Israeli attacks hit Syria’s Suwayda

Syria’s state news agency is reporting that Israeli air attacks have hit Suwayda.

Israel, which has attacked Syria in the past months under the pretext of protecting the Druze, said last week it hit several tanks heading towards Suwayda, where fighting between Bedouin tribes and local fighters has killed more than 30 people and injured 100.

Netanyahu, Katz confirm Israeli strikes on Syria

As reported earlier, Syria’s state news agency reported Israeli air strikes in Suwayda, a mainly Druze city in southern Syria.

Now, Netanyahu and Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued a joint statement confirming “regime forces and weapons” were targeted in Suwayda “for the purpose of the regime’s activities against the Druze”.

In a separate statement, the Israeli army said the attacks followed the identification of convoys, including armoured personnel carriers and tanks of the Syrian government forces moving towards Suwayda on Monday.

Analysts say Israel continues to attack Syria to entrench its control beyond the already occupied Golan Heights with the pretext of protecting the Druze.

Qatar condemns Israeli strikes on Syria

At a news conference in Doha, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has condemned Israel’s latest strikes on Suwayda in Syria. “Qatar condemns Israel’s irresponsible actions in the region,” al-Ansari said. “Israel is not responsible for security of Syrian citizens.

“They are pointless actions and have proven to be gravely dangerous. We and the international community cannot accept the impunity that Israeli behaviour enjoys. “The international community must take steps towards Israeli provocative actions in addition to what’s happening in Gaza.”

Israel cannot retreat from Syria ‘buffer zone’: Minister

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says an attack on the Druze community in southern Syria proves the interim government is composed of “violent and cruel extremist Islamists, and the West must not be deceived by their suits and ties”.

“The state of Israel cannot afford to retreat under any circumstances from the buffer zone and the Hermon peak, which are essential for the defence of the Golan Heights settlements, and it will continue to protect the Druze in southern Syria to the best of its ability,” Smotrich wrote on X.

As we reported earlier, Israel launched air attacks on Suwayda, southern Syria, after Syrian government forces entered the Druze city. Israel has pledged to protect Syria’s Druze, regarding the minority as a potential ally.

Nearly 900 killed in Gaza trying to get food: UN

At least 875 Palestinians are confirmed killed while attempting to secure food from US-Israel-backed aid distribution sites since May, the United Nations says.

“As of 13 July, we have recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 674 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites,” said Thameen al-Kheetan, a UN human rights office spokesperson.

The GHF is the US- and Israel-backed group that has bypassed UN-led humanitarian operations.

Al-Kheetan said the latest deadly incident happened on Monday, with reports indicating the Israeli army “shelled and fired towards Palestinians seeking food” at
the GHF site in al-Shakoush area, northwestern Rafah.

“Our teams on the ground … have spoken to survivors of these killings, these starving children included, who were shot at while on their way to pick up very little food,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s director of communications.

Video shows shooting at crowded Gaza food collection site
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MuPfkxQns1k

What do we know about proposed concentration camp in Rafah?

Israeli attack on Shati refugee camps kills 9

At least nine people have been killed and 25 others wounded after an Israeli attack on the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

Among the dead were five children, a hospital official told Al Jazeera.

At least 48 people have died in Israeli strikes throughout Gaza since dawn, including 38 in besieged Gaza City, medical sources say.

More than 30 wounded by Israeli gunfire at aid centre

At least 30 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli fire at an aid centre north of Rafah, in southern Gaza, in the latest attack on starving people desperate for food.

More than 5,600 people have been wounded by Israeli army and US contractor gunfire.

Two people killed near aid centre northwest of Rafah

At least two people have been killed by Israeli fire near an aid centre northwest of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources told our colleagues on the ground.

Israel not yet fully implemented Gaza aid agreement: EU

European Union aid chief Hadja Lahbib says Israel has not yet fully implemented an agreement between the bloc and Israel, but that there have been “some positive developments”.

“We have [seen] some positive developments. It’s true that we have trucks that are able to enter, but we don’t know exactly how many. And what is clear is that the agreement is not fully implemented,” she told reporters ahead of a meeting EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Last week, the EU reached an agreement with Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including increasing aid trucks and opening crossing points and certain aid routes.

On Monday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite the deal. “Nothing has changed [on the ground],” he told reporters.

Not yet at all... EU continues stalling for Israel.

UN expert urges EU to suspend agreement with Israel

Francesca Albanese is pressing the European Union to suspend its association agreement with Israel, warning that continuing trade makes the bloc complicit in “genocide”.

In a series of posts on X, Albanese wrote the EU is “legally bound” to suspend the deal, adding defending Israel’s conduct in Gaza is “not only superfluous – it is grotesque”.

She demanded “justice and accountability” for Israeli war leaders.

Albanese said the EU is Israel’s top trading and investment partner, nearly double the size of the US, and “trade with an economy inextricably tied to occupation, apartheid and genocide is complicity”.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss possible action against Israel.

EU vows to ‘keep a close watch’ on Israel’s Gaza conduct

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Israel needs to take more “concrete steps” to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after making an agreement with the bloc last week.

“The European Union will keep a close watch,” Kallas told reporters after meeting EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

‘Traditional methods’ with Israel no longer effective: Minister

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin has urged the EU to impose wider sanctions in response to repeated Israeli violations of international law.

Her comments came during a meeting in Brussels with European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, as foreign ministers gather to review the bloc’s ties with Israel, including the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Shahin said no political or humanitarian progress is possible without “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza” and called for the EU to act decisively against settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

She also urged EU states to pressure Israel to release Palestinian clearance funds, which she described as being “withheld illegally”.

Kallas said the bloc is continuing efforts to press for a ceasefire and fair distribution of aid, noting the US holds “the greatest influence” over Israel.

EU attempts to sanction Israel ‘defeated’

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar highlighted “important diplomatic success” after fending off “obsessive attempts by several countries” to slap sanctions on Israel in the European Union.

“The very attempt to impose sanctions on a democratic country defending itself against attempts to destroy it is outrageous,” Saar wrote on X, thanking foreign ministers who prevented sanctions.

“The attempts to harm Israel’s image, diplomatically and legally, will continue. Our struggle is in full swing. We will continue to fight for the justice of Israel’s cause and to strengthen its diplomatic ties. We will open – already in the coming months – additional embassies.”

Saar’s comments come after an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels to discuss possible punitive measures on Israel after it failed to increase aid to blockaded Gaza as agreed.

‘Still slaughter going on’: Ireland calls out Israel over Gaza

Ireland has urged the European Union to take stronger action against Israel over its ongoing assault on Gaza, saying dialogue alone is no longer enough.

Speaking in Brussels, Irish Defence Minister Thomas Byrne said, “We need to see action and we need to use our leverage.”

EU Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas committed to provide updates every two weeks on humanitarian access to Gaza, but “so far we haven’t really seen the implementation of it – maybe some very small actions – but there’s still slaughter going on”.

In a post on X, Byrne added: “International law must be complied with. We simply cannot turn a blind eye to breaches of human rights obligations.”

Ireland has been among the most vocal EU members calling for accountability over Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Why not take action yourself... Ireland is Israel's 2nd biggest export market for goods...
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/2025/06/08/despite-the-politics-ireland-is-israels-second-biggest-export-market-for-goods/
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41644330.html
Ireland is a significant market for Israeli exports, purchasing $3.2 billion worth of goods in 2024

Officials from 30 countries to meet in Colombia to halt Gaza war

Officials from more than 30 countries will meet in Colombia’s capital Bogota for a two-day event dedicated to define legal and diplomatic actions to end the war in Gaza and the illegal occupation of the West Bank.

The meeting is convened by The Hague Group and co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa “in response to the escalating violations of international law in Palestine, including the crime of genocide”, according to a statement from the Colombian government.

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, will preside over a news conference later today.

“Finally in Bogota, alongside states that commit to ending the massacre in Gaza, without rhetoric, bringing politics back within the limits of international law,” Albanese said on X.

Ceasefire talks under way, Qatar says

Ceasefire negotiations are currently under way, a spokesperson for the Qatar Foreign Ministry says, adding that Israeli and Hamas delegations were both in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

Ceasefire negotiations not at stalemate, Qatar says

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has held a news briefing. Here are some of the major talking points:

Berlin court rules ban on Palestinian doctor speaking in Germany is unlawful

The administrative court of Berlin has ruled that an order imposed on Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah preventing him from speaking in Germany is unlawful, a court spokesperson tells Al Jazeera.

The court ruled that it was not to be expected that Abu-Sittah, a surgeon who has worked in Gaza, would commit a criminal offence or pose a threat to the democratic order in Germany by appearing at the Palestine Congress, where he had been invited to speak in April 2024.

The judges said they could not find any statements by Abu-Sittah since October 7, 2023, that were of a criminal nature or indicated support for terrorist organisations.

The court added that Abu-Sittah’s status as a historical witness whose testimony has been heard by the International Criminal Court should also have been taken into account by the Berlin authorities as well as his right to freedom of expression.

The state of Berlin had argued that Abu-Sittah was a supporter of Hamas because he participated in a news conference organised by the Palestinian Health Ministry outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

Israel escalating its ‘war of extermination’ in Gaza: Hamas

Hamas has condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, especially on the Shati refugee camp, where 23 people have been killed, as an “escalation of the war of extermination”.

“Today’s horrific massacre of starving civilians north of Rafah once again confirms the brutality of the aid mechanism and its criminal objectives,” Hamas said in a statement. “The medical sector in the Gaza Strip is facing the risk of complete collapse due to the blockade, and the international community must act immediately to break it.”

At least two people were killed near an aid site north of Rafah as aid seekers continue to be attacked by Israeli forces.

Since the end of May, nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed either at aid sites or en route to get aid after the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation group took over food distribution in the besieged enclave.


_{Palestinians desperately wait at charity kitchen during hunger crisis}

Israeli attacks across Gaza kill 61

Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 61 people since dawn, medical sources say. Among those, 23 people were killed during an attack on the Shati refugee camp. Two others were killed and more than 30 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid centre north of Rafah.

Grim search for missing children after deadly Israeli attack

On the outskirts of Gaza City, footage from the Shati refugee camp showed Palestinians searching for survivors through the rubble of a family home hit in a deadly Israeli attack.

Jihad Omar, 48, who used his bare hands to dig through the concrete ruins, said he was looking for two missing children.

“Every day, we bury children, women and elderly people. Homes collapse on the heads of their residents,” said Omar.

“Find a solution. Let us raise those [children] who remain. We barely have any left.”

Trump’s UN nominee calls for dismantling of UNRWA

President Trump’s pick for US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, says the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, “must be dismantled”.

“UNRWA in Gaza, with its staff involved in the October 7 massacre, its schools teaching anti-Semitic hate, must be dismantled,” Waltz said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “It simply not only needs to be defunded … but it should be dismantled.”

In August last year, the United Nations said that nine UNRWA employees who “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas had been fired.

Waltz, a former US national security adviser, was removed from the post after accidentally adding a journalist to a private Signal chat discussing secret military plans.

He told senators that UNRWA cannot be trusted with a humanitarian role in Gaza. “We can have a conversation on who and what can take up those humanitarian roles, but it certainly should not be UNRWA.”

Addressing Israel’s war on Gaza, Waltz said: “If Hamas would lay down their arms… the fighting would stop today.” He also pledged to veto “one-sided anti-Israel resolutions” at the UN.

Lies, incompetence, delusional, fits for a Trump nominee.

Can Hague Group bring a halt to Israel’s war on Gaza?

According to The Hague Group, states meeting in Colombia will announce “concrete actions to enforce international law through coordinated state action – to end the genocide and ensure justice and accountability”.

Analysts say it’s not clear whether the conference’s participating countries have enough leverage over Israel to force it to change its policies in Gaza.

“The United States has so far failed to influence Israel’s behaviour… so it is naive to think that this group of countries can have any influence over Netanyahu’s behaviour or on the government of Israel,” said Sandra Borda, a professor of international relations at Bogota’s Los Andes University.

She said, however, that the conference will enable some nations of the Global South to clarify their position towards the conflict and have their voices heard.

Err USA has refused to stop Israel and is only further encouraging genocide and ethnic cleansing with more weapon shipments, bulldozer shipments, funding/defending/staffing the GHF and so on.

We don't need more voices, actions are needed. And the Global South is still profiteering from the genocide. 
https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/06/17/despite-critics-brazilian-government-still-provides-petrol-for-israeli-tanks-and-airplanes-to-kill-palestinians/
Colombia and Brazil have indeed taken steps but it's not enough and the Global South can certainly do more.

The Global South can influence Israel's behavior with sanctions, breaking ties, stop the arms trade.

‘Extremely dangerous message to atrocity crime perpetrators’

Protests across Europe continue, including a small one outside the European Council, where foreign ministers discussed Israel’s devastating war and blockade on Gaza. Dozens of protesters in Brussels called for more aggressive EU action to stop Israel’s bloody military campaign.

Alexis Deswaef, the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights, said the council must “agree on a package of sanctions for Israel to end the genocide and for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza”.

“It was able to do this for Russia,” he said.

Human rights groups have largely criticised the EU’s actions as insufficient.

“This is more than political cowardice,” said Agnès Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International. “Every time the EU fails to act, the risk of complicity in Israel’s actions grows. This sends an extremely dangerous message to perpetrators of atrocity crimes that they will not only go unpunished but be rewarded.”

Main events on July 15th

• At least 61 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn – including 23 people in the Shati refugee camp and two others near an aid centre in Rafah.
• More than 30 starving Palestinians were wounded while attempting to collect food aid at a site operated by a US-Israel-backed group in Gaza.
• Israeli air strikes hit the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, killing 12 people, including seven Syrians at a camp for displaced people, while Syrian troops were also targeted in Suwayda.
• Israeli settlers torched Palestinian land and vehicles in the occupied West Bank village of Burqa, hours after diplomats and church leaders called for an end to settler violence.
• Netanyahu’s coalition suffered a blow as the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party announced it is quitting the government, leaving him with a razor-thin majority in the Israeli parliament.

UN’s Syria commission investigating violations after Israeli strikes

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry has expressed concern over Israeli attacks that killed at least 12 people in Lebanon, including seven Syrians at a displacement camp.

Israel also launched a series of attacks on Syria’s military near Suwayda, in the country’s south.

“The commission is alarmed by reports of Israeli air strikes in the area,” it said, warning that third-state military action “risks widening the conflict… and inflicting even greater suffering on the Syrian people”.

It called on all parties to de-escalate through dialogue, stressing the need to protect civilians and provide safe passage. The commission said it is investigating potential violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

Eyewitnesses Describe Brutal Killing of U.S. Citizen by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

We go to the occupied West Bank for an update on how the family of a 20-year-old Palestinian American from Florida, Sayfollah "Saif" Musallet, is demanding justice after he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Musallet and another Palestinian, 23-year-old Mohammad al-Shalabi, were attacked by a group of Israeli settlers on Friday in the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah, where their families own farmland. Eyewitnesses say the settlers brutally beat Musallet and fatally shot al-Shalabi, then prevented ambulances from reaching their victims for hours. Musallet was pronounced dead before he could reach a hospital.