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Forums - Politics - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 18 July 2025

UNRWA chief again calls for Israel to lift ban on int’l media entering Gaza

Philippe Lazzarini says the closure of Gaza to international journalists fuels disinformation campaigns questioning the witnesses and humanitarian groups.

“The ban on the entry of international media must be lifted,” the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees wrote on X. Israel has blocked international journalists from being able to access and freely report from Gaza to show the world what is happening in the enclave.

In the meantime, more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since October 2023.

Trump admin should not ‘aid and abet’ Gaza ethnic cleansing: US senator

A top Democratic senator has rejected a purported push by Israel to get the Trump administration to help forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza – a proposal that the US president previously championed but that advocates say would amount to ethnic cleansing.

Earlier today, US news outlet Axios reported that the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Washington, DC, this week to seek the US government’s assistance with the push.

“A truly outrageous and sickening request from the Netanyahu government,” US Senator Chris Van Hollen wrote on X, commenting on the Axios report.

“The US should not be complicit in or use ANY governmental, American taxpayer resources to aid and abet what amounts to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians from Gaza.”

Trump has previously said he wants the US – which gives Israel at least $3.8bn in military aid annually – to “take over” and “own” Gaza as part of a push to turn the Palestinian enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East”



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SvennoJ on 18 July 2025

Main events on July 18th

  • At least 41 people were killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks, including 10 starving people seeking aid.
  • Syria’s interim government again condemned the renewed clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters in the country’s Suweyda, saying that it would deploy forces there to restore calm after pulling out earlier this week.
  • Hamas said that Israel rejected a ceasefire proposal that would have seen the release of all captives held by Palestinian groups in Gaza, as PM Netanyahu continues to accuse Hamas of obstructing progress in currently stalled talks.
  • The Red Cross said the humanitarian situation in Suwayda is “rapidly deteriorating”.
  • US news outlet Axios reported that the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Washington, DC, this week to seek US assistance with a plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinians.
  • Yemen’s Houthis again fired a missile at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, causing a temporary grounding of flights.
  • The UN’s food aid organisation said that one in three Palestinians is not eating for days at a time, as Israel’s blockade of Gaza continues, placing the entire enclave in grave danger of starvation.

 

Is the international community finally speaking up about Israel?

International public opinion continues to turn against Israel for its war on Gaza, with more governments slowly beginning to reflect those voices and increase their own condemnation of the country.

Israeli government ministers have been sanctioned by several Western countries, with the UK, France and Canada issuing a joint statement condemning the “intolerable” level of “human suffering” in Gaza.

Earlier this week, a number of countries from the Global South, “The Hague Group”, collectively agreed on a number of measures that they say will “restrain Israel’s assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

Across the world, and in increasing numbers, the public, politicians and, following an Israeli strike on a Catholic church in Gaza, religious leaders are speaking out against Israel’s killings in Gaza.

But when will these 'harsh' words turn into meaningful actions.



SvennoJ on 18 July 2025

US lawmaker’s unthinkable stand; questions funding to boost Israeli air defence


Republicans US Congresswoman this week stunned everyone by opposing funding to bolster Israeli air defence system, which was depleted during the recent war with Iran. Her amendment was defeated by 422-6, but Rifat Jawaid says that her action is historic and could prompt other US lawmakers to take a stand against American military support to Israel.

Jewish National Fund Canada’s Charitable Status Revoked!


Canada's legal system has now confirmed what Palestinians and international justice bodies have been saying for decades: the Jewish National Fund isn't a charity — it's a vehicle for land theft and ethnic cleansing.



SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Report says Syria misjudged Israel’s response to Suwayda troop deployment

The Reuters news agency is reporting that Syria’s government misread how Israel would respond to its troops deploying to the country’s south this week, encouraged by US messaging that Syria should be governed as a centralised state.

Damascus believed it had a green light from both the US and Israel to dispatch its forces south to the Druze city of Suwayda, despite months of Israeli warnings not to do so, Reuters reported, quoting several sources, including Syrian political and military officials, two diplomats, and regional security sources.

That understanding was based on public and private comments from US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, as well as security talks with Israel, the sources said.

Following the Syrian deployment, Israel carried out deadly attacks on Syrian troops and Damascus on Wednesday.

What Israel and the US say is often not what they do...


Concern growing in Syria over sectarian violence

Concern is growing in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda over growing bouts of sectarian violence, after thousands have been killed since the fall of the al-Assad government in December.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Suwayda, said the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa won recognition from the West, but longstanding divisions continue to threaten stability.

The country still has a fragmented military landscape and no cohesive army. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces control 25 percent of the territory in northeastern Syria.

In the south, Bedouin tribes have fought a battle about whether the region should integrate into the new Syria.

“The Syrian regime has been unable to take responsibility for the events that have been unfolding,” human rights activist Sadi Haroun said. “These repeated events are caused by the absence of justice and the state’s failure to fulfil its responsibilities.”

Adeeb al-Hariri, a Deraa resident, believes the international community wants to give the Syrian government “a real chance to govern”. “But we can’t hold them accountable until they have control of the entire territory of Syria,” he said.


Syria says security forces deploying to Suwayda

Syria’s Interior Ministry is saying the country’s internal security forces have begun deploying in Suwayda.

“Internal security forces have begun deploying in Suwayda province … with the aim of protecting civilians and putting an end to the chaos,” ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a statement on Telegram.

This comes hours after the US ambassador to Turkiye said Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, drawing an uneasy truce between the neighbours after days of Israeli air raids and sectarian bloodshed in Syria’s southwestern region.

Since the announcement of a ceasefire, we’ve heard that the mood has calmed in some of the villages west of Suwayda that have been taken by Bedouin tribal fighters, as they wait for more details from the government about the ceasefire.

As for the Druze in Suwayda, there have been conflicting messages about the ceasefire. One of the community’s influential leaders, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, has welcomed the ceasefire and called on his supporters to stop fighting. But some leaders of factions said to be loyal to him have said they will continue fighting.

Meanwhile, clashes are ongoing, particularly in the western part of Suwayda, where more than 1,000 Bedouin fighters have already entered.


Bedouin and tribal fighters in Syria’s Druze heartland of Suwayda on Friday



SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Fighting in Suwayda killed at least 260 people

The Syrian government has released a new death toll from the fighting around Suwayda in recent days, saying 260 people have been killed.

Fierce fighting has broken out between armed Druze groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces over the past week.

On Friday, Syria’s minister of disaster management and emergency response said the government had recovered 87 bodies and treated more than 570 people wounded in the clashes. He added that hundreds of families had fled the south amid the violence.


Bedouin and tribal fighters deploy in Suwayda on Friday


Syria’s president announces ‘immediate and comprehensive’ ceasefire

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has announced an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire in response to days of sectarian violence around the Druze-majority city of Suwayda.

In a statement, al-Sharaa said the ceasefire was being declared “in light of the critical circumstances the country is going through, and out of concern to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory, the safety of its people, and in response to national and humanitarian responsibility”.

He said he called on all parties “to fully commit to this decision and to immediately cease all hostilities in all regions, ensure the protection of civilians, and guarantee the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid”, adding that security had begun deploying “in several areas” to enforce it.

Syria’s president added that:

  • The Israeli intervention reignited tensions in Suwayda following the blatant bombing of the south and Damascus.
  • We appreciate the role of the US in affirming its support for Syria and its unity.


Bedouin fighter says he plans to fight Druze over Israeli support

As Syria’s President al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire in the sectarian fighting in Suwayda, Bedouin fighters in Damascus were preparing to travel to the Druze-majority city to support Bedouin fighters there.

Taher al-Ahmad, one of the fighters, told Al Jazeera that their quarrel was with the forces loyal to Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, due to Israel’s support for the Druze faction.

“Our plan is not to enter Suwayda to destroy or attack locals. Our issue is with those who support the Druze leader who is aligned with the Israeli occupation,” he said.

“We will show people our mercy before we demonstrate our strength against those who belong to the al-Hijri group, those who receive support from the Israelis and others who want to destroy Syria.”

Earlier in the week, Bedouin tribal leader Abdul Moneim al-Naseef had issued a call to fighters from across Syria to come to Suwayda and “save our people”.



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SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Israeli attacks on Syria reflect ‘short-sighted’, militaristic approach

Israel’s actions in hitting Damascus this week were works of a government that did not consider anything other than military approaches to reach its objectives, says Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House.

Mekelberg added that Israel may have had legitimate concerns about the Syrian government’s failure to prevent sectarian conflict that has drawn in the Druze community in the country’s south, but the Netanyahu government appeared incapable of pursuing any approach other than its favoured “modus operandi of using excessive force and taking over more territory”.

“Israel, for many years, but especially after October 7, is working on the premise that using force will provide it with security,” he said. “It’s a very short-sighted view.”

He said the “radical” changes that had taken place in post-Assad Syria presented risks but also potential opportunities for Israel, including the possibility of security arrangements or even normalisation with the new Syrian government.

“The current government in Israel is incapable of seeing that,” he said. “It doesn’t look at any diplomatic [efforts] or any political change that can take place beyond using military force.”


An Al Jazeera Arabic live report captured an Israeli strike on the Syrian military headquarters in central Damascus on Wednesday

It's not if you consider Israel's strategy is to keep their surrounding countries weak, divided and on the edge of civil war... They are incapable of seeing a way to live peacefully together with their neighbors. Israel has dehumanized their neighbors for too long to see them as equal human beings to reason with.


Syria’s president calls for national unity in speech

We’ve just seen Syria’s President al-Sharaa deliver a televised speech, calling on Syrians to shun division and act in a spirit of reconciliation.

The speech followed his announcement of an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire in response to sectarian violence around Druze-majority Suwayda, and the deployment of government troops to the southern city.

Al-Sharaa said national unity was a priority for his government and that part of the role of the government was to be a neutral referee between all parties. He praised the people of Suwayda, other than the few elements that wanted to sow trouble, saying that both Druze and Arab communities in the city were noble people.

It was a message of reassurance, to remind the people of Syria that the government is there for stability, for national unity, and that it would be better for people to listen to the voice of reason.

Syria’s President al-Sharaa addressed recent sectarian clashes in Suwayda and Israeli attacks:

  • Conflicts have developed between outlaw groups and Bedouins, leading to an unprecedented deterioration in the situation in Suwayda governorate.
  • Violent clashes between groups were close to spiraling out of control if not for the intervention of the Syrian state.
  • Suwayda province has always been and still is part and parcel of the state of Syria.
  • The Druze are a main component of the social fabric of the country, and the community must not be judged by the actions of a few.
  • Any attempt to undermine the unity of the Syrian people or sideline any commitment constitutes a direct threat to our stability.


SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Israeli army disperses gathering of Druze at border with Syria

The Israeli army said that Israeli Druze crossed the border into Syria amid a “violent gathering” near the border fence in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights overnight.

In a statement on Telegram, the Israeli army said its forces, working with a border guard unit, had dispersed a demonstration by dozens of Israeli Druze in the Majdal Shams area of the occupied Golan Heights.

It said a number had crossed into Syria. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that those who crossed the border had returned within two hours.

Amid violent clashes around the Druze-majority Syrian city of Suwayda in recent days, Israeli Druze have gathered in chaotic scenes at the Syrian border. Some have crossed into Syria in an apparent attempt to support their fellow Druze in the sectarian clashes, while Syrian Druze have also crossed into the occupied Golan Heights.

The incidents have led Netanyahu to appeal directly to Israel’s Druze community not to cross the border.


A Syrian Druze woman who had crossed to the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights bids farewell to relatives as she prepares to cross back to Syria on Thursday


Israel attempting to project hegemony through rhetoric on Syria

Israel’s statement that it would “allow” Syrian security forces to enter the Suwayda governorate for 48 hours shows it is seeking to cast itself as the hegemonic force in the region, analysts say.

“Israel wants this reality to be backed up by a rhetoric that solidifies its hegemony and power to enforce certain strategic objectives and red lines,” Gamal Mansour, who lectures at the University of Toronto, told Al Jazeera.

“As long as Syria remains outside of Iran’s axis, which Syria wants for its own reasons… I don’t think Israel is invested in Syria [as a whole],” he added.

While the US has voiced its displeasure over Israel’s bombing of Damascus, Mansour said the Trump administration did not put its foot down to avoid further attacks.

“The situation in Syria for the US is still contained and under control, and as long as Israel doesn’t hurt the [government of Ahmed al-Sharaa] or shake its foundations, it’s fine,” he said.



Daily attacks on Lebanon continue as well

Civilian killed by Israeli drone in southern Lebanon

A civilian has been killed by an Israeli drone attack while working on repairing the plumbing network on the roof of a house in the eastern outskirts of Khiam, in southern Lebanon, state news agency NNA has reported.

The incident took place in the Matal al-Jabal neighbourhood.



SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Israel’s foreign minister accuses Syria’s president after speech

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has accused Syria’s President al-Sharaa of “blaming the victims” after the latter’s speech commented on the recent sectarian clashes in Suwayda, as well as Israeli attacks on the country.

Gideon Saar accused al-Sharaa of spreading “conspiracy theories and accusations” against Israel, in an indication that tensions between the two countries remain high.

Al-Sharaa earlier delivered a televised speech calling on Syrians to shun division and act in a spirit of reconciliation, following the announcement of an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire in response to sectarian violence around Druze-majority Suwayda.


Syrian gov’t faces ‘mammoth’ challenges in Suwayda

Inside Suwayda itself, the fighting is still ongoing.

This is while the forces of the Interior Ministry are deploying their elements in some of the villages that are under the control of the Bedouin tribal forces, and they are trying to reach some of the parts of the city of Suwayda where that fighting is taking place, but it is a very risky job.

It’s going to be a huge task for the state, particularly that, right now, there is still no access to the victims inside Suwayda. There is destroyed infrastructure in terms of water, electricity and homes and deserted neighbourhoods.

There are about 80,000 people who fled, according to the International Organization of Migration. They have to be taken care of. You have people who fled into Deraa and other parts of the desert around Suwayda.

To go and reach all those people with aid and with the facilities they need to survive is a huge task, particularly when the fighting is still ongoing. You have so many victims, you have so many people who have been displaced, and so many people who are wounded – just to reach everyone is a mammoth task at the moment.



SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘no longer acceptable’

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced a rare criticism of Israel for its actions in Gaza, calling them “no longer acceptable”.

Merz urged Israel to allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Palestinians and said Berlin was pushing for an immediate ceasefire.



Trump says 10 Israeli captives to be released ‘very shortly’

Trump says 10 Israeli captives held in Gaza will be released soon, without giving more details.

Trump made the comment on Friday night at a dinner with legislators at the White House, as he talked up the progress of his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff in mediating in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“We got most of the hostages back. We’re going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,” Trump said.

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed a ceasefire deal and release of captives were imminent, without anything materialising.

You have been saying this for weeks, just like Russia-Ukrained will have a ceasefire very shortly....

Israel ‘considering’ sending high-level delegation to Qatar

Israel is reportedly considering sending a senior delegation to Qatar, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper is reporting.

The report said the proposed delegation could include Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad chief David Barnea, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and the acting head of the Shin Bet, identified only as “S”.

The trip is contingent on US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s expected arrival in Qatar’s capital, Doha, next week. Israeli officials say his presence could help push the talks towards a final agreement, though Israel does not believe it is yet at that stage, the report added.


Hamas says Israel rejected ceasefire deal to release all captives

We have reported earlier that Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades, published a video on the latest ceasefire talks in Qatar. He said Israel rejected a ceasefire deal that would release all captives held in Gaza at once.

Abu Obeida blamed Netanyahu and his far-right ministers for rejecting what he described as a “comprehensive deal”.

If Israel withdraws from this round of indirect talks held in Qatar, Abu Obeida said, then Hamas does not guarantee a return to any partial deals, including a 60-day deal currently under discussion that would see 10 captives released.



SvennoJ on 19 July 2025

UNRWA says food for Gaza’s ‘entire population’ waiting at border

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said it has “enough food for the entire population of Gaza” waiting at the border crossing in Egypt.

Israel has imposed a total siege on the Strip since March 2, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.

“Open the gates, lift the siege and allow UNRWA to do its work,” the organisation said on X.

Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in its territory, including in occupied East Jerusalem, and contact with Israeli authorities is forbidden.



No one should have to risk their life to get basic assistance’

Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has again warned that Palestinians in Gaza face “an acute risk of famine” – and the situation is getting worse.

“Basic food supplies are no longer available in markets or distribution points,” Chapagain said in a post on X.

“The cost of remaining essentials, such as flour, has skyrocketed, with 1 kilogram now reaching as much as $20, making it impossible for two million people to meet their minimum daily nutritional needs.”

He also reiterated a call “for full and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, which remains under an Israeli blockade.


Hungry children in Gaza pick through rubbish in search of food

Footage shared online, and verified by Al Jazeera, shows children in Gaza sifting through rubbish in search of food, amid soaring levels of hunger due to an Israeli blockade.

One video shows three young boys standing and eating amid a pile of rubbish on the street, picking scraps from the refuse. Another clip showed a child opening a bag of rubbish on the street, rummaging through it in search of anything to eat.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has warned that unprecedented numbers of starving people are presenting at hospital emergency wards in the territory, with many at risk of dying of starvation. Health officials say 17,000 children in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition.

Gaza death toll rises

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,765 people and wounded 140,485 since October 7, 2023, the Health Ministry said.

The death toll since a ceasefire broke down on March 18 has risen to 7,938 killed and 28,444 wounded.

The ministry also said 98 people have been killed and 511 injured in Israeli attacks in the past 48 hours.