Middle East

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Jan.18, 2024.

World News

Netanyahu says he told U.S. that he opposes Palestinian state in any postwar scenario

4:04am January 19, 2024

by The Associated Press

The Israeli prime minister spoke just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have "genuine security" without a pathway toward Palestinian independence.

World News

Mothers of IDF soldiers protest to bring troops home

5:42pm January 18, 2024

A new group of soldiers' mothers is calling to bring home the troops from Gaza and strike a diplomatic deal to end the war. The mothers represent a minority view in Israel.

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Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Iran — targeting militant positions

2:40pm January 18, 2024

Pakistan struck Iranian territory in response to Iranian strikes in Pakistani territory earlier this week. Pakistan has expelled the Iranian ambassador.

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The pioneering graphic novel Palestine by Joe Sacco is part comic book, part memoir of his journeys through the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Demand for the book has surged since the start of the war in Gaza.

An acclaimed graphic novel is seeing a resurgence, brought on by the war in Gaza

11:36am January 18, 2024

by Diba Mohtasham

The war in Gaza is driving a new generation of readers to Joe Sacco's trailblazing exploration of the daily reality of life under Israeli occupation, Palestine. Newfound demand has prompted a reprint.

Gaza has been without internet or cellphone service for nearly a week. Workers have been unable to restore a key fiber-optic line that connects Gaza to Israel and the West Bank.

World News

As Gaza's communication blackout grinds on, some fear it is imperiling lives

10:35am January 18, 2024

by Geoff Brumfiel

For days, much of the Gaza Strip has been without cellphone and internet access. The laws of war were written well before the World Wide Web, but some see communication as a fundamental right.

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The Biden administration insists a 2-state solution remains a real possibility

7:13am January 18, 2024

Administration officials say Palestinian statehood, as part of a normalization between Israel and Arab countries, is achievable. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Brian Katulis of the Middle East Institute.

Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:40am January 18, 2024

Phone and internet service in Gaza is down for a sixth day. President Biden and congressional leaders discuss Ukraine funding. Pakistan launches strikes on Iran allegedly targeting militant positions.

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Judeh Hirbawi packages keffiyehs at the Hirbawi keffiyeh factory, which has seen an increase in sales since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, in Hebron, West Bank, on Feb. 11, 2024. Hirbawi is one of three brothers who own and run the factory that their father started.

One-of-a-kind West Bank factory ships the colors of Palestinian resilience worldwide

5:12am January 18, 2024

by Nina Kravinsky

A wave of international orders, fueled by social media support, has all the machines running at an old-school, family-owned keffiyeh factory.

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Biden administration again designates the Houthi militants a global terrorist group

5:12am January 18, 2024

NPR's A Martinez talks to retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan about whether U.S. strategy in Yemen could strengthen the Houthis, and what the terrorist designation means for the militant group.

Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against U.S. and U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.

U.S. military launches another barrage of missiles against Houthi sites in Yemen

8:33pm January 17, 2024

by The Associated Press

The strikes were launched from the Red Sea and hit more than a dozen sites. They follow an announcement that the U.S. has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists.