Rabia Ali
17 October 2023•Update: 17 October 2023
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including Israel’s continuous bombardment of Gaza on the 11th day of the conflict, rejection of Russia’s cease-fire resolution at UN’s Security Council, and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel.
TOP STORIES
At least 40 Palestinians were killed early Tuesday as Israeli warplanes continued to bombard the Gaza Strip for an 11th consecutive day, according to witnesses and medical sources.
An airstrike targeted a house in Rafah, leaving 25 dead, including children.
Israeli fighter jets struck a house in the city in central Gaza killing seven. Eight Palestinians were killed in another airstrike in the Rimal neighborhood.
It also launched airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon early Tuesday, according to the military.
A spokesman of Hamas’ military wing, said that his group and other Palestinian groups are currently holding some 200-250 Israelis in captivity.
A draft resolution put forward by Russia calling for a cease-fire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was knocked down at the UN Security Council on Monday.
The resolution received five votes in favor, four votes against and six abstentions. Those who voted it down were the US, UK, France, and Japan.
While the Palestinian group Hamas was not specifically mentioned in Russia's draft resolution, all civilian deaths were condemned.
Another resolution, which was drafted by Brazil, is set to be voted on Tuesday.
US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken’s announcement came during a news conference early Tuesday in Tel Aviv after a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
He will also continue to coordinate closely with Israel to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas, said the top diplomat.
"The president will hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas," he continued.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed reporters at a press briefing saying that he has put forth a proposal for a guarantor system in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing Ankara's central role in shaping the idea.
- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden agreed Monday that it is a priority to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip amid a massive Israeli air campaign against the Palestinian territory.
- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged both Israel and Egypt on Monday to open up the Rafah crossing to allow in aid for civilians in Gaza.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday had a phone conversation with Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian group Hamas to discuss the latest developments and the prospects of release of civilians, said sources.
- A health official at the Gaza-based Health Ministry warned Monday of "serious epidemics" across the Gaza Strip, saying that the percentage of contamination in the water used by the people in the Gaza Strip is very high.
- Israel has asked the US for $10 billion in emergency military aid, The New York Times reported, the aid package being put together in a bill by Congress in coordination with the White House.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Palestinian resistance groups make their own decisions but Tehran backs them.
- A gunman killed at least two Swedish nationals in the Belgian capital Brussels, local media reported late Monday. No suspect had been arrested so far but an investigation was ongoing.
- Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is seeking the approval of emergency regulations that would allow him to shut down the operations of the Al Jazeera news station in Israel.
SPORTS
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Monday that five sports, including cricket (T20), have been added to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash have been officially included as well, the IOC said in a statement after the decision was made during the committee's 141st session held in Mumbai, India.
Football players across the world have expressed solidarity with Palestine as Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip.
Galatasaray's Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech, his compatriot at Bayern Munich Noussair Mazraoui, former Real Madrid star and 2022 men's Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, Arsenal's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Real Betis' French player Nabil Fekir voiced their support for Palestinians on social media.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Cyberattacks and fraud involving cryptocurrencies have caused at least $30 billion in damage worldwide since 2017, according to a new study published on Monday.
Citing technical weaknesses and manipulated cryptocurrencies as the main causes behind the losses, researchers at the Vienna-based Complexity Science Hub documented a total of 1,155 cryptocurrency-related criminal incidents in 2017-2022.
Turkish companies are exhibiting their services and products at Expand North Star, a major start-up event in Dubai that began on Sunday.
Described as the "world's largest startup show," the four-day event is hosting more than 1,800 start-ups from 100 countries.
Turkish firms BinBin, Sono, Cloud4Feed, TeamSec, Jollify Games, Mobilefest, and ExpoHIS have their stalls at the event's Türkiye pavilion.
