In Middle East Matters, Nadia Massih brings you analysis of the big stories making headlines in the region, as well as reports from our team of correspondents. Catch the show every Thursday at 4.30pm Paris time.
What future for Gaza after Hamas dissolves governing body?
Hamas announced this week that it had dissolved the de facto government, saying it was ready to hand over power to a group of technocrats appointed by Donald Trump's Board of Peace. Israel dismissed the move as a stunt. But with the Israeli military continuing to bomb Gaza despite the ostensible ceasefire, while controlling more than 60 per cent of the territory, and with the technocratic committee still outside the enclave, who is really in charge?
1 Jul 2026
Why has Israel recognised the Armenian genocide?
In this edition of Middle East Matters, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome our Jerusalem correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky as well as Amberin Zaman, chief correspondent for Al Monitor, a Washington-based independent news organisation that covers the Middle East and North Africa. Zaman argues that Israel's apparent recognition of the Armenian genocide is less a principled historical reckoning than a "nakedly cynical" strategy shaped by the Gaza war, tensions with Turkey and shifting regional alliances.
25 Jun 2026
World Cup 2026: More MENA countries competing than ever before
More Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are competing in the 2026 World Cup than at any previous tournament, much to the delight of fans from Morocco to Jordan. But as always with sports, politics is never far from the pitch. Iran, of course, springs to mind. Never before has a country hosted a World Cup while at war with one of the competing nations.
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