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Middle East

Middle East
Middle East
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Middle East. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
People scramble to collect parachuted aid supplies, at the site where a Palestinian boy died after he was struck by a box of airdropped aid, in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

14-year-old Palestinian boy killed by falling aid package in Gaza airdrop

The airdrops have been criticised as unreliable and dangerous, with aid groups saying far more supplies could be safely delivered if Israel allowed it.

Syria

Syria steps back from Paris meetings with Kurdish-led SDF

Israel-Gaza war

Germany suspends arms exports to Israel for use in Gaza

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China-Middle East relations

Iran looks to tap into China’s BeiDou navigation system to plug security gaps

Experts say the move may increase China’s influence in the Middle East over the longer term.

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Iran is weighing up using China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system. Photo: Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Israel-Gaza war

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, escalating war

Israel’s Netanyahu says he wants military control of entire coastal territory, but not to act as governing body.

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Donald Trump

How Trump’s TV viewing habits shape US foreign policy

Trump’s shift on Gaza, triggered by images of starving children he saw on television, highlights his long-standing reliance on TV for decisions.

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Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees surge in ‘bleisure’ travellers

A rise in international travellers is breathing new life into the city’s luxury hotel sector, HSH CEO Benjamin Vuchot says.

Benjamin Vuchot, the executive director and CEO of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Israel-Gaza war

UN Security Council discusses starvation of hostages, Gaza Palestinians

Israel accuses Hamas of starving hostages; most council members say Israel is starving Palestinians with its blockade.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s Netanyahu vows to ‘complete’ Gaza war amid mounting pressure

Gaza war plan puts Israel’s prime minister at odds with hostage families, global calls for truce.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s Netanyahu decides on ‘full occupation’ of Gaza: reports

Senior official quoted saying forces will operate in areas with hostages; IDF chief of staff told he can resign if he opposes the plan.

Israeli soldiers on an armored personnel carrier. Photo: AP
Britain

Family fears for British couple moved to notorious prisons in Iran

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were separated after seven months in detention, a situation their son has called ‘unbelievably tough’.

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Craig and Lindsay Foreman are being detained in Iran on espionage charges. Photo: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office via AFP
United States

Trump administration links federal disaster funds to Israel boycott stance

The new condition, which also applies to terrorism prevention funds for major cities, is the latest use of federal funds for a political message.

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Israel-Gaza war

Gaza war ‘no longer just’: ex-Israeli security chiefs urge Trump to intervene

Retired Israeli security chiefs said the war was causing Israel to lose its ‘security and identity’ and proposed a regional coalition to take over Gaza.

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Iran

Iran says US accountability for attacks must be part of talks

Iran said it will hold the US accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future talks, a demand Washington has dismissed as ‘ridiculous’.

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Activity near the perimeter building and southern holes caused by the June 22 US airstrike on the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant complex in Iran.: Photo: Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP
Yemen

At least 76 dead, dozens missing after migrant boat sinks off Yemen

Yemeni security forces were conducting operations to recover a ‘significant’ number of bodies.

Fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden. Dozens of migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen’s coast in bad weather on Sunday. File photo: Shutterstock
Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu appeals to Red Cross after ‘profound shock’ of Gaza hostage videos

Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts air strikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site as 33 aid-seekers killed in Gaza

Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and calls for Gaza reoccupation.

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Syria

Fresh clashes in Syria as al-Sharaa’s interim government flails

The government is struggling to maintain a ceasefire in Sweida after clashes between Druze factions, while reintegrating the US-backed Kurdish SDF.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with the French President after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

What’s behind Donald Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize obsession?

For some foreign leaders, mentioning the prestigious award has become a sign of diplomatic goodwill.

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Israel-Gaza war

Red Crescent staff killed in Israeli attack as Gaza aid crisis deepens

Israeli forces targeted the building in Khan Younis, igniting a fire on the first floor, the aid organisation said.

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli hostage family condemns ‘vile’ Hamas video propaganda

The David family was reacting after Hamas, for the second night in a row, released a video of Evyatar David, 24, looking emaciated and weak.

Demonstrators take part in a protest to demand the release of hostages held in Gaza as a video released by Hamas of hostage Evyatar David is displayed, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Syria

Syria’s elections: a path to inclusion or continued conflict?

A deepening humanitarian crisis and minority grievances complicate Syria’s bid for a centralised state, 14 years after its civil war began.

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Bedouin and tribal fighters deploy as a car burns at the western entrance of Syria’s Druze heartland of Sweida on July 18. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Hong Kong must make the most of its impressive economic comeback

Now that stability and prosperity have returned, thanks to mainland support, the city must seize the momentum to contribute to new Chinese growth.

Israel-Gaza war

US imposes visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and PLO members

The move comes even as other Western powers are moving toward recognition of Palestinian statehood.

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Iran

US and allies accuse Iran of covert overseas ‘kill, kidnap’ policy

Those allegedly targeted by Tehran’s intelligence services are said to include dissidents, journalists and officials in Western countries.

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An Iranian flag is flown in front of the country’s consulate in Istanbul, where Iranian diplomats met counterparts from Germany, Britain and France for renewed nuclear talks in July. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

Trump’s order to end ‘de minimis’ tariff break expands from China to the world

Duty-free exemption on small packages worth US$800 or less fuelled China’s dominance in the industry – but the model is now under threat.

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US President Donald Trump gestures after hosting the 2025 College Football National Champions, Ohio State Buckeyes, celebrating the team’s title-winning season with a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 14. Photo: AFP
Islamic State

Swedish jihadist jailed for life over Jordan pilot burned alive in Syria

Osama Krayem is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016.

Israel-Gaza war

Video | Israeli fire kills dozens of Palestinians seeking food in Gaza

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