AL-MONITOR: The Pulse of The Middle East

Average of 47 women and girls killed daily during Gaza war, UN says

2026-04-17T08:01:41-0400

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, April 17 (Reuters) - An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to figures published by U.N. Women on Friday, and the agency warned that deaths have continued six months into a fragile ceasefire.

More than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, according to the report by U.N. Women, an agency that focuses on gender equality.

Exclusive-Iran negotiators, citing possible Israeli attack, got Pakistan escort home from peace talks

2026-04-17T07:36:39-0400

By Saad Sayeed and Mubasher Bukhari

ISLAMABAD, April 17 (Reuters) - Pakistan's air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks with the U.S. last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters.

Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force's Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation.

Explainer-What's in the Lebanon ceasefire deal and will it hold?

2026-04-17T07:01:41-0400

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, April 17 (Reuters) - Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a U.S.-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, a deal meant to enable broader U.S.-Iran negotiations but one that will see Israeli forces maintain positions deep inside southern Lebanon.

WHAT DOES THE DEAL SAY?

Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a "cessation of hostilities" on April 16 at 2100 GMT for an initial period of 10 days to enable peace negotiations between the two countries, according to a text of the deal released by the State Department.

A new, forceful Pope Leo steps onto the world stage

2026-04-17T06:36:38-0400

By Joshua McElwee

YAOUNDE, April 17 (Reuters) - Pope Leo has debuted a new, forceful speaking style on his four-nation Africa tour this week, issuing sharp denunciations of war and inequality that have sparked repeated attacks on the pontiff from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The change in rhetoric reflects Leo's growing concern with the direction of global leadership, experts said, after he maintained a relatively low profile for a pope during the first 10 months of his papacy.

Lebanese civilians head home as truce with Israel takes effect

2026-04-17T06:00:20-0400

Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians took to the road on Friday, hoping that a 10-day ceasefire with Israel would allow them to return to their homes in southern Beirut and the country's war-torn south.

Minutes before the ceasefire came into effect at midnight, a series of Israeli strikes in the southern city of Tyre killed at least 13 people and destroyed six residential buildings, a city official said.

EU to restore Syria relations, strengthen trade and security ties, document shows

2026-04-17T05:01:42-0400

By Lili Bayer and Feras Dalatey

BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS, April 17 - The European Union plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations.

Hours after ceasefire, a lifeline to south Lebanon reopens

2026-04-17T05:00:21-0400

Alongside hundreds of others forced to flee south Lebanon, Amani Atrash and her family waited eagerly on Friday morning for bulldozers to reopen the Qasmiyeh bridge, which Israel bombed just hours before a ceasefire began.

Her family was among the tens of thousands of people hoping to go home after being displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war -- despite warnings against returning to the south from the Iran-backed militant group, Lebanese officials and the Israeli army, which continues to occupy parts of the area.

Lebanese trickle home as ceasefire with Israel mostly holds

2026-04-17T04:36:39-0400

By Laila Bassam and Thomas Suen

BEIRUT/QASMIYEH, Lebanon, April 17 (Reuters) - People uprooted by the war in Lebanon began returning home on Friday, checking whether their houses were still standing, though some did not plan to stay for fear a 10-day ceasefire in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel could prove fragile.

Hills of rubble marked the spot where buildings once stood in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, an area pummelled by Israel during more than six weeks of conflict that spiralled out of the war between the United States and Iran.

Envoy expects U.S.-Turkey to 'soon' solve issue of sanctions over S-400 defences

2026-04-17T04:01:40-0400

ANTALYA, Turkey, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said on Friday he expected Washington and Ankara to soon solve the issue of U.S. sanctions over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defences.

"I think you are going to see the S-400 situation solved soon. From my boss's point of view, acceptance into an F-35 programme is fine," Barrack said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

In 2020, the U.S. sanctioned fellow NATO member Turkey over the purchase and removed it from a procurement and manufacturing programme for F-35 fighter jets.

War in the Middle East: latest developments

2026-04-17T04:00:20-0400

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Russia hails ceasefire -

Moscow backed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and said it hoped the pause in fighting could pave the way for a longer-term agreement.

"We certainly welcome the decision on a truce and hope that in these few days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will prevent a repeat of the military clashes," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, in response to a question by AFP.

Crowds gather in Cameroon for biggest event of Pope Leo's Africa tour

2026-04-17T03:36:38-0400

DOUALA, April 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of people were gathering early on Friday in Douala, Cameroon's largest city and economic hub, for a Mass with Pope Leo that will likely be the biggest event of the pontiff's four-nation Africa tour.

The Vatican is expecting about 600,000 to fill streets around Japoma Stadium to be part of the celebration and hear an address from the pope, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.

10-day Israel-Lebanon truce begins as Lebanese army warns of 'violations'

2026-04-17T03:00:21-0400

A 10-day ceasefire deal struck between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, sending displaced residents streaming south towards their homes, even as the Lebanese army warned of "a number of violations" in the area.

Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), the army told residents of the south -- many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings -- not to return, citing "several Israeli acts of aggression".

10-day Israel-Lebanon truce begins as Lebanese army warns of 'violations'

2026-04-17T02:30:21-0400

Trump says Iran war should end 'soon', both sides may meet at weekend

2026-04-17T01:36:38-0400

By Humeyra Pamuk, Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went in to effect between Lebanon and Israel.

Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran could take place at the weekend and an extension of a two-week ceasefire was possible, but may not be needed as Tehran wanted a deal.

Australian former soldier gets bail on Afghanistan war crime charges

2026-04-17T00:36:41-0400

SYDNEY, April 17 (Reuters) - An Australian court ordered bail with travel restrictions on Friday for the country's most decorated soldier, following his arrest on accusations of war crimes while deployed in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.

Police arrested and charged Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, with five counts of war crimes last week over the murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum term of jail for life.

Exclusive-Ukraine PM says she feels more confident of US support after visit to Washington

2026-04-16T23:36:38-0400

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko left the United States on Thursday buoyed by what she called positive talks with top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying she found him to be supportive of her war-torn country.

Svyrydenko told Reuters that she used the meeting with Bessent to hammer home Ukraine's position that sanctions imposed against Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago should not be weakened, waived or postponed.

Countries to discuss Hormuz mission for when conflict ends

2026-04-16T22:36:40-0400

By John Irish

PARIS, April 17 (Reuters) - France and Britain will chair a meeting on Friday of around 40 countries aimed at signalling to the United States that some of its closest allies are ready to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.

Iran has largely closed the strait to ships other than its own since the start of U.S.-Israeli air strikes on February 28. On Monday, Washington imposed a blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Analysis-China steps up Iran diplomacy while seeking smooth summit with Trump

2026-04-16T22:36:40-0400

By Mei Mei Chu, Greg Torode and Antoni Slodkowski

BEIJING/HONG KONG, April 17 (Reuters) - China is accelerating its efforts to end the Iran war, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it prepares for a summit next month with U.S. President Donald Trump while trying not to alienate Tehran.

President Xi Jinping's mid-May meeting with Trump is shaping Beijing's approach to the Middle East conflict even as the world's top crude oil importer, reliant on the Middle East for half its fuel, seeks to safeguard its energy supplies, analysts say.

Macron, Starmer rally allies to mull Hormuz mission

2026-04-16T21:30:18-0400

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday chair a meeting of allies to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends.

Iran imposed the blockade on the critical shipping bottleneck as soon as the US and Israel launched the war against the Islamic republic on February 28, leading to a surge in global energy prices. Even with a shaky ceasefire in place, the US is now imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.

IMF warns of war's human impact far from Middle East

2026-04-16T19:30:20-0400

IMF economists warned Thursday that the war in Iran could have “very, certainly severe” consequences far outside the region – especially for energy-importing countries.

Countries in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are among the countries most affected now -- and who could suffer the most -- outside the region, as the conflict stretches on.

Ironically, the ongoing virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz -- through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passes -- has been a windfall for some petroleum-exporting nations, like Nigeria or Algeria.