Israeli-Palestinian conflict

An elections employee tapes a poster with instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Feature

Gazans show cautious hope ahead of first local elections in 20 years

The city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza is set to hold municipal elections for the first time in nearly two decades.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds the hand of his wife Sara as they attend a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Netanyahu says he was treated for prostate cancer: What we know

The prime minister said he postponed the report’s publication to prevent it from being released at the height of the war with Iran.

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.

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.

Iran war deepens Gaza crisis as prices soar, aid falters

Gazans fear that Israel could exploit the wider regional war to reenter Gaza, especially as buffer zones along the border continue to expand and civilians are targeted to keep them away.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Latest News

'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military

Israeli settler violence graffiti

Analysis

India's Modi arrives in Israel as fears grow of US-Iran conflict

PM Netanyahu - X

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

'No meaningful protection': Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks

People walk through a heavily damaged street in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

Israeli security and emergency personnel cordon off the site of an explosion in Tel Aviv, on Aug. 18, 2024.

Israel says August Tel Aviv suicide attack planned by Hamas office in Turkey

The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed that they arrested nine people suspected of involvement in the August Tel Aviv suicide bomber attack, allegedly carried out under instructions from Hamas' office in Turkey.

Photo by United States Forces Korea via Getty Images

US THAAD missile defense system begins arriving in Israel

The arrival of a THAAD system and US troops comes after Israel's Arrow antiballistic missile batteries underperformed during Iran's Oct. 1 barrage of more than 180 ballistic missiles.

Palestinian youths inspect a fallen projectile after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.

Analysis

Israel lowers expectations on Iran strikes with eye on US election

Israeli leaders insist that a retaliatory strike against Iran is on its way, but reports say the attack could be a limited one and will focus on military targets.

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

Members of Imamia Students Organization, a Shiite Muslim student wing, take part in a protest to condemn the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, as policemen fire tear gas shells to disperse them in Karachi on Sept. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Tehran’s influence in Pakistan becomes visible amid Israel-Iran tensions

Shiite Muslims in Pakistan have considerable clout, and their ideological links are with the religious hierarchy in Iran.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, shakes hands with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Sept. 12, 2024.

Analysis

From Syria to Ukraine: What’s driving Moscow’s thinking on Israel-Iran conflict?

Russia is concerned about spillover from the Iran-Israel conflict into Syria but believes that the situation in the Middle East could bolster its war effort in Ukraine, experts told Al-Monitor.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. Human Rights Watch warned on September 25 that Israeli strikes on Lebanon were putting civilians "at grave risk", urging an international investigation into hostilities in the country and in northern Israel. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

With Lebanon under Israeli bombardment, over 200,000 flee to war-torn Syria

With land travel now stymied due to Israeli shelling, desperate, hungry and tired civilians are making the arduous journey on foot to the Syrian border in hopes of finding temporary safety.

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

YOAV LEMMER/AFP via Getty Images

WFP to send aid ship to feed displaced in Lebanon

The UN food agency is raising the alarm over food insecurity and a harsh winter in the Levant as the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon continue.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

UN inquiry accuses Israel of crimes against humanity in destroying Gaza’s hospitals

Israel’s government did not cooperate with the investigation, which accused Israel of the international crime of “extermination” for widespread and systematic attacks on Gaza’s health care infrastructure and medical personnel.

A UNIFIL personnel carrier drives by a picture of late Hezbollah leader Sheikh Abbas al-Mussawi May 2, 2000, in the village of Ghandourieyh in south Lebanon.

Live Updates

France summons Israel envoy after new attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Four peacekeepers have been injured in the past 48 hours after UNIFIL positions were hit by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon, sparking deep concern from the UN regarding the safety of its mission in Lebanon.

In an aerial view, container ships sit docked at the Port of Oakland on May 21, 2024, in Oakland, California.

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd to partner on Africa route avoiding Red Sea

Gemini Cooperation will use the Cape of Good Hope network, which has been the alternative transit route for hundreds of vessels since the Houthis stepped up their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in mid-November 2023.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 4: U.S. President Joe Biden turns around to joke with a reporter as he leaves a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden made a surprise appearance, his first in the briefing room since becoming president, to tout a positive job report and take questions from reporters. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Biden, Netanyahu speak as Israel plans retaliation against Iran

The two leaders spoke as the region awaits the Israeli military's response to Iran's latest missile barrage.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Oct. 5, 2024.

Analysis

'Do not test our will,' Iran FM Araghchi warns Israel ahead of Saudi Arabia visit

Iran's foreign minister began a regional tour as Tehran prepared for a possible Israeli strike, with its Revolutionary Guard saying it had a wide range of plans in store for retaliation.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics