Middle East

34 hours in Gaza: no phones or internet, and Israeli tanks on the ground

11:14am October 30, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

At the same time Israel intensified its assault on Gaza, internet and phone service suddenly dropped. NPR producer in Gaza Anas Baba recounts what he saw during a 34-hour communications blackout.

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Gaza was in a near total blackout as Israel expanded its ground and air campaign

11:14am October 30, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Voices from Gaza in the midst of a communication blackout as Israel forced continue airstrikes on the enclave.

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A boy in Khan Younis sits on donkey-drawn cart loaded with a water tank, as drinking water and fuel become increasingly scarce in Gaza.

World News

Up First briefing: Gazans describe a communication blackout; Biden's new AI oversight

7:59am October 30, 2023

by Suzanne Nuyen

Gaza residents share what it's like living through a communications blackout. President Biden is expected announce an executive order that aims to rein in artificial intelligence.

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Israel increases operations in Gaza to achieve its stated goal of destroying Hamas

7:43am October 30, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to Ron Dermer, Israel's minister of strategic affairs, about Israel's objectives in Gaza. President Biden has urged Israel to minimize the loss of civilian life.

A family has 1 goal: to get back their son who vanished when Hamas attacked Israel

7:21am October 30, 2023

Ofir Engel, 18, is among the hostages who were taken during the Hamas attack. We hear from those connected to him in Washington, D.C., and family members outside Jerusalem.

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In this image from surveillance video aired by Iranian state television, women pull 16-year-old Armita Geravand from a train car on the Tehran Metro in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.

World News

Iranian teenage girl who collapsed on Tehran subway has died, state media say

6:19am October 30, 2023

by The Associated Press

The reported death of Armita Geravand comes after her being in a coma for weeks and after the 1-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini which sparked nationwide protests at the time.

With Gaza borders sealed, there's much we don't know about what's happening inside

5:10am October 30, 2023

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Tirana Hassan, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israeli troops trade fire over its northern border with Hezbollah

5:10am October 30, 2023

As rocket attacks by the Hezbollah militant group into northern Israel increase, NPR's Steve Inskeep visits an Israeli village close to the border.

Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:10am October 30, 2023

Israel presses ahead with attacks along Gaza's eastern border, and it has been trading fire with a militia over its northern border. President Biden to take some big steps Monday to try to rein in AI.

A man stands amid the rubble of a building in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.

World News

Gaza residents break into U.N. warehouse for supplies as Israeli barrage continues

9:45pm October 29, 2023

Thousands of Gaza residents broke into warehouses and distribution centers of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, grabbing flour and "basic survival items," the organization said on Sunday.