Egypt

Mohamad Saleh at his apartment in Cairo, in a still from 'Severed.' (Courtesy)

In ‘Severed,’ a Palestinian child pieces together the shattered fragments of his life

At 18, Mohamad Saleh has survived five wars on Gaza, lost his leg to an Israeli sniper, and endured several additional surgeries. My new film tells his story.

By Jen Marlowe May 22, 2025

A large billboard posted by the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, Feb. 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The damage of Trump’s Gaza plan has already been done

The proposal to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians tapped into a deep undercurrent in Israeli society — endangering any chance for a peaceful future in the region.

By Meron Rapoport February 7, 2025

Palestinians who fled their homes wait at the Rafah border crossing to Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 14, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

In Egypt, Gazans endure ‘unbearable’ life with little support

Over 100,000 Palestinians have fled to Egypt during the war. Feeling stranded by the state and the PA, they describe a precarious existence in legal limbo.

By Hadi Rami November 22, 2024

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Palestinian workers at the Erez crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, waiting to enter Israel for work, March 13, 2022. (Attia Muhammed/Flash90 )

Strangled by Israel for decades, Gaza’s future must begin with free movement

Israel persistently shirks responsibility for Gaza despite subjecting it to closures, permits, and assaults. Returning to those policies is not an option.

By Noa Galili March 10, 2024

Israeli soldiers seen near the Gaza fence, southern Israel, January 7, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Laying the groundwork for Gaza’s permanent exodus

With Egypt reportedly preparing for an influx of refugees and UNRWA on the brink of collapse, Israel’s second Nakba fantasies could soon become reality.

By Samer Badawi February 19, 2024

Palestinians with foreign passports leave Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah Crossing, southern Gaza Strip, February 6, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘We try every day to escape’: Palestinians struggle to afford Gaza exit fees

With private brokers charging thousands of dollars to coordinate passage through Rafah Crossing, most Gazans are being priced out of safety.

By Ruwaida Amer February 8, 2024

First Intifada in the Gaza Strip, 1987. (Efi Sharir/Dan Hadani Collection, The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection, The National Library of Israel)

Why is Gaza so central to the Palestinian struggle?

The history of Gaza illuminates how the tiny enclave has long encapsulated Palestinian identity — and why it is now the focal point of a regional crisis.

By Anne Irfan January 2, 2024

(Left to Right) Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Fatah official Ahmed Bahar attend a meeting in Gaza City, April 22, 2014. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Israeli arrogance thwarted a Palestinian political path. October 7 revealed the cost

A Fatah-Hamas agreement in 2021 offered a different political horizon. But success blinded Israel — just as it did before the 1973 war.

By Menachem Klein November 28, 2023

Palestinians who fled their homes wait at the Rafah border crossing to Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip, October 14, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘My children tell me to pray for them’: The Gazans stranded in Egypt

Thousands of Gaza residents have been stuck on the other side of the border crossing since Oct. 7, unable to return and sick with worry for their families.

By Ruwaida Amer October 31, 2023

Palestinians at a temporary tent camp set up for people who evacuated from their homes, on the grounds of an UNRWA school in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Is Israel preparing another Nakba for Gaza?

Forcing Palestinians out of the besieged strip seemed unthinkable weeks ago. But Israel’s war suggests that efforts may be underway to see it through.

By Samer Badawi October 19, 2023

Palestinians wait to cross the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, January 29, 2019. (Activestills/Mohammed Zaanoun)

Feeling less than human: The hell of crossing into Gaza

My Palestinian ID means I’m one of few able to enter the besieged Gaza Strip. But the journey via Egypt requires submitting to days of arbitrary humiliation.

By Hebh Jamal August 26, 2022

A supporter of Egypt's ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, holds a poster of him with Arabic writing reading "The people support the president," Cairo, Egypt, on July 06, 2013. (Wissam Nassar/Flash90)

In Morsi’s death, Israel proves it prefers a non-democratic Middle East

Israel is not interested in democracy as a value. On the contrary — it has a great deal of interest in making sure it keeps bearing the title of ‘the only democracy in the Middle East.’ While many Palestinians were perturbed by the death of Egypt’s former president, Mohamed Morsi, and Knesset members of four of the…

By Orly Noy June 21, 2019

Palestinians in Ramallah protesting the U.S.-led economic workshop, to be held in Bahrain as part of the Trump administration's "Deal of the Century" plan for ending the conflict, June 15, 2019. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinians take to the streets to protest Bahrain workshop, Trump peace plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares major protests across the occupied Palestinian territories next week to coincide with the Bahrain workshop. By Ahmad Al-Bazz Dozens of Palestinian activists and political representatives marched against the U.S. “Deal of the Century” and the upcoming Bahrain workshop in Ramallah city center on Saturday. Protesters held Palestinian flags and signs…

By Activestills June 17, 2019