Israel and Hamas
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Latest stories
Iran’s electronic confrontation with Israel
The two adversaries are engaged in an intense cyber struggle, with Israel still a click ahead
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox still won’t fight, invoking scripture
An age-old argument is making Binyamin Netanhayu face an enduring dilemma
How vulnerable is Israel to sanctions?
So far, measures have had little effect. That could change
Iran’s frightening new playbook for war
It is abandoning the restraint that has prevented open conflict with Israel
The Middle East must step back from the brink
That still means starting with a ceasefire in Gaza
Israeli strikes on Beirut and Tehran could intensify a regional war
At the very least, they will delay talks over a ceasefire in Gaza
Israel
Israel’s northern border is ablaze
Can it fight Hamas and Hizbullah simultaneously?
The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu
His war cabinet and generals want a new plan—and a new boss
On Independence Day Israel is ripping itself apart
Anger, tears and recriminations
Israel has seen arms embargoes before
But this time it will struggle without American military support
The Israeli army is caught in a doom loop in Gaza
And the refusal to plan for the day after the war is fuelling a crisis with America
Hamas and Gaza
Hamas’s pick of Yahya Sinwar as leader makes a ceasefire less likely
The appointment of the architect of October 7th ties the group closer to Iran
Optimistic plans for post-war Gaza have little basis in reality
Aid, policing, reconstruction—everything is even harder than it sounds
To see the future of urban warfare, look at Gaza
Western armies are studying the horrifying conflict for tactical lessons
Why food is piling up on the edge of Gaza
Thousands of tonnes of food and medicine are still waiting to get in
Is the American-built pier in Gaza useful or a fiasco?
The Economist went to see
Who is responsible for feeding Gaza?
Arguments fly over Israel’s duty to maintain aid
War and diplomacy
Is a Palestinian state a fantasy?
Amid war in Gaza, the prospect is at once more relevant than ever and more distant
The ICC’s threat to arrest Binyamin Netanyahu has shocked Israel
America and Israel have reacted with outrage at the implied equivalence between Israel and Hamas
The war-crimes case against the leaders of Israel and Hamas is flawed
Politics and diplomacy, not courts, are the key to ending violence and starting two-state talks
What does it mean to recognise Palestinian statehood?
Ireland, Norway and Spain will be the latest to do so
The Biden administration is trying to walk a fine line in arming Israel
It may please no one as a result
Outrage at a strike in Rafah is unlikely to change policy
America has already said the incident does not cross its red lines
The military campaign
Israel bombs the Hamas military mastermind behind the October 7th attack
If he is dead it could hasten the end of the Gaza war
Hamas and Israel are still far apart over a ceasefire deal
For all America’s optimism, the two sides look fundamentally irreconcilable
Israel prepares for a long war in Gaza
But it is unclear how it will end
Israel’s current large-scale operation is the last one in Gaza
Generals prepare for a lower-intensity campaign against Hamas
Regional conflict
The next terrifying war: Israel v Hizbullah
It would feature kamikaze drones, mass blackouts and the largest missile barrage in history
Talk of war between Israel and Lebanon is growing
Israel and Hizbullah would still prefer to avoid one, but that is getting ever harder to do
In South-East Asia, the war in Gaza is roiling emotions
The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have responded very differently
How Iran covered up the damage from Israel’s strikes
New images shared with The Economist show how a swap helped calm a crisis
Israel responds to Iran’s barrage with a symbolic strike
Both sides have a chance to de-escalate their conflict, at least for now
Israel should not rush to strike back at Iran
Instead it should try a novel response to Iran’s missile attack: restraint
1843 magazine
1843 magazine | The biblical archaeologist finding the victims Hamas burned
Bodies have been reduced to ash. Entire families are wiped out. Dismembered limbs are jumbled together
1843 magazine | Fear and goading in the West Bank
In the aftermath of Hamas’s attack, violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians has increased
1843 magazine | Israel’s top hostage negotiator on dealing with Hamas
In 2011 David Meidan managed to get one person out of Gaza. Now he’s trying to free 240
1843 magazine | Ali Jadallah has lost four relatives in Gaza. He’s still taking pictures
Numb with grief, a photographer works to bear witness
1843 magazine | The “war schizophrenia” of Israel’s peaceniks
Many lost friends in Hamas’s attacks. They don’t want to lose more in Gaza
1843 magazine | Life in Gaza is a series of calculations. How much water do you really need?
Palestinians worry that the world will become inured to their suffering
Explaining the war
Who is Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court?
He has applied for an arrest warrant for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister
What does it mean to recognise Palestinian statehood?
Ireland, Norway and Spain will be the latest to do so
Could the International Criminal Court indict Binyamin Netanyahu?
Rumours abound that an arrest warrant is imminent for Israel’s prime minister
What are the obligations of Israel and Hamas to protect civilians?
International Humanitarian Law creates obligations—but contains numerous caveats
By Invitation
A trauma surgeon on why Gaza is the worst of war zones
It is like stepping back into the 19th century, says David Nott
As a pause in fighting begins, Husam Zomlot calls for a comprehensive ceasefire
Peace can only be achieved by inverting the Oslo process, says the Palestinian ambassador to Britain
Steven Simon thinks that Israel may be able to avoid a regional escalation
But continued hard-right rule could foster dystopia, argues the academic and author
Marc Weller on what international law has to say about the Israel-Hamas conflict
Military advantage must be balanced against the risk of civilian casualties, even when vital interests are at stake, says the law professor
Mikhail Khodorkovsky says that support for Israel should not come at the expense of Ukraine
Both are fronts in an intensifying fight against global lawlessness, argues the former political prisoner
David Schenker on the risks of a wider war with Iran and its proxies
America needs to go beyond beefing up its naval presence in the region, says the former diplomat