Middle East

After the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that killed more than 1,100 people, President Joe Biden expressed America's backing for its Middle Eastern ally.

But that same month, polls showed that support for Israel among American voters was not unwavering. And that, in fact, support was split across generations.

That split between young voters poured out into the streets in November. Two big marches – one organized by pro-Palestinian groups and one by pro-Israeli groups – occurred in Washington.

Whether or not Joe Biden gets re-elected in 2024 will depend a lot on if he can repeat his 2020 success with young voters. But a split over U.S. support for Israel may get in his way.

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The U.N. office on refugees found that by the end of last year, 1 in 69 people had been forced from their homes -- either within their own country or across an international border.

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Arnaud Quemin, Middle East director of Mercy Corps, about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has hit a new high during the 8-month Gaza war: many fear it could ignite a full-on war

There are fears of a second full-on war igniting on Israel's northern border. Hezbollah, the group based in Lebanon and backed by Iran, has been trading fire with Israeli forces across the Israel-Lebanon border since Israel's conflict with Hamas began last October. Those exchanges of fire have hit new peaks recently. We hear from two NPR correspondents who each visited a side of that border.

Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is increasing. We hear from Palestinians there who are watching events in Gaza with concern. And we hear about the past and current efforts to get Palestinians a state of their own.

The low-level war between Israel and Lebanon is ramping up, with cross border rocket fire and emptied towns. There are fears that it could lead to a major conflagration.

Palestinians living in Ramallah, the West Bank's largest city, say they are trapped, unable to travel because of settler violence and checkpoints.