Mazzaltov World News provides you with the latest live coverage of Current Affairs, Sports, Health, Weather, Entertainment, Business and Travel News from around the world.
Here’s where things stand on Friday 18 July 2025:
- Fighting has resumed between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda, a day after Syrian troops pulled out of the area.
- A spokesman for Syria’s Interior Ministry has denied reports that government forces are being redeployed to Suwayda to quell the renewed fighting, the Syrian state news agency reported.
- In the Gaza Strip, an Israeli attack has hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, starting a major fire and killing at least five people, including infants.
- The daily death toll in Gaza continues to mount, with at least 26 people killed in Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave since dawn on Friday, including six aid seekers.
- Condemnation grows over Israel’s deadly attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which killed three people and injured at least 10.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,667 people and wounded 139,974, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Israeli intervention a challenge to Syrian government’s attempts to extend authority over country
Many Syrians who you speak to are concerned about Israel’s intervention in the situation in Suwayda, and the threats it poses to national unity and the government’s efforts to extend its authority across the country.
Israel is calling the shots in many ways. Just two days ago they blew up the Syrian Defence ministry. They’ve been targeting government forces across southern Syria, and ordered the Syrian government to withdraw its forces from the south or it would face further attacks.
There’s a concern that Israel’s actions, which it claims are on behalf of Suwayda’s Druze community, will impact two of the key challenges facing Syria’s new government: in extending its authority across the country, and in reaching out to Syria’s minorities, whether Druze, Alwaites or Kurds.
They have to try to rebuild a nation, a country with deep-seated animosities after 14 years of war and decades of al-Assad rule which divided communities against each other.
There are concerns about the possibility of division and many, including the Syrian president himself, blame Israel for trying to sow it.
Mediation efforts appear to be under way in Suwayda
The Syrian interior ministry is saying there has been no movement of troops and that their forces are in a normal state of readiness. They’re denying that they’re planning to enter Suwayda governorate to respond to the ongoing fighting between Druze and Bedouin forces.
But what is clear is that some sort of mediation effort is in the making.
What we understand is that mediation efforts are under way and that the Israelis are going to “allow” local troops belonging to the interior ministry to enter Suwayda governorate for at least 48 hours to quell the fighting and to restore order.
Israel of course has been an actor in what was a localised conflict, carrying out strikes on government troops and official buildings in Damascus earlier this week, as it demanded Syria withdraw from Suwayda.
It says it was acting to protect the Druze community, but it was also implementing one of its security policies. Specifically, it doesn’t want the Syrian military to have any heavy military equipment and weaponry in the south of the country.
Now it seems Israel is going to “allow” these local forces to enter Suwayda to calm these dangerous tensions between two communities at war.
Israel ‘to allow’ Syrian forces into Suwayda area for next 48 hours: Israeli official
An unnamed Israeli official has told reported that Israel “has agreed to allow limited entry of the [Syrian] internal security forces into Suwayda district for the next 48 hours” due to the ongoing instability in southwest Syria.
It comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s policy going forward will be to “not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus”.
Earlier this week, Israel launched air attacks on Suwayda and the capital, Damascus, where it targeted the Defence Ministry and areas near the presidential palace.
Israeli authorities say they intervened to protect the Druze community and to ensure the southern area is demilitarised after fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes erupted on Monday. But leading analysts in Israel have suggested the attacks may not have been entirely motivated by concern for the welfare of the Druze, so much as the personal and political aims of the Israeli government and its embattled prime minister.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday condemned the Israeli air attacks, saying Israel was seeking to turn his country into a “theatre of endless chaos”, and vowed to protect all communities in the country.
UN says fighting in Suwayda hurting aid operations
The UN Refugee Agency is saying it is “very concerned” by the fighting in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, which is limiting its ability to deliver aid.
“The situation in Suwayda is very concerning. It is very difficult for us to operate there,” spokesperson William Spindler told reporters in Geneva.
“At the moment, our capacity to deliver aid is very limited. We are calling on all parties to allow humanitarian access.”
As we reported earlier, families have been seen leaving Suwayda with their possessions amid fierce clashes between armed groups in recent days.
Death toll in Gaza since dawn rises to 30
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since dawn, including seven people who were seeking aid, sources in hospitals in the Strip tell Al Jazeera.
Among the victims were two killed in the al-Shakoush area, northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, medical sources said.
As we reported earlier, the victims also included three people killed in an Israeli attack on the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.
UK MPs demand government respond to ICJ judgement on Israeli actions in occupied Palestine
More than 110 British MPs have written to the UK government demanding that it immediately publish a response to the International Court of Justice’s judgement on the legal consequences of Israel’s activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, which the court released a year ago.
The letter urged the UK government to rectify its lack of response, and “address the unlawful situation occurring in the OPT, as well [as] its own obligations under international law”.
The ICJ published the advisory opinion, which held, among other things, that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory was unlawful, on July 19 last year. But the British government has made no response, other than a statement in October that it did “not disagree with” its central findings.
The signatories to the letter called on the government to address the judgement’s “crystal clear” findings, including that illegal Israeli settlements should be withdrawn, that Israel owed reparations for illegal acts since 1967, and that other states were obligated not to assist Israel’s unlawful presence.
“It is an utter nonsense that a year on from this historic advisory opinion that the government has not issued its formal response,” said Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding. “What it highlights is the government’s continued aversion to hold Israel to account, its failure to uphold international law and respect these international judicial institutions.”
More on fighting around Suwayda
We are getting more reports of fighting between forces allied with Syria’s government and Druze fighters outside Suwayda.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes west of the southern region, “pitting tribal fighters and Bedouin supported by the authorities on one side, against Druze fighters on the other”.
AFP also said fighters on both sides confirmed the exchange of fire to the news agency’s correspondents.
Separately, footage published online and verified by Al Jazeera documented the sound of clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters in rural Suwayda earlier today.
Other verified clips also showed the arrival of reinforcements to support the tribesmen spread throughout the area.
Israel says it is sending ‘humanitarian aid’ for Druze in Suwayda
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said he ordered the transfer of “humanitarian aid” to the Druze in Suwayda, in southern Syria.
The aid package, worth nearly $600,000, includes food, medical equipment and medicines, Saar said.
Critics argue that Israel’s interest in the Druze community in Syria stems both from pressure exerted by the Israeli Druze, whose members hold important roles in the army, and from the strategic goal of deepening Israel’s control in southern Syria.
Saar’s comments come as fighting between Beduin tribes and Druze fighters has resumed, following the collapse of two ceasefires agreed in the past week.
UN says credible reports indicate widespread rights violations in Suwayda
The UN Human Rights Office says credible reports indicate widespread rights violations have been committed by all factions fighting in Suwayda, including summary executions, arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction and looting of homes.
Among the reported perpetrators were security forces, government-affiliated elements, as well as Druze and Bedouins, the office stated.
Reports of rights violations include:
- On July 15, armed individuals affiliated with the interim authorities deliberately opened fire at a family gathering, killing at least 13 people.
- On the same day, they reportedly summarily executed six men near their homes in two separate incidents.
- The office has also documented the public humiliation of a Druze man, including the forcible shaving of his moustache, an important cultural symbol for the Druze community.
- Since July 12, hundreds have been reported killed, the UN added.
“My office has received accounts of distressed Syrians who are living in fear for their lives and those of their loved ones,” said UN human rights chief Volker Turk. “The deployment of state security forces should bring safety and protection, not add to the fear and violence.”
‘We have never wanted to cause division’: Influential Druze leader al-Hijri
A prominent Druze religious leader who earlier urged Druze fighters to confront government forces in Suwayda has released a statement downplaying sectarian divisions in southern Syria.
In a video statement, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who had rejected a Syrian government ceasefire agreed with other Druze leaders, insisted he did not want to sow division.
“We are not sectarian; we have never wanted to cause division. We hold full responsibility for anyone who tampers with security and stability,” he said.
“We affirm that whoever engages in sabotage or incitement represents only himself, and his actions should not be attributed to any sect or region.”
Syria’s government says it is preparing to redeploy forces in response to renewed fighting between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Suwayda after government forces began withdrawing late on Wednesday.
Syrian Interior Ministry denies reports that government forces redeploying to Suwayda
Syria’s Interior Ministry says reports that it was preparing to redeploy government troops to the southern province of Suwayda in response to renewed fighting between tribal groups are inaccurate, according to state media.
“We confirm that no official statement has been issued in this regard, and we categorically deny the veracity of what was published,” said spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba, SANA news agency reported.
The spokesperson said government forces were in a normal state of readiness, and that there had been no deployment to Suwayda so far.
Violent clashes have resumed between Druze and Bedouin tribes around the Druze-majority city following the withdrawal of government forces late on Wednesday.
Israeli forces using drone missiles packed with nails to kill people in Gaza
Doctors say they are doing everything possible to save the lives of many of the children who were transferred to hospital today after they sustained severe burns and injuries from flying shrapnel.
These drone missiles are packed with nails, and when they explode, pieces of metal fly at a very high speed, piercing bodies, causing internal injuries that lead to severe bleeding, which causes the majority of deaths among those attacked by drone missiles.
For the past 40 days or so, drone attacks have been on the rise – they target people in large crowds, whether they are in market streets or queueing for water or a community kitchen to pick up food.
These attacks are happening despite all the claims by the Israeli military that prides itself on using sophisticated, advanced weapons.
But when we look at what’s happening on the ground, and we see the number of casualties and the kind of targets being hit, it contradicts what the Israeli military is marketing.
Photos: Bedouin fighters gather north of Suwayda
‘The hospital’s yards turned into graveyards’
Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza is forcing doctors in crammed medical facilities to make difficult decisions about who to treat.
Patients with chronic illnesses are often the first to miss out because emergency departments are overwhelmed by people wounded in Israeli attacks.
“Before the war, I used to receive dialysis three times a week, with each session lasting four hours. At that time, the situation was stable, the treatment was effective, and we would return home feeling well and rested,” Omda Dagmash, a dialysis patient, told Al Jazeera at the barely functioning al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
“Now we can barely make the journey to the hospital, particularly since we are not eating well.”
At al-Shifa, the dialysis schedule has been scaled down to shorter and less frequent sessions. For some, it is a matter of life and death.
“The journey here is long and costly,” said Rowaida Minyawi, an elderly patient. “After all this exhaustion, we sometimes can’t find treatment. I have heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Even the medicine we get is not good. What should we do? Die at home?”
Besides prioritising patients, healthcare workers say they also have to scale back operations to the minimum, as no fuel means no power – and no way to save lives.
“Only a few departments are working. We had to cut electricity to the rest,” said Ziad Abu Humaidan, from the hospital’s engineering department.
“The hospital’s yards turned into graveyards rather than a place of care and healing. Without electricity, there is no lighting, no functioning medical equipment, and no support for other essential services.”
Israeli attacks kill 26 people across Gaza since dawn
Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that at least 26 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks across the Strip since dawn today.
The death toll includes including six people who were seeking aid – we will bring you more on this when the details come in.
Babies with congenital issues go untreated in Gaza due to supply shortages, says surgeon
Al Jazeera spoke to a British surgeon who has been working in Gaza hospitals during the war about the dire conditions in the territory’s devastated health system.
Victoria Rose, a consultant plastic surgeon, returned from her third stint working in Gaza in May, where she worked in the Nasser Medical Complex.
She said the area where the hospital was located had been designated a “red zone” by Israeli authorities, meaning people should evacuate because military action is likely to occur, adding to the difficulties faced by staff.
“I really couldn’t see how the situation could get any worse,” she said, adding that conditions had nevertheless deteriorated further since her latest stint.
Rose said, as acute shortages of medical supplies meant staff prioritised emergency patients over others, she would be presented “on an almost daily basis” with children with congenital conditions such as cleft palates, but “had to take the decision not to operate on these babies”.
“At that stage, malnutrition was so high and our equipment levels were so low that I couldn’t afford to bring a child into hospital and take the risk that they may get a post-operative wound infection and they wouldn’t have the nutritional support that they would need,” she said.
Tribal leader in Suwayda issues call for fighters from other provinces to ‘save our people’
As we reported earlier, Bedouin tribes who have been clashing with Druze fighters around the southern Syrian city of Suwayda have appealed to tribes from across Syria to come and join their fight, following the resumption of violence there.
Footage shows tribal leader Abdul Moneim Al Naseef issuing a call for support as he is surrounded by armed tribesmen.
“To repel harm from our people, and in response to God’s command, we direct a call to the tribes in all Syrian provinces to head immediately to Suwayda to save our people from massacres and ethnic cleansing,” he said.
“We call on the sons of our tribes to uphold the morals of Islam and Arabism and to not attack anyone except those who attack them.”
Syria’s Interior Ministry has said security forces are preparing to redeploy in the province of Suwayda to quell fighting that has broken out again between Druze and Bedouin tribes. Syria began withdrawing government troops from the province on Wednesday night.
Israeli settlers steal and kill dozens of sheep in Jordan Valley
Israeli settlers have stolen and killed dozens of Palestinian-owned sheep in the northern Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reports.
Mahdi Daraghmeh, the head of al-Malih village council, told Wafa the settlers stole dozens of sheep belonging to families in the Palestinian community in the northern Jordan Valley, before killing 117 of the sheep.
The armed settlers also attacked Palestinian-owned tents in the area and assaulted the occupants, according to Daraghmeh.
At least 18 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn
Sources in Gaza hospitals have told Al Jazeera that Israeli attacks have killed at least 18 people since dawn today.
In the latest killings, three people died in an Israeli attack on the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.
Earlier today, an Israeli attack hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza – previously designated a so-called “safe zone” – igniting a major fire and killing at least five people, including infants.
Syrian troops preparing to redeploy in Suwayda following appeal for help
Syria’s Interior Ministry has said security forces are preparing to redeploy in the province of Suwayda to quell fighting that has resumed between Druze and Bedouin tribes. A source at the ministry says the decision has been made after appeals from locals for help.
Suwayda province is yet again a battleground. Bedouin tribes decided to launch an attack on a Druze faction, the Suwayda Military Council, who they accuse of carrying out violations and abuses against civilians following the withdrawal of government troops earlier this week.
Bedouin tribes who live in this predominantly Druze province have appealed to tribes in other parts of Syria to come and join the fight. Yesterday, we were in the Suwayda governorate and saw families leaving the area, carrying their belongings, fearful of what is coming next.
This is really a very dangerous development in post-Assad Syria.
The big question is what Israel would do. It has said it will not allow the presence of government forces in the south. We’ll have to see what happens in the coming hours.
Druze ‘just an excuse’ for Israel to enforce hegemony in Syria
Israel’s claims to have been acting to protect the Druze community in Suwayda were merely an excuse for it to pursue its own security goals in southern Syria, an academic says.
Gamal Mansour, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, told Al Jazeera that the clashes between Druze fighters and government troops and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria had given Israel “a good excuse” to intervene and demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the south, while Israel extended its security borders further.
“The Druze are just a useful tool,” said Mansour. “It gives Israel an opportunity to enforce, again, its hegemony over the region.”
He said, “[The violence in Suwayda presented] a good excuse for Israel to say: ‘See, this is why we want you to enforce our security doctrine, this is why we want you to do certain things.’”
The fact that Israel’s actions also drew support for the government from Israeli Druze was just a “side benefit”, he said.
Israeli public divided over continuing war in Gaza: New poll
According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Israeli news outlet Maariv, about 44 percent of the Israeli public said the continued war in Gaza will not achieve the country’s goals.
A total of 42 percent of those surveyed said they believe the fighting will lead to achieving the goals, while 11 percent of the respondents said they are undecided.
Maariv also noted that of those who support the current coalition government, 73 percent think the military will achieve its goals, while 70 percent of opposition supporters think otherwise.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of those asked said Israel should intervene militarily in Syria to prevent harm to the Druze population, while 27 percent opposed, and 25 percent said they were undecided over the issue.
Syrian forces prepare to redeploy to Suwayda in response to fighting: Interior Ministry
Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the southern city of Suwayda to respond to fighting between Druze and Bedouin tribes, a spokesperson for Syria’s Interior Ministry says.
Israel has previously warned the Syrian government to withdraw its forces from the south, launching strikes on government troop positions and targets in Damascus to reinforce its message.
Four Palestinians killed in latest Israeli attack on northern Gaza
At least four people have been killed in an Israeli air attack in Jabalia an-Nazla, northern Gaza, sources at al-Shifa Hospital told our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic.
Earlier, sources and officials from Gaza said at least 10 people have already been killed across the besieged territory since dawn on Friday.
On Thursday, more than 90 people were killed in several Israeli attacks.
We will keep you updated.
Israeli physicians’ group say GHF ‘must be removed’ from Gaza
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said the continued presence of the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) “endangers Palestinian lives”.
Castigating the GHF’s methods after at least 19 people were crushed to death at one of its food distribution sites on Wednesday in the south of Gaza, the Israeli physicians’ group said “this is not what humanitarian aid looks like.
“This is what systematic harm to human beings looks like,” it said.
GHF “must be removed from the Strip immediately and replaced with systematic, independent international aid”, it added.
“Only neutral and internationally recognised humanitarian organisations can put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.”
