At 6:29 a.m., Israel came to a standstill. For one minute, the streets fell silent and thousands of people came out to remember those who died three years ago. The country thus began a day that did not have a single stage or a single ceremony. The tribute was spread across the kibbutzim, the rural communities near the border with Gaza, the streets of Tel Aviv, in front of the Parliament in Jerusalem and, above all, in the places where the massacre took shape.

In the Negev desert, near the Gaza Strip, it is hard to imagine that three years ago this place was full of music and dozens of young people dancing until sunrise. Today, at the site where the Nova festival was held there is no music. There are photographs and memorials scattered across the esplanade. A drone flies over the area while Israeli soldiers guard the access points. On one side, 378 trees commemorate the people murdered by Hamas at the festival. The memorial also remembers the 44 attendees who were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

In Gaza, returning to school does not necessarily mean returning to a school building. For thousands of children, the new term has begun in tents, courtyards, and temporary learning spaces. There are notebooks and blackboards, but also rubble, displacement, and children who are still queuing to get water before classes begin. Amidst all of this, there is a feeling that for three years had been set aside: the possibility that something might once again resemble life as it was before.

“The Flydubai flight and the indomitability of the Jews”, “The avoided Flydubai tragedy highlights Israeli courage” or “Extraordinary heroism and nearly miraculous circumstances prevent an air catastrophe” are some of the headlines that can be read these days in Israel. Two days after the incident with Flydubai flight FZ1073, the feeling in the country is one of having dodged a tragedy, but also of having discovered a crack in air security, in one of the countries most obsessed with this issue.

At the Tel Aviv Hostages Square, about 300 people listened this Monday evening to testimonies from relatives and survivors of the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. They were wearing t-shirts, caps, and pins with photographs of the hostages. Amidst banners with names and faces, a recreation of a tunnel recalled the conditions in which the kidnapped were held in Gaza. A man dressed as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, held a banner with a blunt message: "Nobody told me!".The protest comes at a time when the question of what the Israeli government knew before the Hamas attack has returned to the center of Israeli politics. This time the debate passes through Abu Dhabi. On Sunday, the prime minister traveled in secret to the United Arab Emirates to meet with its president, Mohamed bin Zayed. The reason for the visit was to ask him to deny that he had warned him before October 7th that Hamas was preparing an attack, according to sources cited by Associated Press.Netanyahu's office has denied this version and explained that the visit aimed to “strengthen bilateral relations and address regional challenges.” The Emirates government has given a similar version of the visit, without making any mention of a specific request from the Israeli leader.The visit, lasting about four hours and without leaving the airport, as reported by the Israeli media outlet Channel 12, comes amidst weeks of controversy. A few days ago, the newspaper Haaretz published that the Emirates had allegedly alerted Israel that Hamas was preparing a major operation against the country. According to this information, Bin Zayed had personally communicated the warning to Netanyahu, but the notice was not sent to the main Israeli intelligence agencies or the army. Netanyahu denies this version.

The war between Iran and the United States is entering a phase of high tension once again. After weeks in which indirect contacts have kept a diplomatic path open, Washington has rejected Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran is hardening its military discourse and warning that it is prepared for a new American offensive.

There is a strait south of the Red Sea that helps explain why the Houthis have ceased to be just an actor in the Yemen war: Bab el-Mandeb, the maritime passage that connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and through which 12% of global trade passes. In recent weeks, the group, aligned with Iran, has advanced along the western coast of Yemen and has consolidated positions at strategic points in the strait. At the same time, has resumed attacks against Saudi Arabia and has announced a blockade against ships linked to the kingdom.Now, the Houthis have a position that allows them to threaten one of the main maritime routes between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. And they do so while the war between Iran and the United States has turned the Strait of Hormuz into the other major focus of maritime tension in the region.“The Houthis have a real capacity for pressure. They cannot indefinitely close traffic through the Red Sea, but they can certainly increase costs, generate uncertainty, and periodically interrupt commercial and energy flows,” explains Neil Quilliam to ARA, a researcher at the Middle East and North Africa program at the international analysis center Chatham House. According to the expert, they do not need to close the strait: it is enough for them to increase the risk.If sailing through the Red Sea is too expensive or unsafe, companies can divert ships around the Cape of Good Hope, on the Atlantic coast of South Africa, with more days of navigation and higher costs. Thus, Tehran and its allies can exert pressure from two different points on two key routes for global trade and energy.The Houthis, who officially call themselves Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), are part of the so-called "axis of resistance," the network of armed and political actors linked to Iran, and they receive military and technological support from Tehran. A 2024 UN report documents transfers of military material, assistance, and training linked to Iran and other actors in the axis to the Zaydi Shia group. Although Iran denies supplying weapons to the group and claims its support is only political, the Houthis have gone from being a local militia in northern Yemen to possessing about 350,000 fighters and a significant arsenal of missiles, drones, and anti-ship weapons.The role of the Houthis in the US-Iran confrontation

Various reports from the analysis centers Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Chatham House point out that the Houthis can now act as a negotiation instrument for Iran before Washington, in a war that has already been going on for seven months. But this does not mean that Tehran controls the group's decisions. The movement has a command structure, territorial interests, and its own political agenda. Control of the coast, in fact, responds to its own interests: it gives them more capacity to pressure Saudi Arabia, strengthens their position ahead of future negotiations regarding Yemen, and expands their control over the oil and gas in the areas they dominate.

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Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly this Thursday with a forty-minute speech marked by confrontation. The Israeli prime minister, as expected, defended the military operations against Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, praised Donald Trump, and attacked various countries and the role of international media.

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Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive this Thursday in New York to deliver one of the most delicate speeches of his career before the United Nations General Assembly. It will be a lightning visit: the Israeli prime minister plans to arrive in the United States on the same day as his intervention and return to Israel a few hours later. Unlike other years, no meeting with the US president, Donald Trump, is scheduled.

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The Houthis of Yemen have claimed responsibility this weekend for missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which reportedly include “sensitive sites” in the capital, Riyadh, and facilities of the oil company Aramco in the port of Yanbu, on the Red Sea. The episode marks a qualitative leap in the escalation because, for the first time since the start of the new phase of hostilities in July, the Houthis have brought the threat directly to the political and economic heart of the kingdom.

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Israel and Morocco have agreed to take a new step in the diplomatic rapprochement initiated in 2020 and elevate their diplomatic missions to the rank of embassies, with the commitment to appoint ambassadors in both countries. The meeting in New York between the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar; his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, took place one day after the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, the framework promoted by the Donald Trump administration that allowed for the resumption of relations between Israel and several Arab countries.During the meeting, the three governments reaffirmed their commitment to these agreements and announced a series of measures to deepen the ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv that go beyond the opening of embassies. Among these measures are the expansion of direct flights between Israel and Morocco, operated by Israeli and Moroccan airlines, and the establishment of two agreements on investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation, with the aim of boosting commercial and business exchanges. Both measures are expected before the end of 2026.“The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history,” stated Israeli Minister Sa’ar after the meeting. “The declaration we signed today establishes practical paths to elevate relations between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both peoples, and we will work to implement it,” he added. In a statement issued by the American mission to the UN, Washington, Rabat, and Tel Aviv have argued that deeper regional integration, built on this foundation, can contribute to “more peace, stability, and shared prosperity in the Middle East and beyond”.One more step towards the normalization of relations

The New York announcement formalizes a relationship that, in some areas, has already deepened considerably since 2020, when Morocco resumed relations with Israel within the framework of the Abraham Accords, promoted by the US administration. At that time, in exchange for the rapprochement between Rabat and Tel Aviv, the Donald Trump administration recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Previously, Rabat had broken off relations with Israel in 2000 following the second Palestinian Intifada.Now, the United States and Israel have once again expressed their recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over this territory of the Sahara and their support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal as a basis for a solution to the conflict. For Morocco, Western Sahara remains one of the main axes of its foreign policy. Therefore, the maintenance of American support and the strengthening of relations with Israel have a strategic dimension that goes beyond diplomacy and commercial exchanges and which are developing as solid bilateral relations in various areas, such as military cooperation. “Defense collaboration is especially important in this context and has favored it,” explains Intissar Fakir to ARA, director of the Middle East Institute research center and specialist in Moroccan politics. “This cooperation has developed to include sophisticated exchanges, strategic arms acquisitions, and close bilateral cooperation that has reinforced Morocco’s capabilities and provided Israel with an important partner in North Africa,” adds Fakir. For the expert, although the United States has been vital for the establishment of this relationship, the bond between Morocco and Israel has developed its own solid foundation for the future.The New York announcement comes at a particularly delicate moment for relations between Morocco and Spain, following the Ceuta crisis and the accusations by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, against Israel for having contributed to spreading and amplifying disinformation regarding Spanish migration policy during the episode. Israel denies these accusations, while Rabat rejects that the Moroccan authorities planned the massive entry into Ceuta and accuses certain Spanish political sectors of using Morocco as an argument in internal politics.

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The Houthis have once again attacked targets in Saudi Arabia this Tuesday, in a new escalation that comes after the group took control of several strategic points on the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The missile and drone attacks, which threaten to further extend the conflict throughout the region, have triggered air defense alerts in six Saudi cities, including Yanbu, the country's main oil port on the Red Sea, and Riyadh has warned that it will respond "firmly," adopting "all necessary operational measures."

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The Houthi rebels in Yemen took control this Thursday of Mocha, a strategic port on the Red Sea coast, and have advanced along the country's western maritime facade until reaching one of the most sensitive points in world trade: the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to Yemeni military sources cited by Reuters. The strait, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a key route for international trade and the transport of hydrocarbons. Control of the strait – or the ability of the Houthis, allies of Iran, to turn it into a high-risk zone for navigation – could add a new source of tension to an energy market already heavily conditioned by the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28, and by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

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The President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel days before the October 7 attacks, according to an investigation published this Tuesday by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Netanyahu reportedly dismissed the warning, even though the Emirati president, in a 45-minute direct conversation, had asked him to take the threat seriously. The conversation took place about ten days before the attacks, according to the newspaper, which cites three senior officials familiar with its content.

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In Metula, there is not much time to react. When a siren sounds, the inhabitants know they have between fifteen and twenty seconds to reach the nearest shelter. If they do not reach it, there is only one last instruction that everyone knows by heart: lie down on the ground, protect your head with your hands, and hope that the shrapnel does not fall too close.

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The same Mediterranean that for some families is synonymous with holidays, beach, and long afternoons is today, for others, the memory of a life that no longer exists. A few kilometers away, two realities coexist before the same blue horizon. In Gaza, the Jneid family looks at the sea from a tent set up on the coast. In Tel Aviv, families go down to the beach when the workday ends and try to hold onto an idea of summer that, since October 7, 2023, is no longer exactly the same.The voice of Naeem Mohammed Jneid, known as Abu Obaida, comes from a reality that is difficult to imagine from the other side of the Mediterranean. Throughout his life, he has worked with a clear idea: to build a stable future for his children. Before the war, he had managed to turn the family business into the center of daily life. He owned a supermarket where his children worked and a farm with about 1,500 chickens.But the memory that Abu Obaida holds most strongly is that of summer. Before the war changed the streets, the houses, and the routines, the arrival of the heat meant one simple thing: being together. "We used to go to the sea as a complete family. It was our time to rest and enjoy," he recalls. Summer was also the time for weddings and celebrations. Among all the memories, there is one he holds especially dear: his son's wedding. "It was like a festival. All the family and friends came. There were singers, a stage, and everyone he loved was there."Today that life no longer exists. The family home, 240 square meters in Jabalia, in the north of the Strip, was destroyed, according to the family, during the war. One of their sons, Amr, died in July 2024 while looking for products to maintain the small business they had set up during their displacement to Deir al-Balah, in the center of Gaza. Now, Abu Obaida lives with part of his family in a tent in Gaza City, on the same coast where they used to spend summer afternoons. "Our house was large, it was equipped and had air conditioning. It was a place where we could be calm," he explains. Now, the feeling is of living "practically on the street". "We have no security or stability. Anyone can enter the tent. There are rodents, stray dogs, mosquitoes... My grandchildren are sometimes even afraid to go out to go to the bathroom," he adds.Their days begin before the sun rises. Around six in the morning, the family goes out to queue for water and then waits at the food distribution points. In the afternoon, the children collect firewood to be able to cook and, when they can, they try to continue learning in improvised educational activities. Despite everything, Abu Obaida still imagines a normal summer afternoon: a table full of fruit and drinks and, most importantly, with the whole family gathered.

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Several Palestinian families from Qusra, in the north of the West Bank, have been trapped in their homes for days, besieged by Israeli settlers who have blocked access to the homes and cut off their water and electricity supplies. The Israeli army has reinforced its deployment in the town and initially ordered the evacuation of about fifteen homes, in an operation that comes amid a full escalation of settler violence in the West Bank. The evacuation order, however, was withdrawn shortly after, and the army assured that residents can stay in their homes.

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The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced this Sunday that he rejects the 15-point plan announced by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to move towards the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and reiterated that the Israeli army will not abandon the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is disarmed.

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A prison surrounded by crocodiles seems like the plot of a fictional movie, but it has become a real proposal within the Israeli political debate. The initiative promoted by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to use Nile crocodiles as a deterrent around a center housing Palestinian prisoners, has once again put the focus on the "Israeli prison system.

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Iran tries to project stability as doubts grow about the health status of Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of the country after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the first American and Israeli attacks against the country on February 28. Suspicions have resurfaced after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted that communication with the country's leader is currently "very difficult".The statements, made in an interview broadcast by Iranian state television, have further fueled speculation about the physical condition of Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who has not appeared publicly since taking office. The new leader has so far only communicated through written messages and did not appear at his father's funeral ceremonies last July.“It is very difficult to communicate with him at the moment, but, in any case, his presence is a great source of strength for us to continue,” stated Pezeshkian, without offering further details on what exactly this difficulty of interaction means. The Iranian president, however, took the opportunity to reject versions describing Khamenei as a weakened figure and assured that the meetings they have held have been “productive” and marked by “great kindness and very solid logic.”According to information published in March by the American newspaper The New York Times, the new supreme leader was reportedly seriously injured in the American and Israeli attack that killed his father. At that time, several media outlets reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was in good mental condition, but had suffered significant burns to his face and lips. He also reportedly underwent an operation on one of his hands and required plastic facial surgery, while awaiting a prosthesis for a leg. Iranian sources have assured that he only suffered a minor injury, but the Iranian regime has not released any video or audio recording of the religious leader. This week, the Iranian newspaper Al-Mashhari has assured that the decision not to release recordings of the supreme leader is due to security reasons. According to this newspaper, an audio or video could reveal his location and give clues about his physical condition.Tension within the regime

The statements by the president of Iran come at a time of tension within Iranian power structures. The Iranian media outlet Tabnak has reported that Khamenei would have warned Pezeshkian that he would accept his resignation if the president presented it again. This episode revisits doubts about the relationship between the presidency and the most influential centers of power in the Islamic Republic. After months of tensions between the government and the military and security apparatuses of the Islamic Republic, in May, Pezeshkian had already considered resigning because he felt he could not fully exercise his constitutional responsibilities.Several Iranian media outlets reported that the president had sent a letter to the supreme leader's office denouncing that the government had been sidelined from the state's main decisions and that the power vacuum had allowed the harder factions of the Revolutionary Guard to progressively take control of strategic issues. Both the Tasnim agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, and the Deputy Director of Communication and Information of the Presidency Office, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, denied this information and assured that Pezeshkian would continue to exercise his duties normally.The uncertainty about the country's leader's condition has also begun to spread to Iranian society. During the days of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral, several citizens consulted by Reuters expressed their concern about the prolonged public absence of the new supreme leader. Some warned that this situation could increase political uncertainty in the country, while others insisted that people needed to see that there was a leader running the country.All this comes at a time when Tehran is in full negotiation with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry assures that the talks with Oman to establish new maritime traffic routes through the Strait of Hormuz are “about to conclude”. Since the resumption of attacks between the United States and Iran on June 17, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been drastically reduced. This Wednesday only two ships crossed this route, according to maritime traffic monitoring data compiled by the company Kpler, compared to eight the previous day. Before the war that began on February 28, an average of 130 to 140 ships passed through it daily.

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