The reported death toll in Gaza, now approaching 73,000, continues to rise. Even during the ceasefire, people are still being killed or dying from starvation and lack of medical care. Thousands more remain missing, detained, or buried under rubble, with families still searching for answers amid limited transparency and restricted access to forensic resources. On today’s episode of Arab Talk, we’re joined by Mahmoud Mushtaha, Palestinian journalist and researcher from Gaza, now based in the UK. In a recent Wired investigation, he explores one family’s search for a missing loved one, offering a personal lens on a much wider crisis.

After initially refusing, the U.S. agreed to include Lebanon in ceasefire talks with Iran, backing a separate 10-day Israel–Lebanon truce that took effect April 17 at midnight. The deal follows Israel’s renewed invasion of southern Lebanon in March amid its broader conflict with Iran. Under the agreement, Israel retains control of occupied southern areas and reserves the right to respond to threats; Hezbollah says it will comply if Israel does. Some view the deal as a necessary pause, while others see it as a risky concession. To unpack these developments, we’re joined on Arab Talk by Dr. Rania Masri, board member of the Environmental Justice Network and former Associate Director at the American University of Beirut’s Asfari Institute.

On March 31, the Knesset passed a controversial law mandating the death penalty for Palestinians, including both West Bank residents and Israeli citizens, while excluding Jewish settlers. The law makes execution the default sentence, to be carried out within 90 days with no option for appeal or pardon. Hanging is the designated method, and some lawmakers signaled support by wearing noose-shaped pins. To discuss its implications and the legal context, we’re joined by Sawsan Zaher, a Palestinian human rights lawyer and former Deputy General Director and Senior Lawyer at Adalah, where she worked for 16 years on constitutional cases involving Palestinian rights.

What began in late February as coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities has rapidly expanded into a far more dangerous confrontation. In response, Iran has launched waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli cities, key strategic sites, and U.S. military bases across the region—fueling growing concern over a prolonged and widening conflict. To help unpack these developments, we’re joined on Arab Talk by Dr. Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, a researcher and lecturer in international politics at the University of St Andrews, and author of Revolution and its "Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran."

Journalist Daoud Kuttab examines how Israel has used global attention on Iran to intensify settler violence and expand the seizure of Palestinian land in the West Bank. He also describes how attacks and harassment by the Israeli government and settlers against Palestinian Christians have increased, targeting their towns and villages as well as churches, schools, and other religious institutions. Kuttab is a former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University and the publisher of Milhilard.org, a platform dedicated to the Christian community in Jordan and Palestine. He currently serves as Senior Communications Officer for the World Evangelical Alliance. He is the author of several books, most recently State of Palestine NOW.

Oren Ziv examines Israel’s wartime military censorship amid its conflict with Iran, shedding light on how information is controlled during periods of escalation. He also highlights a surge in violent settler attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly targeting herding communities in the Northern Jordan Valley under the cover of war. Oren is a photojournalist and a reporter for Local Call and +972 Magazine and a co-founder of Active Stills photography collective. Jess and Jamal explore the recent strikes on Iranian and Israeli nuclear facilities and the potential environmental consequences of such actions. They also consider whether rising oil prices and a weakening global economy could influence the trajectory—or possible end—of the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Jess and Jamal discuss the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran as it enters its second week. U.S. and Israeli forces continue striking Iranian military and energy infrastructure, including targets near Tehran, while Iran has launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S.-linked sites in the region. Leaders on all sides say operations will continue, raising fears that the conflict could expand across the Middle East.

Jess and Jamal discuss the latest developments and global repercussions following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Nathan Kalman-Lamb, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick, joins the show to discuss a complaint filed with the International Criminal Court against the heads of FIFA and UEFA. The case centers on allegations that the organizations permit Israeli football clubs based in settlements widely considered illegal under international law, built on land taken from Palestinians.

Close to 11,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons and detention centers, the majority without formal charges or convictions. During this recent period, nearly 100 Palestinians have died in custody, with extensive evidence indicating that many of these deaths resulted from torture and medical neglect. Based on its findings, Physicians for Human Rights has stated that these patterns point to what it describes as a deliberate Israeli policy contributing to the deaths of Palestinians in detention. Yair Dvir, spokesperson for B’Tselem, discusses the organization’s recent report, "Living Hell," which documents allegations of torture and abuse experienced by Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

In his opinion piece published in Al Jazeera, titled “Here’s Why Israel Is Allowing Record Murder Rates in Its Palestinian Towns,” Dr. Neve Gordon argues that the crime epidemic within Palestinian communities inside Israel is not merely a failure of governance, but part of a broader political strategy. He contends that the state has effectively allowed violence to escalate while simultaneously weaponizing accusations of anti-Semitism to intensify Jewish fear. Gordon characterizes this dynamic as a form of “demographic engineering.” Dr. Neve Gordon is a Professor of International Law at Queen Mary University of London. He is the author of "Israel’s Occupation" and co-author of "The Human Right to Dominate."

In the aftermath of the war on Gaza, a proposed “Board of Peace” emerged on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2025. The body was envisioned as a temporary entity with a two-year mandate to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery. Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, discusses the proposed Board of Peace and examines the impact of the United States’ withdrawal from 31 United Nations entities, most of which focus on humanitarian aid, human rights, and climate change.