World
Middle East
Ruling forces ultra-Orthodox into Israeli military after decades exempt
The long-standing exemptions had begun to grate on Israel’s Jewish majority, especially after the deaths of hundreds of soldiers in Gaza.
- by Tia Goldenberg
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Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
What most Israelis hope will happen to Netanyahu when the war is over
More would vote for a man who’s not even in parliament if an election were held today, according to a poll published on Friday.
- by Peter Hartcher
Heat deaths in Mecca shine light on underworld pilgrim industry
More than 1000 deaths in Saudi Arabia have put a spotlight on an underworld of illicit tour operators who profit off people desperate to meet their religious duty.
- by Emad Mekay and Vivian Nereim
Israel blows up aid centre, Netanyahu hints at redirecting to Lebanon border
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip would end “very soon”.
- by Nidal al-Mughrabi
Israeli forces tied wounded Palestinian to bonnet and drove off
The IDF said the soldiers’ conduct was not in line with protocol and that the incident will be investigated and dealt with.
- by Emily Rose
When the only escape from war in Gaza is to buy a way out
For many Palestinians, securing approval to exit the territory is possible only after raising thousands of dollars to pay middlemen or an Egyptian company.
- by Adam Rasgon
Democrats consider boycotting Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress
Some Democrats say they don’t want to be part of a “one-way lecture” when the Israeli prime minister addresses Congress next month.
- by Josef Federman and Elena Becatoros
US spent $345 million on Gaza pier that has operated for only 10 days
The pier that the US military built to rush humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip has largely failed, aid organisations say, and will probably be abandoned soon.
- by Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt
At least 550 people die from extreme heat during Muslim pilgrimage
Temperatures have reached as high as 51.8 degrees during the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage that millions of Muslims make to Mecca to perform religious rites.
- by Pesha Magid and Saleh Salem
‘Give us the tools’: Netanyahu claims the US is withholding arms from Israel
Aside from one shipment of bombs, the White House denied any other weapons are being withheld. “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
- by Alisa Odenheimer
Benjamin Netanyahu disbands war cabinet after key partner bolts from government
As protests mount in Israel, tensions with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia across the border with Lebanon were bringing the region close to a wider conflict.
- by James Mackenzie