April 16, 2024

*) Mass grave found at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza

Al Jazeera Arabic has reported that a mass grave at Al Shifa Hospital was discovered by the Palestinian Health Ministry and Civil Defence Forces in Gaza.

The extracted bodies had not fully decomposed, suggesting that the 'executions' took place recently, possibly during Israel’s two-week military invasion.

The Gaza Emergency Operations Centre Director Motasem Salah said the World Health Organization and OCHA are trying "to identify the decomposed bodies and the body parts that were crushed" from their wallets and documents.

*) Israeli war cabinet divided over response to Iran attack

Following Iran's retaliatory strike against Israel on Saturday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that “There is consensus on the necessity of responding to the Iranian attack, but disagreements revolve around the scale and timing of the response.”

The broadcaster noted that some in the war cabinet advocate for an immediate 'eye for an eye' approach, while others emphasise the importance of strategic planning for a robust response.

*) What unfolded on Day 1 of Donald Trump's historic hush money trial

Donald Trump has entered history as the first American president to stand trial on criminal charges.

The Republican presidential candidate for the upcoming elections faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal "hush money" payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump is expected to be in court 4 days a week during the trial, which could last 6 to 8 weeks, including presentations by the parties and witness hearings.

*) Crimes against Muslims in Germany have more than doubled in 2023

The German Press Agency DPA reported that the number of crimes against Muslims in Germany has more than doubled last year.

According to the DPA, almost 1,500 Islamophobic crimes took place across Germany in 2023, compared to 610 hate crime incidents in 2022.

The dramatic surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes could be linked to the Israeli war on Gaza, according to the report.

*) Türkiye's tourism booms as millions of visitors flocking in early 2024

Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated that over 4.3 million tourists visited the country in the first two months of 2024.

According to entry/exit statistics, the number of foreign visitors to Türkiye in the first two months increased by 12 percent compared to the same period last year.

Most foreign visitors came to Türkiye from Iran, Bulgaria, and Russia.