Rabia Ali
26 October 2023•Update: 26 October 2023
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including Israel’s continuous airstrikes on Gaza, mass shootings in the US state of Maine, and rejection of resolutions on the Israel-Palestine conflict at the UN Security Council.
TOP STORIES
- Over a dozen Palestinians killed in Israeli overnight airstrikes on Khan Younis
At least 18 Palestinians were reportedly killed early Thursday from Israeli overnight airstrikes on Khan Younis city, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency said the Israeli warplanes struck a home in Khan Younis city with several missiles, killing 18 Palestinians, including children.
The Israeli jets continued aerial attacks in several areas across Gaza City as the conflict entered its 20th consecutive day.
More than 7,900 people have been killed in the conflict, including 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
At least 22 people were killed in shootings at multiple locations in the US state of Maine late Wednesday, according to a report.
Maine State Police had issued a warning about an "active shooter" incident in the city of Lewiston.
The shooter targeted several locations, including a restaurant and a bowling alley.
NBC News reported that 50 to 60 people sustained injuries.
The suspected shooter remains at large as a manhunt is underway.
Two draft resolutions separately proposed by the US and Russia on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict failed to pass Wednesday in the UN Security Council.
The council’s members first voted for the US draft resolution, which demanded humanitarian pauses in Gaza, condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages.”
The resolution got 10 votes in favor, with Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates voting against it.
Russia's draft resolution, which demanded a humanitarian cease-fire, was also voted down in the Security Council after failing to get enough votes.
It received four votes in favor, two votes against and nine abstentions. The US and UK voted no.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The wife and two children of an Al Jazeera reporter in the Gaza Strip, Wael al-Dahdouh, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, the Doha-based television said.
- US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is sure Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip have resulted in civilian casualties, but sought to cast doubt on the official toll from Gaza's Health Ministry.
- All parties in the Palestine-Israel war should take their fingers off the trigger, Turkish President Erdogan said Wednesday, urging an immediate cease-fire, adding that he had plans to visit Israel but later canceled them.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that his country is preparing for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, adding the timing of the offensive will be determined by the war cabinet.
- Israel launching a ground operation into the Gaza Strip could escalate the situation there from brutality into a “massacre,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned at a press conference in Qatar.
- French President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday stressed the importance of a political solution to the ongoing Mideast conflict during a joint news conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
- Turkish airstrikes against PKK terrorist targets in northern Iraq on Wednesday destroyed 19 caves, and shelters thought to be housing ringleaders, according to the country's National Defense Ministry.
- Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova approved a new three-party coalition government Wednesday led by Robert Fico after his leftist Smer party won elections in September.
- The UK presently does not support a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has continued relentless bombardment for 19 days and is preparing for a ground invasion, said the prime minister's official spokesperson.
- The World Health Organization WHO on Wednesday said it has documented 171 attacks against healthcare facilities in the occupied Palestinian territory between Oct. 7 and 24, as the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas continues.
SPORTS
A Celtic fans’ group displayed Palestinian flags at a UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, despite an appeal by the Scottish club.
The Green Brigade previously announced that they would show their support for Palestine by displaying its flag at Wednesday's game.
The players and coaching staff from both sides said they would wear black armbands "as a show of respect and support for all those affected by the conflict.”
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat Milan 3-0 in a UEFA Champions League Group F match on Wednesday.
The Paris side's French star Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the 32nd minute at Parc Des Princes.
French forward Randal Kolo Muani netted the Parisians’ second goal in the 53rd minute, then South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in made it 3-0 in the 89th minute.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday kept interest rates unchanged, and said it continues its policy of quantitative tightening.
The target for the overnight rate was maintained at 5%, with the bank rate at 5.25% and the deposit rate at 5%.
"The global economy is slowing and growth is forecast to moderate further as past increases in policy rates and the recent surge in global bond yields weigh on demand," the central bank said in a statement.
