Human rights

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Oscar-winning Palestinian director freed from Israeli detention after night in custody

Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank as the Israeli army continues its raids in the Palestinian territory.

A Department of Homeland Security officer stands guard at 26 Federal Plaza as protestors gather to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil on March 10, 2025, in New York City.

Hearing delayed after Lebanese doctor with US visa deported: What to know

A Lebanese citizen is the latest in a string of detentions, visa revocations and deportations conducted by the Trump administration.

A voter holds his proof of Kuwaiti citizenship upon arriving at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Kuwait City on June 6, 2023.

Kuwait revokes citizenship of 464 as restrictions tighten under new emir

Over 35,000 Kuwaitis have lost their citizenship since the government enforced amendments to its citizenship law in September of last year.

SHADI AL-DUBAISI/AFP via Getty Images

Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know

Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of oppression reminiscent of the Assad era.

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Turkey slaps travel ban on 2 businessmen for criticizing dissident crackdown

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Analysis

Can Hamas defy Trump's ultimatum as Gaza ceasefire teeters?

Israeli hostages stand on stage flanked by Hamas militants during the official handover in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on February 8, 2025. Hamas hands over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of ongoing negotiations. (Photo by Youssef Alzanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

US aid freeze threatens Sudan’s lifeline as USAID support hangs in balance

“CLOSE IT DOWN!” Mr. Trump wrote of U.S.A.I.D. on Truth Social,

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

'Death itself could not get us out of here!' Gazans reject Trump’s proposal

People in Jabalia erect tents amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza during a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, Jan. 23, 2025.

A woman walks past a poster during a demonstration by relatives and supporters of Israelis taken hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

As Israeli delegation returns to Egypt, Mossad chief fears for female hostages

Mossad chief David Barnea told cabinet ministers that it would take a long time to reach an agreement on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that no armed men be allowed to return to northern Gaza — time that the abductees don’t have.

An undated image of Amin Abed.

Palestinians in war-torn Gaza outraged over assault of anti-Hamas activist

A prominent activist known for his anti-Hamas positions was attacked by unknown armed men in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli war, with many blaming Hamas for the attack.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JUNE 29: Families of hostages and supporters set a fire during a demonstration calling for an hostages deal and against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 29, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Saturday night anti-government protest have occurred weekly for months, amid calls by many Israelis for Prime Minister Netanyahu to prioritize the return of hostages held in Gaza over the defeat of Hamas. Netanyahu has recently distanced himself further from a US-backed ceasefire proposal

Analysis

Hamas' response 'the best' Israel received, will Netanyahu scuttle deal?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Mossad chief David Barnea's trip to Qatar for further talks, but amid his far-right partners' objections, the move does not signal commitment to sealing a deal.

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

(L-R) Israel's domestic security agency 'Shin Bet' chief Ronen Bar, Mossad Director David Barnea, and army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi talk as they arrive for a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day for the six million Jews killed during World War II, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on May 5, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Mossad chief heads to Qatar amid reports of 'breakthrough' in Hamas cease-fire talks

Mossad's David Barnea traveled to Qatar Friday is set to meet in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani, as momentum builds for a Gaza ceasefire, hostage-release deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on June 5, 2024.

Netanyahu, Biden to discuss Hamas' latest cease-fire proposal

Israel is now studying the comments made by Hamas on the last hostage-release and cease-fire proposal.

Al-Shifa hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya who was detained by Israeli forces since November, is welcomed by relatives after his release alongside other detainees, at Nasser hopsital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip July 1, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Analysis

What released Palestinian detainees say about torture in Israeli jails

A number of recently released Palestinians are saying they were tortured and abused in detention.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

David Ryder/Getty Images

Over 100 victims of Oct. 7 sue Iran, Syria, North Korea in US court

The Anti-Defamation League has filed a lawsuit against Iran, Syria and North Korea, accusing the three nations of supporting Hamas and its Oct. 7 assault against Israel.

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arresting Sudanese, Amnesty says

The alleged mass arrests and forced expulsions of Sudanese coincide with the raging war in Sudan, where fears of foreign interference are growing.

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024.

Analysis

As Netanyahu clings to power, Rafah strike spells strategic disaster for Israel

Beyond the horrendous humanitarian toll of the airstrike on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, the bombing plunges Israel deeper into international pariahdom.

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

People view posters of missing Israelis on a wall at Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, Feb.12, 2024.

Israel recovers bodies of 3 hostages reportedly killed Oct. 7

The Israeli military announced that its troops had retrieved the bodies from a tunnel in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

CIA Director Burns heads to Europe to kickstart stalled Gaza truce talks: Report

After Israel's war cabinet mandated the negotiating team to resume talks, Israeli sources say there are indications that Hamas might be willing to return to negotiations.

Iranians follow a truck carrying coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, who were killed in a helicopter crash, during a funeral ceremony for them on May 22, 2024, in Tehran, Iran.

Khamenei leads Raisi’s funeral attended by tens of thousands of Iranians, regional leaders

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and a number of other officials.