ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that no US troops are needed in Gaza under President Donald Trump’s plan for the enclave, US President Donald Trump insisting on taking over Gaza and claiming Israel will hand it over once fighting ends, and Syrian whistleblower 'Caesar,' who exposed Assad regime crimes, revealing his identity.

TOP STORIES

• Netanyahu believes no US troops needed in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US troops are not needed in the Gaza Strip.

"No!" Netanyahu told reporters in Congress, when asked if he thinks US troops are needed in Gaza to make President Donald Trump's plan peaceful.

Netanyahu headed to Congress to talk with lawmakers as part of his visit to Washington, DC.

During talks with the Senate leadership, "unqualified support" for Netanyahu and Israel was expressed, according to the Israeli Prime Ministry.

Netanyahu "clarified Israel's position and said that Iran had to be prevented from attaining nuclear weapons and that Hamas had to be eliminated in Gaza," it said.

• Trump insists on taking over Gaza, claiming Israel will hand it over once fighting ends

US President Donald Trump announced that the Gaza Strip would be handed over to the US by Israel at the end of fighting and that “no soldiers by the US would be needed.”

In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that at the end of the fighting, “Palestinians, people like Chuck Schumer, would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.”

He also claimed that the Palestinians would have “a chance to be happy, safe, and free” due to the relocation scheme he proposed, which envisions Palestinians being displaced to Egypt and Jordan.

• Syrian whistleblower ‘Caesar’ who exposed Assad regime crimes reveals his identity

A Syrian whistleblower known as “Caesar” who leaked thousands of photos documenting torture and mass killings in Syria's detention centers revealed his identity for the first time.

In an interview with the Al Jazeera news channel, Fared al-Madh'an, a former forensic officer with the Syrian military police, confirmed that he was the man behind the largest leak of evidence implicating the Bashar al-Assad regime in war crimes.

Al-Madh'an recounted how he leaked documents exposing torture and killings in prisons of the Assad regime, which the Syrian opposition toppled on Dec. 8.

Originally from Daraa, he worked as the head of the registry of the forensic evidence department of the military police in Damascus, where he secretly gathered and smuggled thousands of images of detainees who died under torture.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The UN World Food Program (WFP) called for urgent action to rebuild Gaza and increase international support to boost humanitarian assistance.
• Egypt reiterated its rejection of any proposal to displace Palestinians from their land after US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians elsewhere.
• Gaza should be an essential part of a future Palestinian state, said the EU spokesman for foreign affairs.
• The “disaster of the century” has directly caused a financial loss of $104 billion to Türkiye, Turkish President Erdogan said regarding the twin earthquakes of 2023.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss political and diplomatic ways to end the conflict in Ukraine.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump is trying to "stir" regional countries with economic and technological capacity to take part in rebuilding the Gaza Strip post-conflict.
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed concern about US aid cuts for African nations.
• A federal judge halted a deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer pending further court proceedings on the program’s legality.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed that USAID funded 6,200 journalists, 707 non-state media outlets and 279 media-focused NGOs in more than 30 countries in 2023.
• The European Union may interfere in May’s presidential election in Poland, Polish President Andrzej Duda claimed.

SPORTS

• Neymar plays his 1st match for Santos in 12 years

Neymar took to the field for Santos for the first time in 12 years in Brazil's top-tier Serie A game.

Neymar, who recently left Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal to return to Santos, where he began his football career 12 years ago, featured in the second half of their home match against Botafogo.

• Former Real Madrid star Marcelo retires from football

Former Real Madrid star Marcelo announced his retirement from football.

"My journey as a player ends here, but I still have so much to give to football. Thank you for everything," the 36-year-old said on his social media account.

The former Brazil international, who won five UEFA Champions League trophies, four FIFA Club World Cups and six Spanish La Liga titles with Real Madrid, returned to his boyhood club Flamengo in Brazil in November 2024.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Bank of England cuts main interest rate by 25 basis points, matching estimates
  

The Bank of England (BoE) cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.50%, in line with market forecasts.

With the third rate cut since the bank began reducing borrowing costs last August, the rate hit its lowest level since June 2023.

"In support of returning inflation sustainably to the 2% target, the Committee judges that there has been sufficient progress on disinflation in domestic prices and wages to reduce the Bank Rate to 4.5% at this meeting," said a BoE statement.

• Nissan to end merger talks with Honda: Report

Nissan Motor's CEO shared the company's intent to stop merger talks with Honda Motor, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo news agency.

This came during a meeting between Nissan Motor's CEO Makoto Uchida and Honda’s Toshihiro Mibe at the headquarters of Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, in Tokyo, a source familiar with the matter told Kyodo.

The initiative would have created the world’s third-biggest auto group.