Beyond the Headlines

Up until last week, it seemed unthinkable for a UN member state to strike a nuclear site. But Israel did just that when it launched its attack on Iran, hitting military and atomic sites, and killing key figures of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It also seemed unthinkable for missiles to penetrate Israel's Iron Dome and destroy infrastructure in cities such as Haifa and Tel Aviv. Yet again, civilians are paying the heaviest price. More than 240 people have been killed in Iran so far. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed in retaliatory strikes. One week on, the war shows no signs of abating, with the US hinting it might get involved, too. A sense of unease has gripped the region, with neighbouring states fearing further escalation. A group of 20 countries including Gulf states, Jordan and Egypt has called for an end to hostilities. In a worst-case scenario, the repercussions could be catastrophic for them, too. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the consequences of the war on the Middle East and asks what will happen to the region if Tehran were to fall? She speaks to Hasan AlHasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Thomas Juneau, Middle East researcher and a professor at University of Ottawa, Canada. Editor's Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.

Canada, urging de-escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel, but US President Donald Trump has already left, having warned that residents of Tehran "should immediately evacuate". Iran's reaction is one of the key issues on the agenda today. In this special episode of Beyond the Headlines, Geo-Economics Editor Manus Cranny asks Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief, and Mohamad Ali Harisi, Foreign Editor, for the inside view.

In unusual public statement last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted “activating” Palestinian militias in Gaza. Acting on the advice of security officials, he said, it was a way to weaken Hamas and protect Israeli soldiers. The admission came after Israeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu had authorised the arming of a militia, known as the Abu Shabab Popular Forces, in the southern Gaza Strip. The group is named after its leader, Yasser Abu Shabab. Now, Hamas has a new rival amid its battle with Israel. Hamas fighters have retaliated at the gang and claimed to have killed dozens from its small-but-growing ranks. It is believed that there are only 300 men serving Abu Shabab but sources told The National they are armed with assault rifles and are equipped with walkie-talkies and night-vision goggles. Among them are men with criminal records and links to ISIS. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to experts about the origins of Abu Shabab, why the group is surfacing now and how Israel is backing it. She is joined by Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relation's Mena programme, and Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. Editor's Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.

Too little, too late. This was the sentiment echoed among critics in the international community after Europe started taking a new, critical stance on Israel's war in Gaza in recent weeks. For Palestinians actually in the strip, it is certainly too late, with the death toll from 19 months of war at more than 54,200. But what of the new stance itself? In late May, the EU announced it would launch a review of its relations with Israel. The move was backed by 17 of 27 states and could lead to a suspension in whole or in part of the EU-Israel agreement, the legal framework that governs their bilateral economic co-operation. In Germany, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned the future of arms sales to Israel; in France, President Emmanuel Macron has been rallying global support to recognise Palestinian statehood; and in the UK, the government issued sanctions against several illegal Israeli settlers and paused trade negotiations. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the motives and timing of Europe's shifting position on Gaza and asks whether these measures will make any difference to the war. We hear from former German ambassador Heinrich Kreft and Hugh Lovatt, senior Mena policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Editor's note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our two-minute listener survey. Click here.

Chaotic scenes unfolded in Gaza this week as large crowds gathered at aid hubs set up by a US and Israeli-backed organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. After three months of an Israeli-imposed blockade on the enclave, hungry, desperate Palestinians stood behind fences, waiting to receive their share. Reports and videos quickly emerged showing people overrunning a hub in Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza. At least four people died on the first day and dozens were injured, mostly by Israeli gunfire. The Israeli army said it fired warning shots in the area outside the compound. Within two days, the foundation had temporarily paused its operations. The organisation has been heavily criticised by the UN and other humanitarian agencies for what they say is a weaponisation of aid that breaches their principles of neutrality and impartiality. Israel says the new mechanism will stop the looting of supplies by Hamas, but critics fear it will be used discriminately to deny aid to certain people. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the efficacy and ethics of aid distribution by a party to the conflict and asks, what happens if this is the only option for Palestinians in Gaza? She speaks to UNRWA's external relations and communications director Tamara Alrifai, international human rights lawyer Saul Takahashi and Knesset member Ofer Cassif. Editor's Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.

Last week's announcement by President Donald Trump on lifting US sanctions on Syria seemed to have a refreshing effect for a country that has been reeling from political divisions and economic turmoil. This week, the European Union followed, lifting all economic restrictions in a major diplomatic shift aimed at supporting Syria's reconstruction and fragile peace. The news has been accompanied by more breakthroughs: the World Bank cleared Syria's $15.5 million debt, paid off by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. On the ground, the interim government led by President Ahmed Al Shara, a former HTS leader, is scrambling to unify rebel factions, “eradicate” remnants of ISIS, and bring the country under one flag. The challenges are far from over. Sectarian violence continues to plague minority communities, some Kurdish groups are demanding autonomy, and Israeli airstrikes persist along the southern border. Al Shara, once designated a terrorist by the West, is now lobbying for international legitimacy. So what does the lifting of sanctions really mean? And can Syria be unified? In this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the significance of the US and European decisions and the challenges faced by the Syrian leader in his efforts to unite the country.

US President Donald Trump has returned to Washington after sealing hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of investments on his first visit to the Gulf since returning to office. His stops in Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi were marked by the announcements of huge deals encompassing everything from defence and aviation to chips and energy. But it wasn't all business. Mr Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet interim president Ahmad Al Shara in Riyadh came as a surprise. The US leader also re-emphasised his desire to secure a nuclear deal with Iran and acknowledged the support of Gulf states. Still, much was left to the imagination. How quickly could a nuclear agreement materialise? Are mediators any closer to a Gaza ceasefire? And what has become of the push for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise relations? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to analysts about the significance of Mr Trump's Gulf tour, the regional partnerships and influential role of Gulf states when it comes to American foreign policy. 

Israel's security cabinet has approved an expanded military offensive in Gaza that would push the entire population into a small pocket in the south of the strip. Shortly after the decision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a bold message: the troops will be there to stay. Sources have told The National the plan will pave the way for Israel to seize the Gaza Strip and take control of aid in zones run by private security firms. The goal, Israel says, is to pressure the majority of Gazans to be pushed out of the enclave entirely. Governments around the world, including some western allies of Israel, have opposed the plan, saying it would breach humanitarian law. UN agencies and aid groups have also strongly rejected the scheme, saying they will refuse to comply. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza fear they will be forced to flee their homes again, or worse. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher explores what makes this offensive especially alarming, even in the context of a brutal 19-month war. She looks at the impact it could have on humanitarian aid systems and why it may breach international law. She speaks to Ahmed Bayram, communications adviser for NRC Middle East, and international lawyer Saul Takahashi.

During the first 100 days of Donald Trump's administration, he has signed more executive orders than any other president in the same time span. They are part of his mandate to put "America first". But many of his foreign policy orders have also had a direct and immediate impact on the Middle East. He has frozen foreign aid, hitting countries like Egypt and Jordan that rely on US assistance. He has disrupted the admission of refugees into the US. He has imposed major tariffs on trading partners, with additional levies on Syria, Israel, Iraq and other Middle East countries. At the same time, we've seen efforts by the Trump administration and Arab countries, including Gulf states, to pursue new economic partnerships. Negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran are also bringing a glimmer of hope. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks back at Mr Trump's first 100 days in office to understand where his priorities lie in the Middle East and how his policies will shape the region. She speaks to Steven A Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and to Mohamad Bazzi, director of the Hagop Kevorkian Centre for Near Eastern Studies at New York University.

In his last public address on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis called for an end to the violence in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation there "dramatic and deplorable”. His message came only a day before his death. People all over the world mourned the death of the beloved Pontiff, but perhaps no place more than in Gaza, where Palestinian Christians fear they have lost a protector of their community. Already a dwindling minority, Christians in the strip have also been killed, injured and displaced in the war. Only about half of the 1000 or so Christians remain, with many forced to flee. Members of the community say they are now concerned that Gaza's Christians are at risk of disappearing. The same fear is echoed in the West Bank and Jerusalem where followers of the faith have faced increasingly aggressive attacks and restrictions, including this past Easter. Members of the community have reported a rise in settler attacks against clergy and say Israeli policies are taking a toll on the rapidly shrinking Christian minority of Palestinians. Host Nada AlTaher speaks to Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian pastor and founder of Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, and to Palestinian political analyst, Khalil Sayegh, himself a Christian from Gaza.

When the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last year accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant of crimes against humanity, it seemed like a watershed moment. Global anger over Israel's war in Gaza had long been at boiling point, with people demanding justice for the victims of war. But to this day, they have not been arrested. At the same time, provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in early 2024 obliging Israel to facilitate the entry and distribution of aid in Gaza appear to have been ignored, according to humanitarian organisations. Without legal enforcement, the capabilities of the world's top court have come into question and the limitations of international law have became more evident. In recent months, civil society groups and national legal coalitions have begun to take matters into their own hands. Lawyers, activists and academics at a grassroots level are trying to prosecute and document what they allege to be Israeli war crimes. Some of them have already filed appeals to their domestic law enforcement to investigate Israeli soldiers who may have committed core international crimes in Gaza. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the efforts and challenges of legal mechanisms in delivering justice to Palestinian victims, both on an international scale and in domestic courts. She speaks to former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, legal director and founder of the Public Interest Law Centre in the UK Paul Heron, and Israeli historian Lee Mordechai.

The Lebanese civil war that broke out in 1975 marked a dark chapter in the country's history and would have an impact on the region for decades afterwards. The conflict lasted for 15 years, as armed militias and their political sects battled for power. Alliances shifted over time and outside forces exploited the chaos for their own interests. An estimated 150,000 people were killed in the fighting and thousands went missing. The war depleted the country's public resources and caused turmoil for years after. But even after the war ended, the same sectarianism that fuelled the violence continued to thrive. It seeped into the country's political institutions, into every facet of society, and it decimated the economy. Corruption and clientelism became the status quo. This led to a cycle of violence, popular uprisings and government stalemates. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher marks the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the civil war with a look back at the events that shaped it, how it changed people's lives and the complicated legacy that scarred the country. She speaks to experts and academics and asks, how much has really changed today?

Simmering threats between Iran and the US are nearing their boiling point, after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this week that Tehran would retaliate if attacked. The heated tone comes after American President Donald Trump warned earlier that the US would bomb Iran and impose additional tariffs if it did not agree to a nuclear deal. Tit-for-tat warnings have sparked fears that Iran may be on the brink of weaponising its nuclear programme. Tensions have been brewing for the past several weeks as Mr Trump hawkishly tries to strike an agreement after withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action during his first term in office. But the geopolitical landscape today is drastically different to what it was back then, with Iran's assets in the region greatly weakened. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher asks whether the outcome will be conflict or resolution. She speaks to Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and Francesco Schiavi, Middle East analyst and non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute Switzerland.

Hundreds of people have taken part in protests in Gaza this week, in a rare act of dissent towards Hamas. Demonstrators called for an end to the group's rule of the enclave and the war with Israel. In videos shared on social media, protesters held placards that read “stop the war”, “we refuse to die” and “the blood of our children is not cheap”. Frustration towards Hamas has grown after a speech by the son of a Hamas leader who said: "We don't have a white cloth to raise a flag of surrender, but only white cloths to shroud our children." Protesters were angered by the apparent suggestion that their children are expendable. This comes after Israel shattered the ceasefire agreement on March 18, in one of the deadliest days for Palestinians. More than 400 people, including children, were killed. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the mounting pressure on Hamas and the severity of Israel's renewed attacks. She speaks to Palestinian analyst Taghreed El-Khodary, Hisham Mhanna, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, and retired Israeli brigadier general and defence strategist Assaf Orion.

Israel unilaterally ended the ceasefire in Gaza, with bombs raining down on the strip this week, killing more than 400 people within hours. Many children were reportedly among the dead. By Wednesday, Israeli troops resumed ground operations to retake control of a key corridor that divides northern Gaza from the south. Palestinians in the enclave were once again plunged into a bleak reality dominated by fear, death and displacement. They had hoped that their brief respite would become permanent, as mediators tried to advance a truce agreement and hostage deal into its next phase. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were only the start and future negotiations with Hamas “will take place only under fire”. The US said it had been consulted of Israel's intention to attack. The question is, why has the war started again. Will it ever end? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher hears from Unicef's Rosalia Bollen about the impact on Palestinians in Gaza. She also speaks to Taghreed El-Khodary, a Palestinian analyst, and Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, about Hamas's next moves, Israel's motives for resuming the war and where the US stands.

The UK's National Crime Agency has been intensifying its campaign to crack down on people smugglers operating in the Iraqi Kurdish region. Thousands of Iraqi Kurds make the risky journey each year trying to reach Europe and the UK. Many are smuggled there on crowded, ill-equipped boats across dangerous seas in search of a better life. A months-long investigation by The National traced direct links between some of the most notorious smuggler gangs operating from Kurdish towns in Iraq, and in France and the UK. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to the reporting team about what they uncovered: a teenage girl stuck in a northern French town, struggling to cross the English Channel; an infamous ringleader who has gone into hiding; and a sham car wash in Wales that pulls the strings from behind the scenes. Sunniva Rose, Aveen Karim and Tariq Tahir recount the details of their investigation and talk about the impact of recent police raids on both smugglers and migrants.

A resolution adopted by Arab states to rebuild Gaza has been met with praise across the region after 15 months of a brutal war that has battered the strip, but a difficult path lies ahead. The Egypt-led plan lays out a phased reconstruction effort that ensures Palestinians remain in Gaza. It was drawn up in response to a deeply controversial project for the strip that US President Donald Trump announced last month. The $53 billion plan proposes establishing a technocratic committee unaffiliated with any political faction to oversee the rebuilding process and administer public services. This would mean Hamas would have to give up its authority. But Israel and the US have rejected the Arab states' plan, saying it fails to address the uninhabitable conditions in Gaza. Palestinians in the strip say they are worried reconstruction efforts will fail without US approval. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's correspondent in Cairo, Hamza Hendawi, and Crisis Group's senior Palestine analyst, Tahani Mustafa, to examine the details of the resolution and the delicate matter of Palestinian political leadership. She also speaks to Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute and a columnist for The National. They discuss the challenges that may impede the Arab plan for Gaza if Israel and the US cannot be convinced to support it.

Israel's army deployed tanks in the West Bank for the first time in 20 years this week, bulldozing streets, destroying infrastructure and conducting mass arrests in the process. More than 40,000 Palestinians from the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams have been forced to flee their homes indefinitely after Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops would remain there for the coming year. Israeli officials have said their campaign is about combating terrorism. But the military offensive is causing alarm after healthcare facilities came under attack in the area and violence by settlers against Palestinians intensified. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has also expressed concern about the growing threat of annexation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Palestinian and Israeli political and security analysts to discuss the nature of and threat posed by Israel's objectives in the West Bank.

After President Trump stated that the US would “take over” Gaza, Egypt has come up with a counter-proposal for reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory that would not displace Gazans into neighbouring countries. Under the plan, revealed this week by The National and set to be presented at an emergency summit in Riyadh on Friday, safe zones would be established while essential services are restored and temporary shelters set up. Other important details include the creation of an independent Palestinian agency that would oversee the enclave. Since Israel's war in Gaza escalated and the extent of the destruction drastically increased, the conversation about what will happen “the day after” has become a contentious issue. Questions over who will govern and administer day-to-day affairs remain unanswered. Another challenge will be defining the roles that Arab states will play in the transitional phase, with regional stability and security remaining a priority. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Ghaith Al-Omari and Elizabeth Dent, senior fellows from the Washington Institute, discuss the strengths and challenges of Egypt's proposal, and the relationship that Arab states must navigate as they negotiate with the US.

On February 14, 2005, a massive explosion ripped through the heart of downtown Beirut, killing the former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri and 21 others. In a targeted attack, a bomb had detonated just as his motorcade drove near the St George Hotel, along Beirut's seafront.   The killing of one of Lebanon's dominant political figures sent shockwaves across the country. Tensions had been simmering with Syria as it exerted its growing influence in Lebanese affairs, maintaining a military presence and cherry-picking government candidates to serve its interests.   Mr Hariri had been tasked with rebuilding Lebanon after its civil war but he had to navigate a challenging political landscape that was tainted by power struggles, foreign intervention and government corruption. He tried to push back against Syria's presence but this made him a target and eventually led to his assassination.   In the two decades following his death, the country descended into unrest and economic turmoil. But Lebanon today stands at a crossroads in the aftermath of Israel's spillover war from Gaza, the weakening of Hezbollah and the fall of the Assad government in Syria.   This episode of Beyond the Headlines, marking the 20th anniversary of Hariri's death, looks back at the spiral of events that swept across Lebanon in its wake, how they shaped the country, and how the long-awaited new government has a fresh opportunity to bring much-needed reform.

During a media conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, US President Donald Trump said his country would take ownership of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. It is not the first time Mr Trump has made provocative statements about Gaza since starting his second term in office, but this may be his most controversial yet. He also claimed that Palestinians did not want to live in Gaza because it was in such a dire state, suggesting that if they had an alternative option, they would leave. This came after earlier remarks that the enclave should be “cleaned out” and that its population should be displaced into Egypt and Jordan. But both countries, along with other Arab and western states, have strongly rejected any notion of Palestinians being pushed out of their homeland. Despite global condemnation of Mr Trump's proposal, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has since ordered the army to prepare a plan to allow for the “voluntary” departure of Gaza's residents. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Amr Hamzawy, director of the Carnegie Middle East Programme, and Jordanian geopolitical analyst Amer Sabaileh. They discuss the likelihood of Mr Trump executing his plan in Gaza and the challenges it poses for Palestinian statehood, as well as for Egypt, Jordan and the wider region.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was this week ordered to stop its operations in occupied East Jerusalem, three months after Israel's parliament voted to ban it. UNRWA is the main provider of humanitarian aid and other public services for Palestinians. In East Jerusalem, it runs 12 facilities that provide critical public services, including schools where more than 1,200 children are enrolled and free clinics that serve more than 70,000 people. But the impact of the ban would extend across the West Bank as well, where the organisation offers primary healthcare services and 47,000 children go to UNRWA schools. The move would also affect its work in Gaza. During Israel's war on the enclave, up to a million people at a time have sought refuge in UNRWA shelters. Pressure from the international community and pleas by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini at the UN Security Council to stop the ban from being put into effect have failed so far. Israel insisted the ban would not be reversed and the US backed its “sovereign decision”, saying UNRWA is not the only provider of aid to Palestinians. Despite the legislation, UNRWA has stated it will continue to do its work for as long as it can, but fears are growing that the ban will have far-reaching consequences. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA's director of external relations and communications, about the toll this could take on Palestinians in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and how the agency will be able to carry out its work going forward.

Days after the guns fell silent in Gaza, violence erupted less than 200km away in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.   Israel's military deployed tanks, snipers and special forces in the city on Tuesday, where it began an operation named “Iron Wall”, cracking down on what it described as terrorists within the Iranian axis. But videos have surfaced showing unarmed Palestinians being shot by Israeli forces. Twelve people have been killed in the raid so far and scores more injured.   At the same time, Israel has tightened security across the rest of the West Bank, drastically increasing the number of checkpoints and conducting mass arrests. This comes after 90 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli prisons in exchange for three Israeli hostages being freed by Hamas in Gaza, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect there on Sunday.   Jenin had already been the site of another security offensive by the Palestinian Authority (PA) since December last year to root out what it called outlaws, drawing many questions about the back-to-back timing of these operations. The UN has said that Jenin's sprawling refugee camp has become almost uninhabitable; Jordan's foreign minister warned on the sidelines of Davos that Israel's incursion could lead the West Bank to “explode”.   In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher talks with Ahmed Fattouh, spokesperson for Fatah, the leading party within the PA, and with Palestinian political analyst Khalil Sayegh. They discuss whether the West Bank could be another flashpoint for long-term violence and what this escalation could mean for Gaza's fragile truce.

Four years after his first term, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th US president, marking his second inauguration as one of America's most unpredictable leaders.   An ocean away in the Middle East, where war, regime changes and power shifts have altered the political landscape forever, all eyes will be on the new president to see how he will shape his foreign policy in the region.   Mr Trump walks into office with a Gaza ceasefire already in effect, earning him a great deal of credibility with both Arab Americans and Arabs abroad. Outgoing president Joe Biden and his Democratic party leave the White House with an unfavorable legacy in the eyes of many Arabs around the world, who had pinned their hopes on Mr Biden taking a more supportive approach to Palestinians. And now many are now choosing to invest their trust in Mr Trump instead.   But there are still many questions about how the new president will balance foreign policy in the Middle East with America-first positions, and even his own personal business interests. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses Mr Trump's role in the region with former US ambassador Douglas Silliman, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute, and Hala Rharrit, an American diplomat who resigned from the state department over Mr Biden's policy in Gaza.

Cheers echoed through the streets of Gaza on Wednesday night, even before a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was finally announced. Much-needed respite appears to be in sight after 15 months of almost uninterrupted bombing, death and destruction.   But the jubilant reaction of Gazans stands in stark contrast to the bleak environment that surrounds them – their homes destroyed, their loved ones maimed, killed or missing and their livelihoods crushed. Gaza, as it once was, no longer exists.   Across the border, the families of Israeli hostages are also conflicted. They wait anxiously for their relatives to return, dead or alive, but are frustrated that not all of the captives in Gaza will be released under the terms of the agreement.   The details of the 42-day truce, announced on Wednesday by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, include the return of a number of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. Israeli forces are expected to withdraw to border areas and humanitarian aid will start to flow into the enclave.   But the agreement does not come into effect until Sunday and, on Thursday morning, the ceasefire was plunged into doubt when Israel accused Hamas of creating a “last-minute crisis”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that would delay putting the deal to the security cabinet for approval.   Hamas refuted the claim and by Friday the agreement was back on track, after Mr Netanyahu said a hostage release deal was reached.   In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's foreign correspondent Hamza Hendawi and Israeli former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin. They discuss the fine print of the agreement and what comes after the initial truce.

An entire month has passed since Syria's Bashar Al Assad was overthrown by rebel groups and much has happened since. Prison dungeons of the former regime were unlocked, freeing political prisoners held by Assad enforcers. Families torn apart by war were reunited. Refugees have begun to return home and commercial flights to and from Damascus have eventually resumed. But there's also much anxiety over what comes next as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) takes charge as the de facto temporary power. Its leader Ahmed Al Shara and his newly appointed interim government have no shortage of challenges ahead. How will they dissolve all of Syria's armed factions, run essential services and pave the way for accountability and justice? At the same time, there are already concerns that the caretaker government may be overstepping its mandate and making institutional changes that it should not be making until a constitution is drafted and free elections are held, but this could take years. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Mutasem Syoufi, executive director of The Day After, and Rahaf Aldoughli, a lecturer in Middle East and North African studies at the UK's Lancaster University, to examine the decisions of the interim HTS authority as it navigates the transition towards a new Syria.

On a tense Saturday night in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Shatha Al Sabbagh went over to the grocery store with her mother, neighbour and nephews. On her way out, she was shot in the neck and killed. She was a young journalist, only 21 years old. Her family has blamed her death on the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces. But the PA rejects the accusation, saying instead that she was killed by militants in the area. About a dozen people have died so far amid clashes in the Jenin refugee camp since PA security forces began a raid there last month that they say clamps down on outlaws with outstanding arrest warrants for murder, theft and other crimes. But on the inside, another version of events comes to light. The PA's crackdown has stirred anger among some of the residents who say authorities are trying to crush their so-called “Palestinian resistance”. The PA has dismissed this, telling The National that they are only targeting Iran-linked militants hiding under the umbrella of legitimate resistance. Critics of the PA have been frustrated over its inaction as the war rages on in Gaza and Israeli military and settler violence rises across the West Bank. So why is the PA cracking down on Palestinians in their darkest hour? On Beyond the Headlines this week, host Nada AlTaher looks back at how and why the raid on Jenin began a month ago. She speaks to Palestinian political analyst Khalil Sayegh and senior Palestine analyst at Crisis Group Tahani Mustafa, about who the PA is targeting and why now. They discuss how the events in Jenin will affect the PA's role in the West Bank and its survival in a future Palestinian state.

There's no doubt that the events of 2024 have changed the Middle East. Israel's continued war in Gaza has caused a ripple effect across the region. Multi-front conflicts over the past year have stoked the rise and fall of non-state actors backed by Iran. The geopolitical impacts of this are already starting to materialise, some concerning and others promising. The question of Palestine – unresolved for decades – has become an international priority as more countries recognise it officially as a state. In Lebanon and Syria, power dynamics are shifting after the weakening of Hezbollah and the fall of president Bashar Al Assad. At the same time, Israel is seizing territories across its border in unprecedented land grabs. And Iran's role in the region has arrived at a critical crossroads as its proxy project begins to falter. For the millions in the Arab world, a sense of apprehension is overshadowed only by the extreme fatigue of bearing witness to unbearable human suffering. But there's also hope, dim as it may be, as talks inch closer to a ceasefire in Gaza. In the last episode of Beyond the Headlines this year, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's foreign editor Mohamad Ali Harisi to reflect on the most significant events in the Middle East that defined 2024 and how they might shape the region in 2025.

When Dr Mohamed Abdou joined Columbia University, he was thrilled to be in the company of renowned scholars of the Middle East. What he did not expect was that he would learn of what Columbia called his termination through a congressional hearing broadcast on live TV, only a few months later. Now, he is suing Columbia University and its former president – and his case is not isolated. Dr Abdou is among several professors and faculty at various universities across the US who say they have faced disciplinary action for their stance on Palestine. One legal aid group focusing on cases related to Palestine activism told The National it has received nearly 3,000 requests related to the suppression of Palestinian rights advocacy on campuses across the US since October 7 last year. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we are peering into a lingering remnant of anti-war protests that shook college campuses in the US and around the world last spring.

Syria's Bashar Al Assad has fled the country after rebels took over Damascus. Prisoners who had been kept in the dark for decades were finally freed from notorious and brutal jails. People were reunited with loved ones who had disappeared years ago. Syrian embassies around the world raised what were once opposition flags. And officials close to Assad made their first public criticisms of his rule. Now, the future of the country is at stake. And because of long-held international interests in Syria's political assets – Iran in the Assad regime, Turkey in Kurdish strongholds, the US in ISIS positions. Israel on the border – all eyes are on how Hayat Tahrir Al Sham is going to handle this delicate moment in its history. In this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at what's next in Syria after Assad, and how this will impact the Middle East as the balances of power shift, featuring views from Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, and Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel.

Renewed fighting in Syria has ended a period of relative calm in the country after rebel groups launched a surprise offensive last week and took over the country's second biggest city, Aleppo. Syrian government forces also said they had withdrawn on Thursday from Hama, a strategic city with supply lines to loyalist coastal strongholds. Led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the rebels took only about two days to seize Aleppo. Syrian government and Russian jets carried out counterstrikes soon after, bombing the rebel-held city of Idlib in the north-west of the country. Syria's civil war started in 2011 after protests against President Bashar Al Assad's rule were met with a brutal crackdown, turning into a bloody war since then. Vast areas of the country were eventually reclaimed by the government, including until last week Aleppo. Much of the north-west fell under the hold of various rebel groups, including Hayat Tahrir. In 2020 a truce was brokered by Turkey and Russia bringing the fighting to a standstill but this fragile status quo has now been broken. The timing, the scale and the speed of the offensive have sent shockwaves across the region. With so many international actors also involved in the conflict - Russia, Iran and Turkey to name a few - many questions loom over what this rebellion means and what will happen next. Host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's Turkey-based correspondent Lizzie Porter, and to Orwa Ajjoub, Syria researcher and PhD candidate at Malmo University. They discuss how the latest events could change dynamics on the ground.

Lebanon celebrated a rare moment of joy as displaced families began to return to their homes after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday. The people breathed a sigh of relief – for now. Almost 4.000 people have been killed in Israel's war in Lebanon and about 1.2 million displaced. Entire villages have been wiped off the map. After Hamas launched its deadly October 7 attack last year, prompting a devastating military response by Israel on Gaza, Lebanon's Hezbollah engaged in the fighting almost immediately. It began launching rockets towards Israel, igniting an exchange of fire across their shared border. The world warned against allowing the war in Gaza to spill over into the rest of the region, but that's what happened. Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon in late September and carried out a devastating bombing campaign. The war seemed to have no clear end in sight – until now. A US-brokered deal came through at the last minute on Tuesday evening, amid heavy Israeli bombardment across Beirut. It maps out the terms of a 60-day truce that is designed to become a permanent ceasefire. The question is, will it last? In this episode of Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines how the terms of the agreement will translate on the ground and whether the deal could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza. We hear from The National's foreign editor Mohamad Ali Harisi and from David Wood, senior analyst for Lebanon at the Crisis Group.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since last October, with Israel intensifying its attacks since September, launching a ground invasion into the country and an air strike campaign that has caused much destruction. Its bombings have become more unpredictable in scale and location, forcing masses to flee their homes.   More than 1.2 million people have been displaced since Israel escalated its war. Several hundred thousand, many of them already refugees, have fled across the border to Syria despite the risks they face there.   The spillover war from Gaza is wreaking havoc on a population that had already been grappling with years of economic and political turmoil. The Lebanese state's resources are far too strained to cope with the scale of displacement and there are not nearly enough organised shelters. For vulnerable minorities in the country, including Syrian refugees and migrant workers, the conditions are even more challenging.   Israel says it is attacking Hezbollah, but its campaign has provoked widespread international condemnation because of the high civilian toll. This week, US envoy Amos Hochstein is in the Middle East in an attempt to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. That cannot come soon enough for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people. But what would those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods return to?   This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the deepening displacement crisis in Lebanon and its impact on the future of the country and its people. She speaks to the head of the International Organisation for Migration in Lebanon, Mathieu Luciano, and Prof Mona Fawaz from the American University of Beirut.

Donald Trump will return to the White House in January as the 47th American president, and the Middle East is waiting to see whether and how he can end the wars in the region. Many Palestinians in Gaza say they are not optimistic about the new US administration and worry the situation might take a turn for the worse after Mr Trump is inaugurated. Their concerns are rooted in decisions he made during his first term as president when he moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and cut more than $200 million in funding to the UN refugee agency UNRWA. He also revealed his Peace to Prosperity plan to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict in 2020. But it was strongly rejected by Palestinians, not only because it was drawn up without their input, but also because it revoked important rights that Palestinians have been asking for and allowed for illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to be incorporated into Israel. But the political landscape in the Middle East today is drastically different from four years ago and Mr Trump has a lot of new factors to consider. At the same time, he is viewed as a transactional leader and a dealmaker who may be more capable of ending the war. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Dalal Iriqat, associate professor of diplomacy at the Arab American University Palestine, and to Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, about what a Trump presidency could mean for Palestinians in the short and long term. They discuss how his policies might change in his second term and whether there can be any prospect for peace and security in Palestine, Israel and the region.

Israel continues to bombard Gaza and Lebanon. It is launching strikes in Syria. But between Tel Aviv and Tehran, there's an eerie silence. The latest round of attacks between the two came from Israel late last month, hitting military sites linked to Iran's ballistic missile programme. Four soldiers and a civilian were killed, Iran said. Analysts believe Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities, drone production and air defences were seriously damaged. This came in response to Iran launching its attack on Israel on October 1. With its response, the fear that Israel would hit back at Iran's nuclear or oil centres has been put to rest, at least for now. Israel's strikes nevertheless prompted criticism from Arab states, including the GCC. The UAE strongly condemned them and expressed deep concern over the repercussions for security and stability in the region. Saudi Arabia called them a “violation of sovereignty” and international law, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint. Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has recently been on tour across the Middle East. He said that he received guarantees from regional neighbours that neither their soil nor air spaces would be used to allow any attacks on Iran. But Tehran has vowed to respond again. A continuous cycle of strikes poses a serious risk to the region and the world at large, potentially dragging the US and Arab states into a conflict that none of them wants. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's military affairs reporter Robert Tollast about the effect of Israel's strikes on Iran. She also talks with Dr Hasan Alhasan from the International Institute for Strategic Studies to investigate Iran's relationship with its Arab neighbours amid regional escalations.

The Knesset has voted to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, prompting much concern, even from Israel's closest allies. Two bills were passed on Tuesday with overwhelming majorities: the first to halt the relief agency's activities in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, and the second to ban the Israeli state from interacting with the organisation. The move would make it almost impossible for UNRWA to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. It would hinder the agency's financial operations and break aid supply chains into the enclave, where the north has already been starved, bombed and besieged for about a month. More than 43,100 have been killed in Gaza since the war began. This isn't the first time that UNRWA, and the UN more broadly, have come under attack from Israel, politically or physically. The war in Gaza has been the deadliest for UN workers, killing more than 220 staff members from the agency. UNRWA funding was cut by western states after Israel accused some of its members of being involved in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the start of the war. Although most have since reinstated their funding, the US – the largest donor – has yet to overturn its suspension. The ban deals a blow to the 75-year-old organisation, which serves six million Palestinian refugees across the region. World leaders have warned that the consequences could be serious. Legal experts say the Knesset's decision may be breaching international law. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the effect of the UNRWA ban on Palestinians in Gaza, and examines the legal consequences it could have on Israel and its standing at the UN. We hear from Chris Gunness, former director of communications and advocacy at UNRWA, and international human rights lawyer Saul Takahashi.

For weeks, the Israeli military has isolated the north of Gaza, conducting air strikes and ground attacks, including on residential areas and hospitals. In back-to-back attacks on Beit Lahia and the nearby Jabalia refugee camp last Friday and Saturday, more than 100 people were killed in a single day. Limited aid is entering the area and more eviction orders have been issued to families in the north. But where will they go? And if they stay, what will be their fate? UN officials and other rights groups have warned that Israel is forcing Gaza residents to choose between leaving or starving. The latest onslaught follows the killing last week of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader and one of the men identified as most-wanted by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it marked the beginning of the end of the war. But Palestinians in Gaza say those words carry little weight as they endure some of the most intense days of violence yet. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Tahani Mustafa, senior Palestine analyst at Crisis Group, and Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and founder of Inside the Middle East Institute. She asks them about Israel's strategy in the north of the strip and what its end-goal is, now that it has eliminated Hamas' top leadership. We also hear from Ziad Mousa, a UN worker in Gaza city, who describes the dire situation there.

Over the past year of war in Gaza, several diplomatic and humanitarian organisations, including the UN, have repeatedly accused Israel of breaching rules of military conduct. These breaches have provoked regular condemnation by governments and high-ranking officials worldwide. But amid all the words, what has been missing is concrete action against Israel. If any authority has the power to influence Israel's actions, it is the US – its strongest ally and main source of military aid. The death toll in Gaza has passed 42,400, with thousands more bodies thought to be buried under rubble and tens of thousands dying from indirect causes. In Lebanon, where densely populated neighbourhoods are being hit by air strikes, at least 2,300 have been killed and 1.2 million displaced. Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice determined that it was plausible that Israel may be committing genocide. Investigators and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have warned the US that it may be complicit in war crimes because of Israel's unlawful use of American weapons. In a rare development this week, a leaked document revealed US officials warning the Israeli government that future weapons shipments could be affected if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not addressed within 30 days. But with little having changed in the past year, and as Israel appears to defy any limits imposed on it, the question remains: will the US truly enforce any red lines? On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Hala Rharrit, a former US diplomat who resigned in protest against Washington's handling of the war. She also speaks to Mark Schwartz, a defence researcher at the RAND Corporation, to examine the White House's support for Israel. And we hear from Alex Vatanka, the founding director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute, on the prospects of an Israeli retaliation against Tehran.

Since the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the end of September, Israel has expanded its air strike campaign in Lebanon and launched a ground invasion. It has also struck Yemen and Syria in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched a series of rocket attacks towards Israel, which for the most part have been intercepted. At the same time, the war in Gaza is continuing as Israel devastates the north of the enclave. The other major escalation was Iran directly striking Israel with ballistic missiles for the second time since April. Israel has now vowed to strike back. But when and how? Until now, Iran has relied on its proxy groups in the Middle East. At first, it was unthinkable that any major world power would want to get involved in a war of that scale. Neither the US nor Iran seemed to want to venture to that point of no return. However, tensions have escalated. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the potential consequences of these recent escalations. We hear from Paul Salem, vice president for International Engagement at the Middle East Institute, and Dr Sanam Vakil, Middle East and North Africa programme director at Chatham House. They analyse how Israel could respond and the geopolitical risks the warring sides may or may not consider. Beyond The Headlines has been nominated in this year's Signal Awards in the News & Politics category. Click here to vote for the podcast.

Over the past year, reporters, photographers and even children have documented the atrocities in Gaza through their phones, using social media to show the world the horrors they endured. People all around the world erupted in protests against the war, demanding a ceasefire and later an arms embargo to Israel. But negotiations between the warring parties failed and failed again. UN Security Council resolutions also failed, with the US using its veto power to reject almost every one. Despite strong warnings from the international community, the war has spilt over across the region. So-called “axis of resistance” groups periodically launch attacks on Israel. Israel has assassinated key Hamas and Hezbollah figures, each time heightening tensions both in the region and around the world. And now, almost exactly one year after October 7, Israel has expanded its war into Lebanon, hitting the heart of Beirut for the first time in recent history. It has also struck Yemen and Syria. Its air bombing campaign in Lebanon killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and soon afterwards it began a ground invasion into the country's south. Iran has since launched a barrage of missiles and drones towards Israel, as both continue to threaten one another with more retaliation. As the situation in the Middle East escalates, where are we today and where do we go from here? In the third and final episode of our series covering one year of war since October 7, host Nada AlTaher looks at the fading attempts to end the war. She also picks at old wounds to understand why, decades later, all efforts for a diplomatic solution to establish a Palestinian state have failed. She speaks to Palestinian ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot, and to political analysts, and asks the difficult question: what future prospects for peace can there be, if it's not already too late?

The day after October 7, people in Gaza and all around the world woke up to a darker, more brutal reality as Israel began its military response. Within days, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a total blockade of the strip, cutting off water, electricity, internet, food and aid. What happened next crossed the bounds of any of the four previous wars on Gaza.   Heavy, non-stop bombardment pummelled buildings from the north to the south. Displacement orders forced families to flee on foot from one unsafe area to the next, mothers with their children in tow. A ground invasion intensified the violence, targeting schools, hospitals and humanitarian centres.   Morgues filled up with bodies, which at times had to be stored in ice cream vans. Hunger and disease spread rapidly as aid at the border was turned away. Life under siege, transformed into a relentless struggle for survival, was defined by constant death, uncertainty, danger and desperation, with no end in sight.   In episode two of our limited series covering one year of war since October 7, host Nada AlTaher speaks to humanitarian groups, including the ICRC and UNRWA, and analysts to paint a comprehensive picture of the humanitarian catastrophe currently unfolding in Gaza where more than 41,700 people have been killed. She also discusses the toll Israel's war has taken on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and reactions within Israeli society.

Around 6.30 on the morning of October 7, 2023 thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel. About an hour later, in daylight, Hamas's armed wing and other armed groups broke through the wire fence along the northern border of the enclave, launching an attack that became the biggest security breach in Israel's history. The scenes were violent, bloody, barbaric. People were running for their lives as chaos, panic and fear took over. The fighters infiltrated several Israeli towns near the border, entering homes and taking families captive. By the time the Israeli military intervened, it was too late. About 1,200 people were killed and at least 250 taken as hostages into Gaza. As the scenes unfolded in Israel, they did so on screens around the world. In those moments one question loomed: How will Israel retaliate? It has been a year since the war in Gaza began. It has been a year of bombs, destruction, pain and bloodshed. So far, more than 41,500 Palestinians have been killed and 96,000 injured, with thousands more still missing under rubble. This is the first episode in a Beyond the Headlines limited series covering the October 7 attack and consequent war. In this episode, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Palestinian, Israeli and American political experts, in addition to The National's Gaza correspondents, to unpack what happened on that fateful day. They also look at the dire conditions in Gaza before October 7, where 17 years of siege and four previous wars had brought the strip to the brink. And they discuss the ideology and motivations behind Hamas's decision to conduct its deadly attack, knowing full well Israel would retaliate and that Gazans would pay the heaviest price.

Thousands in Lebanon were injured and at least 32 people were killed this week in a double attack believed to have been conducted by Israel. On Tuesday, thousands of pagers in the possession of Hezbollah members simultaneously detonated across the country, causing serious injuries. At least two children were killed. What nobody expected is that it would happen again, the very next day. A second wave of explosions went off at the same time of day – in this case walkie-talkies and other electronic devices were detonated. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel has not publicly claimed them yet. It wouldn't be the first time Israel has conducted a deadly operation on Lebanese soil. In January it was accused of killing Hamas's Saleh Al-Arouri in a drone strike on Beirut. In July, it assassinated Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr. This attack is the latest in a series of escalations of the war in Gaza despite repeated warnings by the international community to contain the fighting before it gets out of hand. But how can a large-scale operation of this nature not make a bad situation worse? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National's Beirut correspondent Nada Homsi, who has been reporting on the story on the ground, and discusses the implications of this attack for the future of Lebanon and the region.

Ten years ago, on September 21, 2014, Yemen's Houthi rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa from government rule. Months later, a Saudi-led coalition intervened to support the internationally recognised government and fight against the Houthis to restore territories taken over by the group.   In the years that followed, the country was essentially split into two: the Houthi-controlled north, and the south run by forces loyal to the government. During this time, presidents were ousted, cities were captured and recaptured, truces were breached and governing frameworks were rejected. About a quarter of a million people are believed to have been killed.   The war has created a multilateral crisis, with Yemenis struggling to access food, water, shelter and medicine. Diseases have spread and at least 18 million people need some sort of assistance to get by. After a decade of anguish and suffering, what sort of future will Yemenis inherit?   This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Abdulghani Al Iryani, senior specialist at the Sanaa Centre for Strategic Studies, to discuss the key events that shaped the civil war and the prospects for peace in a very divided Yemen.

It is back to school for children all around the world, but not in Gaza. Eleven months of war in the strip have devastated lives, homes, hospitals and infrastructure. Education has been virtually erased for hundreds of thousands of pupils. The classrooms in which they once learnt and played are now being used as shelters for displaced families, turning them into spaces they fear. About 186 schools have been severely damaged or completely destroyed. More than 92 per cent have sustained some damage, with a third of UN-run schools having been directly hit. Children have been without education for 12 months and they're now about to miss a second year. More than 10,000 pupils and at least 400 teachers have been killed since October last year, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education. Higher education has not been spared either, with all of Gaza's universities destroyed or damaged. But it's not just about the sheer scale of it. Many of Gaza's intellectuals and academics have been killed. Notable educational landmarks have been completely erased as well. Human rights groups are calling it scholasticide or educide - the complete wipeout of education. On this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher hears from Asma Mustafa, a teacher in Gaza who is providing informal schooling to displaced children. She also speaks to Randa Ghazy, Mena media manager at Save the Children, about the long-term consequences of Gaza's decimated education sector.

The cycle of Gaza ceasefire talks has started to become predictable. Headlines initially spark hope with announcements of progress, only for other regional incidents to derail negotiations, leading to yet another collapse. Last Sunday, Lebanon's Hezbollah launched 320 drones and rockets towards Israel in response to the assassination of its commander Fouad Shukr. This was the group's biggest escalation since the Israel-Gaza war began. Shortly before, Israel had launched a pre-emptive attack on Lebanon's south, killing at least three. This all happened against the backdrop of yet another ceasefire proposal that the US was strongly advocating for. But once again, it fell apart. Hamas rejected it, saying it was skewed too heavily in Israel's favour and contradicted a version the group had agreed to in July. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had delayed its retaliatory attack to give this round of ceasefire talks a chance. With the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza exceeding 40,600 and the war approaching its one-year mark, the prospects for a ceasefire are diminishing. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at how events on the ground could be sabotaging a ceasefire deal. She speaks to The National's correspondents Nada Atallah and Hamza Hendawi and asks if talks still hold any weight.

Children's lives in Gaza are riddled with uncertainty. They don't know when the next bomb will fall, where their next meal will come from or even if their families and friends are still alive. Now, another variable poses a grave risk to Gaza's children: polio. The first case was confirmed after a 10-month-old baby tested positive for the virus in mid-August. At least two others are suspected to have been infected. Poliovirus can be extremely dangerous, affecting nerve function and causing irreversible paralysis. Since the war began last October, inoculations have fallen in Gaza, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated. Doctors and aid workers have been warning for months that the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the enclave would fuel the spread of disease. Now, 25 years after the virus was eradicated in Palestine, unheeded warnings are proving true. The World Health Organisation, along with the UN children's fund, Unicef and other aid groups, has called for a ceasefire or at least a pause in the fighting to be able to administer at least 1.2 million vaccines. But will it happen? On Beyond the Headlines this week, host Nada AlTaher discusses the gravity of Gaza's looming polio outbreak with Dr Zaher Sahloul, president of the medical NGO MedGlobal, and speaks to Unicef's Jonathan Crickx about vaccine co-ordination efforts.

In recent weeks, human rights organisations and media investigations have documented the worsening conditions in Israeli prisons over the past 10 months. They reveal beatings and other forms of brutal physical and psychological abuse of Palestinian detainees have become common practice since October 7. A UN report on the ill-treatment of detainees was published at the end of July, detailing patterns of abuse. Within a week, a report titled Welcome to Hell was released by leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, containing testimonies from 55 released Palestinians. Widespread use of violence including sexual assault, tactics that may amount to torture, and accounts of humiliation and degradation is described. The Israel Prison Service rejects all of these allegations. In this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher delves into the experiences of two former Palestinian detainees who share their harrowing accounts of life in Israeli detention centres. The episode also features insights from Shai Parnes, representative for B'Tselem.

Olympic fanfare has swept across Paris in recent weeks, but there is an elephant in the room that's difficult to ignore – the glaring disparity between France hosting one of the most multicultural events in the world, while at the same time cracking down on diversity. Only weeks before the Games started, the far right gained huge momentum in a tense parliamentary election in France, reigniting xenophobic sentiment and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The country has been the subject of criticism over its hardline policies for some time. Last year, it introduced a contested immigration bill, parts of which were deemed unconstitutional. And now, even though it says it has hosted the “first gender-equal” Olympics in the history of the event, some of its own Muslim athletes were forced to remove their hijab merely to compete. Researchers say these policies have bred a mainstream culture of racism, so much so that more ethnic minorities of North African origins and French Muslims are opting to emigrate. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, against the backdrop of the Olympics host Fethi Benaissa looks at the contrast between France's multi-ethnic fabric and rising xenophobia. He asks what the tipping point will be for those who want to leave their country amid a growing racial divide.

On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier in the skies over Lebanon, a stunt timed to coincide with Hassan Nasrallah's speech amid a series of threats by Hezbollah towards Israel and vice versa. In his address, Nasrallah mocked the intimidation attempt and said an uncomfortable wait for Hezbollah's retaliation is part of the punishment the group is inflicting on Israel for the assassinations of one of its senior commanders and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Meanwhile, foreign governments have issued travel warnings about Lebanon, and airlines have periodically paused flights to and from the country. The cost of flight tickets has soared as people rush to get out. Lebanon's battered economy must prepare for more burdens as tensions rise, and people are trying to gauge just how serious the situation will become. In this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher assesses the impact on day-to-day life and politics in Lebanon as Hezbollah and Israel exchange threats that grow more serious each day. She speaks to The National's Beirut correspondent Nada Atallah and Michael Young, columnist for The National and senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut.

The anxiety in the Middle East has been palpable since Tuesday night. The killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran happened only hours after Israel struck a south Beirut suburb, claiming to have killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr. Mr Haniyeh was on a trip to Iran for the inauguration of president Masoud Pezeshkian when he was killed, provoking vows of punishment against Israel by the country's supreme leader, although Israel has yet to claim the attack. The strike in Lebanon came days after a rocket hit a football field in Majdal Shams in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children, for which Israel and Hezbollah blamed each other. In the aftermath of a deadly week, we look at what happens when two major players in the so-called “Axis of Resistance” are attacked and how these escalations will affect ceasefire talks in Gaza. In this episode, host Nada AlTaher speaks to MENA programme director at Crisis Group Joost Hiltermann and Palestinian analyst Taghreed El-Khodary.