ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including seven more deaths from starvation recorded in Gaza; UNRWA chief blames Israel for ‘deliberate’ Gaza famine; and Türkiye begins natural gas shipments to Syria.

TOP STORIES​​​​​​​

7 more die of starvation in Gaza, taking death toll to 169

Seven more Palestinians, including a child, have died from starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave.

The new deaths, recorded in the last 24 hours, brought the number of starvation-related fatalities since October 2023 to 169, including 93 children, it said in a statement.

It warned that the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate as the Israeli blockade, now in its 18th year, prevents the entry of sufficient food and medical supplies.

“The situation is deteriorating rapidly,” the ministry stressed, renewing calls for the international community and humanitarian organizations to immediately intervene to stop the suffering and deliver urgent aid.

UNRWA chief blames Israel for ‘deliberate’ Gaza famine after 5 months of aid blockade

‏ The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) accused Israel of deliberately creating a famine in the Gaza Strip by blocking aid deliveries and sidelining his agency for five months.

‏“The manmade famine in Gaza has been largely shaped by the deliberate attempts to replace the UN coordinated humanitarian system through the politically motivated ‘GHF’. It is a so‑called ‘aid system’ responsible for the killing of nearly 1,400 starving people,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

‏He said Israel has prevented UNRWA, the “backbone of humanitarian response,” from delivering aid to Gaza since March 2.

‏“Sidelining and weakening UNRWA has nothing to do with claims of aid diversion to armed groups. It is a deliberate measure to collectively pressure and punish Palestinians for living in Gaza,” he added, stressing that “no time can be wasted anymore” and urged a political decision to unconditionally open the crossings.

Türkiye begins natural gas shipments to Syria

The first natural gas shipments from Türkiye to Syria have begun, Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Türkiye-Syria natural gas pipeline, Bayraktar said natural gas from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Syria through Kilis, a Turkish border city neighboring northern Syria.

Natural gas connection from Kilis to Syria's Aleppo was completed May 21, with the restoration of damaged pipelines.

He said up to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas can be exported annually to Syria, generating electricity to power 5 million households.

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Illegal Israeli settlers killed a Palestinian and injured eight during an attack in the town of Aqraba in southern Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

-Just 73 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip, far below the minimum daily requirement to sustain life amid Israel’s blockade, said the enclave’s media office.

- SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts arrived at the International Space Station, NASA announced.

-South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) elected Jung Chung-rae as its new head, Yonhap news reported.

-Russia claimed that its forces had taken control of another village in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

- The BBC World Service said it compiled evidence on more than 160 cases where children were shot by Israeli forces in Gaza, and found that in 95 cases, the child was shot in the head or chest.

-Six buses reached Syria's eastern Daraa province to begin evacuating civilians from neighboring Suwayda, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA, as efforts continue to stabilize the flashpoint region.

-Flash floods and landslides in the northern Vietnamese province of Dien Bien have left at least eight dead, while three others remain missing, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency.

-At least 60,430 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said.

-Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit, his first since assuming office.

-Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted for a second day in a row, spewing ash up to 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) from its summit, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

-Türkiye sets all-time export record in July, says trade minister

Türkiye's Trade Minister Omer Bolat said the country achieved a record $25 billion in exports in July.

“We achieved the highest monthly export figure in our history this July. This marks not only the highest July export figure ever recorded, but also the highest 12-month cumulative goods export volume in our nation’s history,” Bolat told a news conference in the province of Samsun.

He highlighted another positive development -- a slowdown in the pace of monthly import growth and a significant narrowing of the foreign trade deficit in July -- compared to the same month last year and June. He added that the export-to-import coverage ratio also improved.

“This is what we call a ‘legendary month,’ six major achievements in one. We reached an all-time high in monthly exports at $25 billion, up from $22.5 billion in July last year, an increase of $2.5 billion, or 11%. This gain also contributed an additional $2.5 billion to our 12-month cumulative exports,” he said.