Morning Briefing: July 5, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including Israel's 10-month war on Gaza with severe civilian casualties and widespread destruction fueled by Western arms, the controversy over a Turkish footballer’s celebration at Euro 2024 rooted in ignorance about Turkic culture, as the symbol is of immense historical significance and has “nothing to do with racism," and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying that Israel is "closer than ever" to reaching a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

TOP STORIES

• US, Germany lead West in arming Israel’s war on Gaza

Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, now stretching into its 10th month, has been marked by severe civilian casualties and widespread destruction, significantly fueled by Western arms.

Germany, as the second-largest arms supplier to Israel after the US, plays a major role in exacerbating the crisis.

Despite global condemnation and calls for an end to arms sales, Germany, alongside the US, Italy, and the UK, continues to be main suppliers of military equipment that intensifies the violence and suffering in Gaza.

• Grey wolf sign: Timeless emblem of thousands years of Turkish heritage

The controversy over a Turkish footballer’s celebration at Euro 2024 is rooted in ignorance about Turkic culture, as the symbol is one of immense historical significance and has “nothing to do with racism,” according to a Turkish historian.

Turkish footballer Merih Demiral's celebration at the European Championships, in which he formed the shape of a wolf's head with his fingers, known as Grey wolf sign in Turkish culture, ignited controversy and debate over the gesture, yet much of it ill-informed.

Urged by German officials, European football's governing body launched an investigation over the sign given by Demiral during Tuesday's EURO 2024 clash between Austria and Türkiye.

• Israeli defense minister cites progress in prisoner swap with Palestinians

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is closer "more than ever" to reaching a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

According to the Israeli Channel 12, Gallant told families of captives held in Gaza that the prisoner swap deal is "closer than ever."

The Israeli army public broadcaster KAN said earlier that the Israeli Cabinet will hold Thursday evening a session to review Hamas's response to the Gaza cease-fire proposal that also includes a prisoner swap deal.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• As Israel's war on Gaza continued, killing over 38,000 Palestinians in nearly nine months, Tel Aviv also continued to take “illegal steps” in the occupied West Bank, with the left-wing Israeli movement Peace Now saying that the government has "legalized" three more settlement outposts.
• A Hamas official said that the movement has responded positively to the latest Gaza cease-fire proposal and told mediators that they are open to any proposal that meets the demands of the Palestinian people.
• Mossad chief David Barnea is likely to lead Israel's negotiating team in Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap talks with Hamas, public broadcaster KAN said.
• In a phone call, US President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed collaborative efforts to secure a cease-fire for the conflict in Gaza and facilitate the release of hostages on both sides.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden during a phone call that Tel Aviv will not end the war on the Gaza Strip until "all its objectives are achieved."
• Beijing and Ankara share “same or similar views” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Ukrainian crisis, China’s President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• US and British warplanes launched two airstrikes in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province, the Houthi group said.
• Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in a meeting in Rome discussed global issues, regional developments, and bilateral relations.
• The Israeli army said it struck two schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City, claiming that gunmen were operating inside the facilities.
• More than 80 irregular migrants drowned off the coast of Ndiago city in southern Mauritania, according to local media.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and his acting Iranian counterpart Mohammad Mokhber met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kazakh capital Astana and pledged to strengthen bilateral relations.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the role of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in promoting relations between the two countries.
• The exports of Bangladesh in the last fiscal year have been reduced by at least $10 billion, after detecting what officials call an “accounting anomaly."
• At least eight Palestinians were killed and several others injured in fresh Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, according to local authorities and witnesses.
• Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets into northern Israel, the Lebanese group said, a day after the killing of a top military commander in an Israeli airstrike.
• At least 58 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll to 38,011 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.
• China expelled several Japanese vessels from disputed waters in the last three days, Chinese state media said.
• China’s President Xi Jinping called on members of the SCO, to "consolidate unity" against interference in internal affairs by foreign forces.

SPORTS

• EURO 2024 quarterfinals to start with big games on Friday

The EURO 2024 quarterfinals featuring the continent's top teams will start on Friday.

Spain will play tournament hosts Germany at the Stuttgart Arena, which is the last eight's opener. It will kick off at 1600GMT.

The Spanish national team hammered debutants Georgia 4-1 in the last 16 on June 30 to have booked their place in the quarterfinals.

• Man United manager Erik ten Hag signs 2-year contract extension

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag extended his contract until June 2026.

"I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together," the 54-year-old former center-back said in a statement.

"Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined," he added.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Oil down over data suggesting economic slowdown in US

Oil prices decreased, with data signaling a slowdown in economic activity in the US, the world's largest oil consumer, slightly offset by data portraying a decline in the nation's commercial crude oil inventories and oil production.

International benchmark Brent crude traded at $86.66 per barrel at 9.58 a.m. local time (0658GMT) on Thursday, down 0.78% from the closing price of $87.34 per barrel in the previous trading session.

The American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded at $83.13 per barrel, a 0.89% fall from the previous session when it closed at $83.88 per barrel.

Türkiye’s Togg leads EV market nationwide in H1

• Türkiye’s Togg led the electric vehicle (EV) market in the first half of the year, having sold 13,000 units, making up 36.35% of the EV market.

The Turkish carmaker’s fully electric C-segment SUV, the T10X, sold over 9,000 units more than its closest competitor, Tesla Model Y, which sold a little over 3,000 units, according to data compiled by Anadolu from the Turkish Automotive Distributors Association.

Togg’s sales were followed by BMW, whose EV models sold over 3,800, and Tesla, which sold 3,008 units in the first six months of the year.