Morning Briefing: March 24, 2024

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Sunday, including Israeli bombardment targeting Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza, Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks on Moscow concert hall attack, and Israelis protesting Netanyahu government, demanding hostage swap deal with Hamas.

TOP STORIES

• 19 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces shell Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza

At least 19 Palestinians were killed and 23 others injured in an Israeli attack targeting civilians who were waiting for aid southeast of Gaza City, media office in the enclave said on Saturday.

“The Israeli occupation commits a massacre, killing 19 and injuring 23 civilians while thousands of citizens were waiting for flour and aid near Al-Kuwait roundabout,” the media office said in a statement.

It added: “The occupation army and tanks opened fire with machine guns towards the hungry people who were waiting for bags of flour and aid in a place far from posing any danger to the occupation.”

The office held the US administration, the international community, and Israel fully responsible for the worsening conditions.

• Putin calls shooting at Moscow concert hall 'purposeful massacre'

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed Friday's shooting at the Crocus City Concert Hall in Moscow region as a "purposeful massacre" aimed at sowing discord in society.

"The criminals, purposefully and in cold blood killed, shot our citizens and our children at point-blank range," Putin said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday. "Like the Nazis, who once carried out massacres in the occupied territories, they planned to arrange a demonstrative execution, a bloody act of intimidation."

In the wake of the attack that killed at least 133 people, the president declared Sunday, March 24, as the day of national mourning.

• Thousands rally in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner exchange deal with Hamas

Thousands of Israelis held protests in Kaplan Square, central Tel Aviv, against the current government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded a hostage swap deal with Hamas.

The demonstrators raised pictures of dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and chanted: “Elections now.”

At the same time, about 300 protesters closed Begin Street adjacent to the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said his country has "no slightest connection" with Friday’s terrorist attack in Moscow.
• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to the US on Sunday to discuss developments on a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, his office said.
• An Israeli hostage in Gaza died due to shortage of medicine and food, said Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip.
• Russia claimed it had taken control of the Ivanivske settlement, also known as Krasnoye in Russian, located in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
• The World Health Organization transferred two sick children from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip to the Rafah border crossing in preparation for their transport to hospitals outside the enclave.
• The Spanish National Court ruled to suspend the use of the instant messaging application Telegram on allegations of unauthorized use of copyrighted visual and audio content.
• Protests against Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in Vienna, Berlin and Dublin.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed deep sorrow and condolences for a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
• The US "strongly" condemned "heinous" terrorist attack in Moscow, as well as "terrorism in all its forms."
• Slovakia will proceed to a runoff for presidential election on April 6 as no candidate succeeded in getting more than 50% of the vote in Saturday's election.
• Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said Bosnia and Herzegovina can count on his country's support towards EU membership.
• Maria Vasilevskaya becomes the first Belarusian woman cosmonaut who flew into outer space as she is on a crewed flight to the International Space Station.

SPORTS

• Brazil beat England 1-0 in international football friendly

Brazil shootout England 1-0 on Saturday in an international friendly match.

Young forward Endrick Felipe scored his maiden international goal for Brazil in the 80th minute at Wembley Stadium.

The 17-year-old became the youngest scorer in a men's senior match at Wembley.

England suffered their first loss in eleven matches with the defeat.

• Germany defeat France 2-0

Germany defeated France 2-0 in an international friendly football match.

Midfielder Florian Wirtz drew first blood in the first minute of the match at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz netted the second goal for his national team in the 49th minute.

Germany will host the EURO 2024, which will begin with Germany playing Scotland on June 14 at Munich's Allianz Arena.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Biden signs budget bill, averts government shutdown

US President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion budget bill approved by the US Senate.

Biden said in a written statement that the budget bill would prevent a government shutdown, adding that it invests in the American people, strengthens the economy, and enhances national security.

The agreement reached on the budget bill emerged as a result of compromise, therefore neither side obtained all they wanted, he added.

• Ukraine's biggest hydroelectric power station stops functioning following Russia's missile strike

The Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, the biggest electric power station of its kind in Ukraine, stopped functioning following Russia's missile strike on Friday.

Ihor Syrota, the head of Ukrhydroenergo, a Ukrainian state-owned enterprise that manages many major hydroelectric power plants along the Dnieper and Dniester rivers, told local broadcasters that the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station has been severely damaged.

The Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, also known as the Dnipro Dam, is located in the city of Zaporizhzhia and is made up of two units, but none of them are working, Syrota said.

The power cut from the damaged Dnieper Hydroelectric Station may cause an energy shortage in many Ukrainian regions.