Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

Israel's main labor union on strike

Israel's largest labor union has called a general strike starting Monday to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage-prisoner swap deal with Palestinian groups in Gaza.

The call came hours after the country's army said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages found dead in the southern Gaza Strip.

The strike began at 6 a.m. (0300GMT) and is currently planned to last a day, with Ben Gurion Airport to be closed and all takeoff and landings to halt at 8 a.m., according to the union Histadrut.

Protests have been mounting in Israel to pressure Netanyahu's government to either negotiate a hostage-prisoner swap deal with Palestinian resistance group Hamas or resign.

Polio vaccination campaign in Gaza

An ongoing vaccination campaign against the polio virus in the Gaza Strip officially began on Sunday, with plans to continue until Sept. 12. The campaign is expected to cover 640,000 children under the age of 10, or more than 95% of minors in the Palestinian enclave.

According to medical teams overseeing the vaccination process in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, signs of exhaustion and malnutrition have appeared in hundreds of children who received the vaccinations due to the harsh conditions they face as a result of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, ongoing for about 11 months.

Major Israeli military offensive in northern West Bank

Israel continues its military operation in several cities of the northern occupied West Bank, considered the largest in over two decades.

Large groups of Israeli forces have stormed the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, along with their refugee camps, and the Fara camp near Tubas. The army withdrew from the Fara camp early Thursday morning and from Tulkarm later that evening.

However, operations in Jenin continue, with Israel deploying armored forces backed by air power. The operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians, according to Israeli military sources.

Jenin's mayor has compared the operation to an "earthquake," estimating that it has caused about 500 million shekels ($135.2 million) of damage so far.

Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 678 people and injured 5,600 others since last October, with over 10,000 taken into custody.

Israeli onslaught on Gaza

Humanitarian and military developments in Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 40,700 Palestinians and injured more than 94,000 since Hamas' Oct. 7 incursion. The situation worsens as Israeli attacks continue and aid becomes increasingly scarce in the besieged enclave.

At least six Palestinians were killed in another Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City on Sunday, according to a medical source.

The attack targeted the Safad School in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, the source said, adding that several people were also injured in the attack.

Hezbollah-Israel escalation

Continued border clashes between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, which carried out a major attack on Israeli military targets Sunday that Israel claimed to have thwarted. Both sides proceeded to exchange fire, as has been taking place since Oct. 8.

According to the latest death toll on Wednesday, at least 432 Hezbollah members have been killed since the start of the border clashes with the Israeli army on Oct. 8.

Cease-fire talks between Israel, Hamas

The latest on the cease-fire and hostage swap talks between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, though their chances have dimmed due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on continuing the war in the strip.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday called for the immediate convening of the Security Cabinet to reverse its decision to keep forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, located on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

In response to Gallant, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X that the Cabinet "will not allow a surrender deal that would compromise Israel’s security."

Red Sea tensions

Continued Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel in the Red Sea and US-led coalition airstrikes on the group's positions in Yemen.

Humanitarian and security situation in Sudan

The humanitarian and security situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate amid clashes between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Reactions to German state elections

Comments by political party leaders on the results of Sunday's regional elections and possible coalition scenarios in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has won its first state election with 32.8% of the vote in Thuringia. It came in second in neighboring Saxony at around 30%.

EU Commission chief to speak on enlargement

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Bled Strategic Forum during her visit to Slovenia. She is scheduled to deliver a speech on the EU's enlargement strategy in the Western Balkans.

Turkish president to attend judicial year opening

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2022-2023 Judicial Year at the Court of Cassation in the capital Ankara.

Campaign event by US Democratic nominee Kamala Harris

US Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris will hold an election campaign event with outgoing President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Biden, Harris meeting in Situation Room

Biden and Harris will also meet in the White House Situation Room with the US' negotiating team for a hostage-prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas after six hostages were found dead in Gaza. They will discuss efforts for a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages.

Ongoing ⁠fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops in Kursk region

Russia and Ukraine continue fighting in the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an "operation" on Aug. 5-6. Ukraine claims it has captured 100 settlements since then, including the town of Sudzha.

Russian authorities have said that 31 people were killed and 143 were injured, while over 133,000 have been evacuated since the start of the incursion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the operation seeks to establish a "buffer zone" between the two sides, while Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned it as a "terrorist attack."

Russian foreign minister to attend events on school year beginning

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in a ceremony marking the beginning of the new academic year in Moscow and also deliver a speech at his alma mater, MGIMO University.

⁠Bali hosts 2nd Indonesia-Africa summit

Bali is hosting the 2nd Indonesia-Africa summit, with African leaders attending the event which to be addressed by outgoing President Joko Widodo of the Southeast Asian country.

Strong typhoon batters Japan

Typhoon Shanshan continues to disrupt train and flight services in Japan, where at least six people have been killed and over 100 injured so far due to the storm.

Mpox cases spread in Pakistan

Pakistan has reported at least four cases of mpox as authorities ramp up measures to prevent further spread.

Chinese Foreign Ministry news conference

China's Foreign Ministry will hold its regular news conference in Beijing, with possible statements on tensions in the disputed South China Sea, climate talks with the US, and the situation in Gaza.

Possible response by New Delhi to Pakistan's invitation to Indian premier

New Delhi is likely to respond to an official invitation by Islamabad to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend a summit of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Doctors in Bangladesh on strike

Doctors in Bangladesh are on an indefinite nationwide strike, causing major disruptions and patient suffering in the healthcare system. The strike erupted after doctors were subject to vandalism and assault by relatives and friends of injured student protesters following the ousting of the country's former government.

New Zealand premier visits Malaysia

New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on an official visit to Malaysia.

South African president pays state visit to China

President Cyril Ramaphosa will pay an official visit to China, where he will attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit.

Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 to open in Kigali

The Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 is set to open in Rwanda's capital Kigali. The forum brings together policymakers, investors, farmers and business leaders will discuss how to accelerate food systems transformation on the continent.

THE ECONOMY

Türkiye's GDP growth

⁠The Turkish Statistical Institute will reveal GDP figures for the second quarter of the year. GDP in Türkiye is projected to rise 3.2% in the second quarter, following 5.7% growth in the first quarter.

⁠Türkiye's provisional July trade figure

Turkish trade minister will share provisional foreign trade data for August.

PMI releases for Türkiye, Germany, eurozone

US-based data provider S&P Global will reveal PMI data for Türkiye, Germany, and the eurozone.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Hepatitis A outbreak highlights risk of deadly epidemics as Gaza’s health system ‘flat broken’: Experts

By Rabia Ali

Istanbul – Report about the spread of hepatitis A in Gaza and the dangers it is posing to the millions of Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israel’s ongoing war.

The story presents latest figures on the extent of the issue, along with information illustrating the scale of the health crisis in Gaza due to Israel’s destruction of all healthcare and other critical facilities.

It includes comments from World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic and an interview with Dr. John Kahler, a retired pediatrician and co-founder of MedGlobal, who was in Gaza this January and March.

Labour’s migration plan will only embolden exploiters, warns Amnesty UK director

By Aysu Bicer

London – Interview with Steve Valdez-Symonds, director of Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights program, about concerns over the Labour government’s latest immigration policy proposals.

The new plan aims to tackle the issue of cross-Channel migration by bolstering resources for the National Crime Agency, an approach that Valdez-Symonds strongly criticizes, warning that it will “strengthen the hands of people who will exploit” vulnerable asylum seekers.

He says the focus on expanding detention and border controls will only keep the UK’s immigration and asylum system “inefficient as well as unjust,” and also critiques the government’s failure to address broader inequalities within the UK.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interview with Dr. John Kahler, co-founder of international aid group MedGlobal who has visited Gaza twice this year, about the hepatitis A outbreak in the enclave, the dangers of more epidemics, and Israel’s destruction of its healthcare system and infrastructure.

VIDEO – Interview with Amnesty International UK’s Steve Valdez-Symonds, who strongly criticizes the Labour government’s new anti-migration policy, warning that it puts vulnerable asylum seekers at more risk and will do nothing to address the failings of the country’s immigration system.