Today
Arab leaders meet in Saudi Arabia in bid to counter Trump’s ‘Riviera’ Gaza proposal
• 9:06 AM
1 min
Leaders from Arab countries met in Saudi Arabia Friday to hammer out a recovery plan for Gaza. The summit is aimed at countering US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Palestinian enclave’s two million people to Egypt and Jordan and turn Ga
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Israel says body returned by Hamas is not Shiri Bibas but identifies her sons
• 6:23 AM
1 min
Israel on Friday said one of the four bodies returned by Hamas a day earlier is not that of Shiri Bibas, mother of the two young boys whose bodies were handed over Thursday. Israel said it had identified her children, Kfir and Ariel – the youngest hostag
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Live: Hamas says likely remains of Shiri Bibas ‘mistakenly mixed’ with others in Gaza rubble
• 6:17 AM
1 min
Hamas on Friday said the remains of hostage Shiri Bibas appeared to have “mistakenly mixed” with those of other people killed in an Israeli air strike it claimed had hit the building she was being held in. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reacte
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Yesterday
Defence minister orders military to 'intensify operations' after bus blasts
• 9:09 PM
1 min
Israeli police said three bombs exploded while two were being defused at separate locations involving buses in central Israel on February 20. "These are identical explosive devices with a timer. Three have detonated, and two additional ones have been loc
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Who are the Gaza hostages whose bodies have been returned to Israel?
• 4:20 PM
1 min
Hamas handed over the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack and among the most potent symbols of the trauma inflicted that day. Story by David Gil
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Israel receives the bodies of four hostages: 'These deaths could have been prevented'
• 2:29 PM
1 min
Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation’s agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Analysis by Dr. Ori Goldberg, Israeli political
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Hamas returns bodies of 4 Israeli hostages said to include a mother and her 2 young children
• 2:11 PM
1 min
Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation's agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Story by Delano D'Souza.
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Unveiling Iran's resistance: Meet those taking a stand against the regime
• 11:25 AM
1 min
More than two years have gone by since mass "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstrations erupted in Iran following the death of Kurdish student Mahsa Amini. She was killed by the Iranian morality police for a few strands of hair escaping from her veil. Recently
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Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from Israel
• 9:35 AM
1 min
Hamas handed over the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack and among the most potent symbols of the trauma inflicted that day. Analysis by FRANCE
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Hamas hands over remains of dead hostages: ‘Very strange and morbid ceremony’
• 8:42 AM
1 min
FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem Noga Tarnopolsky describes Hamas’s handover ceremony in Gaza as “very strange and very morbid”. “One of the Red Cross officials simply refused to take part, signing a document and walking off stage,” she said, addin
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Families angered as Israeli authorities release names of dead hostages before being identified
• 6:40 AM
1 min
Noga Tarnopolsky, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said there has been a lot of anger in Israel after authorities released the names of the dead hostages that would be released today – despite the fact that the family had urged them to wait until
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Iran executed 975 people in 2024, says human rights groups
• 5:39 AM
1 min
At least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, with human rights groups saying the government is using capital punishment to spread fear throughout the population, notably to crack down on nationwide protests which have persisted since 2022.
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Israel braces for 'heartbreaking' day as bodies of four Gaza hostages set to be returned
• 3:58 AM
1 min
Hamas will return the bodies of four Israelis that were taken hostage on the October 7, 2023 attacks on Thursday, setting up what Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called a "heartbreaking" day for Israel. Among the four hostages are Ariel and Kfi
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Israel demands Hamas return Shiri Bibas's body and release all hostages
• 3:04 AM
1 min
Israel said Friday that one of the four bodies returned from Gaza by is not hostage Shiri Bibas, as claimed by Hamas, accusing Palestinian "terrorists" of killing her two young boys. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Israel calls Hamas 'monsters' for public handover of hostage remains
• 2:41 AM
1 min
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Palestinian militant group Hamas were "monsters" for having held a public handover ceremony for the bodies of four hostages repatriated to Israel Thursday. Hamas said that three of the hostages, including tw
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Wednesday, february 19, 2025
Israel confirms Bibas family among four dead hostages to be returned by Hamas
• 9:31 PM
1 min
Israel confirmed on Wednesday that the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas and their mother Shiri will be returned from Gaza by Hamas on Thursday as part of the ceasefire agreement. The two boys, 4 years old and 9 months old respectively, and their mother hav
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Hamas says it is ready to free all hostages at once in phase two of Gaza truce
• 3:35 PM
1 min
A Hamas official said Wednesday that Hamas is ready to release all the remaining hostages in one batch during the second phase of the ceasefire agreement rather than in stages. The fragile Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas has held since taking effect
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Tuesday, february 18, 2025
Did Syria's former first lady Asma Al-Assad 'break her silence' on X?
• 9:35 PM
1 min
Several news publications are claiming that Asma al-Assad has "broken her silence", after a fake account on X impersonating Syria's former first lady started sending out a series of posts on the social media platform. We explain in this edition of Truth
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Hamas leader says bodies of captive Bibas family will be handed over on Thursday
• 7:23 PM
1 min
A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks, said the “Bibas family” would be included in the handover of
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'Gaza is uninhabitable': Palestinians decry complete destruction of enclave
• 4:57 PM
1 min
Gaza has become a place of complete destruction and desolation after over a year of war between Israel and Hamas. Few places in the enclave are still inhabitable and residents are in dire need of aid.
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Lebanon calls for Israel's full withdrawal from territory
• 4:49 PM
1 min
Lebanese leaders said Beirut was in contact with Washington and Paris to press Israel to fully withdraw from south Lebanon, branding its presence in five points an "occupation" after a ceasefire deadline expired on Tuesday.
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Saudi Arabia consolidates soft power as Riyadh hosts US-Russia talks
• 4:40 PM
1 min
Saudi Arabia's crown prince wasn't in the room for the first high-level talks between Russia and the United States over Moscow's war on Ukraine on Tuesday, but Mohammed bin Salman still won the day for hosting the gathering that could be a game-changer i
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Syria returns three French children to Paris
• 4:05 PM
1 min
Three French children born to jihadist parents have arrived in France Monday evening. Found living in an orphanage in the Syrian capital of Damascus since 2019, French authorities have negotiated with the new Syrian government for their return. FRANCE 24
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Hamas says it will release 6 hostages, bodies of 4 others in coming days
• 3:52 PM
1 min
Hamas's top negotiator said on Tuesday the militant group will release the bodies of four dead captives on Thursday and six living Israeli hostages on Saturday. Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said the bodies of the four hostages would include the Bi
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British couple detained in Iran charged with spying
• 3:35 PM
1 min
Detained Britons Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been charged in Iran on Tuesday with espionage, after being arrested in the southeastern Kerman province earlier this year. An Iranian spokesman said the pair had entered the country "posing as tourists" an
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Syrian refugees in Egypt prepare to return home after years of exile
• 1:00 PM
1 min
Since 2011, some 1.5 million Syrians have found refuge in Egypt, where they have succeeded in creating new lives for themselves. But two months after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, many are ready to return to their largely destroyed country.
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Saudi Arabia's stunning transformation from global pariah to diplomatic power
• 11:33 AM
1 min
PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, February 18: Saudi Arabia emerges as a key diplomatic power as it hosts Russian and US officials for talks on Ukraine this Tuesday and a Gaza summit on Friday. How did Riyadh go from global pariah to key partner? Also: France's 20
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Iran mulls moving capital from Tehran to south coast
• 9:58 AM
1 min
Faced with myriad problems including gridlocked traffic and a sinking earth surface in its current capital, Iran is considering a drastic solution – moving it to an altogether different location on the Gulf of Oman. FRANCE 24's Saeed Azimi reports from T
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Villagers prepare to return home as Israeli troops withdraw
• 9:55 AM
1 min
Israeli forces withdrew from border villages in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, under a deadline spelled out in a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. “People are expected to go back to their villages within the next f
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Archaeologists push to restore Syria’s war-torn heritage sites, including Palmyra
• 7:57 AM
1 min
Some of Syria’s most renowned heritage sites coud soon undergo restoration as experts return to the sites decimated by nearly 14 years of war. Conservationists hope the historical and cultural significance of once-thriving landmarks such as the ancient c
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Monday, february 17, 2025
Family and friends fear for fate of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi held by Hamas
• 4:54 PM
1 min
Bipin Joshi was one of the dozens of foreign workers kidnapped alongside Israelis during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. His family and friends fear for his fate after 500 days in captivity, especially since there has been no information of the 24-year-o
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Israel to remain in five 'strategic points' in Lebanon despite withdrawal deadline
• 4:06 PM
1 min
Israel said on Monday its forces will remain in five strategic points inside Lebanon after Tuesday's deadline for their full withdrawal, an Israel Defence Forces spokesman has said. Lebanon's president on Monday called for countries that helped reached t
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Trump’s Gaza plan a 'negotiating ploy' for annexation in West Bank, expert says
• 3:25 PM
1 min
President Trump’s plan for the US to takeover Gaza is likely a “negotiating ploy” for annexation in the West Bank, said Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Pointing to a possible nuclear deal with Iran
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Archaeologists push to restore Syria's war-ravaged heritage sites
• 2:49 PM
1 min
Experts are returning to Syria’s war-ravaged heritage sites, hoping to lay the groundwork for restoring them and reviving tourism, which they say could provide a much-needed boost to the country’s decimated economy after nearly 14 years of war. One of Sy
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Syrian leader al-Sharaa tours former Assad strongholds on surprise visit
• 2:30 PM
1 min
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Latakia and Tartus on Sunday, his office said, making his first official trip to the coastal provinces formerly known as strongholds of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. Despite the tour being unannounced, Sha
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'Netanyahu in a bind': Israeli delegation in Cairo for Gaza talks
• 1:24 PM
1 min
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appears to be “in a bind” as talks over phase two of the Gaza ceasefire deal are due to start with the arrival of an Israeli delegation in Cairo, FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky said. Torn between hardline ministers
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Israelis mark 500th day since October 7 attacks
• 11:30 AM
1 min
Israelis marked the 500th day since the October 7 attacks on Monday as families called for the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza. A tenuous ceasefire in the enclave has held for nearly a month and seen the release of over a dozen hostages in excha
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Jihadist Nemmouche back on trial in France for Islamic State kidnappings
• 10:00 AM
1 min
Jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche, who is already serving a life sentence for a anti-Semitic terrorist attack, is back on trial Monday in France. Nemmouche and four others are accused of holding four French journalists, kidnapped in Syria in 2013, hostage.
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Israel security cabinet to discuss second phase of Gaza ceasefire
• 9:56 AM
1 min
Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss on Monday the next phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, as top US diplomat Marco Rubio began a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will push Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza.
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US says it killed senior al-Qaeda affiliate official in Syria
• 3:06 AM
1 min
The US military said on Sunday that it killed a senior official of an al Qaeda affiliate during an airstrike in northwest Syria the day before. US Central Command described the person in a statement as a "senior finance and logistics official in the terr
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Sunday, february 16, 2025
Zelensky lands in UAE as US and Russia prepare for Ukraine peace talks
• 8:26 PM
1 min
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky touched down in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for an official visit ahead of planned talks between US and Russian officials, expected to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. The UAE has been an import
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Hezbollah leader says Lebanon's government must ensure Israeli withdrawal
• 4:09 PM
1 min
Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese government had a responsibility to "make Israel withdraw" in keeping with its commitment under the ceasefire deal to pull its troops out of the country before February 18.
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Trump's plan for Gaza: 'Ethnic cleansing is not acceptable,' UN chief Guterres says
• 2:18 PM
1 min
In an interview with FRANCE 24, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, saying that "ethnic cleansing is not acceptable in our world".
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Netanyahu and top US diplomat Rubio affirm ‘common strategy’ to eliminate Hamas in Gaza
• 8:59 AM
1 min
Israel's security cabinet is due to discuss phase two of the Gaza ceasefire on Monday, following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday. In a joint statement, Netanyahu and
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Saturday, february 15, 2025
More than 25 people arrested in Lebanon after attack on UN convoy
• 8:19 AM
1 min
More than 25 people have been arrested in Lebanon after a convoy carrying United Nations peacekeepers came under attack on Friday. The force’s outgoing deputy commander and a Nepalese soldier were both wounded after the vehicle they were travelling in wa
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Three Israeli hostages freed in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners under ceasefire deal
• 6:55 AM
1 min
Three Israeli hostages were freed early on Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal in exchange for the release of 369 Palestinian prisoners. The first groups of Palestinian prisoners were bussed shortly thereafter to the West Bank city of Ramallah. R
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Hamas and Israel complete sixth hostage-prisoner swap after tense week
• 2:21 AM
1 min
Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad released three Israelis held in captivity since October 7, 2023 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas last week threatened to delay the planned swap, accusing Israel of having violate
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Friday, february 14, 2025
UN Lebanon force demands 'immediate' inquiry into torching of vehicle in Beirut
• 9:40 PM
1 min
A deputy commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was injured and a UN vehicle torched late Friday by Hezbollah protesters blocking the road to Beirut airport. Demonstrators had been protesting against a decision by Lebanese authorities to revok
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After Trump's comments on Gaza, why were some media afraid of using the term ethnic cleansing?
• 2:31 PM
1 min
US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of the Gaza Strip and clear out Palestinians has drawn international condemnation. Western and Arab governments, the United Nations and human rights groups were all quick to say it was tantamount to ethnic
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US-Israeli among three hostages to be released Saturday, Hamas says
• 11:56 AM
1 min
Three hostages, including the American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, are set to be freed on Saturday as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, an official from the Gaza-based militant group said on Friday. In exchange, 369 Palestinians jailed b
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'New steps, new commitments would be proof of good faith from this new Syrian authority'
• 6:45 AM
1 min
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Syria's new leaders to ensure "governance that is representative and respectful of all" at a Paris conference on the transition in the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad's fall. For in-depth analysis
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Syria's quest for 'national unity': On paper, principles of diversity & inclusivity 'almost perfect'
• 5:35 AM
1 min
The Paris conference to chart Syria’s political future will include all segments of Syrian society except for the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast and loyalists of the repressive former government of Bashar Assad. Interim president Ahmad al-Sh
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Lebanon marks 20th anniversary of Rafik Hariri’s assassination
• 2:09 AM
1 min
Lebanon on Friday marked 20 years since former prime minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a suicide bombing blamed on Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hariri’s son Saad, also a former Lebanon premier, is led the commemorations, which came as Hezbolla
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Thursday, february 13, 2025
Trump's Gaza plan 'is not acceptable', Iraqi FM Hussein says
• 3:52 PM
1 min
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein reacted to US President Donald Trump's plan to "own" the Gaza Strip and to relocate its inhabitants to countries like Egypt and Jordan. "We are with the right of self-determination of th
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Hamas commits to Gaza ceasefire, including hostage release on Saturday
• 10:02 AM
1 min
Hamas on Thursday said it was committed to honouring the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel, including the release of the next group of three hostages this weekend as planned under the terms of the deal. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolde
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Wednesday, february 12, 2025
Trump's Gaza plan: Will Arab allies push back?
• 7:23 PM
1 min
Remember the run-up to Inauguration Day in the US, when Donald Trump's envoy twisted arms to push a Gaza ceasefire over the line? How did we so quickly go to Trump not only doubling down on his plan to forcibly deport the entire Palestinian population of
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Trump's Gaza reconstruction plan completely 'unworkable, illegal and dangerous for region'
• 3:54 PM
1 min
Behind US President Donald Trump’s vows to turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” lies a plan to forcibly drive two million from their land, rights groups say, warning it could be a war crime under international law. For in-depth analysis and a de
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Syria to have new government on March 1, foreign minister says
• 3:18 PM
1 min
Syria will have a new government as of March 1, the country's interim foreign minister announced on Wednesday. Syria has been led by interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the leader of former al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, since the group led a co
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Resumption of Gaza war will 'allow the realisation' of Trump plan, Israel says
• 1:02 PM
1 min
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said the resumption of hostilities in the devastated Palestinian territory would allow for the realisation of US President Donald Trump’s plan to seize control of Gaza and permanently displace the people
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If Jordan took in more Palestinians, there would be 'security, economic, and political implications'
• 5:24 AM
1 min
President Donald Trump is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspecti
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