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October 24, 2026

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Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a joint statements and agreements during the EU and Egypt summit in Brussels, on Oct. 22, 2025.

Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai

The Egyptian president’s remarks follow a warning from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks.

China's President Xi Jinping (center L) walks along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer (R) upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport on September 1, 2026. President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on September 1, making a rare trip to the Middle East as both countries face the threat of US sanctions over financial links to Iran. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

For Beijing, the renewed Egypt-Ethiopia standoff is a zero-sum bind that threatens vital strategic interests on both sides of the Nile.

Joyce Karam

A quadrilateral summit was held on Oct. 4, 2026, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi, Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki, President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, in New El Alamein City, Egypt.

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan hold summit amid Ethiopia tensions

All four countries have increasingly tense relations with Ethiopia, driven by disputes over the Nile, Red Sea access and security.

Latest News

Explainer

Why are Egypt and Ethiopia clashing over Tigray, Somalia and the Nile?

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on February 19, 2022. - Ethiopia's massive hydro-electric dam project on a tributary of the Nile has raised regional tensions notably with Egypt, which depends on the huge river for 97 percent of its water supply. Government officials said the dam would begin producing electricity on Sunday, more than a decade since work first started. (Photo by Amanuel SILESHI / AFP) (Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Ima

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

Israeli PM

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohammed Magdy

In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics

Ayah Aman

In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture

Salwa Samir

In Giza, reporting on politics

Nada Shaker

In Cairo, reporting on culture

A farmer drives a tractor through smoke from burning rice straw in preparation for the next harvest, at a paddy field in the beginning of the agricultural road leading to Cairo November 1, 2014. According to local media, black clouds rising over the Delta and Cairo have become a yearly event since 1997 which environmentalists and experts have blamed largely on the burning of leftover rice straw by farmers, an agricultural waste management problem which has yet to be solved for almost two decades. The burni

Egypt to cultivate digital data from agricultural sector

The government hopes “smart cards” for farmers will curtail Egypt’s black market in subsidies.

Abboud al-Zumar speaks during an interview with Reuters in his home after his release from Liman Tora Prison at Helwan, south of Cairo, March 17, 2011. Abboud al-Zumar went to jail 30 years ago for his role in killing Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Now a free man, he believes democracy will prevent Islamists from ever again taking up the gun against the state. Picture taken March 17, 2011. To match feature EGYPT/ISLAMIST-MILITANCY REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION H

Top Egypt Islamist says he 'fully supports' reconciliation with state

Abboud el-Zumar, a prominent leader in Egypt's Gamaa Islamiya, told Al-Monitor in an interview that he supports a full reconciliation with the state and that the Brotherhood is not fit to negotiate on behalf of Islamists.

A view of the inner hall of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina March 28, 2005. The ultramodern, 11-storey disc-shaped structure standing on the Chatby Corniche in Alexandria evokes the legacy of the ancient Alexandria library and the Temple of the Muses, the Mouseion, where the Old Testament was translated into Greek from Hebrew for the first time. The institution and the city came to symbolise diversity, culture and learning, and it was the point at which cultures and civilisations met and flourished. Picture tak

Syrian refugees in Egypt showcase their art

On World Refugee Day, young Syrian refugee artists in Egypt were given the chance to showcase their artwork at an exhibit at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria.

Why did Egypt deport this British-Lebanese TV host?

While Cairo says TV host Liliane Daoud had overstayed her residency permit, others suspect her deportation came as a result of her show hosting anti-government voices.

People walk at the entrance of the State Council's building, Egypt's highest administrative court in Cairo, Egypt May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTX2HD9I

Are Egypt’s courts carrying out their own revolution?

Some recent rulings could indicate Egyptian courts are trying to reclaim — or expand, some would say — the judiciary's influence.

How rotten fish became a favorite delicacy in Gaza

On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Gazans buy and eat a salted and fermented fish called fesikh, which has a long tradition in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt moves to ban 'immoral' TV ads

Advertisers are trying to develop innovative commercials that grab the public’s attention without offending people — or government agencies.

Has Egypt lost its status as star of Arab film industry?

Egyptian production companies have been struggling with growing debts, particularly as actors' salaries are increasing despite lagging revenues.

'The Singer' fails to express Nubian blues

Many Nubians are finding fault with a Ramadan TV series they say misrepresents their forced displacement more than half a century ago.

Will reviving old parliament bring Egypt-Sudan relations back to life?

Egyptian and Sudanese leaders could find solutions to their disputes by reinstating a formerly abandoned, shared parliamentary body.

Why Egyptian women aren’t enjoying this year’s Ramadan TV series

Women's rights groups in Egypt want to change negative depictions of women on Egyptian TV.

A Palestinian boy stands behind a fence as he waits for his relatives to return to Gaza from Egypt through Rafah border crossing, after it was opened by Egyptian authorities on Wednesday for two days for the first time in three months, in the southern Gaza Strip May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2E34K

The longest wait: My journey out of Gaza

Al-Monitor's correspondent documented her own journey from Gaza into Egypt during the Rafah crossing's brief opening in early June.