Middle East

How do you measure misery? For journalists the usual way is to see it, to feel it, to smell it.

Beleaguered Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are doing that, still doing invaluable reporting at great risk to themselves. More than 200 have been killed doing their jobs.

Israel does not allow international journalists into Gaza.

Denied the chance of eyewitness reporting – one of the best tools of the job – we can study, from a distance, the assessments of aid organisations operating in Gaza.

Hamas released the last living American hostage Monday, after he spent more than 580 days in captivity inside the Gaza Strip. 

Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was received by a specialized Israel Defense Forces unit and is going to be brought to an initial reception facility in Re’im, where he will undergo preliminary medical and psychological evaluation by IDF Medical Corps personnel, an Israeli official told Fox News. 

The latest round of high-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and the US have ended, with Tehran calling them difficult but with both sides agreeing to further negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed on X that the talks had concluded, saying they were “difficult but useful to better understand each other’s positions and to find reasonable & realistic ways to address the differences.”

A ceasefire to end the conflict between India and Pakistan was shaken by overnight fighting in the disputed Kashmir region.

People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning.

President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire Saturday morning between India and Pakistan after days of military fighting in the neighboring nations.

"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence."

Welcome to The Logoff: Today Joshua Keating and I are focusing on a surprising ceasefire agreement between the US and the Houthis, a pact that signals a new direction in the Trump administration’s approach to a multiyear military struggle in the Middle East.

Israel plans to seize control of the entirety of Gaza and to remain in the territory for an indefinite period, ushering in a new phase in the Jewish state’s long-running war against Hamas.

As part of the impending widening of the invasion of Gaza, the IDF plans to completely clear the northern part of the enclave, sending its citizens to southern Gaza, where a new humanitarian aid pilot program will begin, a senior security source said on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a new offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas, but stopped short of detailing just how much of the enclave’s territory would be seized.

Israel approved plans Monday to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel’s operations in Gaza and likely bring fierce international opposition.

Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.