Palestine - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent since 2012

Palestine cover image

Palestine

March 18, 2026

Al Bīrah 9:24 am

19°C

Displaced Palestinians gather for a fast-breaking Iftar meal amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Feb. 23, 2026.

Analysis

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority

Hamas has so far stayed out of the escalating Iran war, despite its longstanding alliance with Tehran, reflecting a cautious strategic calculation.

Abeer Ayyoub

By Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the US-Israel war in Iran a "flagrant illegality.”

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

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

The guidelines expand Israeli authority to deny NGO registration in the Palestinian territories and visas for foreign aid workers as Gaza continues to reel from two years of war.

ANKARA, TURKEY - JANUARY 21: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among world leaders that have been invited by United States President Donald Trump, to join the Gaza Board of Peace, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also included as an appointed member. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Turkey’s exclusion from Gaza force may be a strategic blessing

Despite being excluded from Gaza’s international stabilization force, Ankara will likely leverage its ties with Hamas to maintain influence within the Trump administration’s Board of Peace.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

How did FIFA become part of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction effort?

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Billions pledged, but Hamas' grip clouds Trump’s Gaza plan

US President Donald Trump (C), flanked by US Vice President JD Vance (L) and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R), joins leaders for a group photo during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 19, 2026.

Trump touts pledges of troops, billions for Gaza at Board of Peace summit

US President Donald Trump attends the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Feb. 19, 2026.

Interview

Huckabee confirms US-Israel alignment on Iran, says Hamas will disarm 'sooner or later'

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, March 25, 2025.

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

A hungry young boy eats raw noodles as dislocated Palestinians carry the humanitarian aid they have received from a United Nations distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025, following a chaotic incident in which Gazans stormed the aid center, leading to the withdrawal of the American company overseeing the operation after losing control of the situation. The scene underscores the desperation and urgency surrounding the humanitarian crisis as

Why a US-backed Gaza plan is sparking accusations of weaponizing aid

Humanitarian experts say an obscure paramilitary contractor led by a former CIA official may be aiding Israel’s military in using food as a weapon of war in Gaza.

People watch as smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on May 25, 2025.

Gaza ceasefire seen imminent as Witkoff finalizes Hamas-Israel deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that he accepts the recent proposal by American envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to secure the release of 10 abductees and establish a two-month ceasefire in Gaza.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff delivers remarks during the swearing in ceremony for interim US Attorney for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington.

Trump envoy optimistic about Gaza ceasefire as US prepares new terms

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had "good feelings" about prospects for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

UAE summons Israeli envoy over Jerusalem march, provocations

The United Arab Emirates has summoned Israel’s ambassador over recent tensions and violence in east Jerusalem, marking the first such diplomatic protest by the Gulf state since 2022.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

US-backed Gaza aid body launches as Witkoff pans Hamas truce proposal: What to know

Hamas said it accepted a US proposal on a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which both Israel and the US denied, as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is quickly deteriorating.

MARTIN BERTRAND/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

EU could partially suspend Israel's association agreement within weeks: Sources

European diplomats told Al-Monitor that in view of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the European Commission is expected to present options to member states for pressuring Israel on the issue.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A truck carrying humanitarian aid drives through the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 22, 2025

US-backed aid group begins controversial relief operation in Gaza

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has faced controversy since its establishment over its plan to deliver aid to Gazans through a limited number of distribution points, without the involvement of UN agencies.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

29 in Gaza die from starvation says PA; UNICEF warns 9,000 children malnourished

Under international pressure, Israeli has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza as Palestinian officials report starvation-related deaths.

FBI agents cordon off the scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025.

What we know about Elias Rodriguez, suspect in attack on Israeli Embassy staff in DC

The 30-year-old man from Chicago is suspected of killing Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

A man, standing behind police tape, talks on his cell phone outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025.

Two Israeli Embassy staff shot dead outside Jewish Museum in Washington

The two staff members from the embassy to the United States were shot and killed late Wednesday when leaving the Jewish Museum; two others were injured.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (2nd L) walks alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas as they review an honour guard at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on May 21, 2025.

Mahmoud Abbas declares from Lebanon ‘era of weapons outside state' over

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Lebanon for a high-level visit that will focus on the spread of weapons inside Palestinian camps and ways to remove them.