Rabia Ali
29 July 2025•Update: 29 July 2025
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including Israeli forces killing dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, tensions prevailing as ceasefire holds between Thailand and Cambodia, UN chief saying Palestinian statehood "is a right, not a reward," and US President Donald Trump threatening Russia with sanctions and tariffs.
TOP STORIES
- Nearly 90 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza
At least 89 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, medical sources said Monday.
At least seven people lost their lives and 22 were injured in an Israeli strike targeting a gathering of civilians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Two more Palestinians were killed and several others wounded when Israeli warplanes struck a college sheltering displaced families near the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza City.
Meanwhile, at least 14 more Palestinians, including two children, died of starvation in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours as famine induced by Israel’s months-long siege continues to worsen.
The new fatalities brought the death toll from starvation in Gaza since October 2023 to 147, including 88 children.
- Tensions prevail as ceasefire between Thailand, Cambodia holds
Tensions remained high along the Thai-Cambodian border Tuesday despite a ceasefire officially taking effect Monday night.
Commanders from the militaries of both sides were expected to meet during the day to de-escalate the situation, but the meeting was postponed due to scheduling conflicts.
In a statement issued early Tuesday, the Royal Thai Armed Forces reaffirmed Thailand’s strict compliance with the ceasefire, asserting that all offensive actions were halted in line with commitments made by both governments.
However, Thai military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Vithai Laithomya accused Cambodian forces of violating the ceasefire by continuing attacks on Thai territory at several points beyond the ceasefire deadline.
- UN chief says Palestinian statehood 'is a right, not a reward'
The UN secretary-general on Monday called on the international community to take "urgent, concrete, irreversible steps" toward a two-state solution, warning that the situation in the Gaza Strip is driving Palestinians deeper into despair.
"Let's be clear: Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. And the denial of statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere," Antonio Guterres said at the opening of a high-level UN conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question.
"Time is running out. With every passing day, trust is slipping. Institutions are weakened. And hopes are dashed."
Guterres condemned the deepening crisis in Gaza, saying the enclave "has descended into a cascade of catastrophes."
- Trump threatens Russia with sanctions, tariffs if Moscow doesn't end Ukraine war in less than 2 weeks
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened Russia with sanctions and secondary tariffs if it does not end the Ukraine war in "about 10 or 12 days," much earlier than a previous deadline.
"I'll announce it probably tonight or tomorrow, there's no reason to wait," he told a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at one of the president’s commercial golf clubs in Scotland. His previous deadline of 50 days would have fallen around early September.
"It would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs," said Trump on the possible consequences on Russia, but added he would do so reluctantly, as he said: “I love the Russian people, they're great people."
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Trump said there will be food centers set up in Gaza where "people can walk in without boundaries," admitting publicly that there is "real starvation" in the besieged enclave.
- The US rejected an international conference on the two-state solution taking place this week at UN headquarters in New York, calling it an “unproductive” and “ill-timed” effort that undermines ongoing diplomacy.
- At least 30 people died as heavy rainfall pounded Beijing, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and mass evacuations.
- France’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine in September is expected to encourage other countries to take similar steps, said the country's foreign minister.
- Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established and the war in Gaza ends, the kingdom’s foreign minister said, signaling Riyadh’s clearest stance yet linking recognition to progress on a two-state solution.
- Palestine urged the international community to recognize a Palestinian state and intensify efforts to end Israel’s decades-long occupation at the high-level conference on a two-state solution at the UN headquarters in New York.
- Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz called for sustained de-escalation and an end to Israeli military attacks in Syria, stressing the need to support Damascus’ efforts to stabilize the war-torn country.
- Foreign activists aboard a Gaza aid ship seized by Israel launched an open-ended hunger strike to protest their detention.
- At least four people were killed and another two injured in a mass shooting in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Monday before the suspected shooter reportedly committed suicide.
- Italy and its fellow EU member states will look at putting new sanctions on violent Israeli settlers following an attack on a Christian village in the West Bank, Italy’s foreign minister said.
- The Israeli government suspended a plan to set up a detention camp for Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
- More than 40,000 infants face the risk of death due to Israel’s continued ban on the entry of baby formula into Gaza, local authorities have warned.
- Two leading Israeli human rights groups accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- EU Commission proposes partial suspension of Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe program
The European Commission proposed partially suspending Israel from participating in the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and development program, citing concerns over humanitarian obligations in Gaza.
The proposed measure specifically targets Israel’s access to the European Innovation Council Accelerator, a funding mechanism supporting start-ups and small businesses developing disruptive technologies, including those with potential dual-use applications in areas such as cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence.
- Russia bans gasoline exports until Aug. 31
Russia said Monday that it has temporarily banned gasoline exports until Aug. 31.
"The decision was made to maintain a stable situation on the domestic fuel market during the period of high seasonal demand and agricultural field work," the government said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting with industry representatives regarding rising fuel prices and ordered them to take the necessary measures to address these prices.
