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Palestine

July 16, 2026

Ramallah 10:30 am

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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

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Italy’s Meloni hosts Abbas amid EU Palestinian statehood push: What we know

During his three-day visit to Italy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Leo XIV and is reportedly set to meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Mahmoud Said, La fille aux yeux verts

Culture

Christie's London auction shines global light on Middle Eastern art

The online auction for the 39 lots began Oct. 28 and runs until Nov. 11, while the live auction in London takes place Nov. 6.

Members of the Red Cross stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as heavy machinery operates in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City on Oct. 27, 2025.

Interview

International Red Cross chief says Gaza conflict goes beyond anything he has ever seen

Speaking to a select group of reporters in Manama, the ICRC chief detailed the dire conditions in Gaza and the enclave's urgent humanitarian needs.

Pierre Krahenbuhl

Pierre Krahenbuhl

Director-General of the International Committee

pose for a family photo during a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim countries to discuss the Gaza peace plan, in Istanbul, on Nov. 3, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan says Hamas 'ready' to cede Gaza control amid Trump’s ceasefire push

The message was conveyed to the Turkish side during talks between Ankara and the militant group, a source told Al-Monitor.

(Front L-R) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US President Donald Trump, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other leaders pose for a family picture at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

Wary of Gaza instability, Arab states balk at troop deployment, financing

As Gaza’s ceasefire enters its next phase, Washington’s postwar plan faces growing regional skepticism.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff, Tzachi Braverman, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, ISA Director David Zini, his Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, the Head of IDF Coordination Command, Maj.-Gen. Yaki Dolf, and senior IDF officials.

Analysis

As CENTCOM sets up in southern Israel, fears grow of expanding US influence

CENTCOM's establishment of the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel has given Washington unprecedented control over Israeli actions in Gaza.

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

A boy reacts sitting amid the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 29, 2025.

Israel renews Gaza ceasefire after airstrikes kill over 100 Palestinians

After a night of aerial strikes in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the Israeli military announced the resumption of the Gaza ceasefire.

Hamas militants carry a body retrieved from a tunnel in an area north of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Live Updates

Netanyahu orders 'powerful' strike in Gaza after Hamas attack in Rafah

Earlier in the day, Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military force that was conducting engineering work in the Rafah area, which remains under Israeli control.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JULY 18: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine attends a meeting between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon on July 18, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. This is Katz's first official visit to the United States and the counterparts will discuss shared defense priorities, including Iran’s threat posture and the ongoing war in Gaza. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pentagon’s top general to visit Gaza monitoring center in Israel

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is expected to head to Israel with plans to meet top US and allied military officials involved in postwar efforts to stabilize Gaza.