Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Morning Briefing: Dec. 27, 2023


ANKARA: Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Wednesday, including approval by the Turkish parliamentary committee of Sweden’s NATO bid, dozens of Palestinians’ bodies arriving in Gaza following release by Israel, and Israel killing its own soldiers mistakenly.

TOP STORIES

Turkish parliamentary committee approves Sweden’s NATO bid

Legislation greenlighting Sweden’s accession to NATO was approved on Tuesday by the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, leaving only a vote in the general assembly to grant or deny Trkiye’s full approval.

Before the pivotal vote, Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar briefed the committee on Sweden’s NATO membership process, and lawmakers weighed in on the proposal.

In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden’s NATO accession protocol and submitted it to parliament.

Dozens of Palestinians’ bodies arrive in Gaza following release by Israel

The bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army who were detained
during its ground operation, arrived Tuesday in the Gaza Strip after being released by Tel Aviv, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza received the bodies through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

”The UN had informed us in advance of the arrival of a number of martyrs to the Gaza Strip, estimated to be around 80 bodies,” Marwan Al-Hams, the director of Mohammed Yousef El-Najar Hospital in Rafah city, told Anadolu.

Israeli army says mistakenly killed 2 soldiers in Gaza last month

The Israeli army on Tuesday said it mistakenly killed two of its soldiers during a military operation in the Gaza Strip last month.

According to Army Radio, an Israeli tank spotted suspicious movements in a building and decided to shell its second floor, resulting in the death of the troops.

NEWS IN BRIEF

The Turkish intelligence teams destroyed nearly 50 facilities belonging to the PKK terror group in several Syrian cities, with se
nior terrorists targeted as well, security sources said.

The Iraqi government condemned the US targeting of its military sites, labelling it a “clear hostile act.”

Phone and internet services cut off across Gaza Strip due to Israeli attacks, said the Palestinian telecom company.

Kuwait said that the bodies of two missing Kuwaiti and Saudi nationals had been found in Iraq’s western Anbar province.

Indian police said they are investigating reports of a blast near the Israeli Embassy in the capital New Delhi.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief confirmed that the Marinka town in the country’s eastern Donetsk region is under the control of Russian forces.

France expressed “grave concern” after Israel vowed to intensify and deepen operations in the Gaza Strip.

SPORTS

4th International Model OIC High School Summit to be held in Trkiye

ISTANBUL: The 4th International Model OIC High School Summit will be held in Istanbul, Trkiye from Jan. 4-7, 2024 under the theme of “The Just Cause of Palestine: Establishing Perma
nent and Fair Peace”

A press conference was held Tuesday at a hotel in Istanbul’s Sisli district to announce the summit, which is being organized by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF).

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of National Education Nazif Yilmaz said the project was launched in 2018.

Yilmaz noted that 224 students will participate in the summit and that both English and Arabic sessions will be held to develop their language skills under the topic of Palestine and Gaza.

He said young people at the summit will seek answers to questions such as how diplomatic initiatives should be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future and how this process should be carried out in international relations.

ICYF President Taha Ayhan said Gaza is still a “bleeding wound” and that they know Trkiye’s contributions to the Gaza cause.

Beyoglu Education and Culture Foundation President Saban Kurt thanked all the members of the press working in the region, especially employees of Anadol
u, for accurately conveying the events in Gaza to the world.

Noting that they advocate for the establishment of permanent peace in Palestine, Kurt said “these participants, our student friends, are taking steps in terms of recognition and awareness in the diplomatic and international arena and at the same time justice. In other words, our children and students coming from Islamic countries will talk about permanent peace in Palestine here.”
Source: Anadolu Agency