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May 5, 2025

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The barge Jennifer, part of a three ship flotilla carrying food aid for the Gaza Strip, sails next to the French frigate Courbet as the flotilla departs the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, March 30, 2024.

Gaza-bound aid flotilla hit in drone attack near Malta: What to know

The attack on the flotilla comes as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorates.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025.

Trump's Gaza diplomacy takes back seat to Iran, Ukraine in first 100 days

Gaza is on the back burner as nuclear negotiations with Iran and talks to end the Ukraine war command the attention of President Trump and his Middle East envoy.

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh attends a meeting with the US Secretary of State and other foreign ministers, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Jordanian capital Amman on Nov. 4, 2023.

Analysis

For Israel, al-Sheikh appointment as Palestinian VP signals continuity, pragmatism

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestinian Authority is unlikely to bring dramatic changes to its policies on Israel.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Hussein al-Sheikh

Hussein al-Sheikh, Abbas protege named Palestinian VP, draws mixed reactions

Sheikh’s rise to vice-chair of the PLO and vice president of the State of Palestine signals a potential shift in leadership, but his controversial past and complex political alliances leave the future of his role uncertain.

Latest News

Switzerland to ban Hamas on May 15, allowing expulsions: What we know

This photograph taken on April 3, 2024, shows the House of Swiss Parliament under heavy clouds in Swiss capital Bern.

Israel intercepts weapons-laden drone from Egypt: What we know

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Hussein Sheikh as PLO's first vice president: Palestinian reform or Abbas gesture?

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, gestures as he arrives for the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on April 23 urged Hamas to free all hostages in Gaza, saying their captivity provided Israel with "excuses" to attack the territory, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Analysis

Macron’s Palestine gamble: Can recognition plan jump-start peace talks?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron take part in a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

United Airlines passenger aircrafts are lined up at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Shekel drops 1.2% as United Airlines, Delta halt Israel flights after Haniyeh's killing

The currency fell by 1.2% after Hamas blamed Israel for the strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Bloomberg reported.

The Palestinian Hamas movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh flashes the victory sign following a speech at a public rally during his visit to the southern Lebanese city of Saida, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Who was Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political leader assassinated in Iran?

The Qatar-based Haniyeh became Hamas’ political chief in 2017 after ascending the group’s ranks and helped repair relations with Iran.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas listens as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) speaks during a meeting in Ankara, on March 5, 2024.

Abbas to visit Turkey mid August as both condemn Haniyeh’s killing

The visit is scheduled amid rising tensions after the Hamas leader's assassination in Tehran, with experts urging Turkey to exercise caution vis-a-vis Hamas amid regional instability.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters after his meeting with the Egyptian president, at the Cairo airport, on June 10, 2024.

US says not involved in killing of Hamas leader Haniyeh

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is “imperative” following the assassination of Hamas' political leader.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based political bureau chief of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, speaks to the press after a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Tehran on March 26, 2024. Haniyeh's visit to Tehran comes a day after a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a "lasting" truce. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed while visiting Iran

While no party has claimed responsibility, the Gaza-based militant group immediately accused Israel of being behind the killing.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th National Convention, Houston, July 25, 2024.

Palestinians in Gaza warm to Kamala Harris, prefer 'anyone over Trump'

An informal canvasing in Gaza showed the US vice president to be Palestinians' preferred choice as the next US president.

FAIZ ABU RMELEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas calls for avenging death of West Bank leader in Israel jail

A Hamas leader in the West Bank died while in Israeli custody after he was allegedly denied medical treatment.

Democratic presidential candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, disembarks Air Force Two at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 23, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Analysis

Kamala Harris tells Netanyahu 'time to get deal done,' highlights Palestinian suffering

The meeting today encapsulates the challenges the vice president faces in maintaining a fragile Democratic coalition divided over Israel's war in Gaza.

By Bryant Harris

In Washington, reporting on Congress

A letter penned to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from former US President Donald Trump.

Trump posts letter from Palestinian president ahead of Netanyahu meeting

Former President Donald Trump said it was “so nice” of the Palestinian president to send the letter after the recent assassination attempt, calling him by his first name Mahmoud.

(L-R) Mahmoud al-Aloul, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of Palestinian organisation and political party Fatah, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, senior member of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23, 2024. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 23 hailed an agreement by 14 Palestinian factions to set up an "interim national reconciliation government" to govern Gaza after the war. (Photo by Pedro Pardo

'The Beijing Declaration,' China brokers Hamas-Fatah unity deal: What we know

China’s role in the region has been growing in recent years, reaching its peak with the signing of a declaration by Palestinian factions in which they agreed to form a unity government.

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship team celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024, in Washington.

From Gaza to Iran: What Kamala Harris’ Middle East policy could look like

Harris has been described as more critical of Israel than President Joe Biden, but with similar views on Iran and relations with regional leaders, including in the Gulf.

JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images

Biden exit from presidential race hangs over Netanyahu's Washington trip

The Israeli prime minister’s highly anticipated address to Congress risks being overshadowed by President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential contest.