World | Middle East
Israel has the power to avert famine in Gaza. Will it use it?Humanitarian professionals say famine can be averted in Gaza, but only if Israel allows much more food and other aid into the strip.
With Gaza suffering, Europe and Arab states take big diplomatic steps – togetherFor years, Arab states wanted Europe to recognize Palestine; Europe wanted Arab states to rein in Hamas. Now, they have stepped forward together to do something hard for each.
Amid starvation in Gaza, Israelis begin to question erratic food aid policyThe hunger crisis in Gaza has many asking if Israel had a deliberate policy of starving civilians. Israelis say that was never the case, but an ignorance of Palestinian suffering allowed an inconsistent government policy to lead to a calamity.
Wracked by drought, postwar Syria struggles to restore its agricultureOne of the biggest challenges to rebuilding Syria may prove to be environmental. Years of drought are causing crop yields to fall dramatically.
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Global attention on Gaza hunger intensifiesOur correspondent in Gaza has been covering hunger for months. But this week the world seems to be paying attention in a new way – including media outlets worried about starvation of their staff.
Why deadly clashes in Druze province are so threatening to Syrian unityThe eruption of violence in the majority-Druze Syrian province of Suwayda, the second-worst outbreak of sectarian strife since the fall of the Assad regime, is challenging the delicate balance the young Damascus government is trying to maintain.
Should Israeli military defend Syrian Druze? Israel’s Druze are divided.Amid sectarian violence in Syria in which hundreds of Druze were killed, Israel struck Damascus and issued a warning to the new government. Israeli Druze are mourning the deaths, but are divided over whether Israeli military action is the wisest course.
Syria’s Kurds want autonomy. Damascus wants unity. Can they find middle ground?A key challenge for postwar Syria is building trust between Arabs and Kurds. The security in Kurdish parts of Aleppo show how difficult that may be.
In Gaza, anti-Hamas gangs seen as imperiling food aid and public orderThe breakdown in public order in Gaza accompanying the weakening of Hamas has allowed armed gangs to seize influence. That is affecting distribution of badly needed food aid, but the perpetuation of disorder is another concern.
In Syria, unexploded ordnance prolongs the casualties of an ended warRebuilding Syria is proving a potentially lethal task, as streets and farmland are seeded with unexploded land mines – with children and civilians in harm’s way.
Netanyahu swings into campaign mode, with photo ops and a victory lapBenjamin Netanyahu has long sold himself to the Israeli public as “Mr. Security,” but Hamas’ devastating Oct. 7 attack stained his record. Now he’s hoping the war with Iran has rehabilitated his image.
‘We fed ourselves from that soil’: What Israeli buffer zones cost GazansThroughout the Gaza war, Israeli buffer zones have expanded through a series of evacuation orders. While the orders are often framed as security precautions, for many Palestinians they appear part of a slow-motion land grab.
Trump welcomes Netanyahu at the White House. Can he get a ceasefire in Gaza?Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump will meet to discuss Middle East tensions and celebrate their progress in Iran, including the strikes on nuclear facilities. Questions remain on how Mr. Trump plans to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
South Lebanon Shia Muslims seek solace in community mourningVillagers in south Lebanon, hit last year by Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, find new meaning in the observance of the Shia mourning period of Ashoura.
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