Morning Briefing: March 30, 2025

By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Syria unveiling its new government lineup, Hamas approving a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza submitted by mediators, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasizing strong support for Syria's territorial integrity.

TOP STORIES

• Syria unveils new government lineup

A ceremony to announce the new Syrian government began Saturday with President Ahmad al-Sharaa vowing the government would seek to rebuild state institutions based on accountability and transparency.

“We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national journey, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our shared will to build a new state," Sharaa said at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus. "This government will seek to open new horizons in education and health care, and we will not allow corruption to infiltrate our institutions."

The government “will rebuild state institutions on the basis of accountability and transparency,” he added.

• Hamas approves new ceasefire proposal for Gaza submitted by mediators

Palestinian resistance group Hamas agreed to a new ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip as submitted by Egypt and Qatar, expressing hope that Israel would not obstruct the plan.

"We received a proposal two days ago from our brothers in Egypt and Qatar, who are mediating the talks," Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, announced in a televised address on Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "We engaged with the proposal positively and accepted it, and we hope that the (Israeli) occupation will not sabotage it or undermine the mediators’ efforts."

Al-Hayya gave no details on the proposal, but in recent days international media outlets have reported that it would bring into effect phase two of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel after a period of calm.

• Turkish president emphasizes strong support for Syria's territorial integrity

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Türkiye would not allow the sabotage of Syria’s territorial integrity or the festering of instability across its own southern border.

In a statement for Eid al-Fitr – the holiday at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – Erdogan highlighted that Türkiye would “continue the work we have initiated in line with our ‘Türkiye without terrorism’ goal in accordance with our roadmap.”

He warned that Ankara does not have “unlimited patience” on the issue and that he expects the terrorist groups PKK/YPG to dissolve themselves and “lay down their arms completely without any further delay.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A small plane crashed into a home outside Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota, leaving no survivors.
• -Houthi media reported that seven US airstrikes had targeted Yemen’s northern Saada province.
• -After regaining control of the capital Khartoum, Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that “the joy of victory will not be complete until the rebellion is eliminated from every last part of the country.”
• -The Afghan Taliban interim administration said it would not return leftover arms to the US because they are now state assets of Afghanistan.
• - Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), accused Germany on Saturday of pushing illegal migrants over the Polish border.
• -Denmark rebuked US Vice President JD Vance on Saturday after he criticized Denmark’s governance of the island while visiting a US base in northwestern Greenland.
• -Some Muslim countries will start the holiday of Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, while others will begin it on Monday.
• -Israel is refusing to fully open the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the southern West Bank to Muslim worshippers for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said Saturday.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• -Türkiye sees record high in daily exports

Türkiye saw a record high in daily exports on Friday, the Turkish trade minister announced on Saturday.

Omer Bolat said on X that the second-highest daily export figure in the history of the Republic of Türkiye was realized in the export of goods.

The country's exports totaled $2.06 billion on Friday, he said, adding: "The upward momentum in exports continues.”