Beyond the Headlines

Can the Global Sumud Flotilla really break the siege of Gaza?

Dozens of boats carrying activists from about 44 countries have finally set sail for Gaza after much delay.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is not the first humanitarian mission to attempt to break Israel’s sea blockade of the strip, but it is the largest to date. It follows unsuccessful attempts by individual boats earlier this year and countless others over the past almost 20 years.

Activists say they are taking action to open a humanitarian corridor and deliver aid to Gaza where UN experts have determined Israel is committing genocide and deliberately imposing a famine.

Almost every flotilla since the start has been blocked by Israeli authorities, which intercept the vessels and detain their crews. In the case of the Mavi Marmara in 2010, the ship was attacked and 10 people on it were killed. But does Israel have a right to stop the boats, with or without force?

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi follows the flotilla’s journey and looks at what international law says about Israel's siege and the efforts to break it. She speaks to Jinan Bastaki, associate professor of legal studies at NYU Abu Dhabi, and Carsie Blanton, an activist sailing with the convoy.

What does Israel’s strike on Doha mean for the Gulf?

In the past month, Israel has bombed Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, but its attack on Hamas officials in Qatar this week was most unexpected. And it hit a nerve.

Arab leaders immediately expressed solidarity with their Gulf neighbour and condemned what they said was a breach of Qatar's sovereignty. In the coming days they will meet at an emergency regional summit to discuss the attack. But analysts say a military response is not an option.

Qatar has been a major mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, but it is also a strategic US ally and home to the biggest American military base in the region. US President Donald Trump said he was not “thrilled” about the strike but has yet to take any action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But what fallout could this have for Qatar and the Gulf states, and how will it test their relationship with western allies?

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Hasan AlHasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Hussein Ibish, resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a columnist for The National.

What next after Israel’s strike on Hamas in Doha?

Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described it as “state terrorism”.

It was the first time that Israel attacked a Gulf state, sending shock waves across the region. But the timing was also critical. Mediators had been in Doha to advance Gaza ceasefire talks, while people in the enclave came under new displacement orders.

Five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer were killed, but Israel’s main target, Khalil Al Haya, survived, according to the group.

In this special episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National, joins host Nada AlTaher to examine the fallout of the strike.

What will happen to the Houthis after Israel’s assassination strike?

The Israeli army's killing of several Houthi government officials, including the prime minister, marks another serious escalation in the region. Until now, the army had mostly attacked infrastructure in Yemen, hitting power plants and ports, but the latest strike was different. The Houthis have pledged to retaliate.

The Iran-backed group has already fired back with missiles toward Israel. It has been doing this periodically since the start of the war in Gaza, in what it says is solidarity with Palestine. These attacks have mostly caused only superficial damage, but it has also been attacking Red Sea shipping, disrupting global trade.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of delivering a severe blow to the Houthi leadership in the assassination strike but experts say it is the group’s military figures, not politicians, that have real influence on the ground.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher compares the Israeli army's operations in Yemen to its attacks on Hezbollah and Hamas. She speaks to Baraa Shiban, associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, Jovan Ilijev from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), and Elisabeth Kendall, president of Girton College at Cambridge University.

What guarantees does Lebanon have after Hezbollah disarms?

US envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus were in Lebanon this week to restate a key demand: Hezbollah must disarm.

The latest push from Washington came with economic incentives as Mr Barrack proposed the US becomes a “substitute” to Iranian influence. The Lebanese government agreed to disarm non-state groups this month but it wants guarantees that Israel will withdraw militarily from the country. Israel says it will not de-escalate until the disarmament process begins.

This puts Lebanon in a difficult position. On the one hand it wants US financial support and for the Israeli attacks to end. On the other, it must convince a defiant Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran to lay down weapons. Without a strategic plan, the consequences could be grave for the country and the wider region.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National’s foreign editor, Mohamad Ali Harisi, and Nicholas Blanford, an Atlantic Council analyst in Beirut. They discuss the challenges of disarming Hezbollah and whether the US and Israel would hold up their end of the bargain.

Why Ehud Olmert wants an end to Israel’s war in Gaza

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert supported the war in Gaza when it began, but soon changed his mind. He advocated a limited military operation rather than a full-scale offensive.

Now, he says it’s time to end the war. He strongly opposes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to reoccupy Gaza and is on a mission to topple him at next year’s legislative elections.

Almost two years since Israel began its offensive in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and swathes of the strip have been reduced to rubble.

Mr Olmert says the military campaign in Gaza no longer has any attainable goals, while large numbers of Israelis are calling for a ceasefire and a deal to release the hostages.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Mr Olmert about the current government’s policies and what needs to happen to achieve a sustainable solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The compounded suffering caused by Gaza’s ‘manufactured’ cash crisis

Israel has imposed a strict blockade on Gaza since March leaving 2.2 million Palestinians in the strip with practically nothing. Food, medicine and water are extremely scarce with only trickles of aid entering every now and then. There’s barely anything to buy in the market. 

But in the middle of all this, there’s another crisis: cash. 

Banks have closed because of the war. ATMs have been destroyed. No new notes have been injected into the strip since 2023, with Israel suspending the Palestinian Monetary Authority from making any cash transfers to Gaza. The same old notes have been circulating in the strip, becoming so worn out that even vendors are rejecting them.

Instead, informal cash merchants are selling people physical banknotes in exchange for digital transfers, but with commission fees of about 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, the cost of even the most basic food staples, like flour and sugar, have skyrocketed to extortionate prices, further depleting the value of the currency. 

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the extreme difficulties of accessing money in the enclave and the compounded suffering caused by cash shortages.

What's changed in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover?

Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan remains in the shadow of that chaotic August day in 2021 when US troops finally withdrew, ending two decades of war.

The images from Kabul’s airport are still etched in global memory, as crowds of desperate Afghans clung to departing planes as the US backed government collapsed and the Taliban took full control.

Since then, the country is going through a deepening economic crisis and the end of an active conflict. All of this has been worsened by US aid cuts ordered by President Trump’s administration.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher explores what Afghanistan looks like today and examines the impact of America’s policies on its people. She speaks to CNN’s International Correspondent Isobel Yeung who was in Afghanistan recently to investigate this, and Sulaiman bin Shah, the former deputy minister of commerce who is currently in Kabul.

Why has Israel decided to reoccupy Gaza - and at what cost?

Nearly two decades after Israel withdrew from Gaza, dismantling settlements and military posts under Ariel Sharon’s leadership, the Israeli government has now approved a plan to take over the Palestinian enclave again, following 22 months of its war there.

What began as speculation this week quickly became official policy after a 10-hour security cabinet meeting, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gained approval to take full control of northern Gaza.

The plan includes displacing up to a million people and reshaping governance in the strip under an as yet undefined “civilian authority”.

Mr Netanyahu claims this move will restore Israel’s security and free Gazans from Hamas rule. But critics, including top military officials and former security leaders, warn this could destroy prospects for a ceasefire, worsen the humanitarian catastrophe and endanger remaining hostages.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to two Israeli figures on opposite sides of the debate: Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security think tank and former head of the research division in the Israeli military intelligence; and Ami Ayalon, a former commander of the Israeli Navy and former director of the Israel security agency Shin Bet. One defends reoccupation as a necessary strategy, the other calls it a dangerous step that could cost Israel its identity, security and future.

More states say they will ‘recognise’ Palestine, but what does this mean?

A growing number of countries in the West have said they could soon recognise Palestinian statehood as Israel becomes increasingly isolated over its war in Gaza.

Fifteen countries issued a joint declaration during a UN conference this week led by France and Saudi Arabia, to push for a two-state solution. Nations including Canada and the UK are expected to make their endorsement official at the UN General Assembly in September.

The US - Israel’s strongest ally - remains the exception, and even moved to impose sanctions against Palestinian Authority officials, partly for their role in pursuing legal cases against Israel.

But what does it actually mean to recognise Palestine? The gesture is viewed as largely symbolic but, in practice, could it be the catalyst to end decades of Israeli occupation and illegal settlement expansion?

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to former ICJ lawyer Ardi Imseis, a professor of law at Queen's University in Canada. They discuss why recognition even matters amid the ongoing war in Gaza, and how it can lead to Palestinian self-determination.

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