Gaza
Mediators seek a new deal to release more than half of the hostages in Gaza
President Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is taking part in ceasefire talks in Qatar, the most serious Israel-Hamas talks since Trump took office.
White House says immigration officials are seeking more pro-Palestinian protesters
Following the arrest of pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Department of Homeland Security is working to make additional arrests.
Moving Palestinians out of Gaza? Trump’s idea takes on a life of its own in Israel
Arab countries reject Gaza displacement as ethnic cleansing, but Israeli officials say they are working on plans to make it happen, and polls suggest most Israelis are open to the idea.
Trump administration cancels $400 million in federal dollars for Columbia University
The administration said it was cancelling grants and other federal awards for Columbia for an alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.
Five takeaways: China’s foreign minister slams Trump’s ‘two-faced’ policies
China's top foreign policy official addressed the escalating trade war with the U.S. and promoted China as an "anchor" on the global stage as America retreats from international involvement.
In a policy shift, U.S. and Hamas say they’re in direct talks on hostages
A Hamas official tells NPR that the United States has held direct talks with the Palestinian militant group over the release of several American-Israeli dual citizens taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
Israel’s culture minister calls a Palestinian-Israeli film’s Oscar a ‘sad moment’
The Oscar documentary win by the movie No Other Land is garnering very different reactions in Israel and the West Bank.
Israel stops the delivery of aid to Gaza until Hamas accepts U.S. ceasefire extension
Israel says it is stopping the delivery of aid to Gaza until Hamas accepts a U.S. proposal for an extension of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas returns bodies of four hostages and Israel releases hundreds of Palestinians
Both sides agreed there would be no Hamas ceremonies for the hostage bodies and in exchange Israel would release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners whose freedom had been held up since Saturday.
Trump’s social media video garners pushback from Arabs and Muslims in U.S. and Gaza
In a seemingly AI-generated video that the president posted on social media, images of destruction due to the war in Gaza are transformed into a glitzy resort called "TRUMP GAZA."
Israelis hold a mass funeral for Shiri Bibas and her two sons killed in Gaza
Crowds gathered in Israel for the funeral procession of the Bibas family, a mother and two young sons killed while being held hostage in Gaza. The story of their killing has enraged Israelis, and Israeli government representatives were not invited to the funeral.
Israel says body returned by Hamas not that of hostage
Israel identified the remains of child hostages but said another body from Hamas was not their mother as claimed. And near Tel Aviv, explosions hit threes buses, but no injuries were reported.
From his hospital bed, Pope Francis stays in touch with Catholic parishioners in Gaza
Even while Pope Francis is hospitalized, he still keeps in touch with a Roman Catholic parish in Gaza City, making near-nightly phone calls to the priest and congregation there.
Hamas to hand over 4 Israeli hostages’ bodies Thursday and 6 living hostages Saturday
Hamas says it has agreed to Israel's request to speed up release of Israeli hostages, including two men held around a decade. The bodies of members of a young family are among those it will hand over.
Rubio is in Saudi Arabia to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and Ukraine war
After meetings in Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia to push President Trump's plan for Gaza and to meet with Russian counterparts on steps to ending the war in Ukraine.
Jordan’s military is test-running an air bridge for aid to Gaza
NPR traveled with Jordan's military on a recent helicopter flight delivering aid to the Gaza Strip, part of a test program since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect last month.
The next Israeli hostages Hamas will release include U.S. and Russian nationals
Hamas says it will release three hostages on Saturday, resolving a dispute with Israel that threatened to derail the ceasefire. In exchange, Israel will free dozens of Palestinians from jail.
Jordan’s King Abdullah heads to the White House as Trump pushes a Gaza takeover plan
It is expected to be one of the toughest meetings of the king's quarter-century reign.
Hamas says it’s delaying the next Israeli hostage release
A Hamas spokesman said it's postponing the release of the next group of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of preventing Palestinians from returning home in Gaza.
Palestinian refugees in Syria have a message for Gazans: Don’t leave your land
Palestinians fled the 1948 Mideast War and took refuge in neighboring Syria. After 77 years, they're still waiting to go back. They are telling Palestinians in Gaza to stay put.
Trump carries out his ‘flood the zone’ strategy, creating a week of whiplash
An attempt to identify and explain some of the biggest things that happened each week, and draw attention to some that have been overlooked.
Pro-Palestinian demonstration draws counter-protest at University of Alabama
Students gathered demanding the school call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire and to push the school to sever ties with defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Gaza — A Nonviolent View
Skirmishes have broken out within the tenuous cease fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It's a situation closely watched by Jerry Levin. The former Birmingham and CNN journalist was kidnapped by Hezbollah more than 20 years ago, but since then has become involved in non-violent peace activism in the West Bank. Earlier this month we heard from a Birmingham native living in southern Israel. Now we hear from Levin, a backer of the Palestinian cause and what he calls 'assertive non-violence.' He says Americans are seeing the pain, anger and confusion felt by Palestinians. But he told WBHM's Andrew Yeager the notion that only attacks from Gaza prompted Israel's military action is not true.
From Birmingham to Israel
Margaret Duvdevani lives in an area grabbing headlines currently, but not for positive reasons. The Birmingham native graduated from college, hopped around Europe, married an Israeli and settled in Israel 30 years ago. A medical technician by training she lives in a farming community in southern Israel, three miles from the Gaza Strip. Duvdevani is visiting Birmingham this month to share her perspective on the latest clash between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. She told WBHM's Andrew Yeager this conflict is different than previous ones.
