Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

May 6, 2026

Tel Aviv 12:41 pm

20°C

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

While President Donald Trump keeps pressuring Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Israel fears the American leader will decide to cut his losses and sideline the nuclear threat.

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

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains among the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026.

Culture

Lebanon's churches, mosques and archaeological sites damaged in Israeli strikes

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have damaged a growing number of cultural and religious sites, as sites in Israel have also sustained damage from Hezbollah and Iranian attacks.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid (L) speaks to outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during a meeting at the Knesset (parliament), in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022. - Final approval of the parliament dissolution bill was initially expected by midnight but was postponed to June 30 as coalition and opposition lawmakers sparred over last-minute legislative details, several sources familiar with the parliamentary said. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Bennett, Lapid unite Israel’s opposition to unseat Netanyahu?

Six months before Israel's next elections, opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have decided to run on one anti-Netanyahu ticket.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Latest News

Analysis

Iron Dome in Gulf: How Iran war turned UAE-Israel defense ties operational

AFP via Getty Images

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Rina Bassist

Associate Editor (Israel)

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

IDF soldiers move through neighborhoods destroyed by Hamas militants after they attacked this kibbutz days earlier near the border of Gaza on October 15, 2023 in Kfar Aza, Israel. Israel has sealed off Gaza and launched sustained retaliatory air strikes, which have killed at least 1,400 people with more than 400,000 displaced, after a large-scale attack by Hamas. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, killing over 1,300 peopl

Analysis

Arab Israelis express solidarity with victims of Hamas attack

Arab Israelis, including members of the Bedouin community in the Negev, are among the victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

Afif Abu Much

By Afif Abu Much

In Baqa al-Gharbiyye, reporting on business and tech

SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Rafah crossing still closed for Americans fleeing Gaza, despite US-Egypt deal

The White House national security adviser said that an attempt by American citizens to pass through the Rafah crossing into Egypt failed due to Hamas' actions.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (C) and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (R) visit the damaged Barzilai Medical Center in the city of Ashkelon on October 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7 which killed at least 1300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed more than 1900 in the Gaza Strip ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of the territory. (Photo b

France's top diplomat discusses hostages in Israel, ahead of Lebanon visit

French Minister Catherine Colonna met today in Israel with her counterpart Eli Cohen and with families of French-Israelis missing and kidnapped by Hamas before next traveling to Lebanon.

A picture taken from the southern Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 15, 2023.

Day 9 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Oct. 15

Nine days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

onvoy trucks loaded with supplies are seen at Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road on Oct. 14, 2023, in Cairo.

Nearly 600 Americans stuck in Gaza amid Egypt talks over Rafah, aid

Egyptian officials said they will not allow foreigners to exit Gaza via the Rafah border crossing until an agreement on aid deliveries is reached, according to reports.

Policemen from the River Brigade (Brigade Fluviale) patrol on a boat on the Seine River, in front of the Louvres' museum in Paris on May 9, 2023.

France on high alert due to Hamas-Israel war, Louvre Museum closed

The killing on Friday of teacher Dominique Bernard was apparently related to tensions in the Middle East, said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

Ben Caspit and Daoud Kuttab Webinar

Israeli, Palestinian journalists preview Gaza war at Al-Monitor event

Ben Caspit and Daoud Kuttab delved into the details of Israel’s security failures, the future of the Palestinian quest for statehood and the ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip at Al-Monitor's webinar.

Israel has pounded northern Gaza since Hamas's deadly incursion a week ago

Day 8 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Oct. 14

Eight days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

Gaza fighting

'We are living a real doomsday': Gaza residents with nowhere to hide from Israel’s looming incursion

Al-Monitor correspondent in Gaza says “no one is able to help anyone” as Israel prepares for ground assault; our reporting from Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Iran and more; why China sees the war as a net negative.

A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally in Milan on the sixth day of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, October 12, 2023.

Turkey says 'intensive contacts' underway to free Israel's hostages with Hamas

The Turkish president said his government, which has channels to both Hamas and Israel, is seeking the release of hostages held in Gaza, but hinted at Western obstacles.

An Israeli Merkava battle tank moves in a convoy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, October 13, 2023.

Analysis

Israel's cruel dilemma as it embarks on ground operation in Gaza

With two former generals, leaders of the opposition, now inside the cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may soon launch a ground offensive.

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

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speak to the press at Israel Aerospace Industries headquarters, in Tel Aviv, March 9, 2023.

'We have your back,' US defense chief pledges on visit to Israel

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reassured Israeli leaders of continued US support in the war against Hamas.