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Here’s where things stand on Saturday 19 July 2025:
- At least 41 Palestinians, including those near food aid site in Rafah, killed in Israeli attacks today.
- World Food Programme (WFP) said thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are on the “verge of catastrophic hunger” with one in three people in the enclave not eating for days at a time.
- Hamas said Israel rejected a ceasefire proposal that would have seen the release of all remaining captives held in Gaza, and pledged it was prepared for a lengthy war if there is no deal.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 58,667 people and wounded 139,974. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Syria says security forces deploying to Suwayda
Syria’s interior ministry is saying that the country’s internal security forces have begun deploying in Suwatda.
“Internal security forces have begun deploying in Sweida 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 US ambassador to Turkiye said Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, drawing an uneasy truce between the neighbours after days of air strikes and sectarian bloodshed in Syria’s southwestern region.
Gaza death toll reaches 41
Sources in Gaza hospitals have told Al Jazeera that 41 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids on the Strip today, including 29 aid seekers.
At least 100 people have also been wounded.
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 escalated into 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 Daraa 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.
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.
Number of aid seekers killed in Israeli fire in Rafah rises to 29
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks while waiting to receive food aid in Rafah has risen to 29.
An estimated 900 people have been reported killed while waiting for food distribution in Gaza since the end of May. Most of those were killed in the vicinity of the GHF sites.
18 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since dawn
At least 18 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, medical sources have told our colleagues on the ground.
Among those killed are at least six in an Israeli strike on a tent housing displaced people in Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood, emergency workers said.
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.
Germany has been a staunch ally of Israel, supporting its war on Gaza as an act of necessary “self-defence”.
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.
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.
Gaza hospitals overwhelmed as malnutrition crisis worsens
Critical food shortages in Gaza are pushing the overwhelmed healthcare system closer to collapse, as starving Palestinians pour into hospitals.
The Palestinian Health Ministry is warning that unprecedented numbers of people are arriving malnourished and suffering from extreme exhaustion and memory loss.
At least 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli attack near aid site
At least 12 people have been killed after Israeli forces fired shots near a food distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Dozens of people were also wounded in the incident.
An estimated 900 people have been reported killed while waiting for food distribution in Gaza since the end of May. Most of those were killed in the vicinity of the GHF sites.
A recap of recent developments
- The Palestinian NGO Network said the Gaza Strip is experiencing the worst phase of a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of Israel’s starvation policy.
- The UN’s World Food Programme said one in three Palestinians are not eating for days at a time, as Israel’s blockade of Gaza continues.
- At least 51 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since dawn on Friday, including 14 who were seeking humanitarian aid supplies.
- Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas, said Israel has rejected a ceasefire deal that would release all captives held in Gaza, and pledged that the group is prepared for a lengthy war if there is no deal.
- Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire in southern Syria, US ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack said.
- Nearly 80,000 people have been displaced by the sectarian violence in Syria’s south that began last week, the UN’s migration agency said.
- US President Donald Trump said 10 Israeli captives will be released from Gaza shortly, but did not provide any details.
Welcome to our coverage
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza and its attacks on Syria.
Stay with us for the latest news, reactions and analyses.
You can find all our updates from Friday, July 18, here.
