Chérine Yazbeck

The small number of Christians remaining in Gaza have marked Christmas early with subdued celebrations in the shadow of ongoing conflict and occupation.

What is this group, which once ruled a territorial "caliphate" and inspired attacks all over the world?

The village of Al Nayrab, in north-west Syria, is the hometown of Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed — and its residents are filled with pride.

Today marks one year since the Assad dictatorship in Syria was toppled by Islamist rebels, bringing an end to nearly 14 years of civil war. Some are celebrating, while others continue to struggle. 

Lebanon's government says it is trying to disarm militant group Hezbollah, but there are fears of sparking an internal conflict.

As Pope Leo visits Lebanon, many locals hope he will bring peace to the region, viewing the visit as a message of solidarity.

With a ceasefire in effect in Gaza, a restoration team is painstakingly retrieving historical manuscripts, rare volumes, and archival documents from beneath the rubble of a destroyed mosque.

Shadi Abu Sido spent 18 months in Israeli detention believing that his entire family had been killed in Gaza. Then he was reunited with his wife and children in Gaza.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinians who were imprisoned in Israel have been reunited with their families as part of an exchange for hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The announcement of an agreement to phase one of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas brings great joy to many people in Israel and Gaza.

Israel's planned military offensive to take Gaza City is threatening thousands of hospital patients who cannot evacuate or have no place else to go.

Two Gazan boys allege they endured a month-long ordeal that would see them tortured and sexually abused in Israeli custody.

Doctors and aid workers say the world's concern over the aid blockade in Gaza has come too late. Many of the children you've read about probably can't be saved. 

Violent gangs have been raiding convoys of aid as they are trucked through Gaza, and behind one of the largest groups is a criminal who has reportedly been armed and protected by Israel.

Iran has built a network of allies around the Middle East. But none of those proxies nor its most powerful backers, China and Russia, have intervened since Israel began bombing Tehran.

While Israel's war with Iran continues, Gazans are begging for help, saying their suffering is being ignored because of the new conflict.

With many of Gaza's schools damaged, destroyed or turned into shelters, makeshift classrooms have been set up in tents for the few children who can continue their education amidst the ongoing war.

At least 30 Palestinians are killed during gunfire at a southern Gaza aid distribution site, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the chaos.

Tens of thousands of people have crammed into the Lebanese capital Beirut's largest stadium, and the neighbourhoods around it, for a funeral five months in the making.

Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike in September 2024, and Israel continued attacks on Lebanon in the hours ahead of his funeral despite a ceasefire deal in place.

Australian women who lived in the Islamic State terror group's so-called caliphate speak from detention camps in Syria for the first time following the collapse of the Assad regime, begging the federal government to bring them home before they become trapped in a new war that will make it even harder to get them and their children out.

Leila and Ibrahim el Arja fled their home in Rafah, southern Gaza, in May last year. This week they returned, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but what they found only added to their devastation.  

Iran has reportedly promised to pay for the reconstruction, but unlike in 2006, Arab states have not committed funding.

Roads were jammed and celebratory gunfire echoed across southern Beirut as tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese returned to their homes.

Donald Trump flipped Michigan and wooed Arab American voters with the help of a Lebanese American tycoon who is now shaping up to lead talks to end Israel's war with Hezbollah.