Beyond the Headlines

What’s next for Iran after Raisi’s death?

The sudden death of a president and his Foreign Minister could send any country into disarray and chaos.

But that’s not exactly what happened in Iran after a helicopter crash killed President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Sunday.

Raisi, a 63-year-old ultraconservative cleric, had once been seen as a potential successor to current supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, after being groomed for the presidency for years. He won in the 2021 elections but with a record-low turnout.

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks into who’s currently in charge of Iran, who will be the successor of Raisi, and what impact could have on the foreign policy of the country.

How are the US and the Arab world reacting to Israel's operation in Rafah?

Israel’s latest attacks on the city of Rafah have intensified criticism of its war on Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already been forced to flee Rafah amid warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe if a full-scale assault goes ahead.

So how has the world responded? Last week, the US suspended a shipment of bombs to Israel due to concerns about civilian casualties (although this week, the White House informed Congress of its intention to send a $1 billion arms package). Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers met in Bahrain for the 33rd annual Arab League summit to formulate an action plan to end the conflict.

This week on Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at international and regional reaction to the intensification of military operations in Rafah, and the diplomatic options available to Arab countries to put an end to this conflict.

What is the impact of pro-Palestinian protests on campuses?

Over the past few weeks, many college campuses around the world have become focal points for anti-war protests, with thousands of students and faculty members showing solidarity with Palestinians.

There have been different responses, from massive support on social media to swift actions from some college administration in the US who requested police help to clear encampments, leading to the arrest of hundreds of students and staff members.

Similar protests took place at major universities in the UK, Canada, Australia and across Europe.

So where is this movement heading? What are the responses of faculty administrators? And which universities have agreed to student demands?

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, host Tom Watkins, The National’s Washington bureau chief, looks into all of this with the co-director of the Centre for Palestine studies at Columbia University, Nadia Abu El-Haj, and The National’s senior US correspondent Willy Lowry.

What is Israel’s plan with the Rafah assault?

Israeli military leaflets dropped into Gaza on Monday instructed Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah before “targeted airstrikes” hit the city, forcing thousands to evacuate the area.

On the same day, and after negotiations over the weekend, Hamas announced its acceptance of the ceasefire deal, brokered by the Egyptians and the Qataris, prompting celebrations across Gaza, after seven months of war. Israel, however, said it could not agree to the proposal, but was willing to negotiate.

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher talks to Israeli political analyst Gershon Baskin and Kobi Michael, senior research fellow at The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, about the Israeli incursion into Rafah and the prospects for a ceasefire.

How Gaza's wounded get treated abroad

More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's onslaught on Gaza since October. But there's another grim figure that tells the story of the Gaza conflict: 77,000.

That's the number of people who have suffered horrific burns, blast injuries, lacerations and crushed bones. A small number have managed to leave the under-siege strip for medical treatment.

The UAE is one of a small number of countries taking patients in and treating them at its hospitals for free. To date, it has operated 16 flights on commercial airliners refitted with hospital beds and medical equipment. About 1,000 injured Gazans, plus another 1,000 cancer patients, have been flown to the Emirati capital.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, Nada AlTaher, who was on board a recent medical flight, speaks to the people behind this extraordinary humanitarian effort - and hears from the Gazan patients who want to return home to war-torn strip - despite the dangers.

What would it take to restore some sort of normality to life in Gaza?

What a normal life is like for the rest of the world does not apply in Gaza, and it almost never has.

Even before October 7, electricity only came on for an average of four to six hours a day and nearly 98 per cent of water was undrinkable. Transportation options were always limited and housing was a challenge in one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Now, after more than six months of war, around 50 to 70 percent of housing has been destroyed. The cost of damage between October and January alone is estimated by the World Bank at $18.5 billion.

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher explores whether life in Gaza can ever go back to any kind of normality, looking at the path to rebuilding the strip and the mammoth task at hand. She speaks to Rami Al Azzeh, economist with the Assistance to the Palestinian People Unit at UNCTAD, and Amira Aker, a postdoctoral fellow at Canada’s Universite Laval who specialises in epidemiology and environmental health.

Iran’s attack on Israel - what’s next for the Middle East?

Air-raid alerts going off in Israel, many airports in the Middle East closed, flights delayed, the airspace over Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon shut down. That was Saturday night in the region as Iran launched its first major attack on Israel with around 300 drones and missiles.

Most of the projectiles - launched in response to the April 1 strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus that killed two general from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - were shot down before they even reached their targets. But Israel’s top general said immediately after the attack that the country will respond.

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher breaks down the current stand-off between Israel and Iran with senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Hussein Ibish, and looks at the prospects for Israel’s retaliation.

Sudan’s power struggle and the humanitarian crisis it has caused

It’s been almost a year since the war in Sudan broke out, bringing with it death, displacement and a humanitarian disaster.

As the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group continue their deadly power struggle, civilians bear the brunt of the violence and instability gripping the nation.

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. More than 8.5 million people have been displaced, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring Egypt, Chad and South Sudan. Around 18 million of Sudan's 48 million people are acutely food insecure, and less than 5 per cent of the population can afford a full meal.

In this week's episode of Beyond The Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the military battle for control of Sudan – and the civilians paying the price.

The role social media is playing in the Israel-Gaza war

Social media has redefined the way people are experiencing the war in Gaza, with citizens and regular users alike playing a crucial role in sharing minute-by-minute updates from the region.

Israel's continuous bombardment of Gaza for six months now since the October 7 attack by Hamas has propelled numerous activists to the forefront, utilising social media to shed light on the harrowing realities of the suffering.

Recent developments such as Instagram's restrictions on political content, which has not yet been implemented in some parts of the Middle East, and algorithms prioritising specific content for public safety, have sparked concerns about stifling news organisations that provide around-the-clock coverage.

In this week’s Beyond The Headlines, Thoraya Abdullahi looks at the role of social media in the current conflict, speaking to digital consultant at Financial Times Strategies Ben Whitelaw and social media influencer Rahma Zein.

The significance of UN resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire

This week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution – for the first time since the Israel-Gaza war began in October – demanding an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan.

Hours later, more than 50 people were killed by Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian enclave, bringing the death toll to more than 32,000 people – over 80 per cent of them women and children.

Washington's criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza has grown sharper recently. The US abstained from Monday's Security Council vote, allowing it to pass. In reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned trip to the US capital.

So, what is the significance of this UN resolution? How binding is it? Who can make sure it takes effect? And is this a pivotal moment in the Israel-Gaza war, as it approaches its seventh month?

In this week’s Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher considers all of this as she speaks to former US ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein, who also served as a diplomat in several other countries in the region, and The National’s UN correspondent Adla Massoud.