Trump

AMIR COHEN/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

More bark than bite: Why Israel’s far right won’t rush to quit government despite Gaza plan

Now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted Washington's plan to end the war, farright Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir must decide whether to quit the government as threatened.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

AYLESBURY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 18: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England. This is the final day of President Trump’s second UK state visit, with the previous one taking place in 2019 during his first presidential term. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Trump tells Israel to halt Gaza assault 'immediately' after Hamas response to peace plan

In a post to Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that Hamas' response to the ceasefire indicates the group is ready for peace and called on Israel to "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly."

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Netanyahu hamstrung by far right, Trump as Hamas drags feet on Gaza plan

The Hamas commanders in Gaza remain the main obstacle to advancement of the Trump plan and are expected to seek amendments even as Israel’s military steps up its offensive on Gaza City.

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

The al-Ruya Tower in Gaza City's Rimal area collapses amidst smoke after Israeli bombardment, on September 8, 2025, following Israel's announcement that it would target tall buildings identified as being used by Hamas ahead of its forces' planned conquest of the urban hub. Israel has been warning for weeks of a new assault on the territory's largest city, without issuing a timeline. It has stepped up air strikes and ground operations on the city's outskirts, sparking fears it could worsen already dire condi

Hamas faces red line in Trump's take-it-or-leave-it Gaza plan

The clock is ticking for Hamas to respond to a deal that would require its disarmament in exchange for an end to the war.

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Analysis

Trump offers Netanyahu cover as Israel's far right recoils at Gaza peace plan

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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

Turkey scrambles to contain fallout after Fidan says KAAN jet dependent on US

kaan

Trump says Netanyahu has agreed to deal to end Gaza war

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Gaming giant Electronic Arts taken private in $55B Saudi-backed buyout

EA office building in Austin, Texas, USA.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (C), Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (R) and Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani pose for a group photograph during the International Conference on Syria at the Ministerial Conference Center, in Paris on February 13, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

France sees opening in Trump's USAID cuts to lead Syria humanitarian aid

The Paris conference on Syria positions France at the forefront of international efforts to support the interim regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

In SPACE - MAY 19: This image captured by a satellite on May 19, 2001 shows the Bushehr Reactor in Iran. The nuclear facility is located approximately 17 kilometers south of the city of Bushehr. The reactor complex occupies a 2.5 Square Kilometer site area, which includes assembly halls, a concrete channel for cooling water that runs from the reactors to the Gulf, and a the harbor, which supports loading and unloading of foreign materials needed for construction and reactor operation. There are two reactor

Exclusive

Trump, Netanyahu have 'full understanding' on Iran as Israel mulls strikes on nuclear sites

A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that Israel and the United States have reached a “full understanding” on the Iranian issue. This includes agreed steps if Iran rejects a stricter nuclear deal than the 2015 accord abandoned by Trump in 2018.

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

Workers unload aid from an aircraft upon it's arrival from the United Arab Emirates at the Port Sudan airport, on May 5, 2023. - Air strikes and gunfire rocked the Sudanese capital on May 5 as fighting showed no signs of abating, despite the threat of renewed US sanctions and warnings of a "protracted" conflict. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE pledges $200M in aid to Sudan as it calls for Ramadan ceasefire

At a conference in Ethiopia, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation called on the warring parties in Sudan to agree to a Ramadan "humanitarian pause" that will be followed by a political process.

Iranian Basij militia members display their drones during military drills on Jan. 10, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Iran unveils underwater suicide drone as US tensions grow: What we know

The showcasing of the unmanned aerial vehicle follows the unveiling of a new drone carrier warship and plans to develop a supersonic cruise missile.

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) aims a machine gun while lying prone during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Turkey escalates push to replace Kurds as top anti-ISIS force in Syria

Turkey is attempting to form a new coalition to combat ISIS remnants and replace the Pentagon-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, gives a joint press conference with the Omani foreign minister in Tehran on Dec. 30, 2024.

Iran pushes diplomatic blitz to thwart Trump's Gaza relocation plan

With its regional proxies decimated in Israeli attacks, Iran is seeking to restore its position within the new regional dynamics by encouraging Islamic countries to mobilize against President Donald Trump's Gaza policies.

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to hold a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Israel says Gaza war to resume if hostages aren't released Saturday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was backing the ultimatum of President Donald Trump for the release of hostages by Saturday afternoon, but he did not specify if he expects all remaining hostages to be released that day.

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)

Analysis

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

Israel is considering introducing a transitional phase to salvage the deal and ensure the continued release of hostages. However, for this to proceed, Hamas must adhere to the agreed-upon terms by Saturday.

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

A Palestinian woman stands against a wall plastered with posters picturing "martyrs" at a market in the Balata camp, near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, on Dec. 15, 2020.

Palestinian Authority ends ‘martyr’ payments in possible gesture to Trump

The Palestinian Authority has paid millions of dollars to families of assailants who have attacked Israelis in recent years, drawing scrutiny from the United States and from victims of the attacks.

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers

Iran's Pezeshkian rejects Trump's call for talks, denounces 'plots' against Tehran

US President Donald Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran while simultaneously calling for negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How vulnerable are UAE, Bahrain to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum?

The United Arab Emirates is the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the United States after Canada, supplying $1.78 billion of the metal to Washington in 2024.

United Arab Emirates

A banner lists the countries funding the World Food Program at a food distribution point run by the Ukrainian charity Angels of Salvation (AOS), on Feb. 7, 2025, in Druzhkivka, Ukraine.

Norwegian Refugee Council halts aid in over 20 countries after USAID cuts

The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that it would have to halt life-saving programs if US government payments are not resumed.

Staff Writer

By Staff Writer