Gaza school reopening is a reminder that ‘hope is stronger than fear,’ bishop says September 1, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News As children worldwide head back to classrooms this fall, students in Gaza are returning to a vastly different reality as the school at Holy Family Parish reopens for the first time since the start of Israel’s military campaign.
Threatened harvest and daily harassment rattle West Bank’s last Christian village August 19, 2026By Judith Sudilovsky OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News For the past three months, Israeli settlers have been bringing their sheep herd up to the Kaabnah family compound just outside Taybeh village twice a day like clockwork, in the morning and in the evening.
Pope calls for end to West Bank violence, pursuit of two-state solution August 17, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Warning against increased violence in the West Bank, Pope Leo XIV urged world leaders to decisively pursue an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Pope appeals for peace in Sudan, prays for victims in Ukraine-Russia conflict August 11, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to innocent civilians in Sudan caught between conflict between state military and paramilitary forces.
Israeli strikes cast doubt on White House peace plan as Catholic leaders call for prayers August 6, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Further Israeli strikes in Gaza cast doubt on the White House’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip, a University of Notre Dame scholar told OSV News.
Israeli strike damages Christian-run hospital in Gaza July 31, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News The Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission in Lebanon and Syria reported that an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment directly adjacent to CNEWA-supported Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the center of Gaza City damaged hospital facilities late July 29.
Pope Leo appeals for dialogue, diplomacy, prayers for just peace in Holy Land, Middle East July 27, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV on July 26 renewed his urgent appeals for peace in the Holy Land and across the Middle East during his Angelus address in Castel Gandolfo, expressing deep concern over the escalating violence and calling for an immediate return to dialogue.
Lebanon’s cardinal urges prayer, guidance as its president visits the White House July 21, 2026By Dale Gavlak OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Lebanon’s Cardinal Bechara Rai, the patriarch of the country’s Maronite Catholic Church, has urged for prayer and guidance as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun makes a critical visit to the White House July 21 to present President Donald Trump with a plan on how to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
For Gaza Christians, World Cup final offers brief respite from horrors of war July 20, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Heated rivalries among soccer fans bubbled to the surface in the lead-up to the World Cup Final that ultimately saw Spain clinch a 1-0 victory over Argentina in an intense match. Yet for Christians in Gaza, the final game was a much-needed moment of joy and a reprieve from the hardship and suffering of war.
US Franciscans appeal for help in ending Israeli settler violence against Christians July 15, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Franciscans in the United States urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to help stop increased attacks against Christians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Washington Roundup: US-Iran MOU begins; SCOTUS takes up ICE bond hearings; FDA abortion suit filing June 20, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News The Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with Iranian officials, a tentative framework to end the war in Iran, but uncertainty remained about an end to the conflict.
Trump and Iran reach tentative deal to end war, but obstacles to peace remain June 16, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News WASHINGTON (OSV News) — After President Donald Trump, Pakistani mediators, and Iranian officials said a framework has been reached for a deal to end the war in Iran, a Catholic expert in peacekeeping said that while there is cause for optimism, key obstacles remain. Trump said June 14 that an agreement had been reached, and […]