Middle East

Widad Ghareeb visits a neighbor's house that was destroyed by an Israeli attack during fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah forces that escalated when the latest Gaza war began. Ghareeb's home next door was also heavily damaged.

World News

Away from Gaza, homes in south Lebanon bear the scars of Israel's other front line

5:00am December 14, 2023

A farming village in southern Lebanon sits on the edge of a parallel conflict to the war in Gaza, with Hezbollah militants fighting with Israel. Some Lebanese hold out hope for a permanent truce.

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World News

UNICEF's James Elder discusses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and risk to children

4:59am December 14, 2023

by Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with UNICEF spokesperson James Elder about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the extreme risk to children.

Sultan al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, right, celebrates the end of the COP28 climate meeting with United Nations Climate Chief Simon Stiell, left, and COP28 CEO Adnan Amin on Dec. 13, 2023, in Dubai. The final deal included a modest reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels, which scientists say is crucial to avoid catastrophic warming.

Climate talks end on a first-ever call for the world to move away from fossil fuels

6:08pm December 13, 2023

Leaders from nearly 200 countries agreed on the need to transition away from fossil fuels. But representatives of nations most vulnerable to climate impacts were not happy with the final deal.

Biden meets with family of Americans held hostage by Hamas

4:38pm December 13, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with the family of Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is being held hostage by Hamas.

Amit Michelson, an Israeli military reservist, stands for a portrait at a military base near the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on Nov. 28.

World News

As fighting grinds on in Gaza, some Israelis in the north want a war with Hezbollah

3:06pm December 13, 2023

by Brian Mann

Hamas is viewed by many Israelis as an existential threat in the south. But in the north, especially in Upper Galilee, many Israelis say Lebanon's Hezbollah militants must also be destroyed.

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President Biden makes critical remarks on Israel's response to Hamas attacks

5:11am December 13, 2023

President Biden says the Israeli government needs to keep an open mind to how Gaza is governed after the fighting there stops.

An Israeli air strike damaged this ambulance in front of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 3. Israel said the vehicle was "identified ... as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell" and that a "number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed." Hamas denied the presence of fighters in the ambulance convoy, calling the claims "baseless."

Attacks on health care are on track to hit a record high in 2023. Can it be stopped?

5:11am December 13, 2023

by Ari Daniel

The targeting of hospitals and medical workers is a fact of modern warfare — in Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza and Israel. International law say such attacks are unacceptable. Are there any consequences?

A general view shows voting results during a United Nations General Assembly meeting to vote on a non-binding resolution demanding "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza.

The United Nations approves a cease-fire resolution despite U.S. opposition

7:49pm December 12, 2023

The United Nations General Assembly approved the resolution 153 to 10 with 23 abstentions. This latest resolution is non-binding.

World News

While war in Gaza continues, support for Hamas is growing in the West Bank

4:32pm December 12, 2023

by Brian Mann

While Israel aims to destroy Hamas so it can't attack again like it did on October 7, the group's popularity seems to be growing in the West Bank.

World News

Israel's offensive has brought war to the hospital in Gaza's second largest city

4:32pm December 12, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

Israel's military offensive against Hamas is now focused on Gaza's second largest city, Khan Younis. The hospital there is overwhelmed with newly wounded people, but many doctors have fled.