Displaying items by tag: Middle East

A small Palestinian children’s football pitch in Bethlehem has been granted a temporary reprieve after Israel postponed its planned demolition. The Aida Youth Centre pitch, built in 2020 to serve more than two hundred children from the nearby Aida refugee camp, was declared illegal for lacking permits and for its proximity to Israel’s security barrier. A demolition order issued late last year sparked a widespread international campaign, including a petition signed by more than half a million people and appeals from figures within global football. The Israeli military, which still maintains that the pitch poses security concerns, says the postponement is ‘for the time being’. For local families, the issue carries deep emotional weight, symbolising dignity, hope, and normal childhood amid overcrowding and restriction. While the immediate threat has eased, the community fears the order could return once attention fades, and has vowed to keep campaigning.

US forces have begun transferring IS prisoners out of Syria, moving 150 detainees to Iraq under plans that could see up to 7,000 relocated. The move follows growing instability after Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew troops from parts of northeast Syria, raising concerns over the security of prisons and detention camps holding thousands of IS members and affiliates. US officials said recent unrest allowed around 200 low-level fighters to escape one facility, though many were later recaptured. More than 10,000 IS fighters remain imprisoned in Syria, alongside thousands of women and children connected to the group. The transfers are being carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of IS and maintain regional security. The changes come amid a wider political shift, with Syria’s new government seeking to reassert control after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. A ceasefire has been agreed with the SDF, which has been urged to integrate into the Syrian state, marking a significant transition in security arrangements.

Donald Trump has stepped back, at least temporarily, from threats of US military action against Iran, saying he has been assured that the killing of protesters has stopped and that no executions are planned. He said these assurances came from ‘very important sources on the other side’, though the claims have not been independently verified. Despite reports that over 3,400 have been killed during the recent anti-government protests and fears of imminent executions, Trump said he was unconvinced that military action would bring decisive change. He had been strenuously lobbied by leaders in the Middle East to not to go ahead with strikes which would be certain to lead to an Iranian counterstrike on US bases. Iranian officials have publicly denied plans for executions, and at least one expected execution has been postponed. While rhetoric has softened slightly, deep divisions over human rights abuses and Iran’s nuclear ambitions persist, leaving the situation fragile and unresolved.

Syria’s army has moved reinforcements to areas east of Aleppo after ordering Kurdish forces to withdraw, following deadly clashes which have killed over 100 and displaced as many as 150,000. The Islamist-led government is seeking to reassert control nationwide, but efforts to integrate the Kurds’ autonomous administration and forces into the state have stalled, despite an agreement reached earlier this year. Kurdish-led forces deny building up troops and accuse the government of launching fresh attacks, while Damascus insists it is responding to provocation. Limited skirmishes and artillery fire have been reported, raising fears of a wider confrontation. In Qamishli, the main Kurdish city in the country's northeast, thousands of people demonstrated, accusing the government of breaking its promises and preparing a broader assault. With mistrust deepening, the situation remains volatile, threatening further suffering for civilians already exhausted by years of conflict. Christians in the region are asking for prayer: see

A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Gaza as a Palestinian infant has died from hypothermia amid severe winter conditions and ongoing restrictions on aid. Local health officials reported that two-week-old Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair succumbed to extreme cold after families were left without adequate shelter, heating, clothing, or fuel. Israel’s prolonged military campaign has destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, forcing hundreds of thousands to live in tents or damaged buildings unable to withstand storms and freezing temperatures. Recent severe weather has flooded shelters, collapsed structures, and caused further deaths. Humanitarian agencies warn that Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries, including limits placed on UNRWA, are preventing lifesaving supplies from reaching civilians at scale. The child’s death underscores how the denial of basic necessities has turned winter itself into a lethal threat, particularly for children and other vulnerable civilians.

The long-standing exemption of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men from military service has potentially become a huge crisis for Benjamin Netanyahu. With the Gaza war placing immense strain on reservists, public opinion has shifted decisively toward ending the exemption, which was first granted in 1948. Although the high court ruled it illegal twenty years ago, political gridlock has kept it in place, so that only 1,200 of 24,000 drafted Haredi men reported for duty last year. Haredis have more than doubled their share of Israel's population over the past seven decades, and now account for 14%. What began as an exemption for several hundred religious students has now become a cohort of some 60,000 men left out of the draft. Street protests, clashes with police, and rapid-response networks reflect growing Haredi communal resistance. Supporters of conscription - religious and secular alike - argue that fairness and national survival demand shared burden. Yet ultra-Orthodox leaders insist that studying the Torah protects Israel spiritually and must remain untouched. Netanyahu’s fragile coalition depends on Haredi parties, making meaningful reform politically perilous. The Haredis are now locked in a debate over what it means to be Jewish and Israeli, and whether that means fighting for Israel or fighting for their way of life against the modern demands of war.

Gaza’s small Christian community, long rooted in the land where their faith began, is now confronting an existential crossroads. As a fragile ceasefire wavers and destruction remains widespread, believers like Elias al-Jalda face the stark question of whether their community can survive. With homes destroyed and more than two years spent sheltering in churches - some of which were themselves struck, causing tragic loss of life - daily existence has become a struggle for food, water and safety. Yet amid the devastation, they have discovered a profound solidarity, forming close-knit bonds in shared suffering. Many are choosing to leave while they can, echoing a wider regional trend in which ancient Christian populations across the Middle East have dramatically dwindled. Still, Elias and others hold on to hope, believing that Christian presence should remain in the birthplace of their faith.

Juman al Qawasmi, once married to a Hamas member and raised in a culture of deep hostility toward Israel and Christianity, experienced a dramatic encounter with Jesus that transformed her life. During the 2014 Gaza conflict, after praying desperately for God to reveal Himself, she dreamed of Jesus standing before her, telling her, 'You are my daughter; don’t be afraid’. She described an overwhelming peace she had never known in Islam, where she felt she could never do enough. Juman had already begun questioning a belief system marked by violence, yet she had never heard the name Yeshua before this encounter. Born in Qatar to a father who was among Hamas’s founders, she once voted for Hamas but now openly rejects its agenda of hatred, corruption, and control. Discovering more about Christ through an Egyptian Christian website, she was deeply moved by His teaching to love one’s enemies and amazed to learn that many Muslims are meeting Jesus through dreams. With radiant joy, she now urges others: 'Cast your eyes on Jesus; He is the way!'

In a stunning U-turn of diplomacy, Syrian president Ahmed al Sharaa - once known as Abu Mohammed al Jolani, former leader of the al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front - has arrived in Washington for historic talks with Donald Trump. He rose to power following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and now leads Syria’s fragile transitional government. Once a fugitive with a $10 million US bounty, he is being welcomed as a potential partner in rebuilding his war-torn nation and countering extremist threats. Washington’s gamble is clear: support Sharaa to stabilise Syria, curb Iranian and Russian influence, and prevent renewed civil war. Yet challenges loom large: sectarian clashes persist, and doubts remain about his transformation from militant to unifier. The visit, the first trip by a Syrian head of state to the USA since the country gained independence in 1948, could redefine alliances and reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics for a generation.

On 29 October, Hamas reported that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza had resulted in at least 104 Palestinian deaths, including 46 children. Israel's defence minister accused Hamas of an attack in Gaza which killed an Israeli soldier, and of breaching the terms on returning deceased hostages' bodies. Although Hamas denied involvement in the attack, asserting its commitment to the ceasefire, the IDF said it had targeted what it described as ‘terror targets and terrorists’, killing numerous individuals, including thirty armed group commanders. The strikes caused significant destruction, hitting homes, schools, and residential blocks: each side has accused the other of ceasefire violations. Despite the violence, Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of renewed hostilities, supporting Israel's right to retaliate. The conflict shows the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the ongoing volatility in the region – which has also been highlighted by the call by Amnesty International to investigate whether a US airstrike on Yemen in April was a war crime. See