Middle East

World News

Church leaders say Israeli troops killed 2 women and injured 7 others at parish

12:33am December 23, 2023

by Jason DeRose

Holy Family Parish in northern Gaza says two women sheltering there were killed by an Israeli sniper. The two churches in Gaza have been under siege since the beginning of the war.

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U.S. ambassador to the UN talks about why the U.S. obtained from new Gaza resolution

6:04pm December 22, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield about the situation in Gaza and the UN resolution

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UN resolution to increase Gaza aid doesn't include call for a ceasefire

5:24pm December 22, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

The UN Security Council is calling for stepped up aid deliveries to Gaza, as humanitarian workers warn of famine. It adopted a resolution after days of tough negotiations to avoid a U.S. veto.

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World News

Why Houthis target ships

4:47pm December 22, 2023

by Fatma Tanis

Houthi rebels in Yemen vow to continue attacking vessels passing through the Red Sea in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building at U.N. headquarters.

World News

U.N. Security Council calls for expanded humanitarian aid in Gaza, as U.S. abstains

3:49pm December 22, 2023

The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution Friday seeking "urgent steps" to expand aid in Gaza, but could not secure the unanimous support needed to call for an immediate cease-fire.

World News

U.N. Security Council proposals for Gaza weakened to win U.S. support

6:48am December 22, 2023

U.N. Security Council proposals to call for a Gaza ceasefire or put the U.N. in charge of aid inspections were weakened to try to win support from the U.S., which backs Israel's fight against Hamas.

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A top Qatari official discusses why Gaza is a policy priority

6:48am December 22, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

Qatar's ties to Hamas are controversial but useful. A top Qatari official tells NPR why the Gulf Arab state hosts senior Hamas figures and why Gaza is a policy priority.

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Journalist Masha Gessen received a prize named after political theorist Hannah Ahrendt in Bremen, Germany on Saturday. The ceremony almost didn't happen after sponsors condemned Gessen's recent remarks on the Middle East.

Despite backlash, Masha Gessen says comparing Gaza to a Nazi-era ghetto is necessary

5:00am December 22, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Journalist Masha Gessen talks to NPR's Morning Edition about their recent New Yorker essay on German Holocaust memory and the situation in Gaza — and the controversy that ensued.

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More than 20,000 people have now been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Above, a home in Rafah is shown in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike.

World News

Gaza health officials say Israel's offensive has now killed more than 20,000 people

1:20am December 22, 2023

Just more than 10 weeks into the conflict, the number of people killed in Gaza is nearing 1% of the territory's pre-war population. The rising death toll has fueled calls for Israel to shift strategy.

UN Security Council debates how to get aid into Gaza as conditions become more dire

5:53pm December 21, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

The question of how to get more aid into Gaza has deadlocked the United Nations Security Council. For three days, proposals have been debated as conditions worsen for millions of people in Gaza.