Morning Briefing: Jan. 26, 2024
Anadolu’s recap of top stories from around the globe
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Friday, including a massive arms deal between the US and Israel, Hamas’ remarks about Friday’s International Court of Justice decision, Israeli bombardment in Gaza, and a UN agency’s warning about the shortage of food supplies in Gaza.
TOP STORIES
The US and Israel have concluded a massive arms deal that includes the sale of F-35 and F-15 fighter jets as well as Apache helicopters to Tel Aviv, Israel’s Channel 12 reported Thursday.
The channel cited Israeli Defense Ministry officials saying that the Israeli army will be supplied with drones and thousands of rounds of ammunition in the coming days.
The officials said the deal is of an exceptional size.
Hamas said Thursday it will abide by an imminent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on a cease-fire in Gaza if Israel takes a similar position.
"In case The Hague-based ICJ issues a ruling to cease-fire, the Hamas Movement will abide by it as long as the enemy does the same," it said in a statement.
Hamas said it was following deliberations at the ICJ with great interest after South Africa filed the genocide case, with a decision expected on Friday.
It added that it would release captives if Israel releases Palestinian detainees its jails.
Israeli forces launched attacks on central parts of the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing 14 Palestinians and wounding many others.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israel continued its attacks on various points in Gaza from the air and ground.
In an attack by Israeli warplanes on the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, at least 11 Palestinians were killed and many others were injured.
Separately, three Palestinians were killed and several wounded in an attack on a house in central Gaza.
Amid a severe shortage of food supplies, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees or UNRWA called humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip “catastrophic.”
“Living conditions in the Gaza Strip are catastrophic, particularly in northern Gaza and Gaza City,” Inas Hamdan, acting public information officer in Gaza, told Anadolu on Thursday.
"The least that can be said is that the situation is very tragic,” she said. “Basic foodstuffs such as flour and rice are not available, and the residents there already do not find enough to satisfy their hunger."
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Türkiye will make every effort to ensure Israel "receives appropriate punishment" for its crimes against Palestinians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.
- The French Foreign Ministry urged Israel on Thursday to adhere to international humanitarian law in Gaza, and condemned an attack by the Israeli military on a UN center.
- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Thursday of the fragile situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, which is currently under Russian control.
- A law passed by the Turkish parliament approving Sweden's NATO membership was published in the Official Gazette on Thursday, finalizing the ratification, the Communications Directorate said
- The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has climbed to 25,900, the Gaza Health Ministry said, with 64,110 injuries.
- Türkiye’s National Security Council met under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, committing to end the bloodshed in Gaza, ensuring the delivery of aid, and seeking peace in Palestine based on the 1967 borders.
- France's constitutional court on Thursday rejected large parts of a controversial immigration law.
- The Israeli army on Thursday requested that displaced people located in the largest shelter belonging to the UNRWA in the city of Khan Younis evacuate the premises.
- At least 30 people have been killed over the past two days in clashes between shepherds and farmers in Nigeria’s Plateau state, an organization said Thursday.
- The Israeli army’s intrusion into an artifacts warehouse in Gaza constitutes a serious violation and threat to Palestinian heritage, contravening international agreements, the Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said Thursday.
- A 5.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province, the country’s disaster management agency said on Thursday.
SPORTS
Zheng Qinwen will face Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday.
The Chinese tennis player beat Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska with 6-4, 6-4 straight sets in the semifinals on Thursday.
Qinwen became the second women’s player in the Open Era to reach an Australian Open final by defeating six unseeded opponents after Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1995.
Andriy Shevchenko, a former AC Milan star, was elected the Ukrainian football body's new president on Thursday.
The Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) said Shevchenko was unanimously elected president after receiving 93 votes, and will serve for five years.
A Milan regular, Shevchenko won the 2003 UEFA Champions League title with the Italian giants.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- US economy expands 3.3% in Q4
The US economy expanded 3.3% in the fourth quarter, beating estimates, according to the Commerce Department's first and advance reading released Thursday.
The figure was much higher than expectations of 2% but the American economy slowed from a 4.9% expansion in the third quarter.
The current dollar GDP increased 4.8%, or $328.7 billion, at an annual rate in the fourth quarter to $27.94 trillion, the Commerce Department said in a statement.
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday decided to keep its three key policy interest rates constant at record-high levels, in line with economists' expectations.
The interest rate on the main refinancing operations and on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 4.50%, 4.75%, and 4.00% respectively, said a statement.
It underlined that the downward trend in underlying inflation has continued, besides an energy-related upward base effect on headline inflation
