Jason Burke

‘First phase’ of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and Hamas Donald Trump announces all hostages will be released ‘very soon’ and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed timeline

yes, there is much that can go wrong, yes the destruction,scars and trauma will be with us for decades, but to now write about a possible, imminent, even definitive end to this bloody, relentless, appalling war is ... well... a moment

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

The Revolutionists: The Remarkable True Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970's | Kiln Theatre A proudly local theatre with an international vision and reputation

I'll be talking about my new book and
The Remarkable True Story of The Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s .. tonight in London
expect spies, explosions, getaway cars, war, politics, assassinations and beauty queens
book last seats here:
kilntheatre.com/whats-on/the...

v pleased by v kind review of The Revolutionists (published on Friday) in the Times. esp as by legendary Simon Sebag Montefiore. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

‘Horny wolves, eunuchs and pirates’ among Baillie Gifford prize shortlist subjects Helen Garner and Richard Holmes among authors of nonfiction books that also encompass international terrorists and ‘ghastly literary men’

so this is nuts, and very nice. My new book #TheRevolutionists has actually made it onto the Baillie Gifford prize shortlist. It is published today too. To say I'm thrilled would be something of an understatement.

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

‘Water off a duck’s back’: will Israel’s growing isolation make its leadership change course? For many Israelis, Netanyahu’s warning to get used to growing isolation confirmed what they already suspected of his priorities

For many Israelis, Netanyahu’s warning to get used to growing isolation confirmed what they already suspected of his priorities - but will also reinforce his political base
my report from Sderot and Tel Aviv here ICYMI

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Escaping Gaza City, while reporting on its destruction – podcast Malak A Tantesh on fleeing the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza and becoming a reporter in the most dangerous place on Earth for journalists

this is powerful, moving and important from my fantastic colleague in Gaza, Malak Tantesh

(and that's her dad in the hat, a very dear friend)

www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

thanks Stephen. hope you enjoy. please let me know what you think.

The Revolutionists — the extremists who took terror into the skies Jason Burke’s dramatic, deeply researched account looks at the hijackings and hostage-takings of the 1970s — and their connection with radicalism today

very pleased with this review in the FT of my new book - The Revolutionists (out in 1O days in UK).

"dramatic, deeply researched account looks at the hijackings and hostage-takings of the 1970s — and their connection with radicalism today"

www.ft.com/content/96d6...

Thanks Dean. that's great to hear.

thanks Nick! sorry for delay in posting this. am in Jerusalem working ...

YouTube video by The Baillie Gifford Prize The Ballie Gifford Prize for non-fiction announces the 2025 longlist

very pleased that The Revolutionists is on the Baillie Gifford longlist with 11 brilliant works by brilliant writers. they've even done a nice little video. and my book looks v handsome indeed!

youtu.be/W34vK8Tpcz0

Depleted Hamas focuses on desperate new aim: capturing an Israeli soldier Militant group has become adept at exploiting successful attacks – and now needs all the leverage it can get for talks

Hamas is hurting, undoubtedly, but still has a plan: to survive
(and to capture an Israeli soldier if possible)
My report here:

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Gaza aid workers overwhelmed by ‘mass casualty incidents’ at food distribution sites Doctors say hundreds have been wounded by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach convoys

"The scenes are truly shocking – they resemble the horrors of judgment day," Dr Mohammed Saqr, director of nursing at Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, told me.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

‘Our days are full of hardship’: people in Gaza barely dare to hope for success in ceasefire talks Mood is tense and subdued after nearly 21 months of Israeli offensives that have displaced almost the entire population

Hopes and fears in Gaza - and a 12 year old who just want not to be "torn apart"
a report with my brilliant colleague Malak A Tantesh

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Israeli military used 500lb bomb in strike on Gaza cafe, fragments reveal Exclusive: Experts say use of heavy munition in Monday’s strike that killed dozens may constitute a war crime

The IDF dropped a 500lb bomb into a cafe in Gaza on Monday. We saw & identified fragments.
They had conducted "aerial surveillance" so knew it was crowded with civilians.
They had other precise munitions available.
Up to 40 died, many more injured.
My report:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Israeli military used 500lb bomb in strike on Gaza cafe, fragments reveal Exclusive: Experts say use of heavy munition in Monday’s strike that killed dozens may constitute a war crime

The IDF dropped a 500lb bomb into a cafe in Gaza on Monday. We saw & identified fragments.
They had conducted "aerial surveillance" so knew it was crowded with civilians.
They had other precise munitions available.
Up to 40 died, many more injured.
My report:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

‘Beyond anything imaginable’: dozens killed at busy Gaza seafront cafe Witnesses describe explosion, flames and smoke plumes as airstrike transforms peaceful scene at al-Baqa into a horror

‘Beyond anything imaginable’: dozens killed at busy Gaza seafront cafe
our report on how a devastating Israeli strike transforms peaceful scene at al-Baqa into horror
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away? One of the consequences of Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran was a drop-off in attention paid to the war in Gaza, where a terrible humanitarian situation deteriorated even further. This is a timeline...

Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away? One of the consequences of Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran was a drop-off in attention paid to another conflict. This is our timeline of what happened

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

‘Post-apocalyptic’: medical staff struggle as gangs fight over aid supplies in Gaza Militants, clans, Hamas and criminal gangs bring violence and anarchy as they vie for power amid Israeli strikes

Post-apocalyptic’: medical staff struggle as gangs fight over aid supplies in Gaza
Militants, clans, Hamas and criminal gangs bring violence and anarchy as they vie for power amid Israeli strikes
my report here:

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

How will Israel’s war with Iran affect Benjamin Netanyahu’s future? Loyalists hope for boost after apparent victory, but political divisions and 7 October security failures still loom large

Supporters see a big win - and years more in power; critics see an unprincipled opportunist whose political career will soon be over ... who is right?
my piece:

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

The Revolutionists: The Remarkable True Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970's | Kiln Theatre A proudly local theatre with an international vision and reputation

so ...
come to the launch of my next book, in London, in October, and travel back to the 1970s when you could talk about revolution w/out irony, go underground for years w/out being caught and roll a grenade into a Parisian bistro one day and dine in one the next ...

kilntheatre.com/whats-on/the...

Who are JNIM, the jihadist ‘ghost enemy’ gaining momentum in the Sahel? Islamist extremist group has capitalised on instability to control a swath of the region

JNIM, the ‘ghost enemy’, have launched in the Sahel one of the most effective offensives for years by an Islamist militant organisation momentum ...
no one watching obvs because we are all looking to Middle East but this is not at all good ...

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

I'm also writing much more on it for the weekend

thanks. give us a moment or two please. it's been a busy day! i have just filed this.

Gaza slides into lethal chaos as desperate Palestinians fight to survive Witnesses and NGO records show hundreds have been killed since Israel-backed organisation began distributing food but it says its model is working

Lots of denials but stats I got hold of speak for themselves:

B/n 27.5 and 19.6, Red Cross clinic in Rafah saw 1,874 “weapon-wounded patients” with 18 “mass casualty incidents”. vast majority of patients said were wounded trying to access aid at/near GHF sites.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

‘A shell fell metres away’: one man’s attempt to reach GHF food hub in Gaza Abdullah Ahmed was hit by shrapnel while on a desperate mission to feed his family

Between 27 May and 19 June, the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah received 1,874 “weapon-wounded patients” and recorded 18 “mass casualty incidents”

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Ali Khamenei: ruthless defender of Iran’s revolution with few good options left The Iranian supreme leader is backed into a corner, a situation he has spent his life doing his best to avoid

my profile of Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, now backed into a corner, a situation he has spent his life doing his best to avoid

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Out of the shadows: drone-op claims show Israel’s Mossad leaning in to its legend Footage purported to show spy agents launching missiles inside Iran is marked contrast to the intelligence service’s history of secrecy

my take on Mossad ... now apparently targeting regime from inside Iran

a unique reputation for audacious espionage, technological innovation and ruthless violence ... and some major screw-ups too

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

How the dismantling of Iran’s regional proxies paved way for Israel’s attack Netanyahu has been systematically and successfully weakening his regional foes, now Tehran is in the crosshairs

How the dismantling of Iran’s regional proxies paved way for Israel’s attack
My piece on how Netanyahu has been systematically weakening his regional foes, now Tehran is in the crosshairs ... and how regime change might be an inevitable consequence

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...