Mayor of Istanbul arrested as part of crackdown on opposition to Turkish presidentEkrem Imamoglu is considered the chief challenger to leader Recep Tayyip ErdoganWed Mar 19 2025 - 14:39
Ceasefire is the only option for Hamas as Israel renews attacksMilitant group has been under growing pressure from Gazans to end the warTue Mar 18 2025 - 16:50
Syria’s interim president secures agreement with Druze and KurdsAhmed Al-Sharaa has pledged to make Syria ‘inclusive’ and respect all minoritiesWed Mar 12 2025 - 17:12
Hope for Syria as government and Kurds sign deal to merge forcesKurdish community to get citizenship and language rights denied under Assad regimeTue Mar 11 2025 - 17:09
In restive Syria, who are the Alawites? Minority group supports Bashar al-Assad and is now subject to reprisal attacksMon Mar 10 2025 - 17:47
Almost 200 die in Syria as loyalists of deposed Assad regime clash with government forcesViolence deals blow to interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rule of shattered countryFri Mar 07 2025 - 18:40
Arab League had no choice but to find alternative to Trump’s proposal to resettle 2.3m Gazans in Egypt and JordanLong criticised for disunity, the bloc now has a $53bn plan to rebuild Gaza Strip, boost its economy and replace HamasWed Mar 05 2025 - 13:43
Jailed Kurdish leader calls for PKK to ‘disarm, dissolve’ after four-decade campaign that has cost 40,000 lives Abdullah Ocalan is serving life sentence, but could be freed under tentative Turkish peace processFri Feb 28 2025 - 17:11
As Israel is set to free more Palestinian prisoners, thousands still detained face alleged mistreatmentConditions of detention have deteriorated dramatically with Israel holding an estimated 10,000 Palestinian prisonersWed Feb 26 2025 - 19:00
Israeli forces blow up house of alleged killer as West Bank raids continueUN says more than 41,000 Palestinians have fled their homes in the occupied territory during Israel’s military campaignThu Feb 20 2025 - 16:06
Saudi Arabia set to host mini-summit to discuss Trump’s proposal to deport GazansAim is to formulate plan before full meeting of 22-member Arab LeagueMon Feb 17 2025 - 21:06
While Israel faces pressure to bring hostages home, Hamas has to get aid into Gaza to maintain credibilityGazans need mobile homes as rain has swamped makeshift shelters and temperatures fall to 5 degrees at nightThu Feb 13 2025 - 21:56
Jordan has long faced existential peril from pressures to become the ‘Palestinian state’Jordan absorbed most of the 750,000 Palestinians who fled the Israeli-Arab war in 1948. A fresh influx could destabilise the countryWed Feb 12 2025 - 14:48
Trump calls for immediate nuclear talks with TehranUS president dismisses reports that United States and Israel planned to ‘blow Iran to smithereens’ as ‘greatly exaggerated’ Thu Feb 06 2025 - 16:54
Arab leaders have many cards to play in opposing Donald Trump’s Gaza planAnalysis: China and Iran among the potential beneficiaries of US president’s proposal Wed Feb 05 2025 - 15:47
‘If Unrwa goes down, the whole aid structure goes down’Israel’s ban on the UN agency serving refugees is due to be implemented on ThursdayWed Jan 29 2025 - 16:25
Gaza Strip: Infrastructural ruin, destroyed facilities and lack of shelter await returnees despite joy at ceasefire Mass movement of Palestinians back into Gaza encountering lack of basic supplies, sewage treatment systems, freshwater and public waste management. It is claimed the war has reversed development by 60 yearsMon Jan 27 2025 - 17:04
From Gaza to Iran, Trump makes moves to reshape the Middle EastPalestinians have cause for increased concernThu Jan 23 2025 - 16:23
‘There’s this double feeling’: Freed Palestinian prisoner tells of joy and pain after releaseKhalida Jarrar most prominent of 90 Palestinians released on Sunday as part of first phase of ceasefire agreementMon Jan 20 2025 - 16:46
UN estimates that 1.9m people displaced from Gaza’s 2.3m population Organisation indicates that women and children account for 70% of fatalities from death toll of almost 47,000Fri Jan 17 2025 - 15:47
Hamas renews its ranks in face of Israeli military onslaughtBinyamin Netanyahu’s aim of returning 200,000 Israelis to southern and northern communities abandoned during war is unlikely until Gaza has been pacified by political meansThu Jan 16 2025 - 17:05
New prime minister pledges ‘construction of the new Lebanon ... rooted in justice, security, progress and opportunities’Nawaf Salam seen as a man of change who could secure reforms required for the country to access $20bn in international funds to rebuild its shattered economy and war-ravaged regionsTue Jan 14 2025 - 16:47
Saudi Arabia calls for end to sanctions on Syria after Riyadh meetings Regional and western ministers along with senior diplomats pursue ways to advance country’s recoveryMon Jan 13 2025 - 16:53
Election of Joseph Aoun ends Lebanon’s two years without a presidentUN official calls on new president to appoint a prime minister, after two years of caretaker cabinetThu Jan 09 2025 - 17:01
Diplomats tread the road to Damascus as Syria’s new regime seeks international supportHayat Tahrir al-Sham has held talks with European and US officials, as well regional government ministersTue Jan 07 2025 - 15:41
Bethlehem cancels Christmas celebrationsWar means there will be little visitor presence in the birthplace of Jesus this ChristmasMon Dec 23 2024 - 13:00
Human Rights Watch claims Israel’s deprivation of water in Gaza is an act of genocideHRW says dehydration and malnutrition ‘undermine people’s abilities to heal from wounds and disease, leading to infections, illnesses and deaths’Thu Dec 19 2024 - 16:38
Assad’s fall sees Iran’s regional influence waneYemen-based Houthis are the only full-strength survivors of Tehran’s axis of resistanceThu Dec 12 2024 - 16:33
Turkey set to benefit from Assad’s downfallPresident Erdogan determined to further his nation’s regional interests by helping to ensure the transition to a stable new political regime in SyriaWed Dec 11 2024 - 17:05
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani: Profile of the HTS leaderPoliticised in 2000 by the second Palestinian intifada, the man who helped get rid of Bashar al-Assad started thinking about ‘defending a people who are oppressed by occupiers and invaders’Tue Dec 10 2024 - 16:19
Arab rulers fear Syria could slip into factional chaosArab leaders and analysts surprised and shocked by Assad’s sudden fall and flightMon Dec 09 2024 - 18:41
Rebels face task of preventing Syria from fracturing into fiefdomsAnarchy could spill over into neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan and destabilise the eastern Arab worldSun Dec 08 2024 - 17:35
Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Amnesty International report says Israel has repeatedly denied genocide allegations and cites right to defence against Hamas attacksThu Dec 05 2024 - 06:20
Hamas and Fatah agree on postwar Gaza administrationIsraeli government yet to indicate whether it supports the moveTue Dec 03 2024 - 13:18
Advance of Syrian rebels threatens wider instability in Middle EastFall of Aleppo to al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has delivered major blow to the government amid economic crisis caused by mismanagement and sanctionsMon Dec 02 2024 - 16:15
Mahmoud Abbas names temporary successor in Palestinian Authority but rejects calls to resignAbbas blamed for rampant corruption and mismanagement and held responsible for rift with HamasThu Nov 28 2024 - 18:11
Hizbullah withdrawal will not erase its presence in south LebanonFollowing ceasefire deal, Shia movement will halt attacks on Israel, but will assume huge responsibilities in rebuilding towns and infrastructureWed Nov 27 2024 - 15:39
Figures outline the devastation and suffering in GazaAmid death, destruction, deprivation and disease, Gaza is at ‘breaking point’, says UNTue Nov 26 2024 - 17:24
More than 1,000 doctors and nurses killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in past year, officials sayMore than 310 other medical personnel ‘arrested, tortured and executed in prisons’, Hamas-run health authorities sayMon Nov 25 2024 - 16:45
Iraq bans alcohol in clubs and hotels as pro-Iranian Shias tighten gripIraqi critic says decision by pro-Iranian Shias marks attempt to ‘transform Baghdad into Kandahar’Sun Nov 24 2024 - 11:00
Hamas says it has killed 20 armed looters following hijacking of aid trucks entering Gaza Operation targeted gangs of young men from Bedouin tribes, and is first phase in campaign to stamp out theft of humanitarian aidTue Nov 19 2024 - 21:16
Pope has called for international investigation into allegations of Israeli genocide in GazaPope Francis for the first time publicly used the word ‘genocide’ in reference to GazaMon Nov 18 2024 - 15:17
Israel accused of Gaza war crimes over forced displacements‘Systematic and widespread’ forced displacement of Palestinians is a crime against humanity, Human Rights Watch saysThu Nov 14 2024 - 20:12
US failing to push Israel to improve Gazans’ access to life-saving aid, say international agenciesUS continues to supply weapons even though Israel has met few of the 19 demands it set for improving conditions in GazaWed Nov 13 2024 - 15:50
Muslim-Arab summit demands Israel take steps to end Gaza and Lebanon conflictsSaudi crown prince opens major Riyadh gathering by demanding Israel immediately cease ‘military aggression’ and blockade of humanitarian aid to GazaMon Nov 11 2024 - 17:53
Donald Trump’s re-election likely to embolden IsraelUS president-elect is likely to support Binyamin Netanyahu’s interests, but relations with other Middle Eastern leaders are less assuredThu Nov 07 2024 - 19:27
Blinken calls on Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza‘The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of disease, famine and violence’ according to aid agenciesTue Nov 05 2024 - 16:42
UN agencies forced to postpone second round of polio shots in northern Gaza amid Israeli attacks and mass displacementVaccinations postponed due to Israeli attacks, widespread displacement and difficulty accessing locationsThu Oct 24 2024 - 19:00
What next for Hamas? Assassination of leadership by Israel taking heavy tollMany Palestinians now questioning wisdom and conduct of October 7th operation, which precipitated Israel’s total war on GazaFri Oct 18 2024 - 15:41
Iranian foreign minister holds talks with Egyptian president Sisi After the first visit to Cairo in 13 years by Iran’s top diplomat, Mr Araghchi flew on to Turkey, the ninth stop on his regional tour amid rapidly rising regional tensionsThu Oct 17 2024 - 16:56
