Israel targets Gaza aid seekers as Syria deploys forces to Suweida

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow at 9am BST. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage of Israel's war on Gaza here.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres" in the conflict-stricken south of the country.

"If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria... they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent ISIS and any other violent jihadists from entering the area and carrying out massacres," Rubio said in a statement posted to X.

German ambassador to Israel, Steffan Seibert, condemned an attack by right-wing activists against Israeli Knesset member Ayman Odeh, writing on X: "Solidarity with Arab Israeli MK [Ayman Odeh] after thugs attacked his car apparently chanting racist slogans. Violence against democratic lawmakers is unacceptable."

Clashes in Syria's city of Sweida were halted and the area cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters following the deployment of Syrian security forces to enforce a ceasefire, the interior ministry's spokesperson said late on Saturday.

The government had said security forces were deploying in the southern region to try to keep peace after nearly a week of factional conflict between members of the Druze community and Syrian Bedouin tribes.

Opposition Knesset members Yair Golan of The Democrats and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid have condemned the attack on fellow Hadash Knesset member Aymen Odeh by right-wing protesters who damaged the car in which he was travelling to a rally. 

"I condemn the violence against MK Odeh and call on the police to find those responsible and bring them to justice. There is no place for political violence in a democratic state," Lapid said, according to The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, Golan said the incident was the "direct result of prolonged political incitement" against Odeh.

"Those who vote in the Knesset in favour of ousting an Arab public official because of his opinions cannot be shocked when rioters attack him in the street," Golan said, adding that the incident was "an attack against the entire Arab minority in Israel."

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes killed two people in south Lebanon on Saturday as the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah operatives, despite a ceasefire with the Iran-backed group.

The ministry said an "Israeli enemy drone strike" killed one person in the town of Khiam, while another raid hit a motorbike and killed another person in Yohmor al-Shaqeef, elsewhere in south Lebanon.

The state-run National News Agency said the raid in Khiam killed a man who was repairing plumbing on the roof of a house.

The chief of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Jan Egeland, has slammed comments made by the EU's foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas that there were "some good signs" of aid entry into Gaza.

"For NRC and many others, no relief has entered for 142 days. Not one truck. Not one delivery. For the few actors allowed to bring in limited supplies, the UN reports that from 19 May to 14 July, an average of just 28 trucks per day have been collected for distribution inside Gaza," he said in a post on X.

"Why? Because humanitarian convoys move without security, drivers come under fire, and civilians are killed waiting for food," he added.

In his statement, he went on to condemn the "militarised 'distribution sites'" operated by the US and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which he said had been the site of "mass civilian deaths, not relief."

He added that Kallas had been "misleading", and that her comments "undermine the reality aid workers and civilians face every day."

Families survive on one poor-quality meal per day — if that. Markets are empty, prices have skyrocketed, and people are now scavenging in garbage to feed their children.

Aid cannot operate in chaos.

Access means more than entry — it means safe, reliable, principled delivery.…

— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) July 19, 2025

France's foreign ministry urged all sides to respect a ceasefire announced on Saturday for Syria's Sweida, where tribal fighters have continued to clash with Druze fighters despite the truce.

"France welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in the Sweida region. It urges all parties to strictly adhere to it," the ministry said. "Fighting and violence must cease immediately."

Two Israeli soldiers, a reservist and an officer, were severely wounded fighting in southern Gaza, the Israeli military announced on Saturday.

Right-wing activists have attacked a vehicle carrying Knesset member and head of the political party Hadash, Aymen Odeh, as he arrived to give a speech at a protest in the city of Nes Tziona. 

Odeh recently survived a vote to oust him from the Knesset by the government and other Knesset members, although the ballot ultimately failed to pass. 

According to Haaretz, Ofeh said that "a few dozen rioters surrounded the vehicle, knocked on the vehicle and broke its windshield." He added that he "won't let the fascists win." 

Video later posted online shows protesters throwing objects at Odeh as he was on stage.

At least 58,765 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, while 140,485 have been wounded as the war on Gaza continues, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed.

Over the past 48 hours, 98 people have been killed and 511 injured in Israeli attacks.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Saturday for the perpetrators of an attack on a Palestinian church in the occupied West Bank blamed on Israeli settlers to be prosecuted, calling it an "act of terror".

Huckabee said he had visited the Christian town of Taybeh, where clerics said Israeli settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church on 8 July.

"It is an act of terror, and it is a crime," Huckabee said in a statement, "Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh – or anywhere – (should) be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that's not enough."

Israel's government has not commented on the incident, but has previously denounced such acts.

At least 104 Palestinians have now been killed in Israeli attacks since Saturday, including 37 aid seekers.

Dozens of Syrians from minority communities rallied on Saturday in central London, calling for action to protect the Druze in their Suweida heartland, where sectarian violence has killed hundreds.

Around 80 protesters chanted "God protect Druze" and "Stop supporting Jolani", referring to Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's nom de guerre, which he had abandoned after his Islamist group seized Damascus late last year.

The demonstrators in the British capital held up placards calling for an end to deadly violence in Suweida over the past week and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened up via the Jordanian border.

Five people have been killed after an Israeli air strike struck Gaza City in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, the Palestinian Red Crescent has told Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military says it killed a "terrorist" from the elite Radwan force of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Khiam.

The army claimed the man was "attempting to rehabilitate the organisation's terror infrastructure".

Fifty-five people have been arrested in London under anti-terrorism laws after protesters gathered at a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action.

"55 people were arrested in Parliament Square for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action which is a proscribed group," London’s Metropolitan Police announced on X.

ARREST UPDATE: 55 people were arrested in Parliament Square for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action which is a proscribed group.

They were arrested under Sec 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 19, 2025

Israeli attacks have now killed at least 90 Palestinians since Saturday, including 36 aid seekers.

A civilian has been killed by an Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon while working to repair the plumbing network on the roof of a house, state news agency NNA reports.

An Israeli drone killed one person in Gaza City in the Tuffah neighbourhood, Al Jazeera reports.

The EU on Saturday welcomed a US-brokered ceasefire between Syria and Israel, saying it was "appalled" by the deadly sectarian violence in Syria's southern Druze heartland that prompted Israeli strikes.

"Now is the time for dialogue and for advancing a truly inclusive transition. Syria's transitional authorities, together with local authorities, bear the responsibility to protect all Syrians without distinction," the European Union's diplomatic service said in a statement.

It also called for all perpetrators behind "grave violations" of international law to be held accountable.

At least 70 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Saturday in a series of Israeli attacks. This includes 36 aid seekers.

Almost 1,500 Gazan students sat for their Tawjihi exams on Saturday amid Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Due to the war, the Palestinian Ministry of Education launched the exams remotely, using a special digital platform.

"This extraordinary step was taken in light of the genocide and devastation Gaza continues to endure," said Education Minister Amjad Barham during a press conference in Ramallah. 

Three Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces targeted civilians gathering in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, medical sources told Wafa.

The number of Palestinians killed since Saturday has risen to at least 50 as Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip. The toll includes 32 aid seekers near aid sites in Rafah.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that dozens of Israelis crossed the border with Syria into Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It said the Israeli citizens used violence against Israeli forces trying to disperse a gathering in the area overnight. 

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday renewed his pledge to protect minorities, after sectarian clashes left over 300 people dead in the Druze-majority province of Suweida.

"The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, Sharaa said in a televised speech, shortly after his office announced an "immediate ceasefire" in the southern province.

Syria's government said its internal security forces began deploying in Suweida on Saturday as the presidency called on all parties to respect a ceasefire following bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has left hundreds dead.

The Syrian presidency announced on Saturday an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire following days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has left over 300 people dead.

In its statement, the Syrian presidency urged all parties to commit to the ceasefire and end hostilities in all areas immediately.

Syrian security forces have begun deploying in the Druze-majority province of Suweida, where sectarian violence has left more than 700 people dead, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

"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.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the conflict in Syria needs to end immediately, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Saturday.

Fidan said that he supports the constructive role the United States is playing in Syria, and Turkey is ready to work with it to achieve a lasting end to the conflict, the source said.

"Fidan said that Israel's interventions in Syrian territory further exacerbate the problem, and that any attack on Syria's territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty also undermines regional peace efforts," the source said.