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    This Month

    An Israeli soldier drives a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border at the weekend. Hamas has denied it is pulling out of ceasefire talks.

    Hamas continues ceasefire talks after Israeli strikes on military chief

    Hamas has insisted that a deal would ultimately end the war, but has softened its position on some of its conditions.

    • Neri Zilber
    Masoud Pezeshkian.

    Iran’s new president vows balance with all countries but warns US

    Masoud Pezeshkian urged Arab countries to use “all diplomatic leverages” to push for a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

    • Amir Vahdat
    Palestinian children are evacuated from a site hit by an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.

    Israeli strike targets Hamas military commander, kills 90 in Gaza

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said “there still isn’t absolute certainty” that Mohammed Deif and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were killed.

    • Mohamed Jahjouh
    Newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian visits a shrine of the Islamic Republic’s founder in Tehran.

    Iran’s new president brings moderation hope to millions

    Masoud Pezeshkian defeated his headline rival in the second round of Iran’s elections to become president, a victory likely welcomed by world powers.

    • Parisa Hafezi
    Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and Saeed Jalili.

    Reformist candidate wins Iran’s presidential election

    Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s run-off presidential election by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law.

    • Updated
    • Jon Gambrell and Amir Vahdat
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    Recent press reports have suggested Israel’s military leadership wants a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.

    Israel sends delegation to negotiate hostage release deal with Hamas

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden he has decided to send a delegation to resume stalled talks on a hostage release deal.

    • Nidal al-Mughrabi, Mohammad Salem and Maayan Lubell
    Protesters hold signs and flags during a demonstration calling for a hostages deal and against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

    What would a better Israeli prime minister do?

    Israel needs to offer a postwar vision for Gaza and articulate the real stakes in this war – one battle in the struggle between the free and unfree worlds.

    • Bret Stephens
    Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip walk through a street market in Khan Younis.

    Israel to test Hamas-free ‘bubbles’ in postwar Gaza plan

    The pilot scheme for the “humanitarian enclaves” – a template for what Israel imagines would follow the war – will soon be launched in northern Gaza neighbourhoods.

    • Neri Zilber

    June

    Hardline former Iranian Saeed Jalili casts his ballot in a polling station, in Tehran on Friday.

    Iran’s election pits reformist against ultra-hardliner

    Iran will hold a runoff presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi after the top candidates failed to secure a majority.

    • Updated
    • Sussanah George
    Hezbollah fighters attend the funerals of two fellow fighters killed in Lebanon’s Aita al Chaab.

    US, Europe warn Hezbollah to back off from Israel war

    Western powers and Arab mediators issued the warning after Iran and Israel traded threats of what Iran said would be an “obliterating” war over Hezbollah.

    • Ellen Knickmeyer and Aamer Madhani
    Footage of Haifa port in Israel that Hezbollah claimed was taken by one of its drones.

    In Israel’s north, waiting for Hezbollah to attack

    In the villages near the border with Lebanon, locals see a real war with the Iran-backed group as a matter of when, not if, even though an escalation would lead to enormous destruction on both sides.

    • Fiona Buffini
    Palestinian children sit at the edge of a crater after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.

    Netanyahu says Gaza intense fighting close to ending

    The Israeli PM says the new stage would offer a chance to move forces to the north to where tensions with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have been growing.

    • Updated
    • James Shotter and Neri Zilber
    A Palestinian child searches for usable items among the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City.

    Israeli business leaders push for elections

    A forum of Israel’s top 200 business leaders is calling for early elections “to save Israel from a deep economic crisis”.

    • Marissa Newman and Galit Altstein
    Hezbollah supporters watch a speech given by the militant group leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

    Thousands of Iran-backed fighters offer to join Hezbollah

    Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said militant leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen had previously offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to help.

    • Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Bassem Mroue
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem this month.

    Israel needs to get the hell out of Gaza

    The extremists in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have led a reckless act of economic, military and moral overstretch.

    • Thomas Friedman
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    Palestinian children sit at the edge of a crater after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.

    Israel pounds Gaza, killing dozens, as fighting rages

    Israeli tanks were forcing their way into the western and northern parts of Rafah, and troops were engaged in close-quarter combat with Hamas militants.

    • Nidal al-Mughrabi
    Palestinians evacuate dead and wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip earlier this month.

    Why Israel doesn’t care what the world thinks

    The international community thinks Israel is fighting a war of choice. Israel doesn’t see it that way, says US writer and author Bret Stephens.

    • Emma Connors
    Hezbollah supporters watch a speech given by the militant group leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

    Hezbollah chief threatens Cyprus in war with Israel

    The leader of the militant group issued the threat as fears grow of a full-blown war across Lebanon’s southern border in Israel.

    • Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily
    Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of a senior commander who was killed by an Israeli strike in south Lebanon.

    Israel approves battle plans for Hezbollah, edging closer to war

    A top US official is holding crisis talks in Lebanon as fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah grow.

    • Updated
    • Maya Gebeily and Steven Scheer
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony at the Nahalat Yitshak Cemetery in Tel Aviv on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).

    Netanyahu slams Biden for withholding weapons

    The Israeli prime minister’s strong message is designed to appeal to right-wing allies, and the White House said it “did not know what he’s talking about”.

    • Updated
    • Julia Frankel and Drew Callister