Gaza

JERUSALEM - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on the day of Trump's address on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran and Gaza: Why Trump's backing of Netanyahu may come with strings attached

Netanyahu could offer Trump several concessions: hold off on striking Iran until after the Nov. 3 US midterms, ease restrictions on Gaza’s reconstruction or crack down on settler violence in the West Bank.

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

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.

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Bar is suing for 3 million shekels ($970,000) over a Sept. 28 post on X in which Netanyahu blamed the former Shin Bet chief for Oct. 7 intelligence failures and accused him of withholding warnings.

The British Consulate General in east Jerusalem represents the British government in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during a protest against the recently announced British sanctions, aimed at economic activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, on Sept. 14, 2026, in Jerusalem.

Explainer

Israel-UK relations hit new low over settlements, Gaza: What to know

Despite Britain’s ban on goods from Israeli settlements and Israel’s closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, both countries are seeking to keep communication channels open.

Latest News

Why Netanyahu still resists an independent probe 3 years after Oct. 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath during the state memorial ceremony for the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, Oct. 5, 2026.

Analysis

Three years after Oct. 7, Hamas’ grip on Gaza tests Netanyahu’s ‘total victory’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the state memorial ceremony for the third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack, at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, Oct. 5, 2026.

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

Israel bars UK Greens leader over Zionism-racism resolution: What to know

Green Party leader Zack Polanski delivers his speech during day one of the Green Party annual conference at Brighton Centre on Oct. 2, 2026, in Brighton, England.

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

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JULY 18: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine attends a meeting between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon on July 18, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. This is Katz's first official visit to the United States and the counterparts will discuss shared defense priorities, including Iran’s threat posture and the ongoing war in Gaza. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pentagon’s top general to visit Gaza monitoring center in Israel

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is expected to head to Israel with plans to meet top US and allied military officials involved in postwar efforts to stabilize Gaza.

Alaà Al-Shawa’s “Fragile Masks,” a double portrait of restitched faces, highlights the young artist's quest for survival. (Photo: Nazlan Ertan)

Culture

Gaza artists' unorthodox biennial finds a home in Istanbul

The Gaza Biennale — Istanbul Pavillion, themed “A Cloud in My Hand,” reflects Gaza artists’ quest for survival as well as their hopes for a postconflict homeland.

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025.

Feature

Inside Congress' battle to repeal Syria's Caesar sanctions

Five months after President Trump pledged to lift sanctions on Syria, the harshest penalties remain on the books.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

'A real collision course': Israel fumes at US takeover of Gaza, West Bank policy

Current and former Israeli officials are bristling at intense US pressure to conclude the war in Gaza at "whatever the cost," fearing that the worst is yet to come.

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

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks following their meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on Oct. 23, 2025.

Rubio meets Netanyahu in push to preserve Gaza ceasefire

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the latest US official dispatched to Israel to maintain the ceasefire’s momentum.

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House, on Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington

Trump to Israel: West Bank annexation could end US support

"It won't happen," President Donald Trump said of annexation.

Hamas fighters gather at the site of the handing over of two Israeli hostages in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 22, 2025.

Interview

Trump's back channel to Hamas says militants could cede heavy weapons in disarmament deal

Bishara Bahbah says he recently relayed messages between the Trump administration and Hamas concerning the handover of the deceased hostages.

Bishara Bahbah

Bishara Bahbah

Founder, Arab Americans for Peace

NATHAN HOWARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Vance cautions Gaza truce 'tough task' as Knesset pushes West Bank bill

Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza, noting Arab countries are ready to help.

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 19, 2025.

US military to start Gaza ceasefire monitoring as international force plans stall

Diplomatic snags and concerns that their troops could be caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israel are raising questions about a US proposal to stabilize postwar Gaza with an international force, despite "great optimism" cited by US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday.

US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance greet US Ambassador

Analysis

As Trump envoys seek ceasefire progress, Netanyahu pins hopes on Hamas scuttling deal

"The ceasefire is still holding, but not thanks to Israel," a senior Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity as US envoys work to keep the deal alive.

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

US Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance disembark Air Force Two on arrival to Ben Gurion airport on Oct. 21, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Vance arrives in Israel to bolster fragile Gaza ceasefire

His visit comes a week after President Donald Trump flew to Israel to celebrate the hard-won deal.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Witkoff, Kushner in Israel to salvage Gaza ceasefire after series of flare-ups

The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain the ceasefire with Hamas and begin implementing the second phase of the US president's Gaza peace plan.