Author: Anadolu Agency
A group of 1,000 current and former Israeli Air Force reservists called on Thursday for the return of all captives held in the Gaza Strip, “even if it means ending the war.” “The continuation of the war doesn’t advance any of the declared goals of the war, and will bring about the deaths of the hostages, IDF (army) soldiers and innocent civilians,” reads a letter published by the reservists in Israeli media. The letter called for the “immediate return” of Israeli captives from Gaza, saying that the current war is going on for “political and personal interests.” “Only an agreement…
At least 15 more Palestinians were detained in fresh Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to prisoners’ affairs groups. The arrests, which took place in several towns and areas in the West Bank, included a journalist and a woman from Nablus city, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement. Journalist Samir Khweira, who works for a local radio station in Nablus, was taken into Israeli custody, a local source confirmed to Anadolu. Thursday’s raids came as the Israeli army has continued a deadly military offensive in the…
Türkiye plans to finalize an agreement with Iraq “very soon” on the Development Road Project, a strategic infrastructure initiative aimed at strengthening regional connectivity, the country’s transportation minister said Thursday. Speaking at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Emerging Markets Forum in Istanbul, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu emphasized that transit routes and transport corridors are essential to global economic development. He said that every penny spent on transportation infrastructure will contribute to reducing trade costs, increasing economic growth, promoting regional integration and achieving sustainable development goals. Uraloğlu described Türkiye as a natural bridge in the east-west…
The Israeli army demolished five more Palestinian homes on Thursday in the West Bank amid ongoing military escalation in the occupied territory. According to witnesses, army forces, escorted by bulldozers, raided the town of al-Rihiya, south of Hebron city in the southern West Bank, and razed three homes there for the alleged lack of building permits. The Israeli army also issued demolition orders for 20 other homes in the same town, witnesses said. A fourth home was also razed in the town of Shufa, southeast of Tulkarem city, for the lack of a construction permit. Israel widely uses the pretext…
US Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday reiterated his call to end US military support to Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip. “I feel very strongly that the United States government should not give another nickel to the Netanyahu extremist government that has killed 50,000 people in Gaza, wounded over 110,000,” Sanders told a CNN town hall moderated by the news channel’s anchor Anderson Cooper. Last week, the US Senate rejected two resolutions that were introduced by Sanders to block nearly $9 billion in military assistance to Israel. Sanders also opposes President Donald Trump’s plan to move 2 million…
The US and South Korea conducted a naval exercise aimed at improving joint salvage and rescue capabilities at sea during both wartime and peacetime. The five-day exercise, which began Monday in waters off Changwon, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Seoul, involved the South Korean Navy’s Gwangyang salvage and rescue ship as well as troops from the Sea Salvage and Rescue Unit and the US Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday. The drill is designed to train South Korean and US sailors for various joint rescue and salvage operations in the event of…
Representatives of 40 states and four international organizations say they intend to join public hearings on Israel’s obligations in the occupied Palestinian territory that are expected to be held at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the court said Wednesday. In a statement, the ICJ said they will hold public hearings “on the request for an advisory opinion on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory” from April 28 to May 2. “Forty States and four international…
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday thanked Türkiye for opening its doors to his country’s citizens, as he attended events in the Turkish resort city of Antalya, where he will also participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF 2025). “Since beautiful Antalya is home to many Ukrainians, I would like to thank you for opening your doors to us,” Sybiha said. “Today, you also wished peace for Ukraine, and we thank you too,” Sybiha said, adding that there has been historical friendship, cooperation and neighborly relations between the Turkish and Ukrainian people for years. “In fact, the summary of…
At least 40 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 50,886, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. A ministry statement said that 146 injured people were also transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 115,875 in the Israeli onslaught. “Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added. The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has…
A coalition of 77 US House Democrats has formally called on President Donald Trump to remove Elon Musk from his special government role by May 30, citing a federal limit on how long such employees can serve, Axios reported Thursday. The move marks the start of a wider campaign by Democrats to force Musk out of his leadership position at the unofficial Department of Governmental Efficiency-a controversial team to shrink the government-alleging that he has already exceeded the 130-day legal limit for special government employees. “We demand an immediate public statement from your administration making clear that Musk will resign…