ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including a US envoy meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s relations with Lebanon and Syria; Israel killing 20 Palestinians in attacks across the Gaza Strip; Gaza’s death toll nearing 62,700 as eight more Palestinians die of starvation; Israeli forces withdrawing from a Palestinian town after a three-day raid in the occupied West Bank; local doctors reporting that 13 civilians were executed by the paramilitary RSF in Darfur, Sudan; and survivors of Syria’s notorious Sednaya prison confronting their torturers.

TOP STORIES

• US envoy meets Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s relations with Lebanon, Syria

US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, local media reported.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Barrack, who also serves as the US Ambassador to Türkiye, met with Netanyahu to discuss "a US request that Israel restrain its strikes in Lebanon" and engage in “negotiations with Syria.”

• Israel kills 20 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza Strip

At least 20 Palestinians were killed and several others injured in a wave of attacks across the Gaza Strip, medics said.

A medical source said three people were killed in Israeli artillery shelling targeting the towns of Jabalia and Jabalia al-Nazla in northern Gaza.

Three more were killed and others injured when the Israeli army opened fire on civilians waiting for aid delivery in northwestern Gaza.

In Gaza City, a woman was killed when Israeli forces struck a school in the Zeitoun neighborhood, while Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike near Al-Shafi’i Mosque in the same area.

• Gaza death toll nears 62,700 as 8 more Palestinians die of starvation

At least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 as eight more people died of starvation in the enclave, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that 64 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours while 278 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 157,951 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads, as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

• Israeli forces withdraw from Palestinian town after 3-day raid in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces withdrew from the Palestinian town of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, leaving behind a massive trail of destruction after a three-day military assault, witnesses said.

Witnesses said Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers remained stationed nearby despite pulling out from the town.

The army launched the offensive on the village on Thursday, in an assault described by local residents as “revenge-driven.”

Dozens of Palestinians were arrested, including local councilor Amin Abu Alia, and hundreds of olive trees were uprooted during the raid.

• 13 civilians executed by paramilitary RSF in Sudan’s Darfur: Local doctors

Thirteen Sudanese civilians were executed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Darfur, a local medical group said.

The victims included “5 children, 4 women, and 4 elderly individuals,” the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.

It described the attack in the Khazan Qolo area along El-Fasher-Tawila road as a “horrific massacre” targeting civilians.

• Survivors of Syria’s infamous Sednaya prison confront their torturers

Syria released a video showing former guards of the notorious Sednaya prison in Damascus confronting some of their victims, underscoring its pledge to deliver justice after the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The Interior Ministry footage, described by many Syrians as a “dialogue from the depths of hell,” features survivors recounting torture inside what Amnesty International previously called a “human slaughterhouse.”

Each victim described in detail the pain inflicted by prison guards who took pleasure in their suffering. Amnesty has said there is credible evidence that thousands were secretly executed in underground chambers at Sednaya.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• South Korea passes 'Yellow Envelope Act' expanding workers' rights
• Separatism runs against will of Taiwanese people, says China after recall vote defeated
• US climate activists sue state of Wisconsin over fossil fuel policies
• Egypt’s defense minister calls for maintaining ‘high combat preparedness’ amid regional tension
• Fresh rain spell kills 13 in northwestern Pakistan
• Death toll rises to 12 in northwestern China bridge incident, 4 missing
• Firefighters battle forest fire in northern Morocco amid heat wave
• Ukrainian drone strike sparks fire near Kursk nuclear plant in Russia
• Norway pledges $695M air defense package for Ukraine
• Prosecutors seek arrest of South Korea’s ex-premier over martial law decree
• Zelenskyy says Ukraine to ‘never again be forced’ into compromise
• Russia, Ukraine confirm exchange of 146 prisoners of war from each side
• Israel warplanes launch airstrikes on Yemeni capital
• Nepalese mountaineer becomes first to complete 50 ascents above 8,000m
• South Korea’s Lee departs to Washington for first summit with Trump
• Canada announces $1.46B worth of military assistance to Ukraine
• Spain’s recent heat wave recorded as ‘most intense'
• EU 'deeply regrets' US sanctions on ICC officials
• Israeli warplanes hit presidential palace, power plants in fresh attacks on Yemeni capital
• Gaza conference in Istanbul warns of 'three types of war' as scholars call for urgent action
• Turkish first lady's letter to Melania Trump receives wide coverage in world press
• Iran’s supreme leader says disputes with US ‘insoluble’
• Lavrov says Russia ready to continue direct peace talks with Ukraine
• Russia recognized it cannot install 'puppet regime' in Kyiv: US vice president
• Israel’s denial of Gaza famine ‘most obscene expression of dehumanization:’ UNRWA chief
• Egypt, US to launch military drills with 43 nations
• WHO chief urges protection for health, aid workers in Gaza after staffer’s release by Israel​​​​​​​

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• South Korea, US to discuss revising nuclear energy pact: Report

South Korea and the US are considering launching talks on revising their nuclear energy pact, with Seoul seeking loose restrictions on activities such as spent fuel reprocessing, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing sources.

The two countries have been coordinating on the issue, the source said, ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s first White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday, where security and trade will also be discussed.

• Pakistan and Bangladesh move to revive 'old connections' as Foreign Minister Dar meets interim leader Yunus

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during his landmark visit to Dhaka, and the two discussed strengthening bilateral ties, boosting trade and revitalizing regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Earlier on Sunday, the two countries signed six cooperation agreements, including a deal allowing visa-free travel for official passport holders.

Other memorandums covered cooperation on trade, foreign service academies, state news agencies, strategic studies institutes, and a cultural exchange program. A joint working group on trade will also be formed.