Trump ‘caught off guard' by Israeli strikes in Syria, Gaza church attack: White House
US President Donald Trump. Photo by AFP
ISTANBUL - US President Donald Trump was "caught off guard" by Israel's bombing in Syria and the strike on a Catholic church in Gaza, prompting calls to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address both situations, the White House said Monday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
"The president was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of the Catholic church in Gaza.
"In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
On July 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in Suwayda in southern Syria.
The situation worsened on July 16 when the Israeli military conducted strikes near the Syrian presidential palace and on the General Staff headquarters and Defence Ministry.
Israel also attacked the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza last Thursday, killing three people and injuring 10, including the parish priest. A view of the damage to the Holy Family church in Gaza City following an Israeli strike on the church, in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on July 17. Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP
Israeli strikes in Syria have led to "growing scepticism inside the Trump administration' regarding Netanyahu, with a sense that his policies in the Middle East are "too disruptive,' the US-based Axios news site reported Sunday.
On Gaza, Leavitt said the conflict has been going on "far too long" and has become "quite brutal" in recent days.
"The president never likes to see that," Leavitt said, referring to the increasing death toll in Gaza due to Israeli attacks. "He wants the killing to end, and he wants to negotiate a ceasefire in this region, and he wants to see all of the hostages released from Gaza," she added.
Since March 2, Israel has enforced a total blockade on Gaza, barring the entry of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a man-made famine, with no sign of easing.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. - BERNAMA-ANADOLU
More Like This
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
India says May ceasefire with Pakistan was not mediated by Trump
An Indian soldier guard at a check point near the site of a gun battle on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, July 28, 2025. Tensions between India and Pakistan had escalated after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. - AP NEW DELHI: India has said it ended military operations against Pakistan in May without any external pressure, pushing back on US President Donald Trump's claim that he brokered the ceasefire. Any claim to the contrary is "absolutely baseless," said Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday (July 28) during a parliamentary debate on the military offensive. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours escalated after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. In response, Indian forces struck targets in Pakistan two weeks later, sparking cross-border fighting and mutual airstrikes. Both countries unexpectedly announced a ceasefire on May 10. Trump said at the time that he had helped mediate between the two sides, using trade policy to pressure them into ending hostilities. He also announced his intention to seek a long-term solution to the conflict over Kashmir and has repeatedly said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for what he considers to be his successful mediation. Singh, on the other hand, said on Monday that India had stopped the military operation because the "political and military objectives" had been achieved. Singh's comments echoed earlier remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in June said there had been no US involvement and that the ceasefire was agreed bilaterally. - dpa
Malaysiakini
an hour ago
- Malaysiakini
'President of peace': Trump says he ended Thai-Cambodia row
United States President Donald Trump has claimed personal credit for ending hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, describing himself as the 'president of peace.' In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had spoken with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Herald Malaysia
an hour ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope: May blood of ‘martyrs' in DRC church attack become seed of peace
Pope Leo XIV expresses sorrow and spiritual closeness following the deadly attack on the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jul 29, 2025 File photo of the aftermath of violence in the DRC (AFP or licensors) 'May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people,' the Pope writes in his message following a brutal attack on a Catholic Church in Komanda town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nearly 40 people were killed Sunday in eastern Congo's Ituri province when rebels stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshippers. At least 38 people, including women and children, were confirmed dead in the church, while another five were killed in a nearby village. In a telegram addressed to Archbishop Mugalu, President of the Congolese Bishops' Conference on the Pope's behalf, Cardinal Pietro Parolin says, 'His Holiness Pope Leo XIV learned with dismay and deep sorrow of the attack perpetrated against the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, which caused the death of several faithful gathered for worship.' This tragedy, he continues, 'calls us even more urgently to work for the integral human development of the martyred population of that region.' Concluding the telegram, Pope Leo XIV imparts his Apostolic Blessing upon the Parish of Blessed Anuarite, the mourning families, the faithful of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the entire nation. Extremist militias According to Congolese authorities, the attacks in Komanda town in the conflict-battered region were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group backed by the Islamic State that has mostly targeted villagers in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda. The ADF has roots in Uganda in the 1990s. Following the overthrow of long-term dictator Idi Amin, a coalition of various discontent groups saw the new government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as anti-Muslim. Since then, the group has grown into a potent force but has been pushed out of Uganda's territories and now operates in the borderlands between Uganda and Congo, often targeting civilians in remote villages.--Vatican News
