Middle East

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end …

David Gritten BBC News, Jerusalem Reuters Gaza’s population relies almost entirely on humanitarian aid to survive More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza and pressing for governments to take action. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam are …

Yolande Knell Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem Getty Images Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III (left) and Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (centre) visited Gaza for four days Church leaders in Jerusalem say they have returned from a trip to Gaza with “broken hearts”, describing starving people and children not “batting an …

Ghoncheh Habibiazad BBC Persian, World Service reporter EPA Parts of Evin prison were badly damaged in the Israeli strikes One month on from deadly Israeli air strikes on a notorious Iranian prison during the war between the two countries, inmates say they are being kept under unbearable and inhumane conditions …

The UK and 27 other countries called on Monday for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has “reached new depths”. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UN chief António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the increasingly dire conditions in Gaza. …

At least 33 Palestinians, including 12 children, have died as a result of malnutrition across the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry has said. The deaths of 11 adults and four children were reported over the past day, a spokesman told the BBC. It came …

Rushdi Abualouf Gaza correspondent, Istanbul David Gritten BBC News, Jerusalem AFP Residents of Deir al-Balah have been fleeing southern areas of Deir al-Balah in response to Israeli military orders Israeli tanks have advanced into Deir al-Balah in central Gaza for the first time, triggering a fresh wave of displacement among …

Anadolu via Getty Images Smoke rises over western Deir al-Balah during an Israeli offensive on Monday The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel’s ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised its efforts to continue working, after its facilities came under attack. The UN agency accused Israeli forces of attacking a …

Watch: BBC report from last checkpoint before Suweida city The BBC has been trying to reach the southern Syrian city of Suweida where sectarian clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribal militia have killed hundreds of people. A fragile ceasefire is holding, but the area remains extremely tense. On Monday, …

The UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has “reached new depths”. A joint statement says Israel’s aid delivery model is dangerous and condemns what it calls the “drip feeding of aid and the …

A “cautious calm” has returned to the Syrian city of Suweida after a week of deadly tribal clashes between Druze fighters, Bedouin gunmen and government forces, a UK-based monitoring group has said. Residents reported that fighting stopped on Sunday as Syria’s Islamist-led government declared the Bedouins had withdrawn from the …

The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s office urged “all parties to exercise restraint”, amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on …

AFP A medic and other men walk past the bodies of those killed in the fighting at a hospital in Suweida city Over the last five days, Rima says she has witnessed “barbaric” scenes. The 45-year-old Druze woman has lived in the southern Syrian city of Suweida her whole life, …

The UN human rights chief says his office has received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, during the recent violence in the southern city of Suweida. Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, …

Reuters The fighting was sparked by a dispute between the Bedouin and Druze communities A monitoring group says 594 people have been killed during the recent violence in southern Syria that took on a sectarian dimension. The UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) documented a significant outbreak of brutality …

BBC Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab reports from Damascus, Syria showing the damaged Ministry of Defence headquarters following airstrikes by Israeli forces on Wednesday. Israel’s military struck ministry in Damascus and government forces in southern Syria for a third day on Wednesday, as deadly sectarian fighting in the mostly Druze …

Several people have been injured at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, with some unconfirmed reports that it was hit by Israeli artillery shells. Catholic Church leaders referred only to it being “struck by a raid” in a statement, but Italy’s prime minister blamed Israeli forces. The Israeli military …

Syria’s interim president has said it is his “priority” to protect the country’s Druze citizens, after Israel vowed to destroy government forces it accused of attacking members of the religious minority in Suweida province. In his first televised statement since Israel’s air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Ahmed al-Sharaa also …

Tess Mallinder Heron BBC Monitoring Getty Images A fresh wave of deadly sectarian violence has rocked Syria, putting into focus the country’s fragile security landscape as the new government attempts to impose its authority over the fractured territory. On Sunday 13 July, the reported abduction of a merchant from the …

Reuters Syria’s defence ministry headquarters in central Damascus was hit by Israeli strikes The Israeli military struck the Syrian defence ministry and government forces in southern Syria, as deadly sectarian fighting in the predominantly Druze province of Suweida continued for a fourth day. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its …