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July 17, 2026

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Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference.

Explainer

What does Hamas' move to dissolve its Gaza government mean?

Hamas has agreed to hand civilian administration over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, but the committee is not yet in Gaza and may not deploy until Hamas’ disarmament is resolved.

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Kiros has taken a hard stance against Israel and opposes all aid to the country as pro-Palestinian candidates make further inroads in the party.

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

In a new report, Amnesty International said that the escalating forced displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank is part of a state-led campaign to control the Palestinian territory.

Latest News

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Record Israeli arms exports highlight global rush for air defense

People stand in front of the Arrow 3 shield system during an event of the German Air Force to declare the Initial Operating Capability for the Arrow Weapon System for Germany at the Annaburger Heide Air Base in Schoenewalde / Holzdorf, eastern Germany, on Dec. 3, 2025.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

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.