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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

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wave to members of the audience after speaking at a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris are using today's rally to launch a nationwide campaign to court black voters, a group that has traditionally come out in favor of Biden, but their support is projected lower than it was in 2020. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Middle East cheers Biden’s withdrawal, uncertain about Kamala Harris pick

Many people in the region were joyful about President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection, as they blame him for the crises including the war in the Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks das he meets with G7 Foreign Ministers during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2024.

Blinken signals optimism that Gaza cease-fire within reach

The top US diplomat said negotiators are "inside the 10 yard line" of securing a deal to halt the nine-month war in return for the hostages' release.

White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrives at the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2024, in Washington, DC.

White House envoy McGurk heads to Jordan, UAE ahead of Netanyahu’s US visit

President Joe Biden is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week as Washington doubles down on its pursuit of a cease-fire in Gaza and initial steps toward Palestinian statehood.

Palestinians lift flags of the Hamas and Fatah groups as they demonstrate in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on November 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

Guarded optimism on Palestinian reconciliation ahead of Fatah-Hamas meeting in China

Officials in Ramallah say that Hamas accepting the creation of a Palestinian state within the framework of the two-state solution is crucial to progressing Palestinian reconciliation efforts.

US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a rally in Doral, Florida, on July 9, 2024.

Republican platform a preview of Trump’s Middle East agenda

The platform calls for standing with Israel, deporting "pro-Hamas radicals" and making college campuses "patriotic" again.

US President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference at the close of the 75th NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on July 11, 2024.

Biden touts Gaza cease-fire progress as reelection concerns mount

The president acknowledged that Israel has been “less than cooperative” during the Gaza war with its top ally the United States.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) listen.

US lawmakers advance bill to block new UN rights for Palestine

The House Foreign Affairs Committee also voted on legislation to claw back UNRWA funds and denounce a UN decision to list Israel as an abuser of children’s rights.

A picture shows a view of the Israeli settler unauthorised outpost of Meitarim Farm near Hebron city in the occupied West Bank on Feb. 14, 2024.

Breaking | Last Updated: July 12, 2024, 7:41 am

Extremist West Bank settlers, outposts hit with US sanctions

The State Department imposed sanctions on Lehava, a right-wing Jewish supremacist group accused of repeated acts of violence against Palestinians.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt, Qatar, US, Israel officials convene in Doha for Gaza cease-fire talks

The talks began in Cairo, days after Hamas said it would drop its initial demand for a permanent cease-fire.

An undated image of Amin Abed.

Palestinians in war-torn Gaza outraged over assault of anti-Hamas activist

A prominent activist known for his anti-Hamas positions was attacked by unknown armed men in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli war, with many blaming Hamas for the attack.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: CIA Director William Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines depart from the U.S. Capitol Building on January 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. Burns and Haines attended a briefing on Ukraine, Israel and the Middle East for the House Intelligence Committee and House Leadership. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

US officials Burns, McGurk in Cairo to close gaps in Gaza cease-fire talks

A White House spokesperson said there are differences that remain between the two sides, even after Hamas softened its demands in its latest counterproposal.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Seven Palestinians killed as Israel raids West Bank’s Jenin

The Israeli military has ramped up its crackdown in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began, fearing a new front of fighting.