Middle East: Israel 'deeply regrets' strike on Gaza church

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Netanyahu's office says Israel 'deeply regrets' strike on church in Gaza

Israel said it "deeply regrets" striking the only Catholic church in Gaza City.

"Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Three people were killed and several others injured, including the parish priest, in the attack.

Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened" and called for "an immediate cease-fire."

He also expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region" in a telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The message made no mention of Israel.

Netanyahu's office said it was "grateful to Pope Leo for his words of comfort."

"Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites," the statement posted on social media said.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it was looking into the incident. Israel's Foreign Ministry vowed the results of the investigation would be published.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Trump called Netanyahu about strike on Gaza church

The White House says President Donald Trump did "not" have a "positive reaction" to an Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church.

Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak about the strike, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Netanyahu told Trump the strike had been a mistake, she added. 

"It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church, that's what the prime minister relayed to the president," Leavitt said.
Three people were killed and several others injured in the strike. 

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Erdogan accuses Israel of using Druze minority to expand into Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of exploiting the Druze minority in Syria to justify its expansion into the war-torn country.

"Israel, using the Druze as an excuse, has been expanding its banditry into neighboring Syria over the past two days," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting.

Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida after intervening in response to sectarian clashes that erupted Sunday between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes. Following the escalation, Israel also struck targets in Syria, including the Defense Ministry in Damascus, in what it said was an effort to protect the Druze minority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday to keep southern Syria demilitarized and to protect the Druze community, which has a sizeable population in Israel.

Erdogan said this shows that Israel does not want peace in the region.

"At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel's aggression... If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region, then the world, into flames," he said.

Erdogan said he spoke by phone with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday after Syrian troops pulled out of Sweida.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Syria risks 'all-out violence' after Sweida clashes

Days of deadly fighting in Syria's Sweida province will have "major consequences," Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told DW.

"Syria could easily descend into all-out violence in the next few weeks and next few months," he said.

Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida after intervening in response to sectarian clashes that erupted between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes. Following the escalation, Israel also struck targets in Syria, including the Defense Ministry in Damascus, in an effort to protect the Druze minority, according to Israel.

"It has undermined the authority and the credibility of the new Syrian government," Gerges said.

The government's failure to expand its influence in Sweida has fueled perceptions of a lack of inclusivity and legitimacy.

"There is a widespread perception that the single government is not really broadly based, it's not inclusive, and in fact, I would not be surprised if Ahmad al-Sharaa, the president, faces a major reckoning within his own Islamist base of support, in particular from the hardliners."

Gerges said it could also embolden Kurdish forces to push for greater autonomy in the northeastern and eastern regions they control.

"Because if the Syrian government cannot take on the Druze community, surely it cannot take on the Kurds, who are much more powerful than the Druze community in Syria."

He also said Israeli military action "turned Syria from a potential neutral neighbor into a better enemy."

This, he added, would be a headache for regional powers, European nations and the United States, which had embraced Syria's transitional government under al-Sharaa.

"They were hoping that the new government would become more stable, more secure, more inclusive."

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Iraq's Kurdish region to start delivering oil to state seller SOMO

Iraq has announced a deal to resume oil exports from its semi-autonomous Kurdish region, ending a two-year freeze.

Under the agreement, the Iraqi Kurdish regional government (KRG) will supply at least 230,000 barrels per day to Iraq's state oil company, SOMO. Baghdad will pay an advance of $16 (€14) per barrel.

Exports were halted in 2023 after an international court ruled that only the federal government could market Iraqi oil. Before that the Kurdish region had unilaterally exported oil through an independent pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

The new deal follows months of negotiations over revenue-sharing and production costs.

The KRG said in a statement it "welcomes" the deal, and hoped all agreements would be respected.

The latest agreement should also solve the long-standing issue of unpaid salaries for civil servants in the Kurdish region, which has been tied to the tension over oil.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Deadly fire engulfs new shopping mall in Iraq

While an official investigation is underway, officials and residents allege that a lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy.Image: Hadi Mizban/AP/picture alliance

A fire at a newly opened mall in Kut, Iraq, killed at least 61 people, including children. Most died from suffocation.

Civil defense teams rescued 45 people. The cause is under investigation, with early reports pointing to the fire having begun on the cosmetics floor of the Corniche Hypermarket Mall. 

Read more about the deadly blaze by clicking here. 

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Catholic officials confirm deaths in strike on Gaza church

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has said that two people were killed and several injured in an apparent Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church.

"Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," the Patriarchate, which oversees the church, said. An earlier statement had claimed there had been no casualites.

The church was being used as a shelter for both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded.

Of the around 2 million people living in Gaza, some 1,000 are Christians, mostly Orthodox, including around 135 Catholics.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review."

"The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them," its statement added.

"Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians," the Foreign Ministry said on X.

There have been numerous reports of mosques and other religious buildings being destroyed during Israel's military operations in Gaza.

A statement from the Vatican said Pope Leo XIV was "deeply saddened" by the deaths and that he had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in a telegram for the victims of the attack.

The deaths at the church compound came as Gaza's civil defense agency reported at least 20 other people dead in Israeli strikes in the Palestinian enclave.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Germany warns Israel against destabilizing Syria

Johann Wadephul is the foreign minister in Germany's relatively new governmentImage: Katharina Kausche/dpa/picture alliance

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned that Syria must not be turned into a battleground for regional conflicts after Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday escalated tensions in the war-torn country.

The airstrikes, according to Israel, were aimed at protecting Syrian Druze communities.

"Following the Israeli strikes — including in Damascus — I urge all domestic and foreign actors to back off from any steps that could further destabilize Syria or derail the fragile transition process," Wadephul said Thursday.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Israel to further increase defense spending

Israel will raise its defense spending by 42 billion shekels (€10.8 billion, $12.5 billion) this year and the next, the Finance and Defense Ministries said on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the ministries pointed to the security challenges facing the country to justify the steep rise.

The budget agreement will allow the Defense Ministry to "advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security," the statement said.

In 2024, Israel's defense budget grew by 65% to reach $46.5 billion (€40.4 billion), according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published in April.

That brought its military spending to 8.8% of GDP — the second-highest rate in the world after Ukraine. 

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

EU calls on Israel to stop Syria attacks

The European Union has urged Israel to desist from conducting strikes on neighboring Syria and called on it and other countries to uphold Syria's sovereignty as the country transitions from the autocratic rule of longtime dictator Bashar Assad.

"We urge Israel to immediately cease its strikes on Syrian territory, including on key institutions in Damascus, which jeopardize the lives of civilians and risk undermining Syria's transition," the EU's foreign affairs spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, told DW's Richie Birchard.

"We also call on Syria's transitional authorities to de-escalate the situation in Sweida, which has already resulted in a high number of casualties," he said.

"We call on Israel and all other foreign actors to ensure the respect of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU condemns any violations of Syria's independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."

Israel has conducted several strikes on Damascus and southern Syria in recent days that it says were in support of the minority Druze community, which came under attack from Sunni Bedouin tribes in the city of Sweida and province of the same name.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Russia, China criticize Israeli strikes

Russia and China have both cited a need to uphold Syria's sovereignty in comments about recent Israeli strikes on its neighbor.

"These attacks, which constitute a gross violation of the country's sovereignty and international law, deserve strong condemnation," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

China warned against any actions that could escalate the already fragile security situation in the Middle East.

"Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. "Amid the ongoing turbulence in the Middle East, actions that could escalate the situation must be avoided."

Israel has carried out several attacks in Damascus and southern Syria in the past few days, saying they were in support of Syria's Druze minority amid sectarian violence in the Druze heartland in the south.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Italy's Meloni slams attack on Catholic parish in Gaza

Father Gabrielle Romanelli is seen here getting into a car after receiving treatment for his injuriesImage: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described as "unacceptable" an attack on a Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip in which two people are reported to have been killed.

Witnesses described the attack as being an Israeli tank shelling.

Doctors at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City said two women died and several other people were injured in the strike, which damaged the Holy Family Church, the sole Catholic church within the Palestinian enclave.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the church, however said in a statement that there were no known fatalities at present.

Italy's ANSA news agency said six people had been seriously injured in the strike.

The parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, suffered slight leg injuries, the agency said.

It said Romanelli used to give regular updates on the war to the late Pope Francis.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Syrian government forces withdraw from Sweida

Syrian government forces have withdrawn from southern Sweida province and the city of the same name after their deployment there amid clashes between fighters from the Druze minority and Sunni Bedouin tribes, an NGO and witnesses have said.

Footage from Reuters news agency showed Syrian forces moving out of Sweida overnight, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP news agency that security was now being overseen by Druze fighters.

"The Syrian authorities have withdrawn their military forces from the city of Sweida and the whole province, and Druze fighters have deployed" in their place, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The editor in chief of the Suwayda 24 news website, Rayan Maarouf, told AFP that "the city of Sweida seems devoid of any government forces presence."  

The withdrawal comes after interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised address that "responsibility" for security in Sweida would be put in the hands of religious elders and some local factions "based on the supreme national interest."

Israel had also called for the withdrawal, with Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief of staff, saying, "We will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold," in apparent reference to the former links of Syria's rulers to the terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Israel has carried out several strikes on Damascus and southern Syria in recent days, saying its actions were in support of Syria's Druze community.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Sharaa accuses Israel of fomenting a war

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Thursday accused Israel of attempting to drag his country into a war but said it would not succeed in doing so.

"We, the people of Syria, know very well who is trying to drag us into war and who is working to divide us," Sharaa said in a speech broadcast on national television. 

"We will not give them the opportunity to entangle our people in a war that serves only to fragment our homeland and sow destruction."

Sharaa blamed Israel for exploiting instability in Syria after Islamist-led militias ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December. 

"The Israeli entity resorted to a wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities", he said, saying this could have provoked a "large-scale escalation, except for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate."

In recent interventions, Israel on Wednesday conducted several strikes in Damascus — including within the compound of Syria's Defense Ministry —  and Sweida, saying they were in support of Syria's minority Druze community.

Israel has also opposed the deployment of Syrian government forces to southern regions with the aim of restoring order amid the recent clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes.

Israeli forces have launched repeated strikes on Syria over the past few years. They advanced into the UN-controlled buffer zone inside Syria last December from positions in the illegally occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

07/17/2025July 17, 2025

Death toll in Sweida clashes rises to 360 — war monitor

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes between the Sunni Bedouin and Druze minorities in southern Syria in recent days have led to the loss of 360 lives.

The Observatory, which was founded in 2006 to monitor human rights abuses in Syria under the regime of Bashar Assad, later focused on events in the country's civil war from 2011.

It relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria. 

The information it provides is generally considered credible, though independent verification of its figures is not always possible.