hamas

The Flood that Sunk the Palestinian State

The Palestinian state is now history, owing to Hamas’s 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood attacks on Israel that dealt a fatal blow to Palestinian nationhood, a project that began in 1968 and peaked with the 1993 Oslo Accords. Hamas’s folly has prompted the UN Security Council to consider ending its longtime orthodoxy in support of a Palestinian state and ...

Tehran Fights for Its Political Survival in Iraq

Officially, the elections are hailed as a step forward for a country still scarred by two decades of war and instability. In reality, the vote unfolds under the persistent shadow of Iran, determined to preserve a political system it has largely shaped since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. Outgoing Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani owes his ...

Israel Army Chief Urges 'Systemic' Probe Into October 7 Attack

Israel's military chief called on Monday for a "systemic investigation" into the failures that led to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry on the matter. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself ...

Syria: From Pariah State to a Guest in Washington

This Monday, Donald Trump is hosting Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House. It is a historic moment: never before has a Syrian president been officially received in Washington since the country gained independence in 1946. The event symbolizes the end of half a century of hostility between the two capitals. For a long time, Syria was one of the most ...

Gaza's Health Ministry says 15 Palestinian Bodies Received Under Truce Exchange Deal

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal. "The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under ...

Israel Identifies Remains as Officer Hadar Goldin's, Killed in 2014 Gaza War

Israel said the remains it received on Sunday from Hamas were those of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli officer killed in the 2014 Gaza War. "After the identification process was completed... Israeli military representatives informed the family of the fallen hostage, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, that their loved one has been returned to ...

“If  only I had known…” Once Again!

It was the famous line uttered by the late former secretary-general of Hezbollah after the disastrous war of 2006. Yet the pro-Iranian militia can’t seem to help itself — always eager to “help its neighbor,” especially when the one that pays the price is Lebanon. And so, it happened again in October 2023. The brilliant idea this time? ...

Israel Army Says Red Cross has Received Body of Gaza Hostage

The Israeli army announced on Friday that the Red Cross had received the remains of a hostage in the Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. "According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF ...

Pope Leo Receives Palestinian President Abbas at Vatican

Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Thursday, where the Vatican said they discussed the "urgent need" to help the civilian population in Gaza. The visit comes almost a month into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023, ...

Israel Receives Gaza Hostage Body

Israel has received the body of a hostage from the Red Cross in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Wednesday night. The captive's coffin, handed over to the military and internal security service, "will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received with a military ceremony" before being ...

Iran Releases New Details on Ismail Haniyeh’s Killing

Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas, was killed by a missile tracked to his mobile phone, according to Iranian officials. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has rejected claims that internal sabotage facilitated the assassination in Tehran. On November 3, Iran released new details on the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas leader killed in ...

Israel Says Returned Hostage Remains Are Those of Seized Soldier

Israel confirmed Wednesday that the remains handed over by Hamas the day before belonged to Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen, who was seized by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war. The remains were returned by Hamas on Tuesday evening as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President ...