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UNRWA says some Gaza staff starving as malnutrition soars

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on Monday that it was "receiving desperate messages of starvation" from its Gaza staff, as the Palestinian territory experiences surging levels of hunger.

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Syria violence brings Druze communities' complex cross-border ties to the fore

By Asher Kaufman, University of Notre Dame

(THE CONVERSATION) A fragile ceasefire was put in place in southern Syria on July 19, 2025, after days of violence between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes that drew in government forces and prompted Israeli strikes on the capital, Damascus, as a warning to pull back from Druze areas. The United States helped broker the latest agreement, fearing a spillover of violence to other parts of Syria.

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Syrian authorities evacuate Bedouin families from Sweida city

Syrian authorities on Monday evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted bloody clashes between the communities, an AFP correspondent and official media said.

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Israel strikes Yemen's rebel-held Hodeida port

Israel said its forces struck Yemen's Hodeida port on Monday in the latest attack targeting Houthi rebels, with a security official from the Iran-backed group reporting a dock destroyed.

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Israel orders civilians out of central Gaza ahead of new campaign

The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas militants in an area "where it has not operated before."

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Calm in south Syria's Sweida after week of sectarian violence

Calm appeared to have returned to southern Syria's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence between Druze fighters and rival groups left hundreds dead.

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Rubio demands Syrian government forces intervene to prevent jihadist attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres" in the conflict-stricken south of the country.

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Syrian security forces begin deploying in Sweida province

Syrian security forces have begun deploying in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, where sectarian violence has left more than 700 people dead, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

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US announces Syria-Israel truce as new clashes rock Druze heartland

The United States said early Saturday that it had negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Syria's government as new clashes erupted in Syria's Druze heartland following violence that prompted massive Israeli strikes.

At least 638 people have died since Sunday in violence between the Druze and Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, drawing questions over the authority of Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

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Syria's Sharaa renews pledge to 'protect minorities'

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday renewed his pledge to protect minorities, after sectarian clashes left more than 700 people dead in the Druze-majority province of Sweida.

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