Sudan: Over 40 dead, 400,000 displaced in RSF's siege on El Fasher Over 40 people have been killed and approximately 450,000 displaced by the Rapid Support Forces' continued assault on El Fasher, with shelling targeting both civilian areas and refugee camps. Sudan
Sudan’s Burhan arrives in Turkey on heels of Eritrea visit, key victories The talks come after a major military victory for the Sudanese army in Khartoum against the Rapid Support Forces, who are currently attempting to cement their stronghold in Darfur. Sudan
Analysis As Sudan's genocide case against UAE opens at ICJ, legal shield under fire The war in Sudan has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 14.6 million people displaced and 30.4 million in need of aid, according to the International Rescue Committee. By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
Israel expands Gaza buffer zone to 20% as humanitarian situation deteriorates Israel’s expanded buffer zone will cut off Gaza from Egypt and further partition the Strip, as the humanitarian crisis in the territory deepens. Palestine
Analysis Khartoum’s advances 'watershed moment’ in Sudan war as pressure builds on RSF, foreign backers By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Will Russia provide the 'new Kissinger' for Iran-Israel diplomacy? Moscow works back channels between Tehran and Jerusalem; hard-line Saudi stance toward Iran adheres to Wahhabi line favored by conservative clerics. Saudi Arabia
Assad's forces expected to move on to Idlib The Syrian regime appears ready to target militants in Idlib, but the area is also filled with civilians who have fled there to escape the violence in so many other parts of the country. Syria
Egypt struggles to edge Qatar out of Palestine Egypt is trying to block Qatar from the Palestinian scene, but Israel is unlikely to be moved by its efforts, counting on the Qatari assistance that has helped avoid a humanitarian crisis. Qatar
As Egypt tightens grip on IS, it's also strangling Sinai residents The Egyptian army has laid siege to the Sinai Peninsula in an effort to combat terrorism, but its actions are disrupting the lives of more than 250,000 residents. Egypt
Iran looms large as Congress casts Yemen war vote The Senate voted on US support for the Saudi-led war against the Houthis for the first time since the war began three years ago. Saudi Arabia
Um Sameh, the wonder woman of eastern Ghouta With famine gripping the besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta, Um Sameh stepped in with One Hand, an organization she founded, to fill the gap left by international organizations unable to deliver aid to starving residents. Culture & Society
No end to Yemen war in sight as Saudi Arabia, Iran lock horns The war in Yemen drags on even as it continues to bleed Saudi Arabia while increasing international pressure on Iran. Saudi Arabia
Casualties continue to mount in Syria's eastern Ghouta The situation in the besieged eastern Ghouta area continues to deteriorate with shortages of medical supplies, the regime shelling on medical facilities and use of low concentration doses of chlorine. Syria
Senate fissure opens up over ending Yemen war Traditional centrists are pushing back against bipartisan efforts to stop US support for the Saudi coalition. Saudi Arabia
Ghouta.com brings Eastern Ghouta's ordeal to the world Volunteers in Ghouta and Turkey manage an online platform that provides information on the situation in besieged Eastern Ghouta with the hope of bringing the brutal assault there to an end. Syria
Will the crisis in Gaza finally force Israel to lift its siege? Qatar and the UAE have donated money to ease the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but such assistance will likely only postpone an implosion in the absence of arriving at a solution to the enclave's isolation and lifting of the Israeli blockade. United Arab Emirates
Can a new 'rescue council' save Gaza? A new national council has formed in Gaza with the goal of offering services that the Palestinian consensus government appears unable or unwilling to provide. Palestine
