Middle East Monitor

Between 2,500 and 3,000 people are estimated to have been subjected to enforced disappearance in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war, a Palestinian rights group said Saturday, on the eve of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Anadolu reports. The Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons issued the estimate based on an analytical study of a sample of 317 cases, saying the findings showed indicators warranting an investigation into the possibility

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip staged a protest on Friday, against an Israeli army attack on a water purification station in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, calling for the facility to be repaired and put back into service, Anadolu reports. Children and elderly people joined the demonstration at Sheikh Radwan Market, with some protesters carrying empty water containers and signs reading, “A drop of water is life” and “Restore the flow of water.” Dr. Imad Abu Nimeh, one of the organizers, said wa

Macaronis Resort sits on a small island in the Mentawai Islands, off Sumatra, Indonesia, famous among surfers for its powerful wave. In late August 2026, it became the subject of a different kind of attention when claims spread on Indonesian social media that it was secretly owned by a man linked to Israel. The man at the centre is Natan Baril, a Brazilian lawyer and businessman who founded and runs his own law firm, Baril Advogados. He has also held leadership roles in a Brazilian Jewish busine

The Sudanese army on Saturday announced the deployment of a brigade to the Bakori operational axis in southeastern Blue Nile state amid fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Anadolu reports. The army’s 4th Infantry Division in Damazin said in a statement that the “Elite Brigade” of the security and intelligence service departed Saturday morning for the Bakori axis on a combat mission. “The deployment aims to reinforce forces stationed in the area, boost their operational cap

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday urged US President Donald Trump to avoid creating turmoil, saying problems could be resolved through dialogue and implementation of a memorandum of understanding, Anadolu reports. “If we proceed through dialogue and on the basis of the memorandum of understanding, we will resolve the problems and secure our rights,” Pezeshkian said in a ceremony in Tehran, as cited by Mehr News Agency. “It is in the interest of the country, the region and the world

Iran transferred $7.5 billion in oil revenues from sales during the first four months of the current Iranian year to the central bank, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported Saturday. The funds would be sufficient to cover the government’s foreign-currency expenditures from July through December, the report said, citing information obtained from Iran’s Oil Ministry. Iran has enough oil available for sale outside the US naval blockade to meet the revenue requirements set under its state budg

Two Palestinians, including a child, were injured by Israeli army fire in the city of Al-Bireh in the central West Bank on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Anadolu reports. The society said in a statement that its crews treated two people wounded by live ammunition in the Al-Amari refugee camp in Al-Bireh. One of those injured was a 15-year-old child, while the other, a young man, was shot in the foot, it said, adding that both were transferred to a hospital. READ: 89

The extensive use of advanced weaponry in the war against Iran has severely depleted US military stockpiles, limiting Washington’s ability to deter threats from China and Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, Anadolu reports. Military planners expressed concern that the resource drain has forced the US European Command, the division responsible for American military operations across the continent, to adjust its operational plans. US officials assessed that Washington could not fully

South Africa formally accused Israel of failing to adhere to three legally binding orders from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), submitting an evidence dossier to the world body, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced Friday, Anadolu reports. “Regrettably, Israel has not complied with the Orders,” Pretoria stated in a filing Tuesday, asserting that it will continue to pursue “all avenues available” to ensure Tel Aviv’s full and immediate adherence to the Geno

Israeli occupiers were responsible for nearly 89% of fires targeting Palestinian homes, buildings and vehicles in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2023, the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Friday, Anadolu reports. The commission said in a report that it documented 900 fires targeting Palestinian property between January 2023 and July 10, 2026. Occupiers were responsible for 799 of the fires, or 88.8%, while the remaining 101 were attributed to the Israeli ar

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Friday that US claims that the Strait of Hormuz is open are “lies” aimed at manipulating oil prices and concealing Washington’s failures, Anadolu reports. The IRGC Navy said in a statement by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB that US officials had made “false and misleading” statements about the waterway’s status. “Statements by American officials regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz are an outright lie, aimed only at manipulating oi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran seeks stronger political and economic relations with Muslim countries, particularly its neighbors, Anadolu reports. “We want good relations with all Islamic countries, especially neighboring countries,” Araghchi said during a meeting with guests at the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference, according to his Telegram account. “We seek broader economic relations with all Islamic countries, and, thank God, we have extensive relat

Three Palestinians were killed Friday in an Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, with Israeli forces detaining their bodies, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Anadolu reports. The ministry said the Public Authority for Civil Affairs, which serves as the official Palestinian liaison with Israel, informed it that three Palestinians were killed after being targeted by a drone in Jenin and that Israeli forces had taken custody of their bodies. The victims were id

Some governments fear elections. Others fear protests, judges, journalists or students. Pakistan’s rulers have reached a more exquisite stage of political insecurity: they appear frightened by a lunch break at a cricket match. At Lord’s, the absurdity was almost too perfect. Michael Atherton interviewed Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, the sons of Imran Khan, about their father’s health, restricted family contact and treatment in prison. Sky Sports broadcast it. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) complain

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Tehran had agreed with Oman on a passage route through the Strait of Hormuz and would reopen the strategic waterway if the US fulfilled its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum signed in June, Anadolu reports. “We agreed with Oman on the passage route through Hormuz, and if the US fulfills its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, we will open the strait,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian official news agency IRNA. P

A group of Democratic senators is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a planned settlement project in the occupied West Bank that they say would effectively divide the Palestinian territory, Anadolu reports. In a statement Friday led by Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, 29 lawmakers criticized Israel’s decision to open bidding for construction in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, according to The Hill. “The United States must remain committed to a two-state solution that

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned on Friday that some 330,000 people remain displaced across Lebanon as renewed hostilities in the country’s south continue to take a heavy toll on civilians, Anadolu reports. Briefing reporters in New York, Dujarric said around 820,000 people returned to their communities over the past few months, including nearly 90% of those displaced in the South Governorate. “However, some 330,000 people displaced across remained displaced across Lebanon,” he said, adding

Tens of thousands of girls in Gaza have experienced puberty since October 2023. At an already sensitive time, these girls have been left with no access to proper menstrual supplies or education about the transition to adulthood. 12-year-old Sara was sharing a single classroom with more than 40 people when she got her first period. Her family were displaced in the Rimal neighbourhood, Gaza City, where they had found shelter in a repurposed school after fleeing Israeli bombardment. Unprepared for

German auto giant Volkswagen’s revived plans to convert production at its Osnabruck plant to military equipment in partnership with Israel’s state-owned Rafael drew sharp condemnation on Friday from the opposition Left Party, Anadolu reports. Thomas Gross, the party’s mayoral candidate in Osnabruck for next month’s election, strongly criticized Volkswagen’s management over the controversial proposal and for leaving thousands of workers in the dark about their future. Cooperating with an Israeli