Humanitarian crises

People attend a mass funeral for members of the Abu Sharia and Al-Hasayna families, whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of their homes after an attack earlier in the war, on Aug. 4, 2026 in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza.

Gaza family buries 112 recovered from war rubble after Israeli strike

In early July, Gaza’s Government Media Office said that more than 2,700 families have been erased from the civil registry after all their members were killed by Israeli military action.

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto said delivering aid in Sudan remains extremely difficult, with supply trucks often delayed for weeks or months even after entering the country.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

Olmert

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.

Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Former Israeli prime minister

Latest News

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Haneen Sayyed

Haneen Sayyed

Haneen Sayyed

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs

Iran war deepens Gaza crisis as prices soar, aid falters

Children and families gather to receive free meals shortly before Iftar during the holy month of Ramadan at a displacement camp in central Gaza City, on Feb. 27, 2026.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Analysis

Why Germany may struggle to meet Merz’s 80% Syria repatriation goal

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa depart after speaking to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 30, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

China to send aid to Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan as Trump delays Beijing summit

Lin Jian

Sudanese army soldiers parade in the streets of eastern Sudan's city of Gedaref on Aug. 14, 2025 to mark the 71st anniversary of the formation of the Sudanese army.

US working to broker talks between Sudan factions, Trump envoy says

Massad Boulos also said an agreement was nearly finalized with the Rapid Support Forces to bring humanitarian aid to El Fasher.

President Donald Trump (C-R) and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C-L) listen during a multilateral meeting with leaders from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Trump presents Gaza plan to Arab, Muslim leaders at UNGA

As international pressure builds during UNGA week, Trump pitched Arab and Muslim leaders on a plan for ending the war in Gaza and the handling of its governance.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Macron aide warns Israel: All options on table as France readies for Palestine recognition

French President Emmanuel Macron’s special adviser, Ofer Bronchtein, told Al-Monitor that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates are mounting a smear campaign against the French president.

Ofer Bronchtein

Ofer Bronchtein

Special adviser to the French president

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen addresses a press conference in Damascus on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen steps down after six years

Pedersen is leaving as Syria continues to grapple with political upheaval, humanitarian crises and ongoing conflict.

A woman washes her hands at the entrance of a cholera isolation center at the refugee camps of western Sudan, in Tawila in Darfur, on Aug. 12, 2025.

Cholera kills 25 in two days in Sudan's Darfur amid deepening war

The town of Tawila has been the hardest hit in Darfur, with 58 new cholera cases reported on Sunday alone.

drone

RSF, political allies claim responsibility for Khartoum drone strikes: What to know

As Sudan’s army presses a new offensive in Kordofan and Darfur, the RSF and an allied coalition claimed rare responsibility for drone strikes on Khartoum.

SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images

EU Commission chief seeks sanctions, partial trade freeze on Israel: What to know

The proposal comes in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, but divisions among the EU’s 27 member states make it uncertain whether the measures will be adopted.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing on April 11, 2025, after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Spain recalls Israel envoy, imposes sanctions as rift over Gaza deepens: What to know

Israel accused Spain of antisemitism after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of sanctions over its Gaza war policies.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (C-R).

Sudan accuses UAE of hiring Colombian mercenaries in UN complaint

Sudan’s complaint claims 350 to 380 Colombian mercenaries were recruited by Emirati security firms to fight alongside the RSF.

People inspect the debris following a landslide that devastated the village of Tarasin, in Sudan's Jebel Marra area, on Sept. 2, 2025.

Over 1,000 dead in Darfur landslide as Sudan war hinders relief efforts

A devastating landslide in the Marrah Mountains of Darfur has killed over 1,000 people, prompting appeals for international aid amid escalating violence in the region.

Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris speaks to reporters in Khartoum, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Sudan cabinet convenes in Khartoum in first since war began: What to know

Sudan’s newly formed government met in the capital, Khartoum, for the first time since the war broke out in April 2023, as authorities weigh moving the government’s seat from Port Sudan to the capital.

A Sudanese man drives a donkey cart at a market in Abu Shouk camp for the displaced, nearly 20 kms north of El-Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur state, on Nov. 5, 2019.

Sudan's RSF intensifies attacks on el-Fasher as displaced face starvation

Since the weekend, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces militia has stepped up attacks on North Darfur’s besieged capital, el-Fasher.