Morning Briefing: Oct. 20, 2025
Anadolu’s recap of top stories from around the globe
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including Israel reversing a decision to stop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip following US pressure, pledging to reopen the territory’s crossings Monday, a Hamas delegation arriving in Egypt to follow up on the implementation of a Gaza ceasefire agreement following a wave of Israeli airstrikes in the enclave, and President Donald Trump saying he will end all US aid and subsidies to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of overseeing large-scale drug production and failing to curb narcotics trafficking.
TOP STORIES
Israel reversed a decision to stop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip following US pressure, with Tel Aviv pledging to reopen the territory’s crossings Monday.
Channel 12, citing an unnamed political official, said Tel Aviv backtracked on its decision to suspend aid deliveries to Gaza “until further notice” after pressure from Washington.
The official added that Israel promised the US that it would reopen Gaza’s crossings for humanitarian aid starting Monday.
A Hamas delegation led by group leader Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Egypt to follow up on the implementation of a Gaza ceasefire agreement following a wave of Israeli airstrikes in the enclave.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday despite the ceasefire deal.
US President Donald Trump said he would end all US aid and subsidies to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of overseeing large-scale drug production and failing to curb narcotics trafficking.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Petro “an illegal drug leader” who has allowed the cultivation of narcotics “in big and small fields all over Colombia,” despite what he described as “large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA.”
“As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” he wrote, adding that drug production in the South American nation fuels “death, destruction, and havoc” in the United States.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- At least 34 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, medical sources said.
- At least 1,730 people have been displaced in Sudan’s North Kordofan and North Darfur states due to escalating insecurity and ongoing armed clashes across the country, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Tufan Erhurman, the leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), who won the presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) according to unofficial results.
- The Palestinian group Hamas accused Israel of repeatedly violating a Gaza ceasefire agreement, killing at least 46 Palestinians since the deal came into force on Oct. 10.
- US President Donald Trump said he does not have a “hard” timeline for Hamas to disarm under the Gaza ceasefire deal but warned that if the group fails to give up its weapons, the US or its “proxies,” or Israel, could intervene.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that US President Donald Trump will still provide Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles following a meeting with his counterpart in Washington, DC last week.
- Days before deporting hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious El Salvadoran prison, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly assured El Salvador President Nayib Bukele that he would return nine MS-13 gang leaders in US custody, some of whom were protected as "informants."
- A North Korean soldier was apprehended after crossing the heavily secured Military Demarcation Line (MDL) into South Korea, the military said.
- The US will likely replace its acting ambassador to South Korea ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the country later this month.
- Pakistan Air Force (PAF) JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, accompanied by air and ground crew, have arrived in Azerbaijan to take part in a bilateral aerial combat exercise, Islamabad said.
- Russia said an overnight Ukrainian drone attack targeted a gas processing facility in the country’s Orenburg region bordering Kazakhstan.
- Russia claimed that it took control of two more settlements in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
- Tensions flared as anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed in Melbourne and other Australian cities, leaving two police officers hospitalized, according to local media.
- Türkiye welcomed the agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan on a ceasefire reached during talks held in the Qatari capital Doha and mediated by Türkiye and Qatar.
- Germany will deploy three military personnel to support monitoring of the Gaza ceasefire through a US-led coordination center in Israel, the Defense Ministry has announced.
- Top South Korean business leaders played golf with US President Donald Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago estate in the state of Florida as the two countries continue to negotiate a trade deal.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the biggest current risk in the region is “Israeli expansionism through Syria,” adding that Ankara is continuing consultations with the United States and other partners to prevent further destabilization.
SPORTS
Turkish motorcycle racer Toprak Razgatlioglu won the 2025 World Superbike Championship (WSB).
Razgatlioglu won the 2025 WSBK world title after finishing third in the season's final race in Spain.
Known as "El Turco" by his fans, he had won the 2021 and 2024 championships. With this latest victory, he has won the title three times in total.
