Hamas says Israel making 'aggressive' incursions into Gaza City

3 days ago

by Naharnet Newsdesk 13 August 2025, 15:03
A Hamas official said Wednesday that Israeli forces were making "aggressive" incursions into Gaza City, after the military approved the framework for a new offensive in the territory.
"The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City," Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office in Gaza, told AFP.
"These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property."

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France urges Israel to drop West Bank settlement plan

LBCI

an hour ago

LBCI

France urges Israel to drop West Bank settlement plan

France's foreign ministry Saturday called on Israel to drop a plan to build thousands of new homes in the West Bank, calling the project "a serious violation of international law." A ministry spokesman said that France "condemns with the utmost firmness" the Israeli decision to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank. Several countries have said that the project, called E1, undermines hopes for a contiguous future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. AFP

Druze demand self determination in largest protest held since deadly clashes in Syria

Ya Libnan

4 hours ago

Ya Libnan

Druze demand self determination in largest protest held since deadly clashes in Syria

The Druze people demonstrated in Syria's southern city of Sweida and elsewhere on Saturday to demand the right to self determination for the Druze minority, in the largest protests to take place since deadly clashes in the area last month. Some of the protesters waved Israeli flags to thank Israel for intervening on their side during heavy clashes in mid-July between militias of the Druze minority and armed tribal groups and government forces. Protesters raised Druze flags and pictures of Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hajri. They chanted, 'Sweida is free, free… al-Golani must get out.' Protesters also held up signs reading, 'The right to self-determination is a sacred right for Sweida,' 'We demand the opening of a humanitarian crossing,' and 'Expel the General Security forces from our villages.' Some posters thanked Israel for intervening on their side during the heavy clashes in mid-July between the Druze and government forces Interim president Ahmed Sharra used to be known as Abu Mohammad Al Golani, when he headed up the al Qaeda linked al Nusra Front which created many problems for the Druze community Saturday's demonstration comes as Syria grapples with deep ethnic and religious divisions following the collapse of the Assad regime last December. The transition has proven fragile, with renewed violence erupting against the Aalwites in March along the coast and in July in Sweida, a city with a significant Druze population, highlighting the continued threat to peace after years of civil war. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian war monitor, said the protesters expressed their rejection of the interim central government in Damascus and demanded that those responsible for atrocities against Druze be brought to justice. Rayyan Maarouf, who heads the activist media collective Suwayda 24, said Saturday's demonstration in Sweida was the largest since last months's clashes, and that there were similar gatherings in areas including the nearby towns of Shahba and Salkhad. He added that this is the first time people protested under the slogan of self determination. 'This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria,' Maarouf told The Associated Press. Clashes erupted on July 13 between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes in Sweida. Government forces then intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins against the Druze. Israel intervened in defence of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus. Atrocities were committed during the clashes that left hundreds of people dead. The new interim government set up a committee last month tasked with investigating attacks on civilians in the sectarian violence in the country's south. It is supposed to issue a report within three months. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Islam. Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Fear According to observers 'More than a decade after the Syrian revolution began, a new chapter is being written—but instead of hope, it is soaked in fear, especially for Syria's minority communities. With the collapse of the Assad regime, the rise of a Sunni-majority leadership under figures like Ahmed al-Sharaa has brought not stability, but renewed anxiety. Minorities such as the Druze, Alawites, and Christians—once wary of Assad but now terrified of what follows—are facing systematic violence and abandonment. Thousands have been killed since Sharaa took over' The observers added: 'These aren't isolated incidents. They are part of a disturbing pattern that suggests the new rulers are either unwilling or incapable of protecting Syria's rich mosaic of identities. The result is a growing exodus, as minorities increasingly view departure as their only guarantee of survival.' 'This failure to govern inclusively not only betrays Syria's remaining social fabric, but it opens the door to international fragmentation. External powers, already present in Syria in various forms, are monitoring closely. Some may seek to intervene under the guise of humanitarian concern; others may exploit the chaos to carve out influence. Either path leads to the same end: the partition of Syria into sectarian or ethnic cantons, forever ending the dream of a unified state.' AP/ YL

France has called on Israel ‘to abandon [its] project' to build 3,400 housing units in the West Bank

L'Orient-Le Jour

5 hours ago

L'Orient-Le Jour

France has called on Israel ‘to abandon [its] project' to build 3,400 housing units in the West Bank

France has called on Israel ''to abandon [its] project'' to build 3,400 housing units in the West Bank, which ''constitutes a serious violation of international law,'' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to AFP. ''A France spokesperson condemns with the utmost firmness the decision of the Israeli authorities to approve the E1 settlement project, which plans the construction of more than 3,000 housing units east of Jerusalem,'' the spokesperson added.