For this final edition of Middle East Matters, we bring you a series of reports from our correspondents in the region. We begin in Israel, where as the war in Gaza drags on, divisions in Israeli society are growing more stark. Immediately after the attacks of October 7, the vast majority of people supported the government's decision to pursue Hamas aggressively. But a growing, vocal minority argues the government's strategy is not working – particularly when it comes to rescuing the Israeli hostages. Our correspondent Claire Duhamel reports.

Around a dozen donor countries are freezing funding to UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel alleged that 12 UN staffers took part in the October 7 Hamas attacks. The UN has fired the employees in question and promised a full investigation. The budget cuts come at a profoundly challenging time. A quarter of the population of Gaza is starving, and UNRWA is the biggest aid provider in the enclave. Unless funding resumes, the agency says it will have to stop its operations in the coming weeks. We take a closer look and speak to Johann Soufi, who ran UNRWA's legal department from 2020 until last year.

From Lebanon to Iraq and Syria, the ripple effects of the war between Israel and Hamas are being felt, but nowhere more so than Yemen. For months now, Houthi rebels there have been firing missiles at cargo ships in the Red Sea, prompting the US and UK to bomb targets inside Yemen this past weekend. FRANCE 24 spoke to Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen specialist at the University of Cambridge.

The International Court of Justice is to hold hearings this week on a case brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and seeking a halt to its military campaign. Israel has described the allegations against it as "baseless" and intended to stir up lethal hatred of Jews. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more about South Africa's decision to file the case, the Israeli response and what's likely to happen at the hearings.

In this edition, we look at the ripple effects of the war in Gaza. In the Red Sea, Houthi rebels from Yemen are stepping up their attacks on vessels in the vital shipping lane, saying they're doing so in protest at Israel's actions in Gaza, even though many of the ships in question are not Israeli-owned. Might that lead to a wider conflict? We speak to Abdul Ghani Al-iryani, senior researcher at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies.

He's claiming that his remarks were "misinterpreted". The Emirati oil executive leading the COP28 climate conference in Dubai has come out fighting after widespread criticism of his suggestion that there was "no science" indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels was needed to contain global warming. A controversial choice as president, Sultan al-Jaber argues he's "uniquely placed" to persuade the industry to buy into a green energy future. We take a closer look.

This week, we are starting to learn more about the conditions of the mainly Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Those who have been released tell different stories: some received medical attention, while others were denied it. Many were held in the dark, with little food. What is clear is that all the hostages suffered a massive ordeal; we take a closer look. Plus, FRANCE 24's Wassim Nasr tells us why those released so far are only women and children.

The world's eyes are on Gaza at the moment, and rightly so. But violence is also continuing in the occupied West Bank. Even before the October 7 Hamas attacks, 2023 was already the deadliest year for Palestinians there in two decades. Now, violent confrontations are happening almost every day. Israel says it is trying to stamp out militant groups in the West Bank, but civilians are being killed. For more, we speak to Tahani Mustafa, a Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group.

As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, violence is also on the rise in the occupied West Bank, fuelling tensions and creating divides amongst the Jews and Arabs living side by side in the region. While some continue to perpetuate the violence that splits communities, others are trying to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis despite the anger and loss on both sides. For more, we're joined from Tel Aviv by Rula Daood and Nadav Shofet, from Standing Together, an Israeli grassroots movement aimed at building a just and equal society.

We bring you a special edition of Middle East Matters, one month after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. On October 7, 1,400 people were killed in the unprecedented Hamas attacks; the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. A month on, Israelis are still reeling, none more so than the families of hostages still held in Gaza, as our team on the ground reports. Meanwhile, amid intensifying Israeli bombardments on Gaza, the UN says the enclave is becoming a "graveyard for children". At least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed there, including more than 4,000 infants. For more on the dire humanitarian situation, we speak to Juliette Touma from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

In this special edition, we take a closer look at the military strategy behind Israel's ground offensive in Gaza. Can Hamas truly be defeated?

In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we focus on the regional repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war. The October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel have placed Arab nations which have peace treaties with Israel in the awkward position of trying to honour their commitments under those deals, while they face mounting pro-Palestinian support from their people on the streets. We also take a look at the role played by regional mediator Qatar.

In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we look at the media war being played out in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Researchers who study mis- and disinformation warn that fake stories are spreading fast, adding to the digital fog of war. We talk to FRANCE 24's Catalina Marchant de Abreu, presenter of our Truth or Fake show.

Hamas fighters on Saturday launched an unprecedented deadly assault on Israel, catching Israeli intelligence services off-guard. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed the militant group will pay a heavy price. As Israel responds with force, razing whole districts in Gaza, the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave, residents there are being left with nowhere to go. Amid the loss of life on both sides, the conflict risks spreading to the wider region. In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we get analysis from Professor Yossi Mekelberg of London's Chatham House think-tank. We also take a closer look at the history of Hamas.

Is "chocolate hummus" an original, creative recipe or an insult to Arab culture? That's the burning question as a chorus of voices slam the so-called cultural appropriation of Middle Eastern food in the West. Where to draw the line between appropriation and exchange? And is there anything wrong with enjoying "fusion food"? FRANCE 24's Thameen Al-Kheetan dips into the issue for us.

The ballot hadn't been expected until spring next year. But Egypt's National Election Authority announced this week that the country would be holding its presidential vote in December, amid its worst-ever economic crisis. The vote is already fraught with accusations of repression. Human rights groups say at least 35 opposition supporters have been arrested in recent months. Our Cairo correspondent Eduard Cousin tells us more.

This week, five Americans released from an Iranian prison arrived back home in the United States. Their release was a part of a deal brokered by Qatar. The prisoner swap agreement also included the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian funds, which the Biden administration has reiterated was not a ransom. We take a closer look. 

Israel's Supreme Court has opened the first case examining the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul, lurching towards a showdown with the nation’s far-right government. The latter has split Israel in two ever since it announced plans to reform the country’s judicial system, which would see the Supreme Court weakened. We speak to Yuval Shany, professor from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Law and former member of the UN Human Rights Committee. 

It's sometimes called a forgotten war: fighting in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Hunger has claimed even more lives, while 4.5 million Yemenis are internally displaced. Yet the complex conflict between Saudi-led forces and Houthi rebels doesn't always make headlines. This September, nine years after the Houthis attacked the capital Sanaa, triggering Saudi Arabia's intervention, the country is not in the grips of all-out war, but it's still not at peace either. In this special edition, we bring you reports from our team on the ground and speak to Asher Orkaby, the author of "Yemen: What everyone needs to know".

Anti-government anger is mounting in southern Syria, where rare protests in the heartland of the minority Druze community are now into their second week. The protests were initially driven by surging inflation and the war-torn country's economic crisis, but have quickly shifted focus, with marchers now calling for the fall of the Assad government. The demonstrations are centered on a region that's largely stayed on the sidelines during more than a decade of civil war: the government-controlled province of Sweida. The protests were initially sparked by Assad's move to raise public sector salaries while scaling back fuel and gas subsidies. We take a closer look.

Protesters in Israel continue to take to the streets. The renewed demonstrations come after the Knesset adopted a key clause in the country's judicial reform package. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing ahead with the controversial bill that seeks to curb the power of Israel's Supreme Court, despite widespread opposition. We take a closer look.

Ten years ago this week, Egypt's first democratically elected president was ousted in a coup d'état. Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was propelled to power by the Arab Spring. His dramatic fall was orchestrated by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a military general who promised to bring stability to Egypt. A decade later, the country's economy is in dire straits and Sisi rules with an iron fist. We bring you a report from our Cairo correspondents and speak to Koert Debeuf, professor of Middle East politics at Brussels University.

It's one of the largest religious gatherings in the world: the Hajj pilgrimage is underway this week in Saudi Arabia, with some 2 million Muslims converging in Mecca and at Mount Arafat. This year's Hajj could be the largest on record, according to officials, after several quieter years during the Covid-19 pandemic. We take a closer look.

As football superstars like Karim Benzema head to Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom announces a bombshell golf merger, we're asking what role sport plays in Saudi soft power. And is this a case of "sportswashing"? We speak to Yasmine Farouk, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Feminists and human rights activists in Lebanon are speaking out against attempts to impose increasing restrictions on their lives in the name of "conservative values". This follows an attack on a woman at a beach in the southern city of Sidon, when an Islamic cleric and his followers told Mayssa Hanouni she didn't have the right to wear a bathing suit there before getting violent.

In Syria, the Islamic State group stands accused of executing a series of attacks targeting truffle hunters. Truffles, or 'sand truffles' as they're commonly known, grow in the desert and have become a sought-after commodity. FRANCE24's Observers team delved into this issue. Journalist Mahmoud Naffakh provides further insights.

The International Space Station has rolled out the welcome mat for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first woman in space. The pair is among a group of four that will spend about a week in space before returning to Earth. We take a closer look and speak to expert Jane Kinninmont about the political significance of the move.

Turkey's presidential election is headed to a run-off on May 28, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go head-to-head with the opposition's Kemal Kilicdaroglu. While the incumbent is in a strong position going into the vote, the opposition isn't giving up hope just yet. We take a closer look.

He's the most powerful leader since Ataturk founded the modern Turkish republic a century ago. After three stints as prime minister, the highly divisive and populist Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a third consecutive term as president in Sunday's elections. A champion of religious piety and low interest rates, his popularity has been hit by a cost-of-living crisis caused by rampant inflation. In this special edition, we take a closer look and speak to Deniz Yonucu from Newcastle University about how Erdogan has become more divisive over time. We also hear from our correspondent Shona Bhattacharyya about why conservative women appear to be losing enthusiasm for the incumbent. Finally, we take a look at Erdogan's main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Israel is still being rocked by huge protests. The most recent rallies took place last Saturday, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets. On the table is a major judicial reform that Benjamin Netanyahu's critics say will concentrate power with the prime minister, and undermine Israel's system of checks and balances. Such is the scale of opposition to the government's plans that a growing number of Israelis are considering leaving the country altogether. We take a closer look.

The presidential election in Turkey is now less than a month away. Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu is hoping to unseat Recep Tayyip Erdogan and polls show the 74-year-old is expected to win a majority of votes in the first round on May 14. In a video that has gone viral, Kilicdaroglu announced he was an Alevi, a member of Turkey's main religious minority. Alevis are Muslims but are considered heretics by some Sunni hardliners. We take a closer look.

In Yemen, more than 900 prisoners were released this past week as momentum builds to end the nine-year conflict there. This is linked to the fact that the leadership in Saudi Arabia and Iran are talking to each other again. The two powers broke off relations seven years ago, impacting politics and conflict across the region. So now that diplomatic ties have been restored, what might change? We take a closer look and speak to Julien Barnes-Dacey, the Middle East Programme Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Lebanon's economic meltdown has plunged most of the population into poverty. It's now also threatening the country's security. As the currency has plummeted to new lows in recent months, salaries too have fallen, as prices rise. To make ends meet, soldiers are being forced to take on second jobs, or even desert their ranks. Our Beirut correspondents went to meet two of them. 

Is Bashar al-Assad's isolation on the world stage coming to an end? The Syrian dictator has been shunned by the international community since 2011, when his regime brutally crushed anti-government protests, triggering the civil war in Syria. But in recent months, a growing number of countries have been coordinating with Assad's government. Saudi Arabia is expected to invite Assad to the Arab League summit next month, 12 years after Syria was suspended from the organisation. Our Foreign Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert tells us more.

Following weeks of mass protests and a day of nationwide turmoil, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yielded to pressure and agreed to postpone his controversial judicial reforms as of March 27th. This decision was a significant reversal for his government, which had fired the defense minister just a day earlier in response to his demands for a delay in the divisive law.

The two sides in Yemen's conflict have agreed to free nearly 900 people in a prisoner exchange. That deal comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran re-established diplomatic ties after years of hostility. The two regional powers have backed opposing sides in Yemen's war, and their rapprochement has galvanised efforts to end the conflict. We take a closer look.

Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the shadow of the war still looms large. As well as the destabilisation of Iraq and the wider region, the conflict also created a power vacuum that enabled the rise of the Islamic State group. In this special edition, we speak to Samuel Helfont, assistant professor of strategy and policy at the Naval War College programme at the California-based Naval Postgraduate School and the author of several books on Iraq.

This week marks one month since the ground shook under southern Turkey and northern Syria. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks killed over 50,000 people, making it one of the deadliest quakes worldwide in the past century. Entire cities were flattened and millions of people were made homeless. But Turkey is nonetheless scheduled to go to the polls in two months' time. To discuss the political fallout of the quake and its potential impact on the election, we speak to our Ankara correspondent Jasper Mortimer.

Iraq's government is going after what it calls "decadent content" on social media. Users of TikTok, Instagram and other platforms who are found to breach "morals and traditions" can now be jailed. The campaign was announced in January and so far, a dozen people have been arrested. Our correspondent Marie-Charlotte Roupie reports.

Protesters smashed windows of banks in the Lebanese capital Beirut this past week as the currency hit a new low against the dollar. The Lebanese lira has lost about 97 percent of its value, and more than 80 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Millions of people are struggling to make ends meet amid the financial turmoil. FRANCE 24's Beirut correspondents Rawad Taha and Serge Berberi met two such families in the once-wealthy neighbourhood of Ashrafieh.

In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we focus on the aftermath of last week's deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Tens of thousands dead and millions in desperate need of basic food-stuffs, water, shelter and medical aid - frustration mounts over the response of Ankara and Damascus - both governments stand accused of a lack of leadership and accountability, and of mismanaging relief efforts.

We bring you a special programme on one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Middle East in decades. Thousands have been killed after two massive earthquakes struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Relief efforts are still underway, with a host of nations sending aid, but time is running out to save as many people as possible. For more on the challenges for the humanitarian response, we're joined by Rony Brauman, former president of Doctors Without Borders. We also speak to Ayham Taha from the international solidarity association Care, who is currently in Gaziantep, near the epicentre of the quake.

In East Jerusalem, locals are still coming to terms with the trauma of the attack that left seven people dead as they gathered to pray at a synagogue on January 27. That attack was followed by a second incident the following day, which injured two Israelis. Both attacks seem to be in retaliation for an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank earlier that week. The Israeli army says it targeted a particular house believed to be housing key members of Islamic Jihad who were planning imminent attacks in Israel.

Concern is growing for seven French nationals being held in Iran. Among them is Fariba Adelkhah, a researcher at Sciences Po university in Paris, who was arrested back in June of 2019, along with her colleague Roland Marchal. Marchal was released in 2020, but with political tensions on the rise in Iran, Adelkhah remains in jail. For more, we speak to Sandrine Perrot, a researcher at Sciences Po and a member of a group dedicated to securing Adelkhah's release.

Just weeks into the job, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's new coalition is facing a backlash over plans to overhaul the judiciary, with tens of thousands joining rallies over the past two weekends. Demonstrators say the proposed reforms, which would allow parliament to limit the power of the Supreme Court, are an attack on democracy. They're also concerned that the measures will set back minority rights. For more, we speak to Sally Abed, a member of the national leadership at Standing Together, one of the largest Arab-Jewish grassroots movement in Israel.

The UN human rights chief has accused Iran of weaponising the death penalty to frighten the public and crush dissent. The statement follows the execution of four protesters, two of whom were killed last weekend. The UN body says it has information that two more executions are imminent, with more than a dozen other people believed to be on death row. The Iranian regime is grappling to respond to months of unrest triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the morality police. For more, we speak to Shaparak Saleh, a Franco-Iranian lawyer and the co-founder of the campaigning organisation Femme Azadi, which was set up in the aftermath of Amini's death.

A polarising new film has been released worldwide on Netflix. "Farha", by Darin J. Sallam, tells the story of a Palestinian teenager during the Nakba, or catastrophe, of 1948. Supporters say the film tells a true Palestinian story, rarely seen on a mainstream platform like Netflix. But critics say it is inflammatory and smears the Israeli military. We take a closer look and get analysis from FRANCE 24's Oliver Farry.

A three-day general strike is taking place in Iran this week. It's a show of defiance, as the anti-regime protest movement approaches its three-month mark with no sign of abating. On Monday, the strike was observed in dozens of Iranian cities, from the capital Tehran to Isfahan, Tabriz and the Kurdish regions. Facing its greatest existential challenge since the 1979 revolution, the Iranian regime has responded with a crackdown. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more arrested, including 11 sentenced to death.

For decades, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have sought refuge in neighbouring Iraq. But in recent weeks, they have been targeted by dozens of missile and drone attacks launched by Tehran. Authorities there accuse them of supporting anti-government protests that have swept across Iran since the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The campaign comes as Turkey steps up its cross-border operations against Kurdish groups in both Iraq and Syria. Our correspondents Yasmine Mosimann and Marie-Charlotte Roupie have been meeting civilians caught up in the violence in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has become a focal point for geopolitics. Iran's team refused to sing their national anthem before their first match, in a gesture of support for protesters. Some Iranian visitors also took the opportunity to support the anti-government protests back home with signs and chants outside the stadium in Doha. Meanwhile, Tehran is blaming protests for the stinging defeat of its team against England. FRANCE 24's Jean-Emile Jammine tells us more.

Turkey says it plans to pursue targets in northern Syria following the blast that killed six people and injured more than 80 others in Istanbul on November 13. Ankara blames Kurdish militants for the attack and has detained a Syrian woman they believe to be the suspected bomber. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and both the Turkish PKK and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces deny any involvement. For more, we talk to Yavuz Baydar, editor-in-chief of the independent news website Ahval.

As leaders from 120 nations meet for the COP27 conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, we bring you a special programme on how climate change is already impacting countries in the wider region. With extreme temperatures, rising sea levels and prolonged drought, the Middle East is warming almost twice as fast as the global average. More than 400 million people in the region face potentially devastating consequences. 

Unpaid wages, under-reporting of migrant worker deaths and an eye-watering carbon footprint are just some of the concerns being expressed by human rights groups and environmentalists as Qatar prepares to host one of the planet's biggest sporting events. Just weeks before the opening match, we bring you a special edition on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

After a year of political gridlock and instability, Iraq is finally on the verge of forming a government as Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani assembles his cabinet. But three years after a mass protest movement over corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services upended the country's political system, many Iraqis remain sceptical that change is on the way. Our correspondents Marie-Charlotte Roupie and Yasmine Mosimann report from Baghdad. 

In Turkey, incidents of gun violence have increased by almost 75 percent since 2015, claiming the lives of more than 2,000 people last year alone. Campaigners are calling for a review of gun ownership laws, as the vast majority of weapons are sold illegally. According to the Umut ("Hope") Foundation, one in three households are now armed. On average, 15 people die from gun violence every day in Turkey. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Mehmet Akgun report from Istanbul.

The Iranian protest movement is now approaching its one-month mark. Led by women, the demonstrators are demanding sweeping social and political changes. Authorities have used force in a bid to quash the unrest. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed, and thousands more arrested. We speak to Sussan Tahmasebi, one of Iran's foremost feminist figures, who runs the organisation Femena, about why Iranian women are calling for a revolution now.