Middle East

The Israeli military says it is investigating an apparent drone attack that hit central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday. In a statement it said an initial inquiry indicated the explosion had been caused by the falling of an “aerial target” and announced it was increasing air patrols. …

HRW’s report concludes that the Palestinian groups committed a widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population, which amounts to a crime against humanity, based on the numerous civilian sites that were targeted and “the planning that went into the crimes”. It also found that the killing of civilians …

We meet in his village of Deir Qanoun En-Naher, 30km (18 miles) from the border. The main road is dotted with sun-bleached posters of fighters killed in battle against Israel – some in recent months, others back in 2006 when the two sides last went to war. In that conflict, …

There was always his family. When he was bullied at school, and beaten, they were there to embrace him when he came home. And when the war started and he was terrorised by the sound of bombs falling, someone always said things were going to be ok. Muhammed was heavy …

According to the UN, an estimated 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have been forced to flee their homes, including some who have been displaced up to 10 times. Thousands were reportedly sheltering at Abu Oraiban School, which is run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees …

An Egyptian track cyclist who collided with a rival team-mate will no longer compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, after the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) ruled that she should be barred over the incident. The EOC said Shahd Saeed, 19, was not eligible because of the one-year suspension from local …

Nawara was six months pregnant when she was widowed, and taking care of six children, aged from four to 13. When a BBC colleague found her again today, Nawara was nursing her newborn baby, Rahma, just one month old. She gave birth on a night of heavy airstrikes, rushed to …

Israel’s defence minister has called for a state inquiry into what led to the Hamas attacks on 7 October, as the military admitted it failed in its duty to protect a small community were 101 people were killed. Yoav Gallant made his comments after the first in a series of …

The first wife of the late leader of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been sentenced to death by a court in Iraq, the country’s judiciary says. Karkh Criminal Court convicted the woman of “working with the extremist organisation and detaining Yazidi women”, according to the …

A court in the United Arab Emirates has handed life sentences to more than 40 political activists after finding them guilty of terror offences. State media said the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal convicted the defendants for creating a terrorist organisation. United Nations experts and rights groups have severely …

Footage filmed by a BBC freelancer shows people arriving at Nasser hospital after an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people in southern Gaza. At least 29 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in the strike, according to hospital officials. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the strike …

The Israeli military has told all residents of Gaza City to evacuate south to the central Gaza Strip, amid an intensified offensive there. Leaflets dropped by aircraft instruct “everyone in Gaza City” to leave what what is described as a “dangerous combat zone” via designated safe routes – marked as …

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people outside a school in southern Gaza, hospital officials say. Reports say the strike hit tents pitched next to al-Awda school in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of the city of Khan …

Mr Abed described being kidnapped near his house by a group of five men who were armed with guns and machetes. He was taken to a semi-demolished house, beaten, and called “an agent for Israel” and “a traitor”. The leader of the group told Mr Abed’s assailants to break his …

On Monday evening, Hamas put out a statement saying its Doha-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh had made “urgent contacts” with Egyptian and Qatari mediators over what it called continued “massacres, killing and displacement” of Palestinians by Israeli forces. “Haniyeh warned of the disastrous repercussions of what is happening in Gaza …

Wildcard candidate Masoud Pezeshkian will become Iran’s first reformist president in almost two decades, after he defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili in a run-off election on Friday. The 69-year-old former heart surgeon and health minister campaigned on promises to moderate Iran’s conservative outlook and improve relations with the West. He criticised …

At least 15 people have been killed in an air strike on a school in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials have said. Dozens more have been injured in the attack on the building which was sheltering displaced people at Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health …

A relatively moderate member of the Iranian parliament, Masoud Pezeshkian has been declared the next president of Iran after beating his hardline conservative rival by a decisive margin in Friday’s run-off presidential elections. The 69-year-old will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month. Mr Pezeshkian’s mostly …

Palestinian officials have condemned a dramatic new settlement drive by Israel in the occupied West Bank which includes retroactively authorising three outposts. The move is set to further stoke tensions in the territory which has seen a surge in violence since the war in Gaza began on 7 October. Palestinians …

Dr Pezeshkian has caused a stir after promising “unity and cohesion” and an end to Iran’s “isolation” from the world. He has called for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for …