For more than two weeks, Israeli forces have bombarded the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, as part of plans to seize it. Zeitoun was once a bustling area with busy streets and cafes, but Israel has now reduced it to rubble.

Jerusalem

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

Middle East Conflict

The Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, once known for its vibrant markets and close-knit community, has been extensively damaged by Israeli bombardment. Entire blocks have been flattened, with homes, schools, mosques, and essential infrastructure severely affected.

Residents recount the trauma of losing their homes and the difficulty of living amid widespread destruction. Many families are now displaced, grieving the loss of their neighborhood and history. Despite the devastation, a strong sense of longing and determination to return remains among the community.

Israeli bombardment turns Gaza City’s Zeitoun into rubble

Once a thriving neighborhood in Gaza City, Zaytoun was known for its busy markets, olive groves, and tight-knit community. Generations of families lived here, building lives, memories, and futures. Today, Zaytoun is unrecognizable. Entire blocks have been flattened, homes reduced to rubble. We were sleeping, and at midnight, the roof collapsed on our heads, and the pieces were all over us. We woke up terrified. I put on my prayer gown and started to call my children. I called their names, Ibrahim, Mahdi, Mohammed, Sanad, but I couldn't see them because of all the rubble and the dust. The scale of destruction is staggering. What was once alive with sound and color is now silent, gray, and buried in dust. I will never forget Zaytoun, as long as I am still breathing. It is a tragedy. I am hurt by what the Israelis are doing to our neighborhood. Everything in Zaytoun was beautiful. The birds, the water, the greenery, the farmlands, and the olive trees. Neighbors who once gathered for meals in each other's home now sleep in the open, grieving an uncertain of tomorrow. Under the mounds of debris and concrete lies a deeper wound. The displacement of families, the silencing of neighborhood, and the loss of history. The destruction is far greater than just the buildings in this neighborhood. Most of the infrastructure and residential areas, schools, mosques, waterways, and even pipelines and water networks have been severely damaged, which makes life and living here almost impossible. For many young Palestinians, Zaytoun is not just a place on the map. It is the only home they have known. I learned there. I grew up there. I'm one of the children of the neighborhood. I wish I could wake up and be told to go back. Even if my house has been bombed, and I'm sure it has, or if everything is gone, I still want to go back. Despite the devastation, this longing is stronger than the fear of bombardment. From life to rubble and from rubble to longing, the story of a Zaytoun neighborhood lives on in its people. For them, home is not just walls and a roof. It's memory, belonging, and determination to return. Hani Mahmoud, Al Jazeera, from Gaza City, Palestine.

Protesters demanding an end to the Gaza war and the return of hostages to their homes took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet set to meet

Australia accused Iran on Tuesday (August 26) of executing two antisemitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and gave Tehran's ambassador seven days to leave the country, its first such expulsion since World War Two.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia expels Iranian envoy over antisemitic attacks

President Donald Trump announced the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the only Black woman to serve on the board. Critics call it an attack on the Fed's independence, while Cook says no legal cause exists for her firing.

Washington

Trump says he fired Lisa Cook from Federal Reserve board

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating new National Guard units, including a rapid-response force to handle what the administration calls civil disturbances.

White House authorizes creation of rapid-response National Guard units

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI in U.S. federal court in Texas, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence.

Texas

Rise of AI

Elon Musk's xAI sues Apple, OpenAI over competition claims

Strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza that left at least 20 people dead, including rescuers, journalists and health-care workers are being met with global outrage. The Israeli military is investigating what Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu called a ‘tragic mishap.’

Israeli PM calls deadly strikes on Gaza hospital a ‘tragic mishap’

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in ICE custody and is facing deportation to Uganda, the Department of Homeland Security says, after he was released from criminal custody last week.

Baltimore

Abrego Garcia in ICE custody, court blocks immediate deportation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet with the U.S. and other countries this week to discuss a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at reaching a ceasefire.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskiy say he will meet with U.S., others on potential Putin talks

U.S. President Donald Trump says Chicago could be the next city to see National Guard deployment, sparking strong opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, who argue crime is already falling and federal intervention is unnecessary.

Chicago

Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to Chicago

Four journalists working with Reuters, Al Jazeera and others were killed in explosions at a Gaza hospital. Gaza officials blame Israeli drone strikes, though CBS News has not independently verified the claims.

Four journalists reported dead after Gaza hospital blasts

U.S. National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. as part of what President Donald Trump said was his crackdown on crime began carrying weapons on Sunday night, two officials said.

National Guard patrolling Washington DC begin carrying weapons

In a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed Canada’s support for Ukraine and committed to sending soldiers if a ceasefire with Russia is reached.

Carney in Kyiv pledges support, possibly troops for Ukraine

The Pickett Fire is growing in California's Napa County, prompting new evacuations as it threatens homes and wineries. The flames, fueled by scorching temperatures and dry conditions, are being battled by hundreds of first responders.

Napa Valley

Evacuations ordered in California as heatwave fuels wildfire

Democrats are pushing back against President Trump's plan to send the National Guard to more cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore, as troops continue to patrol Washington, D.C. State and local leaders say they have crime under control.

Democrats slam Trump's plans to send National Guard to more cities

Beef prices are at record highs with the average price of a pound of ground beef topping $6. Lisa Rozner reports on what's causing prices to soar.

Why U.S beef prices are soaring

A defiant Ukraine marked its independence from the former Soviet Union Sunday amid more fighting with Russia. Chris Livesay reports on how world leaders joined in, voicing their support.

Ukraine marks its Independence Day as war with Russia continues

The boats are produced by unknown Turkish companies and are then sent disassembled in multiple shipments to avoid suspicion in what authorities say is for the sole purpose of trafficking migrants across the English Channel.

Sofia

Inflatable boats used for migrant trafficking seized

Less than 24 hours after he was released from jail, Kilmar Ábrego García was told that U.S. immigration officials plan to deport him to Uganda. The Salvadoran national, who has been living illegally in the U.S. since about 2011, was wrongly deported to his home country earlier this year.

Maryland

Kilmar Abrego Garcia told he may be sent to Uganda

Erik and Lyle Menendez remain behind bars, their hopes for release dashed by two separate parole boards more than three decades after murdering their parents. Elise Preston reports.

Los Angeles

Erik and Lyle Menendez denied parole

Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, costing the city billions. That could signal trouble ahead for the U.S. economy. Andres Gutierrez has new details.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas tourism slumps this summer, signaling trouble for U.S. economy

Texas Republicans took a victory lap after an early morning vote Saturday that sought to give their party an edge during the 2026 midterms. Democrats in Texas plan to challenge the legality of the new congressional map, saying it dilutes the power of minorities.

Austin

Texas Republicans take victory lap after redistricting vote

Israel has called the United Nations' declaration of famine in parts of Gaza an "outright lie," but multiple U.N. bodies, more than 100 humanitarian groups, and several of Israel's own allies have warned for months that the war is causing starvation among civilians.

Israel denies U.N.'s declaration of famine in parts of Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will impose sanctions on Russia if it fails to reach a peace deal in Ukraine within two weeks. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s ongoing attacks on his country show that President Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace.

Putin’s not interested in peace talks, Zelenskyy says

Lyle Menendez was denied parole late Friday night following a day-long hearing in California, just one day after his brother Erik's parole appeal was also rejected. The brothers have been in prison since 1996 for killing their parents in what they say was an act of self-defense.

Both Menendez brothers denied parole

At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after a tour bus traveling from Niagara Falls flipped over on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, New York.

Pembroke

Western New York bus crash kills at least five people

Federal agents searched former Trump adviser-turned-critic John Bolton's home on Friday morning. President Donald Trump denied knowing about the investigation, which is related to his handling of classified documents.

Bethesda

FBI raids former Trump adviser John Bolton's home, office

The FBI searched former national security adviser John Bolton's house in Bethesda, Maryland, early Friday morning, the bureau confirmed to CBS News.

Israeli bombardment turns Gaza City’s Zeitoun into rubble

Breakdown

See The Full Story

Middle East Conflict