Middle East news and updates—politics, security, economy, energy, diplomacy, and major developments across the region
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has led hundreds of Jewish Israelis into Jerusalem’s most contested holy site, with many defying the Israeli government’s long-standing ban on Jewish prayer there. BBC reported that the visit by Itamar Ben-Gvir to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount, has been condemned as provocative…
Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya and several other medical personnel detained as Israel continues its Gaza offensive. The Israeli army has arrested the director of al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the besieged Gaza Strip. It was gathered that Hospital Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya was held for questioning following “evidence showing that Shifa Hospital, under…
The Vatican has said that Pope Francis will meet separately next week with relatives of hostages held by Hamas militants and with a group of Palestinians with family members in Gaza. According to a statement by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni “with these meetings, which are of an exclusively humanitarian character, Pope Francis wants to show…
