Middle East

Hezbollah leader's speech is expected to weigh in on the Israel-Hamas war

5:11am November 03, 2023

With each day Israeli troops fight Hamas in Gaza, there's increasing concern that Lebanon's Hezbollah militants could enter the war. There's already been sporadic fighting on Israel's northern border.

Blinken returns to Israel, working on a plan to protect civilians in Gaza

5:11am November 03, 2023

President Biden sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken back to Israel as the death toll mounts in Gaza, and international calls for a ceasefire grow.

Secretary Antony Blinken heads back to Israel as many are calling for a cease-fire

8:09pm November 02, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed back to the Middle East — seeking to contain the war between Israel and Hamas.

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People walk along a street as a plume of smoke rises in the background during an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue.

Freeing hostages, hosting Hamas: Qatar's influence in Israel-Gaza war, explained

6:39pm November 02, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

Qatar, a U.S. ally, is the regional power best positioned to both influence Hamas and play a mediating role with Israel. Here's what to know.

People walk down the narrow streets of the Al-Am'ari refugee camp in Ramallah in the West Bank on Oct. 31, 2023.

World News

What Palestinians in the West Bank think about the war — and Hamas

5:02pm November 02, 2023

by Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep interviews a range of West Bank Palestinians, exploring Hamas' influence, Fatah's challenges and hopes for global recognition of Palestinian rights.

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World News

The UN agency for Palestine refugees is running out of supplies in Gaza

4:28pm November 02, 2023

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, says it is running out of supplies in Gaza, where it is sheltering over 600,000 displaced Palestinians.

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Palestinian children exposed to violence are suffering from PTSD and depression

4:28pm November 02, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Years of research on kids in Palestine have found high rates of post traumatic stress and depression as a result of being exposed to chronic ethnic-political violence.

The diplomacy that went into opening the Rafah Border for Palestinians

3:46pm November 02, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

It took weeks of complex negotiations to get even a tiny number of people out of Gaza into Egypt — with Qatar playing an important role.

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Palestinians with dual nationality register to cross to Egypt on the Gaza Strip side of the border crossing in Rafah on Thursday.

World News

Americans leaving Gaza report chaos, relief — and worry for people staying behind

3:09pm November 02, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

Hundreds of Americans appeared on a list of passport holders approved to leave the territory, as President Biden called for a "pause" in hostilities to allow for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

A Palestinian youth walks inside a tunnel used for military exercises during a Hamas-run camp in 2016. Hamas says it has built 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza.

World News

The Hamas tunnels: a wildcard in the Gaza fighting

10:53am November 02, 2023

by Greg Myre

Israeli troops have far greater firepower. But elusive Hamas militants are hiding and will seek to ambush Israelis from tunnels that crisscross Gaza.

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