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Here’s where things stand on Friday 18 July 2025:
- An Israeli combat veteran has urged the government to quickly address concerns of soldiers returning from the war in Gaza, amid reports of increasing suicide rates.
- The daily death toll in Gaza continues to mount, with Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent reporting that at least 56 more people were killed in Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave since dawn on Thursday
- Condemnation grows over Israel’s deadly attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which has killed three people and left at least 10 injured.
- Syrian state media has reported an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of Suwayda in the country’s south despite efforts by Damascus to cement a ceasefire between warring Druze and Bedouin fighters.
- 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 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 recognized humanitarian organisations can put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.”
Israeli combat veteran raises alarm over increasing suicide of soldiers since October 7
An Israeli combat veteran has urged the government to quickly address concerns of soldiers returning from the war in Gaza, amid reports of increasing suicide rates.
In an interview with the Israeli public broadcaster, Kan, Tzachi Atedagi, an advocate for the protection of mental health of soldiers, noted that 10 soldiers recently took their own lives in a span of less than two weeks.
“We are crying out. Enough is enough,” Atedagi told Kan Network B’s This Morning programme.
“There are a lot of combat veterans roaming the streets, but it is very difficult for us [to get help] with all the bureaucracy around,” he said.
“Sometimes, a combat veteran doesn’t have 24 hours to wait,” he added, citing several reports of soldiers who killed themselves while waiting for health intervention from the government.
Earlier this week, the Times of Israel reported that a soldier was seriously wounded in an apparent attempted suicide while in training in southern Israel.
In January 2025, the Israeli army reported that 28 soldiers had taken their own lives since the start of the war, marking the highest toll in 13 years.
Since then, several more cases of suicides by soldiers have been reported, although an official tally will not be released by the Israeli military until the end of the year.
US intelligence confirms Iranian president injured during Israeli attack in June: Report
US broadcaster CBS said two American intelligence sources confirmed an earlier statement by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that he was injured during one of Israel’s attacks on Iran last month.
The sources described as “accurate” the reports from Iranian news media that the Israeli attack took place while Pezeshkian was attending a Supreme National Security Council meeting. The president reportedly sustained leg injuries while escaping through an emergency shaft, the report said.
It remains unclear if Pezeshkian was targeted in the Israeli attack, but several senior military officials, as well as top nuclear scientists, were killed in Israeli assassinations during the 12-day conflict.
In an interview with the US right-wing host Tucker Carlson earlier this month, Pezeshkian said Israel had attempted to assassinate him.
At least 10 Palestinians killed in Israel strikes on Gaza since dawn
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since dawn, medical sources in the territory have told Al Jazeera.
Among them were five Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people in southern Gaza, staff at the Nasser Medical Complex confirmed. Ten others were injured in the strike.
Israeli police reopen settler attack probe after press investigation revelations
Israeli police have reopened an investigation into an Israeli settler attack on a peace activist in the occupied West Bank, following a damning report into failures to investigate the case.
Israeli outlet Haaretz reported on Thursday that authorities had closed their probe into the assault – which took place in village of Mughayyir al-Deir – claiming they were unable to identify the suspects.
In May, settlers attacked a group of Palestinians and Israeli peace activists accompanying them in Mughayyir al-Deir. Among the peace activists was Avishay Mohar, who had his cameras, cellphone, wallet and other items stolen.
Mohar filed a police complaint which included a picture of several of the attackers and the name of one assailant. His stolen computer’s GPS tracker was also active in the weeks after the attack, showing it was moving between illegal outposts in the West Bank.
But Israeli police closed the case, claiming they had been unable to identify the perpetrators.
Following Haaretz’s report this week, police said they had reopened it.
Alaa Azzam – the young singer from Gaza finally silenced by Israel’s bombs
Alaa Azzam documented the struggle to survive in Gaza by taking videos of himself singing and reciting the Quran.
Israel killed him in Gaza City along with many members of his family.
He is among scores of Palestinian artists killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Israel targets Bedouin convoy on Syrian highway: Report
Israeli forces have carried out an attack on Syria’s Palmyra-Homs highway, targeting a convoy of Bedouin fighters who were reportedly making their way towards restive Suwayda in the south of the country, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News.
Bedouin fighters have still managed to reach the Suwayda area in the last few hours, the report said, confirming earlier reports from Arabic language news media.
Syria’s leadership has condemned Israel’s attacks as a violation of its sovereignty amid attempts to cement a ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south.
Israel has justified its latest bombing of Syria on the grounds that it is protecting the Druze minority.
If you’re just joining us
Here’s a look at the latest developments:
- The Israeli military has continued its assault on Gaza with several overnight attacks, including a strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the south, which killed at least five people, including three women and a child.
- Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has condemned Israel’s days of attacks on Syria in a phone conversation with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
- State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US condemns the violence in Syria, adding that Washington “did not support recent Israeli strikes”.
- The Israeli military has shot and arrested a Palestinian man after raiding several homes in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
- France’s Foreign Ministry has said European diplomats told Iran they will reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal “by the end of the summer”.
Displacement camp in Gaza ‘amounts to a crime’
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he believes Israel’s proposal for a “humanitarian camp” in southern Gaza is both impractical and ineffective – though he rejected comparisons to a concentration camp.
“It’s bad, it shouldn’t be done. But it’s not a concentration camp and it’s not a genocide,” he told Al Jazeera.
Pro-MAGA news network airs segment criticising Israeli settler attacks on US citizens
The far-right One America News Network has aired a segment critical of Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, in the latest signal of an apparent shift within America’s right-wing.
Posting the segment on X, which is hosted by former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, the pro-MAGA network asked: “How many Americans do Israeli settlers have to kill before we care?”
Gaetz – President Trump’s original pick for attorney general before he withdrew his candidacy over mounting scandals – discussed the killing of Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet by Israeli settlers last week. He said the 20-year-old Florida-born man was “peacefully” in the occupied West Bank visiting family before he was “murdered” by a mob of Israeli settlers.
“Truth is this isn’t an isolated tragedy in the West Bank, it’s part of a pattern of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities, including the torching of homes, farms and lives, all while protected by Israeli forces who are funded by US tax dollars,” Gaetz said.
“Israel rarely holds these killers accountable,” he added.
More condemnation of Israel’s attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church
Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l’Oeuvre d’Orient, has described Israel’s deadly attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church as “totally unacceptable”.
“It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population,” Gollnisch told the AFP news agency.
“There were families, there were civilians,” he said.
Qatar’s emir condemns Israel’s ‘flagrant violation’ of Syrian sovereignty
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has condemned Israel’s days of attacks on Syria in a phone conversation with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The emir described Israel’s bombing of Syria as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty, international law, the United Nations Charter, “and a threat to regional stability”, according to a statement from Sheikh Tamim’s office on Friday.
The Qatari leader also expressed his support for Syria to strengthen its unity, ensure its territorial integrity, and prevent any attempts to destabilise it, according to the statement.
Filipino sailors given hero’s welcome home after Houthi Red Sea ordeal
Eight Filipino sailors have received a hero’s welcome in Manila after surviving a Houthi attack in the Red Sea – part of the Yemen-based group’s campaign to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza – earlier this month.
Filipino officials praised their resilience, highlighting the risks faced by overseas Filipino workers, who are vital to the country’s economy.
Over half the crew of the MV Eternity C remain missing, underscoring the dangers for Filipino seafarers, who form a third of the global maritime workforce.
Photos: Israel’s nonstop destruction of the Gaza Strip
Israeli military continues raid, arrest campaign in Nablus
Earlier, we reported that the Israeli military had shot and arrested a Palestinian man during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
The hours-long military operation continues, the Palestinian Information Center reports, with Israeli forces launching a raid and arrest campaign on homes in the new Askar refugee camp, east of the city.
We will bring you more information when we have it.
Israel bombs only Catholic church in Gaza
Israel’s deadly shelling of Gaza’s only Catholic church has prompted a call for an immediate ceasefire from Pope Leo in the Vatican.
Three people were killed in the strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, and several people were wounded.
A funeral service has been held for the victims of the attack.
Europeans tell Iran they will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal
France’s Foreign Ministry has said European diplomats told Iran on Thursday they will reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran doesn’t make progress on a nuclear deal “by the end of the summer”.
A clause in Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, agreed with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, plus Germany and the European Union – allows for UN sanctions against Tehran to be reimposed in case of non-compliance.
Britain, France, Germany and the EU have now told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of their “determination” to use the “snapback mechanism” in the absence of “concrete progress” towards a deal curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme, France’s Foreign Ministry said.
There has been much speculation about the status of Tehran’s nuclear programme since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
‘None of us will be free until Palestine is free’
Twelve countries attending The Hague Group conference in Bogota, Colombia, have announced immediate actions against Israel in order to try and stop its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Hague Group was founded earlier this year by several countries in the Global South to coordinate international action aimed at holding Israel accountable under international law.
AJ+ spoke with Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, executive secretary of the group, on how Israel has been allowed to act with impunity despite global calls for a ceasefire and a case led by South Africa at the International Criminal Court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Israeli strike on Gaza tent camp kills 3 women, child
At least five people, including three women and a child, have been killed following an Israeli bombardment that hit tents sheltering people forcibly displaced by the Israeli military in southern Gaza, our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic report.
Citing sources from Nasser Hospital, the strike on the so-called al-Mawasi “safe zone” also injured at least 20 people.
We will keep you updated as soon as we receive more details.
What’s the real motive behind Israel’s involvement in Syria?
Israeli warplanes bombed Syria, including the capital Damascus, as part of a wave of cross-border strikes on Wednesday and Thursday that put the region on edge.
Israel says it is trying to protect Syria’s Druze minority in the southern city of Suwayda. But Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa warns Israel is trying to sow conflict and division for its own benefit.
How will Israel’s intervention shape Syria’s future?