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

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  Can the economic blockade on Iran succeed this time?

  by Mehdi Editor on August 28, 2026

  On 24 August, the Trump administration launched an operation called “Economic Outcast”, describing it as the largest economic offensive ever undertaken against Iran’s financial links around the world, aimed at cutting off every potential source of revenue that funds the country, and as more forceful than any such campaign the United States has previously launched against its adversaries. This operation threatens any party dealing with the Iranian regime with direct confrontation with the United States. Washington is returning to the use of an economic blockade against Iran after failing to achieve the outcomes it sought from the war it launched against the country. The blockade was tested during Donald Trump’s first term and inflicted damage on Iran, but failed to

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  Trump says millions of barrels of oil flowing through Strait of Hormuz

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that millions of barrels of oil are continuing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite tensions with Iran, Anadolu reports. “The strait is open. The Strait of Hormuz is open. We have control, and we have the blockade,” Trump said in remarks at the White House. “We’re taking a lot of boats,” he added. “Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day.” Trump said US forces had cleared the waterway of mines and were closely monitoring maritime activity. “We have the best minesweepers in the world. They’re underwater minesweepers, and we’ve totally cleared the strait of mines,” he said. READ: Qatar pledges support to ease hardships

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  Iran can move past ‘painful events’ with Qatar, resume cooperation: President Pezeshkian

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Iran and Qatar can move beyond recent “painful events” and resume bilateral cooperation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday. His remarks came during a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “All the legal rights of the Iranian people must be recognized,” Pezeshkian said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran demands nothing beyond its legal rights and will not surrender to pressure or bullying,” he added. Pezeshkian said Iran and Qatar had planned to undertake numerous joint initiatives, but the war delayed the implementation of agreements and the development of bilateral relations. READ: Qatar pledges support to ease hardships facing Iranian people He accused Israel of seeking to prevent the establishment

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  Saudi, Iraqi officials meet in Baghdad, discuss border security, intelligence sharing

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  A high-level Saudi security delegation met with Iraqi officials in Baghdad on Thursday to discuss tighter controls along their shared border and intelligence sharing between the two countries. The delegation met at the office of Iraq’s military commander-in-chief, according to a statement released by the Security Media Cell and carried by the Iraqi News Agency. The meeting was attended by Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir al-Shammari, the head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, and senior security officials, the statement said. Talks focused on “strengthening border controls and increasing intelligence sharing” with a view to enhancing security cooperation between the two countries, it added. Both sides expressed their commitment to improving security coordination in ways that support

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  3 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza despite US-backed truce

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Three Palestinians were killed Thursday in separate Israeli attacks in Gaza City and Khan Younis, local sources told Anadolu Agency, despite a ceasefire that ostensibly went into effect last October. According to a local medical source, one Palestinian was killed when an Israeli drone struck his bicycle near the Industrial Junction in Gaza City. Another Palestinian was killed — and several more injured — when Israeli forces targeted a tent sheltering displaced people near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, local medical sources said. Earlier Thursday, a young Palestinian man was critically injured when an Israeli drone struck a home in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, a source at the nearby Al-Shifa Hospital said, adding that

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  Qatar pledges support to ease hardships facing Iranian people

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Qatar pledged on Thursday to provide all possible assistance to alleviate the hardships facing the Iranian people, according to Iranian media, Anadolu reports. “Qatar does not want the Iranian people to face difficulties while the countries of the region merely watch,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “We will provide any assistance possible to alleviate the hardships of the brotherly Iranian people,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying. Sheikh Mohammed said Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani regards Pezeshkian “as a brother,” and that “deep and sincere respect” remains between the two countries despite recent events. He said Doha is seeking to restore stability in

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  US must meet Iran’s conditions before Hormuz reopens: Top Iranian official

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  The US must take practical steps to meet Iran’s conditions before Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Thursday. “The US must first take practical measures toward fulfilling Iran’s conditions, after which Iran will move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted Rezaei as saying. His remarks came during a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran. Rezaei said Iran distrusts Washington, accusing it of repeatedly betraying diplomacy and negotiations. He warned that if the US launches any “hostile action” against Iran, Tehran would inflict damage on American military and economic interests “that will be recorded in history.”

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  Syria says Israeli actions threaten regional stability

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi on Thursday accused Israel of escalating tensions in the region, saying its military actions in Syria threaten efforts to achieve security and stability, Anadolu reports. Speaking during a UN Security Council session, Olabi said Damascus was continuing efforts to combat terrorism, dismantle drug trafficking networks and address sensitive files inherited from the former regime. “At a time when Syria continues to reach borders to combat terrorism, dismantle drug trafficking networks, and close files inherited from the former regime, such as the nuclear file, the chemical file, and while you yourselves commend Syria’s achievements, Israel continues to move in exactly the opposite direction,” he said. Olabi accused Israel of conducting eight airstrikes against

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  West Bank has become ‘a lawless land,’ says top Catholic in Jerusalem

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, the top Catholic in the holy city, said Thursday that the West Bank has turned into “a lawless land” as the Israeli settlers’ aggression in the region continues, Vatican News quoted the cleric as saying, Anadolu reports. The West Bank has now become “a lawless land,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa told reporters at a Catholic festival in Rimini, northern Italy, adding that the situation continues “without any effective security or legal restraints.” Speaking at the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, he urged further diplomatic engagement by the West to stop escalating violence in the Middle East. “The fact that there is a situation of continuous aggression by settlers is well established,” Pizzaballa stressed. “The

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  Israel seized refugee agency’s last major facility in Jerusalem, top UNRWA official says

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Israel has seized the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)’s last major facility in occupied East Jerusalem, while the agency continues providing services across the West Bank despite intense Israeli pressure, UNRWA’s West Bank director Roland Friedrich told , Anadolu Agency Thursday. Friedrich said Israel had “closed six UNRWA schools and two health centers and destroyed the agency’s main headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.” “Israel seized the last major facility remaining for UNRWA in East Jerusalem in a blatant violation of international law,” he said, referring to the Qalandia Vocational Training Center, which was seized on Tuesday. Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967 in violation of UN resolutions. UNRWA operates

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  Israeli defense chief renews threat to punish Gaza for flying kites

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday renewed his threat to expel Palestinians from any area in the Gaza Strip from which kites or balloons were being flown, Anadolu reports. Katz made the threat during a high-level security meeting with army chief Eyal Zamir, the head of Israeli air defense, and other top military officials, according to a statement released by his office. Katz said the warning was issued after balloons and kites were flown from areas inside the Gaza Strip. Katz warned that the flying of kites or balloons would be met with a “firm response” against those responsible and against areas from which they were being flown. “Based on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my

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  Sudan lifts Khartoum’s 2-year-old curfew, state of emergency

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Sudan has lifted a two-year-old curfew and a previously declared state of emergency in Khartoum, the government’s Security Affairs Coordination Committee announced Thursday, Anadolu reports. According to Sudanese media, the committee lifted a state of emergency first imposed in 2024, saying Khartoum residents would henceforth be allowed to move and work around the clock. However, after a meeting chaired by Khartoum Governor Ahmed Othman Hamza, the committee clarified that security checkpoints and army patrols would continue operating. It also urged residents traveling late at night to carry identification documents with them. The committee also banned foreign nationals from entering Khartoum State — except those holding valid entry visas or permits — by either public or private transport, including trains and

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  Qatar, Iran mull proposal for ‘navigational corridor’ through Hormuz Strait

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Doha and Tehran are discussing the possible establishment of a “temporary joint navigational corridor” through the Hormuz Strait, the Qatari Foreign Ministry has said, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts by both countries to deescalate regional tensions, Anadolu reports. On Thursday, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, where they discussed efforts to foster conditions conducive to dialogue, according to the ministry. Talks also addressed a proposed “transitional framework” that would include the establishment of a “temporary joint navigational corridor” through the Hormuz Strait, along with joint efforts to clear the waterway of mines. At the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need to “respect the sovereignty

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  White House says no US-Iran negotiations underway

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the US and Iran are not currently engaged in negotiations, Anadolu reports. “No negotiations are happening right now and this will continue until the president feels that maybe they come to the table in a meaningful way. We have not seen that yet,” Leavitt told Fox News. She said the US is instead focused on increasing economic pressure on Iran through an initiative the White House has named “Operation Economic Outcast.” Leavitt also said President Donald Trump “continues to retain all options on the table.” “We’ve had Operation Epic Fury to destroy their military. Now we have Operation Economic Outcast to destroy their economy,” Leavitt added. READ: US cannot achieve its goals

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  Israeli army faces budget shortfall undermining military readiness, chief of staff says

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  The Israeli army is facing a budget shortfall that is undermining its military readiness, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Thursday, Anadolu reports. “Unfortunately, these days we are also facing a challenge regarding the IDF’s budget,” Zamir said during a multi-front situational assessment, according to an army statement. “At a time when the IDF and its personnel are operating on all fronts, we must deal with a lack of funds. Such a situation harms the IDF’s readiness,” he said. READ: Haaretz: Israeli army opposes return of residents to Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps The remarks come amid a dispute between Israel’s Defense and Finance ministries over additional military funding. Israeli media reported this month that the army faces a budget

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  Israeli strike in southern Lebanon kills woman married 2 days earlier: News agency

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  A young Lebanese woman was killed Thursday by an Israeli airstrike — two days after her wedding — in Lebanon’s southern town of Arabsalim, according to the country’s National News Agency (NNA). Israeli warplanes struck the home of Saja Moussa Sharara in southern Lebanon’s Iqlim al-Tuffah district, killing her instantly and injuring several others, NNA reported. Sharara had celebrated her wedding only 48 hours earlier, NNA said. Minutes later, Israeli warplanes carried out a second strike on the same village, causing additional injuries among local residents, according to the news agency. Since early March, Israel has continued to carry out wide-ranging attacks on southern Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah. Hezbollah has responded by attacking Israeli forces that continue to

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  Mauritania’s Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed elected new OIC secretary-general

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, a Mauritanian diplomat and former foreign minister, was elected secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday, Anadolu reports. The election was held at an extraordinary meeting of OIC foreign ministers in the Saudi city of Jeddah, which also discussed the issue of Palestinian statehood and recent developments regarding Jerusalem. Ould Cheikh Ahmed, 66, succeeds Chad’s Hussein Ibrahim Taha, who has served as OIC secretary-general since late 2021 and whose term will officially end in November. Ould Cheikh Ahmed served as Mauritania’s foreign minister from 2018 to 2022, and as the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for Yemen from 2015 to 2018. READ: OIC welcomes ‘historic’ Turkish-Saudi-Pakistani joint defense pact He also previously served as deputy

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  Tunisian leader calls infrastructure failures ‘deliberate acts’ by nation’s ‘enemies’

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Investigations have shown that recent water and electricity outages in several parts of Tunisia were caused by “deliberate acts” rather than technical failures, Tunisian President Kais Saied has said, according to the North African country’s state-run TAP news agency. Saied made the remarks at a meeting in Tunis with Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri and senior officials responsible for infrastructure, energy, agriculture, water, electricity and gas. At the meeting, Saied said the water and electricity outages could not be considered isolated incidents, TAP reported on Thursday. According to the president, those behind the disruptions sought to “inflame the situation” and disseminate false information to sow confusion and disrupt basic services. READ: Tunisia: Rached Ghannouchi returns to prison after 3 weeks in

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  Bangladesh to positively consider joining Mecca pact if invited: Top diplomat

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Bangladesh would consider “positively” if founding members of the Mecca Pact invite the South Asian nations, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament Thursday, Anadolu reports. “Joining the pact or not has not come yet as it is subjected to the intention of the parties involved in the pact. If they invite Bangladesh to join then we will definitely consider it positively,” the foreign minister said. He assured parliament that Bangladesh would assess the potential benefits before making any decision to join. Calling the pact a self-defense mechanism for the Muslim world, Rahman said: “More importantly, we have to keep in mind it (Mecca Pact) is the world Muslim community’s self-defense mechanism. And this is our family’s, Muslim family’s internal matter.

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  Hamas fighters killed in Gaza strikes, including Sinwar’s personal guard: Israeli army

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  The Israeli army said Thursday that it had killed two Palestinians in separate strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming both were members of Hamas and that one had served as a personal guard to slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the army said it had carried out a Monday strike in Khan Younis that killed Rizq Suhail and Suleiman Abu Shahma. It claimed Abu Shahma was a member of an elite unit of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and had served as a personal guard to Sinwar. Sinwar headed Hamas’ political bureau and led the group in the Gaza Strip before being killed in a confrontation with Israeli forces

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  Yemeni naval forces seize alleged ‘Iran-supplied’ military equipment in Red Sea

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Yemeni naval forces seized a vessel in the Red Sea carrying military equipment allegedly smuggled from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the Houthi group, local media reported Thursday, Anadolu reports. The vessel was intercepted Wednesday evening while carrying equipment used in the manufacture of drones, Yemen TV reported, citing the military media of the National Resistance Forces. Hours later, naval patrols detected five Houthi boats attempting to approach islands overlooking the international shipping lane in the Red Sea, the report said. READ: Yemeni army says Houthis fired missiles toward Red Sea The forces engaged the boats and forced them to retreat north toward the coast of the Houthi-held city of Hodeidah. A Houthi drone conducting reconnaissance ahead of the

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  Syria, Saudi Arabia sign agreements on transport, logistics cooperation

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Syria and Saudi Arabia signed two memorandums of understanding on Thursday to strengthen transport and logistics cooperation, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr and his Saudi counterpart Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser signed the agreements in Damascus, SANA reported. The memorandums focus particularly on cooperation in the railway and road transport sectors, it said. They aim to build capacity, exchange expertise and conduct studies to help rehabilitate Syria’s roads and railways and boost transportation and trade through the country, according to the agency. READ: Saudi Arabia, Jordan condemn ‘terrorist attack’ on Syrian security bus near Damascus

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  Palestinians work to save artifacts from historic Gaza mosque after Israeli attack

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Heritage volunteers and municipal teams in central Gaza have launched a campaign to salvage historical artifacts from the landmark Abu Salim Mosque, which was largely destroyed in a recent Israeli airstrike, Anadolu reports. Working through the rubble in Deir al-Balah, members of the local municipality and the Palestinian Heritage Guardians are recovering carved masonry, decorative marble fragments, and rare books from the site’s damaged library. The recovered pieces are being transferred to secure storage to safeguard them for future restoration. READ: Haaretz investigation: Israel-backed Palestinian militias operate alongside army in Gaza Built in 1951, the 75-year-old mosque blends Ottoman and Egyptian architectural styles, long serving as a cultural and spiritual anchor for the local community. Since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect

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  Iranian president urges Muslim states to prevent attacks from their soil

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Muslim states should not allow their territories to be used to launch attacks against other Muslim nations. “Defending Iran does not mean hostility toward Muslim nations or neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said in an address broadcast on Iranian state television during the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran. “No Islamic country should allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for aggression against another Islamic country. No Islamic country should seek its own security through the insecurity of its neighbors,” he said. Referring to the conflict with the US, Pezeshkian said large-scale US and Israeli military attacks against Iran began while diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington to resolve their differences were

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  When the money stops: Hezbollah and the economics of disarmament

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  The Washington framework agreement conditions Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon on the verified disarmament of Hezbollah. The pilot zones were designed to test whether the Lebanese Armed Forces could replace Hezbollah’s territorial presence. Eight rounds of talks have produced communiques about sequenced withdrawals, verification mechanisms, and security coordination. The entire diplomatic architecture assumes that disarmament is a military problem requiring a military solution. It is not. Hezbollah’s disarmament is already underway, and the mechanism is not the LAF, not the pilot zones, and not the framework agreement. It is money. Or rather, the absence of it. Reports have emerged that Hezbollah may no longer be able to pay the $14,000 it traditionally provides to families whose homes are destroyed by

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  International condemnation of settlements does not target Israel’s colonial plan

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  The discrepancy between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements and those of the EU shows where the political deficiency lies. Predictably, the EU’s failure to address settler-colonialism and Israel’s existence as a colonial enterprise is failing to curb expansion. Words without action fulfil nothing except the publication of futile statements. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is adamant about settlement expansion in both rhetoric and action. Speaking about illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu told the settlers, “You are fulfilling the vision of the Land of Israel, and this is our land.” If it really was Israeli land, settlement expansion would not be illegal under international law. However, declaring only part of Israeli settlements illegal while dismissing the

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  Jakarta watches, waits, and weighs its options on the Mecca Pact

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7th August, declaring that an attack on one signatory would be treated as an attack on all three, the reaction from most of the Muslim world’s capitals fell somewhere between quiet approval and studied silence. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, has so far offered neither. There has been no statement from the Foreign Ministry, no comment from President Prabowo Subianto, and nothing from the Defence Ministry. That silence is not indifference. It is, in effect, the position itself. Indonesian foreign policy has been governed since 1948 by the doctrine of bebas aktif, “free and active” non-alignment, which commits Jakarta to pursuing its national interest without binding

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  Purgatorial ethics: Sudan, the UAE and Australia’s arms trade

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Reprehensible as it is, the arms trade is an exercise of purgatorial ethics pursued by all states keen on having a market for the merchants of death: from the perspective of countries and those who represent them, it’s a matter of cold business and hot transactions.  The principles (how the arms will be used, how many innocents will be butchered) can go and sod themselves.  No other figure in modern times has been as candid about this fact than US President Donald Trump.  When confronted with the unsettling claims that his admired Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had directed the carving up of a dissident journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, he thought little of

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  Israel threatens UK officials with expulsion in ‘payback’ over settlements

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Israel is considering expelling British officials from the US-led headquarters overseeing the Gaza ceasefire in retaliation for mounting UK criticism of the country’s illegal settlement expansion and policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to the Financial Times. The move could also target representatives from Germany and Italy and would deepen an increasingly bitter diplomatic rift between Israel and some of its traditional European allies. Israel has already expelled Spanish and Dutch officials from the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC) over their governments’ positions towards Israel. The IGSC, formerly known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center, operates from Kiryat Gat in southern Israel. Led by US military officers, it brings together Israeli forces with military and diplomatic representatives from around 50

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  Israel caught funding fake think tank to game AI and push propaganda

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Israel has funded a fake US think tank and a network of apparently independent websites designed to game artificial intelligence systems and push pro-Israel narratives into chatbot responses, according to an investigation by the Guardian. The operation is part of a multimillion-dollar Israeli campaign to manipulate the online information environment as the occupation state struggles to reverse an unprecedented collapse in international support following its genocide in Gaza and expanding regional wars. Israeli officials have already conceded that the massive propaganda drive is failing, despite hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into hasbara. The revelations come just days after a senior Israeli communications figure openly admitted to fabricating false information in Israel’s propaganda war. Eli Hazan, a longstanding Likud

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  Bombing Iran toward the bomb

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  The most grotesque possibility in the war to prevent an Iranian bomb is that the war itself may manufacture the bomb. Washington has spent years declaring that Iran must never conclude nuclear weapons are necessary for survival. It has now furnished Tehran with the most persuasive argument for exactly that conclusion: remain non-nuclear, remain inspected, remain inside the Non-Proliferation Treaty — and get bombed anyway There is still no verified evidence that Iran has made the political decision to build a nuclear weapon. That fact matters. The distinction between having the technical capacity to approach weaponisation and deciding to produce a bomb is not diplomatic hair-splitting. It is the entire distinction between threshold capability and proliferation. But strategy is not

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  Israeli soldiers refuse to carry out ‘urgent’ mission in Gaza

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli soldiers refused to carry out an “urgent” military mission inside the Gaza Strip that involved travelling in an armoured personnel carrier with a female soldier. According to The Jerusalem Post, the incident comes as the Israeli military prepares to launch pilot programmes allowing women to take on combat roles. The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the soldiers, who serve in the Givati Brigade, are part of the Hesder yeshivas programme, which combines religious studies with military service. It said the mission required them to travel in a Namer armoured personnel carrier inside Gaza, but they refused because a female medic had been added to the unit. The Israeli military said the

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  Israel says Turkish presence at Syrian airbase thwarted as Erdoğan warns against attempts to “stop Turkey”

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Israeli officials assess that Turkey’s reported efforts to establish a presence around the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria have been halted following an Israeli strike on the facility and subsequent diplomatic contacts, according to Israel’s Channel 12. The assessment represents a shift from concerns expressed by Israeli officials last week over the possibility of an expanded Turkish military presence at the airbase in Idlib province. Amid the tensions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan posted a message on social media warning: “Those who think they can stop Turkey with provocations and conspiracies will be disappointed.” Channel 12 reported that contacts between Israeli, Turkish and Syrian officials contributed to a reduction in tensions. It also pointed to recent talks involving

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  Haaretz: Israeli army opposes return of residents to Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  The Israeli military has told the Supreme Court that residents displaced from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps will not be permitted to return at this stage, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The newspaper said the army intends to maintain a military presence in the northern West Bank camps in order to preserve what it describes as operational and security control, and has not provided a timetable for residents to return. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from the three camps since the start of large-scale Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank. Palestinian residents and aid organisations have described the evacuations as abrupt and highly disruptive, leaving many families dependent

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  Rights group says Saudi prosecutors sought death penalty for preacher Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Saudi prosecutors have sought the death penalty for prominent preacher and hadith scholar Abdul Aziz al-Tarifi, who has been detained for more than a decade, according to the Saudi human rights organization ALQST. ALQST expressed concern over al-Tarifi’s case on Wednesday, saying the 50-year-old cleric remains imprisoned at al-Ha’ir Prison in Riyadh and is currently being held in solitary confinement. The organization said, however, that it lacks sufficient information about the latest judicial proceedings and could not confirm whether prosecutors are still actively seeking his execution. Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed or denied ALQST’s account regarding the prosecution’s request for the death penalty. Al-Tarifi was arrested in April 2016. According to ALQST, his detention followed social media posts criticizing

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  Former Mossad deputy chief warns of Egyptian military expansion, urges preparedness

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Former Mossad deputy chief and current Knesset member Ram Ben-Barak has warned of growing anti-Israel calls in Egypt, stressing the need to prepare for all scenarios despite the peace treaty between the two countries, Israeli radio station 103FM reported. The former Israeli security official said preparations should be made for any scenario amid Egypt’s military expansion and growing tensions along the southern border, which he said were raising concerns within Israel’s security establishment. The Maariv-affiliated radio station said Ben-Barak told presenters Ben Caspit and Ariel Kahana in an interview that, despite the peace treaty with Egypt, there were “very worrying” developments that required Israel to remain prepared. He expressed concern that the expansion of the Egyptian military was being directed

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  Saudi Arabia reaffirms no normalisation with Israel without Palestinian state

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Saudi Arabia has reiterated that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, amid reports that US President Donald Trump is seeking to link a civil nuclear agreement with Riyadh to Saudi normalisation with Israel. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Trump has referred the US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress for review but has stipulated that it will not take effect unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords. “The president’s position has not changed, and the agreement will not move forward unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” the newspaper quoted a US administration source as saying.

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  Haaretz investigation: Israel-backed Palestinian militias operate alongside army in Gaza

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Five Palestinian armed groups operating in the Gaza Strip receive Israeli financial and military support and carry out operations on behalf of the Israeli military and intelligence services, according to an investigation published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Wednesday. The investigation, based on accounts from Israeli soldiers and officers, Palestinian sources, UN data and satellite imagery, said the groups operate in several parts of Gaza under Israeli military protection and coordination. According to Haaretz, their activities extend beyond confronting Hamas and include intelligence gathering, pursuing Hamas members and carrying out operational tasks in areas controlled by the Israeli army. The investigation also reported that members of the groups have expelled Palestinian residents, looted property, burned homes and opened fire

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  ICC responds to US sanctions: ‘We will not give up’

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane has said the court will not back down even if the United States expands its sanctions to target the institution itself. Speaking remotely from The Hague at a news conference in Tokyo, Akane said the sanctions imposed on her had so far prevented her from using her credit card. Akane also expressed hope that Japan would play a greater role in supporting the court, particularly in the face of pressure that could push some member states to withdraw. She said the sanctions had strengthened her determination to continue the ICC’s work. Her comments came in response to US sanctions imposed on her and the ICC’s senior lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye, over the court’s actions

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  Israel Is Its Own Worst Enemy | Palestine This Week

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine Israel’s admission that its forces fired on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab, the expansion of the E1 settlement project and the increasingly explicit rejection of Palestinian statehood by leading Israeli politicians. We also discuss the campaign to free Marwan Barghouti, emerging Palestinian electoral coalitions, Israel’s strikes on Syria and the shifting regional security order. Plus, we assess Washington’s escalation of sanctions on Iran. WATCH: ‘The Board of Peace’ Or ‘Broker of Deceit’ | Palestine This Week

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  Qusra is just a warning: Israel’s blueprint for the West Bank

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  If you want to understand the bleak future awaiting the occupied West Bank, do not look away. Just pay attention to the events unfolding in the small Palestinian town of Qusra, south of Nablus. The story of the future of the West Bank begins here. While much of the media is treating reports emerging from the area as simply another episode of “settler violence,” it is not. Qusra represents something far more consequential: a glimpse into the new Plan Dalet that Israel has in store for Palestinians. Plan Dalet was the military blueprint through which Zionist forces conquered much of historic Palestine, village by village, during the Nakba. The plan did not suddenly emerge in 1948. It built on military

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  Israeli court acquits settler in attack on French nun citing mental illness

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  An Israeli court on Wednesday acquitted a settler who was filmed attacking a French nun in Jerusalem, after accepting a medical report that said he was in a psychotic state at the time of the incident and was not criminally responsible for his actions. Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court acquitted Yona Schreiber after accepting the opinion of a psychiatrist who said he was in a “psychotic state at the time of the attack”. The court ordered Schreiber to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment after finding that he had committed the acts listed in the indictment, but ruled that he was not criminally responsible for them because of his mental state at the

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  Israeli settlement leaders tour Gaza, call for starvation of Palestinians

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Heads of local and settlement councils in the so-called Gaza border area toured the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, meeting Israeli military officers and soldiers and making inflammatory statements calling for tighter restrictions on the enclave and continued military operations. The settlement leaders were accompanied by Israeli Southern Command chief Major General Yaniv Asor and Gaza Division commander Brigadier General Liron Bitito. Israeli media quoted Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi as saying after the tour: “The solution here is to keep striking Hamas all the time, and we must consider the yellow line as a starting point for the attack.” Davidi explicitly called for the use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza, saying: “We must attack those launching drones

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  Netanyahu in closed talks: Likud will lose election unless situation changes

  by Marwa A on August 27, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in closed-door talks that his Likud party will lose the next Knesset (parliament) election unless the situation changes. He acknowledged that the party had lost 10 seats and said he did not know how to regain them, according to Hebrew-language media. The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Wednesday that Netanyahu made the remarks during recent closed-door talks, ahead of the general election scheduled for 27 October. Kan quoted Netanyahu as saying: “We have lost 10 seats, and I don’t know how to get them back.” Netanyahu has also been unable to determine what kind of election campaign he should run, and believes that “Likud will lose the next election unless something changes”,

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  Gaza’s famine one year on: Did the world learn anything?

  by Mehdi Editor on August 27, 2026

  On 22nd August last year, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially confirmed famine in Gaza Governorate, including Gaza City, after determining that famine conditions had already existed by mid-August 2025. More than half a million people were facing starvation, destitution and death. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, speaking to international media and later to the Security Council, called it “the Gaza Famine.” He warned that it could have been prevented, pointing to the restrictions on humanitarian access and the devastating consequences of Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023—it is a manmade famine and it is “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war” Fletcher emphasised . By the time famine conditions had somewhat

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  Yemen orders closure of ports operating outside government law amid efforts to cut Houthi arms supplies

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi on Wednesday ordered the closure of any port or border crossing operating outside government law as part of measures to combat smuggling and disrupt arms and financing networks supporting the Houthis, according to Yemen’s official Saba news agency, Anadolu reports. Al-Alimi issued the order while chairing a meeting of the Supreme Committee for Combating Smuggling, headed by Prime Minister Shaia al-Zindani, in the Saudi capital. “The era of leniency toward smuggling is over,” said al-Alimi, vowing to protect legitimate trade and the private sector, and take action against smuggling networks that drain state resources, finance adversaries or threaten national security. He said the measures form part of broader efforts to secure sovereign ports

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  Hamas agrees to surrender arms, relinquish governance, Peace Board says

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza have agreed — for the first time — to surrender their weapons and transfer full civilian and security authority to a UN-recognized transitional administration, Nikolay Mladenov, the Gaza Peace Board’s high representative, said Wednesday, Anadolu reports. Mladenov made the remarks at a UN Security Council briefing on implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan, according to statements made by the board on US social-media company X. “For the first time, Hamas and the armed factions in Gaza have agreed to hand over their weapons and to transfer full governing authority — civilian and security — to a transitional administration recognized by the United Nations,” Mladenov said. He claimed the move could “dramatically improve

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  US sanctions UK-based Palestine Action group

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  The US Treasury Department on Wednesday designated the British group Palestine Action as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), Anadolu reports. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the agency responsible for administering US economic sanctions, added the group to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN). The designation was made pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886. Originally signed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the legal authority targets US-designated terrorists and those providing financial, material or technological support to them. It allows for secondary sanctions against those providing support to the organization. The US accused the group of supporting “numerous acts of terrorism since” its establishment. Palestine Action co-founder

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  Israeli authorities detain Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs near Al-Aqsa

  by Marwa A on August 26, 2026

  Israeli authorities on Wednesday detained Ashraf al-Aawar, the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, while he was attending a family gathering near Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Jerusalem Governorate, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the governorate said al-Aawar had been attending a mourning gathering for his family in the Silwan neighborhood when he was arrested. It did not provide additional details. The reported arrest comes a week after al-Aawar was temporarily detained by Israeli authorities from his home in Silwan. After being held for several hours, he was released without being given a reason for his detention. Last year, Israeli authorities banned al-Aawar from entering the occupied West Bank for six months, a period that was later extended. READ: Israel

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  Bahrain re-arrests human rights defender Naji Fateel two years after royal pardon

  by Mehdi Editor on August 26, 2026

  Bahraini authorities have re-arrested prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel more than two years after he was freed under a royal pardon following over 11 years in prison, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR).  Plainclothes police officers raided Fateel’s flat at around 5:45am on 18 August while he and his family were asleep, the rights group reported. Fateel later told a colleague from detention that officers did not present an arrest warrant or explain why they were taking him into custody. Bahraini authorities have re-arrested prominent human rights defender Naji Fateel more than two years after he was freed under a royal pardon following over 11 years in prison, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights