if Israel had a deliberate policy of starving civilians. Israelis say that was never the case, but an ignorance of Palestinian suffering allowed an inconsistent government policy to lead to a calamity.
Wracked by drought, postwar Syria struggles to restore its agricultureOne of the biggest challenges to rebuilding Syria may prove to be environmental. Years of drought are causing crop yields to fall dramatically.
Global attention on Gaza hunger intensifiesOur correspondent in Gaza has been covering hunger for months. But this week the world seems to be paying attention in a new way 鈥� including media outlets worried about starvation of their staff.
Why deadly clashes in Druze province are so threatening to Syrian unityThe eruption of violence in the majority-Druze Syrian province of Suwayda, the second-worst outbreak of sectarian strife since the fall of the Assad regime, is challenging the delicate balance the young Damascus government is trying to maintain.
Should Israeli military defend Syrian Druze? Israel鈥檚 Druze are divided.Amid sectarian violence in Syria in which hundreds of Druze were killed, Israel struck Damascus and issued a warning to the new government. Israeli Druze are mourning the deaths, but are divided over whether Israeli military action is the wisest course.
Syria鈥檚 Kurds want autonomy. Damascus wants unity. Can they find middle ground?A key challenge for postwar Syria is building trust between Arabs and Kurds. The security in Kurdish parts of Aleppo show how difficult that may be.
In Gaza, anti-Hamas gangs seen as imperiling food aid and public orderThe breakdown in public order in Gaza accompanying the weakening of Hamas has allowed armed gangs to seize influence. That is affecting distribution of badly needed food aid, but the perpetuation of disorder is another concern.
In Syria, unexploded ordnance prolongs the casualties of an ended warRebuilding Syria is proving a potentially lethal task, as streets and farmland are seeded with unexploded land mines 鈥� with children and civilians in harm鈥檚 way.
Netanyahu swings into campaign mode, with photo ops and a victory lapBenjamin Netanyahu has long sold himself to the Israeli public as 鈥淢r. Security,鈥� but Hamas鈥� devastating Oct. 7 attack stained his record. Now he鈥檚 hoping the war with Iran has rehabilitated his image.
鈥榃e fed ourselves from that soil鈥�: What Israeli buffer zones cost GazansThroughout the Gaza war, Israeli buffer zones have expanded through a series of evacuation orders. While the orders are often framed as security precautions, for many Palestinians they appear part of a slow-motion land grab.
