Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, July 14
The Sudanese Doctors Network, a volunteer organization, reported that the attack took place on Sunday in Hillat Hamid village. Among the 46 fatalities were five women, and the wounded numbered 37. The group said local residents had to bury the victims in mass graves. (Sudan-Civil War-Death Toll)
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DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM -- At least 99 people have been killed and around 200 others wounded over the past two days in southern Syria's Sweida province, as clashes escalate between local Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and government forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday.
According to the Britain-based monitoring group, the fatalities include 60 from the Druze community -- among them two women and two children -- 18 from Bedouin tribes, 14 from the defense authorities, and seven unidentified individuals wearing military uniforms. (Syria-Israeli Strike-Sweida Clash)
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GAZA -- At least 47 Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling and gunfire across Gaza on Monday, according to Palestinian sources.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua that in central Gaza, five people were killed and four others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian gathering in the Bureij refugee camp, and one person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a water distribution tanker in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp. (Gaza-Israeli Attacks-Casualties)
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JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military said Monday it struck several Syrian army tanks in southern Syria, amid escalating clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria's Sweida province.
In a statement, the military said it identified Syrian tanks advancing between al-Mazra'ah and Sami' towards Sweida, and carried out strikes "to prevent their arrival in the area." (Israel-Syrian Tanks-Druze-Bedouin Clashes)
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New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Bodies and looted homes: Syria's Druze reeling after Sweida bloodshed
BEIRUT: One elderly man had been shot in the head in his living room. Another in his bedroom. The body of a woman lay in the street. After days of bloodshed in Syria's Druze city of Sweida, survivors emerged on Thursday to collect and bury the scores of dead found across the city. A ceasefire announced on Wednesday night brought an end to ferocious fighting between Druze militia and government forces sent to the city to quell clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters. The violence worsened sharply after the arrival of government forces, according to accounts to Reuters by a dozen residents of Sweida, two reporters on the ground and a monitoring group. Residents described friends and neighbours being shot at close range in their homes or in the streets. They said the killings were carried out by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and the insignia on them. Reuters was able to verify the time and location of some videos showing dead bodies, but could not independently verify who conducted the killings or when they occurred. Syrian Information Minister Hamzah al-Mustafa, in comments to Reuters after this story was published, said the authorities were "aware of the reports concerning serious violations during the recent events in Sweida, including acts that may constitute atrocities and sectarian incitement." "The Syrian Government strongly condemns all such acts and reaffirms its absolute rejection of sectarian violence in all its forms," Mustafa said. Mustafa added that Syria's authorities were unable to conduct immediate investigations due to the redeployment of their forces after international mediation to secure a ceasefire. The residents of Sweida who Reuters spoke to said the bloodshed had deepened their distrust of the Islamist-led government in Damascus and their worries about how Sharaa would ensure that Syria's minority groups were protected. In sectarian violence in Syria's coastal region in March hundreds of people from the Alawite minority were killed by forces aligned to Sharaa. "I can't keep up with the calls coming in now about the dead," said Kenan Azzam, a dentist who lives on the eastern outskirts of Sweida and spoke to Reuters by phone. He said he had just learned of the killing of a friend, agricultural engineer Anis Nasser, who he said had been taken from his home by government forces this week. "Today, they found his dead body in a pile of bodies in Sweida city," Azzam said. Another Sweida resident, who asked to be identified only as Amer out of fear of reprisals, shared a video that he said depicted his slain neighbours in their home. The video, which Reuters was not able to independently verify, showed the body of one man in a chair. On the floor were an elderly man with a gunshot wound to his right temple and a younger man, face down, in a pool of blood. Like the other cases of descriptions of killings in the city, Reuters could not verify who was responsible. Spokespeople for the interior and defence ministries did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on whether government forces were responsible for the killings in the homes and streets. In a video statement early on Thursday, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that protecting the rights of Druze was among his priorities and blamed "outlaw groups" seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians. He vowed to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Druze, but did not say whether government forces were responsible. The government's statement on Wednesday on a ceasefire for the region said a fact-finding mission would investigate the "crimes, violations and breaches that happened, determine who was responsible and compensate those affected... as quickly as possible." The Syrian Network for Human Rights, a rights monitor that documented violations throughout the civil war and has continued its work, said on Friday it had verified 321 people killed in Sweida, including medical personnel, women and children. Its head, Fadel Abdulghany, said the figure included field executions by both sides, Syrians killed by Israeli strikes and others killed in clashes, but that it would take time to break down figures for each category. Abdulghany said the Network had also documented cases of extrajudicial killings by Druze militias of government forces. The government did not give a death toll for its troops or for civilians killed in Sweida. The health ministry said dozens of dead government forces and civilians were found in the city's main hospital, but did not give further details. Syria's Druze follow a religion derived from Islam and is part of a minority that also has members in Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Ultra-conservative Sunni groups including Islamic State consider the Druze as heretics and attacked them throughout Syria's conflict, which erupted in 2011. Druze militias fought back, and Sweida was largely spared the violence that engulfed Syria. The 14-year war ended with the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December. When Sharaa's forces began fighting their way from northwest Syria to Damascus last year, many minorities feared the rebels and were heartened when fighters passed their towns and went straight to the capital. A reporter in Sweida who asked not to be identified said he witnessed government forces shoot four people at close range, including a woman and teenage boys. He said bodies littered the streets. One of them, a woman, lay face up on the pavement with an apparent stab wound to the stomach, he said. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, showed the reporter the body of his slain brother in a bedroom of their home on Tuesday. He had been shot in the head. A video verified by Reuters showed two bodies on a commercial street in central Sweida. Another showed bodies, several with gunshot wounds to the chest, in the Al-Radwan guest house in Sweida. Ryan Maarouf of local media outlet Suwayda24 told Reuters on Thursday he had found a family of 12 killed in one house, including naked women, an elderly man and two young girls. It was not possible to verify who killed the people in these cases. The reporter said he heard government forces yell "pigs" and "infidels" at Druze residents. The reporter said troops looted refrigerators and solar panels from homes and burned homes and alcohol shops, including after the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday. Some of the residents interviewed by Reuters said government forces shaved off the moustaches of Druze men - a humiliating act. Spokespeople for the interior and defence ministries did not immediately respond to questions on troops looting, burning homes, or using sectarian language and shaving moustaches. As the violence unfolded, Israel's military began strikes on government convoys in Sweida and the defence ministry and near the presidential palace in Damascus. US intervention helped end the fighting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "historic longtime rivalries" between Druze and Bedouin communities had "led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side."
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Gaza civil defence reports 26 killed near aid centres in Israeli attacks
GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defence agency reported on Saturday that Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded over 100 near two aid centres in southern Gaza. Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal stated that 22 died near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another centre northwest of Rafah, attributing both incidents to 'Israeli gunfire.' One witness, Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, described attempting to collect food before dawn with relatives when 'Israeli soldiers' opened fire. 'Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food,' he told AFP. The Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the claims. Media restrictions and access difficulties in Gaza prevent independent verification of casualty figures. The war, triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, has left Gaza's 2 million residents facing severe shortages of food and essentials, with doctors noting rising malnutrition cases. Deaths near aid centres have become frequent, with Palestinian authorities blaming Israeli forces. The civil defence agency reported nine killed near Rafah's Al-Shakoush area on Friday. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, managing aid since late May, said 20 died in Khan Yunis on Wednesday but accused 'agitators... affiliated with Hamas' of inciting chaos. The UN recorded 875 deaths while seeking aid, including 674 near GHF sites. A ceasefire demand by Hamas includes unrestricted aid access. - AFP
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Syria announces ceasefire in Sweida, urges end to hostilities
DAMASCUS: Syria's presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire on Saturday, calling on all parties to halt hostilities following violent clashes in the predominantly Druze region of Sweida. The statement urged full compliance to prevent further bloodshed after nearly a week of unrest that left hundreds dead. The Syrian interior ministry confirmed security forces had begun deploying in Sweida to restore order. The violence initially erupted between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions before escalating with government intervention. US envoy Tom Barrack, who serves as both ambassador to Turkey and Syria envoy, revealed on Friday that Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire backed by Turkey, Jordan, and neighboring states. Barrack emphasized the need for Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to disarm and work toward a unified Syrian identity. Israel stated its intervention aimed to protect the Druze minority while maintaining demilitarization near its border. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, however, accused Israel of fueling division. An Israeli official disclosed on Friday that limited Syrian military access to Sweida would be permitted for two days. - REUTERS
