*) UNSC calls for 'humanitarian pauses' as Israel issues ultimatum for south Gaza residents

The UN Security Council has called for "extended humanitarian pauses" in besieged Gaza, the first time it has broken its silence since the start of Israel’s brutal war on the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The resolution was prepared by Malta and adopted with 12 votes in favour. Three states abstained — the United States, Britain and Russia.

The resolution "calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout besieged Gaza for a sufficient number of days" to allow aid to reach civilians in the blockaded territory.*) Israel raids Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital for second time

The Israeli army has attacked Gaza's largest hospital for the second time in two days and claimed it found weapons and a Hamas command centre.

Hamas government denies the claim and Human Rights Watch says it cannot independently verify if Hamas was operating from within the Al Shifa compound.

According to reports from inside Al Shifa, Israeli soldiers carried out search operations and interrogated patients and doctors.

Meanwhile, the United States has denied giving Israel a green light for a raid on the hospital.

*) First fuel truck enters Gaza since October 7th

A truck has delivered fuel to Gaza for the first time since fighting began on October 7th.

It delivered around 23 thousand litres of fuel, but it's not nearly enough to bring any relief to Palestinians.

Israel allowed the limited amount of fuel to enter on the condition it will be used only for UN aid trucks — not hospitals, water treatment plants or sewage pumping stations.

*) Russia alleges Ukraine officials embezzled 20-36% of Western aid

Meanwhile in the war in Ukraine, Russia has claimed that 20 percent and 36 percent of all financial aid provided to Kiev by the West allies has been misappropriated by Ukrainian officials.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova made the claim about “former senior officials of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry”, TASS news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is "still capable of doing evil", saying they must keep the country's defence as a top priority.

*) Biden, Xi restore military ties despite 'dictator' comment

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to restore military communications at their first summit in a year.

The four-hour talks between the leaders were aimed at preventing growing tensions between the world's largest economies from spiralling into conflict.

However, the two remained far apart on the issue of Taiwan, with the Chinese president telling his US counterpart to stop arming the island and that reunification was "unstoppable."

*) Israeli troops storm Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital

Following extensive attacks around the hospital, the Israeli army has stormed Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The head of the Al Shifa Medical Complex’s burns department, said in a press statement that Israeli tanks and bulldozers were now inside the complex.

Meanwhile, the director general of Gaza hospitals, said that “not a single bullet was fired from inside the hospital during the occupation forces’ storming of the complex.”

*) Yemen’s Houthis threaten to attack Israeli ships in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea, as the group said they had launched another missile targeting the country over its war in Gaza.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al Houthi said the group was monitoring Israeli vessels in the commercially vital waters, even those that do not have Israeli flags.

Al Houthi said his group is constantly “monitoring and searching for any Israeli ship."

*) Israel’s killing of women, babies in Gaza ‘has to stop’: Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged Israel to exercise maximum restraint for the protection of civilians in Gaza, saying that “the world is witnessing the killing of women, children, babies” and that “this has to stop.”

Trudeau said the human tragedy in Gaza is heart-wrenching, citing the suffering in and around Al Shifa Hospital after Israel’s recent strikes.

Trudeau added that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians, adding that “even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth, Israeli and Palestinian.”

*) Hundreds protest against Dutch government for supplying arms to Israel

Hundreds of people gathered at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands to protest against the government for supplying arms to Israel.

The demonstration in solidarity with Palestine later continued outside despite unfavourable weather conditions.

The demonstrators also protested against politicians in the European Union and US for supporting Israel.

And finally…

*) Turkish academics issue global ‘Call for Responsibility’ against Israel

More than 900 academics at various universities in Türkiye have condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza in a declaration.

The academics said that the UN, which was founded to protect international peace and security, has failed to stop actions against humanity.

It was emphasised that Israel continues to violate the basic rules and principles of law and its inhumane actions in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories.

*) Palestinian victims file ICC complaint over Israel’s Gaza massacres

Lawyers for the Palestinian victims of Israeli attacks on Gaza filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The victims’ representative before the ICC, Gilles Devers, and a four-person delegation that accompanied him submitted the complaint to the court’s prosecutor.

Devers asserted that Israeli acts in Gaza constitute factors of the crime of genocide.

He emphasised that the ICC is currently investigating war crimes in a related inquiry, stressing the imperative of including the crime of genocide in this investigation.

*) Israel admits growing international pressure over its onslaught on Gaza

Israel's foreign minister said international pressure on Israel would increase within two or three weeks over its onslaught on Gaza.

Eli Cohen said that Israel has only two or three weeks before it loses its diplomatic battle on the international stage to stop the war on Gaza.

He stressed, however, that the Israeli military invasion in Gaza will not stop until the Palestinian group Hamas is eliminated and the captives are released.

*) Jewish protesters, allies block Israeli consulate in Chicago, demand ceasefire in Gaza

Hundreds of Jewish peace activists and their allies converged at a major train station in downtown Chicago during rush hour.

They blocked the entrance to the Israeli consulate and demanded US support for an Israel ceasefire as war rages in Gaza.

Over 100 protesters were arrested for misdemeanour trespassing and escorted out of the building, according to Ben Lorber, who helped organise the protest.

*) EU says int’l community failed to find solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The international community has failed to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as shown by its continuation, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said.

Josep Borrell said “his tragedy should be an occasion for everyone to understand that a solution must be sought that can only be based on the construction of two states.”

Saying that he put forward a proposal which participants of the meeting agreed to support, he summed it up as follows:

No to forced displacement of Palestinian people out of Gaza, no re-occupation of Gaza by Israel, and no to the dissociation of Gaza from the overall issue of Palestine.

And finally…

*) Gaza hospitals 'out of service' as fuel shortages claim more lives

Hospitals in northern Gaza were forced out of service amid fuel shortages and intense combat, with the death toll inside the territory's largest facility rising, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Death toll inside Al Shifa hospital has risen to 27 adult intensive care patients and seven babies since the weekend as the facility suffered fuel shortages.

At least 2,300 people including patients, health workers, and people fleeing fighting were inside the Al Shifa Hospital, The World Health Organisation in the Palestinian Territories said.

*) "Freedom for Palestine": Thousands march across Europe for Gaza

Hundreds of thousands of protesters across Europe have taken to the streets in solidarity with the Palestinian people in response to Israel's brutal bombardment of civilians in Gaza.

Protesters gathered in Germany, France, UK, Sweden and Greece, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as "Freedom for Palestine", criticising the ongoing attitude of the Israeli government in Gaza.

*) Israel committing war crimes while the whole world watches: President Erdogan

Israel is committing "war crimes" in front of the whole world by targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship, mosques, churches, even ambulances carrying the sick and the dead, and refugee camps, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Asserting that the Western countries are only watching all these atrocities from the tribunes, Erdogan said that those with a conscience can't remain silent in the face of all this.

Erdogan emphasised the importance of establishing a ceasefire, ending the clashes and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

*) Hamas calls for swift intervention to allow fuel for Gaza hospitals

Meanwhile, Hamas has urged the UN and the international community to “immediately intervene to bring fuel into Gaza to operate hospitals.”

It issued the statement in response to a claim by the Israeli army that the group had refused to receive fuel for Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

Israel claimed that their army had provided Al Shifa Hospital with 300 litres of fuel but Hamas had prevented the hospital from receiving it, while Hamas described the statement as “a lie.”

*) Red Cross makes urgent call for protection of civilians in Gaza

The International Committee of the Red Cross issued an urgent plea for the protection of civilians in Gaza.

The committee said civilians are "trapped in fighting, whether they are trying to evacuate or staying where they are."

The attacks are underway in densely populated areas and around hospitals which poses a risk to the lives of the most vulnerable people, the committee added.

*) Amsterdam witnesses largest climate protest ever as Dutch election nears

Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Amsterdam demanding immediate action against the climate crisis, 10 days before the country holds a general election.

Local police said around 70,000 people joined the march, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and former EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who will lead the combined Labour and Green parties at the upcoming election.

Organisers said the turnout was the largest ever at a climate protest in the Netherlands.

*) Israel agrees to four-hour 'pauses' in Gaza attacks, Biden rules out truce

Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza to let civilians flee, the White House said.

US President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire but he has been pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for longer breaks in the fighting after more than a month of war on Gaza.

In addition, the US State Department said that there will be two humanitarian corridors allowing people to evacuate areas of hostilities in northern Gaza.

*) Israel carries out air strikes near Gaza hospitals

At least three hospitals in northern Gaza have come under attack early Friday, as Israeli air strikes continue across the enclave.

The medical facilities included Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, where Israel without proof said Hamas has hidden command centres and tunnels.

These attacks further stress the Palestinian enclave's precarious health system as it struggles to cope with thousands of people wounded or displaced in Israel's war on Gaza.

*) Israel does not seek to occupy Gaza: Netanyahu

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country does not seek to conquer, occupy or govern Gaza after its war against Hamas.

But he said a "credible force" would be needed to enter the Palestinian enclave if necessary to prevent the emergence of threats.

Netanyahu said a civilian government would need to take shape in Israel-besieged Gaza but that Israel would make sure an attack like October 7 does not happen again.

*) Ukraine extends martial law, general mobilisation till February

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed two bills into law, extending martial law and general mobilisation in the country for an additional three months.

The bills' status were updated on the online portal of Ukraine’s parliament, which said they were returned with Zelenskyy’s signature.

Martial law was first declared by Zelenskyy immediately after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war last year in February, and has been extended several times since then.

*) Toxic smog ravages eastern Pakistan, forcing closure of schools, markets, parks

Toxic grey smog has sickened tens of thousands of people in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore, forcing authorities to shut schools, markets and parks for four days.

The decision came on Thursday after the country's second-largest city was repeatedly ranked the world’s most polluted city.

Doctors advised people to wear face masks and stay at home. Residents said many people were coughing and having breathing problems.

*) Israel carries out air strikes near Gaza hospitals

Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which houses thousands of patients and refugees, has been targeted by Israeli missiles. This is according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The simultaneous use of illumination flares during the attacks resulted in shrapnel damage to the hospital's surroundings.

Another air strike near Al Nasr Children's Hospital in the western part of the city killed three Palestinians and left dozens more wounded.

Meanwhile, Israeli artillery fired rounds towards the eastern part of the city of Rafah.

*) Israel's systematic bombing of housing in Gaza a 'war crime': UN expert

An independent United Nations expert has said the widespread and systematic bombardment of housing and civilian infrastructure in Gaza amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity.

The UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing said these moves by Israel are strictly prohibited under international law.

A month of Israeli attacks on targets within Gaza have destroyed or damaged 45 percent of all housing units in the Palestinian territory.

*) G7 foreign ministers call for 'humanitarian pauses' in Gaza

Meanwhile, the G7 foreign ministers have issued a statement, supporting Israel's right to defend itself, while calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting.

After meeting in Tokyo, the diplomats repeated their support for Israel's self-defence and its goal of removing Hamas. But they also insisted there must be pauses in fighting to allow critical humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The US and UK oppose the long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza. But US State Secretary Antony Blinken suggests a transition period may follow the end of the war.

*) Russia strikes civilian ship in Ukraine's Odessa harbour

In other news, Ukrainian officials have said Russia fired a missile at a civilian ship entering a port in the Black Sea region of Odessa.

One harbour worker was killed and several crew members injured.

Previously, civilian ships were guaranteed safe passage under the Türkiye-brokered grain deal but it collapsed in July.

Since then, Ukraine and Russia have been increasing their military activities in the Black Sea.

*) China says climate talks with US a success

China has said that climate talks with the United States were a success.

The talks between top officials aimed at strengthening cooperation between the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters.

This comes ahead of a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week, as the two powers seek to improve ties after years of frosty relations.

*) Israel agrees on 'little pauses' over Gaza strikes — Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was open to “little pauses” in its bombardments.

It was not clear whether some kind of small stoppage had been agreed to or whether the US was satisfied with the scope of the Israeli commitment.

US President Joe Biden had raised the need for humanitarian pauses, but there was no agreement reached, according to the White House.

Netanyahu also underlined that there would be no general ceasefire in Gaza, without the release of the hostages.

*) Gaza death toll exceeds grim 10,000 mark as Israeli onslaught continues

The death toll in Gaza exceeded 10,000 after one month of Israeli bombardment, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said, as the offensive against the Palestinians showed signs of intensifying.

Hundreds of overnight strikes pushed the death toll to 10,022, mostly women and children, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry, told a press conference on Monday afternoon.

The toll included 4,104 children and 2,641 women, according to the ministry.

*) Israel minister's Gaza nuclear comment was wholly unacceptable: US

The United States has condemned as "wholly unacceptable" comments by an Israeli cabinet member who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza.

"We continue to believe that it is important for all sides of this conflict to refrain from hateful rhetoric," deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told a media briefing.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday disciplined the cabinet member in question.

*) 118 aid trucks enter Gaza through Rafah crossing

Palestine Red Crescent Society has announced that it had received 118 aid trucks through the Rafah border crossing, bringing the total number of trucks that entered Gaza since October 21 to 569.

They said the trucks contained “food, water, relief assistance, medical supplies and medications, while fuel has not been allowed to enter as of now.”

*) Russia officially withdraws from European armed forces treaty

Russia has formally withdrawn from a key post-Cold War security treaty designed to de-escalate potential East-West conflicts, in a latest sign of rising tensions between Russia and NATO.

The 1990 treaty, negotiated and concluded at the end of the Cold War and signed a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, placed limits on the deployment of military equipment to maintain military balance between NATO and the then-Warsaw Pact countries.

Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2007 and halted active participation in 2015.

*) Israel intensifies Gaza strikes despite ceasefire calls

Israel has pounded Gaza with "significant" strikes, ignoring ceasefire calls by UN aid agencies who condemned surging civilian deaths in the month-long conflict.

Reporters in Gaza say Sunday night saw one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest, Israeli bombardment since the conflict began.

For a third time, communications and internet services in the Palestinian enclave have been shut down. There are also reports of heavy shelling in the vicinity of several hospitals across the North.

Israel's army claims it has now split Gaza in half, taking control of the areas to the north and south of Gaza City, and effectively encircling the area that holds the headquarters of Hamas.

*) Israeli army conducts raids in Nablus and occupied East Jerusalem

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem, there have been reports of overnight clashes as the Israeli military continues its raids in Palestinian majority areas.

According to the Palestinian WAFA agency, the Israeli forces entered the city of Tubas, accompanied by a military bulldozer.

The soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas, and sound grenades during confrontations that left two people injured.

The Israeli forces also arrested two Palestinian leaders in the town of Anata as they were giving live interviews.

*) US Secretary of State Blinken to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken has arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara, following inconclusive talks with his Arab and Israeli counterparts

He is due to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the coming hours to discuss regional issues and bilateral relations.

Since the conflict began, Blinken has supported the Israeli position while trying to assure regional players that Washington is focused on relieving humanitarian suffering.

*) Arab world denounces Israeli minister’s remarks calling for ‘nuking Gaza'

The Arab world has issued statements condemning remarks by an Israeli minister on using a "nuclear bomb" against Gaza.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said on Sunday “one of Israel’s options in the war in Gaza is to drop a nuclear bomb on the Strip,” according to The Times of Israel.

In response, Egypt, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the remarks, saying it “reflects extremism and hate speech”.

*) Stage set for conflict at COP28 with mixed response to outcome of key climate talks

The final meeting on a climate-related loss and damages fund has ended in Abu Dhabi, with participants agreeing that the World Bank would temporarily host the fund for the next four years.

The US and several countries expressed disappointment in the draft agreement, which will be sent for global leaders to sign at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai later this month.

While acknowledging that an agreement on the fund is better than a stalemate, climate policy analysts say there are still numerous gaps that must be filled if the fund is to be effective.

*) Israeli troops gather around Gaza City, kill several Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli ground troops encircled Gaza City in their invasion of Gaza, as top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Israel.

The Israeli army announced that four more Israeli soldiers had been killed in overnight fierce fighting in Gaza with Palestinian fighters.

And in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said eight Palestinians were killed in separate incidents overnight.

*) EU prevention of pro-Palestine rallies shows double standard

The prevention of pro-Palestinian rallies in some European Union countries constitutes a "double standard," Türkiye's foreign minister has said at a meeting organised by the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin.

Minister Hakan Fidan was quoted as saying "Those who allow attacks on our Holy Book, the Quran, under the guise of freedom of expression are blocking those who want to protest the brutal killing of civilians in Palestine."

He added that it “is an unacceptable double standard."

*) Tunisia postpones vote on law criminalising relations with Israel

Tunisia’s parliament postponed voting on a draft law that would criminalise the normalisation of relations with Israel.

The decision was made during an evening session of the legislative assembly, according to Parliament Speaker Ibrahim Bouderbela.

Parliament started discussions over the proposed law in August.

*) MSF: Greece 'normalised' illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers

Doctors Without Borders accused Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government, stating that Greece has "normalised" abusive pushbacks of asylum seekers within a broader European Union policy that disregards violence against vulnerable individuals in a statement.

The organisation also said in a report that MSF teams have borne witness to how normalised pushbacks have become, and to the stark absence of protection for people who seek safety in Greece.

*) Air pollution in India's New Delhi turns 'severe'

People in New Delhi woke up to a thick layer of toxic haze, and some schools were ordered to be shut for two days as the air quality index entered the "severe" category in several parts of the Indian capital.

Residents complained of irritation in the eyes and itchy throats with the air turning a dense grey as the AQI hovered around 480 in some monitoring stations in the city.

*) Egypt's Bassem Youssef slams Gaza deportation plan

An Egyptian heart surgeon turned comedian has criticised a leaked proposal by Israel to forcibly deport Palestinians from the besieged Gaza to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, asking why Europe, which has 44 countries, or 50 states of US "take the Israelis" to end the Middle East's protracted conflict.

Bassem Youssef said the Israeli proposal of forcible transfer of some 2.3 million Palestinians of Gaza to Sinai was "the worst possible solution", in an interview with British TV host Piers Morgan.

*) Israel strikes Gaza refugee camp again as UN warns of 'war crimes'

Israel has hit Gaza's largest refugee camp with renewed air strikes, prompting UN rights officials to warn that targeting densely populated residential areas "could amount to war crimes."

Bombs struck the Jabalia camp for a second time in two days, pulverising buildings and, according to the Palestinian health ministry, killing dozens of people.

The UN's top human rights body — citing "the high number of civilian casualties" and scale of destruction — said it had "serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes."

The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that over 1,000 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the camp.

*) Latin America ramps up condemnations of Israel's attack on Gaza

Some of Latin America's biggest countries have condemned Israel's attacks on a densely populated refugee camp in Gaza, widening the diplomatic rift between the region and Tel Aviv.

Argentina, Peru and Mexico lambasted the Israeli attacks, which the Gaza government said had killed more than a thousand people while hundreds others were wounded or unaccounted for under the debris.

The criticisms come a day after Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the country.

*) US top diplomat to begin new Mideast tour amidst Israel's Gaza attacks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East with a somewhat more nuanced message than he offered in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 operation.

As he did last month, Blinken is expected to stress US support to Israel.

Blinken's agenda this time is more complex as the conflict intensifies and the Biden administration grapples with competing domestic and international interests and anger.

*) Deadly Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine damage Kherson city centre

A Russian attack on Kherson in eastern Ukraine killed one person and caused serious damage in the city's centre, the region's governor said, and a Russian drone strike killed another civilian in the frequently targeted city of Nikopol.

The attack on Kherson, which Russian forces seized early in the conflict but then abandoned a year ago, also wounded two people.

*) TRT Director-General Sobaci is elected as the president of the world's largest broadcast union

TRT Director-General Mehmet Zahid Sobaci has been elected as the President of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) during the 60th General Assembly of the union.

It is the world's largest broadcasting union with approximately 3.5 billion viewers and 246 members from 65 countries.

"My election as the President of ABU is significant for Türkiye’s goal of becoming a leading country in all fields,” said Sobaci, adding that the ABU presidency is especially gratifying as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Republic.