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Middle East tensions

This Month

US President Donald Trump during a US ambassadors meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 25.

Trump downplays war chat leak as ‘only a glitch’

The president defended his national security adviser, batting away revelations that officials discussed military attacks on Yemen on a publicly available app.

An aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Yemen.

Trump’s defence secretary sent secret war plans to journalist

Pete Hegseth discussed plans for deadly military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in a chat group that included the editor of The Atlantic.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

The secret history of Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa

Is the man once known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani intent on moderating or a brutal strongman?

An Israeli soldier Stans on a tank as it is taking position in front of the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops begin limited ground incursion in Gaza

Israel’s army began “targeted ground activities” in the Palestinian territory, with the aim of creating a partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza.

 Palestinians carry the body of someone killed during Israeli airstrikes at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Gaza.

Netanyahu says Israeli strikes across Gaza are ‘only the beginning’

The prime minister said the military would press ahead until it achieves all of its war aims: destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militants.

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Palestinians inspect damage following an Israeli airstrike in the Shejaiya residential district, east of Gaza City.

Will Israel return to a full-scale war in Gaza?

Deadly bombardment has strengthened Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition but drawn the ire of hostages and their families.

Iranians burn a representation of the Israeli flag during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in an airstrike in Tehran. The country’s mutual aminosity is spurring espionage.

The astonishing stories of Israelis spying for Iran

In the past year, 39 Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, prompting speculation about why they were open to overtures from their country’s bitterest foe.

February

Two people embrace amid a sea of Israeli flags in hostages square in Tel Aviv.

Hamas says it has handed over body of Shiri Bibas

Israeli medical authorities said forensic teams were preparing to examine the body, which Hamas transferred via the Red Cross, and confirm its identity.

A coffin containing the body of Ariel Bibas is taken to Red Cross representatives in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

‘Horrific’: Mother not among dead hostages handed over by Hamas

The Israeli military says a body released by Hamas did not belong to any of the hostages held in Gaza, accusing the militant group of violating the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Netanyahu signals he’s transferring Palestinians from Gaza

The Israeli prime minister discussed the plan in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Hamas “must be eradicated”.

 A man sells bread under the ruin of his bakery destroyed by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip.

Hamas signals it will release more hostages this weekend

The statement came amid rising tensions between Hamas and Israel pointed to rising risks about the future of the precarious truce between the adversaries.

Israeli army troops are seen on the Israeli-Gaza border during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. in November.

Israel calls up reservists as fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire rise

Concern that the truce will collapse is growing as fury mounts in the Arab world over President Donald Trump’s plan for the United States to take over Gaza.

An Israeli soldier driving a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border.

Netanyahu threatens to restart war if hostages not returned

“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end,” the Israeli leader said, adding he’s ordered the military to prepare.

Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip protest in Tel Aviv.

Trump says ‘all’ Israeli hostages must be released by Saturday

The US president says “all hell is going to break out” if the remaining Israelis are not freed after Hamas threatened to delay the deal.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, last week.

Saudi Arabia lashes out at Netanyahu as investors wait in the wings

The Israeli-backed US proposal to take over Gaza has thrown a curveball into the mix, but investors still nurse hopes of a reset in the region.

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Israeli captive, Eli Sharabi, was paraded on stage as part of his release.

‘Gut-wrenching’ hostage handover could hit Gaza ceasefire talks

The poor state of the latest Israeli hostages to be freed could bolster the view that Israel should resume its fight against Hamas, rather than negotiate a longer peace.

Trump has announced a stunning proposal of a US take-over of the war-torn Gaza Strip to redevelop the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Albanese must stand up to Trump’s Gaza plan

Australia must be prepared to stick up for the international rule of law system that has contributed to our nation’s security, peace, and stability for decades.

President Donald Trump reiterated his vision for Gaza in a post on his social media site.

Trump slaps sanctions on international court for targeting Israel

The president has placed sanctions on International Criminal Court officials who investigate the US and its allies such as Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Netanyahu backs Trump’s ‘remarkable’ Gaza plan

The White House defended Donald Trump’s “take-over” plan of the war-torn territory as US allies across Europe and the Middle East condemned the move.

January

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu from a meeting in Jerusalem in 2017.

Trump invites Netanyahu to the White House

The Israeli prime minister would be the first foreign leader to visit Washington in Donald Trump’s second term after receiving an invitation for February 4.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/middle-east-tensions-1nd1