Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel
Trump and Iran start 2026 exchanging new threats on social media
President Trump warned Iran not to kill protesters. A top Iranian official fired back to stay out of it, alleging the U.S. and Israel were stoking the economic protests sweeping parts of Iran.
Despite Vatican-Israel tensions, Catholics and Jews work to build trust in Haifa
Religious leaders started getting together after Oct. 7, 2023, in the hope of preventing a repeat of Arab-Jewish violence that erupted after a previous conflict in Gaza two years earlier.
Could international troops be sent to Gaza? Here’s why Trump’s plan hinges on it
President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza hinges on international troops in Gaza, but Israel is skeptical and no country has yet agreed to send their soldiers.
Bondi Beach attack casts a shadow on Hanukkah celebrations in Israel
People of all ages had been looking forward to celebrating — especially this year, as a ceasefire in Gaza has held since October and all but one of the hostages taken by Hamas-led militants have been returned.
Search for body of last hostage held by Hamas in Gaza is delayed due to bad weather
A storm has battered the Gaza Strip, creating misery for displaced Palestinians and delaying the search for the body of the last Israeli hostage held by militants there.
Has hope survived the war? We asked Israelis and Palestinians we spoke to in 2023
In 2023, we interviewed them to see how the Israel-Hamas war was affecting their ability to feel compassion and empathy. In the wake of the ceasefire this fall, we followed up. What’s changed?
A Palestinian convicted in bombing plot is now an award-winning novelist, and free
Bassem Khandaqji entered prison 21 years ago for plotting a deadly bombing in Israel. He left prison as an award-winning novelist.
He left Gaza and fled to Europe on a jet ski. Now he hopes to bring his family
In an extraordinary journey, a Palestinian man used a jet ski to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach Europe after he fled the war in Gaza.
Meet the peace activist who persuaded France’s Macron to recognize a Palestinian state
Israeli-French peace activist Ofer Bronchtein helped shape President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations this year. Here’s how he did it.


