Middle East

President Biden gave remarks on the Middle East at the White House on Friday. He said it is time for the war in Gaza to end and discussed a "road map" to a cease-fire agreement.

Biden announced at the White House that Israel offered a “comprehensive new proposal” that offers a “roadmap to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages.”

Nearly eight months ago, Israel reacted to the attacks of October 7th by invading Gaza with the goal of destroying Hamas. Our correspondent in Tel Aviv examines how close they are to achieving that goal but looking at Hamas' capability on three fronts: on the battlefield, in continuing to govern and controlling the narrative.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

The UN says about a million people have fled the southern city of Rafah since Israeli forces invaded there earlier this month. People are running out of options for where to go. NPR spends time with one family who is trying to make a bombed out classroom inhabitable.

Israel’s military continues to expand operations in Rafah. The Biden administration continues to warn Israel against a "major operation" in the city.

Iran last month launched an aggressive new crackdown on women who defy the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

Did an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp near Rafah cross a red line with the Biden administration? NPR’s Leila Fadel talks to Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

As war continues to rage in the Middle East, attention has been turned to how American Jews, Muslims, and Palestinians relate to the state of Israel. But when we talk about the region, American Christians, particularly evangelical Christians, are often not part of that story. But their political support for Israel is a major driver for U.S. policy — in part because Evangelicals make up an organized, dedicated constituency with the numbers to exert major influence on U.S. politics.