📰 For nearly three decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has relied on ultra-Orthodox parties as one of the pillars of his political survival.

But as Netanyahu gears up to one of his toughest elections in years, his governing alliance is facing unprecedented strain over the long-running dispute about military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

The row has exposed deep divisions within Netanyahu's right-wing bloc and raised questions about whether the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas parties, two of his most dependable allies since he first became prime minister in 1996, could look elsewhere.

🔗 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-netanyahu-ultra-orthodox-alliance-shows-signs-fracture

How US and Israel capitalised on the Ceuta crisis

Around 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on 30 July, with at least 141 people confirmed dead.

The crisis followed months of political developments challenging Spain’s position over Ceuta and Melilla.

In March, the American Enterprise Institute published a proposal for a Moroccan “Green March” into the enclaves. In April, an article published by Israeli outlet Ynet argued that Israel should help Morocco advance its claims following Spain’s recognition of Palestine.

Then, on 15 July, the US House passed a bill whose accompanying committee report described Ceuta and Melilla as “located in Moroccan territory” and called for $40m in military funding for Morocco.

After the crossings began, US and Israeli political figures quickly used the crisis to attack the Spanish government.

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a defence agreement on Friday.

The pact, which was called the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of war on Iran and a revived conflict with Houthis in Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour Yemen.

A Turkish spokesperson said the deal was purely defensive in nature, and not against any actor in particular.

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a defence agreement on Friday.

The pact, which was called the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of war on Iran and a revived conflict with Houthis in Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour Yemen.

A Turkish spokesperson said the deal was purely defensive in nature, and not against any actor in particular.

UN says Gaza destruction rises despite ceasefire

“Overall, about 82% of the structures in Gaza are damaged.”

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters on Friday that a new assessment by the UN Satellite Centre has revealed that the number of structures assessed as destroyed in Gaza has increased by 9% since the October 2025 ceasefire.

Han highlighted that most of Gaza’s 2.1 million people remain displaced in poor conditions, while restrictions also limit deliveries of durable shelter materials.

Was Asma al-Assad a calculated partner in power or a passive pawn?

MEE’s Rhana Natour speaks to Chloe Hadjimatheou about her new investigative podcast, “We called her Emma,” and discusses whether Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was a calculating partner in power or a passive pawn.

Was Asma al-Assad a calculated partner in power or a passive pawn?

MEE’s Rhana Natour speaks to Chloe Hadjimatheou about her new investigative podcast, “We called her Emma,” and discusses whether Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was a calculating partner in power or a passive pawn.

Was Asma al-Assad a calculated partner in power or a passive pawn?

MEE’s Rhana Natour speaks to Chloe Hadjimatheou about her new investigative podcast, “We called her Emma,” and discusses whether Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was a calculating partner in power or a passive pawn.

Was Asma al-Assad a calculated partner in power or a passive pawn?

MEE’s Rhana Natour speaks to Chloe Hadjimatheou about her new investigative podcast, “We called her Emma,” and discusses whether Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was a calculating partner in power or a passive pawn.

UN spokesperson says Unicef ‘taking appropriate action’ against staff accused of spying for Israel

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq has confirmed that Unicef is aware of allegations against a staff member accused of spying for the Israeli government and has said that the agency is “taking appropriate action.”

An investigation by Drop Site News, based on leaked emails obtained by the hacking group Handala, reveals that Yahav Lichner, who currently leads Unicef's office in Washington, DC, provided confidential UN information to Israeli officials during his tenure at the UN Population Fund in 2014 and 2015.

UN spokesperson says Unicef ‘taking appropriate action’ against staff accused of spying for Israel

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq has confirmed that Unicef is aware of allegations against a staff member accused of spying for the Israeli government and has said that the agency is “taking appropriate action.”

An investigation by Drop Site News, based on leaked emails obtained by the hacking group Handala, reveals that Yahav Lichner, who currently leads Unicef's office in Washington, DC, provided confidential UN information to Israeli officials during his tenure at the UN Population Fund in 2014 and 2015.

UN spokesperson says Unicef ‘taking appropriate action’ against staff accused of spying for Israel

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq has confirmed that Unicef is aware of allegations against a staff member accused of spying for the Israeli government and has said that the agency is “taking appropriate action.”

An investigation by Drop Site News, based on leaked emails obtained by the hacking group Handala, reveals that Yahav Lichner, who currently leads Unicef's office in Washington, DC, provided confidential UN information to Israeli officials during his tenure at the UN Population Fund in 2014 and 2015.

UN spokesperson says Unicef ‘taking appropriate action’ against staff accused of spying for Israel

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq has confirmed that Unicef is aware of allegations against a staff member accused of spying for the Israeli government and has said that the agency is “taking appropriate action.”

An investigation by Drop Site News, based on leaked emails obtained by the hacking group Handala, reveals that Yahav Lichner, who currently leads Unicef's office in Washington, DC, provided confidential UN information to Israeli officials during his tenure at the UN Population Fund in 2014 and 2015.

Colombia’s president-elect hosts Israeli foreign minister ahead of Inauguration

Ahead of his inauguration, Colombia’s incoming leader, Abelardo de la Espriella, hosted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at his Barranquilla office on Friday. The meeting marked a sharp pivot from former President Gustavo Petro’s pro-Palestinian position, with De la Espriella describing Saar as a "great friend". Following the encounter, Saar posted on X that bilateral relations were entering a new era.

The new administration in Bogota has already outlined key policy shifts, including moving the Colombian embassy to Jerusalem and pulling the nation out of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Pezeshkian says Iran thwarted expectations of collapse during US-Israel war

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Friday that Iran successfully foiled attempts by its adversaries to destabilise the country and force its collapse through military pressure. Pezeshkian said that Iran did not initiate the war, and that Tehran was actively participating in diplomatic negotiations before the US and Israel started the war. He added that despite foreign expectations of a domestic breakdown, the Iranian public stood firm alongside the government, enabling the nation to resist external pressure and emerge stronger.

Severe heatwave worsens suffering for displaced Palestinians

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are facing unbearable conditions as a severe summer heatwave sweeps through makeshift tent camps. Lacking basic necessities like electricity, fans, and clean water, plastic and fabric shelters trap the sweltering heat inside.

Around 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain displaced, many living in makeshift tents and facing ongoing health and environmental risks, according to Unicef.

The Israeli destruction of more than 81 percent of Gaza’s buildings during the genocide has made conditions even harsher for those displaced in tents. Israeli forces flattened much of the Strip’s urban landscape and destroyed trees along streets and public spaces, leaving people in tents more exposed to the scorching summer sun.

Gaza patients call for urgent evacuation amid health system collapse

Patients and their families gathered in the ruins of Gaza City's Al-Shifa Medical Complex to issue an urgent global appeal for immediate medical evacuation, as Gaza's healthcare system has entirely collapsed under ongoing genocide and severe supply shortages.

Critically ill and wounded Palestinians suffering from advanced cancers, kidney failure, and severe trauma are dying from preventable conditions due to a total lack of specialised care, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The love story that broke Jinnah | Sam Dalrymple | UNAPOLOGETIC

"Please remember me as the flower you picked, not the flower you tread on."

Sam Dalrymple spoke to @ashfaaqC about Ruttie, the wife of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the letter that changed the course of his life, and the subcontinent's history, forever.

For an early watch of our latest UNAPOLOGETIC episode, join Middle East Eye’s YouTube membership

The love story that broke Jinnah | Sam Dalrymple | UNAPOLOGETIC

"Please remember me as the flower you picked, not the flower you tread on."

Sam Dalrymple spoke to @ashfaaqC about Ruttie, the wife of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the letter that changed the course of his life, and the subcontinent's history, forever.

For an early watch of our latest UNAPOLOGETIC episode, join Middle East Eye’s YouTube membership

Footage appears to show a group of armed Israeli settlers attacking a young Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, with an Israeli soldier seemingly kneeling on him and holding him to the ground.

The attack took place in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron. It comes against the backdrop of increasing Israeli settler violence.

In one attack on Friday in Abu Nujaym, southeast of Bethlehem, settlers opened fire, injuring a Palestinian, before attacking an ambulance that arrived to help him and spraying its crew with pepper spray. The director of the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s ambulance service in Bethlehem said that two ambulance officers were injured in the attack, rendering the vehicle inoperable.