Morning Briefing: July 9, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including the US hoping a Gaza ceasefire can be agreed upon 'by end of this week,' Spain launching a war crimes probe into Netanyahu over Israel's attack on Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship, and US President Donald Trump threatening to impose a 10% tariff on BRICS nations.

TOP STORIES

• Trump's envoy says US 'hopeful' 60-day Gaza ceasefire agreed upon 'by end of this week'

US Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff said that he is "hopeful" that a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will be agreed to by the week's end following progress in proximity talks.

"We had four issues, and now we're down to one after two days of proximity talks," Witkoff said at a Cabinet meeting alongside US President Donald Trump.

"So, we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire," he added.

Witkoff said 10 living hostages and nine deceased will be released under the proposed agreement, expressing hope that "this will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza."

• Spain opens war crimes probe into Netanyahu over Israel's attack on Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship

Spain’s National Court has launched a criminal investigation into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and several senior military officials over their alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly Israel's attack last month on a humanitarian aid ship.

The probe focuses on the June 1 raid on the Madleen, a ship en route to Gaza, Spanish MEP Jaume Asens said on X.

The vessel, which was carrying 12 international activists and humanitarian aid, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

The case was filed under the principle of universal jurisdiction by Spanish citizen Sergio Toribio and the Committee for Solidarity with the Arab Cause.

• Trump threatens 10% tariff on BRICS nations, claims group 'set up to hurt' US

US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that countries affiliated with BRICS will face a 10% tariff, accusing the group of working against the US.

"They have to pay 10% if they're in BRICS because BRICS was set up to hurt us," Trump argued during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

"BRICS was set up to degenerate our dollar and take our dollar or sustain it, and take it off as the standard. That's okay, if they want to play that game, but I can play that game, too," he added.

Saying that "anybody that's in BRICS is getting a 10% charge," Trump said that "they're gonna have to pay 10% tariff just for that one thing, and they won't be a member alone."

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NEWS IN BRIEF

• The UN human rights office raised alarm over reported proposals that Israel is working with other countries, including the US, to potentially facilitate the so-called voluntary movement of Palestinians out of Gaza, warning that such plans could amount to forcible transfer under international law.
• Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time this week as efforts continued to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.
• Iran denied Trump’s assertion about an Iranian request for a meeting on Tehran’s nuclear program.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity and systemic gender-based persecution in Afghanistan since the group’s return to power.
• Trump blasted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, stressing Tuesday that he is considering additional sanctions on Moscow.
• Three people were killed and 13 others injured in an Israeli strike near Tripoli in northern Lebanon on Tuesday evening, the Health Ministry said.
• Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration rejected the arrest warrants for its leader and chief justice issued by the ICC, saying that it does not recognize the court.
• The Israeli army claimed that its forces had killed two Hezbollah members, including a commander, in airstrikes in southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement.
• French President Emmanuel Macron urged the UK and wider Europe to reduce their economic and technological dependencies on both the US and China, warning that such reliance poses long-term risks to sovereignty and strategic autonomy.
• The death toll from anti-government protests in Kenya on July 7 has risen to 31, marking the highest single-day toll since the demonstrations began earlier this year, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said Tuesday.

SPORTS

• Juventus football legend Giorgio Chiellini becomes part owner of Los Angeles FC

Juventus and Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini on Tuesday became part owner of Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles FC.

"Joining the LAFC ownership group is a great honor for me,” Chiellini said in a statement on lafc.com.

Chiellini, who played as a defender for Juventus from 2005 to 2022, enjoyed a highly successful career with the club, winning nine Serie A titles, five Italian Cups, and five Italian Super Cups.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Trump to announce trade actions affecting at least 7 countries

US President Donald Trump said his administration will announce trade actions on at least seven countries early Wednesday.

“We will be releasing a minimum of 7 Countries having to do with trade, tomorrow morning, with an additional number of Countries being released in the afternoon,” he said Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added. The president did not specify which countries would be affected.

• US sanctions North Korean cyber operative over global IT worker scheme

The US sanctioned a North Korean cyber operative Tuesday accused of running a fraudulent information technology (IT) worker scheme that supports Pyongyang’s weapons programs, according to the State Department

Song Kum Hyok, affiliated with the US-designated hacking group Andariel, was sanctioned for his alleged role in "malicious cyber activities."

This including an attempted hack of the US Treasury Department, it said.