Middle East & North Africa

Collapse of Gaza Ceasefire and its Devastating Impact on Women and Girls

The end of the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza is having disastrous consequences for women and girls. From 18 to 25 March—in just those 8 days, 830 people were killed—174 women, 322 children, with 1,787 more injured.

A Chance for Sisi to Follow Sadat’s Vision and Courage

On March 26, Israel and Egypt celebrated the 46th anniversary of their peace treaty, which has upended the very nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt remains pivotal in the search for Israeli-Palestinian peace, especially now in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel Ends Ceasefire in Gaza as Strikes Resume

On March 18, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively terminating the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. This comes after a pause in ceasefire operations when Israel continued its blockade on humanitarian aid in the enclave and demanded the release of additional hostages.

Why “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” Advocates Cling to Genocide Denial

Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza comes several months after both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports concluding without equivocation that Israel was engaged in genocide. But very few members of Congress dare to acknowledge that reality, while their silence and denials scream out complicity.

Trashing Jewish Values Risks Israel’s Survival as We Know It

77 torturous years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, punctuated by intense violence and wars, successive Netanyahu-led governments have shattered Jewish values to the core—values that have sustained and preserved Jewish lives for centuries and provided the moral foundation on which Israel was built.

Energy is a Catalyst for Peace Between Israel and Gaza

Israel’s decision to suspend electricity supplies to Gaza has far-reaching consequences for daily life of Palestinians as well as Gaza’s reconstruction. Managing Gaza’s energy crisis will require the development of alternative supplies, which are found in off-shore natural gas fields that can be developed off the coast of Israel and Gaza in the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed).

Tensions Between Israel and Hamas Threaten Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire

On March 1, the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to end. However, as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and Hamas declining to release more hostages until the second phase goes into effect, the long-term feasibility of the ceasefire agreement is uncertain. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent inflammatory comments surrounding the conflict between the two parties might put further strain on the already fragile ceasefire agreement.

Öcalan’s Letter: Between Dismay and the Kurds’ Need to Believe

"The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) should dissolve. I make this call and take historical responsibility," read the letter from Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish guerrilla, on Thursday, 27 February.

DAWN Calls on ICC to Investigate U.S. Officials for War Crimes in Gaza

On February 24, the human rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate former U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, among other U.S. government officials, for aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes that deliberately infringed on human rights in the Gaza Strip. This poses significant implications for the future of U.S. foreign policy and the role of impunity in world conflicts.

The Arab States Must Stop Trump– and Netanyahu– in Their Tracks

When the Arab states convene an emergency session in Egypt to address Trump’s/Netanyahu’s plans to take over Gaza and exile the Palestinians, they must warn Trump that acting on this plan will usher in a catastrophic conflagration that could engulf the entire Middle East.

Trump’s Proposed Gaza Takeover Denounced as “Mad Ethnic Cleansing Plan”

President Trump—whose rash and ill-conceived proposals continue unabated—has threatened to “seize Gaza,” turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” and move Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, two longstanding American allies who depend heavily on US support for their survival. The US President has also hinted that both countries would suffer either cutbacks or elimination of billions of dollars in economic and military aid —if they refuse to cooperate with him.

A Full Implementation of the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire is Uncertain

On January 19, Israel and Hamas implemented a ceasefire agreement that would end the fighting in Israel and Palestine, see the return of hostages and prisoners, and begin a period of recovery and reconstruction for Palestine. Although the past several weeks have seen a relatively smooth transition and a cessation of hostilities, the prospect of a long-term implementation of the ceasefire remains fragile and there is significant risk of a return to warfare and heightened instability across the Middle East. With the humanitarian situation in Gaza improving for the first time in 16 months, it is imperative that the ceasefire remains in effect.

Legal Amendments in Iraq Threaten Rights of Women and Girls

Efforts to end child marriage in Iraq are facing a serious threat, with the Iraqi Council of Representatives’ approval of amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law raising grave concerns that it risks permitting child marriage for girls.

Forcing Palestinians Out of Gaza is A Recipe for Unimaginable Disaster

Even after Trump declared that he wanted to take back the Panama Canal, acquire Greenland by force, if necessary, and rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, I could not, like many others, imagine that his madness could reach a new unfathomable height.

Hidden Danger: How War Remnants Threaten Syrian Lives

When 42-year-old Amina al-Hassan's family returned home after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, her son stood on a landmine. Hassan, from Kafranbel in southern Idlib countryside, sits beside her son's bed in the hospital after his leg was amputated following the explosion on agricultural land near their home.

Gaza Humanitarian Aid: How a Lack of Political Will Sabotaged Resolution 2720

Before the three-phased ceasefire deal—proposed by President Joe Biden and dragged over the finish line by the then-incoming Donald Trump administration—silenced the bombs and drones over Gaza and allowed for humanitarian aid to flow into the strip, there was United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720.

Genocide 2.0—Trump’s Plan for Cleansing Gaza

Either the new US President, Mr. Trump, is ignorant of international law or thinks he’s so brilliant that he doesn’t care about it. Either way, he seems to have stumbled into proposing an extension of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s clearly documented crime of genocide by suggesting that somebody “clear out” the people in Gaza, in effect advocating the ethnic cleansing of the territory.

Israel’s Ban on UNRWA Threatens to Undermine Ceasefire in Palestine

On January 19, Israel and Hamas implemented a three-phase ceasefire agreement that seeks to end the war between Israel and Palestine, facilitate the exchange of prisoners and hostages between the two nations, and begin a period of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire took effect, humanitarian organizations have struggled to assist hordes of displaced Palestinians as they made their treacherous returns back home. Insecurity has reached new peaks as Gazans struggle to cope with inadequate levels of humanitarian aid and the dangers of unexploded ordnance. Furthermore, the Israeli Knesset’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) is set to greatly exacerbate living conditions and access to aid.

A Lasting Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians

Following the long-sought cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the major challenge for the Israelis and the stateless Palestinians is how to achieve a lasting peace that will end the disastrous cycle of death, destruction, displacement and despair.

Report Exposes Silent Global Emergency as More Crises-Affected Children Need Urgent Education Support

A report released today on the International Day of Education sounds alarm as the number of school-aged children in crisis worldwide requiring urgent support to access quality education reaches a staggering 234 million—an estimated increase of 35 million over the past three years fueled by intensifying armed conflict, forced displacements, more frequent and severe weather and climatic events, and other crises.

Living Conditions in Syria Deteriorate During Transitional Period

Thirteen years of extended conflict, economic downturns, and multiple earthquakes, has left Syria in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis. Hostilities remain abundant across all of Syria’s governorates, with each facing widespread civilian displacements and damage to critical infrastructures. Following the change of government in December of 2024, Syrian refugees have begun returning from neighbouring countries. However, this return has been marred with insecurity due to the sheer scale of unexploded ordnance, which has resulted in numerous civilian casualties.

« Previous PageNext Page »
*#*