7 h. ago Rubio in Israel for talks to limit diplomatic damage over Qatar strikes

US secretary of state says Trump ‘not happy’ about Israeli attack that targeted Hamas officials in Doha for Gaza talksThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has held talks in Israel with Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at limiting the diplomatic damage to both countries by Israel’s attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar, its continued demolition of Gaza, and the accelerated expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.The Israeli prime minister took Rubio on a tour of the Western Wall, where both men placed written prayers between the stones, before taking his American visitor underground to view archeological excavations. Continue reading...

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11 h. ago Marco Rubio arrives in Israel as US demands answers over Qatar attack

Mr Rubio’s trip proceeded despite President Donald Trump’s reported anger at Mr Netanyahu over the Israeli strike in Doha

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13 h. ago Rubio arrives in Israel amid tensions over strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar

US secretary of state says Trump ‘not happy’ about Israeli attack that targeted Hamas officials in Doha for Gaza talksThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has arrived in Israel seeking to mend a rift with Washington’s other allies in the region over Israel’s attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar and the accelerated expansion of settlements on the occupied West Bank.In talks with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio will try to balance criticism of the Israeli airstrike on a Doha building, which killed aides to a Hamas leader and a Qatari security officer, with a message of overall support for Israel before the expected formal recognition of Palestine by a number of other US allies, including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium. Continue reading...

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14 h. ago Bombed, starving and orphaned: The horrific plight of children arriving in Gaza’s hospitals alone

Up to 40,000 children in Gaza are believed to have lost at least one parent as Israeli forces continue a brutal offensive. Medics tell Alex Croft that many are now arriving in hospital alone

Events

26 h. ago Love Island's Andrew Le Page hints at new relationship after Tasha Ghouri split

Former Love Island contestant Andrew Le Page has hinted that he has found new love with a real estate agent in the Middle East following his split from Tasha Ghouri

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32 h. ago My evacuation from Gaza City: ‘I told my terrified toddler we’re going camping’

As he and his family are forced by the Israelis to flee Gaza City, Nedal Hamdouna describes in searing detail the reality of what that means on the ground – and how he is trying to protect his daughter from the reality of all-out war

Events

32 h. ago Humphreys calls Gaza situation ‘horrific’ as she launches presidential bid

The Fine Gael candidate held the launch event in her home county of Monaghan.

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55 h. ago Israeli companies crack down on coverage at London arms fair

Israeli companies crack down on coverage at London arms fair  Middle East Eye

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58 h. ago Woman orders three course meal in Turkey and Brits are floored by price

A woman recently went to a restaurant in Turkey, and was floored by the cost of a three course meal. When you're abroad, you never know what to expect to pay

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59 h. ago Israel’s attack on Qatar proves Trump’s pledges of protection are worthless | Mohamad Bazzi

Deadly airstrike was Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest move to obstruct peace negotiations, threatening Qatar’s role as intermediaryWhen Donald Trump visited Qatar in May, he promised to defend the tiny, wealthy emirate and its rulers. “We are going to protect this country,” Trump declared on his state visit, where he was treated like royalty and honored in gilded palaces. “It’s a very special place, with a special royal family They are great people and they are going to be protected by the United States.”Over two decades, Qatar spent billions of dollars to upgrade the largest US military base in the Middle East and spent many more billions to buy US warplanes and other weapons. In May, as the president prepared to visit, the Qatari government donated a luxury Boeing jet, a “palace in the sky” valued at $400m, which is now being refitted so Trump can use it as Air Force One.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New...

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67 h. ago US joins UN Security Council’s condemnation of Doha airstrike ahead of Trump’s meeting with Qatari PM: Latest

Donald Trump has reportedly held a heated phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu over Tuesday's strike that killed six

Events

3 d. ago Senators say US is complicit in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza

Democrats Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley reach ‘inescapable conclusion’ after fact-finding trip to regionTwo Democratic senators claim they have reached the “inescapable conclusion” that Israel is acting on a systematic plan to destroy and ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza to force locals to leave, and they say the US is complicit.Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, both members of the Senate foreign relations committee, released their findings in a report on Thursday after returning from a congressional delegation to the Middle East where, they note, the destruction goes beyond bombs and bullets. They say they also found a systematic campaign to strangle humanitarian aid, which they call “using food as a weapon of war”. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Israel has replaced Iran as the biggest security threat to the Gulf states | Sanam Vakil

As the US waits on the sidelines, Israel’s actions – as evidenced by the attack on Doha – are becoming increasingly audaciousSanam Vakil is director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programmeIsrael’s assassination of Hamas negotiators in Doha this week has crossed a line that even its closest Arab partners cannot ignore. Israel has long justified pre-emptive and extraterritorial strikes as necessary for its security. Over the course of two years, in response to the 7 October attacks by Hamas, it has struck at six countries in the region (including Palestine), seeking to eradicate all threats to its security. But hitting the capital of Qatar, a wealthy Gulf monarchy, a security partner and non-Nato ally of the US, and the site of painstaking negotiations between Israel and Hamas at the behest of Washington, is not simply another targeted killing. It represents a fundamental shift where Arab states no longer see Iran as the only principal destabiliser of the region. Tod...

Events

3 d. ago Qatar to hold emergency summit with Arab countries after Israeli strike on Doha: Latest

Donald Trump has reportedly held a heated phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu over Tuesday's strike that killed six

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3 d. ago Before and after satellite images show impact of Israeli airstrike on Qatar

Images show damage caused by strike on walled compound, as well as massive response by emergency and security forces

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3 d. ago Israel ‘killed any hope’ for hostages with attack on Doha, says Qatar prime minister: Latest

Donald Trump has reportedly held a heated phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu over Tuesday's strike that killed six

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3 d. ago Dubai's strict drug laws explained as Mia O'Brien suffers 'living hell' in UAE 'Alcatraz'

British student Mia O'Brien was handed a life sentence in the Middle East after a day-long hearing, in a case that has shed light on Dubai's harsh drug laws

Events

3 d. ago Trump has ‘heated phone call’ with Netanyahu over Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas in Qatar: Latest

Israel’s ambassador to the US vows to strike Hamas again after Trump calls out Doha airstrike

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4 d. ago Netanyahu is an unhinged narcissist who has sabotaged world peace, says furious Qatar

Netanyahu’s unilateral actions bombing Doha are one of ‘madman’ who is attacking international rules-based order, warns senior Qatari official

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4 d. ago Israel deliberately targeted Hamas in Qatar as they blocked Gaza ceasefire, president says

Isaac Herzog insisted the targeting of Hamas in Doha was because its negotiators refused to work towards a deal with Gaza. World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports

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