Morning Briefing: July 18, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ANKARA (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including the US military announcing the end of its Gaza pier mission, authorities in Gaza announcing that 292 injured Gazans have died due to Israel's closure of the Rafah crossing and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating obstacles to efforts aimed at reaching a prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

TOP STORIES

• US military announces end of Gaza pier mission

The US military announced the end of a floating pier mission that delivered aid to the Gaza Strip.

"The maritime surge mission involving the pier is complete, so there's no more need to use the pier," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander for US Central Command, said in an online briefing.

He said the maritime mission will transition from a temporary pier in Gaza to a port in Ashdod, Israel.

"In the past few weeks, we've begun utilizing this new hybrid pathway from the sea and land to deliver aid from Cyprus to the port of Ashdod, Israel, then into north Gaza via the UN and WFP (World Food Program),” he added.

• 292 injured Gazans died due to Israel's closure of Rafah crossing, authorities say

At least 292 Palestinians lost their lives due to Israel's closure of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

"Among the victims were injured people who were supposed to receive treatment in hospitals outside Gaza but died as they waited for the opening of the Rafah crossing," said Gaza's government media office.

The media office estimates that more than 3,500 patients and injured people have been denied exit via the crossing since Israel's capture of the terminal last May.

• Netanyahu puts difficulties to Israel's prisoner swap deal with Hamas: Defense minister

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating obstacles to efforts aimed at reaching a prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

"If a deal is not signed in the next two weeks, the fate of the hostages is sealed," Gallant said during a closed-door meeting cited by Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

He said conditions for a deal with Hamas have matured, but Netanyahu is creating difficulties in order not to lose his coalition members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Seven people, including three children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.
• The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said Bern opened 56 administrative penal proceedings against Russia for violating sanctions imposed following its war in Ukraine.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new program to expand semiconductor manufacturing in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama.
• NATO announced the appointment of Patrick Turner as the new head of its representation in Ukraine, seeking to enhance relations between the alliance and Kyiv.
• Israel's war against the Gaza Strip is tantamount to "collective punishment," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said as the death toll in the besieged coastal enclave nears 40,000.
• Climate change is significantly impacting Russia as its territory is heating up at almost twice the global rate of warming, according to a leading Russian climate scientist.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his demand for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip because the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave is "a moral stain on us all."
• Four people, including three children, were killed and 10 others injured in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said.
• A fire broke out in a 14-story shopping mall in Zigong in China's southwestern Sichuan Province, killing at least six people, state media reported.
• Senior figures in Britain’s Labour Party firmly rejected remarks by former US president and presidential candidate Donald Trump's vice-presidential pick, who suggested that under Labour, Britain could become the first nuclear-armed "truly Islamist country."
• A European Union court rejected TikTok parent company ByteDance's challenge against the European Commission's decision to list the tech company as a digital gatekeeper.
• Japanese media raised concerns over the use of artificial intelligence (AI), calling for an urgent review of copyright laws.
• Angry over US arms sales to Taiwan, China said it has decided to suspend consultations with Washington over arms control and non-proliferation, state media reported.
• The US envoy to the United Nations has called on Russia to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan.
• Two bodies with gunshot wounds were found in a burnt-out rental car in Sweden, media reported.
• China is ready to work with Hungary to bring together “more forces supporting peace” in Ukraine, the Chinese foreign minister said.

SPORTS

• French winger Saint-Maximin joins Türkiye's Fenerbahce on loan from Saudi club Al-Ahli

French winger Allan Saint-Maximin moved to Türkiye's Fenerbahce on loan from Saudi club Al-Ahli.

Saint-Maximin, 27, will play for the Istanbul club until the end of the 2025 season, Fenerbahce said in a statement, adding that he passed his health check.

The club told Türkiye's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) that under the loan deal terms, Al-Ahli would receive a total payment of €8 million ($8.75 million), distributed in four equal installments.

• Luka Modric extends contract with Real Madrid

Luka Modric has extended his contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish LaLiga powerhouse announced.

The veteran Croatian midfielder will stay with Los Merengues until June 30, 2025.

The 38-year-old, who joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, helped bag six UEFA Champions League trophies, four FIFA Club World Cups and four Spanish La Liga titles.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Eurozone inflation rate in June confirmed at 2.5%

The eurozone's annual consumer inflation rate in June eased to 2.5% as initially estimated, according to a second reading released.

The figure was down from 2.6% in May, Eurostat data showed.

Core inflation, excluding volatile food and energy prices, was stable at 2.9% in June compared to the prior month.