Morning Briefing: Nov. 14, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including Israel's deadly airstrikes at Jabalia refugee camp, suspension of UN humanitarian activities in Gaza due to fuel shortage, death of several patients at Gaza hospitals amid power outage, and rejection of refugee camps in southern Gaza by Palestine.

TOP STORIES

• Dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia refugee camp

At least 31 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Monday evening, Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported. The attack also left several people injured. The report added that the Israeli airstrikes targeted 12 homes in a densely populated area near the Jabalia Services Club in the camp for Palestinian refugees.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 39th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 children and women.

• UN agency's activities in Gaza to halt in 48 hours as no fuel allowed

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on Monday warned that it would have to suspend humanitarian operations in Gaza within 48 hours due to the lack of fuel in the enclave blockaded by Israel, said Thomas White, UNRWA's director in Gaza.

He confirmed that "no fuel has entered Gaza" since Oct. 7.

White said UNRWA trucks were running out of fuel and they would not be able to "receive aid coming through the Rafah crossing tomorrow."

Some 700,000 displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge from Israeli attacks and sheltering at UNRWA schools.

• 20 patients, including 6 babies, die at Gaza hospital amid power outage

The death toll from a power outage at the Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza City has risen to 20, including six premature babies, the hospital director said on Monday.

"Six premature babies and nine injured people at the hospital's intensive care unit died today as a result of the power outage," Mohamed Abu Slima told Anadolu.

He said seven patients in intensive care had lost their lives at the medical facility, the largest in Gaza, on Sunday.

"They all died as a result of Israel's refusal to allow fuel for the hospital," Abu Slima said. "There are still 33 premature babies at the hospital."

• Palestine rejects Israeli calls for temporary refugee camps in southern Gaza

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday rejected Israeli calls for setting up temporary refugee camps for displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip.

"We want our people to return to their homes from which they were forcibly displaced," Shtayyeh said during a Cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The premier said the Palestinian authorities are seeking to ensure the delivery of food and medicine to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

He urged the UN and EU to airlift humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, particularly to the northern Gaza Strip.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that Colombia will propose to the UN the recognition of Palestine as a fully independent state, and that Bogota will cease purchasing weapons from countries that voted against or abstained from the Gaza cease-fire.

• Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman was sacked in a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after her controversial remarks on pro-Palestinian protests and her article in The Times newspaper that met with massive criticism.

• The Palestinian Health Ministry announced late Monday that two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army gunfire in the West Bank, bringing the total number of deaths in the occupied territory since Oct. 7 to 190.

• US President Joe Biden on Monday said that Gaza's main Al-Shifa Hospital "must be protected," and that he hopes for "less intrusive action" by Israel.

• Hamas condemned EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's accusation for the Palestinian group of using hospitals and civilians as human shields, saying the allegation provides cover for Israeli "crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the "only answer that can allow a new future to be born," and "too many civilians are losing their lives."

• The Israeli army on Monday targeted media teams and journalists in the Lebanese border village of Yaroun with rocket shells in the country's south.

• Two Israelis were injured by rocket fire from Lebanon on Monday, according to the Israeli media, as anti-tank missiles were launched at the Moshav Netu'a settlement in northern Israel, with its artillery attacking the source of fire in southern Lebanon.

• Arab and Islamic countries and organizations issued statements late Monday, condemning the Israeli bombing of the headquarters of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza.

• US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will discuss in-person this week how best to further ongoing bilateral competition and manage growing competition between the global super powers, a senior US official said on Monday.

• Türkiye's Communications Directorate has exposed over 100 fake news stories about Israel's attacks on Gaza, its director Fahrettin Altun said on Monday.

SPORTS

• Underdogs Girona still leading Spanish La Liga

Girona, a tiny club in the Spanish La Liga, are currently in a fairy-tale season to amaze football authorities as they are still leading the league after the matchday 13 last weekend.

The club from Spain's northeast last beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in a Saturday La Liga match in Madrid to leave favorites Barcelona and Real Madrid behind in standings before the international break for the EURO 2024 qualifiers.

• Jokic praises Turkish star Sengun as Rockets beat Nuggets in NBA

The Houston Rockets beat reigning NBA champions Denver Nuggets 107-104, and the latter's Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic praised his Turkish opponent Alperen Sengun for his skills and contributions on Sunday night.

"I think it is a good thing that they are playing a little bit more through him," Jokic, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and the 2023 NBA Finals MVP, said after the game at Houston's Toyota Center.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Israel loses 950,000 jobs amid Gaza conflict

The Israeli economy is estimated to have lost nearly 950,000 jobs since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict last month, according to official figures.

The country's unemployment rate rose to 3.2% in September from the record low of 3.1% in August, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics data showed.

With the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, more than 178,000 Palestinian workers were unable to cross into Israel, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

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• Americans' short-term inflation expectations fall in October: New York Fed

American consumers' short-term inflation expectations fell in October, according to a survey released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The median one-year-ahead inflation expectation slightly decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 3.6% last month from 3.7% in September, the survey showed.

The five-year-ahead inflation expectation also declined by 0.1 percentage point to 2.7% in October from 2.8% the month before.