Morning Briefing: Dec. 12, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including the siege by the Israeli army around a hospital in Gaza, calls for uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the enclave, and the nomination of Poland’s new prime minister.

TOP STORIES

• Israeli army besieges hospital in northern Gaza

The Israeli army encircled the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

“The lives of patients at the hospital are at risk,” the ministry warned in a statement.

Hospital Director Ahmad al-Kahlout said the Israeli army surrounded the hospital with tanks and firepower, and was targeting all roads leading to the facility. As a result, two women and two children were killed in an attack targeting the hospital's maternity ward.

• UN refugee agency calls for ‘uninterrupted’ assistance to Gaza

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency once again called for bringing “uninterrupted” assistance into the Gaza Strip.

"In Gaza, we have to bring assistance at scale, it needs to be uninterrupted and meaningful, and until now it hasn’t been,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in statements ahead of entering the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Almost 1.9 million people, or over 80% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced by the Israeli military offensive, according to UNRWA.

• Tusk voted in as new Polish prime minister

Donald Tusk was nominated to become Poland’s new prime minister, and his government will most likely sworn in on Wednesday, according to Marcin Mastalerek, head of the president's office.

Tusk, 66, was prime minister between 2007 and 2014 before he became president of the European Council.

He was the candidate of the Civic Coalition (KO), the People’s Party (PSL), Poland 2050, and the Left. On Nov. 10, the heads of these parties signed a coalition agreement. His appointment puts an end to eight years of rule by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The EU foreign policy chief said the bloc is “alarmed” by Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, saying "destruction in Gaza is even more severe than German cities suffered during World War II."
  
  
• The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip soared to 18,205, the Health Ministry said, with 22 hospitals and 46 primary care centers forced out of service.
  
  
• India's top court upheld the legality of legislation passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2019 that stripped the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region of its standing as a state, as well as its special status.
  
  
• Israel is said to be ready to resume contact with mediators for the possible release of other Israeli captives held in Gaza.
  
  
• The Israeli army said it airdropped logistical military supplies to its forces in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip amid fighting with Palestinian fighters, the first such operation since the 2006 Lebanon War.
  
  
• A comprehensive strike in the occupied West Bank in protest of Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip paralyzed all aspects of life in the occupied territory, with transportation disrupted and schools and businesses shut.
  
  
• The UN said it is "very concerned" over a report suggesting Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an attack in southern Lebanon.
  
  
• Turkish security forces carried out air operations in northern Iraq, destroying 13 terror targets and “neutralizing” many senior terrorists, the National Defense Ministry said.
  
  
  SPORTS
  
  
• Turkish Football Federation suspends league matches until further notice

The Turkish Football Federation suspended all league matches until further notice following an attack on a FIFA-licensed referee.

"The responsible club and its managers will be punished most severely…" said Mehmet Buyukeksi, the federation’s president.

Turkish top-tier club MKE Ankaragucu's President Faruk Koca physically attacked referee Halil Umut Meler after his side’s draw against Caykur Rizespor on Monday.

• Victor Osimhen crowned African Footballer of the Year

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen won the men's African Footballer of the Year award.

"It's a dream come true for me. I want to thank everyone who has seen me through life's journey, in achieving my dreams, in achieving my goals," Osimhen said at the ceremony held in Morocco.

Osimhen, 24, helped Napoli bag their first league title in 33 years, scoring 26 Serie A goals in 2022-23.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• IMF board approves $900M in funds for Ukraine

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the disbursal of $900 million in aid to Ukraine.

"Ukraine’s 48-month EFF (Extended Fund Facility) arrangement, with access of SDR 11.6 billion (equivalent to $15.6 billion, or about 577 percent of quota), was approved on March 31, 2023 and forms part of a $122 billion support package for Ukraine," the global lender said in a statement.

• Türkiye's unemployment at lowest level since November 2012

The unemployment rate in Türkiye was 8.5% in October, the lowest level since November 2012, the country's statistical office said.

The number of unemployed people – aged 15 years old and over – dropped by 163,000 to 2.96 million year-on-year in November.

The unemployment rate dropped by 0.5 percentage points on a monthly basis.