Middle East

Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in this handout picture released on December 14, 2023.

World News

Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed 3 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, Israel says

6:50pm December 15, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

While fighting in Gaza City on Friday, Israeli soldiers "inadvertently identified" three male hostages as a threat, Israel's military said. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza as fighting continues.

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters converge at a demonstration of New York University students in November.

'Fear rather than sensitivity': Most U.S. scholars on the Mideast are self-censoring

12:41pm December 15, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

The war between Israel and Hamas is testing the limits of free speech across college campuses. And it's also affecting those who study the Middle East.

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World News

Disagreements emerge over who should be in control of Gaza when the war ends

6:54am December 15, 2023

Who should be in charge in Gaza after the war? Disagreements have emerged between the U.S., Israel, Palestinian and Gulf leaders, and activists.

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Sharon Hertzman, right, hugs her son, Omer Avigdori, as they reunite at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, in November. Hertzman and her daughter, Noam Avigdori, were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 and released last month.

World News

The accounts of freed Israeli hostages add pressure to save those still in captivity

5:41am December 15, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

In the two weeks since a ceasefire allowed for the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, their stories have rocked Israel. About 115 hostages are thought to remain in Gaza.

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World News

Morning news brief

5:07am December 15, 2023

Disagreements emerge over Gaza's post-war leadership. Criminal prosecutors in Ohio violated defendants' rights. The lawmaker leading the probe into Hunter Biden is accused of owning a shell company.

World News

What it was like on the scene just after an Israeli strike hit a Rafah refugee camp

6:14pm December 14, 2023

NPR producer Anas Baba was one of the first to arrive at the scene of an Israeli strike at Al-Shaboura Camp in Rafah, which Israel struck after telling people in Khan Younis to flee there for safety.

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How Mideast scholars are censoring themselves amid the Hamas-Israel war

6:13pm December 14, 2023

Shibley Telhami, director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues poll talks about the survey of middle east scholars about self-censoring themselves during the war between Hamas and Israel.

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The Iraqi government feels the pressure as militias increase attacks on U.S. bases

5:57pm December 14, 2023

by Ruth Sherlock

With the Israel-Hamas war, militias in Iraq have increased attacks on US troops and put the Iraqi government in a precarious spot.

Amid war, a Rabbi makes the case to 'raise up light' this Hanukkah

5:15pm December 14, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie about how he's thinking about Hanukkah this year.

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Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on north Gaza on November 22, 2023. Israel says it is using artificial intelligence to find targets.

Israel is using an AI system to find targets in Gaza. Experts say it's just the start

7:36am December 14, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

Israel's military says the system makes it more efficient and reduces collateral damage. Critics see a host of problems with the nation's use of AI, but other militaries will likely follow suit.

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