Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

GAZA CITY - Israel continues its offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has left over 20,000 people dead and 53,320 others injured since Oct. 7, with more than 90% of territory’s population displaced, 60% of infrastructure destroyed or damaged.

Reactions pour in after UN Security Council passed resolution Friday calling for 'urgent steps' to immediately allow 'safe, unhindered, and expanded' humanitarian access to Gaza.

RAMALLAH - Israeli military raids and settler attacks continue on a near-daily basis in Palestinians cities, towns, and villages across the occupied West Bank as the death toll surges past 300, while thousands have been injured and 4,675 detained since Oct. 7.

LEBANON

BEIRUT - Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah continue to exchange cross-border fire as fears grow that situation will escalate into an all-out war between the two sides since their last showdown in 2006. Lebanon's Hezbollah said Friday it targeted Israeli soldiers near the country's southern border, inflicting some losses.

CZECH REPUBLIC

PRAGUE - Day of mourning to take place following Thursday's shooting by student at Charles University, where at least 14 people killed. Bells to ring nationwide at 12 p.m. CET as part of observance.

SPORTS

LIVERPOOL, ROMA - Liverpool to host Arsenal on matchday 18 of English Premier League, Roma to take on Napoli in week 17 of Italian Serie A.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Logistics firms reroute vessels to avoid Houthi attacks in Red Sea, raising shipping rates

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL — Report about commercial impact of Houthi attacks on vessels in Red Sea.

Includes figures from US Energy Information Agency; an interview by Trevor Heaver, a professor emeritus in transportation studies in Sauder School of Business; a press release by Jack Kennedy, a research and analysis associate director in S&P Global, and remarks by Chris Rogers, another research director in S&P.

They discuss delays and disruptions in global supply chains and the impact of the attacks, particularly on consumer goods, as longer routes and increased shipping costs affect various industries.

British actress says she could not be silent in face of Gaza massacre

By Zuhal Demirci

LONDON (AA) - Marching in support of Palestine, a seasoned actress of the British stage and screen said she could not remain silent about the thousands of deaths and months of carnage in the Gaza Strip.

In a silent march in London, organized by health care workers, Juliet Stevenson, known for her roles in movies such as Mona Lisa Smile and Truly, Madly, Deeply, told Anadolu: “I’m here to support the protest for over 260 health care workers who have been killed in Gaza, and now over 7,000 children and 20,000 civilians.”

Stevenson decried the persecution in Gaza and said: “I have lived for 67 years, and I have witnessed many human atrocities all over the world, but I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anything on the scale of what we’re seeing now. How many more children have to die before I am allowed to be angry, and how many more children have to die before I call for a cease-fire without being smeared as some racist?”

Palestinian Christians in Gaza ‘nowhere around’ Christmas spirit

By Hosni Nadim

GAZA CITY, Palestine - Palestinian Christian Ibrahim Al-Amash described the state of thousands of Christians living in the Gaza Strip under Israeli attacks by saying: “There is no holiday spirit here in Gaza.”

During the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, a large number of Christians in the Strip were killed and injured by Israeli airstrikes and direct shooting operations by the Israeli army.

Since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip, killing more than 20,057 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 53,320, according to health authorities in the enclave.