All Middle East
Gaza aid workers press on, shaken by lethal Israeli strike on convoyAs international aid agencies pull back in Gaza after the drone strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy, a heavier burden falls on local humanitarian workers. Their determination to save lives helps them persevere.
FocusFive ways Israel is changing after six months of war in GazaCivil society鈥檚 response to Oct. 7 is planting the seeds of a new political class. But what Israelis see as the worst day in their history is also profoundly challenging their sense of security and belonging.
First LookFamily, friends remember selfless acts of World Central Kitchen workers killed in IsraelThose who knew the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike while delivering aid to Palestinians are grieving their loved ones and looking for answers. The strike has drawn international condemnation.
In besieged and starving Gaza, Ramadan charity and prayers endureDamaged and destroyed mosques. Displaced and dispersed families. The challenges Gazans face this Ramadan are immense. But the holy month鈥檚 tradition of charity is sustained, and sustaining.
First LookFatal strike on World Central Kitchen workers ripples across aid deliverySeven international aid workers and their Palestinian driver were killed by an Israeli airstrike hours after they delivered a shipload of food to northern Gaza, which has been pushed to the brink of famine by Israel鈥檚 offensive.聽
First LookIsrael says Al Jazeera is a security threat. The network says that鈥檚 a dangerous lie.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acting on new parliamentary authority, said he planned to shutter Al Jazeera鈥檚 operations in Israel. The Qatar-owned broadcaster called his accusations dangerous, and others warned of unwarranted censorship.
FocusPalestinian Mandela? Marwan Barghouti, imprisoned preacher of unity.Marwan Barghouti鈥檚 popularity is unsurpassed. His message of democracy, unity, and resistance to occupation increasingly resonates today with Palestinians who are under attack, distrust their leadership, and would vote for him if given the chance.
First LookIsraelis sound off on Netanyahu in biggest protest since Gaza war鈥檚 startOn March 31, Israelis staged the largest protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 government since the war in Gaza began. Their grievances include Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚聽corruption charges聽and聽calls for a聽cease-fire deal to free the remaining hostages.
Israeli reconstruction near Gaza lacks a key building block: TrustResidents and businesses from Sderot and other Gaza-adjacent communities are being urged to start picking up the pieces to get their lives back on track, safely. But do they trust government assurances, or their neighbors over the border?
Does US deterrence work against Iran鈥檚 allies? Yes and no.Since war erupted in Gaza, U.S. forces and interests in the Middle East have come under fire from allies of Iran. The challenge has been to deter these attacks and prevent the conflict from escalating, but the U.S. record is uneven.
Israelis begin to sour on Biden as US ratchets up pressure over GazaIsraelis are keenly aware that the close bond between their country and the United States is fraying over the prolonged war in Gaza. But they blame politics and the U.S. election season for the shift.
Ramadan peace prevails in Jerusalem as all sides keep extremists at bayEven without war in Gaza, Jerusalem is a flashpoint. At the center is Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam. Yet amid cooperation on security, as seen by our reporter, a peace during this holy month of Ramadan has been holding.
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.