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Palestine

January 29, 2026

Ramallah 8:46 am

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As phase 2 looms, Netanyahu insists no Turkish or Qatari troops in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Tuesday address that his country would not completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip under the next phase of the ceasefire, which the Trump administration is pushing to advance.

Truck carrying aid enters Gaza through the border crossing on Oct. 12, 2025, in Rafah, Egypt.

Israel recovers final Gaza hostage, Rafah crossing set to reopen: What to know

The Rafah crossing is expected to allow Palestinians to exit and reenter the Gaza Strip, primarily for those seeking medical treatment.

An Oscar statue at the red carpet at the 96th Annual Academy Awards, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, California, March 9, 2024.

Culture

'Gesture of resistance': Gaza war and Iran repression in Oscars spotlight

This year’s Oscars nominations include Middle Eastern films whose themes of war, government violence and protest have shone a spotlight on politics at home.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Analysis

Under fire at home over Board of Peace, Netanyahu hints Trump could OK Gaza war restart

According to diplomatic sources, Netanyahu believes that at some point Israel will receive a green light from the Trump administration to resume fighting in Gaza, though his coalition partners do not seem reassured.

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

Latest News

Egypt's economy can weather more Red Sea attacks, says finance minister

Ships sail along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia on April 16, 2025.

Analysis

Trump's Board of Peace faces first test: Disarming Hamas

Palestinian Hamas militants secure the area as Egyptian workers, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them?

Ramil Sitdikov / AFP via Getty Images

Herzog: Saudi normalization talks could resume as Gaza ceasefire enters next phase

Israel's President Isaac Herzog gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.

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 volunteer distributes sweets to Muslims after special morning prayers to start the Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on April 10, 2024.

Syria to Sudan, Middle East celebrates bittersweet Eid in shadow of war

Pro-Palestinian protests sweep across the region as Muslims mark the first day of religious holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Gazans at Eid morning prayers at the flattened Al-Farooq mosque in Rafah

Gazans mark 'saddest' Eid with little to celebrate or eat

Agence France-Presse

Protesters interrupt Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as he testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 09, 2024 in Washington, DC. Austin was testifying about the Biden Administration's FY2025 budget request for the Pentagon, which includes supplemental funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and other allies. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

US defense chief: 'We don't have any evidence' Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Lloyd Austin's statement came just weeks after the State Department said it had found no evidence of the Israeli military violating the law of war in Gaza, despite extensive allegations to the contrary by UN officials and international aid groups.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa (L) meets Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 9, 2024.

Saudi Arabia hosts Palestinian PM as Gaza cease-fire talks advance

Mohammed Mustafa’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes after he stopped in Jordan and Egypt in the past days as mediators are pushing for a Gaza cease-fire.

Citizens inspect the effects of the destruction of Al-Farouq Mosque and the buildings destroyed by the Israeli raids on Feb. 22, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.

Netanuyahu says date set for Rafah operation as Cairo talks enter new round

The Israeli prime minister's announcement came as the US dialed up pressure on Hamas to accept a cease-fire proposal tabled by CIA Director Bill Burns in Cairo over the weekend.

A man hands out bags of flour during the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza City on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Israel to reopen Erez crossing for Gaza aid after US pressure

The Israeli measure came after President Joe Biden warned that the US could revise its support if Israel did not protect civilians in Gaza.

Palestinians survey a destroyed pavement following an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams camp near Tulkarm on March 4, 2024, West Bank.

Analysis

Fatah blames Iran as intra-Palestinian violence rocks West Bank

Tensions in the West Bank are not new but have picked up since the start of the Gaza war amid frequent Israeli raids, changes in the Palestinian government and Palestinian reconciliation talks.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

People gather around the carcass of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen.

Humanitarian groups suspend Gaza operations after Israeli strike kills 7 aid workers

World Central Kitchen, a US-based charitable organization, said seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza. Israel said the incident is under investigation.

Palestinian children sit on a hill next to tents housing the displaced in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

US, Israel hold virtual talks over threatened Rafah invasion

The virtual meeting between US and Israeli officials took place a week after the American abstention from a United Nations cease-fire resolution ratcheted up tensions between the two countries.

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks.

Interview

Palestine to bid for full UN membership this month, says ambassador

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour spoke to Al-Monitor about Arab solidarity on Gaza, Palestine’s efforts to become a full member of the UN, reconciliation with Hamas and alleged sexual crimes on both sides of the conflict.

Riyad Mansour

Riyad Mansour

Palestine Ambassador to the UN

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas (R) receives German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Nasser Nasser / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NASSER NASSER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

US welcomes new Palestinian cabinet, pushes for reforms

The Palestinian Authority has been under US pressure to undertake various reforms amid proposals that it take the reins in the Gaza Strip after the war ends.

Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 27, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

White House: No Rafah invasion until Israeli delegation talks alternatives

"We don’t support a major ground operation," White House NSC coordinator John Kirby emphasized on Thursday, as an Israeli delegation is expected to discuss alternatives with top officials in Washington next week.