Humanitarian crises

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.

Haneen Sayyed

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed warns of resurgent sectarian tensions as Israeli strikes drive mass displacement into overcrowded Beirut.

Haneen Sayyed

Haneen Sayyed

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs

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

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa depart after speaking to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 30, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.

Analysis

Why Germany may struggle to meet Merz’s 80% Syria repatriation goal

Germany, which hosts the EU’s largest Syrian refugee population, is pushing to repatriate Syrians, but Syria’s domestic issues and legal protections for asylum seekers complicate those efforts.

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Latest News

China to send aid to Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan as Trump delays Beijing summit

Lin Jian

Iran’s communications blackout limits assessment of war’s humanitarian toll

A man walks past destroyed buildings following airstrikes in central Tehran on March 4, 2026.

'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.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen addresses a press conference in Damascus on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen steps down after six years

Pedersen is leaving as Syria continues to grapple with political upheaval, humanitarian crises and ongoing conflict.

A woman washes her hands at the entrance of a cholera isolation center at the refugee camps of western Sudan, in Tawila in Darfur, on Aug. 12, 2025.

Cholera kills 25 in two days in Sudan's Darfur amid deepening war

The town of Tawila has been the hardest hit in Darfur, with 58 new cholera cases reported on Sunday alone.

drone

RSF, political allies claim responsibility for Khartoum drone strikes: What to know

As Sudan’s army presses a new offensive in Kordofan and Darfur, the RSF and an allied coalition claimed rare responsibility for drone strikes on Khartoum.

SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images

EU Commission chief seeks sanctions, partial trade freeze on Israel: What to know

The proposal comes in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, but divisions among the EU’s 27 member states make it uncertain whether the measures will be adopted.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing on April 11, 2025, after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Spain recalls Israel envoy, imposes sanctions as rift over Gaza deepens: What to know

Israel accused Spain of antisemitism after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of sanctions over its Gaza war policies.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (C-R).

Sudan accuses UAE of hiring Colombian mercenaries in UN complaint

Sudan’s complaint claims 350 to 380 Colombian mercenaries were recruited by Emirati security firms to fight alongside the RSF.

People inspect the debris following a landslide that devastated the village of Tarasin, in Sudan's Jebel Marra area, on Sept. 2, 2025.

Over 1,000 dead in Darfur landslide as Sudan war hinders relief efforts

A devastating landslide in the Marrah Mountains of Darfur has killed over 1,000 people, prompting appeals for international aid amid escalating violence in the region.

Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris speaks to reporters in Khartoum, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Sudan cabinet convenes in Khartoum in first since war began: What to know

Sudan’s newly formed government met in the capital, Khartoum, for the first time since the war broke out in April 2023, as authorities weigh moving the government’s seat from Port Sudan to the capital.

A Sudanese man drives a donkey cart at a market in Abu Shouk camp for the displaced, nearly 20 kms north of El-Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur state, on Nov. 5, 2019.

Sudan's RSF intensifies attacks on el-Fasher as displaced face starvation

Since the weekend, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces militia has stepped up attacks on North Darfur’s besieged capital, el-Fasher.

Macron and Abbas

Israel, US rift with France widens as Paris rebukes US envoy: What to know

In a letter to President Emmanuel Macron and published in the Wall Street Journal, US ambassador to France Charles Kushner said recognition of a Palestinian state would "endanger Jewish life in France."

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel

Interview

Israel deputy FM: France’s Palestinian recognition push is 'reward' for Hamas

Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says that French President Emmanuel Macron has undercut ceasefire negotiations and bolstered Hamas by declaring his intention to recognize Palestinian statehood and encouraging other states to do the same.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists as Egypt floats Hamas disarmament plan

Egypt is reportedly offering to hold Hamas' arms while a deal to end the war is hammered out.