Gaza

Robin MILLARD / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel concerned Iran trying to buy time but sees US strikes as still possible

“We don’t yet know what happened there and hope that the Iranians didn’t string the American team along in order to buy time. The gaps between the sides are enormous and cannot be bridged," a senior Israeli official told Al-Monitor.

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

This photograph taken on Jan. 20, 2026, organized by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, shows Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadhramaut province.

Saudi-UAE rift complicates Israel's counter-Iran efforts, normalization

Israel fears that the rivalry between the UAE and Saudi Arabia will further push Riyadh toward countries that espouse political Islam policies.

Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, (C) Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), (L) and Jared Kushner listen as US Vice President JD Vance speaks.

Analysis

Why Trump is betting on military leaders for Iran negotiations

The White House has enlisted senior US military commanders to grease the wheels of complex negotiations with adversaries, but can they help advance Trump's policy demands?

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) as U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (2L) and Kathryn Burgum (2R) look on in the Oval Office at the White House on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to coordinate a federal government response to drug addiction. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Analysis

Fearing Iran deal, Netanyahu races to US to sway Trump, sidestep Witkoff

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is flying to Washington to persuade President Donald Trump not to forget Iran's ballistic missile project and its proxies in the talks with Tehran.

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

Latest News

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

United Arab Emirates

Feature

Excludes Palestinians, eyes profit: Gazans view Trump’s Board of Peace with deep distrust

Palestinians sit amid destroyed buildings by the Israeli military in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 27, 2026.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Analysis

As envoys recalled, what's driving Israel-South Africa rupture?

PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

As phase 2 looms, Netanyahu insists no Turkish or Qatari troops in Gaza

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 25: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout image provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the first leg of his four-day trip to the Middle East, on May 25, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel. The Secretary of State will also travel to Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as travelling to Egypt and Jordan.

Analysis

Netanyahu wants 'total victory' — will it cost Saudi normalization, US support?

The Israeli prime minister is not on the same page as the Biden administration or the Saudi leadership, risking his diplomatic and war aims.

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

This picture shows Al-Maqoussi towers area on February 3, 2024, in the aftermath of Israeli bombardment on Gaza City, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas reemerges in northern Gaza weeks after Israel said it's dismantled

Hamas is firmly established in Palestinian society allowing it to continue to regroup after successive Israeli campaigns, as long as the conditions that allowed for its establishment in the first place continue to exist.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was removed from Facebook and Instagram on Feb. 8, 2024, by Meta.

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei banned from Facebook and Instagram

Khamenei remains active on X and has praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel on the platform.

Egyptian Red Crescent members load on a truck humanitarian aid for war-torn Gaza brought by a French air force Airbus A400M cargo aircraft at El-Arish International Airport on November 20, 2023 as Israel has vowed to destroy Gaza's rulers Hamas after the Palestinian militant group carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7. About 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Israel during Hamas's October 7 attack and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials

How Israel’s 'convoluted' inspections are hindering Gaza aid

Humanitarian groups say Israel's time-consuming inspections process and denial of "dual-use" goods is hampering aid delivery in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) looks on as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Defence Ministry, after their meeting in Tel Aviv on Oct. 12, 2023.

Blinken in Israel says Hamas proposal 'creates space' for possible hostage deal

Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Hamas’ response to a proposed hostage and cease-fire deal as “delusional,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to the region that there’s still a chance for an agreement to be reached.

An Egyptian woman shops at a fruit market in Cairo, on March 17, 2022.

What’s behind Egypt decision to raise minimum wage, government salaries by 50%?

Egypt’s economy has suffered from high inflation for years, and now the spillover from the Gaza war is exacerbating the situation.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Rare Shin Bet, Palestinian meeting as fears of Ramadan tensions grow

Israeli and Palestinian officials met this week in Tel Aviv to discuss how to prevent an explosion of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Mohammed Dahman/Getty Images

What's in Hamas cease-fire proposal — and will Israel accept?

Hamas has submitted its response to a cease-fire proposal with its own conditions, including a pause in the fighting and the start of reconstruction in Gaza.

President Joe Biden answers questions while departing the White House on Jan. 30, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Will Biden listen to Congress progressives, condition aid to Israel?

More Democratic senators are asking the White House to condition military support to Israel as the war in Gaza drags on and the humanitarian situation grows more dire.

handshake

Argentina’s Milei breaks with Latin America, doubles down on Israel support

Argentinian President Javier Milei announced on a trip to Israel Tuesday that he would move his country's embassy to Jerusalem and advance legislation at home declaring Hamas a terror organization.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, at Diwan Annex, in Doha on February 6, 2024, during his Middle East tour, his fifth urgent trip to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza erupted in October. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: February 7, 2024, 8:09 am

Hamas delivers 'positive' response on hostage deal, Qatari PM says

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said he was “optimistic” after receiving a formal response from the Palestinian militant group hours earlier.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during an arrival outside the West Wing of the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. The foreign affairs minister is in Washington to participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Analysis

Is Netanyahu waiting for Trump as Israel's Ben-Gvir sabotages Biden?

Israel's Prime Minister stays mum, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ruins the country's relations with its greatest ally, the United States.

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