UN: ‘No parallel' to Gaza's ‘horrific' destruction
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed urgent calls for an immediate Gaza ceasefire, warning the humanitarian crisis has reached 'horrific proportions.' Guterres said the level of death and destruction in Gaza has 'no parallel in recent times.'
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel bombs Syria's Druze city of Suwayda hours after ceasefire
Israeli forces have launched air strikes on Suwayda in southern Syria, as fighting returned to the predominantly Druze city hours after the Syrian government declared a ceasefire. The Syrian Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Tuesday that armed groups had resumed attacks on Syrian government forces with support from the Israeli Air Force. Syria condemned Israel's intervention as a violation of international law, while influential Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri said in a statement that it was Syrian government troops who breached a truce announced earlier in the day. The Israeli air attacks came after Hikmat al-Hajri urged local fighters to confront what he described as a barbaric attack from government forces. Israel has claimed its attacks on the southern Syrian region bordering Israel are meant to protect the Druze minority, which it sees as potential allies. In a statement shared on social media, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said that Israel could not 'stand idly by' as the Druze engaged in fighting. 'We see massacres and insults against the Druze, and we must fight against the terrorism regime in Syria,' Chikli said, claiming it was a 'grave mistake' to acknowledge Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as the 'legitimate leader' of the country. Fighting between Bedouin tribes and local Druze fighters has reportedly killed more than 30 people and injured more than 100 since Sunday in Suwayda. Bedouin and Druze armed factions have a longstanding feud in Suwayda, with violence occasionally erupting. United States envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Washington was in contact with all sides 'to navigate towards calm and integration'. Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid reporting from Damascus said that the situation in Suwayda has 'further escalated, with multiple Israeli drone and air strikes they claim are in support of Druze fighters'. Syrian government declared 'complete ceasefire' The latest developments come hours after Syrian Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra declared a truce in a post on social media, saying: 'To all units operating within the city of Suwayda, we declare a complete ceasefire.' Abu Qasra's announcement came shortly after the ministry deployed government forces to halt the fighting between Bedouin tribes and local fighters. The recent fighting was the first outbreak of deadly violence in the area since fighting between members of the Druze community and security forces killed dozens of people in April and May. Syria's Druze population numbers about 700,000, with Suwayda being home to the sect's largest community. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that originated as a 10th-century offshoot of a branch of Shia Islam. In Syria, the Druze primarily reside in the southern Suwayda province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. Since the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, concerns have been raised over the rights and safety of minorities under the new authorities, who have also struggled to re-establish security more broadly. In April, hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed in apparent retribution after fighting broke out between government forces and armed groups loyal to al-Assad, who belongs to the Alawite religious sect. Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on neighbouring Syria since December 2024, averaging one every three to four days. The latest attacks come as the Netanyahu government continues to wage war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 58,479 people since October 2023. As well as Gaza and Syria, Israel has also launched attacks on the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Iran and Yemen in recent months.
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
UN reports surge in settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank
dpa Geneva The UN Human Rights Office has raised the alarm over a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to the office in Geneva, 96 Palestinians were injured in June alone - the highest monthly figure in over two decades. Hundreds of homes were also destroyed. Since the beginning of this year, the UN has documented 757 settler attacks that resulted in Palestinian casualties or property damage - a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2024, a spokesman said on Tuesday. These actions, the spokesman added, are contributing to the ongoing consolidation of Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank, a practice deemed illegal under international law. The forced displacement of civilians in occupied territories may constitute a crime against humanity, the office warned. Child killed by gunshot to the head Israeli security forces have used force against unarmed individuals in the West Bank, the UN office said. The spokesman cited the case of a 2-year-old Palestinian child who was shot in the head and killed in January, and a 61-year-old man who was fatally shot while riding a bicycle in July. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 964 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to UN figures. Nearly 3,000 homes have been demolished, often on the grounds that they lacked building permits, even though such permits are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain, the spokesman said. In the same period, 35 Israelis in the West Bank and 18 more inside Israel have been killed in Palestinian attacks or clashes. UN criticizes Israeli plans for displacement camp in Gaza The UN Human Rights Office also condemned Israeli government plans for a designated zone in southern Gaza meant to house displaced Palestinians. Israel has referred to the site as a 'humanitarian city,' but the UN says the project could amount to forced relocation, which is prohibited under international law. Palestinians ordered to move there would be at risk of arbitrary detention, and the proposed relocation could not be described as voluntary, the spokesman said, noting that with basic infrastructure destroyed, people would have no real choice in their movements.
Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
UN rapporteur demands global action to stop Israel's ‘genocide' in Gaza
The United Nations's special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian Territories has said that it is time for nations around the world to take concrete actions to stop Israel's 'genocide' in Gaza. Francesca Albanese spoke to delegates from 30 countries meeting in Colombia's capital, Bogota, on Tuesday to discuss Israel's brutal assault and ways nations can try to stop the offensive in the besieged enclave. Many of the participating nations have described Israel's war on Gaza as a genocide against the Palestinians. More than 58,000 people have been killed since Israel launched the assault in October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israeli forces have also imposed several total blockades on the territory throughout the war, pushing Gaza's 2.3 million residents to the brink of starvation. 'Each state must immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel … and ensure its private sector does the same,' Albanese said. 'The Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation that has now turned genocidal.' The two-day conference organised by Colombia and South Africa is being attended mostly by developing nations, although Spain, Ireland and China have also sent delegates. The conference is co-chaired by South Africa and Colombia, which last year suspended coal exports to Israeli power plants. It includes the participation of members of The Hague Group, a coalition of eight countries that earlier this year pledged to cut military ties with Israel and comply with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For decades, South Africa's governing African National Congress party has compared Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank with its own history of oppression under the harsh apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Black people to areas called 'homelands', before ending in 1994. The gathering comes as the European Union weighs various measures against Israel, which include a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements, an arms embargo and individual sanctions against Israeli officials who are found to be blocking a peaceful solution to the conflict. Colombian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo said on Monday that the nations participating in the Bogota meeting, which also include Qatar and Turkiye, will be discussing diplomatic and judicial measures to put more pressure on Israel to cease its attacks. The Colombian official described Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as an affront to the international order. 'This is not just about Palestine,' Jaramillo said in a news conference. 'It is about defending international law and the right to self-determination.' Special rapporteur Albanese's comments echoed remarks she made earlier on Tuesday addressed to the EU. The bloc's foreign ministers had been meeting in Brussels to discuss possible action against Israel. In a series of posts on X, Albanese wrote that the EU is 'legally bound' to suspend its association agreement with Israel, citing its obligations under international law. Albanese said the EU is not only Israel's top trading partner but also its top investment partner, nearly double the size of the US, and 'trade with an economy inextricably tied to occupation, apartheid and genocide is complicity'.
