Middle East

Tim WhewellPresenter of A People’s History of Gaza BBC “I rode away on a camel with my grandmother, along a sandy road, and I started to cry.” Ayish Younis is describing the worst moment of his life – he still regards it as such, even though it was 77 years …

The head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has told the BBC the tide is turning on starvation in Gaza, as more aid enters the territory after Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal. Speaking from Gaza City, Tom Fletcher said “hundreds of trucks a day” were …

A 10-year-old Palestinian boy has been killed by Israeli forces in a village south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military says its soldiers opened fire on Thursday in response to “confrontations and rock-hurling” directed at them. Residents of al-Rihiya say that Muhammad al-Hallaq and his friends …

Israel’s prime minister has told a memorial for victims of the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that he is “determined” to secure the return of the dead hostages still inside Gaza, and that the country will continue to fight terrorism with “full force”. Benjamin Netanyahu made the comments hours …

Yemen’s Houthi movement says its military chief of staff, Mohammed al-Ghamari, has been killed. A statement gave no details, but it did say that Ghamari and his teenage son died during what it described as the “honourable battle against the Israeli enemy”. The Israeli military has carried out many rounds …

The most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on 14 September, his family has said. The 66-year-old – serving life for the murders of five Israelis – was allegedly attacked by eight guards during a transfer between Ganot and Megiddo prisons. The Israel Prison …

Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has held his first talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow since ousting Russia’s ally Bashar al-Assad 10 months ago. Putin spoke of the “special relationship” between both countries. Sharaa suggested he would continue to allow Russia access to its military bases in Syria. He …

Paul Brown, Kayleen Devlin, Erwan Rivault and Barbara MetzlerBBC Verify Getty Images As thousands of Gazans made the journey back to their neighbourhoods following the ceasefire, many of them already knew their homes were in ruins. The prospect of rebuilding homes, businesses and all the institutions and services needed for …

Merlyn Thomas, Matt Murphy, Benedict Garman & Shayan SardarizadehBBC Verify Getty Images US President Donald Trump has threatened to disarm Hamas “violently” amid moves by the group to reassert control over the Gaza Strip, targeting what it called “collaborators”. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said if Hamas failed to …

An Israeli couple who were abducted during the Hamas attacks of 2023 have been reunited, two years after they were violently split up. Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on 7 October. Video of Ms Argamani being dragged away in terror on the back …

Fergal KeaneSpecial correspondent, Amman BBC King Abdullah II of Jordan has warned that the Middle East is doomed unless there is a peace process leading to a Palestinian state. The king was speaking in an exclusive interview for BBC Panorama, as he prepared to attend a summit in Egypt’s Sharm …

Israelis shared their relief and joy after 20 living hostages were reunited with their families as part of a ceasefire deal that started on Monday. Hostages Square in Tel Aviv is still decorated with flags and yellow ribbons hanging alongside images of the hostages that were taken just over two …

Onboard Air Force One, the BBC’s Tom Bateman pressed President Donald Trump on whether his negotiated ceasefire would stay intact. The president was confident it would, but glossed over questions about what comes next, particularly how to secure and govern Gaza. BBC News

Trucks carrying aid were seen driving through a market in Khan Younis after Palestinian detainees and prisoners were reunited with their families as part of a ceasefire deal that started on Monday. “We are tired and we want to raise our children,” said a Gaza resident hoping for stability and …

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed claims from President Donald Trump that the “war is over” and responded to comments about whether he’s difficult to work with. The interview was conducted in an Israeli hospital tending to freed hostages. …

Two French nationals have been handed lengthy prison sentences by a court in Iran after being convicted of espionage, Iranian state media reports. The reports do not name the defendants but they are believed to be Cecile Kohler, 40, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, the only French nationals being …

Jeremy BowenInternational editor EPA/Shutterstock Speaking to the Israeli parliament, Trump declared “the historic dawn of a new Middle East” Donald Trump’s quick trip to Israel and Egypt was the victory lap he wanted. Anyone watching the speeches he made in Jerusalem and Sharm el-Sheikh, could see a man luxuriating in …

EPA There have been celebrations across Israel and the Palestinian territories as a major hostage and prisoner exchange on Monday marked a significant step towards ending two years of war in Gaza. In a crucial first phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war, Hamas returned all living Israeli …

Getty Images The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is one of the longest-running and most violent disputes in the world. Its origins go back more than a century. There have been a series of wars between Israel and Arab nations. Uprisings – called intifadas – against Israeli occupation, …

An Israeli survivor of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova musical festival who saw his girlfriend murdered in front of him has been found dead. Roei Shalev’s body was recovered on Friday evening near Tel Aviv. Hours earlier the 30-year-old wrote on social media that “I just …