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July 16, 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

Basem Naim, member of Hamaspolitical bureau speaks during an interview with AFP in Istanbul on February 8, 2025. Hamas has no desire to return to war with Israel, a senior official with the Palestinian group told AFP on February 8, 2025, nearly three weeks into a fragile ceasefire that halted fighting in Gaza. "Returning to war is certainly not our wish nor our decision," Basem Naim said in an interview. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Hamas official says group needs guarantees on war's end and statehood to disarm

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stopped short of pledging that Hamas would not fire on international troops, but said the militant group has "no problem” with the stabilization force.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, UNRWA’s Tamara Alrifai said the upcoming Turkey office would help the agency to expand its operations not only in Gaza but also in Syria.

Tamara Alrifai

JERUSALEM - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on the day of Trump's address on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

As he stalls Gaza plan, will Netanyahu pick his far-right coalition over Trump?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won’t publicly go against the Gaza plan of President Donald Trump, but he keeps stalling on discussing the parameters for the implementation of the plan’s second phase.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s spy chief holds talks in Egypt over trapped Hamas militants

Turkey’s spy chief met with Qatari, Egyptian officials as the Gaza ceasefire process stalls over Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels.

UN Security Council votes for US resolution on the Gaza peace plan

UN Security Council endorses US plan for Gaza security force

The US-drafted resolution also endorses the Trump-led Board of Peace and references possible statehood for the Palestinians.

(COMBO) This combination created on February 24, 2025 of file pictures shows the leader and top candidate for Chancellor of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party Friedrich Merz (L, on February 24, 2025 in Berlin) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (on December 9, 2024 in Jerusalem.. Friedrich Merz, who is expected to be Germany's next chancellor after his conservative CDU/CSU bloc won national elections, said on February 24, 2025 that he would make sure Benjamin Netanyahu "can visit" G

Germany lifts Israel arms embargo: What changed in Berlin?

With the ceasefire in place, even though violated at times, Berlin decided to lift the partial arms embargo it imposed on Israel.

US President Donald J. Trump leaves the Saudi Royal Court with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Ahead of MBS visit, Saudis link Israel normalization to 3 asks from Trump

President Donald Trump would clearly like to say he persuaded Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize ties, but neither Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seem ready to make the necessary compromises.

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

A South African Airways (SAA) flight is seen on the tarmac before departing from the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sept. 23, 2021.

After 13 hours, 150 Gazans allowed to enter South Africa: What to know

The group were reportedly stranded for several hours after opting to leave the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

Young Palestinians look at the damage in the Hajja Hamida Mosque after it was reportedly set on fire and vandalised by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya, near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on November 13, 2025. Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli settlers torch, vandalize West Bank mosque as attacks skyrocket

Israeli settlers torched a mosque in the central West Bank on Thursday amid a serious escalation in settler attacks across the Palestinian territory in recent weeks.

A Palestinian man tries to extinguish flames from a burning truck after an Israeli settlers attack in the village of Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 11, 2025.

Israeli settlers arrested after injuring 4 Palestinians in West Bank rampage: What to know

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that October saw the highest monthly number of Israeli settler attacks since it began tracking the incidents in 2006.

New York City's mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, attends a press conference at the Unisphere, in Queens, Nov. 5, 2025.

Analysis

Israel scrambles for strategy as Mamdani’s NYC victory sparks alarm

Prominent Israeli politicians have been scathing in remarks about the pro-Palestinian Zohran Mamdani and his election as mayor, while many Israelis have an unfavorable opinion of him.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics