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Palestine

August 31, 2026

Ramallah 1:05 am

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A boy walks carrying a table on his back past salvage workers scrapping the rubble of a building that was destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza City on Aug. 16, 2026. — Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Hamas bide their time as Gaza peace plan stalls

As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire approaches the one-year mark in October, the Board of Peace is under pressure to deliver results in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian militant group Hamas police officers stand guard as people attend the opening of the Fatah party's eighth general conference at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City on May 14, 2026.

Ex-defense minister: Israel in ‘worst possible’ Gaza situation as Hamas gains strength

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant criticized the Israeli government for allowing Hamas to retain control over half of the Gaza Strip.

Latest News

Turkey seeks Interpol Red Notices for Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla

Murat Kocabas / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Australia summons Israeli ambassador over World Central Kitchen strike: What to know

Zomi Frankcom

Analysis

Netanyahu yields to Trump on Gaza, betting Hamas won’t disarm

Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Daoud Kuttab

Palestine Columnist

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Fatima AbdulKarim

In Ramallah, reporting on the West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on December 10, 2023

Day 69 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Dec. 14

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Does Hamas have a future after Gaza war?

Also: Qatar’s outsized diplomacy and we need to talk about Iran.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Mousa Abu Marzouk is seen during a Nov. 7 interview with the BBC.

Interview

In shift, a top Hamas official floats Israel recognition

In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk suggested the militant group would adhere to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s stance on Israel.

Mousa Abu Marzouk

Mousa Abu Marzouk

Senior Hamas official

Family members of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, including (L-R) Yael Alexander, Orna Neutra, Adi Alexander and Liz Naftali, talk to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on Dec. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Day 68 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Dec. 13

King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) speaks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (R) during the Global Refugee Forum, in Geneva on December 13, 2023.

UN agencies multiply calls for Gaza cease-fire, Jordan steadfast on refugee policy

Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi urged an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, while taking a shot at the UN Security Council over its failure to demand a full cease-fire.

Palestinians wave yellow flags of Fatah group as they wait for the release of prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held by Hamas, in Ramallah on Nov. 27, 2023.

Analysis

Is a Hamas-Fatah rapprochement in the cards?

Despite years of acrimony, some high-ranking officials from Fatah and Hamas say it's in the interest of both parties to join forces as part of a unity government.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Fashion giant Zara faces backlash over ad campaign

Spain-headquartered Zara is no stranger to controversy amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

US President Joe Biden (L) listens to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.

Day 67 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Dec. 12

A picture taken in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 11, 2023.

Day 66 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Dec. 11

An aid convoy bearing the Jordanian flag enters the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas, Nov. 20, 2023.

Middle East countries join global call for strike in solidarity with Palestinians

Several countries in the region observed a strike in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to demand an end of the Israeli war.

A ball of fire rises above a building during an Israeli strike in Rafah

Day 65 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Dec. 10

A ball of fire rises above a building during an Israeli strike in Rafah

Day 64 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Dec. 9