Edmund Heaphy

Deputy Foreign Editor

Edmund Heaphy is Deputy Foreign Editor of RTÉ News. He previously worked with RTÉ Investigates and Prime Time. He has reported extensively from the Middle East on the conflict in Gaza and the 7 October attacks.

Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 2020

If the Gaza ceasefire lasts, it will be because of Trump

While attention is naturally focused on events in the Middle East, the key to the Gaza ceasefire's survival almost certainly still lies in Washington, writes Deputy Foreign Editor Edmund Heaphy.

World • 03 Feb

The scale of loss in Gaza has been particularly severe among civilians

Ceasefire leaves Gaza shattered, Israel divided

The ceasefire has begun but the fractures have nonetheless turned Israel's streets into a canvas of competing protests, where questions of security, morality, and survival collide. In Jerusulam last night, RTÉ's Deputy Foreign Editor witnessed two starkly different demonstrations play out.

Middle East • 19 Jan

Ceasefire leaves Gaza shattered, Israel divided

The ceasefire has begun but the fractures have nonetheless turned Israel's streets into a canvas of competing protests, where questions of security, morality, and survival collide. In Jerusulam last night, RTÉ's Deputy Foreign Editor witnessed two starkly different demonstrations play out.

World • 19 Jan

Protesters light candles for the hostages taken by Hamas and those killed in the war during a demonstration for a ceasefire in Jerusalem, Israel

Hopes of peace and stability rest on fragile foundations

The last time I flew into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, it felt like the Middle East was on the cusp of a regional war.

Middle East • 17 Jan

A man treads on a picture of Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad as people enter his residence in Damascus' Malki area

Why has Assad's regime fallen now and what happens next?

The Syrian opposition has taken control of Damascus and ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime, which has ruled the country for 50 years but the lightning rebel offensive is merely the capstone to a 13-year fight to take down the regime, writes Edmund Heaphy.

Analysis and Comment • 10 Dec 24

Dublin Bay North: The story of the count

Election 24 • 02 Dec 24

Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump after his election, describing it as 'history's greatest comeback'

What Trump's support for Israel will mean for war in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu previously described Donald Trump as the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House. The question going into a second term is how Mr Trump's staunch support for Israel will impact the conflict with Hamas and whether he can actually bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

Analysis and Comment • 10 Nov 24

Palestinians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on 9 October

Why the two-state solution feels more hopeless than ever

Prior to 7 October 2023, there were plans for a number of industrial joint ventures between Israel and Gaza, but now a path to a two-state solution seems a long way away, writes Deputy Foreign Editor, Edmund Heaphy.

Analysis and Comment • 13 Oct 24

A memorial at the site of the Nova music festival, where 364 people were killed by Hamas

'Where is the army?' - Israel reflects on 7 October

One year ago, over 2,000 Hamas fighters from Gaza swept into Israel. At dawn, under the cover of thousands of rockets fired from Gaza, they breached the border fence at 29 separate points, using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes.

Middle East • 08 Oct 24

'Where is the army?' - Israel reflects on 7 October

One year ago today, more than 2,000 Hamas fighters from Gaza swept into Israel. At dawn, under the cover of thousands of rockets fired from Gaza, they breached the border fence at 29 separate points, using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes.

World • 07 Oct 24