Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

• 
  UK, Italy, France, Germany urge Israel to halt plans on occupied West Bank settlement expansion

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  The UK, Italy, France and Germany on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning they threaten the chance of a two-state solution, Anadolu reports. The four governments said the expansion was “unacceptable” and warned that the E1 development would “undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories.” The governments said the international community had long opposed settlement expansion and repeatedly raised its concerns with Israel — privately and publicly. “International Law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal,” they said, adding that the position had been reaffirmed by

• 
  870 Sudanese nationals leave Egypt for home under voluntary return program

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  Sudan’s Al-Amal Committee for Voluntary Return said Thursday that 870 Sudanese nationals had left Egypt for Sudan aboard 30 buses departing from Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan, the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported, Anadolu reports. The Al-Amal Committee is a community-led humanitarian initiative that coordinates with Sudanese state institutions to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of citizens. Returnees include university professors and students enrolled in Sudanese universities, the committee said. Maher al-Zein Ahmed, head of the committee’s transport division, said arrangements were underway with businesspeople, institutions, government bodies and humanitarian organizations to support the returning convoys. Returning to Sudan helps reunite families and ease economic burdens on those coming back, he said. – 50,000 returnees Hassan Khalid, rapporteur for

• 
  Israeli groups, Palestinians challenge controversial East Jerusalem settlement plan

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  Palestinian residents and three Israeli rights groups have filed an urgent petition with an Israeli court seeking to freeze a tender for the construction of 1,234 illegal settlement units under the controversial E1 plan in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports. The petition was filed Thursday with the Jerusalem District Court by rights groups Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now, together with Palestinian community members, according to a statement issued by Ir Amim. Petitioners asked the court to issue an interim order suspending the first tender under the E1 plan — which was published this week – for the construction of 1,234 housing units east of Jerusalem. They also requested the court to halt publication of additional tenders, or any other

• 
  US approves potential $4.5B sale of KC-46A aircraft to Qatar

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  The US State Department has approved the possible $4.5 billion sale of KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft and related equipment to Qatar, the agency announced on Thursday. The proposed Foreign Military Sale includes up to four KC-46A aircraft, eight PW4062 turbofan engines, radar warning receivers, laser transmitter assemblies and other equipment, according to a statement. The agency said the proposed sale would reinforce Qatar’s strategic role in regional security and “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” The announcement came as tensions have escalated in the region after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February that killed thousands. Tehran retaliated against US bases and assets in Gulf countries. Although the two sides reached

• 
  Germany criticises Israeli airstrike on Syrian airbase

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  Germany on Thursday criticised an Israeli airstrike in northwestern Syria, stressing that Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, Anadolu reports. “The German government has noted with concern reports of an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airfield in northwestern Syria,” a senior official at the Foreign Ministry told Anadolu, when asked about Berlin’s stance on Tuesday’s attack and the Israeli government’s recent escalatory moves. “Any foreign military intervention is not conducive to the stabilisation of Syria or to peace in the region,” the diplomat stressed, referring to the Israeli airstrikes. “A stable Syria contributes to the stability of the Middle East as a whole. Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected by all countries,” he added. In recent

• 
  From Bolivia to Colombia: Is the pro-Palestine Hague Group beginning to fall apart?

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Electoral shifts in Latin America are testing the cohesion of the Hague Group, a prominent international bloc launched in January 2025 by Global South governments to turn diplomatic support for the Palestinians into coordinated pressure on Israel over its aggression on Gaza. Its founding members including South Africa, Namibia, Chile, Brazil, Senegal, Colombia, Belize, Bolivia, Honduras and Malaysia. The group called for blocking weapons transfers to Israel that could facilitate violations of international law and restricting vessels suspected of carrying military supplies for Israeli operations. For a time, the Hague Group appeared to be gaining momentum, with Colombia and South Africa emerging as key political forces and its meetings attracting governments beyond the bloc’s original membership. But electoral changes in

• 
  Hind Rajab, Israeli impunity and the international community

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Over two years of denial will likely now translate into a new form of impunity. Israel has announced it will be investigating the killing of five year old Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car among her dead relatives as the Israeli military opened fire on the vehicle on 29 January 2024. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society was unable to rescue Hind, having been blocked by the military from reaching the site.  The Israeli military said it “fired at a vehicle that was approaching them”. Hind’s family were trying to follow evacuation orders, as her family had been forcibly displaced that same day from Gaza city.  Israel’s admission that its military killed Hind is no precursor to justice. Three

• 
  Egypt, Jordan condemn Israeli E1 settlement project as threat to Palestinian statehood

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Egypt and Jordan on Thursday condemned Israel’s move to advance the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that the plan threatens prospects for establishing an independent Palestinian state. In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns” Israel’s implementation of the E1 settlement project, which it said “aims to divide the West Bank and encircle and isolate occupied East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.” The ministry called on the international community to “fulfill its responsibilities and take serious steps to halt the violations,” while reaffirming Egypt’s “support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.” Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Israel’s decision to issue

• 
  Israeli occupiers besiege 3 West Bank homes for 12th consecutive day

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  Israeli occupiers on Thursday continued besieging three Palestinian homes in the town of Qusra in the occupied West Bank — for the 12th consecutive day — with Israeli forces preventing local residents from leaving or entering their residences, Anadolu reports. Israeli military forces and occupiers have imposed the siege in the town’s Ras al-Ain district, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing Qusra Mayor Abdul Azim al-Wadi. According to al-Wadi, besieged families are facing food and medicine shortages, with Israeli forces blocking access to basic supplies and daily necessities. Israeli forces have declared the area a “closed military zone” and turned one of the Palestinian homes into a “military barracks,” al-Wadi said. In recent days, Qusra’s Ras al-Ain district has seen

• 
  How daily life in the West Bank is being ground to a halt

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  To live in the occupied West Bank today is to exist within a finely tuned apparatus of deliberate friction. When people outside Palestine think of the Israeli occupation, their minds focus on military incursions, violent raids, and harrowing images of warfare. Those realities are undeniably real and constant. But there is another, quieter layer of control shaping every second of our lives—an insidious policy of administrative and physical strangulation degrading the basic mechanics of human survival. From gas station queues and dry water pipes to unpaid paychecks, blocked roads, trapped bank deposits, and choked border crossings, life here has been rendered so excruciatingly difficult that the underlying message becomes undeniable: there is no future for you—the Palestinians—here. This message isn’t

• 
  Israeli occupiers set Palestinian home in occupied West Bank on fire with mother, daughter inside

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Israeli occupiers set fire to a Palestinian home in the Hebron governorate in the occupied West Bank on Thursday while a mother and her daughter were inside, according to local sources. Aliya al-Nawajaa, the owner of the burned home, told Anadolu Agency that five masked occupiers attacked her house at dawn in the Khirbet al-Fara area of the city of Yatta. She said one of the occupiers opened the window of the bedroom where she was sleeping with her daughter and threatened her and her family. The attackers then set fire to the bedroom, causing the flames to spread rapidly before she could put them out, Nawajaa said. She added that she immediately woke her daughter and they barely managed

• 
  UNIFIL hands over position in southern Lebanon to Lebanese army

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) officially handed over a military position to the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon’s Khardali area on Thursday, Anadolu reports. The move comes as part of a broader plan to transfer several longstanding UNIFIL positions to Lebanese army control. According to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the position — located near an army facility in the Khardali-Litani area — was handed over to the Lebanese army’s 7th Brigade. The handover comes in line with a UN Security Council decision to end UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon by the end of this year. It also comes amid efforts to implement security arrangements linked to a “framework agreement” signed between Lebanon and Israel in late June.

• 
  Israel pounds southern Lebanon with airstrikes, artillery despite truce deal

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  The Israeli military on Thursday continued to carry out relentless airstrikes and artillery barrages across southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire deal that ostensibly went into effect in June, Anadolu reports. According to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), Israeli artillery fire targeted the town of Houla and parts of the Marjayoun district, along with positions near the towns of Qabrikha and Tulin. Artillery shelling was also reported in the Saluki and Hujeir valleys, which extend through the Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil and Nabatieh districts. In the Tyre district, the towns of Majdal Zoun and Mansouri were both reportedly shaken by Israeli artillery barrages. In the Nabatieh district, Israeli warplanes conducted overnight strikes on Ali al-Taher hill and around Al-Dabsha and the

• 
  Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza, urge compliance with ceasefire

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday strongly condemned recent Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip that killed civilians, including women and children, warning that the escalation threatens ongoing efforts to implement the ceasefire, Anadolu reports. In a joint statement, the three countries, acting as mediators, expressed “deep concern” over continued violations and said the intensification of Israeli attacks was undermining regional and international efforts at a critical stage. They said intensive efforts were underway to implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, citing a meeting between the Board of Peace and Israeli officials as well as “constructive steps” in the negotiation process. “The mediating countries stress the imperative for Israel to fully comply with all its obligations under

• 
  The IRGC paradox: Why economic collapse in Tehran won’t buy peace in Hormuz

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) recent decision to sever all trade and financial ties with Iran, executed alongside an escalating US naval blockade, has been hailed across Western and Gulf capitals as a decisive turning point. By dismantling Dubai’s long-standing role as Tehran’s financial lungs, a conduit responsible for nearly a third of Iran’s vital imports and up to 80 percent of its foreign currency inflows, the coalition believes it has finally cornered the Islamic Republic. The prevailing logic in Washington and Abu Dhabi is as clean as it is conventional: inflict unbearable economic pain, spark domestic unrest, and force the regime to surrender its maritime ambitions in the Strait of Hormuz. This strategic calculation, while mathematically sound on paper,

• 
  After revelation of UAE funded plot against its former president, MAB urge UK government to take a firm stand

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  The Muslim Association of Britain today, Thursday, issued a statement expressing its absolute horror by the ITV News’s revelation that a UAE-funded mercenary ran a covert surveillance operation against Dr Anas Altikriti, its former president, on British soil. Dr Altikriti’s home, office, and daily route to work were all logged and shared like target data, report revealed. The MAB statement read: “This is what happens when a foreign state believes it can act with impunity on British soil. This is the same regime that used Pegasus spyware on a device inside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s own office. The pattern is consistent: covert operations against British citizens and British institutions, run from Abu Dhabi, with no expectation of consequence.

• 
  Hamas rejects Israeli account of Gaza city police station strike

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Hamas on Wednesday rejected Israeli claims that a strike on a police headquarters in Gaza City targeted members of the group’s armed wing, saying those killed were predominantly police officers and personnel. According to Palestinian sources, nine people were killed and several others were wounded when Israeli forces struck the police facility on Wednesday afternoon. Hamas described the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and accused the Israeli government of seeking to obstruct its implementation. In its statement, Hamas said Israeli assertions that the strike targeted resistance leaders were “baseless,” arguing that the claims were being used to justify attacks on Gaza’s police force and civilians. Israel, however, said the strike targeted Hamas field commanders and identified the

• 
  Bennett outlines security platform, pledging tougher policies on Qatar, Gaza and Iran

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett outlined a security platform on Wednesday that includes designating Qatar an “enemy state,” maintaining Israel’s military presence in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed, and holding Iran responsible for attacks by Hezbollah. Speaking at a press conference ahead of Israel’s 27th October general election, Bennett presented what he described as a new security doctrine that he would pursue if he succeeds in forming the next government. Bennett criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to national security, arguing that the assumptions underpinning Israeli policy before the Hamas-led attacks of 7th October  2023, had failed. “On 7th October, an entire security concept, which Netanyahu had entrenched for years, collapsed,” Bennett said, adding that the

• 
  Israeli official says army will remain in Gaza until Hamas disarms; US backing for targeted strikes reported

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Israeli security officials said on Wednesday that the military would remain deployed along the so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza and that reconstruction would not begin unless Hamas relinquishes its weapons, according to Israeli media reports. An Israeli security official told the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) that Israel does not expect Hamas to voluntarily disarm and would therefore continue military operations against what it considers security threats. “Israel does not believe that Hamas will relinquish its weapons, and until that happens, the army will continue to thwart threats, will not withdraw from the Yellow Line, and will not begin any steps related to the reconstruction of the Strip,” the official was quoted as saying. READ: Hamas accuses Peace Council of failing

• 
  Al-Sharaa meets Turkish energy minister amid tensions following Israeli strike in Syria

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar in Damascus on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions following an Israeli strike on a Syrian military facility and growing Israeli concerns over Turkey’s presence in Syria. According to the Syrian presidency, the meeting at the People’s Palace was also attended by Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir and focused on expanding Syrian-Turkish cooperation and partnership in the energy sector. The presidency said the talks addressed measures intended to support the development and stability of Syria’s energy sector as economic and political cooperation between Damascus and Ankara continues to expand. The meeting came shortly after Israel carried out airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur military airbase in the Idlib countryside. The attack

• 
  UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in covert London operation, ITV reports

  by Marwa A on August 20, 2026

  A mercenary working on behalf of the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against prominent British Muslim activist Anas Altikriti in London, according to an investigation by ITV News. ITV reports that Abraham Golan, a Hungarian-Israeli dual citizen and former French Foreign Legion soldier, travelled to London in December 2016 while being paid by the UAE. Golan headed Spear Operations Group, a private security company that had previously recruited Western military veterans for operations in Yemen. According to ITV, the London operation targeted Altikriti, a British academic, hostage negotiator and chief executive of the Cordoba Foundation. Messages and documents reviewed by the broadcaster reportedly included photographs of Altikriti’s home and vehicle, details of his workplace and maps

• 
  Palestinian families bury 50 recovered bodies from beneath the rubbles

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  WATCH: Gaza’s children suffer as they fetch water amid soaring summer temperatures

• 
  UK Government condemns Israel’s launch of tender for the E1 settlement project

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  In a rare display of opposition, the UK Government on Wednesday issued a strongly worded statement condemning Israel’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement, describing the project is an unacceptable and destructive act.  Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said: “E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution. “The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to E1 and our support for a two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. All settlements damage that prospect and are a flagrant breach of international law. “Today, I made clear to the

• 
  More than 100 US organisations urge release of Palestinian-American student Sama Safi

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  More than 100 US organizations have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take urgent action to secure the release of Palestinian-American student Sama Safi, who has been held by Israel since June and whose lawyer says she requires specialized medical treatment. Safi, 20, is a psychology student at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces arrested her in Birzeit on June 2, along with two other students and a university graduate. She is being held at Damon Prison, near Haifa in northern Israel. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the facility currently holds more than 90 Palestinian female prisoners, including minors and pregnant women. READ: Israel arrests 30 Palestinians in occupied West Bank, including journalist In a

• 
  Hamas accuses Peace Council of failing to prevent Israeli massacres in Gaza

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem on Wednesday accused the Peace Council of failing to pressure Israel to adhere to existing agreements following an Israeli airstrike on a police facility in Gaza City. In a statement, Qassem described the strike as a “dangerous and brutal massacre” and said it demonstrated disregard for efforts to maintain the ceasefire. Palestinian sources said Israeli aircraft struck a municipal police headquarters in Gaza City, killing nine people and injuring approximately 15 others, some of them critically.  Qassem argued that the Peace Council bears responsibility for failing to use its influence to ensure implementation of agreements reached between the parties. He said the latest developments represented a test of the Council’s ability to effectively oversee mediation efforts.

• 
  The bombs over Abu Duhur: A warning shot at Ankara

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  The runway at Abu Duhur had been quiet for many years. Old MiG jets were corroding in the Syrian dust in the north of the country – relics of the civil war that ended when Assad fled to Moscow. On 18 August, in the middle of the night, eight Israeli bombs broke this silence. No casualties occurred. Perhaps this was precisely the point. This was not the strike to kill. The strike sent a message, not to Damascus but to Ankara. Israel’s version was simple. The Turkish delegation visited this base just a day before. “On the verge of breaching the status quo agreed with Israel on security matters,” Netanyahu’s office claimed that Syria allowed Turkish soldiers to establish themselves

• 
  Egypt renews opposition to new Ethiopian dams on the River Nile

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Cairo on Wednesday evening renewed its opposition to the construction of new Ethiopian dams on the River Nile, marking the third similar Egyptian position in about two weeks.  Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the remarks in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, in response to Ethiopian announcements about plans to build new dams on the Nile. Fundamental differences remain between Cairo and Addis Ababa over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile, with no binding agreement on its filling and operation. Egypt fears that this could affect its share of Nile water coming from Ethiopia, the upstream country. READ: 1,100 Sudanese return home from Egypt under voluntary repatriation program Abdelatty said in the interview that “Egypt will

• 
  Netanyahu: Israel sent ‘clear warning’ to Ankara, Damascus over Turkish military presence in Syria

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel had sent Turkey a warning against establishing a military base in Syria, implicitly acknowledging that Israel carried out a strike the previous day. In an interview on an army radio podcast, Netanyahu said: “We will not allow a Turkish military deployment that extends southwards, because it poses a threat to us.” He said Israel had initially sent a message in “general terms” opposing a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo, not far from the Turkish border. READ: Israeli opposition leader calls Syria attack ‘provocative and dangerous’, warns Israel will ‘pay the price’ “They apparently did not hear it, so we made sure they understood it more clearly,”

• 
  International body: Home demolitions, forced displacement of Palestinians amount to war crimes

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Dr Salah Abdelatty, head of the International Commission to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People, said on Wednesday that demolishing homes, forcibly evicting residents, repeatedly displacing them and targeting civilians to terrorise them and force them to leave their homes amount to war crimes. Speaking by phone to Egypt’s Extra News TV, Abdelatty said forced displacement is among the most serious crimes committed during the war and as Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territories continue. He said such practices form part of genocide and ethnic cleansing and have expanded during Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and in Palestinian refugee camp areas in the northern occupied West Bank. READ: Israel risks ceasing ‘to exist as a state,’ senior Russian general

• 
  Israeli opposition leader calls Syria attack ‘provocative and dangerous’, warns Israel will ‘pay the price’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s Democrats party, on Wednesday described the Israeli attack in Syria as a “provocative and dangerous step”. He said the attack would deepen tensions with Israel’s allies, particularly the United States. In a statement posted on X, Golan said: “Military force is once again being used for political considerations.” He added that Israel was “paying the price in security”. Moreover, Golan said the attack “brings Israel closer to a confrontation with Turkey and deepens the rift with its allies, particularly the United States”. He also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being “an extremist and unreliable figure”, saying that he could not be relied upon or trusted to build a stable regional strategy with. READ: Israeli military

• 
  Sudan FM: Political dialogue to begin soon

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Sudan will soon announce the start of political dialogue, Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem said on Wednesday, adding that contacts were under way at various levels to prepare for its launch. In an interview with Al–Arabia network’s Mazeeg Podcast platform, Salem said: “There are many contacts taking place at various levels with political parties, women, young people, civil administration and Sufi orders, and we will announce the start of the dialogue soon.” Sudan has been at war since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving tens of thousands dead and around 13 million displaced, according to UN and international estimates. Salem said the Sudanese government was “open to every sincere effort” to achieve lasting peace

• 
  Hamas warns Gaza ceasefire deal could collapse, holds mediators responsible for restraining Israel

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya has warned that Israel’s escalation in the Gaza Strip could undermine the ceasefire agreement, holding the mediators and guarantors responsible for stopping the escalation and preventing the deal from collapsing. In a statement received by Quds Press on Wednesday, al-Hayya condemned what he described as “ongoing crimes and deliberate killings” by Israel, which he said had intensified since Tuesday and on Wednesday targeted senior Palestinian police officers. He said the attacks showed that Israel was continuing its “criminal policy” and was disregarding all mediation efforts and guarantees, adding that their continuation placed the mediators and guarantors under a “major and decisive responsibility”. READ: US envoy urges Netanyahu to ‘not create obstacles’ in Gaza peace plan:

• 
  The violent annexation of the West Bank: From the siege of Qusra to de facto sovereign control

  by Mehdi Editor on August 20, 2026

  The ongoing, siege of Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, shows how Israel’s creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank has shifted into an accelerated, paramilitary phase. Beginning on August 10, 2026, armed extremist settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes on the village outskirts—including the property of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi—blocking doors, severing water and electricity lines, and threatening residents at gunpoint to abandon their land. Rather than arresting the aggressors, the Israeli military responded by declaring the area a  military zone and physically barring Palestinian residents while protecting armed settler encampments. What began as a localized terror campaign against families in their homes—coming just weeks after settlers torched Qusra’s Al-Rahma mosque on July 26, 2026—is not an

• 
  Hind Rajab Foundation has ‘no confidence’ in planned Israeli probe into girl’s killing

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  The Hind Rajab Foundation on Wednesday said it had “no confidence” in the Israeli army’s reported decision to launch a criminal probe into the killing of Hind Rajab and six of her relatives in 2024, Anadolu reports. In a social media post, the foundation said the decision by Israel was “little more than a masquerade meant to deflect accountability and preserve its impunity.” In 2024, five-year-old Hind Rajab was trapped in her family’s car after it came under Israeli fire in Gaza City. She was later found dead after nearly two weeks of uncertainty regarding her fate. Two Palestinian medics who had tried to rescue the girl were also found dead. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza

• 
  Israel risks ceasing ‘to exist as a state,’ senior Russian general says

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  A senior Russian military official said Israel risks ceasing “to exist as a state,” claiming Tel Aviv’s main objective is to escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and draw the US and NATO into the war, Anadolu reports. In remarks released on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Military-Political Directorate and commander of the Akhmat special forces, told state news agency TASS that the regional conflict is likely to intensify further. “We must realize that the war in the Middle East will only escalate. I believe that is precisely Israel’s objective to ramp up the conflict as much as possible and drag both the US and the entire NATO bloc into it,” Alaudinov

• 
  No coming back from genocide: Israel’s global counter-offensive has begun

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  Colombia’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights marks a dangerous turning point.  By becoming only the second country in the world – after the United States – to endorse Israel’s illegal annexation of Syrian territory, Bogotá has signaled a complete reversal of Gustavo Petro’s foreign policy under new far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella. However, Colombia is not an isolated case. It reflects a broader, highly aggressive campaign by Israel to systematically dismantle and reverse hard-won pro-Palestine and pro-Arab positions worldwide. In fact, the shift in Bogotá comes alongside dramatic changes in Caracas, where Venezuela’s interim leadership has moved to restore consular ties with Israel after a 17-year freeze. The same thing is happening in

• 
  EU leaders voice support for ICC after new US sanctions

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  The presidents of the European Council and European Commission expressed solidarity Wednesday with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the US imposed sanctions on the court’s president and a senior lawyer in its prosecutor’s office, Anadolu reports. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted statements on US social media company X, saying they stand firmly with the ICC, its President Tomoko Akane, and court officials. “The ICC helps deliver justice to the victims of some of the world’s most horrific crimes. To carry out this essential work, its judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure,” they both said. READ: Qatar denies claims of backing ICC prosecutor over Netanyahu case

• 
  Israel arrests 30 Palestinians in occupied West Bank, including journalist

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  The Israeli army arrested 30 Palestinians, including a journalist, during raids and incursions across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said, Anadolu reports. The arrests took place in the provinces of Hebron in the south, Qalqilya in the northwest, Nablus in the north, Tulkarem in the northwest, and Bethlehem in the south, according to the society. It stated that the arrests were accompanied in several cases by raids, searches, and vandalism of homes, as well as the detention and field interrogation of residents. READ: 47 Palestinian families face imminent displacement in West Bank as Israel cuts water supplies: Rights group The society said Israeli authorities continue to target Palestinian journalists through arrests, alongside attacks against journalists in the

• 
  Iran weighs strikes on US military targets in Europe if war escalates: Report

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  Iran has considered striking US military assets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalates the war, as Tehran weighs options to expand the conflict beyond the Middle East, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, Anadolu reports. Citing two people close to the Iranian government, the British daily said Iranian forces had assessed potential strikes on US assets in southeastern European countries, including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base by US refueling aircraft. Cyprus, where a British air base was hit by a drone in March, has also been considered among potential targets in the event of a renewed US offensive, according to one of the sources. Iranian forces have separately examined the possibility of targeting

• 
  Pro-Palestine coalition call on UK government to act against genocide

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  A coalition of six pro-Palestine groups have today, Wednesday, called on the British government to act against Israel’s three-year genocide. A joint statement issued by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al-Aqsa, and Muslim Association of Britain said; “A year on from the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine, that decision has yet to be matched by action.” The coalition said after nearly three years into Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza, Palestinians still face killing, starvation and displacement, while British-funded humanitarian aid remains subject to Israeli restrictions.  The government, the statement read, “must secure an end to Israeli attacks and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. Across the

• 
  Imran Khan: The prisoner the Field Marshal cannot afford to free — or lose

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  There are political prisoners whom regimes fear because they are alive. There are martyrs whom regimes fear because they are dead. Imran Khan has become something far more dangerous to Pakistan’s ruling order: a man whose existence humiliates it, and whose death could indict it. That is the trap now tightening around Field Marshal Asim Munir and the two dynastic houses that shelter beneath the military canopy — the Sharifs and the Bhutto-Zardaris. Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the seventy-three-year-old former prime minister transferred to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment, with his own physician included on a medical board and regular family contact restored. In a normal constitutional order, none of this would qualify as “relief.” It would qualify

• 
  Israeli police arrest Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  Israeli police arrested Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ashraf al-Awar at his home in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to an official from his office. The official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli police detained al-Awar without providing a reason. Israeli police did not immediately comment on the reason for the arrest. Last year, Israeli authorities issued an order barring al-Awar from entering the occupied West Bank for six months, which was later extended. READ: Israel bars Arab lawmaker from visiting detained Palestinian doctor Abu Safiya The Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs is based in the town of Al-Ram in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinian government meetings are held in Ramallah. Since Oct.

• 
  ICC rejects new US sanctions, calls them ‘flagrant attack’ on judicial independence

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday strongly rejected new US sanctions targeting the court’s president and a senior lawyer in its prosecutor’s office, describing the measures as a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence, Anadolu reports. The latest designations target ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, a senior trial lawyer at the Office of the Prosecutor, the Hague-based court said in a statement. The ICC said nine of its 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, a former prosecutor and one staff member are now under US sanctions. “These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions,” the

• 
  Iran labels California its ‘new territory’ after Trump’s Hormuz claim

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  An official Iranian social media account labeled California a “new territory” of Iran on Tuesday in response to US President Donald Trump posting an image portraying the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW U.S. Territory,” Anadolu reports. Trump shared the image on his Truth Social account Tuesday, showing a map of the Strait of Hormuz with the strategic waterway circled beneath the words “NEW U.S. Territory,” following up on his earlier remarks saying the strait would be made US territory after the war ends. The White House later reposted Trump’s post on its official account on US social media platform X. In response, the official Iran in Hyderabad account on X posted a map of the US showing California highlighted in blue,

• 
  9 Palestinians killed, 15 injured by Israeli strike on Gaza police station

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  At least nine Palestinians, including police officers and children, were killed on Wednesday – and more than 15 others injured – when an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in central Gaza City, according to local medical sources, Anadolu reports. A medical source at the Al-Shifa Hospital said the bodies of nine slain Palestinians, along with more than 15 people who sustained injuries, had been brought to the hospital after the strike. The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to 10, after another Palestinian was killed when a strike hit a motorcycle in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to medical sources. READ: FAO: Only 3 % of Gaza’s agricultural land remains

• 
  UAE denies providing financial facilities to Iran after suspending trade

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied providing financial facilities to Iran, hours after announcing the suspension of trade and financial exchanges with Tehran until further notice, Anadolu reports. UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash rejected the reports as false, describing claims that Abu Dhabi was providing financial facilities to Iran as part of “desperate media campaigns.” The UAE is Iran’s second-largest trading partner globally after China and its largest trading partner in the Gulf and Arab world. The value of non-oil trade between the two countries has recently ranged between $27 billion and $29.1 billion annually, with both sides having previously announced plans to raise the figure to $30 billion. “Some directed platforms are circulating false information about the

• 
  Hundreds of fighters, including commanders, defect from Sudan’s RSF, army says

  by Marwa A on August 19, 2026

  The Sudanese army has said that hundreds of members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including commanders, have defected from the paramilitary group and joined its ranks, Anadolu reports. In a statement issued late Tuesday, the Al-Dabba locality (located in Sudan’s Northern State), citing Border Guards commander Mohamed Saleh Younes, announced the defection of a large group of RSF members and their decision to join Sudan’s Armed Forces. According to the statement, the group is comprised of 318 personnel – including four commanders – and as many as 50 combat vehicles. “The doors of the homeland are open to everyone who wishes to return to the ranks of the armed forces,” Younes was quoted as saying. He added that Sudan’s

• 
  Israeli army chief visits troops in southern Syria amid continued violations

  by Marwa A on August 19, 2026

  Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited troops operating in southern Syria on Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out strikes on Syria, including an attack on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase, Anadolu reports. “Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited soldiers in southern Syria this morning,” Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. “Zamir was accompanied by senior officers, received a security briefing and met with reserve forces operating in the area,” it added. Meanwhile, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) conducted a field tour in the town of Al-Rafid in the southern countryside of Quneitra to assess conditions and follow up on the repercussions of repeated Israeli violations and incursions. Members

• 
  Yemen’s Houthis claim to have staged 31 operations against Saudi targets in past month

  by Marwa A on August 19, 2026

  Yemen’s Ansar Allah group, also known as the Houthis, has said that its forces carried out 31 military operations against Saudi targets, including oil tankers and military assets, within the past month, Anadolu reports. In a Wednesday social-media post, Houthi spokesman Ameen Hayyan said the operations were aimed at restricting Saudi maritime navigation, striking Saudi military deployments, and responding to alleged violations of Yemeni sovereignty. In the period from July 20 to Aug. 19, Houthi forces targeted eight Saudi oil tankers, including five in the Red Sea and three in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, according to Hayyan. He also said that the group had prevented 48 Saudi oil tankers from traversing regional waterways, including 14 in

• 
  ‘The Board of Peace’ Or ‘Broker of Deceit’ | Palestine This Week

  by Mehdi Editor on August 19, 2026

  In this episode of Palestine This Week, we begin with Jared Kushner’s meetings with Hamas political leader Khalil Al-Hayya and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking what the talks mean for the future of the Gaza ceasefire. We revisit the long-debunked claim that Palestine was sparsely populated before early Jewish settlement and ask why this version of history continues to resurface. We also look at changes to Saudi school textbooks, including the removal of the phrase “Muslims will never give up Jerusalem”. The episode also looks at settler violence in the occupied West Bank and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s decision to describe Israeli settlers as “terrorists” after American citizens were besieged by Israeli settlers. Finally, we discuss a false quotation