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July 18, 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

President Joe Biden answers questions while departing the White House on Jan. 30, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Will Biden listen to Congress progressives, condition aid to Israel?

More Democratic senators are asking the White House to condition military support to Israel as the war in Gaza drags on and the humanitarian situation grows more dire.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, at Diwan Annex, in Doha on February 6, 2024, during his Middle East tour, his fifth urgent trip to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza erupted in October. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas delivers 'positive' response on hostage deal, Qatari PM says

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said he was “optimistic” after receiving a formal response from the Palestinian militant group hours earlier.

ALI KHALIGH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

How the Gaza boycotts are impacting McDonald's, Starbucks sales

Last month, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said “misinformation” about the company’s position on the conflict had hurt the business.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: Annie Lennox performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Culture

Grammys feature Gaza cease-fire calls, keffiyeh & support for Israeli hostages

The devastation continues in Gaza despite international efforts to reach a cease-fire as the death toll surpasses 27,000.

A Palestinian man walks alongside Israel's separation barrier painted with an image of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, in the West Bank town of al-Azariya, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Nov. 8, 2021.

Hussein, Rajoub or Barghouti: Fatah leadership as key to Palestinian future

While Fatah has lost its liberation role over the past decades, the movement is also struggling with how to prepare for the day after Mahmoud Abbas.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends an observation of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations on May 15, 2023 in New York City. A day of observation of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba was held at the UN with performances by Palestinian singer Sanaa Moussa, Grammy Award-nominee cellist and composer Naseem Alatrash who was accompanied by the New York Arabic Orchestra and directed by Eugene Friesen. Nakba was the displacement o

Palestinians want Abbas to resign, but don't say goodbye yet

Despite his unpopularity at home, President Mahmoud Abbas remains Palestine's primary representative to Western officials and the leadership transition must be slow and cautious.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne chairs a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the Middle East, including the situation in Gaza and Israel on Jan. 23, 2024, in New York City.

France's new FM Sejourne makes first visit to Egypt, Lebanon, Israel & Jordan

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné is set to visit the Middle East, meeting with almost all the parties involved in the Gaza war, except Qatar.

Yahia al-Sinwar (C), Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, shakes hands with a masked fighter of Hamas' Qassam Brigades during a rally marking the 35th anniversary of the group's foundation, in Gaza City on December 14, 2022. - Hamas will end talks on securing a prisoner exchange with Israel unless there is progress soon, the militant group's leader in the Gaza Strip said on December 14. Since Israel's 2014 invasion of the Gaza Strip, the Islamist group has held the bodies of Israeli

Why Gaza's future will still include Hamas in a larger Palestinian deal

With the day after the war approaching, the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank needs Hamas in Gaza as much as Hamas needs the Palestinian Authority.

THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

Biden authorizes sanctions over West Bank settler attacks

Under a new executive order, the State Department has imposed sanctions on four Israelis accused of violence and intimidation that forced Palestinians to flee their homes in the West Bank.

The children of Palestinian Mahmoud Al-Durra, 32 years old, from Gaza City, who was displaced to the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip after Israeli raids destroyed his house and his wife was killed, play in the ruins on Jan. 31, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.

Hamas claims stir debate over UN’s aid lifeline to Gaza

The Biden administration is under mounting pressure to urgently resume funding for UNRWA, without which aid agencies say humanitarian conditions will further deteriorate in the Gaza Strip.

A Starbucks store stands in Manhattan on January 30, 2024 in New York City. The global coffee chain officially introduced its extra virgin olive oil-infused drinks on Tuesday. Named Oleato, the drinks debuted in Italy in February 2023 and arrive in stores on the same day Starbucks will report fourth-quarter earnings. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Starbucks feels Gaza boycott heat, cuts sales forecast as BDS targets Chevron

The two companies are being targeted by campaigners over perceived support for sides in the Israel-Hamas war.

MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for talks on hostage release, truce

A Hamas delegation has been dispatched to Cairo to discuss the latest proposal on a truce and release of hostages in Gaza, though several sticking points remain between the two sides.