Morning Briefing: Oct. 23, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including hundreds killed in ongoing Israeli assault in northern Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Israeli premier over Gaza cease-fire, and UN's warning to Israel against preventing crucial humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

TOP STORIES

• At least 700 Palestinians killed in Israeli onslaught in northern Gaza: Hamas

At least 700 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in the northern Gaza Strip, resistance group Hamas said on Tuesday.

The Israeli army stepped up its massive assault in northern Gaza amid a suffocating siege that has left tens of thousands of people without food and water.

The onslaught, which began on Oct. 5, was the latest episode in Israel’s brutal onslaught that has killed more than 42,700 people, mostly women and children.

“The Israeli occupation is committing systematic crimes in northern Gaza as part of acts of genocide, including executions, killing civilians, arbitrary detention, forced evacuation, displacement, starvation, and attacking hospitals,” Osama Hamdan, top Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in a recorded speech.

• US Secretary of State Blinken meets Israeli prime minister to revive Gaza cease-fire talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday at the start of the top US diplomat’s regional tour.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu’s office said on X.

No further details were provided about the content of the talks.

Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday on the first leg of a regional tour to revive Gaza cease-fire talks between Tel Aviv and Hamas.

• UN warns against Israel's obstructions in aid, rubble removal in Gaza leading to cost of lives

The UN on Tuesday sounded the alarm about Israel’s obstructions in preventing crucial humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and warned the actions are costing lives.

Responding to Anadolu's question on the obstructions of UN aid and attacks on its personnel, which suggests a possible pattern, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said: "All of these things -- delays in removing rubble, delays in getting food and water to people who are starving -- those can cost human life, and that has to end."

Emphasizing that the primary priority for the UN is to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law, he stressed that the violations must end.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Israeli army on Tuesday claimed that it killed Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah's intelligence branch, in an airstrike on southern Beirut earlier this month.
  
  
• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin late Tuesday held talks with his visiting Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
  
  
• India and Pakistan Tuesday renewed the Kartarpur Corridor pact for the next five years, an Indian External Affairs Ministry statement said.
  
  
• In a Tuesday phone call with Italy’s prime minister, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised Rome’s response to Israel’s aggression in the region, stressing Türkiye’s determined efforts for peace in the Mideast.
  
  
• At least 46 civilians have been killed and 44 injured in two days of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and Al-Jazira states, the Ministry of Health and volunteer organizations said Tuesday.
  
  
• At least 63 people were killed and 234 others injured due to Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
  
  
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that relations between Russia and China are "an example of how relations between countries should be built," adding that both countries are strengthening coordination in global affairs.
  
  
• The EU foreign policy chief on Tuesday condemned Israel's recent attack on the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in northern Gaza, calling for the protection of international media members and observers.
  
  
• Türkiye “sincerely” wants to improve its cooperation with the BRICS group, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
  
  
• Türkiye and Latvia will strengthen their defense industry cooperation, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday.
  
  
• A Hezbollah drone that had targeted the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in northern Israel directly struck the window of his bedroom, according to Israeli media on Tuesday.
  
  
• The University of Milan has suspended an agreement with Israel’s Reichman University on an exchange of students and researchers after its rector, Marina Brambilla, met with a delegation of Palestinian students who had been pressing for a boycott of relations with Israeli universities, reports said Tuesday.
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• The number of internally displaced people in Haiti surged 22% in the last three months, according to a UN official who warned about the worsening situation in the Caribbean nation.

SPORTS

• Real Madrid earn comeback win against Borussia Dortmund in Champions League

Real Madrid secured a 5-2 comeback win against Borussia Dortmund in week 3 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Real Madrid are ninth with six points while Borussia Dortmund are fifth with six points.

• Galatasaray to host Sweden's Elfsborg in week 3 of UEFA Europa League

Galatasaray will host Sweden's Elfsborg in week 3 of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday at RAMS Park.

It will be the Istanbul club’s 321st European match. The Lions have won 114 of the 320 matches they have played in European competitions and were defeated in 121 matches, while 85 matches ended in a draw

In UEFA competitions, the Yellow Reds scored 434 goals and conceded 479 goals.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Global maritime chokepoints under strain, threatening trade, economies: UN body

The global economy faces heightened risks as key maritime chokepoints, including the Suez and Panama Canals, face increasing disruptions from climate change, geopolitical tension and conflicts, warned a new report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Tuesday.

The report said that these crucial arteries of global trade are under pressure, threatening supply chains and particularly impacting vulnerable economies.

• IMF estimates inflation to gradually decline to target

The IMF forecasts that global headline inflation is expected to fall from an average of 6.7% in 2023 to 5.8% this year, according to its World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday.

The global headline inflation estimate for 2025 is at 4.3%, signaling continuing gradual declines to the target.

The decline in global headline inflation in 2024-25 is due to a broad-based decrease in core inflation, while the main driver in 2023 was due to lower fuel prices. Core inflation is estimated to drop due to the delayed effects of tight monetary policies of central banks worldwide and lower energy prices.