Latest news with #Israeli-occupied
Mada
3 hours ago
- Health
- Mada
Hospitals receiving 120 malnutrition patients daily in Gaza, Health Ministry official says
Around 120 patients suffering from malnutrition are reaching Gaza's hospitals daily, Zaher al-Wahidy, director of the Health Ministry's Health Information Unit in Gaza, told Mada Masr this week. Many of the cases flooding into hospitals are children under five years of age, he said. At least 101 people, 80 of them children, have died from hunger and malnutrition-related complications as a result of Israel's starvation policies, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Eighteen of the deaths were recorded in a 24-hour period at the beginning of the week, as the impacts of mass-starvation conditions accelerate amid a severe scarcity of food in markets. Photojournalist Bashir Abu Shaar had to put his camera up for sale to afford a bag of flour for his family. It was his only source of income, but he said he 'could no longer bear to watch his children starve.' Flour and other food supplies have nearly vanished from Gaza's markets. The shortage has caused prices to soar to 'unbelievable' levels, said Khalil Daher, who was seeking flour in Gaza City's markets earlier this week. He told Mada Masr that traders are selling flour at rates surpassing even those seen during the 'first famine,' the weeks of hunger people lived through during Israel's siege on the strip in 2023, in the early months of its genocidal war. Prices for a kilogram of flour have reached nearly 150 shekels (around US$45), with some reports of a 1 kilogram sack being sold for over $100. Dhaher stood helpless among hundreds of other residents of Gaza City being starved after the trader he used to buy flour from ran out of supplies. He searched the markets for another source but came up empty-handed, unable to ease the days-long hunger his children have endured. For others, even seeking flour isn't an option. Eman Salha and her three children ran out of flour some time ago, and haven't had bread for two weeks. She told Mada Masr that their household has been plunged into destitution, since they have lost their only source of income to the war. To feed her children, Salha now relies on lentils and pasta cooked over a wood fire. For Barakat Eid, who hasn't eaten in three days, hunger has left his body so frail he can no longer walk to search for food for himself and his children. He, too, said he can't afford flour to 'quiet his children's empty stomachs.' Scarcity and unbridled inflation have left a majority of Gaza's residents dependent on food aid, the World Food Programme said on Sunday. But with Israeli settlers and soldiers sabotaging aid convoys before they can reach their destinations in the strip, and its military blocking humanitarian organizations' access, obtaining food aid is a highly dangerous process. Small quantities of aid are distributed daily at sites managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, located within Israeli-occupied militarized combat zones in Rafah, Khan Younis and central Gaza. Thousands of people wait at different sites each day, with only a few able to obtain food parcels as Israeli troops and aircraft open frequent fire on the crowds. Over 1,000 people have been killed while trying to get food since the GHF began operating at the end of May. Others have been crushed to death by the degree of crowding. Accessing the small quantities of United Nations food aid entering Gaza from the north likewise became fatal for more than 80 Palestinians this week, as Israeli forces opened fire on the crowds of thousands who had come to obtain supplies from a convoy of WFP trucks. The quantities of aid are insufficient after four months of the siege. Mohamed al-Arabid, a Gaza City resident, managed to secure ten kilograms of flour last week from a truck that reached northern Gaza. The supply only lasted his large family a few days, he said. 'That's the reality for decent people,' he told Mada Masr. 'Even though I got it from the grip of death, it's unbearable to think you have flour while others have none. You wish you had a whole truck to distribute to people.' One flour vendor who was selling his stock at high prices told Mada Masr he had obtained the supplies from the deadly GHF centers. He risks his life to get the flour and could 'be killed at any moment' in the process, he said, justifying the rates. 'Or else I'd keep it for my family.' Price hikes and hoarding led tens of thousands of Gaza's residents to take to the markets on Sunday to protest trading practices — particularly for basic staples like flour, the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam reported. Ibrahim Ahmed, one of the protesters, told Mada Masr that he joined the demonstration at the Nasr market in northern Gaza City to denounce traders' exploitation. He said profiteering off people's need has peaked in recent days and blamed the dire situation on the closure of border crossings and the tightening of the blockade. On Saturday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it has food supplies in storage that could sustain the entire population of Gaza for more than three months. But the aid remains stuck in warehouses — including in Egypt's Arish City — pending clearance for entry. The agency repeated its call to open the crossings and lift the blockade on the strip. Gaza's population has now entered the most severe conditions of food insecurity, or Phase 5 famine as per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the Health Ministry's information unit director said on Monday. He noted that around 5,500 patients were recorded suffering with malnutrition in May, rising to 6,300 in June, warning that the risks are especially high for mothers, breastfeeding women and the elderly.
Channel 4
4 days ago
- Politics
- Channel 4
Syria sends forces to end violence between Bedouin and Druze militias
The Syrian government has declared that a ceasefire will be enforced to end clashes between Bedouin and Sunni tribal fighters – and Druze militias. But today the violence continued. Syria's president says forces have been sent to end fighting in southern Suwayda, where hundreds of people have been killed. On Wednesday, Israel attacked targets in central Damascus and Suwayda, claiming the strikes were carried out to protect the Druze population. Today, members of the Druze community in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights again, briefly crossed into Syrian territory.
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
US says it opposed Israeli strikes in Syria - Region
The United States said Thursday that it opposed its ally Israel's strikes in Syria, a day after Washington helped broker a deal to end violence. "The United States did not support recent Israeli strikes," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. "We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states," she said. She declined to say if the United States had expressed its displeasure with Israel or whether it would oppose future strikes on Syria. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concern when asked about the Israeli strikes, which included attacking the defense ministry in Damascus. He later issued a statement that did not directly address the Israeli strikes but voiced broader concern about the violence. Israel said it was intervening on behalf of the Druze community after communal clashes. Israel has repeatedly been striking Syria, a historic adversary, since Islamist fighters in December overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the minority group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far away as possible from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. US President Donald Trump, who spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday by telephone, has sided with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in seeking a better relationship with Syria under its new leader, former guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Shafaq News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Netanyahu: Syrian regime crossed two red lines
Shafaq News – Suwayda Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Thursday that the ceasefire in Syria's Suwayda province and the withdrawal of Syrian General Security forces were direct results of 'strong Israeli operations.' In a televised speech, Netanyahu stated that Israel has adopted a clear policy on Syria, maintaining a demilitarized zone from the Golan Heights to Jabal al-Druze, the mountainous area in southern Syria predominantly inhabited by Druze communities. He accused the Syrian regime of violating two 'red lines', the demilitarized status of the area and the alleged targeting of Druze civilians. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would not allow the Syrian army to advance into southern Damascus or take actions against the Druze population. His speech came amid social media activists circulating videos reportedly showing an Israeli ground force — consisting of over 15 armored vehicles and military transports — entering southern rural Damascus from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Local sources claimed the force reached the town of Qatana, located about 10 kilometers from central Damascus. Separately, local media outlets reported that another Israeli military unit entered an area west of the town of al-Rafid in Quneitra governorate, further indicating expanded Israeli activity near the Syrian capital.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Explainer-Who are the Druze and why does Israel say it is hitting Syria for their sake?
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Syrian people are escorted by the Israeli military as they walk from Majdal Shams back to Syria, along the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, amid the ongoing conflict in the Druze areas in Syria, in Majdal Shams, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Violence in Syria pitting the Islamist-led government against members of the Druze community has put a spotlight on the small but influential minority. Straddling Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Druze occupy a special niche in the region's complex politics. Israel has cited protecting the Druze as a reason for attacking forces from the Islamist-led government this week. WHO ARE THE DRUZE? The Druze are Arabs who follow a religion derived from a branch of Islam. They maintain a degree of secrecy about the practice of their faith that emerged in the 11th century and incorporates elements from Islam and other philosophies, emphasizing monotheism, reincarnation and the pursuit of truth. Some hardline Sunni Muslims deem them heretics. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an Islamist who once belonged to al Qaeda, called them part of the Syrian fabric and vowed to protect their rights in a speech on Thursday. WHERE DO THEY LIVE? Syria's Druze are concentrated in the southwest in the Sweida region bordering Jordan and in areas of Quneitra province, near the occupied Golan. They also reside in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. In Israel, Druze reside primarily in the north and the occupied Golan. In Lebanon, they are concentrated in mountain regions, including Chouf and Aley, and others such as Hasbaya in south Lebanon. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore Premium China carmaker Hongqi, known for Xi Jinping's limos, to launch in Singapore in 2026 Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them HOW DO THEY FIT INTO REGIONAL POLITICS? Though a small minority, the Druze have often played an outsized role in the politics of countries where they live. In Israel, the Druze number 150,000. Unlike Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, many Druze Arabs serve in the Israeli military and police, including during the war in Gaza, and some have reached a high rank, meaning their voices cannot be easily ignored by Israel's political leadership. While most Druze in Israel identify as Israeli citizens, more than 20,000 living in the occupied Golan still identify as Syrians and have close ties to family on the other side of the border. Facing calls from Israeli Druze to help Syrian Druze, Israeli leaders have cited protecting them as a reason for attacking Syria repeatedly this year. Syria's Druze population is estimated to number around 1 million people. They held some protests against Bashar al-Assad after the eruption of the war in 2011 but there was little conflict between them and Damascus as it focused on trying to crush the uprising in Sunni-majority areas. Since Assad was toppled in December, friction with the Islamist-led authorities has ignited fighting several times. While some Druze leaders have urged accommodation with Damascus, others have come out strongly against Sharaa, notably Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, who urged resistance to government forces and appealed to world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during this week's violence. Some Druze figures have criticised this approach. Lebanon's Walid Jumblatt, one of region's most prominent Druze politicians, has rejected the notion that Israel is protecting Syria's Druze. He has warned against calls for international protection and called for Syrian national unity. WHAT IS DRIVING ISRAEL'S INTERVENTION? Israel bombed Syria frequently when Assad was in power, seeking to roll back the influence established by Iran and Iran-backed groups that deployed there to help him fight rebels. Israel has painted the new Syrian government as a jihadist threat, saying it won't allow it to deploy forces into southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile build-up at its border, whilst also vowing to protect the Druze minority. Israeli troops have also seized Syrian territory adjoining the occupied Golan Heights since December. Sharaa on Thursday said Israel was promoting division among Syrians, accusing it of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime". REUTERS
